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TheBleach: Thousand-Year Blood War(TYBW) arc has captivated fans with its intense battles and emotional storylines. There is a lot of scope for impact when the three realms are at stake, and the final battle is nigh. However, behind the scenes, the anime’s production took an unexpected turn and returned to its roots.
Ichigo and Renji’s training at the Soul King’s Palace was a unique scene that the keen eye of the fans might’ve noticed seems a bit different from the regular scenes. This is because that scene had overlaps and required a return to old-fashioned recording methods, a live recording.
The voice actors Masakazu Morita (Ichigo) and Noriaki Sugiyama (Uryu) shed light on how this decision by the staff brought a new level of authenticity to their performances.
A nostalgic return to traditional recording
TheThousand-Year Blood Wararc typically followed modern recording standards, separating voice lines to allow for cleaner audio and easier editing. However, for the training scenes between Ichigo and Renji, the production team opted for a live recording style. Morita revealed in an interview that the goal was to preserve the natural flow of dialogue tocraft a raw performance.
Morita described it asa throwback to earlyBleachrecording sessions in aBleachspecial interview, decades back when scripts were sometimes handwritten with personal touches to the production process and live recording was a normal event.
This overlaps with what I said in the interview for the first season, but the scene where Ichigo and Renji train at the Soul King’s Palace was the only one in the “Thousand-Year Blood War” arc that was recorded the old-fashioned way.
Nowadays, we have to completely separate the sound sources of the lines, so even in scenes where the voices overlap, we sometimes have to re-record.But for this scene, the staff said, “Please show us the dialogue between Ichigo and Renji,” so we didn’t stop the flow at all and performed it all the way to the end, even if the voices overlapped.We’re both originally from the stage, so we were really happy to be able to act live.When I watch the finished video, I think the lines come alive.
– Masakazu Morita (voice of Ichigo Kurosaki)
Morita reflected on how Ichigo and Renji’s training scenes benefited from a live recording toshowcase an organic performance.
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Ishida’s voice actor, Sugiyama, echoed this sentiment, noting that split recordings risk losing the natural rhythm and that there were notable differences between the separate and live styles of recordings.
Character development is reflected through dialogue
Voice actor Morita noted that Ichigo’s voice during these moments shifted to a tone closer to his earlier appearances, invoking nostalgia while alsoemphasizing vulnerability and growth.
Sugiyama also shared insights into Uryu’s portrayal, revealing that he deliberately avoided emotional nuances to maintain ambiguity about the side he chose.
Tite Kubo Would Be Proud: One Scene in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Finally Does Justice To a Former Gotei 13 Captain
Fans can expect a visually stunning and emotionally impactful finale enriched by performances that are uniquely thought out and are bound to be impressive.
You can streamBleachon Netflix and Crunchyroll.
Chandra Shekhar
Anime Writer
Articles Published :856
Chandra Shekhar is an Anime Writer at FandomWire with over 800 published articles under his belt. A law student by training but a storyteller at heart, he blends his sharp analysis with a deep love for all things anime. From the old-school Yu Yu Hakusho to the eldritch horrors of Lord of the Mysteries, his knowledge spans decades and genres. When he’s not writing, he’s likely buried in webnovels, silently hoping his favorite ones get the anime adaptation they deserve.
