Most fans would agree that Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War was a fantastic adaptation of the series’ final arc, enhancing the experience by adding new scenes that help explain more or better showcase the characters’ powers. However, no adaptation is perfect and Bleach had to cut some content along the way that some fans missed.
There aren’t many entire scenes that were cut, but there were many smaller moments that were cut – individual lines of dialogue, for example, or events that weren’t strictly necessary to understanding the plot. These cut moments often helped develop certain characters, most notably the Sternritter, who were considered underdeveloped characters in the manga and are (for the most part) even less developed in the anime. Although small, they add a bit of personality to the story that some fans were disappointed to see cut. Here are 10 of the best cut moments (or series of moments) missing from the Thousand Year Blood War anime.
10
Reactions to Gremmy’s meteor
Bleach chapter 577
During Gremmy’s fight with Kenpachi Zaraki, he summons a huge meteor, intending to destroy the entire Seireitei if that is necessary to kill Zaraki. In the manga, it cuts to reaction shots of several characters, including Haschwalth, Renji, Askin, and Bazz-B, each having very different reactions to what they are seeing. The Sternritter immediately understand that Gremmy must be responsible for this, cursing his recklessness and wishing he hadn’t been allowed to fight alongside them, while the Soul Reapers panic, with no context for what is suddenly happening.
The reaction scenes help to emphasize that there are many battles going on at once, and that the scale of damage this meteor will cause is immense.. By ignoring them, the anime kept the focus on Zaraki and Gremmy, but it also cost the scene by not having its massive impact recognized by the other characters.
9
Two Minor Soul Reapers gain prominence
Bleach chapter 480 (and others)
At the beginning of the century. Thousand Year Blood War story arc actually begins by focusing on two low-ranking Soul Reapers assigned to Karakura Town, Ryunosuke Yuki and Shino Madarame. Although these characters appear in the anime, their role is substantially reduced, making them little more than extras, whereas the manga took the time to get to know these characters a little.
Ryunosuke Yuki and Shino Madarame continue to appear in background scenes, crowd shots, and reaction shots throughout the rest of the film. Thousand Year Blood Wareven in the animeso fans who recognize characters from the manga will still be able to spot them from time to time. However, these two are not developed in the anime, so anime-only fans are unlikely to recognize them as proper characters.
8
Askin likes snacks
Bleach chapter 575 (and others)
In the manga, there is a Sternritter, Askin Nakk Le Vaar, who doesn’t seem to take things as seriously as everyone else. On several occasions, Askin stops and hides during the conflict between Quincy and Soul Reaper to get a snack. He does this in the anime exactly once as Grimmjow chases him, but this is actually supposed to be the culmination of a joke.
These scenes aren’t very important, so it’s easy to see why they were cut from the anime. However, it eliminates some opportunities to get to know the personality of Askin, who is one of the most beloved Sternritter characters in the series.. Askin’s penchant for snacking adds an element to his character that the anime lacks, which is a shame because he already has so little characterization.
7
Ichigo and Orihime spent more time together
Bleach chapter 481 (and others)
In the manga, there are several small cut scenes and moments that focus on Ichigo and Orihime and their relationship. One such scene shows Orihime bringing bread to the group, with Ichigo criticizing the bread for being stale before being scolded by his friends for not accepting Orihime’s generosity. These scenes help to contextualize where Ichigo and Orihime’s relationship is, as they are the main couple of the series.
Many of these moments were cut from the anime to keep the focus on the action and plot. It’s unfortunate, because these tender moments between Ichigo and Orihime really help build their relationship and show how much they care for each other.. It’s a reminder of the things Ichigo is truly fighting to protect, so the absence of these scenes may be felt by anyone who reads the manga.
6
Getting to know the Bambis
Bleach chapter 544
The Bambies, a group of female Sternritters named after their leader, Bambietta Basterbine, see a bit more focus in the manga than in the anime. The Bambies are very popular characters in general, largely due to their character designs, but they don’t have many moments to establish their personalities before the anime’s big battle. In the manga, the Bambies have an entire scene reacting to Bambietta killing one of their own soldiers, with the group strangely indifferent to their killing habit.
