A long-running shonen series such as Bleach is bound to introduce countless exciting characters, many different fighting styles and weapons, locations, plot threads and more. Some of these elements make it to the story's end, while others are discarded or forgotten along the way. Sometimes, a series might feel very different during the final chapters or episodes, and not always in a good way.
What about Bleach's case? The series had a solid ending, but arguably, a lot was lot along the way— and many concepts from the first season were all but dropped or even contradicted later on. This was partly due to power creep, putting the heroes against ever-stronger villains with new stakes. What was lost in the process?
10 Ichigo Building Up His Reputation
It could be said that many aspects to Ichigo Kurosaki's character were lost near the end of Bleach, since he gradually devolved into a simple plot device for fight scenes near the end (though there was a bit more to it than that). For example, fans might forget that early on, Ichigo cared a great deal about his reputation.
Ichigo was an ordinary kid before his mother's death, but after that, he worked hard to establish himself as a tough, distant guy who is not to be messed with. That shows how vain Ichigo can be, but all that may have been a coping mechanism for his grief. That's deep, and it was certainly lost before long.
9 The Charming Reverse-Isekai Elements
Although Bleach is not a dedicated isekai anime series, it does borrow some elements from that genre, including its cousin, reverse-isekai. Early on, fans had a great time watching the Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki get used to modern human life, including how she slept in Ichigo's closet without complaint.
The reverse-isekai fun continued after the Soul Society arc, when the entire Hitsugaya Advance Team arrived in Karakura Town in gigai bodies. Near the end of the series, all these fun elements were dropped in favor of one grinding fight scene after another.
8 Soul Reapers Escorting & Comforting Dead Souls (Pluses)
Soul Reapers have a duty, and that duty goes beyond slaying powerful Hollows in mortal combat. They are also escorts for innocent dead souls, or Pluses, and Soul Reapers are tasked with escorting them to the Soul Society for eternal resting in peace.
Soul Reapers may even perform the konso technique to prepare Pluses for the trip, and it's nice to see the gentle, nurturing side of a Soul Reaper's duty. However, this element of Bleach was soon dropped as the power levels continued to climb.
7 Rukia Acting As A Soul Reaper Ambassador
After a point, Ichigo knew pretty much everything he needed to know about fighting Hollows and using his zanpakuto, and he no longer needed Rukia to act as his guide and teacher for all things Soul Reaper. That makes sense, but it's also a real shame.
Early Bleach was a lot of fun when Rukia served as an ambassador to the ways of Soul Reapers, and he did a bit of this in later arcs, too. Near the story's end, though, Rukia was just another fighter, and she had no more interesting things to teach Ichigo.
6 Bankai Being Ultra-Rare & Historic
The ultimate expression of a zanpakuto's power is its bankai mode, and that fact never changed throughout Bleach. More and more bankai forms were revealed as the series continued, but in a way, that made bankai less special.
During Ichigo's final fight with Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Byakuya stated that bankai is incredibly rare, and anyone who can use it has his or her name written int the annals of history. But later, when bankai modes are being handed out like candy, Byakuya's speech rings hollow in retrospect.
5 Quincy Are Hollow-Hunting Archers
The Quincy people were mostly known by reputation early in the series, and Kisuke Urahara explained exactly what they were. In past decades and centuries, the Quincy were dedicated Hollow hunters, using their spirit bows to slay Hollows from afar and protect their friends and family.
In this way, the Quincy were like vigilantes against Hollows, having no sponsorship from the Soul Society or Gotei 13. It was an interesting idea, but the Wandenreich and Sternritter changed the Quincy by giving them new weapons (even including swords!) and changing their focus entirely on revenge and remaking the world. Whatever happened to those archer vigilantes?
4 Uryu & Ryuken Being Special
On a similar note, the original concept of the Quincy people had a personal edge to it before the Wandenreich came along. At first, Uryu Ishida and his father Ryuken were interesting because they were among the last Quincy, hiding in plain sight in regular human society. That was a cool idea.
This idea persisted throughout the Hueco Mundo arc as well, but when the manga-only Thousand-Year Blood War arc arrived, many more Quincy arrived, and Uryu and Ryuken lost everything that made them special. What a shame.
3 Chad's Philosophy About True Strength
Alas, Ichigo's good friend Chad never amounted to much, even with his Fullbring powers, but at least Chad had a good heart and serious courage. Despite being one of the weakest Bleach protagonists, Chad impressed readers/viewers with his indomitable will, classic fighting style and honorable worldview.
Early in Bleach, Chad's character was defined by his relationship with his own strength, and the question of what he should do with it. Chad learned from his beloved grandfather to never abuse his strength to harm others, and Chad swore to be a pacifist unless he can defend someone else. That was Chad's angle as a cool character, and it was lost later on. Poor Chad.
2 Ordinary People Stumbling Into Ichigo's World
Earlier in the series, Bleach had some reverse-isekai elements, with Ichigo and Uryu hunting Hollows with Rukia tagging along to coach Ichigo. From time to time, characters such as Ichigo's sisters stumbled into the world of Hollows and Soul Reapers, and even Keigo and Tatsuki got mixed up in all this later on.
During the final story arc, though, all that was gone. The final story arc focused almost entirely on the battle of Soul Reapers vs the Wandenreich, and almost everything else about Bleach was dropped, including how Ichigo's friends might get mixed up in his Soul Reaper business.
1 Orihime's Ordinary Life
Orihime Inoue was certainly involved in the story of Bleach from start to finish, but her character soon went from "ordinary girl swept up in the extraordinary" to "Ichigo's dedicated healer." It's a shame, too, since much of Orihime's charm was based on her ordinary human life.
Orihime was good friends with her karate-loving friend Tatsuki, which was a wonderful friendship to watch. Orihime also indulged in goofy, whimsical meal planning, and she touched readers' hearts by living alone while paying tribute to her late brother, Sora. By the series' end, Orihime was defined almost entirely by her abilities. At least she got her ordinary life back at the very end, but in a different role: as a mother and homemaker.