Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion

Bleach: The Diamond Dust Rebellion (劇場版BLEACH The DiamondDust Rebellion もう一つの氷輪丸, Gekijōban Burīchi Za Daiyamondo Dasuto Reberion Mō Hitotsu no Hyōrinmaru?, Full Japanese title "Bleach the Movie: The Diamond Dust Rebellion, Another Hyōrinmaru") is the second animated film adaptation of the anime and manga series Bleach. The film is directed by Noriyuki Abe and co-written by Michiko Yokote and Masahiro Ōkubo, and the theatrical release was on December 22, 2007. The theme music for the movie is "Rock of Light" (光のロック, Hikari no Rokku?) by Sambomaster.[1]

The film's tagline is Execute Tōshirō Hitsugaya! (日番谷冬獅郎を処刑せよ., Hitsugaya Tōshirō o shokeiseyo.?)

To promote the film, the opening and closing credits of the Bleach anime from episode 151-154 use footage from the film. Tite Kubo also published a special manga chapter focusing on Hitsugaya's past to further promote the film.

Plot summary
An artifact known as the "King's Seal" is stolen during transport from the Soul Society by an unidentified shinigami and two arrancar girls who control fire and lightning. Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who was charged with protecting the Seal, seems to recognize the thief, who stabs him in the stomach; he then abandons his post to pursue him. Seireitei suspects him of treason and orders his immediate capture, with the possibility of disbanding the Tenth Division should he be guilty. Tōshirō is found unconscious by Ichigo, who knows that the Soul Society is looking for him. Tōshirō refuses to explain what's happening, but Ichigo is attacked by the two girls before he can force the issue. Tōshirō continues to avoid capture and went to a small wooden hut to rest in while Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, persuaded by Renji and Rangiku, decide to investigate the thief's identity, wishing a quick end to this "unnecessary addendum". Kyōraku quickly discovers the thief's identity as Sōjirō Kusaka, through the use of a picture Lieutenant Nanao Ise found, and attempts to enlist Captains Jushiro Ukitake and Byakuya Kuchiki's aid in the search. Along the way, Shunsui encounters and is quickly incapacitated Kusaka, who uses Hyōrinmaru, a sword identical to Hitsugaya's. As a result, Tōshirō's capture is made top priority, and his execution is approved if he resists. Tōshirō is soon discovered, however, by Lieutenants Izuru Kira and Shūhei Hisagi who try to apprehend him. Unwilling to surrender, Hitsugaya attacks them without hesitation, unleashes his Zanpakutō to mask his presence and escapes.

Meanwhile, back in the world of the living, Rukia has caught up with Ichigo. The gang exchange information, and Rukia reveals rather surprising, in-depth knowledge of Hitsugaya's personality, as well as some rather accurate guesses as to what Hitsugaya plans to do next. During the talk, Ichigo and Rukia are informed of Hitsugaya's approved execution and Kusaka's identity, who was Hitsugaya's former classmate during their time at the shinigami academy. Immediately after Renji finishes his sentence, Kusaka destroys a relatively large portion of the the Kurosaki house and, along with the arrancar twins, fights Ichigo and Rukia for a relatively brief period. During the fight, Kusaka, not wanting to waste anymore time on hime, uses Hyōrinmaru freezes Ichigo, much to Rukia's dismay. Kusaka then leaves the area in search of Hitsugaya and lets Yin and Yan continue fighting an angered Rukia. After conversing with Zangetsu in his "inner realm", Ichigo realizes what might be troubling Hitsugaya, and uses Tensa Zangetsu to break out of the ice, regroup with Rukia and defeat the sisters off-screen.

