VIZ Media Announces BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War" Events

For a long time, anime and manga were dominated by 'The Big Three'. Three series that were serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump and were the biggest game in town. They were One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. One Piece is still going strong today and Naruto was followed by successor series Boruto, but Bleach came to an abrupt end in 2012. It wasn't for another decade that the story finally picked up again in Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War in 2022.

Viz Media have announced a bicoastal event, previewing the latest Bleach anime and featuring two of the most iconic voice actors from the original Japanese version of the show.

In partnership with Japan House in Los Angeles and Japan Society in New York, Viz Media is hosting acclaimed voice actors Masakazu Morita (Ichigo Kurosaki) and Noriaki Sugiyama (Uryu Ishida) for an exclusive screening, live voice acting demonstration, and autograph session.

The limited seating event starts with the screening of Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War Part 3 Episodes One and Two, followed by a preview of episode three. The screening will be followed by a moderated discussion with the voice actors exploring the art of voice acting. their roles in the production process and the cultural influences shaping this unique craft. The event will conclude with a live voice-acting session, bringing beloved characters to life before the audience. VIP attendees at Japan Society in New York will also enjoy an autograph session.

Bleach is created by Tite Kubo and was originally serialised in 2002. It follows teenager Ichigo who has the ability to see the souls of the dead. He soon gets roped into becoming a substitute Soul Reaper, and travels to the Soul Society. The manga sold more than 130 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling manga of all time..

The original anime was produced by Pierrot and ran from 2004-2016. Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War's first two 13-episode arcs ran in 2022, and the second 13-episode arcs ran in 2023. The third part is due to air in October 2024.

The Los Angeles event will take place at Japan House October 13 from 1.00 pm- 3.00pm. Get your tickets here. The New York event will take place at the Japan Society at October 15 from 7:00 pm- 9:30 pm. Get your tickets here.