Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Part 3 has returned for the Fall 2024 anime season and is making a huge buzz online. Despite the long-anxious 10 years of delay, Ichigo’s comeback was met with positive feedback, earning widespread applause for its improved animation and refined picture quality. Bleach TYBW focuses on the conflict between the Soul Society and the Wandenreich, a hidden Quincy faction.
TYBW owes its success to its predecessor, classic Bleach, which at the time was arguably the most popular shonen series, earning its place among the Big 3. With the addition of a new prequel, Tite Kubo introduced many new faces that are even outshining our old cast from the classic Bleach. As new characters gain recognition, manga readers are calling for justice for fan-favorite character Renji, urging Studio Pierrot to honor Tite Kubo’s vision after years of poor adaptation.
The Most Unfortunate Character in Bleach, Marred by Adaptation Flaws
For decades, Bleach has stood as the pillar of the Big Three and is recognized as one of the greats, on par with One Piece and Naruto. Bleach recently marked its 20th anniversary, leaving many fans nostalgic with the franchise’s recent official tribute video.
The mix of nostalgia and modern animation has gotten longtime fans talking again, fueling excitement for a complete remake of the classic anime. In every iconic series, there’s often one character who endures the worst treatment in the anime adaptation, and for Bleach, that character is Renji.
When Renji was first shown in the Agent of the Shinigami arc, he was stronger than Ichigo and had achieved shikai. This isn’t a dynamic that lasts long. While Renji may not have secured his place among the strongest characters, he still became a fan favorite due to his personality and humor.
Although Tite Kubo may not have portrayed Renji as the strongest, he certainly established him as the coolest and most stylish Soul Reaper through stunning fan art that captivated many fans.
#BLEACH
Studio Pierrot Tite Kubo pic.twitter.com/v2h2qBE2C6— Arthur (@Nagato890) November 4, 2024
Vegeta ahhh hairline
— 𝕊𝕂𝔸ℝℝ𝕆 𝕃𝔸 𝔾ℝ𝔸ℂ𝕀𝔸 🪐⚓ (@LSkarro) November 5, 2024
Pierrot were IchiRuki stans since day one of course they hate Renji
— Macky (@DBZMacky) November 5, 2024
Unfortunately, Studio Pierrot never fully did justice to Renji, consistently diminishing his character appeal in the adaptation.
Every single time Kubo drew this man , he cooked 🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/2DPG2VSJMN
— Arthur (@Nagato890) November 5, 2024
Pierrot made him Vegeta 😭😭😭
— Aizen (@__Aizensama__) November 5, 2024
Kubo drew Renji with some fire haircuts. He looked fire with braids and a black headband. Too bad Kubo didn’t use these haircuts for Renji (minus the long hair one) in the actual manga. pic.twitter.com/Xs6siEWybR
— sLaTt+🦋 (@Spiral99999) November 5, 2024
On top of that, the production studio subjected Renji to poor treatment by excessively focusing on his receding hairline, which led many to compare him to Vegeta and sparked a wave of online mockery.
With the return of Bleach: TYBW, many Renji fans are calling on Studio Pierrot to honor Tite Kubo’s design and preserve their favorite character’s appeal rather than diminish it further.
Bleach Creator Reveals the Most Complex Character in the Series
Despite being on the good side, many fans still view Mayuri Kurotsuchi as an evil character. This is understandable given Kubo designed Mayuri as a complex character who wasn’t timid about his immoral methods. However, this only resulted in some viewers disliking his beliefs and character.
Interestingly, in a joint interview with My Hero Academia‘s creator, Kōhei Horikoshi, Kubo opens up about his initial insecurities while designing Mayuri’s character.
After learning about Mayuri being Horikoshi’s favorite character, Kubo talks about the common misjudgment readers have against him.
The mangaka revealed he never planned to portray any of the 13 Court Guard Squads as the bad guys. However, Mayuri’s complex character made the fandom misunderstand his good intentions. It’s a creator’s job to highlight the complexities of black and white through their work and Mayuri’s character is a testament to Kubo’s beliefs.
Bleach and Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War are available for streaming on Crunchyroll
