Bleach watch order: all 16 arcs, the filler to skip, the movies and Thousand-Year Blood War

How many episodes of Bleach are there?

The original series ran for 366 episodes on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2012 ^{ANN, Wikipedia}. Thousand-Year Blood War, a direct sequel that adapts the manga's final arc, began in October 2022 and runs 50 episodes in four parts (13, 13, 14 and 10) ^{Wikipedia, official Blu-ray listing}. That makes 416 TV episodes.

Part 4, The Calamity, started on July 25, 2026. Episodes 49 and 50 were delayed so the staff could polish them: episode 49 aired on October 19, and the finale aired on October 26 at midnight Japan time, ending the series ^{official site, ANN, Japanese Wikipedia}.

Bleach arcs in order

The original series has 16 arcs. Five are anime-original stories written for TV between manga arcs; the rest adapt Tite Kubo's manga ^{Studio Pierrot's arc list, Japanese Wikipedia}.

Chapter ranges come from Wikipedia's season pages ^Wikipedia. They don't split the Decisive Battle of Karakura and Downfall arcs; between them, those two cover the chapters after the Arrancar vs. Shinigami arc (which ends at 315) and before the Lost Agent arc (which starts at 424). Turn Back the Pendulum adapts a flashback the manga numbers with negative chapters.

Bleach filler list: the episodes you can skip

Anime Filler List, the community site most guides draw on, supplies these counts ^{Anime Filler List}. Keep the "mixed" episodes: they include manga scenes alongside the new material.

There's an official list too. In 2022 the anime's site ran a fan vote on the 203 episodes it lists as manga-based, which leaves out 163, the same number Anime Filler List skips ^{official site}. The two lists differ on six episodes: the official one counts 33, 50 and 266 as manga-based and leaves out 109, 227 and 342. Turn Back the Pendulum (206 to 212) is manga material on both lists.

Thousand-Year Blood War has no filler on Anime Filler List. It marks two episodes, 45 and 47, as "anime canon": new material that isn't in the manga ^{Anime Filler List}. Episode 45 gives Ichigo a new form that Kubo designed and named ^{official site}.

Bleach movies in order

The four films are anime-original stories outside the manga plot, and none of them has an official spot in the timeline. The table places each one where it came out during the TV run; that's release timing, not a story position ^{Wikipedia, Japanese Wikipedia}. Anime News Network's reviewers called the first two "extended filler" ^{ANN, ANN}.

There are also two short OVAs from the Jump Festa anime tours, Memories in the Rain (2004) and The Sealed Sword Frenzy (2005), which Wikipedia sets after episode 63 ^{ANN, ANN, Wikipedia}.

Where Thousand-Year Blood War fits

Right after episode 366. Thousand-Year Blood War is a direct sequel to the original series and adapts the manga's last arc, volumes 55 to 74 ^{Wikipedia, ANN}. Kubo is credited as general supervisor, and Part 3 added more anime-original scenes than the earlier parts ^Wikipedia. Anime News Network says the anime "covers the rest of the original manga up through its ending" ^ANN.

Where the anime stops in the manga

Kubo's manga ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from August 2001 to August 2016: 686 numbered chapters, plus 12 flashback chapters numbered below zero, in 74 volumes ^Wikipedia. The original series reaches chapter 479, the end of volume 54. Thousand-Year Blood War starts at chapter 480 and, with episode 50, reaches the final chapter, 686 ^{Wikipedia, official episode 50 synopsis}.

If you stopped at episode 366 and want the manga version of the final arc, start at volume 55. After the anime ends, there isn't much left to read: Kubo's 73-page one-shot from 2021, set after the ending, and the spin-off novels ^{Wikipedia, ANN}.

Where to watch Bleach

• Hulu (US) streams all 366 original episodes and Thousand-Year Blood War, with English dubs ^{VIZ, VIZ}.
• Disney+ streams Thousand-Year Blood War in other countries, and in the UK it has the original series too ^{VIZ, AnimeBlurayUK}.
• The films are free with ads on Pluto TV and free with a library card on Hoopla in the US. In the UK only Fade to Black is available, to rent or buy (JustWatch US, JustWatch UK, checked October 26, 2026).

According to JustWatch, Bleach isn't on Crunchyroll or Netflix in the US or UK.

How long does it take to watch Bleach?

The original series and the first three parts of Thousand-Year Blood War run about 162 hours together, and Part 4 adds roughly four hours. Leave out the episodes Anime Filler List marks as filler and the whole run drops to about 100 hours; the four films add about 6 more. Totals use the 23- to 24-minute episode lengths listed on Wikipedia ^Wikipedia.

Bleach questions

What order do you watch Bleach in?

Watch the original Bleach series, episodes 1 to 366, then Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, which picks up where episode 366 stopped. The four films are optional side stories.

How many episodes of Bleach are there?

The original series has 366 episodes (2004 to 2012). Thousand-Year Blood War adds 50 more in four parts (2022 to 2026), so the anime has 416 TV episodes in all.

Is Bleach finished?

Yes. The manga ended in 2016, and the anime ended with Thousand-Year Blood War episode 50, which aired in Japan on October 26, 2026 and reaches the manga's last chapter.

What Bleach episodes can I skip?

Anime Filler List marks 163 of the 366 original episodes as filler, including the Bount, Amagai, Zanpakutō and Gotei 13 Invading Army arcs. The official 2022 list of manga-based episodes leaves out 163 as well, with a few differences.

Where can I watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War?

Hulu streams it in the US and Disney+ in other countries, the UK included. Both also have the original series.