BLEACH Episode 45 Pushes Orihime to a Suicide Attack as Fans Call on Tsukishima
The episode drew a perfect 10/10 score on IMDb from about 20,000 ratings, with the site's current score holding at 9.9/10 from over 40,000 ratings, a rare feat that signals the anime-original material is resonating as strongly as the source manga.
Key Facts
- BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 45, subtitled DEFEND YOU, aired on August 22, 2026.
- The episode recorded a perfect 10/10 score on IMDb from about 20,000 ratings, holding at 9.9/10 with over 40,000 ratings.
- The episode introduced the anime-original form Ketsuzan no Ichigo, designed and named by original author and general supervisor Tite Kubo.
- The ending title changed from DEFEND YOU to LIFE TO DEFEND YOU, paired with Orihime Inoue's line Bye-bye, Kurosaki-kun. I'll take it all in!
- Episode 46 is scheduled to air on August 29, 2026.
Reporting from 2 sources: Denfaminicogamer, Anime Anime.
The 45th episode of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War, subtitled DEFEND YOU, aired on August 22, 2026, and drew an intense reaction for an anime-original turn involving heroine Orihime Inoue. In the episode, Orihime takes what viewers describe as a suicide attack to protect Ichigo Kurosaki, collapsing covered in blood. The scene prompted an outpouring on social media, with fans posting lamentations such as Orihimeeeeeeee!!! and Bye-bye, Kurosaki-kun... is not what this is!!! The ending title changed from the usual DEFEND YOU to LIFE TO DEFEND YOU, with the official release pairing the title with Orihime's line, Bye-bye, Kurosaki-kun. I'll take it all in! The scene also caused Shukuro Tsukishima, a Fullbring Arc enemy who does not appear in this episode, to trend on social media. Tsukishima has become an internet meme for his ability to insert himself into a person's past, so fans posted pleas like Do something, Tsukishima-san! and Save us, Tsukishima-san! The episode also introduced a new anime-original form for Ichigo called Ketsuzan no Ichigo, designed and named by original author and general supervisor Tite Kubo.
The episode drew reaction beyond the fan outcry. Denfaminicogamer noted that the "Ichigo of the Blood Chain" form, rendered in English as the same Ketsuzan no Ichigo, has been detailed but not fully shown in action yet, leaving "remaining mysteries" for the next broadcast.
Anime Anime framed the episode in the arc's larger structure. The piece recalled that the prior episode, 44, centered on Kenpachi Zaraki and Toshiro Hitsugaya's Bankai, with Hitsugaya's growth into an adult form drawing tears from fans. In episode 45, Ichigo confronts Yhwach in the True World City as the collapse of the three worlds looms. His half-Hollowfied release of a "Cero Oscuras" fused with Getsuga still fails to reach Yhwach, leaving him "confronted with the weakness of his power to protect."
The same source detailed the new form: the half-Hollowfied Ichigo uses Bankai, and his Zanpakuto changes along with him into Ketsuzan no Ichigo. Fan reactions collected by the outlet included "They brought out a Bankai not in the original... is that so...?" and "Half-Hollowfication plus Bankai is too hot."
Production credits from the Anime Anime piece list chief director Tomohisa Taguchi and director Hikaru Murata, with series composition by Taguchi and Masaki Hiramatsu. Character design is by Masafumi Kudo, music by Shiro Sagisu, and animation production by Pierrot Films. Lead cast includes Masakazu Morita as Ichigo and Yuki Matsuoka as Orihime. Episode 46 airs August 29.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.