Bleach: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name

Bleach: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name (BLEACH Fade to Black 君の名を呼ぶ) is the third animated film adaptation of the anime and manga series Bleach. Directed by Noriyuki Abe, the film was released December 13, 2008. The film's theme music was "Koyoi, Tsuki wa Miezu Tomo", performed by Porno Graffiti and its screenplay was written by Natsuko Takahashi, who is a screenwriter for the anime series. The DVD was released on September 30, 2009, with additional footage of Ichigo, Rukia and Kon leaving for the World of the Living. The DVD for the English Dub is supposed to be released this Autumn (2010).

Plot
In Soul Society, Mayuri Kurotsuchi is attacked in his laboratory by a pair of mysterious siblings wielding a scythe that erases his memories. In a frightened panic, Kurotsuchi damages a machine, which causes a massive reiatsu explosion that covers much of Soul Society in a milky layer of reiatsu in the form of a giant rampaging river of serpents, killing and freezing many Soul Reapers, including Kenpachi Zaraki. Rukia Kuchiki is confronted and attacked by the siblings, erasing her memories and everybody that has memories of her, and is carried away to a rundown area of Rukongai by the siblings. Seemingly everyone in Soul Society has their memories of Rukia erased.

In the real world, Ichigo Kurosaki briefly forgets Rukia but in a dream recalls her. Troubled, he and Kon go to Kisuke Urahara for information. He tells Urahara of the situation, but he does not remember Rukia despite having her listed as a customer at his shop. Ichigo and Kon go to Soul Society, where they are attacked by people who they knew, including Shuhei Hisagi, Renji Abarai and Sajin Komamura, after Ichigo is forced to use his Hollow powers, but no one remembers Ichigo. While attempting to flee, he is struck by Komamura's Bankai. Ichigo is branded an intruder by the captains of the Gotei 13. Rukia finds herself in Rukongai with no memory of being a Soul Reaper. The nameless siblings, a sister and a brother, remind Rukia that they used to be close friends living in Rukongai and Rukia was to give them names, although she has forgotten them. Ichigo is healed of his injuries by Hanataro Yamada, who seems to have recalled healing him before. Ichigo then goes to Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's brother, for help, but he does not remember Rukia either. After a direct confrontation with Renji Abarai again, Byakuya directs Ichigo to his wife, Hisana Kuchiki's, birthplace in Rukongai, where they are briefly reunited with Rukia before the siblings flee with her from Ichigo and Kon.

Ichigo and Kon are attacked again by captain-class Soul Reapers Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa but are saved by Renji Abarai, who follows his gut instinct to trust Ichigo. Commander-Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai and other captains arrive to capture Ichigo, but Urahara arrives dressed in his old uniform when he was a captain prior to his exile. He sends Ichigo, Renji and Kon off to save Rukia, and explains to the captains that he studied a parasitic Hollow which could erase memories with its scythe-like tentacle, but it escaped and appears to be influencing the siblings' actions to an extent. The siblings go to Kurotsuchi's lab in order to fully destroy the Soul Reapers with the reiatsu weapon they had used previously, under the belief that the Soul Reapers were responsible for taking Rukia away from them. Rukia objects to this, and Ichigo and Renji's arrival prompts Rukia to remember them. The female sibling succumbs to rage, and she forces herself, her brother and Rukia to all fuse into one, creating "Dark Rukia". Dark Rukia, seemingly hollowified, unleashes the reiatsu weapon upon Soul Society before battling Ichigo.

The reiatsu weapon takes the form of a giant, deformed monster, and the Soul Reapers fight against it, including Yoruichi Shihoin who had arrived with Urahara, and a freed Kenpachi. Ichigo fights Dark Rukia and holds back initially to refrain from injuring her. Byakuya arrives and claims that he should be the one to finish this, but Ichigo intervenes and manages to free her with his own similar reiatsu, destroying the Hollow, while Byakuya and Renji destroy the reiatsu monster. Rukia regains her memories, but the siblings are left mortally wounded, but are regretful for their actions. Urahara arrives and explains that the Hollow attacked Rukia and the siblings while controlling a Soul Reaper's body, but when the body was destroyed, the siblings trapped the Hollow in their bodies and were sent to Hueco Mundo for a time, managing to escape after a hundred years to reunite with Rukia because of their strong desire to be with her. Rukia tells the siblings their names, Homura and Shizuku, but the two die from their wounds, much to Rukia's despair. The film ends with Ichigo visiting Rukia at the hill shrine where she makes a memorial for the twins, reminding her that her memories of the siblings will not fade. Kon, who was frozen during the climactic battle, breaks free and cries out to not be forgotten by everyone, especially Rukia.

New characters

 * Dark Rukia (ダークルキア)

Dark Rukia is a Hollowfied form of Rukia created when Homura, enraged by Ichigo's attempts to restore Rukia's memory, wished to merge herself, Rukia, and Shizuku into a single being. The process ended when Ichigo infused Rukia with his reiatsu and she regained her memories.


 * Homura

Rukia and Shizuku's "sister". She and her brother died defending Rukia from a parasitic Hollow, but were revived by absorbing it into their bodies. She is able to grant any wish Rukia makes. She received her name after Rukia recovered her memories.


 * Shizuku

Rukia and Homura's "brother". He and his sister died defending Rukia from a parasitic Hollow, but were revived by absorbing it into their bodies.

Novelization
A full coloured novelization has been published.

Reception
The film opened in 2nd or 3rd place at the Japanese box office (sources vary) and held a top ten location until its 5th week.