Summary
Bleach’s attention to aesthetics as well as its combination of action and adult themes inspired many subsequent stories. Many series like Durarara!! and Chainsaw Man, while still relatively new, successfully captured the essence of Bleach’s dark action and storytelling strengths, while further cementing Bleach’s legacy. Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, two of the biggest anime of all time, clearly claim Bleach as an influence and have managed to take its concepts and style to the next level, making them becoming one of the true successors of Bleach.
Along with the other “Big 3” shounen anime and manga, One Piece and Naruto, Bleach has left an undeniable impact on the medium. Its stylized art and action, combined with more serious writing than some of its contemporaries, made it one of the biggest anime of its time, and seeing it return with Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War did wonders to revive the franchise.
It’s hard to count Bleach as one of the biggest anime franchises of all time, and it’s been the inspiration for its fair share of stories that have followed. Some anime use action, storytelling, and character designs that are clearly reminiscent of Bleach, and that’s especially true of any show with a basic premise of characters with psychic powers fighting with demonic creatures of some kind.
For some anime, the inspiration isn’t even random, like Bleach has been explicitly mentioned as an inspiration for many famous animeand overall, it’s interesting to note how big of an impact Bleach has had on its industry.
10 firefighters capture the essence of Bleach’s aesthetic
Produced by David Production, based on the manga by Atsushi Okubo.
Year of release
2019
Episodes
48
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation
The first notable anime to continue the legacy of Bleach was by Atsushi Ohkubo Firefighting force. In addition to being another anime about people with supernatural powers fighting against demonic creatures, Fire Force’s action and stylish character designs are very reminiscent of Bleach’s signature style, and the fact that it can be seen from as far away as Soul Eater even helps sell that point. better. The collected manga volumes even use the gimmick of Bleach’s characters on a white background with the volume title spread across the entire cover, and it all comes together to form a very cohesive series. close to Bleach, whether intentional or not.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
9 Noragami adds new twists to the premise of Bleach
Produced by Studio Bones, based on the manga by Adachitoka.
Year of release
2014
Episodes
25
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation
Another anime that excels at utilizing the Bleach aesthetic is by Adachitoka noragami. Noragami has the same basic premise as Bleach with characters using their psychic powers to help innocent people, but in a unique twist, Noragami expands and incorporates Japanese culture and mythology to a much greater extent than Bleach did. It also reverses Bleach’s gender roles by making the female protagonist a human with psychic powers and the male protagonist a spiritual being in need of help, and with the story having a romance growing among them, it has many highlights as itself. while still trying to build on what made Bleach work.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
8 Durarara!! Modernizing Bleach’s storytelling strengths
Produced by Brains’ Base & Shuka, based on the light novel by Ryōgo Narita and Suzuhito Yasuda.
Year of release
2010
Episodes
60
See where it is
Funny, Hulu
Usually, it’s the specific way the story is written that leaves the biggest impression, and when it comes to Bleach, that’s certainly been the case with by Ryogo Narita Durarara!! Durarara job!! focusing on character-driven stories in a supernatural world captures the core of Bleach’s power, and the fact that it sticks closely to the urban fantasy setting, which is what Bleach started with, makes That comparison becomes clearer. Narita even wrote two official Bleach novels, Spirits Are Forever With You and Can’t Fear Your Own World, so he’s clearly a writer who has done a great job of emulating the style of Bleach as well. in and out of Durarara!!
Watch now on Funimation
7 Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku takes Bleach’s darker actions even further
Produced by Studio MAPPA, based on the manga by Yuji Kaku.
Year of release
2023
Episodes
13
See where it is
Crunchyroll
One of Bleach’s franchises has always been a trend toward action and dark imagery, and one anime that does a great job of staying true to that idea is by Yuji Kaku Hell Paradise: Jigokuraku. The dark and often gruesome visuals of Hell’s Paradise, whether the gore or the grotesque designs of the villains, are very reminiscent of the art style of Bleach and it’s easy to see it as a development. nature in the works of Tite Kubo. Add to that stylish action and a simple yet engaging power-up system and Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku does a great job of following the darker aspects of Bleach’s story.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
Dark Gathering’s 6 horror elements make Bleach look tame
Produced by OLM, based on the manga by Kenichi Kondo.
