Every generation has its own shonen. Many were born with Dragon Ball in hand, the next fortunate ones had Yu Yu Hakusho, those who came after had Naruto, and then came Black Clover. There is no era that has not been marked by a particular anime, based on adventures and powerful battles. But there was a time when Naruto didn’t seem like it would be that generational shonen. At least, it would have to share the throne. Because for a long time, it had to compete hand in hand with the long shadow of Bleach.
Its return last year with the adaptation of its final arc is causing a sensation, making Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War a hit. But this comeback took more than a decade to happen. And yet, it’s as if time hasn’t passed. The fans are still there for Bleach. Why is this? That’s what we’re going to explain. The reasons why Bleach remains an extremely popular series, regardless of the passing time.
Its author
One standout feature of Bleach is its author, Tite Kubo. A lover of yokai, kimonos, and classic shonen, his intention in creating Bleach was to make a manga influenced by the classics but with a modern feel. However, let’s not be deceived. There are two things that characterize Tite Kubo: action and simplicity.
Tite Kubo is interested in battles, their drama, and their consequences. They are filled with cuts, changes in angles, complex and unusual shots, which add dynamism and strength to his compositions. If we also consider that he tends to ignore backgrounds almost entirely, sometimes not drawing them at all, it’s easy to see why he is such an interesting artist to read. He is quick. He is dynamic. And his style translates very well and in an intriguing way to the anime format. Particularly, his character designs, heavily influenced by GeGe No Kitaro and body horror, featuring angular characters, monstrous aberrations, and many people in kimonos, make stopping on any page or sequence of his work a real pleasure.
Its director
Something that immensely benefited the original Bleach anime, aired between 2004 and 2012, was having Noriyuki Abe as its director, who is now considered a true legend of anime.
In addition to Bleach, he has directed Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files, Great Teacher Onizuka, Black Butler: Book of Circus, and more recently, Ōoku: The Inner Chambers. A resume that few can boast of. In that regard, he is simply an expert in directing high-profile works and surrounding himself with the best professionals possible. He did the same in Bleach, as he did before in Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files, with similar results. Both series are excellent and manage to capture the essence of what makes their respective mangas so special.
Their world
In general, most shonen series don’t usually have a very rich or elaborate world. Or to be precise, they add layers of lore rather than creating layers of meaning. With the exception of One Piece and a few others, like the extremely popular Jujutsu Kaisen, shonen tends to focus on its characters and the atmosphere surrounding them. However, this is not the case with Tite Kubo, who creates a complex and incredibly rich universe in Bleach, where spirits exist, some people can see them, and there is an ancient network intertwined with them.
With a strong influence from Taoism but drawing inspiration from folklore about the afterlife in other parts of the world, he presents a rich, extremely intricate, and strange world, which continues to reveal new things in the anime and even in the manga. The world of Bleach always has something new to discover, something terrifying to unveil. This is what makes the series fascinating.
Their characters
As mentioned before, most shonen series rely on the charisma of their characters, and Bleach is no exception. The character design makes them very intriguing, and when Tite Kubo didn’t know how to progress the story, he would center it around existing or new characters. Sometimes, he created new characters in abundance, using Japanese, English, Spanish, or German terms according to the faction they belonged to, seeking to give them personality and shape through the very terminology of their names. Their characters are captivating from the moment you hear their names.
Moreover, many times their outward appearance doesn’t match their inner nature. This leads to numerous plotlines of discovery, cliffhangers where a character seemed to be something completely different from what they turn out to be, and unexpected developments. These elements are precisely what makes Bleach so special and memorable. Even after so many years, there are still aspects that draw people back to it.
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