Bleach: The Thousand Year Bloody War (TYBW) Part 4 The disaster The first episode was released this week, marking the start of the series finale and delivering a fantastic episode with stellar performances from many fan-favorite characters. Defend Bleach: A Thousand-Year Blood WarWe’ve seen massive growth, new abilities, and new perspectives from a lot of the characters, with many scenes added to the anime that didn’t appear in the original. ovary Manga. Perhaps none of them has grown more than protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki. From believing he lost his Zanpakuto to learning the truth about his powers and heritage, Ichigo’s deeply personal story has been detailed, and enhanced with new anime scenes like his training under Ichibe from Squad 0. There’s likely more to be seen about him, his powers, his relationship with the Soul King, and the ending of the matter ovarybut for now we have a lot to look forward to even considering the original story.
As we approach the end ovary Anime (until the Hell arc, which is definitely (Animation, of course), at Anime Expo we at Anime Corner had the opportunity to talk with Masakazu Morita, the Japanese voice of Ichigo, and Johnny Yong Bosch, the English voice of Ichigo. Both voice actors are legendary in their own right and have a lot of experience both in their careers largely and in their decades long time as Ichigo. They reflected on their introductions to the series and Ichigo’s unique growth.
Portions of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity. This interview was conducted with the help of a translator to obtain Morita-san’s answers.
Q: What was your first encounter with Bleach?
Johnny Young Bush: My first – I have a band, and I showed up to practice early. It was at my drummer’s house, and he was watching cartoons. I said: “What are you watching?” And it was ovary. And he was telling me all about it and the story, and I said, “Oh, that’s so cool.” And then, he was like, “If I get a chance to audition for this,” and then I was like, “You know, I actually do only I got to audition for it. So it was a weird moment where I actually got an audition, which I hadn’t done yet, but then I kind of cheated and watched a little bit of what was going on.
Masakazu Morita: My first encounter will be the manga version. I read it in it Shonen Jump As it was happening. Even from the beginning, it stays with you. I don’t think there has ever been a series that starred Soul Reapers or made a story around it. I think that was part of what made it so epic. Regardless, I was already late for my audition. It’s not my fault, my boss and company gave me the wrong date. So I probably wouldn’t have been able to.
Q: Although Ichigo went through a lot of growth during the entire BLEACH game, he especially went through a process of growth and self-discovery during the BLEACH period. A thousand-year blood war. Did the way you put together Ichigo’s voice change as his confidence and understanding changed?
Johnny Young Bush: I mean that’s a really good question. Yes, there are definitely minor adjustments, even just from – it was, what? 20 years? So, from the original until now, certainly, there are textures and things layered in there. So, yes.
Masakazu Morita: I’m the same way as Johnny. Ichigo has grown a lot, and the Shonen Jump series is often about growth. So I don’t think there was a lot of hesitation in adding that to Ichigo’s voice and making those changes. I think if you compare Ichigo’s voice at the beginning to his voice now it’s completely different, so I hope fans will enjoy seeing that part of him as well.
Q: Looking back, do you find it easier or more difficult to play the same character for a long time?
Is it harder than playing a character for just one or two seasons?
Johnny Young Bush: I feel like, after playing with him for a long time, even with the space between them, when I walked in, I felt very comfortable. I felt like, yes, there would be some differences and adjustments in the sound, but I felt at home. I feel completely at home and very comfortable with the character – and that might just be my happiness to be there. Sometimes, when you’re working on things, there’s a little bit of stress. But it was even more exciting what we were about to do.
Masakazu Morita: So, for series that are only one or two seasons long, you have to show that growth very quickly. This adds a layer of complexity to the voice acting. But with ovaryyou see its growth happening over a much longer period. And so you can spend time with that growth and showing the depth. But at the same time as you get the length of time to grow, you have to make fine and detailed adjustments along the way, and that in itself is very difficult as well.
Q: One thing I’m unique about A thousand-year blood war The arc is the original anime scenes not found in the manga, which were produced under the supervision of creator Tait Kubo. What is your strategy for dealing with new scenes in the anime? What types of guidance have you received, and from whom?
Johnny Young Bush: For me, the experience is a little different because it’s actually animated. So overall, everything feels new to me. I don’t get the script ahead of time. I can’t see it and then go work on it. Once I’m scheduled, I come and go, and this is the first time I’ve been able to see her. And I really can only see parts of Ichigo. Which made the experience of seeing these last three episodes very unique because I got to see parts of the other characters and see them realize things about their characters in front of the audience, so that was a unique experience as well.
Masakazu Morita: There are a lot of original scenes in A thousand-year blood war And so it is difficult. We’ll ask the staff, and we’ll ask Kubo Sensei himself. We’ll really ask about every little detail and talk about it back and forth. There’s a whole world inside Kubo Sensei’s head. And sometimes we’re not sure exactly what he’s thinking. So, we have to ask and go back and forth to make sure that we fit into that image and that universe. It’s almost like this kind of intellectual battle back and forth between the original creator’s imagination and ideas and my own imagination—seeing how to put it together. It feels like a constant battle.
Q: As the voice of Ichigo, is there anything you would still like to do as Ichigo?
Whether that’s using certain types of abilities, interacting with certain characters, or doing just that
Some work.
Johnny Young Bush: Lots of it all the time. There are a lot of moments where I’m like, “Oh, I just want to” — Holo Ichigo, for example. I want more of that. Even Vastu Lord. I know it’s all a rant, but I want more of that too. Sure, there’s a lot of stuff like that where I’m like, “I want more of that.” Fortunately, sometimes we get a game so we can do it again and really live those experiences.
Masakazu Morita: I also love doing the hollow sound. You just have to scream (They both laugh) ad infinitum. in ovary We don’t really do that, but I would scream kiddo.
Q: What aspects of Ichigo’s character are difficult to portray?
Johnny Young Bush: I mean any one of them could be a challenge. It just depends on the level – where should it be? Does it have to be accurate? Because sometimes your character will say one thing but mean something completely different, and you still have to portray the basic internal dialogue no matter what. So sometimes anything can be a challenge in that way.
Masakazu Morita: Same thing. We play the same role, so I think we face the same kind of complexities. I have a feeling that what you (Johnny Young Bush) think is what the hard parts are also what I think. I think the hardest part about Ichigo is trying to express what can’t be said out loud.
Q: Without spoiling the details, what do fans have to look forward to most about the final
Bleach arc?
Johnny Young Bush: Most looking forward to? I think, because of that long wait, just being satisfied with it, you know? And just be like achieving the rest ovary. So they can watch it and then feel satisfied. I mean it’s okay for them to want more, but to have some sort of “yes” feeling. Let us feel, as a group, like all of us, that we have arrived at this place where we share an exciting moment of accomplishment.
Masakazu Morita: It’s not that we’re looking for a standing ovation from the fans, but we – as a crew – really came down to this desire to create something good. I may be jinxing myself, and maybe it’s not a good thing to say yet, but I have no doubt that this is something everyone will be happy about. We really put all our hearts and all our efforts into it as a group. And so I think we’re very proud and believe in what we’ve created. But, if you keep talking like this, I think Aizen will come and say “don’t use strong words because you’ll look weak.”
We would like to thank Masakazu Morita and Johnny Young Bosch for taking the time to talk with us during Anime Expo. As mentioned previously, Bleach: The Thousand Year Bloody War (TYBW) Part 4 The disaster It released its first episode this week. You can watch the anime on Holo and Disney+ And check out the manga on Meaning.
© Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV Tokyo, Dentsu, Pierrot