Well, once again, Fortnite has pulled the same stunt. Remember the anime partnership thing which drains everyone’s wallets and, conversely, brings up a little excitement? This time, they’re not only venturing a little; they are diving right into the Soul Society. The first-ever Fortnite Bleach skin has arrived, and it is the protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki. Moreover, the rumor has it that, maybe, the others might join in a few days. Yes, you heard it right.
As always, the information was leaked from the underground. ShiinaBR and neueklasse_tur were the first to share the image, and they were the first to leak it. This is a very lovely illustration of Ichigo, wearing his classic shihakushĹŤ, braving to punch in the Battle Bus. The players’ instant reaction was… well, precisely what you thought. Total uproar in the replies which is always the most fun part.
One player named RJ was already imagining the emotes and said, “Ichigo’s innate emote lays out his sword/pickax then goes into his bankai would be sick.” Honestly, that is an extremely smart suggestion. Epic Games, if you are listening in, you have to make it happen. A Bankai transformation emote would be an instant buy for so many people. Another player, Danny Lee Dawber, was even making requests and praying for Renji to be included. The wish list has started, folks.
On the other hand, the most thrilling part was in a comment by Rob Humble who claimed to have seen a promo in Shibuya that confirmed four skins: Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida, and Orihime. If so, that is a really good starting squad already. The main team is covered. However, some players were already arguing about the lineup in the comments section. One user, Ricardo de Vries, was asking for Kenpachi, and I totally get it. Absolute understanding. The guy wants the Captain of the 11th Division dishing out chaos on the island, and you know what? I am with him.
The discussions in the replies have a crazy combination of hype, skepticism, and typical anime fan dialogues. Someone with the very relatable username ‘kalđź‘Ž’ just flat out said, “shiina wake up all the skins are leaked.” To which I reply, fair enough. The cat is out of the bag. Another player, Sub_Zero7077, shared a hope that was common among all of us: “Hopefully Ichigo has he’s hollow form.” Either a Hollow mask style or even a full Vasto Lorde transformation would really be something. Epic has made multiple styles for colab skins before; thus, it’s not out of the question.
And of course, an anime co-op comes with the supposed differences. User djbestgamergod took a swipe at the Bleach promo by labeling it “a Naruto loading screen copy lmfao.” This triggered a mini-discussion about whether or not Bleach and Naruto are from the same category of anime. It is the kind of extremely significant, totally-not-pointless conversation that usually takes place in gaming Twitter. Another reply simply said, “simple. bleach is harder than naruto.” No further details. Just stating facts as they perceive them. Gotta appreciate the courage.
The financial situation is getting clearer too. User Christi55027719 expressed it in a very concise way: “Take my Money.” It is a very common thought. What other reason is there for Fortnite to do collaborations that are not epic?—after all they are usually done very nicely. However, it also means that V-Bucks are in serious peril. With possibly four skins to be brought out, along with back blings, pickaxes, and who knows? Maybe even a glider? It is the right time to begin saving those Battle Pass rewards.
There is even some uncertainty concerning the release date. Player RandhawaJa84388 asked in a very straightforward way, “aren’t they coming out on 20 dec.?” That is a specific date, and it was not mentioned in the first leak so who knows? They might have something else. The first tweet only said “in the next few days,” so the timing is still a bit hazy. But the hype train has already departed.
If one thinks about it, it is really hard to believe. Fortnite has turned into this wild cultural hub where Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, My Hero Academia, and now even Bleach can live together. This is a crossover event that no reason could ever define and I am completely supporting it. Just the imagination of Ichigo Kurosaki building a wooden ramp next to Goku and Deku is… the best gaming experience in 2023. It shouldn’t be possible but it is. The game is also popular on PlayStation and Xbox.
