Platform(s): PS5 (version reviewed), Xbox Series X | S, PC
Genre: Anime 3D Fighter

For years, BLEACH fans have had it rough. The Naruto crowd has Ultimate Ninja Storm. The Dragon Ball lot? FighterZ, Tenkaichi, Xenoverse—take your pick. Even Demon Slayer got a flashy arena fighter. And what did BLEACH fans get? A string of forgettable handheld games, a mediocre musou, and Heat the Soul, which was fine but never quite enough. It was like everyone else got a gourmet meal while we were left scraping burnt bits off the bottom of a frying pan.

So when BLEACH: Rebirth of Souls was announced, it felt like our time had finally come. The trailers were dripping with nostalgia. The character revealed that fans—myself included—were foaming at the mouth. We saw glimpses of Ichigo clashing with Aizen, Toshiro zipping around like an overcaffeinated ice cube, and Kenpachi grinning like a lunatic. It looked perfect. But then… something odd happened. Bandai Namco showed us everything except the gameplay. Which, in a game, is sort of important.

Was this another Jump Force situation? Were we about to get an unbalanced, clunky mess that looked the part but played like a shopping trolley with one dodgy wheel? Well, now that I’ve spent way too many hours slicing my way through Soul Reapers, Arrancar, and a frankly absurd amount of Hitsugaya mains, I have an answer. And, shockingly, it’s a good one.

Don’t Wilt Away, Single Flower

Let’s start with the combat. Arena fighters have a tendency to be mindless button-mashers where the only strategy is to see who can spam an ultimate move first. Rebirth of Souls avoids that pitfall. It’s a third-person brawler where fights feel methodical, strategic, and—dare I say it—actually fun.

At its core, the combat is built around a three-way deadlock system: Attack beats Breaker, Breaker beats Guard, and Guard blocks Attack. Simple, right? Except not quite, because the game throws in things like Flash Steps, Soul Talismans, Reverse Gauges, and an absurdly satisfying Awakening system that lets you trigger cinematic transformations mid-fight.

Want to go full anime and scream BANKAI! before obliterating your opponent? Go for it. Prefer a more calculated approach, like Uryu sniping from a distance? That works too. Every character feels distinct—Yoruichi is an untouchable speed demon, while someone like Kenpachi is a lumbering wrecking ball that hits like a truck but turns like one too.

The balance isn’t perfect. Some characters are, quite frankly, stupidly overpowered. Play against a competent Aizen and you may as well put the controller down and accept your fate. And Uryu? He’s the only proper ranged character in the game, which means if your opponent knows what they’re doing, you’ll spend half the match chasing him down like an angry dad trying to retrieve a stolen football.

But that’s part of the fun. The game is unashamedly true to BLEACH’s DNA—some characters are absurdly strong, others need skill to master, and some… well, Mayuri exists, but let’s move on.

On The Precipice Of Defeat

Rebirth of Souls comes with two story modes: the Main Story and the Secret Story. The Main Story follows Ichigo’s journey from Substitute Soul Reaper to that final battle with Aizen. And if you’ve watched the anime, read the manga, or—heaven forbid—sat through Bleach: Soul Resurrección, you already know how this goes.

The problem? It’s all a bit… flat. BLEACH is an over-the-top series. It’s all dramatic sword clashes, men shouting attack names at full volume, and enemies pulling out transformations like they’ve got a membership card for Unlimited Power™. The game’s cutscenes, however, often feel lifeless. Key moments are glossed over, animations lack impact, and some of the most important fights are reduced to glorified PowerPoint presentations.

The voice acting, at least, is fantastic. Both the Japanese and English dubs bring their A-game, and it does a lot to salvage the lacklustre cutscenes. But when you compare this to something like Naruto Storm—which recreated battles frame-for-frame—you can’t help but feel Rebirth of Souls could’ve done more.

The Secret Story fares better, offering side tales and fun “what if” scenarios. It’s here where the fan service kicks in, and honestly, I wish this had been the focus all along. Because we’ve all seen the BLEACH story before. But what we haven’t seen is an alternative universe where, I don’t know, Byakuya and Kenpachi swap places and now one fights like a refined noble while the other swings a sword like he’s trying to decapitate the sky.

After Dark

Visually, Rebirth of Souls is a mixed bag. The character models? Stunning. Easily the best these characters have ever looked in a game. The animations? Smooth, fluid, and packed with personality. The stages? Iconic, but shockingly low-poly, like someone forgot to render them past 2007.

Then there’s the blur effect. Someone in the development team clearly thought slathering every frame in Vaseline was a good idea, because there’s this weird soft focus thing happening that makes everything look slightly out of focus. It’s not game-breaking, but it’s distracting, and a sharper presentation—akin to the Thousand-Year Blood War anime—would’ve done wonders.

What is game-saving, however, is the soundtrack. BLEACH’s music has always been one of its strongest points, and Rebirth of Souls delivers. The game mixes iconic tracks with new, pulse-pounding battle themes that make every fight feel larger than life. Special mention to the character selection screen theme, which somehow makes scrolling through fighters feel like preparing for a duel to the death.

Number One ~ Bankai

For years, BLEACH fans have begged for a proper game. Something that captures the flashiness, depth, and pure anime nonsense of the series. And while Rebirth of Souls isn’t perfect—it lacks ranked play, crossplay, and a truly great story mode—it’s still the best BLEACH game we’ve ever had.

The combat is fun, the roster is fantastic, and every fight feels like an episode of the anime brought to life. Will it satisfy competitive players? Probably not. But for casuals, anime fans, and anyone who’s ever dreamt of shouting BANKAI at their TV screen, this is the BLEACH game we’ve been waiting for.

If only Bandai Namco could just release Orihime as DLC so I can scream KUROSAKI-KUN at full volume while healing my teammates, that’d be great.

Pros

• Satisfying combat.
• Diverse and (mostly) well-balanced roster.
• Stunning animations and attention to detail.
• Engaging combo system.
• Solid online performance.

Cons

• Mediocre story mode.
• No ranked play at launch.
• Limited crossplay support.
• Visual blur issues.

Final Score: 70/100

Review code provided by publisher.