Tōshirō and Kusaka eventually meet at an abandoned warehouse, where it is revealed that the two manifested the same zanpakutō when they simultaneously met Hyōrinmaru's spirit in a cave. Overjoyed at the fact that they had the same powers, Tōshirō's friendship with Kusaka, who had also sworn his allegiance to the Soul Society prior to this, deepened as a result. Because this is a taboo in the Soul Society, as the Central 46 Chambers had decreed, and neither Kusaka nor Hitsugaya intended to violate the law, they were forced to fight to the death. Hitsugaya offered to abandon Hyōrinmaru instead of fighting Kusaka, but the council coldly refused and forced them to fight for the "honor" of bearing Hyōrinmaru (a possible reference to Gin Ichimaru's earlier comment that Hyōrinmaru marks out a destined hero.) Ultimately, it was Kusaka who drew his sword and charged at Hitsugaya, atating that he wanted Hyōrinmaru for himself. Before the battle was concluded, the Central 46 members ruled that Hyōrinmaru belonged to Hitsugaya and Kusaka was sentenced to be killed immediately. Although no one had won at the time of the decision, Hitsuguya appeared uninjured, while Kusaka was covered in ice. Numerous special forces members appeared and restrained Hitsugaya while surrounding Kusaka. Several of them stabbed Kusaka in the gut to weaken him before one sliced open the right side of his face. This is hinted at by his scar, which he somehow retains despite being given a new body. As his zanpakutō dissolved, Kusaka, shocked at his "unjust treatment" and the council's apparent favoritism regarding Hitsugaya despite his age and Kusaka's unwavering loyalty and faith in the Soul Society, angrily questioned the validity of the Central 46's actions and dies, while casting the blame on Hitsugaya. His execution was kept secret and his academy records were destroyed afterwards. Almost no one in the Soul Society knew of his existence. However, the cover-up was not complete, ultimately enabling Nanao to find a picture of him from his time in the Rukongai District, as mentioned above. Though not elaborated upon, Kusaka had been reincarnated at Hueco Mundo and enlisted Yin and Yan's aid and planned his revenge against the Soul Society, mostly on Hitsugaya. In the present, Kusaka then questions if Hitsugaya's enrollment into the shinigami academy was all for "that girl", to which Tōshirō demands that Kusaka "leaves her out of this", revealing that Kusaka was also aware of Tōshirō's relationship with Momo. He then showed him the power of the King's Seal, teleporting both of them to the Soul Society, specifically the Sokyōku Hill.

After arriving in the Soul Society and conversing with Tōshirō, Kusaka "orders" him to use the power of his bankai and cut the King's Seal to release its power, but is then interrupted by the Gotei 13, who attempted to stop them, only to have Ichigo and Rukia, having already defeated the twins, stand in their way. After a tense standoff between all three parties, Tōshirō refused to cut the King's Seal and attacked Kusaka instead, much to the shock of the Gotei 13 members. During this time, Ichigo had revealed that Tōshirō, blaming himself for Kusaka's death and current state, wished only to settle his dispute with Kusaka and temporarily left the Gotei 13 in order to pursue that goal, but shut himself away from his comrades, convinced that he either didn't need help or believed that he wouldn't hurt anyone else he cared about in the process. This revelation was enough to convince the Gotei 13 to help Tōshirō defeat Kusaka, though Tōshirō's wish to fight Kusaka alone remained, prompting Ichigo to angrily scold (and physically assault) Tōshirō for his stubborness, the single punch sending Tōshirō face-first into the ground. Taking full advantage of the current situation, Kusaka then sliced the King's Seal in two using his own zanpakutō, becoming engulfed with it's immense power. After Ichigo revealed the similarities between Tōshirō's feelings regarding Kusaka and Ichigo's feelings regarding Misaki, Tōshirō got up from the ground, surrounded by dozens of his Division's members wiped the blood off of his face, put on his haori that Rangiku brought, turned to Kusaka, and accepted everyone's help just as Kusaka transformed into a purple dragon echoing that of Hyōrinmaru and effectively became a god, as General Yamamoto later commented on. After repelling an attack from Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, Kusaka "took root" on a tall building, encasing it in ice and merging with it. It evolved into a gigantic tree but he blew it up soon after to stop the shinigami from approaching him. At this point in time, since Kusaka had not mastered his bankai and could not control the King's Seal's immense power, he inadvertently created a rapidly-expanding hemisphere in which Kusaka created a castle with him immobile atop an ice tower in the center of the castle. The castle spawned numerous hollows and Menos Grande which all had the same regenerative abilities as Kusaka. Kusaka then uses the King's Seal to create a force field powerful enough to destroy the Seireitei, trapping Tōshirō, Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Kenpachi, Byakuya, Rangiku, Soifon, and Yoruichi. Once Ichigo and Tōshirō were able to "climb aboard" Kusaka's castle, while the others fought against the hollows and the remainder of the Gotei 13 prevented the dark power of the King's Seal from engulfing (and ultimately destroying) the Seireitei, Ichigo donned his hollow mask and destroyed the ice dragon's head, enabling the King's Seal to return to normal and stop it's powers "rampage" across the Soul Society. The ice dragon then dissolved, revealing Kusaka's humanoid form. Through Ichigo's "approval", Kusaka and Hitsugaya charged at each other for one last time to finish the battle which they had started. After Tōshirō won and stabbed him through the chest, Kusaka told Tōshirō that his "existence will continue", that he would "never die", and that they would be "friends forever", before dissolving, leaving behind his broken zanpakutō and his cape. After the fight ended, Ichigo commented that, similar to Tōshirō, all Kusaka wanted to do was to finish his fight with Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya quietly thanks both Ichigo and his friends for their assistance, but when Rangiku asks what he said, Hitsugaya denies saying anything. Afterwards, Tōshirō is then cleared of all charges and the King's Seal is restored, allowing Tōshirō to finally put his past to rest.

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