Bleach (Bur?chi, romanized as BLEACH in Japan) is an ongoing manga series authored by Tite Kubo that has appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine since August 2001. Bleach follows the adventures of Kurosaki Ichigo, a high school student with the ability to see ghosts, and Kuchiki Rukia, a shinigami (Soul Reaper or, literally, "death god"). The early parts of the story focus mainly on the characters. As events unfold, the story begins to delve deeper into the world of these gods of death. The manga series has been adapted into an animated television series, two OVAs, two animated feature films, a rock musical, numerous video games and a TCG (Trading Card Game). Compilation volumes of the manga have sold over 40 million copies in Japan, and have reached the top of manga sales charts in the United States. The manga received the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2005, and the anime has been nominated for several American Anime Awards.

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