Am 27.11.bleachingCreator Tite Kubo's official Twitter account revealed three drawings of members of the original Gotei 13. These illustrations were published in the new issue of Weekly Shounen Jump (#52/2022), out November 28, 2022 in Japan.
You can see Genryuusai and Unohana Yachiru's illustrations when they were part of the original Gotei 13 here:
Allegedly, the names of the members of Gotei 13 are also to be revealed in the issue.
Reliable anime news leaker @shonenleaks revealed the names in a post on November 24, 2022.
5. The names of the original members of Gotei 13
Original Gotei 13 members include:
- 2. Shihouin Chika
- 3. Izuhara-Kinroku
- 4. Shijima-Chigiri
- 5. Obana Danjiro
- 6. Saito Furofushi
- 7. Shingyou no Busuna
- 8. Katori-Batsunsai
- 9. Kumoi-Entetsu
- 10. Otogawa-Furuoki
- 11. Unohana Yachiru
- 12. Zenjou Jiuhin
- 13. Sakahone Saizou
4. Official appearances of the original Gotei 13
bleachingFan @DBZimran was kind enough to snap a photo of the contents of Weekly Shounen Jump Issue #52, which can be seen here:
3. The original Gotei 13 had three female members
Many Bleach fans were under the misconception that there was only one female member in the original Gotei 13 - Katori Batsunsai, who can be seen in the fan art below:
However, the original Gotei 13 had two other female members: Unohana Yachiru (who is usually seen with a braid across her chest) and the pigtailed Saito Furofushi.
Tite Kubo's official Twitter account also revealed an illustration of original 13 Court Guard Squad member Saito Furofushi and revealed that Tite Kubo's official fan club #KlubOutside plans to release more information about the original Gotei 13 (13 Court Guard Squad).
You can see Saito Furofushi's illustration here:
2. The original Gotei 13 has a special appearance in the ED video
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s 7thEpisode also included a special ending video that focused on the original Gotei 13.
You can watch the video here:
Apparently Tite Kubo was very involved in the production of this particular episode.
1. Who were the original Gotei 13?
The Gotei 13 (13 Court Guard Companies, 13 Court Guard Squads) is the premier military branch of Soul Society and the primary military organization that most shinigami join after leaving Shin'ou Academy.
Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto founded the Gotei 13 and has been their leader since its inception.
The first generation included familiar faces like Genryuusai, Yachiru Unohana and the other mysterious 11 members. Shunsui Kyouraku considered this particular generation to be the strongest of all time.
After defeating Genryuusai, Yhwach tells his corpse that the original Gotei 13 were "Defenders" in name only and were in fact a group of dangerous killers. That is why they were a feared power and could also enforce order. Genryuusai was a ruthless and pragmatic leader who used to consider his subordinates "expendable".
The Gotei 13 were personally involved in the eradication of the Quincy race, and justified their actions by the fact that Quincies' eradication of the Hollows, compared to the purification that Shinigamis are capable of, created an imbalance between Soul Society and the Living World would cause. In other words, the balance between life and death was threatened.
In the peace that followed, Yhwach notes that the Gotei 13 have become softer and less brutal after gaining a sense of justice and things they wanted to protect.
The main task of the Gotei 13 was the protection of Seireitei, the center of Soul Society. They were also responsible for deploying shinigami in enemy territory during combat operations and also for deploying shinigami in the human world. Like all shinigami, they were also tasked with guiding souls to Soul Society.
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What is the plot of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War?
Things were peaceful in Ichigo's hometown of Karakura until a group of new, mysterious Soul Reapers and a new enemy emerged. Ichigo is ready to grab his Zanpakto and jump in to protect his friends and allies from this new threat. Meanwhile, strange things are happening in Soul Society, from the mysterious disappearance of residents in the Rukon District to the surge in the number of hollows being destroyed in the living world. When Soul Society is attacked by a group calling themselves Wandenreich, it's up to Ichigo to turn the tide in the bloody battle that ensues.
But who is this new enemy lurking in the shadows? Yhwach, the founder of all the Quincies, decides to declare war on the Soul Society and gives them the following message: "In five days, the Wandenreich will destroy the Soul Society."
