Brazil had never lost a World Cup qualifier at home, a run that stood at 54 matches going into Friday"s game, and they never looked in danger of losing that record.
Marquinhos put the home side 1-0 up with a header after 16 minutes before Firmino scored after 18 and 49 minutes, both times by getting on the end of low crosses into the penalty box.
Brazil were rampant down the flanks and the Bolivian defence had little answer to the crosses of Renan Lodi and Everton and the dangerous midfield promptings of Neymar, who was unlucky not to get his name on the score sheet.
The fourth came after 66 minutes, when a glancing touch from Rodrygo deflected off defender Jose Maria Carrasco"s shoulder and Coutinho completed the rout with a header seven minutes later. Brazil had not played for quite some time but looked completely dominant and could have even scored more than five.
Brazil took to the field for the first time in almost a year and the South American giants did not look off the pace, unlike rivals Argentina on Thursday.
Albeit against weaker opposition, Brazil kicked off their road to Qatar 2022 in ruthless fashion.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar was not on the score sheet, but he produced a great performance. After shaking off a back problem, Neymar was at the heart of Brazil"s big moments, providing a pair of assists in his 102nd international appearance.
Brazil will face Peru on Tuesday, while Bolivia host Lionel Messi"s Argentina on the same day.
