What is Bleach's 'Hell Arc' and why it could return soon

In 2021, Bleach fans were treated to an exciting surprise. Five years after the manga ended its serialization, a special one-shot chapter appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series. Titled "No Breathes from Hell," this was more than a homage or a treat to longtime fans of Tite Kubo's work: It showed how Bleach's story continued, 12 years after the end of the war with the Quincy, and teased that a whole new arc could be coming.

For five years, "No Breathes from Hell" remained little more than a teaser. There was no mention of an official continuation of the manga by Kubo, and attention soon shifted to Thousand-Year Blood War, the new Bleach anime that picked up where the original one stopped, delivering an excellent viewing experience for fans old and new. However, with Thousand-Year Blood War about to conclude soon, as the final season starts airing on July 25, the much-rumored "Hell Arc" has suddenly become relevant again.

What is Bleach's "Hell Arc"?

Twelve years after Yhwach's defeat, Ichigo Kurosaki lives a peaceful life in Karakura Town. He's married to Orihime, and they have a child, Kazui, who has inherited his father's Shinigami powers, but also his kindness. Kazui comforts the town's lost souls of the dead, guiding them to the afterlife. Meanwhile, in the Soul Society, the Gotei 13 is preparing to perform an ancient ritual called Konso Reisai, held 12 years after a Captain's death in battle, to honor them and supposedly guide their souls through the reincarnation process. Renji invites Ichigo to attend the ceremony for Captain Jushiro Ukitake, which will be held in the Human World.

However, the ritual is interrupted when mysterious, never-before-seen Hollow attack, followed by Szayelaporro Granz, an Arrancar of Aizen's retinue who everybody believed dead. He explains that he was cast into Hell, one of the worlds in Bleach's cosmology along with the Human World, Hueco Mundo, and the Soul Society. Hell is where the souls of wicked humans are sent after death, but, to everyone's chagrin, Granz reveals that the souls of Gotei 13 Captains also end up there, due to their spiritual particles being too dense to be reabsorbed by the soil of the Soul Society. This is the true, terrifying purpose of the Konso Reisai, which means that powerful Shinigami like Yamamoto and Unohana now exist in Hell, where they acquired new powers, and the same applies to Arrancar like Granz.

Image: Shueisha/Tite Kubo

Even worse, the balance between Hell and the other worlds has been broken due to the many powerful souls sent to the former during the Quincy Blood War. The Gates of Hell can now be wrenched open from that side, putting all the other worlds in danger. The chapter ends by teasing an ominous connection between Ichigo's son, Kazui, and the creatures of Hell.

With so much added to the series' worldbuilding, "No Breathes from Hell" truly looked like the opening of a whole new Bleach arc, dubbed by fans the "Hell Arc."

When is Bleach's "Hell Arc" starting?

There is no official confirmation of the "Hell Arc" being in the works. However, over the past few days, reports and leaks have begun surfacing about Bleach returning to Weekly Shonen Jump soon. Besides these unconfirmed sources, this speculation is based on the fact that Sakamoto Days, one of the most popular series serialized in the magazine, will end soon, and Bleach could take its spot. Interesting, this would coincide with the return of Hunter x Hunter, the hit manga by Yoshihiro Togashi, which will come back on June 29 with a string of new chapters. If the rumors about Bleach end up being true, that would mark a real blast from the past for Shueisha's flagship magazine.

Image: Viz Media/Studio Pierrot/Tite Kubo

Tite Kubo's return would be significant for many more reasons. Bleach did not end on the terms that both the author and fans would have preferred. Kubo's overwork and poor health conditions forced him to rush through the final arc, leaving a sense of dissatisfaction and many questions unanswered. While Thousand-Year Blood War did a lot to fix the first issue, the fact remains that the series' fascinating worldbuilding still has to be explored in full. Not to mention that this would mark the return of one of the greatest manga artists of the past few decades, whose refined style left a permanent mark on the industry.

Bleach fans should pay attention in the following weeks. While it would be more natural for an announcement to come after Thousand-Year Blood War airs its final episode later this summer, Bleach's "Hell Arc" could also appear unexpectedly in Weekly Shonen Jump a lot sooner.

You can read Bleach: No Breathes from Hell on Manga Plus and Viz's Shonen Jump app.