Country of origin Japan Original network TV Tokyo | No. of episodes 22 | |
Original release January 10 (2007-01-10) – June 27, 2007 (2007-06-27) | ||
The sixth season of the Bleach anime series is named the Arrancar: The Arrival arc (破面・出現篇, Arankaru Shutsugen Hen). In the English adaptation of the anime released by Viz Media, the title of the season is translated as the The Arrancar. The episodes are directed by Noriyuki Abe and produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu, and Studio Pierrot. The season's twenty-two episodes are based on Tite Kubo's Bleach manga series. The episodes' plot centers on the burgeoning war between the Soul Reapers and the arrancar led by former Soul Reaper captain Sōsuke Aizen.
The season began airing on January 10, 2007 in Japan on TV Tokyo and ended on June 27, 2007. The English adaptation of the Bleach anime is licensed by Viz Media, and began airing on Adult Swim in the United States on April 18, 2009 and ended on July 11, 2009.
Five DVD compilations, each containing four episodes of the season, were released by Aniplex between June 27, 2007 and October 24, 2007. Viz Media released the season in five DVD volumes from April 20, 2010 to August 24, 2010. It was also collected in two DVD boxes on September 28, 2010 and December 21, 2010, with the latter including the first two episodes of season 7. Manga Entertainment published the season in DVD volumes in the United Kingdom with the first released on April 11, 2011 and the second is on June 13, 2011. A DVD box followed it on September 26, 2011.
The episodes use four pieces of theme music: two opening themes and two ending themes. The opening themes are Yui's "Rolling Star", used for the first eleven episodes, and the remainder of the episodes feature "Alones" by Aqua Timez. The ending themes are Mai Hoshimura's "Sakura Biyori" (桜日和, "Cherry Blossom Weather"), used until episode 120, and "Tsumasaki" (爪先, "Tiptoe") by Ore Ska Band, used in the remainder of the episodes.