Bleach: Fade to Black

is the third Bleach film. It was released in Japan on December 13, 2008, and on DVD on September 30, 2009. This film's screenplay was written by Natsuko Takahashi, who is a screenwriter for the anime series. The official film website gives the tagline of "Sayonara, Rukia". Kon is one of the main characters in the movie.

To promote the film, the opening and closing credits of the Bleach anime from Episodes 197-201 use footage from the film.

Plot Summary
Working diligently in his lab, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, operating a large amount of machinery from his computer, presses a button, causing the machine to produce a flower-like pod which, opening, reveals a glowing, yellow vial. Delighting over its completion, he senses the presence of an intruder. Emerging from the shadows, an assailant strikes him with their scythe. Though the blow has no physical effect, but Mayuri, left disoriented and terrified, fails to recognize his own lab. When Nemu Kurotsuchi, arriving, attempts to comfort him, he flees from her, believing she is trying to capture him. In the ensuing chaos, the mysterious assailant uses the vial to activate a mechanism in the laboratory. Releasing Ashisogi Jizō, a frightened Mayuri assaults his computer.

As an emergency call is made over the intercom, several Shinigami surround the smoking lab from the outside. As amorphous white entities, emerging from the smoke, attack them, Mayuri, continuing to wreak havoc inside the lab, is interrupted by Kenpachi Zaraki, who, briefly fending off the crazed captain's Bankai, is engulfed by the same white entity. Continuing to spread rapidly, the entity engulfs large portions of the Seireitei. Approaching from afar, Rukia Kuchiki, wondering what is going on, encounters a floating girl wearing ragged clothing. As she declares she is going to erase Rukia's existence, Mayuri's assailant to appear behind her. As Rukia turns to face him, he swings his scythe at her, inflicting no damage. While the remaining captains of the Gotei 13 look on as the white entity continues to spread, the two unknown assailants, retreating with a dazed Rukia in tow, revel in the destruction of the Shinigami.

Meanwhile, in Karakura Town, Ichigo Kurosaki, feeling a disturbance, finds Kon sitting on the bed, attempting to decipher a coded letter left by Rukia. When Ichigo, not recognizing its writer, fails to decode it, he, dismissing it, decides to go to sleep. Experiencing a vision composed of several of his memories with Rukia, he wakes up, remembering her, and decodes her letter, learning she went to Soul Society and will return in a few days. Confused, Ichigo visits Kisuke Urahara's shop.

Ichigo asks Urahara about Rukia, but despite her name being in his customer records, he does not remember her. Pondering a connection to their memory loss, Urahara mentions how on that night, a third of the Seireitei was destroyed in a strange incident. Determined to save Rukia, Ichigo asks to use Urahara's Senkaimon. Soon after, Ichigo and Kon emerge in Soul Society, where they find Shūhei Hisagi. Before Ichigo can interrogate him, the scythe-wielding assailant, activating Mayuri's machinery once more, produces an amorphous white serpent which attacks them.

As Hisagi and Ichigo attempt to fend it off, their attacks prove to be ineffective. Growing larger, the serpent, slamming against one of the Seireitei's gates, breaks through it. As the sibling assailants carry Rukia through, intending to take her to Rukongai, Ichigo is confronted by Hisagi and several Shinigami, who claim he is an intruder. Not wanting to fight his comrades, Ichigo, fleeing, is stopped by Renji Abarai, who has no memory of Rukia. As Ichigo continues to run away, Sajin Komamura, joining the chase, attacks him with his Bankai. Subduing it with several Getsuga Tenshō, Ichigo, struck by the blade of the falling giant, falls into the underground sewage system.

Elsewhere, Rukia, coming to, realizes she is in the 78th district of Rukongai, Inuzuri, where she had grown up in her younger years. Greeting her warmly, her abductors refer to her as their sibling, but she does not remember them. Meanwhile, as the captains deliberate on the situation, Retsu Unohana notes how victims of the incident have been solidified into statues. When Komamura reports his encounter with Ichigo, finding it strange he is so well acquainted with them, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto orders the captains to capture anybody who does not belong in Seireitei.