Cutting this scene removes some of the small characterization the Bambies receive, making them flatter characters than in the manga.. Many fans were hoping for more scenes with characters like the Bambies, not less, so the loss of this moment hurts their fans a little more.
5
The death of Robert Accutrone
Bleach chapter 603
Robert Accutrone is one of the Sternritter, who stands out particularly for his cold demeanor and for using what appears to be an ordinary pistol as a Quincy weapon. Robert is ruthless against his enemies, killing messengers and making threats against even the most powerful Soul Reaper captains. In the manga, when Yhwach begins to perform the Auswahlen, Robert realizes what is happening before most of the other Sternritter and begins to monologue about how his life belongs to Yhwach and the cause. Robert is then struck by one of the beams of light and immediately reduced to a skeleton.
Robert’s death may have been a little serious even for Thousand Year Blood War being turned into a pile of bones, but it also doesn’t make much sense since no other Sternritter hit by the light has been annihilated like him. The cut scene sparked some speculation among fans that Robert might still be alive in the anime, but if he does reappear, that hasn’t happened yet.
4
The Story of Royd and Loyd
Bleach chapter 510
Royd and Loyd Lloyd are Sternritter “Y” twins who have very similar abilities, allowing them to perfectly disguise themselves as anyone else. Loyd is able to use even the power and abilities of the person he is disguised as, while Royd is able to access even their memories, making it impossible to differentiate him from the real thing. Royd is famous for fighting Captain Yamamoto disguised as Yhwach, wearing down the experienced Soul Reaper before the real Yhwach appeared..
The scene is a brief flashback to Royd and Loyd’s birth, explaining how their powers first manifested. As it stands in the anime, it’s not clear what the deal with Loyd is or how his powers work, but this scene was there to clarify that. The information isn’t too important to cut, but it explains things much more clearly than the anime.
3
Isshin Kurosaki Explains Why He Didn’t Save His Wife
Bleach chapter 537
Fans watching the Thousand Year Blood War The anime may be left with one question when it comes to the death of Ichigo’s mother, Masaki Kurosaki: why didn’t Ichigo’s father, Isshin, go and save her? It turns out that the manga has an explanation for this that was omitted in the anime. Isshin states that he was aware that Masaki had encountered the Great Fisherman, able to sense his spiritual powers at home. However, Isshin was confident that Masaki could easily deal with the Great Fisherman and saw no need to intervene..
Isshin couldn’t know that Auswahlen was stealing his powers, so even though he knew she was facing a Hollow, he was under the impression that Masaki could kill him with her Quincy abilities. In some ways, this makes her death even more tragic, and it’s easy to see why Isshin might blame himself for her death.
2
Byakuya’s praise for Chojiro Sasakibe
Bleach chapter 486
Yamamoto’s lieutenant, Chojiro Sasakibe, is the first victim of the war between the Quincy and the Soul Reapers, who was killed and had his Bankai stolen during the Quincy’s first appearance in Soul Society. Since it is before the start of the war, they can give Sasakibe a proper burial. In the anime, Sasakibe’s funeral scenes are silent, with everyone silent and respectful. However, in the manga, Byakuya talks to Renji about Sasakibe’s life and the challenges he faced.
Chojiro Sasakibe was a very underdeveloped character compared to other lieutenants like Rangiku, so talking about his personality like this helped give fans a better idea of ​​who he was. Sasakibe had an anime-original flashback a few episodes later, which may have done a better job of filling out his character than Byakuya’s eulogy.
1
Guanael x Yachiru
Bleach chapter 571
While Yachiru’s confrontation with Guanael was not completely eliminated from the anime, it was substantially reduced. In the cut segments, Guanael explains how his ability works, talks to Isane and Yachiru and dodges several of the latter’s attacks using his ability. It is soon revealed that Guanael is not a real person, but rather a figment of Gremmy’s imagination, and is basically written out of existence when Gremmy deems him useless.
As a result, the scene works a little better in the manga and helps foreshadow the eventual reveal of exactly what Yachiru is. It feels like this matchup was mostly a victim of pacing; Thousand Year Blood War moves through chapters extremely quickly and as a result compresses some scenes. Since this is effectively Yachiru’s final scene in the manga, it’s a shame it was cut so short, making perhaps Bleach: Thousand Year Blood Wargreatest cutting moments.