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The return of one of the biggest Shonen anime, Bleach, and everyone’s favorite soul reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki, has caused chaos and excitement among anime fans! Bleach Season 17, titled Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, is all set for its release in October, making it one of the most anticipated anime releases of Fall 2022.
Bouncing back from what seemed like the point of no return, the confirmation of the upcoming season of Bleach at the Anime Expo 2022 has rekindled a flame of excitement among fans to see their favorite soul reaper return. After a decade, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends will be making their reappearance in the anime world once again!
There is still more than 3 months till Bleach makes its legendary comeback. While you wait, we have prepared a list of 10 amazing action anime that you should watch right now before the release of the titular anime.
Black Clover and 9 other anime to watch before the release of Bleach Season 17
10) Castlevania
Even if you have not played any of the original Castlevania games, this Netflix original is a delight to watch for anyone looking for a blend of horror and action! The plot of the anime revolves around the vampire hunter, Trevor Belmont, who is the last survivor of the world’s foremost monster-hunting clan. Trevor decides to enter the castle of the infamous Dracula, who has wreaked havoc upon Wallachia, in order to take the formidable foe down.
Although the storyline appears simple, Castlevania has already become one of the best dark-action anime that you can find on Netflix. Three seasons of the anime are already available to watch.This anime will make for a perfect watch while you wait for Bleach Season 17 to release!
9) Samurai Champloo
Samurai Champloo is one of the best anime classics that can pump up your adrenaline. The anime is set during the Edo period (1603-1868) and centers on three protagonists- a young girl named Fuu, a master ex-samurai by the name of Jin and Mugen, the gypsy. While working as a waitress one day, Fuu is subjected to harassment by a group of samurai, but later on gets saved by Mugen and Jin. Following a weird set of events, the three soon become criminals wanted for execution, which prompts the commencement of the trio’s journey.
Samurai Champloo made its debut in 2004 and while the anime has only one season, it is greatly renowned for its amazing storytelling and its perfect blend of modern day hip-hop culture.
Don’t miss out on this anime as the messages embedded within will definitely stay etched in your mind for a long time, making you realize how life is more about the journey and never about the end goal. If you enjoy the swordfights portrayed in Bleach, the realistic setting and fights of Samurai Champloo will be an extraordinary experience for you!
8) Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Not unbeknownst to all, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is one of the best shonen series of the present era. Although many critics bash Demon Slayer for its simple plot, it is the biggest strong suit for the anime. Following the brutal killing of all his family members apart from his sister Nezuko, who is turned into a demon, the main protagonist Tanjiro Kamado sets out on a new path to become a Demon Slayer.
Although his main motive in doing so was to transform his beloved sister back into a human, this new journey that Tanjiro embarks on sets in motion a whole new life for him. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is one of the greatest creations among the current popular titles and has become a delight to watch, aided by wonderful visuals and a perfect synthesis of action, adventure and sibling affection.
Ichigo from Bleach has also fought numerous times to protect his family against the Hollows and shares many similarities with Tanjiro, the protagonist of this series.
7) Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist)
Blue Exorcist, which continues to rank among the most underrated anime series, is a must-see for fans of shonen. The storyline revolves around the main protagonist Rin Okumura, who bears the curse of being Satan’s illegitimate son. After his sudden encounter with a demon for the first time, Rin gets saved by Satan’s blue flames and eventually finds out the truth of his identity from his adoptive father, Father Shirou Fujimoto.
Rin initially considers all of this a joke, but when Satan makes his appearance and kills Fujimoto in front of his eyes, Rin vows to become the strongest exorcist in existence so as to defeat Satan in order to exact his revenge. Taking the sword that Fujimoto leaves with Rin, he embarks on his new journey which is filled with many more difficult adversaries.
In Bleach, we discover that Ichigo is a half-blood Quincy who eventually follows his father's footsteps to become a Soul Reaper, very similar to Rin who is trying to become an exorcist.
6) Black Clover
Black Clover is the perfect successor to the Big 4 Shonen Classic and can be your perfect watch before Bleach:Thousand Year Blood War comes out. The anime follows the adventures of a young orphan, Asta, and his rival Yuno who were abandoned at the same church.
Although our main hero Asta has grown up dreaming of becoming the greatest mage in Clover Kingdom, he feels almost doomed when he finds out he has no magical powers. Yuno, on the other hand, has always been spectacular in his use of magical powers, regarded as a genius from a young age. However, this drives Asta to train his physical powers so that he can fill the void due to his lack of magical strength.
Both Asta and Yuno eventually get chosen to become Magic Knights, with Yuno eventually receiving his grimoire embedded with the power of Wind while Asta receives none.
However, things take a turn when their lives are put on the line and our protagonist, much to everyone’s surprise manages to summon a very rare and mysterious grimoire containing anti-magic abilities. The anime follows the journey of the two brothers cum archrivals, Asta and Yuno, both of them having their eyes set on the same goal- becoming the Wizard King.
Both Bleach and Black Clover have very similar settings, like the captains and squads for example, and we can assure you will find a lot of similar characters in the two anime.
