It has already been confirmed that when manga series "Bleach" returns from a week-long hiatus, its final chapter will include a special announcement. Speculations suggest that the announcement will be about a spin-off series.

Mangaka Tite Kubo has revealed in the last chapter that "Bleach" will be ending with chapter 686 for the 38th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. Reportedly, the major announcement has something to do with a spin-off series, possibly detailing some events in the adaptation that are not included in the manga.

Should this prove true, it will be welcome news to hardcore fans of the series. Supposedly, Kubo still has materials for at least ten or more chapter of "Bleach." However, it is decided to cut the series short, so a rushed ending has been published. The current published chapter 685 is already the penultimate one, and according to industry followers, showed that the ending has indeed been rushed. Instead of detailing the final fight between Ichigo, Aizen, and Ywach in the "Thousand-Year Blood War" arc, the second to last chapter already did a time jump to ten years in the future.

Meanwhile, aside from a spin-off series, there are also speculations that the major announcement may be about jump-starting the anime adaptation of "Bleach." The anime series ended with the "Substitute Shinigami" arc, which is the story line just before the final arc. Accordingly, an anime adaptation for "Bleach" will also supposedly include Kubo's storyline and events that were not included in the manga's closing.

"Bleach" has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since August 2001. The series has been popular with manga fans that it spawned its own anime adaptation, with the last episode aired on March 2012. There are also a number of movies, video games, and musicals that spun off from the original manga.