Unleash Your Bankai With New ‘Bleach’ Funko Pop Figures

The Big Picture

• Bleach anime sequel series continues with new seasons premiering in 2024, concluding manga adaptation.
• Fans can preorder Funko Pop figures of popular characters including captains and Ichigo’s companions.
• Success of Bleach franchise led to international popularity and paved the way for anime in the West.

The Bleach franchise is powering up for the continuation of the anime sequel series Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War later this year. Subtitled The Conflict, the third season of the series will premiere on October 5, 2024. It will be followed by the fourth and final season that will finally conclude the manga’s on-screen adaptation. In preparation for the season premiere, fans can preorder several new Funko Pop figures that show off characters from the series. The figures will be officially released in November.

The five new figures include three captains of the Soul Society and two of protagonist Ichigo’s companions. One of the figures also has a Chase variant that collectors can hunt for. One of the more unique figures in the collection is Byakuya, who is represented as he’s releasing his Zanpakutō’s Shikai ability. It causes his sword’s blade to fragment into tiny shards, giving his weapon its name, which means “Thousand Cherry Blossoms.” The next figure is fan-favorite character Kenpachi Zaraki, a fearsome captain of the Soul Society who is known for his love for battle. The final captain represented here is Sosuke Aizen, a character who is reserved and initially well-respected in the Soul Society, but who is quickly revealed to not be what he seems.

After Two Decades, ‘Bleach’ is Going Strong

A more lighthearted character, Kon, is the next to get a new figure. One of Ichigo’s companions, a common source of comedic relief, Kon typically resides in the body of a stuffed lion. The character is also getting a Pop! Keychain in this release of figures. The final figure will perhaps be the most exciting for collections. It is Ichigo’s Quincy companion, Uryu Ishida, and while the figure by itself looks quite snazzy, it is also a “chance of Chase” figure. There is a random 1 in 6 chance of receiving a variant of the figure that glows in the dark.

The Bleach anime initially began airing in 2004 and was incredibly successful, even becoming popular internationally and playing a part in the popularization of anime in the West. However, the series was ended in 2012, leaving the final story arc of the manga without an anime adaptation. Fortunately for the fans, in 2020 the sequel series Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was announced, and it began airing in 2022. The season that premieres in October will be the third of four planned parts.

All the new figures are available for preorder and will be released on November 27, 2024. Bleach and its ongoing sequel Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War are available to stream exclusively on Hulu.