After three visually impressive and adrenaline-fuelled outings, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is set to close out with a final season dubbed Part 4 – The Calamity. The announcement comes after Part 3‘s double-episode finale on 28 December, revealing a teaser trailer and visual for the forthcoming sequel.
A release date has yet to be set, but the anime continuation will likely premiere sometime near the end of next year, or even in early 2026. The official poster featuring series protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki was also unveiled, with creator Tite Kubo promising even more original content added to the fourth cour (quarter of a year).
Pierrot Films, the new arm of Pierrot’s second studio, is returning to helm the animation. Alongside Hikaru Murata as director, other key staff include Tomohisa Taguchi and Masaki Hiramatsu as composers, Masashi Kudo as character designer, and Shiro Sagisu as music composer, as well as Yukio Hasegawa, Sei Komatsubara, Masashi Kudo, and Kumiko Takayanagi as chief animation directors.
The third anime installment aired on 5 October and has caught up to chapter 661 of the manga, leaving around 25 chapters for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 – The Calamity to adapt, including a highly anticipated adult-form appearance by a certain captain (if you know, you know).
The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc is the final story arc, covering volumes 55 to 74. In addition to the final season, fans can also look forward to Bleach: Rebirth of Souls, the 3D action fighting game slated to release on 21 March 2025 or revisit the special 20th-anniversary video for the anime, which recreates iconic scenes in the modern, stylish flair that the revival series is known for.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
