Anime Expo 2025 is in full swing, and among all of the weekend's exciting announcements so far comes a release window for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 - The Calamity. The highly anticipated fourth cour was first announced back in December of last year with a brief trailer and visual key art.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is a direct sequel to the original Bleach anime, which ran from 2004 to 2012, and adapts the final arc of Tite Kubo’s manga. The final arc was split across four separate cour.
The first, titled The Blood Warfare, aired from October to December 2022 and consisted of 13 episodes. The second cour, The Separation, also featured 13 episodes and aired from July to September 2023. The third and most recent cour, The Conflict, aired in October of last year. Which brings us to Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 - The Calamity.
Viz Media confirmed that the fourth and final cour will premiere in 2026. The announcement was made at Anime Expo and shared on social media alongside a "super teaser" visual.
All three parts of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War series adaptation can be streamed on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ worldwide. Produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Tomohisa Taguchi, the synopsis for the series reads:
Was it all just a coincidence, or was it inevitable?
Ichigo Kurosaki gained the powers of a Soul Reaper through a chance encounter. As a Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo became caught in the turmoil of the Soul Society, a place where deceased souls gather. But with help from his friends, Ichigo overcame every challenge to become even stronger.
When new Soul Reapers and a new enemy appear in his hometown of Karakura, Ichigo jumps back into the battlefield with his Zanpakuto to help those in need. Meanwhile, the Soul Society is observing a sudden surge in the number of Hollows being destroyed in the World of the Living. They also receive separate reports of residents in the Rukon District having gone missing. Finally, the Seireitei, home of the Soul Reapers, comes under attack by a group calling themselves the Wandenreich.
Led by Yhwach, the father of all Quincies, the Wandenreich declare war against the Soul Reapers with the following message: “Five days from now, the Soul Society will be annihilated by the Wandenreich.”
The history and truth kept hidden by the Soul Reapers for a thousand long years is finally brought to light.
All things must come to an end—as Ichigo Kurosaki’s final battle begins!
In addition to the release window, Viz Media shared a video interview with Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War character designer Masashi Kudo in which he discusses his experience working on the series.
With confirmation that Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 - The Calamity is now set to air in 2026, there's time to go back and revisit the Bleach anime. It can be streamed in its entirety on Hulu.