Bleach ( ブリーチ , Burīchi ? , Romanized as BLEACH in Japan) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo . Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper ( 死神 , Shinigami ? , literally, " Death God ") —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper —from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki . His newfound powers force him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife. Bleach has been serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 2001, and has been collected into 47 tankōbon volumes as of October 2010 [update] . Since its publication, Bleach has spawned a media franchise that includes an ongoing animated television series that is produced by Studio Pierrot in Japan, two original video animations , three animated feature films, seven rock musicals , and numerous video games ...