Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has reached its endgame, with only one final part left to release. But with anticipation at an all-time high, just when can fans expect the series' conclusion to drop?

Thousand-Year Blood War has been a hit so far, adapting the final arc of Bleach and enhancing it with the input from the series' creator, Tite Kubo. Fans are expecting part 4 to feature the most differences of any part released so far, as there are only a handful of chapters left to adapt. There's a lot riding on these final episodes, as they're expected to fix some of the more disappointing elements of the final chapters and help to shape a better ending, one more befitting a series as popular and long-lived as Bleach.

Looking Back at Thousand-Year Blood War's Past Releases

When Each Part of Bleach's Final Arc Was Released

Part 1 of Thousand-Year Blood War began on October 11, 2022, and ran to December 27, 2022. Part 2 began on July 8, 2023, and ran to September 30, 2023. Part 3 began on October 5, 2024, and ran until December 28, 2024. That means that there were roughly 7 months from the end of part 1 to the beginning of part 2, and just over a year from part 2's end to part 3's beginning. The gap between parts 3 and 4 is seemingly going to be closer to a year, as it's already been over 6 months and there's still no official word on when to expect the final part's release.

One year from the end of part 3 would be right in the midst of the New Year's holiday, which is an unlikely time for the series to begin. Thus, it's fairly safe to conclude that Thousand-Year Blood War part 4 will be released in 2026. Getting more specific than that is where things get tricky; Kubo recently said he was "worried" about Bleach's final episodes, as he had just reviewed the storyboards and noted the animation would be quite difficult. That would suggest that the animation is still at an early stage, further confirming that a 2026 release is more likely.

Winter 2026 is definitely looking like the most probable release date for part 4. It has been confirmed that Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will have a at Anime Expo 2025 on July 4, 2025, which would be a likely place for an official release window to be given. The is likely to reveal some information about how part 4's production is going, as well as potentially offer a first glimpse at the animation for part 4.

What to Expect in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4

The Anime's Finale Could Include Extensive Original Content

With only about 30 chapters remaining to adapt, and previous parts having adapted as many as 5 chapters in a single episode, part 4's 13 episodes leave a lot of room for original content. Tite Kubo had already confirmed that part 4 would feature more new and original content than any of the preceding parts back in December, so this doesn't come as a huge surprise, but it does mean that what exactly part 4 will entail is a bit of a mystery. With potentially 6 episodes worth of new content, the ending could be significantly different from that seen in the manga.

Still, there are some epic moments from the manga that are sure to be adapted, such as Urahara and Yoruichi's battle with Askin, or Uryu's duel with Haschwalth. These scenes are incredibly important and could certainly benefit from being expanded a bit more in the anime. Most of what needs to be changed are the events surrounding the final battle itself, so the adaptation could be quite faithful up until the very end. Fans should be prepared to wait until 2026 for the finale of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, but the wait will most assuredly be worth it.