Five years since the last chapter of Bleach was released, series creator Tite Kubo has once again picked up his pen to create a new illustration of one of his most infamous characters, Aizen Sōsuke. This time, Aizen is placed side-by-side with a similarly traitorous Marvel character, the god of mischief, Loki.

The illustration was created as part of a project to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Bleach and to promote the Disney+ release of the Loki TV series, now reaching the end of its first season, here in Japan.

The combined image of Aizen and Loki references each of their villainous natures. Despite his penchant for lies, the Japanese line for Loki translates as “Trust me,” while the line for Aizen references his speech when he betrayed his group, the Soul Society, and said, “I will be the one to stand in heaven.”

Tite Kubo expressed his excitement at creating the visual, saying, “It was fun getting to draw Aizen for the first time in a while!”

In addition to the illustration, Kubo’s official Japanese fanclub, Klub Outside, is celebrating the anniversary of Bleach by holding the first exhibition of Kubo’s original art in December this year. You can find out more news about the exhibition and information about the fanclub through their website.


By - Jen Laforteza.