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Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Anime's Video Unveils New Opening Song, More Cast, July 8 Return

The first live-streamed "Krew beInside" special for Tite Kubo's Bleach and Burn The Witch projects debuted the third promotional video and fourth key visual for the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime on Sunday. The video features the opening theme song "STARS" by the three-member rock band w.o.d. and announces the anime's additional cast members and July 8 return.

The new cast members are:

• Aoi Yūki as Liltotto
• Tsuyoshi Koyama as Gerald
• Sōichirō Hoshi as Nianzol
• Nao Tōyama as Giselle

This is the first time that w.o.d. is contributing a theme song for an anime. Manga creator Kubo noted that he himself is a fan of the band, although that was not a factor in choosing the song. The anime's second cours (quarter of the year) will premiere on TV Tokyo and its affiliates (as well as on other venues) on July 8 at 11:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. EDT).

The show premiered on October 10 in Japan on TV Tokyo and its affiliates, and is streaming on 20+ services in Japan, including Hulu and Disney+. Viz Media began streaming the anime on Hulu in the U.S. on October 10. The English dub of the anime premiered on Hulu on November 4. Viz Media held the anime's North American premiere at New York Comic Con on October 8. The anime is streaming on Disney+ internationally, and Ani-One Asia is streaming the series in many Asian countries.

The anime's first cours ended in December with a one-hour special that combined the anime's 12th and 13th episodes. The anime will run for four cours with breaks in between.

The anime covers the rest of the original manga up through its ending. The Thousand Year Blood War arc is the final arc of the manga, and covers volumes 55-74.

Tomohisa Taguchi (Twin Star Exorcists, Kino's Journey - The Beautiful World, Akudama Drive) is replacing Noriyuki Abe to direct the anime at Studio Pierrot. Masashi Kudo is returning as the character designer, and Shiro SAGISU is returning to composing the music.

The show's Japanese returning cast also includes cast members who have not appeared in the anime, but are reprising their roles from the Bleach: Brave Souls game.

Update: Multilingual trailer added.

Source: "Krew beInside" special