Fans praise 'perfect' ending as anime series Bleach officially ends

It's a finale fans have waited more than a decade to see.

The epic conclusion to Bleach, the popular animated series based on the hit manga, or Japanese comic, has arrived - and early reactions have described it is as a "perfect" ending.

Anticipation for the final episode of the climactic Thousand-Year Blood War storyline was especially high.

The original comic book's "rushed" ending is widely considered disappointing but creator Tite Kubo has overseen some major changes to the new adaptation.

As some mourned the "end of an era", many waited nervously to see if he could stick the landing second time around.

BBC Newsbeat's spoke to fans as they said an "emotional" goodbye to Kubo's creation.

Bleach is regarded as one of the "big three" manga in Japan alongside One Piece and Naruto, and animated adaptations of each are credited with helping to fuel the global popularity of anime.

It follows the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager with distinctive orange hair who has the unusual ability to see ghosts.

He navigates school and family life at the same time as defending humanity from evil spirits.

"It is honestly my favourite series of all time, it has got me through a lot across my life," says fan Ruby.

So how did it feel to say goodbye?

"I honestly think I laughed more than I cried in this episode," she says.

"I'm just really happy that Kubo finally got to show us his true vision for the story that he wasn't able to back in the early 2010s."