The dark history and truth that Soul Society tries to keep secret is finally coming to light and they must atone for their past.
Who are the members of the production team?
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War production team members include:
- Regisseur – Tomohisa Taguchi (Twin Star Exorcists, Kino’s Journey – The Beautiful World, Akudama Drive)
- Drehbuchaufseher – Masaki Hiramatsu und Tomohisa Taguchi
- Character designer – Masashi Kudo
- Musikkomponist – Shiro Sagisu
- Chief Animation Directors – Michio Hasegawa, Sei Komatsubara, Kumiko Takayanagi
- Action Effects Animation Directors – Satoshi Sakai, Yoshihiro Kanno, Yong Hoon Chong
- Art Director – Yoshio Tanioka
- Kunstdesign – Toshiki Amada
- Farbdesign – Saori Goda
- Editing – Akinori Mishima
- Kameramann – Kazuhiro Yamada
- CG-Direktoren – Toshihiro Sasaki, Kazushi Goto
- Sound Director – Yukio Nagasaki
- Tonproduktion – Zack Promotion
Who are the performers?
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War cast members include:
- Masakazu Morita – Ichigo Kurosaki
- Fumiko Orikasa – Rukia Kuchiki
- Noriaki Sugiyama – Uryu Ishida
- Yuki Matsuoka – Orihime Inoue
- Hiroki Yasumoto – Yasutora Sado
- Kentaro Ito – Renji Abarai
- Shinichiro Miki – Kisuke Urahara
- Satsuki Yukino – Yoruichi-Shihoin
- Binbin Takaoka – Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto
- Houko Kuwashima – Sui-Feng
- Shouto Kashii – Rojuro Otoribashi
- Aya Hisakawa – Retsu Unohana
- Masaya Onosaka – Shinji Hirako
- Ryotaro Okiayu – Byakuya Kuchiki
- Tetsu Inada – Sajin Komamura
- Akio Ohtsuka – Shunsui Kyoraku
- Tomokazu Sugita – Kensei Muguruma
- Romi-Park – Toshiro Hitsugaya
- Fumiko Tachiki – Kenpachi Zaraki
- Ryusei Nakao – Mayuri Kurotsuchi
- Hideo Ishikawa – Jushiro Ukitake
- Naomi Kusumi – Ichibe Hyosube
- Yoji Ueda – Oetsu Mimaiya
- Tomoyuki Shimura – Tenjiro Kirinji
- Rina Satou – Senjumaru Shutara
- Ayumi Tsunematsu – Kirio Hikifune
- Takayuki Sugo – Yhwach
- Yuichiro Umehara – Jugram Haschwalth
- Shunsuke Takeuchi – Askin Nakk Le Vaar
- Ayana Taketatsu – Bambietta Basterbine
- Yuki Ono – Bazz-B
- Yumi Uchiyama – Candice Catnipp
- Natsuki Hanae – Gremmy Thoumeaux
- Satoshi Hino – Lille Barro
Some of these voice actors and actresses have not appeared in the anime but have played various characters in the Bleach: Brave Souls game.
Where can I watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War?
Bleach: Thousand Years of Blood Waris broadcast every Monday from 24:00 on TV Tokyo, BS Teletext, Sendai Broadcasting, AT-X TV and other stations in Japan. It also airs Tuesdays on Hiroshima TV. It airs Sundays on TV Shizuoka.
Internationally, you can watch Bleach on Disney+, although some delays can be expected in Europe. Simulcasts are expected in Canada, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. In the US, you can watch Bleach on the following streaming services: dTV, Anime Times, All-you-can-eat Anime, U-NEXT, dAnime Store, Bandai Channel, TELASA, J:COM on Demand, milplus, auSmart Pass Premium , Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Paravi, FOD, ABEMA, Hikari TV, Rakuten TV, Nico Nico Channel, Google Play and HAPPY! The popular streaming site for people in the US to watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War seems to be Hulu.
Do you like Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War? Excited to learn more about the original Gotei 13? Let us know in the comment section below!