Bleach video games have come a long way. From the beginning, Bleach: Heat the Soul, to the latest game in existence, Bleach: Brave Souls, fans have poured countless hours into their favorite games and tried to reach King of the Hill in multiplayer.
Bleach video games are a series of video games based on Bleach anime and manga. There are currently eight games in the series, six for the main console systems and two for portable systems.
The Bleach video games are based on the manga and anime series of the same title, spreading across various platforms from Japanese to European consoles.
The series of action role-playing game (ARPG) games were created by the gaming studio Imageepoch.
The Bleach games include Bleach: Blade Battlers, released in 2006, that was released for both PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS; Bleach: Heat the Soul (which can be broken into two categories, one released in 2007 and another in 2009), a fighting game that was first released for arcades, then ported to Europe and America and later on adding JP regions in 2008; Bleach: Dark Souls that was published in 2009 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; and another ARPG called Bleach: The 3rd Phantom that came out only in JP release also in 2009.
Bleach: Blade Battlers
Bleach: Blade Battlers is the first video game of the series. It was released on September 21, 2006, in Japan for PlayStation 2 and on October 23, 2007, in Europe.
Bleach: Blade Battlers 2nd was released on August 9, 2007, in Japan for PlayStation 2. The third installment of Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 was released for PlayStation Portable on February 14, 2008. Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 is also available for PSP.
Bleach: Heat the Soul 6 is also available for PSP. Bleach: Heat the Soul 7 is also available for PSP, PS3, and PS Vita.
Bleach DS
Bleach DS is the first game in the Bleach series on Nintendo DS. It was developed by Treasure Co., Ltd. and published by Sega, released in Japan on September 21, 2006.
It has not been released internationally. This game is based on the Soul Society arc of the manga and anime series.
The video game’s story mode follows the Bleach storyline from the Substitute Shinigami arc until the end of the Soul Society arc when Rukia Kuchiki is saved from execution. The game also features a versus mode and a practice mode, allowing players to learn combos.
There are six playable characters: Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryu Ishida, Rukia Kuchiki, Sado “Chad” Yasutora, Orihime Inoue, and Renji Abarai.
Bleach: The Blade of Fate
Bleach: The Blade of Fate is the first Bleach video game released in North America, and it was released on October 17, 2006.
The game is a 2D fighting game that uses the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen for various play modes and is developed by Treasure Co. Ltd.
The gameplay in The Blade of Fate consists of a standard 2D fighting system, where players control their character and fight against an opponent.
However, the player can switch between two characters during battle (one on each screen) or fuse them to form a tag team with unique special moves.
The game also includes a story mode different from the anime/manga story and several mini-games and multiplayer options.
Bleach: Dark Souls
Bleach: Dark Souls is the fifth installment in the Bleach video game series. It was released on September 18, 2007, in Japan, and it was released by Sega on October 23, 2007, in North America, and on November 2, 2007, in Europe.
The story opens with the Soul Reapers fighting against the Arrancar at Karakura Town. The game features 19 playable characters, 14 from the previous games, and five new to the series (Rukia Kuchiki, Rangiku Matsumoto, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Momo Hinamori, and Sajin Komamura).
The game features several improvements over its predecessors. Unlike previous installments in the series, up to three characters can be selected on a single team (players control the first two while AI controls the third).
Also, unlike previous installments in which characters would lose their Zanpakuto when they transformed into their Bankai state, they retain their weapons in Bleach: Dark Souls.
This allows for some unique team combinations; for instance, in his Bankai state, Ichigo Kurosaki can be teamed up with Kisuke Urahara so that both characters have access to their respective Bankai abilities.
Bleach: The 3rd Phantom
Bleach: The 3rd Phantom is the third Bleach video game for the Nintendo DS. It was published in North America on September 15, 2009.
The game was released in Japan on August 7, 2008, by SCEI. It features characters from the anime and manga that have not been playable in previous games.
