The epic conclusion to Bleach, the popular animated series based on the hit manga, or Japanese comic, has arrived - and early reactions have described it is as a "perfect" ending. Anticipation for the final episode of the climactic Thousand-Year Blood War storyline was especially high. The original comic book's "rushed" ending is widely considered disappointing but creator Tite Kubo has overseen some major changes to the new adaptation.
As some mourned the "end of an era", many waited nervously to see if he could stick the landing second time around. BBC Newsbeat's spoke to fans as they said an "emotional" goodbye to Kubo's creation. Bleach is regarded as one of the "big three" manga in Japan alongside One Piece and Naruto, and animated adaptations of each are credited with helping to fuel the global popularity of anime.
It follows the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager with distinctive orange hair who has the unusual ability to see ghosts. He navigates school and family life at the same time as defending humanity from evil spirits. "It is honestly my favourite series of all time, it has got me through a lot across my life," says fan Ruby, 27.
"I honestly think I laughed more than I cried in this episode," she says. "I'm just really happy that Kubo finally got to show us his true vision for the story that he wasn't able to back in the early 2010s." The 27-year-old started reading Bleach aged nine and became friends with fellow fan Nicholas, 30, through their shared passion. "I've made so many friends through Bleach, it's been such a wonderful part of my life both in terms of what it teaches me and the kind of people I meet through it," says Ruby.
For Nicholas, watching Bleach as teenager helped him get through school - and he even has a tattoo dedicated to the story. "It helped me make friends in school, talking to a few people who also knew Bleach and about our favourite characters," he says. The pair tell Newsbeat they will be "crying together" as they watch the finale later.
"A lot of us are feeling quite emotional about it," says Ruby. The original Bleach anime ran from 2004 to 2012 across 16 seasons but never caught up to the manga source material - with fans left unsure if it would ever come back. But the first part of Bleach's animated final chapter eventually premiered 10 years later in 2022.
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