10 Bleach Details You Didn't Know Were Only Canon to the Anime (2025)

As with any long-running anime of the era, Bleach is full of filler content. Some of this comes from filler arcs, and those usually introduce new ideas or mechanics into the series. However, not all the filler is so straightforward. This shōnen also puts in filler episodes between regular ones, and not all of these are immediately recognizable as filler. Plus, sometimes episodes are extended to pad out the runtime, and these extensions can also add in non-canon ideas.

As a result of these structural decisions, there are some details that many fans think are canon to the manga when they aren't. Some of these are world-building items that don't contradict anything in the manga. Some of these are abilities that a character only ever uses once. Other times, whole events or relationships are made in these non-canon moments, and this is one of the benefits filler can provide. There are even some things in the anime that contradict the manga. There's a wide variety of ways the anime diverged from the manga simply because production differed between the two.

10 The Valley of Screams is Canon, Blanks Aren't

Memories of Nobody is Referenced in the Manga

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc has reintroduced the Valley of Screams into the world. These pockets of space are made from souls that fall out of the reincarnation cycle and end up in the Garganta. Outside of being an interesting development in the cycle of reincarnation, they also have a practical use when the right Fullbringer is involved. These Valley of Screams can be used as a means of transport between worlds, and they protected Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends when Yhwach was altering the Soul King's Palace.

The Valley of Screams was first introduced in the Bleach: Memories of Nobody movie, and the movie is referenced in the anime. In the movie, the lost souls end up being Blanks. These Blanks lack memory and reside in a singular Valley of Screams instead of the many in the manga. In this case, the Valley of Screams can connect directly between the Human World and Soul Society. Plus, should the Valley of Screams collapse, it would make these two worlds collide.

9 Toshiro and Karin are Friends

They Have Two Separate Episodes To Interact

Some of the filler episodes in this anime are not part of filler arcs. They're individual stories instead. In two of these episodes, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya and Karin Kurosaki end up interacting. During the first, the two of them forge a friendship over her making him play soccer with her. He ends up saving her life, and Karin shows how much she cares about her brother. In the second episode, the two of them deal with an earth bound spirit.

In the manga, Toshiro and Karin never have a proper interaction. However, that doesn't stop fans from focusing on the relationship these two characters formed in this filler episode. These episodes take place in two different arcs, too. That distance only makes their relationship seem planned instead of anime only.

8 Rukia Never Had Onmitsukido Sent After Her

The Anime Puts More Pressure on Rukia

Early Bleach episodes have a lot of room to add in filler due to their more monster of the week style formula. Despite this opportunity, the Agent of the Soul Reapers arc doesn't add in much filler content, so when it does it's less noticeable. Bleach Episode 8, "June 17, Memories in the Rain" is already an emotional episode because it centers on the death of Ichigo's mother. However, the anime decided to add another element of conflict for Rukia Kuchiki to face.

In the manga, Rukia doesn't face as much pressure from Soul Society when it comes to her mission in the Human World and keeping her loss of powers quiet. However, the anime decided to send an Onmitsukido (Stealth Force) agent after her. The introduction of Eikichiro Saido explains how Soul Society got specific information, makes Grand Fisher an even bigger threat and makes Rukia's decision to return to Soul Society with Byakuya Kuchika and Renji Abarai even more reasonable.

7 The Anime Adds Kido Spells

Exploring an Underutilized Power System

Kido is one of the most interesting and underused power systems in Bleach. On one hand, almost every Soul Reaper should be able to use at least a bare minimum amount of kido, and plenty of the stronger characters are far more advanced than that. On the other hand, Ichigo never ends up learning kido, so he never gets to explore or develop in terms of this system. The audience only gets to learn so much about the demon arts.

However, because there are hundreds of kido spells, it's easy for the anime to make some up when it needs them. Shiso Keppu, Gaki Rekko and Horin are all only canon to the anime. While the fact that the first two spells are central to a filler arc makes it obvious they aren't canon, the last one is more generic. Even though the use of these spells may not be canon, the spells themselves have no reason not to be.

6 How Ichigo Mastered His Inner Hollow

The Anime Draws Things Out

Ichigo's training with the Visored has a very different feeling in the anime from the manga. Many things in the anime take more time or show a different approach. For example, Ichigo only had to confront memories of his previous battles during his fight against Hollow Zangetsu in the anime. However, the presence of Jin Kariya probably tipped some fans off that this whole section is anime only. While these interactions give some insight into Ichigo's mental state at the time, they also extended the run time of the episode.

When it comes to considering who among the Visored is Ichigo's mentor, the answer would be Shinji Hirako. He's the leader of the group and the one who interacts with and explains things to Ichigo the most. However, during some of the filler episodes, the anime had Ichigo spar against Hiyori Sarugaki more. This extended interaction both gave Ichigo something to do when he wasn't the focus of the episodes, and it altered his relationship with Hiyori into something more similar to a mentorship.

5 Yumichika is More Insecure in the Anime

The Zanpakuto Unknown Tales Arc Develops Characters

Yumichika Ayasegawa is an eye catching character who immediately stands out among Squad 11. He loves being part of the squad and cares deeply for his comrades. This influences his relationship with his zanpakuto and makes him refuse to use his real shikai. Yumichika is trying to do anything he can to keep from having to leave the 11th Division and those he care about. Because the squad looks down on kido zanpakuto, he's rejected his own nature by using a false shikai.

Some of this information is conveyed when Yumichika fights Shuhei Hisagi. He admits hiding his zanpakuto because he thinks Ikakku Madarame and Kenpachi Zaraki would hate its real form. He won't even use it against an arrancar unless he knows he's completely hidden. However, the true extent of Yumichika's insecurity is explored during the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc. He admits that he would rather die than be discovered. The full extent of how Yumichika has damaged his relationship with his zanpakuto is only shown in this filler content.

