VIZ Media, LLC a leading publishing, animation and licensing company has secured TV, home video and merchandizing rights to Shonen Jump’s Bleach from TV TOKYO Corporation and Shueisha Inc. The deal was brokered by TV TOKYO Medianet, the licensing arm of TV TOKYO.

VIZ plans to introduce a rollout strategy that’ll leverage the strong manga and entertainment brands into a broad licensing and marketing program. Bleach’s television broadcast partner and key licensing partners will be announced shortly.

“It’s a great privilege to be bringing such an outstanding property to so many parts of the world,” says John Easum, executive vice president, VIZ Media. “Bleach is one of the most powerful and successful new series coming out of Japan, and it has already established a very large fan base in the U.S.

Bleach is the story of an average 15-year old, Ichigo Kurosaki, who never asked for the ability to see ghosts (he was born with the gift). When his family is attacked by Hollow’a malevolent lost soul’Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits find peace.

Bleach has sold over 28 million copies in Japan and has already been translated into more than seven languages. The property has achieved immense success in Japan not only as a manga and TV title, but also in the realm of licensed categories such as toys, trading card games and video games.