Bleach TYBW 'The Calamity': Blood Chains Ichigo and the Stirring Souls vol.5 Figures Collectors Are Chasing

Bleach TYBW 'The Calamity': Blood Chains Ichigo and the Stirring Souls vol.5 Figures Collectors Are Chasing

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has entered its endgame. The Calamity, the fourth and final cour of the anime, premiered in Japan on July 25, 2026, adapting the last stretch of Tite Kubo's Thousand-Year Blood War arc across ten episodes. For a franchise that has run for more than two decades, this is the payoff fans and collectors have been waiting for — and it arrived with a surprise that even manga readers did not see coming.

The Bleach anime has become one of the most talked-about shonen returns of the year, and every new reveal is driving fresh demand for figures of Ichigo, Kenpachi, Yoruichi, and the rest of the Gotei 13. Here is what happened, and what it means if you collect.

Blood Chains Ichigo: an anime-original form

Episode 5 of The Calamity, which aired August 22, 2026, revealed a brand-new Ichigo transformation the anime is calling Blood Chains Ichigo. Anime Corner and ComicBook both confirm the form never appeared in Kubo's original manga; the creator drew the design himself and gave the form its official name while serving as chief supervisor on the adaptation.

The context matters for fans. In the manga, Yhwach interrupts Ichigo before he can fully release his Bankai during their climactic clash. The anime lets the sequence play out, so Ichigo awakens his dormant Hollow blood, enters a half-Hollowfied state, and unleashes Bankai — emerging with two horns, blood-like chains, and an overwhelming Reiatsu. It is a terrifying evolution of his Hollow powers, and part of a wider effort to give a finale many felt was rushed in print the fuller treatment it deserved.

Anime Corner — BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Reveals Ichigo's New Blood Chains Bankai Form in Visual and Video
Image: Anime Corner

Ichiban Kuji 'Stirring Souls vol.5' — the collector's angle

Bandai Spirits timed its collectibles to the anime's climax. Ichiban Kuji BLEACH Stirring Souls vol.5 is themed after the final cour of The Calamity and, according to Kuji-Collection and other outlets, launches progressively across Japan from September 19, 2026, at participating 7-Eleven, Ito-Yokado, and Youme Town locations, priced at 850 yen per draw including tax.

Ichiban Kuji is a guaranteed-win prize lottery — every ticket wins something — which makes these high-end figures far more attainable than typical scale releases. The Stirring Souls line has been building steadily, and vol.5 is positioned as the series' send-off, so interest among Bleach collectors overseas is high.

ComicBook — Bleach Just Shocked With Ichigo's Brand New Bankai With Official Name From Creator
Image: ComicBook.com

The MASTERLISE figures collectors are chasing

The headline prizes use Bandai's premium MASTERLISE finish, known for intricate sculpting and dynamic posing. Among the revealed lineup:

  • Yoruichi Shihoin (C Prize) — reported as the first official figure of her Shunko: Thunder Beast transformation, at roughly 9.5 cm.
  • Toshiro Hitsugaya (B Prize) — depicting the matured form he takes after completing Daiguren Hyorinmaru against Gerard Valkyrie.
  • Kenpachi Zaraki (Last One Prize) — a MASTERLISE sculpt of the 11th Division captain's monstrous Bankai release.

Sources note that the A Prize, D through H Prizes, and the Double Chance Campaign reward were still under wraps at announcement, so the full roster may grow before launch. As always with Ichiban Kuji, prize availability varies by store and stock moves fast once a lottery goes live.

Chasing the Stirring Souls vol.5 figures, or building out a Gotei 13 shelf? Ichiban Kuji prizes ship from Japan and sell out quickly — browse the Ichiban Kuji collection at Akibato for MASTERLISE and prize figures from Bleach and other shonen favorites, and check the wider figures collection if you are after scale pieces.

Sources

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