4 Ashido Kano's Tragic, Anime Only Story

A Fan Favorite Filler Character

When Ichigo and his friends went to save Orihime Inoe from Las Noches in Heuco Mundo, they ran across several different obstacles in their way. Some of these were meant to show how Hueco Mundo functions, but they were dangerous. That's why they were very lucky to run into Ashido Kano, a Soul Reaper who's the only survivor of an expedition into Hueco Mundo. He helps out Rukia and provides some helpful exposition about hollows. He makes a tragic sacrifice when he returns to the forest of menos.

Ashido isn't a canon character, and the arc he's in doesn't appear in the manga. However, it fit in very well with the events of the Arrancar arc that many fans never realized it was filler. Not only does he explain how many of the hollows function, he provides insight into the way Soul Society has interacted with Hueco Mundo over the years, which is something the manga never has time to really get into. Ashido is a good character, too. So fans of his see no reason to not think of him and his contributions to the plot as canon. Even though his arc meant it took longer to reunite with Orihime, he adds intrigue and depth to the story.

3 Hell Verse vs. No Breaths From Hell

The Anime Tie in Episode Causes Contradictions

For a very long time, Bleach didn't explore Hell as its own world. Hell was introduced in the very first arc, but past knowing it existed and how souls got there, Hell doesn't get explored. This changed when the Bleach: Hell Verse movie came out. Fans finally got an explanation of how Hell worked, and it was nice to see a story integrating Ichigo's sisters. While movies are usually understood to not be canon, this one stood out for its anime tie in episode. The main antagonists of Bleach: Hell Verse were introduced in the anime, making them seem more legitimate.

For a while, the movie was the closest thing audiences could expect from a canon version of Hell. That changed when the latest chapter of Bleach was written. The NO BREATHS FROM HELL chapter has an entirely different version of world building for Hell, and it's actually canon to the manga. However, it came out long after the rest of the manga, so not as many fans have read it yet. However, this is another instance when content from a movie directly contradicts something introduced later in the manga.

2 Ichigo Gets More Time With Rukia Before Losing His Powers

Rukia Doesn't Want to Tell Him

At the end of the fight against Sosuke Aizen, Ichigo loses his powers. In the anime, he keeps them through the next filler arc, but that arc is obviously not canon. When the show returns to canon, it handles the loss of Ichigo's power differently from how the manga did. Ichigo goes out with his friends to fight hollows and send off spirits. No one tells him he's going to lose his powers, but they watch as he slowly loses each individual ability. Finally, Ichigo's vision is fading and he has a bittersweet goodbye with Rukia. He admits to knowing he was losing his powers the whole time.

The manga takes things faster. Right after Ichigo wakes from his coma, Rukia tells him he's losing his powers. He doesn't have long enough to have one last fight, and instead they have to share their well wishes quickly. Both versions have an emotional impact. While the suddenness of the manga is harsh, the slow loss of power in the anime is more bitter. Ichigo is accepting of the events either way, but it's easier to see how much him losing his powers will affect his friends in the anime. The manga makes it seem like they are lucky to even have those few moments before parting. Both are effective, but they leave slightly different impressions.

1 Uryu Researched Yhwach

Uryu's Motivations Make More Sense in the Anime

Arguably the most unexpected moment in the Thousand Year Blood War is Uryu Ishida's betrayal. While he has always hated Soul Reapers and been proud of his Quincy heritage, it seemed like he's more tolerant of them throughout the course of the anime. When Uryu ends up joining Yhwach, it's more than just a betrayal of Ichigo, it's also him regressing in character development. In the manga, it's even more abrupt, as Uryu is shown refusing to go to Heuco Mundo in one scene, and then he's at Yhwach's side the next time he shows up.

At least in the anime, Uryu knows a lot more about Yhwach, and the fans see him get recruited. He did research on the Quincy threat before making his decision. He connects with the suffering of his people as he studies his history. It does add an element of mystery because Uryu also knows more about the Auswahlen and how that relates to his family. Uryu's motivations are complex, but more of them have been shared with the added scenes in the anime.

Most things that are only canon to the Bleach anime are obvious. They are usually tied to filler arcs in some way, so they stand out among canon materials. However, not every filler arc is out of place. Some of them explore interesting relationships or world building that make canon more interesting. Some of the anime only canon things contradict manga material or don't fit in well with the overarching plot, but that isn't the case for everything. In many ways, the Bleach anime is better for getting the chance to explore these interesting details.

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Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Animation

Action

Adventure

The peace is suddenly broken when warning sirens blare through the Soul Society. Residents are disappearing without a trace and nobody knows who's behind it. Meanwhile, a darkness is approaching Ichigo and his friends in Karakura Town.

Release Date

October 10, 2022

Cast

Masakazu Morita, Johnny Yong Bosch, Takayuki Sugô, Richard Epcar, Ryûsei Nakao, Aleks Le, Karen Strassman, Neil Kaplan

Seasons

3

Studio

Pierrot Films

Creator

Tite Kubo

Story By

Tite Kubo

Writers

Tite Kubo

Number of Episodes

35 (9 – Part 3)

Network

TV Tokyo

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

Franchise(s)

Bleach

Directors

Tomohisa Taguchi, Mitsutoshi Satô, Hikaru Murata, Hodaka Kuramoto

Showrunner

Tite Kubo

Japanese Title

Bleach: Sennen Kessen-hen

Based On

Manga

MyAnimeList Score

8.98 (Part 3)

YouTube Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi_sIP-wjC0