‘Going To Be Really Difficult’: Tite Kubo Went God Mode With 1 Sternritter, Even the Director Was Scared to Animate It

Haschwalth, arguably the strongest Sternritter, using his powers in BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War was a full-blown animation nightmare. In a recent interview shared on the BLEACH anime’s official X account, the director Hikaru Murata opened up about just how hard it was to bring Haschwalth’s new form to life on screen.

Turns out, the challenge was drawing something powerful that still looked broken. Murata walked through the back-and-forth with the compositing team, the pressure of following Kubo-sensei’s own notes, and why the final effect had to look messy on purpose. Here’s what went into making one of TYBW’s biggest transformations actually hit right.

Bleach: TYBW Director’s First Reaction to the Strongest Sternritter

Jugram from Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War | Credit: Pierrot Films

Murata’s first reaction to seeing Haschwalth’s redesigned look was simple: “This is going to be really difficult.” That’s not a small thing coming from the director of one of the biggest anime adaptations of the last few years. Furthermore, he has even worked on three JoJo anime seasons.

What actually made it so difficult was the note that was provided by Tite Kubo, the author and original artist of the Bleach manga. According to Hikaru Murata, Kubo’s comments pointed out that Haschwalth wasn’t fully in control of Yhwach’s power (which makes sense, as they are not his powers to begin with).

That single detail changed the whole approach. Instead of just animating a cool new power-up, the team had to make sure that very fact is being portrayed by not just how he is using the power, but also by the animation approach of it. It’s the same principle of how one can animate a person walking normally, but it becomes much harder to animate a walk cycle if the character is stumbling.

Why Haschwalth’s Stolen Power Had to Look Out of Control

Hikaru Murata said early versions of the effect looked almost identical to the aura around Yhwach, which was a problem, since Haschwalth is not as good as Yhwach. If Haschwalth’s power looked that clean, it would read as him having full mastery over it, which goes against the entire point of his character.

So the team pulled it back on purpose, landing on a version that looked half-formed and a little chaotic instead of sleek and controlled.

The same idea shaped his attacks too. Rather than his sword just growing bigger while keeping its shape, the team wanted the energy to gush out, almost like a faucet turned too far, with liquid-like power spilling out messily instead of flowing with precision. It’s like a very small faucet trying to take control of heavy pressure.

Murata even admitted it isn’t particularly smart or elegant for Haschwalth, but that was kind of the point. The rough, uncontrolled visual matched exactly what was happening to his character, someone wielding power that was never really his to begin with.

Are you excited to see what other approaches Murata has used in the final few episodes of this anime? Let us know in the comments.

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War is streaming on Hulu