The controversial ending of Bleach has a real-life explanation that will break fans’ hearts. It is well known that the manga created by Tite Kubo had to rush toward its ending, but after more than six years, assumptions, urban legends, and unverified theories still surround that decision. With the recent return of the Bleach anime with the adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, it is more important than ever to understand exactly why Bleach ended the way it did.
When the Bleach manga ended in 2016, fans of the series were left with a bitter taste in their mouth. The anime had actually ended four years earlier, in a very rare instance of an anime adaptation stopping before the conclusion of the source manga. The final manga arc, Thousand-Year Blood War, is generally considered one of the worst, due to the many plot holes, underdeveloped characters, and loose story threads, especially after the first invasion of Soul Society by the Quincy. Fans are aware that, in 2015 author Tite Kubo was given by publisher Shueisha one year to conclude the manga, but the details of why that happened are still vague, and many theories popped up over the years. A common misconception is that Kubo was forced by Shueisha to end the manga due to poor sales, but the truth is actually very different.
In 2016, Kubo was suffering from poor mental and physical health due to the strain caused by the unforgiving schedule of serializing a manga on Weekly Shonen Jump. To understand this in full, it’s important to remember that, since the beginning of his career, Kubo had trouble keeping up with the weekly magazine’s demands and relating with his editors, but he kept working through all the stress. When 2016 came by, Kubo was suffering from a partially torn tendon in his left shoulder, which he never had the chance to get surgery for. As his health kept deteriorating, Kubo finally approached the editors and asked them to end his series in the span of one or two years, and they gave him one. So, while it’s true that it was Shueisha’s decision to rush the ending of Bleach (two years would have surely let the story pan out better), it was actually Kubo who wanted the manga to end, as he had reached his limit. Luckily, the mangaka took care of his health and he is now involved in the Thousand-Year Blood War anime, as explained in the video below.
Tite Kubo’s Health Is The Actual Reason Why Bleach Ended So Badly
This story, while incredibly sad, is also very common in the harsh world of manga. Artists have to work on hellish schedules to ensure that a new chapter is published each week, and cases like Eiichiro Oda, who has been working at One Piece for twenty-five years nonstop, are the exception rather than the norm. Tite Kubo focused on taking care of himself after the end of Bleach, and he is in much better health now (but still has no intention to work on an ongoing series again). Sadly, the issues with Thousand-Year Blood War are still pretty glaring, and they take a lot away from the ending of one of the most popular manga of all time. It is a testament to Kubo’s commitment as an artist that, even with a torn tendon, these issues have nothing to do with the actual art, but all revolve around the cuts he had to make to the plot.
There is still a chance, however, that the anime adaptation of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will solve these problems. Kubo’s direct involvement with the production of the anime means he could add more to the story, including showing the missing Bankai of many Shinigami or reworking the final battle, one of the most disappointing in the history of manga. The poor health of Tite Kubo is the real motivation behind the rushed conclusion of Bleach (with some responsibility from Shueisha too), so let’s hope that the new anime will give fans of the series the conclusion they deserve.
Sources: several sources were consulted for this article, including this Reddit thread and this YouTube video.