Warning: Spoilers for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, episode #6 and Bleach: Memories of Nobody
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War pulled a surprising move in its latest episode, apparently canonizing the very first Bleach film. The events of the first Bleach movie are directly referenced in the episode, and there's no other explanation that fits.
Overall, the Bleach movies are generally considered to be somewhere between okay and not very good, but there is one exception to that: the first Bleach movie, Memories of Nobody. This particular film was rather well regarded for its lovable original character, Senna, who leaves an impact on Ichigo and friends by the end of the film, only for her very existence to be forgotten as a consequence of what she was. Because none of the characters could remember much of the adventure, it wasn't clear whether the film could be considered canon, although it's by far the closest movie to the original canon.
Bleach's First Movie, Memories of Nobody, is Confirmed Canon
The Series References the Movie's Key Setting
In episode #6 of Thousand-Year Blood War part 3, Ichigo and friends board a contraption organized by Yoruichi, which was assembled using the powers of the Fullbringers. It's explained that this packet of space was once known as a Kyogoku, or "Valley of Screams" as it's known in English. These are spaces which exist inside the Dangai Precipice World, the space between dimensions in Bleach. While things there are usually unstable, the Valleys of Screams are relatively stable realms.
In the episode, Ichigo notes that he has been to a Valley of Screams before, and recognizing they're not "cute," realizes that Riruka, whose power only works on things she likes, has gone to great lengths to help them. However, at no point in the manga does Ichigo visit a Valley of Screams; this only occurs as part of the movie Memories of Nobody, when Ichigo is forced to enter the dimension to save Senna from being used by the villains. Senna was a special being known as a Shinenju, a composite soul created from those who are lost to the Valley of Screams.
This line about visiting a Valley of Screams is, in fact, in the manga, and an author's note from Kubo encourages anyone wanting to know more to watch the movie. However, some fans still insisted that the movie couldn't be canonical, and that Ichigo must be referring to some other event which happened offscreen. Episode #6, however, includes an eyecatch which explains in detail about the Valley of Screams, and features next to it autumnal leaves and a ribbon blowing in the wind, both trademarks of Senna from the film, confirming the connection. In the Japanese text, it even mentions the Shinenju.
Bleach's First Movie is Still Its Best
If Any Bleach Movie Deserves to Be Recognized, It's The First
The first Bleach movie is far more successful than the other Bleach films for a few reasons. The first is that it's not too hard to slot into canon; there's no wild consequences of this adventure, and while time-wise it may be difficult to nail down, it's not impossible to squeeze it in. Secondly, the film really hit a home run with Senna, who comes across as an extremely likable character in a tragic situation. Even though fans know that Senna can't stick around because of what she is, there's still a part of the viewer that hopes she can somehow survive and continue on.
The film ends on a wistfully beautiful note, as Ichigo, now returned to his normal life with no memory of Senna, sees a ribbon resembling hers blowing in the wind, and seems for a moment to remember, if only enough to smile. Senna may be gone, but she had a big impact on Ichigo, even if he can't quite remember it. It's well executed, and definitely worth a watch for any fans who haven't seen it, although the film itself can be a bit hard to track down these days.
If any Bleach movie is to be retroactively brought into the canon, it makes sense for it to be Memories of Nobody. The film was designed not to impact canon too much, doesn't outright contradict anything too substantial (one Zanpakuto's release is slightly incorrect), and, well, it's just a good movie. The fact that it is referenced in this scene (in both anime and manga) would seem to suggest that Kubo feels similarly about the film. If Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War can make this movie canon, then it absolutely should.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is a sequel series to the popular anime from creator Tite Kubo. This anime follows Ichigo and his friends as they investigate why people are disappearing while trouble arises in the Soul Society. The first season was released in 2022 and has been critically acclaimed since its beginning.
Cast Masakazu Morita , Johnny Yong Bosch , Takayuki Sugô , Richard Epcar , Ryûsei Nakao , Aleks Le , Karen Strassman , Neil Kaplan
Release Date October 10, 2022
Network TV Tokyo
Writers Tite Kubo
Directors Tomohisa Taguchi , Mitsutoshi Satô , Hikaru Murata , Hodaka Kuramoto
Showrunner Tite Kubo
English (US) ·