Tag Archives: Tite Kubo

Three New Soul Reapers by Tite Kubo

The headline reveal: three new original squad members, all designed personally by Tite Kubo and voiced by established Japanese cast members.

Tite Kubo character design sketches for Naru Jurinna, Giro Hando, and Maiko Tokishima from BLEACH Mirrors High — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Naru Jurinna (CV: Fuka Izumi) — a spirited Soul Reaper with a brash, open style and a colourful Zanpakuto, shown wielding her blade with a confident grin.
Giro Hando (CV: Shogo Batori) — a tall, cool-headed figure whose stoic expression and green-bladed sword suggest a character with serious depth.
Maiko Tokishima (CV: Yu Sasahara) — a smaller, quick-witted Soul Reaper in a bucket hat and braid, carrying both a Zanpakuto and what appears to be a notebook — a tactician in the making.

Kubo described his character design work as something he genuinely got carried away with: he produced more designs than the team originally requested, and sat in on voice auditions and recording sessions. These three squad members join the two original protagonists — Shirin Migishima and Shirane Sanari — that were announced at Anime Expo, rounding out a cast that feels every bit like a proper Bleach ensemble.

BLEACH Mirrors High new original characters key visual featuring Giro Hando, Naru Jurinna, Maiko Tokishima, and Shirin Migishima — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Card Combat and the Soul Drive System

The overview trailer gives the clearest look yet at how BLEACH Mirrors High actually plays. Battles are built around a card-based system where you form a team of three and combine cards to build powerful combos. Signature moves trigger when the right combination clicks, and the standout finisher is the Soul Drive — a team-up technique that lets all three fighters unleash a joint attack, visually reminiscent of the choreographed battles in the manga.

The format looks designed for one-handed mobile play while still giving players meaningful decisions with each card they draw. Fan favourites like Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Byakuya Kuchiki, Kisuke Urahara, Renji Abarai, and Toushirou Hitsugaya are all confirmed for the roster alongside the original Mirrors High cast.

Design Your Own Soul Reaper

Both the avatar and Zanpakuto customisation systems are shown in detail for the first time. Your player character is a fully customisable Soul Reaper: adjust hair, face, body type, and skin across a full colour palette, then dress them in options ranging from a classic Shihakushō to casual streetwear (yes, including a “REAPER” hoodie).

Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Zanpakuto customisation goes just as deep: choose the blade shape, guard, hilt, decorations, and particle effects independently to build a sword that is genuinely yours. Given how central Zanpakuto identity is to Bleach’s lore, the depth here will matter to fans.

BLEACH Mirrors High Zanpakuto customisation screen showing blade and effect options — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Closed Beta Test: 22–29 July

The closed beta test runs from 22 July (11 PM PDT) to 29 July (10:59 PM PDT) on iOS and Android. Sign-ups for the CBT closed on 13 July, so if you registered, watch your inbox for access details as the window opens this week.

A full global release date has not been confirmed yet — Bandai Namco has stated the game is coming to iOS and Android “this summer”. The game is being developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment and published globally; based on the multilingual UI shown in the trailer (including Traditional Chinese and Korean text visible in gameplay footage), a broad Asian launch including Singapore is expected when it goes live. Check the official BLEACH Mirrors High site for updates.

For more mobile game news, stay tuned to GameTrader.

Manga Anime, News

BLEACH: The Calamity Premieres 25 July — Ichigo’s Final Battle on Disney+

July 6, 2026 Jax

Ichigo vs Yhwach — The War Ends Here

Part 4 picks up in the direct aftermath of the Soul King’s fall. With Yhwach having breached the Soul King Palace and unleashed his Almighty power across the Three Worlds, reality itself begins to fracture. The Thirteen Court Guard Squads, surviving Quincy warriors, and Ichigo’s closest allies converge on the Wahr Welt — Yhwach’s transformed Royal Palace — for a series of decisive confrontations, revelations about Uryu’s true allegiance, and one final stand against a being who can rewrite fate itself. The arc adapts manga chapters 664–686, covering the complete endgame of Tite Kubo’s story.

Ichigo reaches for his zanpakuto between crossed blades in BLEACH: The Calamity key art — Image courtesy of Pierrot Films

Theatrical screenings of the first three episodes — in both Japanese with subtitles and English dub — ran in select countries last month, giving some fans an early look. The Disney+ simulcast on 25 July marks the first chance for most of the world, including Singapore, to watch the arc unfold week by week.

