The Big 3 shonen manga, namely Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece, are arguably the most iconic and influential trio in the entertainment industry, period. Their impact goes way beyond the realm of anime, influencing and captivating a vast global audience.
Despite the long list of 366 episodes, Bleach was the first among the Big Three to be concluded, leaving many viewers to view it as an inferior series. Regardless, Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War is currently making waves online despite the long anxious delay of 10 years. Although TYBW had one of the grandest returns, Tite Kubo is now facing criticism for his portrayal of female characters, but fans of One Piece and Naruto have no room to comment, as both series follow a similar narrative approach.
Should Tite Kubo Be Held Accountable for Over-Sexualizing Bleach’s Female Characters?
From thrilling action scenes to splendid narrative, The Thousand-Year Blood War arc didn’t disappoint its fandom’s high expectations. With the teaser of Grimmjow in TYBW Part 3’s trailer, fans are eager to see Ichigo’s return and his showdown with Yhwach.
Ichigo’s comeback was met with positive feedback, earning widespread applause for its improved animation and refined picture quality. Sadly, with immense popularity comes inevitable criticism, and Tite Kubo‘s Bleach has found itself at the center of it. 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.
While Tite Kubo may not have the largest fanbase within the Big Three, Bleach arguably receives the most hate and criticism among the trio. Recently, Tite Kubo has faced harsh criticism for his narrative choices and the over-sexualization of female characters.
No sexualization of female characters???? https://t.co/kW88vlUUFA pic.twitter.com/zwcFQdFMp8
— royce.._ (@roycexxtrme1) October 1, 2024
“This isn’t sexualisation you’re just being a porn addict if you think women can’t have body parts”
— Ghost (FOURTH TIME’S THE CHARM) (@HokageNiNaruuu) October 1, 2024
The replies on here completely ignoring the point so badly😭
All you said that he does sexualize female cast
And then you have smooth brained people bringing up pedophilia and you saying it’s bad thing to design female characters like that when you never even said it💀
— YoungLordNeverDeadAgain (@RunawayFamous) October 2, 2024
Manga readers are well aware of Bleach‘s over-sexualization of fan-favorite characters, with Orihime and Yoruichi remaining unforgettable for many fans. Unfortunately, Kubo’s approach has now caught many haters’ attention, leading to harsh criticism and questioning mangaka’s integrity.
This isn’t sexualisation you’re just being a porn addict if you think women can’t have body parts
— Whofe (@GoodGuyWaken) October 1, 2024
Acting like its not a common trope in shonen.
Meanwhile Diddymoto s3xualizing his own MC with self inserting as Jiraiya💀 pic.twitter.com/6Oysp69SuG— Kurosaki Killua (@KilluaZ69) October 2, 2024
All of this because Kubo doesn’t hang with pedos or honours them.
And instead of praising him for it you try to get him down to their level.
At least own it.
— Jet Alone (@J3tAl0n3) October 1, 2024
However, it’s important to consider that this so-called over-sexualization is a very common theme in the manga industry. On top of that, the Big Three anime employs over-sexualization to entertain their audiences, which is not viewed as a significant issue within the industry.
Eiichiro Oda‘s One Piece with its sexualized and nose-bleed outfits to Naruto’s sexy jutsu; therefore, Tite Kubo shouldn’t be singled out for this controversy. Even if One Piece had a four-year head start and Naruto had a two-year head start, it’s clear that Bleach‘s manga lagged behind, both then and now; however, the mangaka’s efforts and splendid narrative shouldn’t be blamed for that.
Ichigo’s Voice Actor Reflects on the Challenges Encountered During Bleach: TYBW Production
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War–Part 3 is arguably the most anticipated series for the 2024 fall season. Part 2 majors focused on highlighting each Zero Squad’s members, with Ichibē Hyōsube emerging victorious against Yhwach.
Owing to classic Bleach‘s immense popularity, the staff encountered several obstacles during the production of The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. Surprisingly, Masakazu Morita once revealed his initial struggles with voicing Ichigo in TYBW Arc. Morita revealed that he didn’t struggle with voicing Ichigo back in classic Bleach; however, the voice actor couldn’t cope with Kurosaki’s personality in The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc.
Fortunately, Tite Kubo was always there to lend a helping hand to Ichigo’s voice actor, a support Morita deeply appreciated. All such challenges helped the voice actor grow closer to his fictional character and uncover an unexpected similarity between himself and Ichigo.
Bleach and Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War are available for streaming on Crunchyroll