Bleach (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. It follows the adventures of teenager Ichigo Kurosaki, who obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper—a death personification similar to a Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki. He uses his newfound powers to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits called Hollows and guiding departed souls to the afterlife, which set him on journeys to various ghostly realms of existence.

Bleach was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from August 2001 to August 2016, with its chapters collected in 74 tankōbon volumes. The series has spawned a media franchise that includes an anime television series adaptation produced by Pierrot from 2004 to 2012, two original video animations (OVAs), four animated feature films, ten stage musicals, and numerous video games, as well as various types of merchandise. A Japanese live-action film adaptation produced by Warner Bros. premiered in 2018. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, a sequel to the anime television series that adapts the manga's final story arc, premiered in 2022.

In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Viz Media in 2004. It has released the collected volumes and published its chapters in its Shonen Jump magazine from November 2007 until the magazine's final issue in April 2012.

Bleach received the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category in 2005. The manga had over 130 million copies in circulation worldwide by 2022, making it one of the best-selling manga in history.

Ichigo Kurosaki is a teenager from Karakura Town who possesses the rare ability to perceive spirits. This gift leads him to encounter Rukia Kuchiki, a warrior from another world who is hunting a Hollow—a monstrous lost soul that preys on both the living and the dead. Rukia serves among the Soul Reapers (死神, Shinigami; lit. 'Death Gods'), an ancient order tasked with maintaining the balance between worlds. These guardians ferry departed souls to the Soul Society (尸魂界（ソウル・ソサエティ）, Sōru Sosaeti) while protecting humanity from Hollows. After sustaining severe injuries while protecting Ichigo from a Hollow, Rukia transfers her powers to him, enabling him to assume her duties while she recuperates within a temporary human body. Stranded in the World of the Living, she mentors Ichigo as he navigates his dual responsibilities as a Substitute Soul Reaper and a high school student. They are joined by spiritually aware allies: Ichigo's classmate Orihime Inoue, his close friend Yasutora "Chad" Sado, and Uryū Ishida, a Quincy survivor with the ability to manipulate spiritual energy.

Rukia is later apprehended by the Soul Society for unlawfully bestowing her powers upon a human and sentenced to execution. Determined to rescue her, Ichigo and his companions seek the aid of Kisuke Urahara, a former Soul Reaper scientist who trains Ichigo to awaken his innate Soul Reaper abilities. Upon infiltrating the Soul Society, tensions escalate among the Thirteen Court Squads when Sousuke Aizen, captain of the fifth company, is seemingly assassinated. Suspicion falls upon Ichigo and his allies, prompting the Soul Reapers to turn against one another. After Ichigo halts the conflict and secures Rukia's freedom, Aizen exposes his deception, revealing his orchestration of Rukia's execution to extract the Hōgyoku (崩玉; lit. 'Crumbling Orb'), a powerful artifact concealed within her by Urahara. Aizen flees to Hueco Mundo (虚圏（ウェコムンド）, Weko Mundo; lit. 'Hollow World'), the domain of Hollows, alongside his co-conspirators Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen. In the aftermath, Ichigo is formally recognized as a Substitute Soul Reaper by the Soul Society.

The conflict intensifies as Aizen deploys his elite forces, the Arrancar—humanoid Hollows—against Ichigo and his allies. They are aided by the Vizards, former Soul Reapers who underwent Hollowfication due to Aizen's experiments. When Ulquiorra, one of Aizen's Espada, abducts Orihime, Ichigo and his comrades storm Hueco Mundo to infiltrate Las Noches. Though Ichigo defeats Ulquiorra and retrieves Orihime, Aizen reveals his true objective: sacrificing Karakura Town to forge a key to the Soul King's Palace and overthrow the ruler of the Soul Society. The Soul Reapers, anticipating his assault, relocate the town and engage Aizencs forces. Gin Ichimaru betrays Aizen but is slain, prompting Aizen to transcend into a near-divine state using the Hōgyoku. Ichigo sacrifices his powers to defeat him, resulting in Aizen's imprisonment and Ichigo's reversion to an ordinary human.

Months later, Ichigo is drawn into a conflict with Xcution, a group of Fullbringers—humans with supernatural abilities—led by Kugo Ginjo, his predecessor as Substitute Soul Reaper. After Xcution manipulates him into surrendering his Fullbring powers, the Soul Reapers restore his Soul Reaper abilities. Ichigo learns of Ginjo's betrayal, stemming from the Soul Society's surveillance and suppression of Substitute Soul Reapers. Despite this revelation, Ichigo reaffirms his trust in his allies and defeats Ginjo, reclaiming his role as a Substitute Soul Reaper.