In the sewers, Ichigo is healed by Hanatarō Yamada, who, not remembering him either,e tells him it feels as though he had healed him before, but dismisses this as his imagination. In Rukongai, the siblings serve Rukia soup as she reads a letter they wrote to her. When she, admitting she cannot remember when she received it, realizes they did not sign their names, they reveal they have none, and she had promised to name them. Recalling the promise and memories of having taken care of the duo when they were younger, Rukia does not remember the names she had chosen for them. When she asks what she had been doing all those years, the siblings insist she has been sleeping for a long time.

At night, Ichigo, confronting Byakuya Kuchiki in his manor as he looks at a picture of Hisana Kuchiki, attempts to remind him of Rukia, telling him she was Hisana's sister and his own. Before he can get any information out of him, he is surrounded by Shinigami guards. Arriving, Renji attacks him once more, prompting Ichigo to note he only responds to force. Using his Bankai, Ichigo defeats him, causing him to briefly recall a moment from a previous battle they had. Preparing to release his Shikai, Byakuya, deciding against it, reveals Hisana is from the 78th district of Rukongai, earning Ichigo's thanks.

Back in Inuzuri, Rukia, talking to the female sibling, revels in her nostalgia, promising she will remember the names she chose for her and her brother. As the sun rises, she, noticing a cliff in the distance, remembers it is where she and Renji buried their childhood friends. Meanwhile, as Renji recovers from his fight with Ichigo, Zabimaru's spirit, emerging, speaks to him, asking why Renji did not use Bankai, which confuses him. In his manor, Byakuya remembers his wife once told him she was looking for something in Rukongai. Unable to remember what it was, he, consulting a book in his records, is shocked by what he finds.

Delivering her report to Yamamoto, Suì-Fēng states their defenses have been breached, and the intruder is targeting the 10th Division. Pondering this, Yamamoto is unable to discern the intruder's motive. Following the lead Byakuya gave them, Ichigo and Kon search for Rukia in Rukongai. As they comment on the terrible living conditions there, Kon picks up Rukia's scent, prompting them to hurry onward. Rushing towards the cliff ahead of them, they meet Rukia at her friends' grave. When Ichigo and Kon are relieved she is okay, she does not recognize them. Put off by a Shinigami's appearance, the siblings appear before Rukia. Stepping forward, Rukia demands to know why Ichigo knows her name. When he tells her his name, she collapses, overwhelmed by memories from when Ichigo rescued her from her execution. Blaming Ichigo for this, the male sibling attacks him, catching him off-guard, by attempting to phase his scythe's blade through Zangetsu. As Ichigo avoids the attack, the siblings disappear with Rukia.

In an underground prison, Urahara, visiting the cell Mayuri is being incarcerated in, proposes they investigate the cause of their memory loss together, confusing Mayuri. Undaunted, Urahara opens his cell, showing him a cylindrical container with a brain inside, and tells him they will recover everything.

Hiding after his brief battle with the siblings, Ichigo expresses his depression over Rukia and Renji not remembering him. Disappointed with Ichigo's state of mind, Kon declares he will save Rukia even if he has to do it by himself. Returning to their house in Inuzuri with Rukia, the siblings wonder who the Shinigami they encountered was. Coming to, Rukia, aware she knew who he was, realizes she had not been asleep as the siblings had said. When she demands to know why she remembers Ichigo, they reveal they had lied to her, and they had actually been searching for her for a hundred years. When the sister tries to blame everything on Shinigami, more of Rukia's memories are triggered, causing her to collapse in pain and fall unconscious. Looking over the note Rukia had left him, Ichigo remembers the moment she had written it. When Kon arrives to reclaim it, Ichigo, moving on, thanks Kon for motivating him once more.

