Credits Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures (Japan) Netflix (Worldwide) Production companies Warner Bros. Pictures Japan Cine Bazar Directed by Shinsuke Sato Written by Shinsuke Sato Daisuke Habara Based on Bleach by Tite Kubo Produced by Kazutoshi Wadakura Starring Sota Fukushi Hana Sugisaki Ryo Yoshizawa Erina Mano Yu Koyanagi Taichi Saotome Miyavi Seiichi Tanabe Masami Nagasawa Yōsuke Eguchi Music by Yutaka Yamada Details Ichigo Kurosaki is a fifteen-year-old high school student who lives in Karakura Town with his father, Isshin, and younger twin sisters, Karin and Yuzu. He also has the ability to see ghosts, a talent that attracts the attention of a katana-wielding young woman in a black kimono. She introduces herself as Rukia Kuchiki while explaining to Ichigo that she is a Soul Reaper, a psychopomp who guides the departed to the Soul Society and purify those who remained among the living and transformed into monstrous beings called Hollows. At that time, a Hollow that Rukia was hunting named Fishbone D attacks Ichigo's home after sensing his high spiritual energy. Rukia is wounded in the attempt to protect the Kurosaki family and forced to transfer her powers into a desperate Ichigo so he can defeat the Hollow as a Soul Reaper. After discovering Rukia has enrolled in his class the following day, Ichigo learns that she has lost her power and he must serve as her substitute until he amassed enough Reiyoku energy from defeating Hollows to transfer Rukia's powers back to her. Meanwhile, Soul Reaper captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's older brother, sends his lieutenant Renji Abarai to retrieve her. A brief altercation between Ichigo and Renji occurs before the latter is driven off by arrows fired by Ichigo's classmate Uryū Ishida. Uryū reveals himself to be of a tribe of spiritually aware humans called Quincies, who were nearly wiped out by the Soul Reapers as they obliterate Hollows rather than purify them. Uryū declares himself an enemy of all Soul Reapers as he challenges Ichigo to a Hollow hunting competition, having deliberately summoned the monsters to Karakura Town. While Ichigo and Rukia are fighting a Hollow, Hexapodus, they are confronted by Renji and Byakuya. After Renji defeats Ichigo, Byakuya scolds Rukia for having broken the Soul Society's laws by giving Ichigo her powers while giving her an ultimatum: either extract her Reiryoku from Ichigo or return to the Soul Society to be trialed and punished accordingly. As the former choice would result in Ichigo's death since he had not amassed the ideal amount for his survival, Rukia resigns herself for punishment. But Ichigo stops her at the last minute and makes a deal with Byakuya, to purify the infamous Hollow Grand Fisher to gain enough Reiryoku for a non-fatal transfer. As Ichigo vigorously training for the confrontation catches the interest of his classmates Yasutora Sado and Orihime Inoue, he learns that Grand Fisher was the being who killed his mother Masaki when he was a child. While visiting Masaki's grave, Karin and Yuzu are attacked by Grand Fisher. Ichigo is able to free his sisters before taking Grand Fisher on in a highly destructive fight and defeating him with Uryū's support, only for the two to be ambushed and Uryū injured by Renji, who with Byakuya decided to renege on their deal. Though Ichigo manages to overpower Renji, Byakuya steps in and defeats Ichigo with overwhelming pace. Rukia intervenes, convincing Byakuya to spare Ichigo as she extracts her Reiryoku while parting ways with him. The next day, due to the Soul Society's influence, everyone in Karakura Town has forgotten Rukia and everyone thinks the damage to the town from the battle with Grand Fisher was caused by a tornado. However, Ichigo sees a note Rukia had left in his book and seemingly regains his memories.
