I don't buy the reason that the Bleach manga ended

It is common knowledge that the Bleach manga was forced to end. What's uncertain (to me, at least) is why.

The reason that was spread all over the Internet is that Kubo was sick and had to end the series quickly. But I know a BS when I hear/read one.

Before I go to why, I want to tell you common behaviors that companies do. When the board of directors wants to fire a C-level "employee", they usually will communicate to the person "We are going to make you stop working in this C-level position. You can, however, choose how/why you stop for the news", and the person will usually say "I retire" or "I step down", and that's what is spread all over the news. The most recent example of that was Intel's ex-CEO Pat Gelsinger.

Now back to Bleach. If you read the last chapters, they were not sloppily written or drawn. They were VERY cramped, yes, but they were not sloppy. You would expect a sick person to not plan and draw the chapters well, right?

Also, I don't think you should end the series if you are sick but still have a lot to say about your franchise. There are other alternatives here: You can take a rest for a while. You can switch from 20 pages a week to 45 pages a month.

So, in conclusion, I think the reason the Bleach manga ended had something to do with Shonen, not Kubo himself.