As he finds himself surrounded by Shinigami forces, led by Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Ikkaku Madarame, attacking him, is fended off with ease. Going in for the attack himself, Hitsugaya is thwarted when Renji, arriving, fends off his attack. Renji tells Ichigo while his mind knows he is his enemy, his gut tells him otherwise, so he resolves to help him. As other captains arrive, among them Yamamoto, Suì-Fēng orders her forces to capture Ichigo and Renji, but they are subdued when Urahara arrives, donning his old captain uniform.

Above the demolished gate of Seireitei, the siblings arrive with an unconscious Rukia. When the male sibling hesitates, worried Rukia will not remember their names, his sister, refusing to listen, says there is a day which she must not remember at all costs. She decides they must kill all Shinigami so Rukia can stay with them forever. Meanwhile, Urahara tells the captains he has important information to share with them. When Suì-Fēng attempts to attack him, Yoruichi Shihōin, showing up, tells her off. As Urahara tells Ichigo Rukia is in danger, prompting him to leave with Renji, Yoruichi explains to the captains how they have all forgotten something important, which is why even Yamamoto himself bothered to go after an intruder in Seireitei.

As they dash through Rukongai in search of Rukia, Renji asks Ichigo just who Rukia is. When Ichigo angrily tells him he should know because he is the closest to her, Renji, surprised by this, is distracted by a nearby water merchant, reminding him of how he first met Rukia when she helped him steal water as children. As more memories follow, Ichigo, pleased, is taken aback when Renji asks why he wants to save Rukia. Ichigo tells him Rukia was the one who changed his world and who he has to thank for being alive.

When Yamamoto demands to know what is wrong with them all, Urahara explains how back when he was in charge of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, he had studied a Hollow which could only survive by using host bodies. In addition, it was in possession of a scythe-like tail which had the ability to erase memories. Though it would have been too weak to erase the memory of a Shinigami like Rukia, let alone one's very existence, because all memories are linked, every Shinigami connected to Rukia forgot about her, albeit temporarily. When Hitsugaya asks why they did not forget about Mayuri as well, Urahara explains how Mayuri had backed up his own memories in an extra brain.

Meanwhile, as Ichigo, Renji, and Kon search for Rukia with no success, Renji suggests because Rukia gave Ichigo her Shinigami powers, they must be similar. Working in concert, they manage to locate Rukia's spiritual power in Mayuri's lab. As the siblings attempt to activate the machinery once again, they are stopped by a conscious Rukia. As she demands to know why the siblings are trying to hurt so many innocent people, the sister's spiritual power lashes out, causing structures all over Seireitei to vanish and fall out of the sky.

As Ichigo and Renji make their way to the lab, a massive structure falls, threatening to crush them. Activating his Bankai, Renji, clearing the way, uses it to pick up Ichigo, allowing him to close the distance to Mayuri's lab. When more debris gets in the way, Ichigo, activating his own Bankai, destroys it. When Ichigo and Renji arrive at the lab, Rukia remembers the latter. Calling out to Rukia, Ichigo tells her the Rukia he knows would never stop being a Shinigami. Begging her not to go, the sister accidentally reveals Rukia was once a Shinigami. Pulling away from her, Rukia, asking Ichigo to tell her his name once more, recovers more of her memory upon hearing it.

Enraged by this turn of events, the sister declares they will never turn over Rukia and will become one with her. Stating doing so will make her disappear, the brother relents. The two siblings fuse with Rukia, transforming her into a darker-looking version of herself, who plunges the golden vial stolen by the siblings into a machine, causing it to produce even more white serpents. As Renji fends the creatures off, Ichigo rushes towards Rukia. After a brief clash, the machine explodes, sending a pillar of white energy into the sky which produces a storm over Seireitei. Emerging from the energy, a massive creature with several eyes and tentacles promptly attacks the surrounding Shinigami. During the ensuing chaos, Kon is sent flying at the machine, where he is trapped within a crystalline substance.

