The landmark manga series Bleach is celebrating its 20th anniversary of serialization and to mark the occasion, Viz Media is releasing a limited edition variant of the seminal series’ first volume. Tite Kubo’s iconic fantasy adventure consisted of 74 volumes with nearly 700 chapters telling the story of Ichigo Kurosaki. Now, fans can revisit Kurosaki’s journey from the very beginning with the rerelease of the first volume, as well as enjoy the slick, new cover it comes with.
Written and illustrated by mangaka Tite Kubo, Bleach follows a gruff, young man who obtains supernatural abilities from a wounded Soul Reaper named Rukia. With all her power transferred to Ichigo, Rukia advises him on the duties of a Soul Reaper, which include ushering spirits to the afterlife and slaying monstrous ghosts called Hollows. Thrust into a new life, Ichigo balances his school life while defending humanity from evil.
The first volume of Bleach was published in January of 2002 and to honor the 20 year anniversary, Viz Media will be re-releasing the book with a special cover on August 2nd. The new cover features Ichigo along with Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo’s little sister, Yuzu Kurosaki with a pair of X’s behind them to signify the anniversary. Not only does Ichigo brandish one of his iconic swords, but he does also so while decked out in more stylish attire compared to his iconic black kimono.
The anniversary of the series is absolutely something to celebrate. Bleach is, without a doubt, one of the most popular manga series of all time. Since its initial publication in Weekly Shonen Jump, 2.7 million copies were sold in the United States, with over 120 million copies selling across the world. The anime was just as successful, running for 366 episodes, cementing its place as one of the Big Three in anime, along with Naruto and One Piece. As Bleach seemingly winds down, now more than ever is the best time to revisit the story’s humble beginnings. It was announced several months back that Tite Kubo’s final arc “Thousand Year Blood War” was set to receive an anime adaptation. Chances are, Bleach fans won’t be seeing the action-filled world of the Soul Reapers for much longer. The rerelease may be the last time new fans will have a chance to get on board before the proverbial book shuts for good. Of course, older fans could appreciate the new edition just as much as a symbol of how far the series has come in the two decades since its premiere.
Whether a new fan or old, the rerelease from Viz will give readers a new chance to see the first story that kicked off one of the most beloved manga properties of all time. The 20th anniversary of Bleach Vol. 1 is available for pre-order and will be available on August 2, 2022.