Year of release
2023
Episodes
24
See where it is
HIDE
Another anime that does a great job of emulating Bleach’s dark visual tendencies is by Kenichi Kondo Gathering darkness. Dark Gathering is another story about a character with psychic powers fighting demonic creatures, and the horrific images that accompany each battle are some of the most gruesome and disturbing ever. appeared in the Shonen series, and that, in turn, carried the dark aesthetic of Bleach. to heights the original series could only dream of. Add in the creativity of the aforementioned battles, and Dark Gathering does a great job of carrying on Bleach’s legacy as a dark action series, even though it’s relatively new.
Watch now on HIDIVE
5 Chainsaw Man takes Bleach’s premise to the next level
Produced by Studio MAPPA, based on the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto.
Year of release
2022
Episodes
twelfth
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Hulu
Another anime that continues a lot of Bleach’s legacy, even though it may be relatively new, is by Tatsuki Fujimoto Chainsaw man. Like Bleach, the basic premise of Chainsaw Man is about a boy who is given supernatural powers to fight demonic creatures and that is used to create action scenes with a level of excitement. and the understated style is reminiscent of Bleach in the best of ways. More than that, though, the character writing and use of quiet moments to build tension or calm is the exact type of writing that Bleach is famous for, so it’s easy to see how the two could end up. how to push each other.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
4 Blue Exorcist creates a modern world of Bleach
Produced by A-1 Pictures, based on the manga by Kazue Kato.
Year of release
2011
Episodes
37
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Hulu
Bleach became popular partly because it stood out from other shounen anime, but one series that has done a great job of modernizing its basic concept is by Kazue Kato green exorcist. Blue Exorcist follows Bleach’s premise of people with psychic powers protecting the world from demonic creatures, but it also adds some more modern elements of shounen anime such as schools and more typical archetypes of the cast. That allows Bleach’s work to be seen through a modern lens, and after nearly 15 years, Blue Exorcist has done wonders in showing how that would work.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
3 Black Clover takes the aesthetic of Bleach and combines it with Dragon Ball Z
Produced by Studio Pierrot, based on the manga by Yuki Tabata.
Year of release
2017
Episodes
170
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation
There are several anime where Bleach has been clearly stated as an influence, and one that absolutely lives up to that is by Yuki Tabata Black clover. Tabata has talked about Bleach being an influence in the past, and it’s easy to see that with how much Asta resembles Ichigo with his demonic powers and giant sword, even applying Dual sword fighting style similar to Ichigo’s. All of that is combined with action and character writing heavily inspired by Dragon Ball, and the result is a series that uses the foundations of Bleach to create a story that’s more than just vivid in its feel. its inspiration.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
2 Demon Slayer takes Bleach’s influence to incredible heights
Produced by Ufotable, based on the manga by Koyoharu Gotouge.
Year of release
2019
Episodes
55
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
by Koyoharu Gotouge Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is another anime that clearly claims to be inspired by Bleach, and it shows it off impressively. Not only does Demon Slayer’s way of fighting demons with swords be very reminiscent of Bleach’s Soul Reapers fighting Hollows, with Demon Slayer even rivaling Bleach in terms of visual sophistication, but Muzan and Kizuki also have an overall aesthetic that seems to be heavily inspired by Aizen and Espada. It’s hard to deny Bleach’s influence on Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and the fact that it’s become one of the biggest anime of all time speaks volumes about how well it’s been able to use it. What level?
Watch now on Crunchyroll
1 Jujutsu Kaisen is the truest successor to Bleach
Produced by Studio MAPPA, based on the manga by Akutami Gege.
Year of release
2020
Episodes
47
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Funimation
The last anime to continue the legacy of Bleach and perhaps the one that does it most effectively is by Gege Akutami Jujutsu Kaisen. Like Black Clover and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen is explicitly stated to be inspired by Bleach, and given the level of overlap between characters like Yuji, Gojo and Kenjaku with Ichigo, Urahara and Aizen, this That’s easier to see. Add in how effectively the series uses dark action and stylish character designs, and Jujutsu Kaisen might be the anime that does it best. Bleachlegacy is storied as one of the greatest anime of all time.
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