The third Bleach movie.
In the Soul Society, Mayuri Kurotsuchi is working on one of his experiments when suddenly he is attacked by a weapon that seemingly strips him of his mind. He goes on a rampage through his lab and destroys a machine, causing a massive explosion that devastates Soul Society. At the same time, Rukia is suddenly attacked by a mysterious individual with a weapon that erases her memories.
Meanwhile, Ichigo has a recurring image of a girl he supposedly never met and realizes something is wrong when he regains his memories of her. Suspecting something is up, he visits Urahara, and learns that his memories of Rukia are gone. On Uruhara's suggestion, Ichigo, along with Kon, goes to the Soul Society to investigate. However, this proves to be the least of Ichigo's worries, as an encounter with the mysterious intruders leads to a battle with Ichigo using his Hollow powers in front of other Soul Reapers. Discovering that nobody in Soul Society remembers him or Rukia, Ichigo is marked as the one responsible for the destruction and every Soul Reaper starts to hunt him down. Ichigo then has to discover the truth behind the intruders and Rukia's disappearance while trying to avoid capture and prove his innocence.
Released in 2008 in Japan. Viz Media released the English dub on Blu-ray in 2011.
Tropes:
- Bittersweet Ending: The memory erasing Hollow is defeated, Soul Society is saved, and Rukia is returned to normal. However the siblings that caused all of this were revealed to be under the control of the Hollow the whole time and in beating it, fatally weaken the two. Rukia tearfully reconciles with them and gives them their names before they pass on.
- Call-Back: The whole thing is more a less one to the start of the series where Rukia had given Ichigo her powers to save his family. Here, he returns the favor by giving her his powers to bring her back to normal.
- Demonic Possession: The film's true antagonist is a parasitic Hollow that is obsessed with making Rukia its host, and is controlling the twins in order to do so.
- Dying as Yourself: Homura and Shizuku after the Memory Erasing Hollow is purged from them.
- Fusion Dance: In order to keep Rukia to themselves, Shizuku and Homura fuse with her and turn her into Dark Rukia.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Homura and Shizuku are revealed to have done this when they were little when the Hollow attacked them via a possessed Soul Reaper. The two managed to keep it from taking over Rukia but were fatally wounded in the process. They absorbed the Hollow and were transported to Hueco Mundo, where they were revived with the Hollow inside of them.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: The Hollow scythe can not only erase someone's memories, but all memories of that person's existence will also be erased. Ichigo is initially affected, but thanks to having a connection with Rukia's power, he regains his memory and has to convince the rest of his friends and allies that Rukia exists and something is messing with their minds. This proves difficult as Rukia was the only reason Soul Society knows him, and with everyone's memories of Rukia erased they don't recognize him either. When a strange Soul Reaper with Hollow powers arrives during a catastrophe, cue the Gotei 13 attacking him.
- Mistaken for Spies: Ichigo arrives in Soul Society and saves a group of Soul Reapers from a reishi snake using his bankai and Hollow mask. He subsequently learns the hard way that everyone's memories of him have been erased, and finds himself being hunted under suspicion of being the mastermind of the disaster.
- Never Given a Name: Homura and Shizuku spent their whole lives nameless. Rukia only names them as they are dying.
- Skyward Scream: Rukia at the end after Shizuku and Homura die after she reconciles with them.
- Something We Forgot: The Stinger of the movie shows Kon still trapped in that goo from Shizuku and Homura's attack. Eventually he gets so angry at Ichigo and Rukia forgetting about him that he manages to break free on his own.
- Spanner in the Works: Homura and Shizuku's plan would've gone off without a hitch if Ichigo hadn't regained his memory.
- Spotting the Thread: When Ichigo reveals he knows secret details about his wife Hisana, Byakuya realizes something is wrong and becomes the only Soul Reaper willing to give Ichigo the benefit of the doubt. Renji later figures out something is amiss when he realizes that he somehow possesses a bankai, but has no memories of attaining it.
- Superpowered Evil Side: When Rukia is taken over by the Parasitic Hollow, she transforms into a Hollowfied form called Dark Rukia, controlled by Shizuku and Homura.
- Undressing the Unconscious: After Shizuku and Homura erase Rukia's memories, which knocks her out, they change her out of her black Soul Reaper uniform into a colorful kimono. This is because they hate Soul Reapers and plan to fool Rukia into thinking she is not one.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Yoruichi calls out Yamamoto for blaming the events on Ichigo because he showed up just as the biggest disaster to ever happen to Soul Society occurred.
- Yandere: Homura is obsessed with Rukia in a non-romantic manner, and is willing to mind-wipe and/or kill anyone who gets in her way.
