How to watch Bleach in order
There's a lot to catch up with, but it's easier than it looks!
Debuting in 2004, Bleach holds legendary status among anime fans, running for an impressive 16 seasons before its sequel series, Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, premiered in 2022.
Adapted from the long-running manga by Tite Kubo, Bleach is a fantasy tale led by a teenager named Ichigo Kurosaki. Set in an alternate universe, the story begins with Ichigo gaining the powers of a supernatural entity known as a Soul Reaper. These abilities allow him to protect humanity from evil spirits, kickstarting a series of adventures involving other Soul Reapers, spirits, and supernatural factions.
The long-awaited sequel Bleach: Thousand Year War is also based on the manga, seeing Ichigo return to clash with a new enemy. Part 4 of the series will arrive sometime in 2025, concluding the Thousand Year War story arc.
If you're interested in getting stuck into Bleach, the sheer scope of this franchise can be intimidating. There certainly are a lot of episodes (and films) to watch!
The good news is, we're here to help guide you through that viewing process. Here's our advice on how to watch Bleach in order.
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How to watch Bleach in order
Bleach fans have two options when catching up with the anime franchise: Either watching by release date, or in chronological order based on the main plot. Following the series by release date is probably the easiest way to get started, alternating between seasons of the anime TV series and the various spin-off movies.
Here's our outline for how to watch the Bleach anime franchise in release order:
- Season 1 - The Substitute Soul Reaper (Episodes 1-20)
- Season 2 - The Entry (Episodes 1-21)
- Season 3 - The Rescue (Episodes 1-22)
- Season 4 - The Bounty (Episodes 1-22)
- Season 5 - The Assault (Episodes 1-15)
- Bleach The Movie: Memories of Nobody
- Season 5 - The Assault (Episodes 16-18)
- Season 6 - Arrancar The Appearance (Episodes 1-22)
- Season 7 - The Arrancar Part 2 (Episodes 1-20)
- Season 8 - The Arrancar Part 3 (Episodes 1-2)
- Bleach: Diamond Dust Rebellion
- Season 8 - The Arrancar Part 3 (Episodes 3-16)
- Season 9 - The New Captain (Episodes 1-22)
- Season 10 - The Arrancar Part 4 (Episodes 1-9)
- Bleach: Fade To Black
- Season 10 - The Arrancar Part 4 (Episodes 10-16)
- Season 11 - Turn Back The Pendulum (Episodes 1-7)
- Season 12 - The Arrancar Part 5 (Episodes 1-17)
- Season 13 - Zanpakuto The Alternate Tale (Episodes 1-36)
- Season 14 - The Arrancar Part 6 (Episodes 1-34)
- Bleach: Hell Verse
- Season 14 - The Arrancar Part 6 (Episodes 36-51)
- Season 15 - Gotei 13 Invading Army (Episodes 1-26)
- Season 16 - The Lost Agent (Episodes 1-24)
- The Thousand Year Blood War Part 1 The Blood Warfare (Episodes 1-13)
- The Thousand Year Blood War Part 2 The Separation (Episodes 14-26)
- The Thousand Year Blood War Part 2 The Conflict (Episodes 27-40)
Alternatively, you may want to catch up with Bleach in chronological order, a slightly different method that sticks to the core canon timeline of the story.
The following list explains how to watch Bleach in chronological order:
- Season 1 - The Substitute Soul Reaper
- Season 2 - The Entry
- Season 3 - The Rescue
- Season 4 - The Bounty
- Season 5 - The Assault
- Season 6 - Arrancar The Appearance
- Season 7 - The Arrancar Part 2
- Season 8 - The Arrancar Part 3
- Season 9 - The New Captain
- Season 10 - The Arrancar Part 4
- Season 11 - Turn Back The Pendulum
- Season 12 - The Arrancar Part 5
- Season 13 - Zanpakuto The Alternate Tale
- Season 14 - The Arrancar Part 6
- Season 15 - Gotei 13 Invading Army
- Season 16 - The Lost Agent
- The Thousand Year Blood War Part 1
- The Thousand Year Blood War Part 2
- The Thousand Year Blood War Part 3
You may have noticed that this list doesn't include the spin-off movies. Fans generally agree that while the movies are fun to watch and can enrich your understanding of the main characters, they aren't strictly necessary to understand the main story arcs.
However if you want to watch the Bleach films in addition to the TV series, this is the best viewing order:
- Bleach The Movie: Memories of Nobody
- Bleach: Diamond Dust Rebellion
- Bleach: Fade To Black
- Bleach: Hell Verse
This viewing guide brings you up to date with the entire Bleach franchise, so you'll be ready for the fourth and final cours in the Thousand Year Blood War arc, which will reportedly premiere in 2025.
How to watch the English dub of Bleach
The English dub of Bleach is available on Disney Plus.
How to watch Bleach in the UK
In the the UK, you can stream all of Bleach on Disney Plus, along with Bleach: Thousand Year War.
Bleach is available to watch on Disney Plus in the UK – sign up to Disney Plus now for £8.99 per month or £89.90 for a full year.
Bleach is streaming on Hulu in the US – start your free trial here.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