5) Dororo
Based on the original manga created by the "godfather of Japanese manga comics", Osama Tezuka, Dororo is a must-watch for shonen lovers. The anime begins by showing a prideful and greedy Japanese lord, Daigo Kagemitsu, who pledges to sacrifice anything to the demons who would aid him in his ambitions of dominating and saving his land. The demons do grant his wish but in return, take away all the vital organs of Daigo’s first born son.
The lord apathetically decides to dispose of his son, but the midwife assigned with the task becomes unable to do so. She places the child’s body in a boat and sends him down the river. Eventually the boy gets rescued by a young sage, Jukai, who names our primary protagonist, Hyakkimaru, and saves him with the help of prosthetic organs.
After growing up, Hyakkimaru sets out on his path to kill demons, which will help him regain his organs. In the series, he eventually crosses paths with Dororo, an orphan turned thief. Dororo chooses to accompany Hyakkimaru, and their adventures easily become the anime's most wholesome moments. If you're looking for an anime that is relatively shorter in length compared to Bleach but contains an intense plot, do not waste time and go watch Dororo right now.
4) Berserk (1997)
Berserk is a masterpiece among the classics of the time. Although accessing the series may be a little challenging, the incredible art and engaging storyline makes it well worth the effort!
The plot of Berserk is set in a bleak world of fantasy and follows the adventures of the complex protagonist, Guts, who is a lone swordsman, born beneath the gallows tree from the hanged corpse of his mother. After enduring a terrible childhood under his abusive father, Guts eventually grew up, killing him in self-defense and taking on the title of ’Black Swordsman’.
His unbelievable feats soon managed to catch the attention of Griffith, the charismatic leader of a mercenary group. However, things quickly turn worse for Guts when he decides to trust Griffith, which brings forth an unexpected fate of utter darkness for the former.
Guts, the central protagonist of Berserk is also regarded as one of the strongest swordsmen in anime history, so it's a must watch for those looking for immersive combat scenes in an anime series.
In Bleach, we also see a similar setting where Ichigo ends up trusting Aizen, only to end up realizing at the end that the latter is his bloodsworn enemy. Berserk is definitely not an anime for the faint of heart and we recommend checking out the original 1997 Berserk instead of watching the three-movie CGI adaption available on Netflix.
3) Noragami
Are you looking for an anime like Bleach with both humorous and serious elements within the storyline? No need to look any further because Noragami will easily exceed all of your expectations. Noragami follows the adventures of the self-proclaimed Delivery God, Yato, who spends his time amassing followers by completing routine mundane tasks for them at only five yen.
Amidst his tasks, Yato soon crosses paths with a high-school girl, Hiyori, who finds herself intertwined within the spiritual world with her soul oftentimes leaving her body randomly. Being the kind God he is, Yato decides to help the damsel in distress. Along the journey, Yato also finds another friend in Yukine, a lost Regalia whom Yato decides to use as his new weapon in his fights against the Phantoms.
The trio gradually grow closer to one another and becomes somewhat of a family, but Yato's secret past may have some truly unanticipated experiences in store for them. Although the release of a third season of Noragami remains uncertain, the first two seasons are already available, and the anime is a delight to watch and contains great elements of action, humor, visuals and storyline! Needless to say, the bonding between Yato and Yukine is very reminiscent of that between Ichigo and Zangetsu from Bleach!
2) Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
Rightly regarded as the best samurai and sword-fighting anime, Rurouni Kenshin is the perfect watch for Bleach fans who are waiting for its seventeenth season to air. Originally titled Samurai X, the storyline of the anime covers the tales of Himura Kenshin, popularly known as “Hitokiri Battousai” translated as Batosai the Slayer.
Giving in to feelings of deep regret for killing masses of people in his past during Japan’s civil war, Kenshin vows to not kill a soul and repent for his sins by helping and living for the innocent. He finds his new abode at Kamia Kashin Dojo in Tokyo and begins his journey of repentance by using his reverse blade to uphold justice. Both Bleach and Rurouni Kenshin have orange-headed protagonists who fight for justice, and you'll definitely be able to draw a lot of similarities between Ichigo and Kenshin- both of them wielding their blades in order to protect the innocent.
1) Gintama
Gintama is one of the most beloved anime. Every episode is fresh and inventive, and its superb dynamic writing ensures that fans are never bored. The anime revolves around three main characters- Gintoki, a samurai without any regard for rules willing to partake in any job for the sake of survival, Kagura who is a cute alien girl and Shinpachi, just a man.
While you require a decent amount of patience to step into the serious arcs of Gintama, it is definitely worth it. Even the absurd and humorous episodes at the start of the anime do great to form the building blocks for the later storyline.
Gintama is one of the few anime that is truly limitless in its approach, covering every genre from thriller to outright comedy, with parodies referencing Bleach and other popular shonen anime! With 350+ episodes, it can undoubtedly be your perfect watch while you wait for the legendary comeback of Bleach!
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War arc is already in production and will be released in October 2022. Waiting for one of the Big 4 Shonen to return can be quite an adrenaline frenzied experience, but the anime we have listed above will undoubtedly bring back an air of nostalgia, perfect for setting the scene for when Bleach finally returns.
