When Does the Bleach Anime Get Good? Here’s What to Know!

Tite Kubo’s Bleach is one of the “Big Three” series and one of the major works that contributed to the popularization of anime and manga worldwide. The Bleach manga follows high school student Ichigo Kurosaki as he becomes a Substitute Shinigami (Soul Reaper) and then works with his friends and allies to save his world and the Soul Society. The manga was wildly successful and inspired a 17-season anime series, four feature-length anime films, numerous video games, and other ancillary content and merchandise. But is it worth it? Is Bleach that good that you should stick around the whole deal? In this article, we are going to tell you when Bleach gets good and which episode you should start with.

In the case of Bleach, as with most long-running anime, viewers will have an easy task. Namely, Bleach starts off strong from the very beginning; in that aspect, it is one of the best anime you can watch. The series itself had some ups and downs in terms of its filler arcs (especially the later ones), but overall, and especially without the fillers (no, the Fullbringer Arc won’t kill you), Bleach is a truly great show you’ll enjoy from the very start and especially through the new, improved series.

In the following paragraphs, we will elaborate on this answer and give you some additional information on the show’s content. You’re going to find out whether Bleach is good from the beginning, why you should watch it from the start, and what it is about. This is going to be your ultimate newbie guide to Bleach.

Bleach is an anime you can watch and enjoy from the very beginning

When Tite Kubo began working on Bleach, no one thought that the manga was going to be such a success; initially, it was supposed to be much shorter, but once it became popular, everybody invested in it.

The series itself received an anime adaptation that, in the tradition of the anime of that time, ran on a weekly basis throughout the year, which led to the production of several filler arcs, but more on that later. The anime is still ongoing, with more than 350 episodes, four movies, and several other shorter and live-action works.

So, as you can see, there is definitely a lot to take in. Bleach is not as long as One Piece or Detective Conan (both of which have passed the 1,000 episode mark), or even Naruto (which is nearing the number when combined with Boruto), but with almost 400 episodes, it is still a long anime, especially if you compare it to modern-day trends where even major anime titles – such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, or My Hero Academia – don’t have more than 20-ish episodes per season and there aren’t that many seasons.

This is the result of a major change in anime production, as filler content is rarely produced these days, so the producers simply adapt the main anime, and that’s about it. Bleach’s current season also follows that trend, unlike the first 16 seasons.

As we’ve said, Bleach has a solid amount of filler content, but that is just how anime was made back then (about 15-20 years ago), and since the original Bleach series is actually part of that tradition, it is nothing out of the ordinary. But, there is an innate beauty in watching anime in such a way, although modern viewers might find it a bit odd.

So, what’s the rundown on Bleach, actually? When do you start, and how do you watch it? In this case, it’s quite easy – just start from the very beginning, and you won’t have any trouble. Namely, Bleach starts off quite strong, and in that aspect, it will provide you with a refreshing take on the shonen genre in comparison to Naruto and One Piece, two series that premiered at the time.

In terms of its story, Bleach truly has a great shonen storyline that will evolve quite nicely, with the pacing of the anime not necessarily being the best one (due to the breaks and all), but we have to say that some scenes from the manga have been expanded upon in the anime (especially the battles), which is great. Sure, the canon storyline has had its ups and downs, with most people openly hating the Fullbringer Arc, but if you look at it from a general point of view, the story is great, and it has several peak moments, especially the Hueco Mundo and Fake Karakura Arcs, as well as the first part of the Quincy War Arc.

The characters are also great, and if you like diversity in that field, Bleach is definitely going to offer everything, from typical -dere types, to completely unique characters that you will not forget that easily. Also, the music is great, and the animation gets better and better as the series progresses.

The filler arcs might be a problem for some fans, as there are a lot of filler episodes, but as we’ve said, this was normal at the time. Some of these fillers were taken from ideas presented by Kubo himself in the manga (the beach and Halloween episodes, for example), while others were completely original stories created by the producers of the anime.

The current season does not have any filler content and expands on the canon, which is great and explains why Bleach is one of the most popular returning anime in history.

These are all the reasons why we think that it is not only advisable but also in the interest of the viewers to watch Bleach from the beginning. In order to fully grasp the marvel and the mystery of Kubo’s plot, it is necessary to start from the beginning, which is also when the series actually gets good, so you don’t have to worry about starting from a later point in the story.