Bleach Movie 3: Fade to Black is out and man… this movie brought back my faith and love for this series. I’ve been incredibly bored with the manga arc of bleach lately and it was really refreshing to watch this movie because it scored high on almost all the elements that I look at when I watch anime. Bleach Movie 3: Fade to Black had a kick ass soundtrack and the animation for most of the fight scenes were just flawless. I also loved how they were able to make a pretty compelling and powerful plot. Actually if you think about it the writers for the filler eps are pretty good lately. I’m actually loving the anime rogue Muramasa Zanpaktou plot. Despite being a filler segment, the episodes are actually interesting enough to merit the download time, haha. Anyway, if you’re a Bleach fan and you haven’t watch Bleach Movie 3: Fade to Black yet, then you’re missing half your life. Let me share a quick review as well as some screenshots that I took after the break.

Bleach Movie 3: Fade to Black Plot
The plot for the movie is a bit weird and confusing at the start. Everything begins with Shinigami captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi doing experiments in his laboratory. After he finishes one project, someone glides into the room and slashes him with a gigantic red scythe. He doesn’t get killed but his memory is badly damaged and it looks like he’s forgotten about who he is. As he madly rambles about, the intruders activate the experiment in Mayuri’s room and unleashes hydra-like white snake heads made of spirit particles that ravage the land. All those who get touched by the snakes are encased in spirit particles – turning them into stone like statues. One of the first major victims of this is Shinigami Captain Zaraki Kenpachi.

While all the mess is going on, Rukia is also “reaped” of her memories and she’s abducted by the two intruders. Rukia will play a critical part in the entire movie so this is a significant moment for the plot.

Ichigo feels something is amiss and decides to head back to Soul Society with Kon. He chances upon Hisagi but he’s attacked by the Shinigami because apparently they don’t recognize Ichigo. It’s here that we find out that almost everyone in Soul Society doesn’t know Ichigo at all for some reason. Other than that, they also have forgotten about Rukia!

As Ichigo desperately tries to find out what’s happening, the two abductors of Rukia bring her to an old house, dresses her up with a cute kimono, and tries to act as if they were her good friends. Rukia tries to remember who she was but she just can’t.

Ichigo moves on and fights several notable Shinigami: Captain Komamaru, Hisagi, Renji (several times), Ikkaku, and Toushiro. Just when Ichigo is about to be apprehended at last by Toushiro, he’s saved by Renji. However the two can’t celebrate because just when they thought they won the other captains come in and they try to capture both Renji and Ichigo. They’re all stopped by someone that they weren’t all expecting – Urahara Kisuke!

Urahara steps in and makes the save by providing critical information to everyone. He reveals that the snake-like substance ravaging Soul Society is a result of a corrupted experiment by Mayuri after it was tampered by the abductors of Rukia. He also explains that the reason why they’re forgetting who Rukia is because her memory was “reaped” by a parasitic hollow which can posses bodies after erasing their memories.

Ichigo and Renji move on to look for Rukia. Just when they’re about to give up looking, black energy erupts from Mayuri’s tower, destroying and displacing buildings, people, and other structures all over Soul Society. The two quickly move towards the tower and after combining their strengths, they’re able to break through and reach it.

They discover the two abductors and Rukia. Before they can save her though the two merge themselves with Rukia which forms an insanely evil but cool looking version of her – complete with the white red trench coat and the gigantic scythe! Evil Rukia then maximizes the capacity of the machine bringing forth a huge spirit particle behemoth which spews snake heads that breathes the spirit particle “stoner” attack. Renji and Ichigo confronts Rukia and the initial wave of beasts but the giant behemoth outside threatens to destroy all of Soul Society.

The Gotei 13 captains step in to save the day. Together with Urahara, they assault the beast and stop it from spreading and devastating Soul Society. Later on Byakuya is able to breakthrough the defenses of the behemoth to reach Ichigo, Renji, and Rukia. Here he helps Ichigo out just in time and hits Rukia with an imprisoning spell.

Ichigo figures out a way on how to save Rukia. He remembers how he was saved back then when Rukia gave him her Shinigami powers. He decides to do the same, impaling the blade into Rukia’s chest and transferring his powers. This jolts Rukia back into reality and kills the parasitic hollow.

Byakuya and Renji easily take out the machine using their combined bankais after.

At the end, it’s revealed that the two abductors were actually Rukia’s friends (more like adopted children). They saved her from the original parasite hollow but they were killed and “reaped” in the process. Because of the reaping, Rukia didn’t even remember them anymore.

Sad but nice ending.

Again, I loved the animation, the soundtrack, and the plot. I’ll be writing a follow-up post to this later on since I really enjoyed the movie.