The cover of VIZ's 19th volume of the Bleach manga.

SEGA ANNOUNCES BLEACH™ TO SLASH ITS WAY ONTO THE WII AND NINTENDO DS

Hit TV Series Delivers Intense Swordfights in Video Game Debut in North America

SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. announced that Bleach™: Shattered Blade will be available on the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo and Bleach™: The Blade of Fate on the Nintendo DS™ portable handheld system. Based on the hit animated series, Bleach™ offers relentless action and dazzling swordplay with crisp, highly-stylized graphics that deliver an authentic anime experience. The games feature a robust cast of characters voiced by the actors from VIZ Media’s award-winning “Bleach” anime. The TV show is currently featured in the U.S. on the Cartoon Network’s, Adult Swim. With a dynamic cast of over two dozen characters in the games including Rukia, Kon and hero Ichigo, gamers can spend hours furiously fighting while unlocking individual character stories, all based on the animated series’ story arc.

The Bleach storyline follows fifteen-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki who is able to see spirits, including warriors from the afterlife known as “Soul Reapers”. The Soul Reapers are tasked with defending humans from otherworldly beings called “Hollows”. One fateful day, Ichigo meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper who lends him her powers after she is injured by a Hollow. In the game, players progress through an exciting storyline facing increasingly difficult opponents in their quest to uncover the truth.

“Bleach offers both fans and newcomers alike an action-packed arcade experience that delivers fast-paced swordplay in the tradition of the animated series’ intense action sequences,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. “Bleach is an exciting and highly anticipated property that translates extremely well to the versatility of the Wii Remote and the DS’ portable gameplay, and SEGA is proud to be the first to bring the video game series to the North American audience.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with SEGA for the Bleach Wii and DS games,” states Linda Espinosa, Vice President, Content Management, VIZ Media.  “The SEGA games have enjoyed immense success in Japan , the manga is a top seller in both the Japan and US, and we are expecting great fan response when these games release.”

Bleach: Shattered Blade for the Wii enables gamers to wield the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ as their weapons – slashing, jabbing, and lunging in furious battles like a real Soul Reaper. Bleach: Shattered Blade offers an exclusive storyline created specifically for the Wii with 32 characters to choose from. Once a new character is unlocked, players can replay the story episodes utilizing the characters’ special moves and weapons which brings a whole new perspective to the storyline.

On the Wii, each character can perform special attacks that inflict massive damage on opponents with powerful weapons and super power attacks taken straight from the TV series. Characters can summon supernatural allies for battle support such as a giant serpent, a samurai titan, or a tidal wave. Gamers can also square-off against friends in high-speed multiplayer combat in 3D arenas and environments based on settings from the series.

On the Nintendo DS, Bleach: The Blade of Fate offers more of the impressive 2D action and brilliant visuals that have become the hallmark of Treasure, the game’s legendary development team. Players will face a variety of opponents as one of 28 highly-stylized characters in intense action-packed battles based on the animated series. Bleach: The Blade of Fate on the Nintendo DS brings a twist to the traditional 2D fighting game with a new kind of battle system that enables players to move between upper and lower split-plane battle arenas to chase after or escape from opponents.

Bleach: The Blade of Fate for the Nintendo DS also allows gamers to build Spirit Card Decks to strategically access power-ups and power-downs to perform special attacks, cast healing spells on themselves, displace opponents, or prohibit them from using their own Spirit Cards. Additionally, gamers can take to the streets battling against enemies with up to four players in fast-paced combat via the Nintendo DS’ Wi-Fi capabilities.

Bleach: Shattered Blade on the Wii and Bleach: The Blade of Fate on the Nintendo DS is slated for release in fall 2007, just in time for the beginning of the highly-anticipated second season on Cartoon Network. For more information, screenshots and art, please visit the SEGA FTP site at: http://segapr.segaamerica.com.