The story mode follows the basic storyline of the Bleach universe up to the battle with Ulquiorra Cipher. The story mode also has original storylines that occur throughout its gameplay.
After each battle, a character is unlocked for use in other modes in story mode. The story mode has 41 battles overall.
The arena mode is where players can choose two characters to fight against each other for two to four players.
The arena can be set up with many different settings, such as how many rounds are needed to win, how long each round lasts, and what restrictions are on character selection.
A player can select any unlocked character for this model except for boss characters since they are unplayable.
Bleach DS 4th: Flame Bringer
Bleach DS 4th: Flame Bringer ( Burīchi DS 4th Fureimu Buringā) is the fourth Bleach video game for the Nintendo DS.
It was released in Japan on April 7, 2011, and it was released in North America on September 1, 2011. It is a real-time strategy RPG game based on the Soul Society arc.
In this game, players can control characters such as Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Sōsuke Aizen, and Uryū Ishida. In addition to the story mode, you can fight against the CPU with your favorite character.
Special moves are performed by touching the respective character’s portrait at the bottom of the screen and then drawing a symbol that appears in a circle around the enemy targeted.
Special moves consume spirit points (SP), which regenerate over time. If a character has no SP left when performing an extraordinary move, they will enter “Overheat” status, which prevents them from attacking until their SP regenerates to the maximum.
Bleach GC: Tasogare ni Mamieru Shinigami
The video game company SEGA developed the 2005-2012 Bleach GC: Tasogare ni Mamieru Shinigami (Bleach GC: The Darkened Soul Sees the Death Gods) series of action games. The first two games were for GameCube, and the third was for Wii.
The only other Bleach game released in Japan is Bleach: Heat the Soul, which SCEI released for PlayStation Portable in 2006.
Namco Bandai Games released Bleach: Shattered Blade and Bleach: The Blade of Fate for Wii in North America and Europe in 2007 and a PlayStation 2 version of Heat the Soul. D3Publisher also released several other games for DS and PSP.
Bleach: Shattered Blade
Bleach: Shattered Blade: (Yabureta Yaiba, Bleach: Broken Blade) is a fighting bleach video game based on the manga and anime series Bleach for the Wii. It is one of two fighting games released for the console alongside Bleach: Versus Crusade.
The game features a basic storyline that starts from Ichigo Kurosaki’s first fight with Rukiya Kuchiki and goes through his fight with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
The story mode uses several cutscenes to move the story along, taken straight from the anime. For example, when Ichigo fights Byakuya Kuchiki for the first time, the scene where Rukia is about to be executed plays before switching to the actual battle.
Bleach: Versus Crusade
Bleach: Versus Crusade (Bleach DS 3rd: Kurenai ni Somaru Soul Society, Bleach DS 3rd: The Red Ones of the Soul Society) is an action-adventure bleach video game developed by Treasure Co. Ltd. and released on the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released in Japan on November 25, 2010, and in North America on July 19, 2011.
The story takes place after the Soul Society arc. Ichigo Kurosaki has lost his powers and begins to train with Kisuke Urahara to get them back. This training will take him to the Soul Society, where he will meet some of his friends.
The game features a cast of 15 playable characters and has a versus mode that can be played against the computer or another player.
There are also up to four multiplayer modes. These modes include Free Battle, which allows for free movement across multiple battlefields; Survival Mode, players defeat as many enemies as possible; Battle Royal, a last-man-standing style mode; and Time Attack, where players must defeat as many enemies as possible within a time limit.
Bleach: Heat the Soul
Bleach: Heat the Soul is a series of fighting bleach video games for the PlayStation Portable. SCEI developed the first game in the series, and Eighting/Raizing is developing subsequent games.
The game’s story mode allows players to relive famous scenes from the Bleach storyline. There is a two-player versus mode and a “Party Battle” mode where four players can fight simultaneously.
In Bleach: Heat the Soul 2, players can also participate in mini-games such as “Bount Assault” and “Rukia’s Rescue,” where they must fight their way past enemies to reach Rukia Kuchiki at the end of each stage. Additionally, each character has three different costumes available for use in gameplay.
