BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War was one of the sets to start it all in the UNION ARENA world. In that set we got several powerful decks including the notorious BLEACH Purple deck as well as the Toshiro Hitsugaya deck. Now, in BLEACH Volume 2 releasing on May 30, 2025, players will have the chance to upgrade their deck with key new cards and strategies that will help them better stand up to the meta many months – and five sets – down the road.

Below, we’ll be looking at each BLEACH Vol. 2 card officially revealed for the English version.

BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War Booster Packs

Before getting deep into the cards that have been spoiled in English, let’s check out the booster pack and box. Although when the original announcement for Vol. 2 came through we didn’t yet have the artwork for the packs, the official artwork has been revealed and is even available for preorder from my friends at TCGPlayer.

However, chances are if you’re excited about investing in the set you’re going to want to pick up more than a few packs. Ideally, if you’re serious about getting into BLEACH Vol. 2 you’re going to pick up two-four booster boxes. I’ve found four to be just about the sweet spot for getting enough of what I need to then trade with friends for what I don’t yet have.

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Ichigo SR** Signed Card

Just like how we got the Ichigo card in the base BLEACH set, Vol. 2 delivers yet another SR** Signature. This time, it’s of the Ichigo from the blue energy color, wearing the cold weather gear he gets from the members of Squad Zero just before leaving to battle the Quinceys.

While this BLEACH card is very cool, the card itself isn’t likely to see as much play as the five-cost Purple Ichigo has. Also, the artwork itself is not stylized with the same kind of flair unique to the BLEACH manga and anime. Despite all that, it’s a worthy chase that will be at the very top of most fan’s list.

Rukia SR*** is the real chase of the set

While that Ichigo card is nice, the real chase (assuming we get it) is going to be the Rukia SR***. Now, I’m totally cheating here as this is not a card officially revealed for the English version of the game. But assuming we get it, it’s going to be the holy grail chase card from BLEACH for many. Personally, I find this card to be one of the most beautifully illustrated cards of all time of any TCG, and certainly the best UA card to date (from an aesthetic perspective).

BLEACH Vol. 2 Box Toppers

While we won’t be getting a starter deck for BLEACH Vol. 2 the way we did with the base set – after all Vol. 2 sets are supposed to be add-ons – we will be getting the usual assortment of box toppers. Those have already been revealed and you can see them in the gallery below.

The most noteworthy of the zero-cost characters revealed as box toppers is the zero-cost Kenpachi. As we know from the set having already been released in Japan, Kenpachi is essentially going to be his own deck in BLEACH Vol. 2, so of course we’re going to need a solid Raid target for him.

BLEACH Vol. 2 Special Binder Collection

In addition to the cards that are going to be available in the booster packs, there’s an additional lineup of cards you can only get from the special BLEACH binder collection. Despite the set releasing late May, the binder collection for some reason isn’t going to be available until October.

While that’s a long time to wait for a binder and some alternate art cards, it’s still exciting to get a look at what these cards are as they shed some additional light on the kinds of strategies we can expect to see when BLEACH Vol 2 hits the shelves.

Before diving into what each of the revealed cards in this special collection are and what they do, I should note it’s only available for a limited time via preorder. So if getting one of these is a big deal to you, make sure to preorder before May 15, 2025.

Three-cost Blue Ichigo

So this guy’s really not too bad. A typical three-cost-two-energy-gen character, this Ichigo also acts as a raid target for the bigger, badder Ichigo shown above in SR** form. Additionally, he’s got the solid active trigger, a dobule-block keyword, and an ability that boosts him to 4000 BP during your turn. Truly this is a very well-rounded, solid card.

One-cost Blue Rukia

Rukia plays a huge role in BLEACH Blue, so naturally we have a one-cost Rukia who doubles as a Raid target, early game aggressor, and handy card search. From what I’ve seen so far, BLEACH Blue focuses heavily on Renji, Ichigo, and the Kuchkis, making this card search effect highly relevant.

Five-cost Purple Renji

Having access to a few Nullify Impact characters seems to be fairly important to top decks moving forward. I really like this Renji, however for its ability to switch to resting after played. So not only does he help defend you against unwanted impact attacks, he’s a solid aggressor without the need for hitting a raid target.

The only downside here is that five energy cost, making him a bit harder to hit. But certainly it’s a reasonable card to add as both versions of Purple BLEACH run a five-cost energy line.

Shinji Hirako

Realistically this Shinji doesn’t play a core role to the Thirteen Court guards deck as he’s not a raid target. That being said, as it stand that deck doesn’t have a tun of card search or draw, making this a handy add if you’re looking to get a little more.

Four-cost Kenpachi

This is going to be the card most players are going to be the most excited about. Although he looks like a four-cost character, he’s really a three-cost-two-energy-gen character in disguise. The reason for having the four-energy cost is because it benefits his raided version. Still, this guy is going to be a huge favorite for players who want to build the Kenpachi deck post Vol. 2. That deck looks crazy strong and should have plenty of support to do some damage in the UNION ARENA meta.

Blue Mayuri Kurotsuchi

This when played effect is pretty insane, letting you make your frontline characters much more lethal. Mayuri is going to fit into the deck focused around him and his raid. However, that deck probably won’t be as popular as the one featuring Ichigo and his friends. Still, this card has merits for being included in whatever deck he finds himself in with such a solid when played effect.

Byakuya Kuchiki

Byakuya getting access to this card that is very much akin to the one-cost Ichigo we all know and love from the same energy color makes the idea of building a sole Byakuya deck much more feasible.

Toshiro Hitsugaya

This Toshiro is essentially a greatly upgraded version of the one with the color trigger we already got in vol 1. Gaining an energy for the same energy cost while also letting you draw a card makes this card pretty attractive in the Toshiro deck strategy.

Kisuke Urahara

This one-cost Kisuke is actually quite good, possibly removing the need for the one-cost bounce Orihme. He’s got a draw trigger making him much handier than the popular two-cost Kisuke, and he easily generates two energy. While switching a character to resting on the front line sort of sucks, it’s not a huge deal if you can just raid over them later.

Shunsui Kyoraku

Shunsui is another card search tool for Thirteen Court Guards. Only this one’s significantly stronger, and should replace the event card that previously was popular for searching out more squad characters.

Ukitake

Ukitake feels like he’s here primarily to bolster Yamamoto’s effectiveness, making the old man considerably easier to play. Will that be enough to revitalize that deck competitively? Probably not, but it’s cool to see the mechanic nonetheless.

Ichigo Action Point

So that’s everything we know so far about the UNION ARENA BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War Vol. 2 coming to the English version of the game end of May. Stay tuned for more updates as we take a look at strategies, decks, and more cards and how they will impact the exciting UNION ARENA metagame coming up soon!

BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War Vol. 2 Spoilers in English