Ichigo's Voice Actor Introduced the New Cast as Family
The official Bleach anime account posted Kazui Kurosaki's casting on the morning of September 28, 2026. Masakazu Morita quote-tweeted it with a single line: "He's my son. Please take care of him."
Morita has voiced Ichigo Kurosaki since the first Bleach anime premiered in 2004. Kazui is Ichigo and Orihime's child in the manga's epilogue. The post has picked up roughly 36,000 likes.
He followed it a minute later, when the announcement for Ichika Abarai went up: "She's my friend's daughter. Please take care of her." Ichika is the daughter of Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki, two of the people Ichigo has fought alongside since the earliest arcs. Morita stayed in character while doing exactly what a proud parent does on social media.
Then a third relative turned up. Ryotaro Okiayu, who voices Byakuya Kuchiki, quote-tweeted Morita's post and did the family math out loud: "Which means she's my lieutenant's daughter and also my sister's daughter, so that makes her my niece." Renji is Byakuya's lieutenant in Squad 6, and Rukia is Byakuya's adoptive sister, so Ichika is related to him twice over. As Japanese anime news site Anime Anime reported, the exchange turned into an impromptu family register, with fans adding role-based jokes of their own.
Both New Actors Grew Up on Bleach
Azusa Tachibana (橘杏咲) voices Kazui, and the role closes a loop for her. Her voice acting debut came in the 2022 first cour of Thousand-Year Blood War, and in her official comment she said that having the series as her debut work is what led her to know it deeply. On X she wrote that she was genuinely happy and honored to join a story loved around the world, then reminded followers that only two episodes remain until the conclusion.
Fans who remembered her 2022 appearance were quick to point out the coincidence of her returning four years later as Ichigo's son.
Ayaka Ohashi (大橋彩香) voices Ichika. Internationally she is best known as Uzuki Shimamura in The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls and Saaya Yamabuki in BanG Dream!. "Being able to take part in Bleach, which is what made me want to become a voice actor, is a lifelong treasure to me," she said in her official comment. On X she added that seeing her own comment printed in Weekly Shonen Jump was almost too much, and she promised to look after Ichika.
Where Kazui and Ichika Come From
Both characters are new faces for anime-only viewers, and both arrive with a lot of history attached. They come from the epilogue of Tite Kubo's manga, set under ten years after Yhwach's defeat. Kazui is Ichigo and Orihime's son, living in Karakura Town; Ichika is Renji and Rukia's daughter and a Soul Reaper apprentice who visits the human world with her parents. Their casting suggests the anime is carrying its adaptation through to that epilogue rather than stopping at the final battle.
Fans reacted to the character art on X. "I want to hear Kazui's voice already," one post read. Another said he looks exactly like Ichigo and Orihime.
Looking Ahead
The final two episodes were pushed back. Episodes 49 and 50 now air October 19 and October 26, 2026 on TV Tokyo at 24:00, with streaming following the next day at noon Japan time. The production team said the change was made to raise the quality of the closing episodes. The run started in October 2022 and will finish at 50 episodes total. Pierrot animates the series, with Tomohisa Taguchi as general director and Hikari Murata directing the final stretch.
Internationally, Thousand-Year Blood War streams on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ elsewhere, so the episodes that introduce Kazui and Ichika reach English-language viewers after the Japanese broadcast. The source manga is complete in English from Viz Media at 74 volumes, and the epilogue chapter that introduces both children is in the final volume.