Why was the Bleach anime cancelled?

Several rumours circulated regarding the discontinuation of Bleach anime back in 2012. Here’s why one of the Shonen Big Three, Bleach, was cancelled.

During the 2000s, what some anime fans might call the golden era of the Shonen genre, Bleach stood at the pinnacle alongside One Piece and Naruto. Even now, it has the title of the Shonen Big Three. Although fans are able to watch the final arc being adapted into an anime, it still makes one wonder why it took ten long years.

Back in 2012, the anime was not postponed but rather cancelled. While One Piece and Naruto continued to soar in popularity, Bleach fans could only turn to the manga for the final arc. During the manga’s 20th anniversary, the anime adaptation of TYBW was announced, creating quite a stir on social media. 

The series returns with stellar animation with the same fan-favourite characters. Even after the ten-year-long wait, the fandom is more than happy to watch their favourite series. Delve deeper to find out the reason Bleach was cancelled in 2012.

Bleach was cancelled due to low sales and ratings

Crunchyroll

Believe it or not, the series ended abruptly because the anime studio started suffering losses after failing to attract viewers. Back then, long-running series was a norm, and with every week, the series got fewer viewers. Although there was no official announcement, it’s not difficult to see why the series fell from grace. Half of the series was fillers, and terrible ones at that. 

It’s easy for fans to lose interest when they get meaningless episodes for months. Although Naruto has the same amount of fillers, it was still able to redeem itself by completely animating the final arc with intense battle scenes. Furthermore, the manga was already losing popularity after the Soul Society arc. 

By the time Aizen was defeated, the series completely lost its charm. It was left dangling with fillers and redundant arcs. Even the time couldn’t save the story, which is quite unusual. Nonetheless, the final arc is different because of its action-packed scenes and power boosts. Although it may not relive its past glory since the manga ending was not well-received, the new anime adaptation might save Bleach after it was cancelled over a decade ago.

Bleach can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll and Netflix. In the meantime, check out our other anime coverage below:

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