As Ichigo and Rukia continue their battle atop the heavily damaged SRDI building, Ichigo begs her to remember him, but she does not respond to his pleas. Meanwhile, as the giant creature continues to wreak havoc, the captains arrive. Urahara surmises the only way to stop it for good is to destroy the machinery which created it. Leaping into battle, Yamamoto orders the captains to halt the creature's advance, prompting them to follow suit. Fending the creature off for a time, the captains conclude they need to get to the SRDI building. Taking the initiative, Byakuya heads towards it, bypassing the creature.

As Ichigo fights Rukia, she, becoming increasingly vicious, nearly decapitates him. Arriving, Byakuya restrains her with '''Bakudō 61. Rikujōkōrō'''. Recognizing the circumstances of her transformation, he declares he has no choice but to kill her. As Rukia struggles against the binding spell, Renji notes her Reiatsu is becoming more and more like that of a Hollow. Struggling to think of an alternative solution, Ichigo remembers the day that Rukia gave him her Shinigami powers. As Byakuya agrees to move aside, Ichigo steps forward, unwilling to give up on Rukia, and charges towards her, impaling her with Tensa Zangetsu. As he transfers some of his Shinigami power to her, the tapeworm Hollow, forced out of her body, is destroyed in the process, returning her to normal. Meanwhile, Byakuya and Renji destroy the machine responsible for spawning the white creatures.

Realizing the injured siblings are nearby, Rukia, rushing to them, recalling an incident in which a Shinigami possessed by the tapeworm Hollow had attacked the young siblings. Despite her attempts to protect them, they were cut down. Arriving, Uraharam explaining how she could not remember them before because the tapeworm Hollow had been responsible, says they possessed the ability to manipulate space, allowing them to transfer the Hollow into their own bodies as a last resort to save Rukia. Ending up in Hueco Mundo, they returned because of their desire to see Rukia again but the Hollow was still alive within them. When Rukia finally remembers the names she had chosen for the siblings - Homura and Shizuku - the siblings, overjoyed Rukia fulfilled her promise, succumb to their wounds as she cries.

Later on, Rukia, standing alone at the cliff, reminisces about the siblings. Arriving to greet her, Ichigo tells her he will be returning to the Human World soon. As Rukia expresses her gratitude to him for saving her again, Ichigo, reminding her how she saved him first, surmises if it is true death is never the end, the bond between them might have formed long before they first met. He states since bonds never fade away, she might one day meet Homura and Shizuku, even if she has forgotten about them again. Prepared to leave, he, bidding her farewell, calls her "Shinigami", prompting her to say "It's not Shinigami. It's Rukia Kuchiki", the same words she said to him the night they first met.

Back at the ruined SRDI building, still encased in crystal, Kon, lamenting over being forgotten by both Rukia and Ichigo, manages to free himself.

Quotes

 * (Kon) "Don't you dare insult Rukia's artistic abilities!" 
 * (Ichigo, to Renji about Rukia) "Repeat her name a hundred or two hundred times, if that's what takes you to remember her!" 
 * (Rukia, to Kon) "Shut up, you suspicious living thing!" 
 * (Renji, to Ichigo) "My brain is telling me you are the enemy. But my heart tells me you are not. I'll follow what my heart says!" 
 * (Renji, to Ichigo) "I, can use Bankai??" 
 * (Rukia, to Homura and Shizuku, referring to Ichigo) "I know that Shinigami. I wasn't sleeping this whole time, was I?" 
 * (Rukia, to Ichigo) "Say it once more...your name..." 
 * (Ichigo) "Now it's my turn, Rukia, to give you my power." 
 * (Ichigo, to Dark Rukia) "Dumbass! Memories aren't everything!" 
 * (Rukia to Ichigo) "It's not Shinigami. It's Rukia Kuchiki"
 * (Ichigo about Rukia) "Rukia is the one who changed my world!" 
 * (Urahara to Everyone) "I'll say this once more: All of our memories are linked together."

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