The Bleach series, created by Tite Kubo, had a successful anime adaptation, which was recently brought back to adapt the final arc, The Thousand-Year Blood War. However, the anime has many non-canon episodes, so here’s a complete list of Bleach Filler episodes.
All Bleach Anime Filler Episodes
Episodes 33 & 50
The first filler episodes of Bleach are a bit early on, but thankfully, at this point in the adaptation, there was more manga content than original work from the studio. Only episodes 33 and 50 stand out among the first batch of episodes as filler, and they are Don Kanonji side-adventure stories that feature protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki’s sisters.
Episodes 64 – 109
The next batch of filler episodes is much more extreme than the last, with the Bleach anime creating an entirely new story arc while waiting for more manga chapters to be released so that they could have material to adapt. Known as the Bount arc, an anime original group of enemies who gain eternal life by consuming others’ souls. The antagonists are akin to vampires and attempt to invade the Soul Society.
Episodes 128-137
This batch of episodes is anime original content for the Arrancar arc. It’s an interesting kind of filler in that it provides more characterisation for the different Arrancars and insight into their loyalty to Aizen, the overarching antagonist of Bleach up to this point. While not in the manga, it feels like a natural extension of the story material and isn’t bad filler, though can be skipped without missing the important story beats.
Episodes 147-149:
Another extension of the Arrancar arc. Like the previous episodes listed, these two filler episodes provide more world-building and explore the terrain of Hueco Mundo, a key location of the Arrancar arc. Viewers will become a bit more familiar with the landscape as this filler further drives home the aesthetic and thematic differences between Hueco Mundo and its opposite, The Soul Society.
Episodes 168-189, and Episodes 204-205
With this long sequence of episodes, the Bleach anime introduces yet another original character who never appears in the manga. Shusuke Amagai is a new 13 Court Guards Captain, and this arc takes a break from the ongoing Arrancar arc to focus on other, less engaging antagonists and yet another conspiracy happening within the Soul Society, as the filler episodes try to recapture the magic of earlier manga canon arcs with limited success.
Episodes 213-214
This comedic filler is based on sketches from Tite Kubo in the Bleach Manga and centers on the Karakura-Raizer team, a superhero group formed by Kisuke Urahara. It’s a strange change of pace from the darker and more intense Arrancar arc but may be welcome by some viewers looking to take a breather with some levity.
Episode 228
Bleach Episode 228 is the Beach Fan-Service Episode that you can find in almost every anime. There’s no judgment here for viewers who enjoy these kinds of episodes. However, in the grand scheme of Bleach, it’s entirely skippable as it has no bearing on the arc that it interrupts.
Episode 229
This Ikkaku and Yumichika centered episode showcases how the Soul Reapers act in the human world, and is a fun bit of filler that leads to some hijinks that is also a tonal departure from the arc it aired in the middle of.
Episodes 230-265
This Bleach filler introduces yet another anime original villain named Muramasa, and explores the mechanics of the Zanpakuto, as the villain’s ability to make them turn against their Soul Reapers is the focus of this arc. Once again, this villain isn’t as engaging as the canon ones introduced thus far, but it’s still an admirable effort that shows a different side of Soul Society lore that would later be explored in The Thousand Year Blood War.
Episode 266
This filler episode recaps everything that has happened in the Hueco Mundo arc, which was useful when fans watched the anime as it aired (due to the large amounts of filler). However, in this new age of binge-watching and streaming, it’s hard to justify watching this recap episode since filler episodes can easily be skipped.
Episode 287
A fun filler episode to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the manga, Bleach Episode 287 is filler that is based on a color spread page created by Tite Kubo for the series. The episode is a retelling of what is perhaps the most famous arc in the anime/manga, the Soul Society Rescue Arc, with an entirely new backdrop and aesthetic.
Episodes 298-299
These two episodes are a tie-in for the Bleach movie titled Hell Verse, which is also not canon to the main story of the manga. Overall, this episode can be skipped so that the next big arc of the series can be viewed, unless you’re interested in viewing the Hell Verse movie, in which case these two episodes are a decent companion to it..
Episodes 303-305
These three episodes in the Bleach Anime are one-shot styled stories that focus on the group dynamics of the large cast of characters. One episode centers around a New Year’s Party, the second is themed around a hot spring, and the last is another Ichigo dream episode that creates a new backdrop and setting for the Bleach cast.
Episodes 311-342
The final filler arc in Bleach, The Reigai Uprising arc, follows the aftermath of Aizen’s defeat during the Gotei 13 Invading Army arc. This set of episodes features, you gessed it, anime original villain Kageroza Inaba, who creates copies of the Captains, leading to turmoil in the Soul Society. Ichigo is sidelined for a good portion of this arc, and it overall feels a bit pointless after the climactic and canon conclusion of Aizen vs Ichigo.
And that is the complete list of Bleach Filler Episodes
Bleach is available to stream on Crunchyroll