‘Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’ Episode 45 Release Date & Time: When ‘The Calamity’ Airs

‘Bleach‘ has cultivated a dedicated fanbase over nearly two decades, and this loyalty has only grown since the series returned with ‘Thousand-Year Blood War’ in 2022 after a long break. What some fans refer to as the show’s seventeenth season is officially Part 4, subtitled “The Calamity,” marking the final chapter of Tite Kubo’s narrative.

The current arc continues with Ichigo Kurosaki and his allies engaged in an escalating conflict against Yhwach, following the dramatic events at the Soul King Palace in Part 3. As the war reaches its peak, Ichigo uncovers the many supernatural powers that define his identity, including connections to Soul Reapers, Quincy, and Hollow bloodlines. Fans are eagerly tracking the weekly schedule to ensure they don’t miss a single episode.

For those counting the series’ overall episodes, the next installment is Episode 45, which also corresponds to Episode 5 of “The Calamity.” It is set to release on Saturday, August 22, at 7:30 a.m. PT, which is 10:30 a.m. ET and 2:30 p.m. GMT for viewers in the UK.

This release follows a pattern established since Part 4 debuted on July 25. Episode 44, the fourth episode of Part 4, was released on August 15, right after Episode 43’s “Blood for My Bone,” which concluded with Ichigo revealing a new Hollow-infused transformation during his battle with Yhwach.

‘Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’ is available for streaming on Hulu in the United States, while Disney+ handles the release in most international markets. Episodes come with both English subtitles and an English dub, providing fans with multiple options to keep up as the final arc unfolds.

The current cour is confirmed to consist of 10 episodes, wrapping up the story with Episode 50. This is shorter than the three previous cours of ‘Thousand-Year Blood War,’ each featuring 13 episodes, making this final stretch noticeably more compact as it races toward the conclusion of the story.

With Ichigo now utilizing his Horn of Salvation form as he faces Yhwach, the battles around him have intensified each week. Meanwhile, Kenpachi continues his fight against Gerard Valkyrie’s massive transformed state, while other Soul Reaper captains are engaged in their own high-stakes battles across the battlefield.

Given the amount of ground the series still needs to cover before reaching Episode 50, the pace of “The Calamity” is not expected to slow down anytime soon. Studio Pierrot has maintained a strict weekly production schedule since the cour began, a significant change from the lengthy gaps between previous parts of ‘Thousand-Year Blood War,’ which sometimes left fans waiting a year or more for new cours.

This consistency has helped maintain high momentum as the anime approaches the true conclusion of Kubo’s original manga. For longtime fans who have followed ‘Bleach’ through its earlier filler-heavy seasons and the lengthy hiatus before ‘Thousand-Year Blood War’ began, witnessing the story finally reach its conclusion on a reliable weekly schedule is a significant payoff after years of anticipation.

With only a few episodes left before the finale, ‘Bleach’ seems ready to deliver its climactic showdown without any further delays.

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