Roughly ten years ago,Tite Kubo's Bleach was among the most popular manga franchises in the world. Online debates raged constantly, with Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece fans all arguing in favor of their own series being the best or most popular shonen mega-hit.

Things are much different now. Naruto maintained a fervent fanbase up to its conclusion and beyond, while One Piece is more popular than ever and could easily go on for another decade. Bleach, on the other hand, is a full-blown has-been, a shell of its former self that subsists on the memory of its glory days. It is well past its expiration date, yet it continues to grind on, sluggishly approaching its conclusion on a seemingly parabolic trajectory. The manga's volume sales have dwindled, the anime was cancelled several years ago, and many former fans have just flat-out given up on it.

How did things come to this?