Studio Pierrot Returns — With Two New Artists on the Soundtrack

Studio Pierrot continues under director Taguchi Tomohisa, who has helmed every part of the TYBW run since Part 1. Composer Sagisu Shiro returns to score the finale, and Tite Kubo maintains his direct supervisory role over the adaptation — the same combination that earned the series praise for matching and in many scenes exceeding the source material.

The opening theme “I-BULL” is performed by jo0ji, with “Rasen” by 9Lana as the ending. As reported by CBR, Kubo has spoken about his approach to casting theme song artists throughout the run: “I wanted to have as many new artists as possible, hoping audiences would discover musicians through the adaptation.” Both new acts continue that philosophy.

Ichigo's full power on display mid-battle in BLEACH: The Calamity — Image courtesy of Pierrot Films

Yoruichi Shihoin, fierce and ready, in BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War — The Calamity — Image courtesy of Pierrot Films

How Singapore Fans Can Stream The Calamity

BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 streams on Disney+ internationally from 25 July 2026, with new episodes dropping weekly. The premiere goes live at 7:30 AM Pacific Time — 10:30 PM SGT on 25 July — so Singapore fans can settle in that Saturday evening for the opening episode. Disney+ is available in Singapore; if you have been keeping up with earlier TYBW parts on the platform, nothing changes on your end.

Ichigo's battle-scarred face, hollow marking visible, in BLEACH: The Calamity final arc — Image courtesy of Pierrot Films

With 13 episodes confirmed, The Calamity is a tight, focused sprint to the finish of a story that began in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2001. The Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation has consistently been praised for its cinematic quality and fidelity to Kubo’s vision — expectations going into this final run are as high as they get. Keep an eye on our anime section for coverage as each episode drops.

Game News, News

BLEACH Mirrors High CBT Open Now — Tite Kubo Personally Designed 2 New Soul Reapers

July 5, 2026 Jax

What Is BLEACH Mirrors High?

BLEACH Mirrors High is a free-to-play mobile action RPG for iOS and Android, published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Set after the events of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc — the last chapter of the main BLEACH saga — the game tells an original story within the universe, with players stepping into Karakura Town as a Soul Reaper protagonist. The playable roster includes returning fan favourites: Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Kisuke Urahara, Byakuya Kuchigi and Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

BLEACH Mirrors High key art featuring Ichigo Kurosaki — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Two New Soul Reapers — Straight from Tite Kubo’s Pen

The biggest announcement at the AX reveal is that Kubo was not just a licensor on this project. He participated in the kickoff meetings, wrote the original story title and scenario, designed the game’s logo, and attended voice actor auditions and recording sessions. Most strikingly, he created two brand-new protagonist Soul Reapers specifically for this game: Shirin Migishima and Shirane Sanari. These are not adapted from manga or anime — they are original characters existing only in Mirrors High, making this a genuine expansion of the BLEACH universe, not a simple retread.

BLEACH Mirrors High – 2nd Trailer — via [Global] Bandai Namco Entertainment – Mobile Games on YouTube

Gameplay and Platforms

The game is described as “immersive 13 Court Guard Squads action” — Bandai Namco’s shorthand for fast-paced Soul Reaper combat. It is free to download on the App Store and Google Play, with in-app purchases. Device requirements are iOS 17.0 or above (minimum 4 GB RAM) and Android 12.0 or above (minimum 6 GB RAM); tablets are not supported. The game will launch in multiple languages including Japanese, English, French, German, Traditional Chinese and Korean — so Singapore and Taiwan players will have a native-language option at launch.

BLEACH Mirrors High — 2nd Trailer title card — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

How to Join the Closed Beta Test

CBT applications are open from 4 July through 13 July 2026 at 2:59 AM UTC. The actual test runs from 22 July 11:00 PM to 29 July 10:59 PM PDT (that is 23 July 2:00 PM to 30 July 1:59 PM SGT). Sign up via the official site at bleach-mh.bn-ent.net. No confirmed global launch date has been announced yet, though Bandai Namco has described the title as coming to iOS and Android worldwide. Keep an eye on their channels — and check out our other mobile and console game news in the meantime.