Bleach

Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see spirits, which makes normal life awkward and lonely. When a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki arrives to fight rampaging Hollows, an emergency forces her to pass on some of her power to Ichigo. Suddenly he can fight at her level and he takes on the responsibility of protecting humans and guiding lost souls, while trying to keep school, family and friendships intact. As he trains and gains allies, the series sets up a widening conflict between different spiritual factions, explores the cost of power, and keeps its bigger revelations for later, so the immediate focus stays on action, loyalty and the strain of double lives.

Premiered in 2004, Bleach is credited here to Masaki Hiramatsu and Tomohisa Taguchi and adapts Tite Kubo's popular manga, with a cast led by Masakazu Morita as Ichigo and Fumiko Orikasa as Rukia, alongside Hiroki Yasumoto, Yuki Matsuoka and Noriaki Sugiyama.

The series wasn't a dominant presence at mainstream international TV award shows, yet it earned steady recognition in anime community polls and industry-specific listings, with fans and critics often highlighting its characters, soundtrack and action sequences in rankings and year-end roundups.

Visually and thematically, Bleach left a clear mark on mid-2000s shonen culture. Its sword designs, signature poses and high-intensity battles became staples at conventions and online forums, inspiring widespread cosplay, fan art and musical covers, while a handful of opening themes crossed over into broader anime playlists.

Audience reception tends to be positive for the core arcs, praising fast-paced fight scenes and distinctive character designs, and the show has an 8.4/10 user rating from 2,034 votes. Critics and viewers point to recurring themes of duty, mortality and identity, though later stretches with extended filler content drew more mixed responses.