The final arc of Tite Kubo's immensely popular manga series, Bleach, is scheduled to receive an animated adaptation of its final arc later this year. This arc, known as The Thousand-Year Blood War, covers the bloody conflict between the Soul Reapers of Soul Society and their rivals, the Quincies. With the help of Ichigo Kurosaki, the Soul Reapers, who defeated Sosuke Aizen and his army of Arrancars with minimal damage, are now backed into a corner.

In the previous war with the Arrancars, there were only ten members of their army who could rival a Soul Reaper captain. However, in the case of the Quincy army, there are twenty-six soldiers who can stand on equal footing to the Soul Society's thirteen captains.

While The Thousand-Year Blood War arc did do a good job in establishing tone and intrigue, there are certainly places where it falls short. Most fans would agree that the rushed ending is less satisfactory than they would have hoped. Additionally, some things were left under-explained, such as Ichigo's new Bankai, as well as strange story decisions like bringing back Byakuya Kuchiki. While anime adaptations taking creative liberties with the source material may be a divisive practice among fans, if the animation studio were to make changes, this is what they should do.

Give the Zero Division a More Prominent Role

Bleach - Zero Division - Not Resized
TXN (TV Tokyo)

The Zero Division, otherwise known as Squad Zero, was foreshadowed by many manga chapters from their first appearance. In the "Turn Back the Pendulum" sub-arc, the previous generation of captains discuss that one of their own was recently promoted to Squad Zero. The purpose of Squad Zero is to protect the Soul King, the godlike being which holds the universe of Bleach together. As such, they are suggested to be incredibly powerful. This is outright stated in the final arc, where it is mentioned that Squad Zero, a division whose members total five, is stronger than the rest of Soul Society put together. To qualify to be a member of the division, one has to contribute something significant to Soul Society's history.

As such, fans waited in anticipation to see what the Zero Division was capable of, to see the Quincies push them to their limit. And by the end of the series, fans were still waiting. It's not as if they were portrayed as weak, but they certainly weren't given as much time to shine as fans would have liked. And the battles that they did have, they either won easily or were defeated easily. Save for their leader, Ichibei Hyosube, none of them received a satisfactory battle worthy of their praise. So in the anime adaptation, they should receive the proper screen time and prominent moments.

Grant More Screen Time to More Captains

Bleach Captains - Not Resized
TXN (TV Tokyo)

Among the active captains present at the time of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, it's safe to say that Toshiro Hitsugaya, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Kenpachi Zaraki were the most popular. And their popularity shows as they are given far more development than most of their peers. Some captains came into their own in the arc, such as Kyoraku Shunsui and Mayuri Kurotsuchi. And some received satisfactory send-offs, such as Genryusai Yamamoto and Sajin Komamura. However, as a result, the remaining six captains felt somewhat neglected.

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The solution to this would be to let the other six contribute more to the war effort than what was seen in the original manga and give them more to do. For instance, after defeating the Quincy, BG9, Soi Fon does very little. And even Shinji Hirako, who played a significant role in the Arrancar arc, isn't given a conclusive fight in the arc. The most condemning example of a neglected captain is Jushiro Ukitake, who dies unceremoniously after a futile attempt to stop the Quincy king, Yhwach.

Establish Shinken Hakkyoken Earlier

Bleach Shinken Hakkyoken
TXN (TV Tokyo)

The battle between the current captain commander, Kyoraku Shunsui, and the elite Quincy, Lille Barro, does not end the way any reader expected. Rather than defeating Lille himself, Shunsui reveals Shinken Hakkyoken, a special zanpakuto passed down through the clan members of his vice-captain, Nanao Ise. Shortly after, Nanao uses this divine zanpaukto to defeat Lille. Now, this plot beat is all well and good except for the fact that it comes out of nowhere. Kubo is the type of writer who likes to keep some things vague in his universe, and that's perfectly fine. However, the idea that Nanao's zanpakuto was something that powerful or even the notion that some zanpakuto can be passed down needs to be established or at least foreshadowed beforehand, lest it feels cheap.

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The fix for this would be for the anime to plant the seeds of this idea through dialogue or private thoughts of either Shunsui or Nanao. This way, Nanao's victory will feel more earned. It will feel like a more cemented part of Bleach's universe and not something that was just imagined as a way to conclude the fight without trying to make Shunsui stronger or Lille weaker for no reason.