Will Espada and Xcution return in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War?

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is the most anticipated anime of 2022. Jump Festa 2022 marked the return of one of Shonen’s Big Three, Bleach. The promo showed that the purpose of the final season was to cover the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. The anime has the most loyal fanbase who never lost hope despite the long hiatus.

The new installment will be the seventeenth season of Bleach and it will focus on the Quincy War Arc. Fans are still wondering about the return of two of the menacing organizations from its previous chapters, the Xcution and the Espada.

Will Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War include characters from Espada and Xcution?

With the end of Kugo Ginjo, the leader of the Xcution and also a member of the 001, the organization refurbished its policies. Atticus Walker has taken charge of leading the Xcution and its members and the organization welcomes all those with Psysis status, unlike before. However, he does not seem to appear in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.

After the deaths of Shukuro Tsukashima, Kugo Ginjo, and Giriko Kutsuzawa, they were all sent to the Soul Society to prepare for the upcoming battle with the Wandenreich. All three of them will play a pivotal role in Ichigo’s confrontation with Yhwach.

Other notable members of the Xcution, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna and Riruka Dokugamine, will be making an appearance in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. However, Moe Shishigawara, the loyal apprentice of Shukuro, and Jackie Tristan, who lost her Fullbringer powers, have been cast off.

As Sado Yasutora has always tagged alongside Ichigo, Orihime, and Ishida Uryu, he will receive more screentime in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.

The Prevaron Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, and the current remaining Espadas, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Tier Hallibel, will also appear in the new arc. Grimmjow will be helping Ichigo and his friends in their quest and Nelliel will tag along with the latter as she did in Hueco Mundo.

Moreover, the 12th Division Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squad, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, will resurrect four Fraccion members of the Arrancars to aid fellow Shinigamis in their fight with the Wandenreich.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is all set to feature its most formidable antagonist so far, Yhwach and his Quincy army known as the Wandenreich Sternritters. 26 Quincy members will be featured in the upcoming arc who are assigned with a letter of each alphabet that showcases their abilities, including Uryu Ishida and two more characters who fell out of the category but still hold the position as a Sternritter at the bottom.

Although the characters from Xcution and Espada shared a great deal of enmity in the past with the protagonist, they will be an essential part of Ichigo's journey in the new arc.

About the author

Praveen is a versatile writer who covers all things anime, comics, entertainment, and soaps at Sportskeeda. After completing his Bachelors in Commerce in 2019, Praveen decide to shift from a prospective career in Finance to content writing out of his sheer desire to work in an industry that he truly loves. Beginning as an anime writer, he expanded into other sections to hone his writing skills.

Praveen's interest animated films started at a young age watching cartoons, then switching to anime, and later exploring live-action films from various parts of the world, describing these experiences as ""an integral part of him." He credits the late Kentaro Miura, the creator of Berserk, as a major influence whose manga taught him to deal with pain and adversities in life.

Praveen likes to pay close attention to specifics and cross-verify all facts in his articles, but also believes in immersing himself completely in any medium, even if it means watching a full-length 2-3 hour feature film to create the most accurate content.

When he is not writing, Praveen enjoys reading books on philosophy, playing video games, and cooking recipes he finds online.

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Edited by Mohini Banerjee