Although Kubo Tite’s wildly popular manga series, BLEACH, recently came to an end that doesn’t have to mean it’s all death and strawberries. If you love anime and short on funds, or just like getting your favorite shows for free, you’ll be happy to hear that VIZ Media is releasing BLEACH in all its glorious 366-episodic entirety for free on Tubi TV. Tubi TV – advertised as the largest truly free Internet TV network with no subscription fee requirement – has partnered up with VIZ Media to bring fans of the series the opportunity to kick back and relax to a worry-free, legit, subtitled BLEACH viewing experience.
BLEACH originally aired in 2004, about a young boy named Ichigo born with the ability to see ghosts. This leads Ichigo to become a Soul Reaper – or Shinigami – to help rid the world of evil spirits, but the world is much bigger than Ichigo had anticipated. What follows is a fun and emotional ride through Ichigo’s life as a soul reaper. If your new to anime, BLEACH is a great gateway series for beginners. The anime abruptly ended in 2012, leaving fans and enthusiasts alike pining for more episodes and wondering when Ichigo and his crew would make their triumphant return to the silver screen. Love it or hate it, BLEACH was peppered with some of the most intense fight scenes ever seen in a manga, with the craziest outcomes, brain-melting twists, and hair-raising quotables that kept fans begging for more. Personally, I loved it for its diverse cast of troubled heroes as well as author Kubo Tite’s interpretations on fear, life, companionship, and death.
“For more than thirty years, we’ve brought the finest in manga and anime to English-speaking fans across the world,” said Brian Ige, VIZ Media Vice President, Animation.
“This partnership with Tubi TV helps us build on that momentum and expand our audience as more and more viewers around the globe continue to clamor for our unique brand of entertainment.”
This gives me hope that the free release on an up and coming platform like Tubi TV will spike interest in a BLEACH anime once again, giving us a continuation or, as we saw in Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, a completely new adaptation faithful to the manga from beginning to end. You can also catch other VIZ Media titles like Bakuman, Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, and Naruto.