Bleach animators face death threats following TYBW episode 22 release

Several Bleach animators have been subjected to death threats and abuse from a portion of the fandom following the release of Bleach TYBW episode 22.

As such, they have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express their concern and mentioned how the key animators of the series might get fed up with the project and leave, resulting in a decline in the quality of the animation.

While it's not uncommon for anime fans to express their displeasure or discontent with an animation project, some extreme Bleach fans have "threatened" the Bleach animators for being "unfaithful" to the source material.

Additionally, these fans have gone to lengths to criticize the animation quality of the second installment of Bleach TYBW, calling it sub-par.

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Several key Bleach animators have received threats against their lives

As mentioned previously, many extreme fans have personally attacked the Bleach animators on X (Twitter) due to their displeasure with the project. This is quite disheartening because the animators passionately work to provide the best quality of animation possible.

Under Studio Pierrot's production, Bleach anime returned after a long hiatus and exhilarated the fanbase with its scintillating animation quality and visuals.

As such, it's unfortunate to see the Bleach animators being subjected to the vitriol of a certain portion of the fandom.

Ichigo as seen in Bleach TYBW (Image via Pierrot)

It seems that these extreme fans are displeased with the studio omitting one of the most desired scenes featuring Yoruichi and Orihime in Bleach TYBW episode 22.

However, according to the author of Bleach, Tite Kubo, the animation studio could have included the scene if it weren't so inappropriate.

The scene in question objectified Orihime Inoue, and it wouldn't have suited the mood of the episode either.

Additionally, these extreme fans are discontent with the animation quality of the second installment, and as such, they took it upon themselves to criticize and harass the Bleach animators on X.

Bleach TYBW key visual (Image via Pierrot)

One of the animators of Bleach TYBW, Sakai, shared their concerns about the death threats. According to the translated version of the tweet, the animator said:

"Well, it's okay to complain, but I think you should stop giving warnings and threats of harm. As a result, key staff members may become fed up with the project and leave, leading to a decline in the quality of the work."

Another key animator has asked the fans to abstain from directly commenting on the staff's SNS with their personal requests. So, from their tweets on X, it's apparent that many key animators have received death threats and harassment.

Ichigo as seen in Bleach (Image via Pierrot)

Notably, this is not the first time that the extreme fans have venomously attacked the animators and the authors. For example, some fans targeted MAPPA's staff for their displeasure with Attack on Titan's final season.

Additionally, Tite Kubo himself was subjected to personal attacks and harassment following his treatment of Byakuya Kuchiki in the Bleach TYBW arc in the past.

There were reports (unconfirmed) that Kubo received death threats because fans didn't want Byakuya to die. Moreover, he also received hate comments for shipping Orihime and Ichigo at the end of the series.

Nonetheless, Bleach fans have come out to support the animators and the staff in charge of the TYBW animation by posting a series of appreciation tweets under the hashtag - #Thank_you_to_all_Bleach_staff.

They have condemned the toxicity shown by some of the extreme fans and expressed their gratitude to the Bleach animators for working tirelessly to provide a visually appealing series for which they waited for a long time.

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