Bleach: Soul Carnival
In Bleach: Soul Carnival, you take the role of Rukia Kuchiki and her friends, who are fighting against various enemies and hollows.
There are five stages in the game, each consisting of a boss fight. The game is an adventure game with some action elements.
Much like the Bleach DS games released by Sega, you control your character with the stylus (also known as touch screen) as you move around a 2-D map using an arrow on the bottom right of your screen.
You also have a map on the top-right-hand corner of your screen to show you where you are relative to your goal.
You can perform three main actions: attack, jump and defend. To attack, tap one of the four buttons on the left-hand side of your screen, each corresponding to a different direction.
There is also a special meter that fills up as you collect enemy souls, which allows you to unleash more powerful attacks for a short period.
To jump, tap anywhere on the touch screen outside the arrow area during movement or any direction button during combat.
Bleach Advance: Kurenai ni Somaru Soul Society
Bleach: The 3rd Phantom is a tactical role-playing bleach video game for the Nintendo DS based on the anime and manga series Bleach.
It features an original story conceived by Bleach creator Tite Kubo and follows the adventures of a new generation of Soul Reapers. The game was released in North America on September 15, 2009.
The 3rd Phantom is reminiscent of Fire Emblem in that it is a turn-based strategy RPG that takes place on an isometric grid.
Like other games in the genre, characters move a certain number of spaces each turn and can attack the enemy if they are within range.
There are different character classes with unique abilities, and characters level up after gaining enough experience points from fighting enemies.
Upon leveling up, the player can customize their attributes by distributing attribute points to increase their strength, endurance, etc. A character’s gender, appearance, and name can also be customized at this time.
Bleach: Hanatareshi Yabou
Bleach: Hanatareshi Yabou was the first Bleach video game released on home consoles. It was released on October 12, 2006, exclusive to Japan.
The game follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school student with the ability to see ghosts, and Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper. The game’s setting is based on the manga until Ichigo’s fight against Grand Fisher.
The following characters are playable in this game: Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Yasutora Sado, Orihime Inoue, Uryu Ishida, Renji Abarai, and Byakuya Kuchiki.
They all have their storyline. To progress through the story, they have to defeat Hollows and other Soul Reapers such as Lieutenant Toshiro Hitsugaya and Captain Kenpachi Zaraki.
Bleach: Erabareshi Tamashii
Bleach: Erabareshi Tamashii is a role-playing bleach video game for the Nintendo DS and the first video game adaptation of Tite Kubo’s Bleach manga.
The game was published by Sega in Japan on October 5, 2006, with a North American release by SEGA on June 11, 2008.
This game has many modes and two gameplay types. The first is a basic story mode that runs through the different arcs of the anime and manga series.
In this mode, you play as Ichigo Kurosaki or Rukia Kuchiki in the various battles against Hollows and other Soul Reapers of the Soul Society.
The other gameplay type is a multiplayer action-adventure mode. You create your Soul Reaper character who must protect Karakura Town from Hollows with up to three other players using the Nintendo DS’ Wi-Fi system. Another feature is that players can also form their squads to play or fight with each other.
Bleach: Soul Ignition / Resurrección
Bleach: Soul Ignition / Bleach: Resurrección (Japanese: Bleach ̓, Hepburn: Burīchi) is an action hack and slash bleach video game based on the anime and manga series Bleach for the PlayStation 3.
It was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, published by SCE Japan Studio, and released in Japan on June 23, 2011. Its North American release was on November 8, 2011.
The game’s plot starts from the end of the Captain Shūsuke Amagai story arc to the beginning of the Lost Agent story arc. The player controls Ichigo Kurosaki, who fights hollows as he progresses through Soul Society.
The game has an unlockable “Artbook Mode,” which can be unlocked by beating Story Mode on any difficulty with any character. In Artbook mode, the player must follow a set route through Soul Society to unlock concept art drawn by Tite Kubo.
