Bleach: 10 Best Side Stories, Ranked

Believe it or not, Studio Pierrot’s Bleach first premiered in Japan way back in 2004. The anime caught up to Tite Kubo’s original manga series pretty early on in its production. Since then, there have been all kinds of side stories developed to give the artist time to catch up.

RELATED: Best Anime Like Insomniacs After School

Now that Tite Kubo’s all finished with the manga, it seems likely that Studio Pierrot won’t be making any new side stories for the anime series. So, let’s take a look back at all the best side stories, whether they taught us a little more about our favorite characters or just made us laugh.

10 Episode 298: Film! Festival! Shinigami Film Festival!

Some filler episodes in Bleach feature the main characters engaged in activities more relatable to us than slaying Hollows. Episode 298 gives us a brief intermission from the Arrancars’ invasion of Karakura Town for a lighthearted celebration of the release of Bleach’s fourth movie.

This side story is loaded with comedic scenes featuring everyone’s favorite Soul Reapers. Even the notoriously reticent Captain Byakuya Kuchiki gets involved with special effects! But beyond the laughs, this story doesn’t bring much else to the table. It was really only created as a promotional for the movie.

9 Episode 33: Miracle! The Mysterious New Hero

Bleach’s first-ever side story takes place while Ichigo and his friends are off invading the Seireitei. In this classic episode, Don Kanonji forms the very first iteration of the Karakura Superheroes, starring Ichigo’s sisters as well as Ururu and Jinta. This episode and others related to it host several underrated side characters.

One of the best parts about this episode is that it breaks up an extremely tense situation in the main story. Ichigo is just learning that Renji actually loves Rukia, whom he’s being forced to help execute. Sometimes the stories in Bleach get so heavy that you just need a breather.

8 Episodes 64-109: The Bount Story Arc

This side story arc came about directly as a result of the anime producers catching up to Tite Kubo’s manga. As the show was still extremely popular in Japan, the studio simply created a new story independent of the others.

RELATED: Best Anime Like Bleach

The Bount story arc is awesome, in no small part, because it introduces a whole range of characters with completely new and diverse powers. However, not all Bleach fans have been impressed with the Bounts’ use of “dolls” for powers, and the story arc can feel a little bit stretched to some.

7 Episode 205: Thump! A Kemari Tournament Filled With Hollows

In this episode, iconic characters from the Shūsuke Amagai arc return for an intermission between the Hueco Mundo and The Past arcs. This is definitely one of the stranger side stories in Bleach, as several Soul Reapers and Ichigo’s friends use their powers aggressively during an otherwise simple game of Kemari.

Although this side story doesn’t really have much story to it, it’s loaded with fan-favorite characters like Yoruichi Shihoin and Rukia Kuchiki. The lighthearted, silly comedy is a great way to break up the more serious action from the main story.

6 Episode 287: Side Story…Ichigo And The Magic Lamp

This is by far the most unusual episode of Bleach ever made. The whole story is essentially a dream of the Lamp Society, a world parallel to the Soul Society and with Arabic themes. Perhaps strangest of all, this filler episode is smack in the middle of the Hueco Mundo arc.

Quite a few of these side stories were written more out of creativity than to simply stall for the manga, and this episode shows us why. The writers for the anime scrupulously followed Tite Kubo’s work, but they fully deserved to show off their own imaginations too.

5 Episode 213: The Soul Burial Detective, Karakuraizer Is Born

One thing fans have wondered about in the past was who took care of Karakura’s Hollows while Ichigo and his friends were off on their adventures. This side story answers that question in the best way possible, as Kisuke Urahara takes the Karakura Superheroes and transforms them into the Karakura-Raizer Team.

This filler episode also finally legitimizes Tatsuki’s development as a character way back in the first season. Although she initially started developing some powers just like Chad and Orihime, that was never expanded on anywhere else in the manga or anime.

4 Episodes 128-137: Arrancar Arc, Team Hitsugaya Episodes

This side story arc is a little bit unique to Bleach because of how it cuts across two different seasons without really departing from the main story. It could almost be considered an expansion instead of filler, but the episodes are too original.

RELATED: Bleach: Every Canon Story Arc, Ranked

The Team Hitsugaya episodes are fantastic because they show us more of several awesome characters who don’t always get enough air time in the regular anime. And this story arc was created in a way as not to distract us from the main story itself so that it blends in with the regular season.

3 Episodes 230-265: Zanpakutō Unknown Tales Arc

In this side story arc, we finally get to learn a little more about the Zanpakutō that Soul Reapers bond with. Bleach has some seriously powerful characters, so many fans want to know more about their abilities and what makes them special. After all, Ichigo’s bond with Zangetsu is intense, so why not the other Soul Reapers?

These episodes show the personifications of many different Zanpakutō, making them fascinating for fans of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Each one is highly representative of its corresponding wielder, but the Zanpakutō still have personalities of their own.

2 Episodes 168-189: New Captain Shūsuke Amagai Arc

Coincidentally, this was the first season of Bleach to use HDTV video. But better quality is just one of many reasons why this filler season is so good. The story introduces a slew of new, lovable characters, and it revolves around cursed weapons with extraordinary abilities, even compared to Zanpakutō.

Although this side story arc does interrupt the main story at a bit of a cliffhanger, it’s also only a little over 20 episodes. That makes it long enough for an amazing story, yet not so long that it distracts us from the main arc. Plus, even the powerful Genryusai Yamamoto meets his match in this side story.

1 Episodes 147-149: Hueco Mundo Arc, Ashido Kanō Episodes

While he was originally set to appear in the manga, Tite Kubo had to edit out Ashido’s story before publication. So, this is only a side story by circumstance rather than intent. However, because he was originally cut from the manga, Ashido never made any return appearances after this.

Even after only appearing in a few episodes, Ashido’s character was so popular that he’d been worked into several pieces of fan fiction. Few other Bleach characters who were purely in side stories can make that claim. And his side stories in the anime were even better due to how well they blended in with the regular season. Many viewers wouldn’t even realize that these are filler episodes!

NEXT: Bleach: Every Ichigo Form, Ranked By Power