If you stayed up late to catch the latest episode of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity on Disney+ Singapore, Episode 44 delivered one of the arc’s most anticipated casting reveals — and it was worth the wait.
Yuki Kaji Officially Joins BLEACH as Adult Toshiro Hitsugaya
Episode 44, titled “THE PERFECT CRIMSON” and confirmed on the official BLEACH anime website, marks the debut of superstar voice actor Yuki Kaji as Toshiro Hitsugaya in his Complete Bankai form. The casting was officially announced alongside the episode by the production team.
For those catching up on the lore: completing his Bankai causes Hitsugaya to age rapidly into an adult body, consuming ice that would normally crystallise around him. It is the payoff to years of build-up — and because the adult form is a different character in every meaningful way, the creative team brought in a separate voice actor rather than have Romi Park pitch-shift. Kaji steps into a role Singapore anime fans will recognise immediately: he is the voice of Eren Yeager across all four seasons of Attack on Titan, Shoto Todoroki in My Hero Academia, Meliodas in The Seven Deadly Sins, and Kenma Kozume in Haikyu!!.
Episode 44 — What Goes Down in “The Perfect Crimson”
The episode throws Kenpachi Zaraki, Hitsugaya, and Byakuya Kuchiki together against Gerard Valkyrie, the Sternritter whose “Miracle” power proves infuriatingly hard to put down — every sword-chip triggers a new miracle, steadily turning the tide against the three captains. Kenpachi charges in on pure instinct, but even his raw output is not enough to break through. Simultaneously, Ichigo endures Yhwach’s assault in the throne room, waiting for any opening to turn the fight around.
It is a dense episode that juggles three fronts without losing momentum, and Studio Pierrot’s animation on the Gerard sequences is — as fans on X Singapore have already noted — genuinely spectacular.
A Rotating Ending — Rukia Takes the Spotlight
One running detail worth noting: each episode of The Calamity swaps out a character in the ending animation to mirror whoever the narrative spotlights that week. Episode 1 featured Ichigo, Episode 2 replaced him with Kisuke Urahara, Episode 3 switched to Orihime Inoue, and now Episode 4 places Rukia Kuchiki front and centre — a neat creative touch that rewards attentive viewers. The ending theme remains “Rasen” by 9Lana.
Streaming on Disney+ Singapore — No Extra Cost
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity streams internationally on Disney+, which covers Singapore. As we covered when Part 4 launched locally, no separate purchase is needed beyond a standard Disney+ subscription. With the cour officially locked in at 10 episodes, Episode 44 is the fourth instalment — just past the opening stretch, and with the most brutal fights still ahead. New episodes land Saturday nights JST, which means Sunday mornings in Singapore.
Catch up on more anime and manga news here on GameTrader.