Bleach (ブリーチ Burīchi?, romanized as BLEACH in Japan) is a Japanese
shōnen manga series written and illustrated by
Tite Kubo.
Bleach follows the adventures of
Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a
Soul Reaper (死神 Shinigami?, literally, "Death God") —a death personification similar to the
Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper,
Rukia Kuchiki.
His newfound powers force him to take on the duties of defending humans
from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife.
Bleach has been serialized in the Japanese manga anthology
Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 2001, and has been collected into 54
tankōbon volumes as of March 2012. Since its publication,
Bleach has spawned a
media franchise that includes an ongoing
animated television series that is produced by
Studio Pierrot in Japan, two
original video animations, four animated feature films, seven
rock musicals, and
numerous video games, as well as many types of
Bleach-related
merchandise.
