Bleach TYBW Confirms Movie 1 as Canon

Episode 32 of Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War not only sees the return of several fan-favorite characters like Grimmjow, Nelliel, Riruka, and Yukio, but also has a subtle nod to a certain piece of Bleach media that has surprised fans. Through certain dialogue and especially the key card of the episode, Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War anime has effectively confirmed the first movie Memories of Nobody to actually be canon to the story.

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Memories of Nobody is the favorite movie of most fans of the series, fitting perfectly into the story of Bleach as well as introducing an important character that would capture the hearts of everyone. Here are all the references to the first movie in episode 32.

The Valley of Screams

An Important Piece of World Building

When Yoruichi explains how they were able to travel from Hueco Mundo to the Royal Palace, she mentions how Riruka was able to insert a space within the Garganta into her Doll House. This place was called the Valley of Screams. Riruka inserted one of the spaces into her Doll House and her Fullbringer friend, Yukio, used it to create a massive box that allowed Ichigo’s group to safely travel to the Royal Palace.

Hard-core fans immediately recognize the name Valley of Screams as it is an important plot point in movie 1 Memories of Nobody. The Valley of Screams is a pocket dimension that harbors spiritual creatures known as Blanks. It is a place of unstable spiritual pressure that stems from the Dangai and, in the movie, it connects the World of the Living and the Soul Society. The existence of the Valley of Screams was relegated only to the movie until the release of chapter 625 of the manga, when author Tite Kubo confirmed its existence to be canon to the manga.

While the name and concept are the same, their details are different from the movie. In the movie, there is only one Valley of Screams, and it has a distinct appearance and landscape. While in the manga there are several Valleys of Screams scattered across the Garganta. However, the mere mention of the name piqued the interest of many hard-core fans who watched the Bleach movies. Most notably, Ichigo mentions that he has been in the Valley of Screams before, an event that is specific to the movie.

Senna’s Keycard

A Distinct Image

As usual, every episode of the Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War anime has two key cards that appear around the halfway mark of the episode. They always contain pertinent information about the story told in the episode but also give fans additional information that is not told in the story. These key cards are always written exclusively in Japanese, leaving the translation to dedicated fans. The translation of these key cards has proved incredibly valuable for expanding on the world and characters of Bleach.

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The key card of episode 32, however, raised many eyebrows among the fandom as it features the iconic ribbon and flowers that are directly associated with the key character of Memories of Nobody: Senna. She was a soul reaper born from accumulated lost memories of the Blanks living in the Valley of Screams. She appears in the human world aware of her name and identity but with conflicting and confusing memories. The members of the Gotei 13 try to locate her in their ranks, but there is simply no record of a soul reaper named Senna.

After investigating, Captain Ukitake deduces that Senna’s identity is that of the Shinenju, an object made out of the lost memories of the Blanks that eventually returned to the World of the Living. A group of villains called the Dark Ones seek to use Senna to destroy the World of the Living and the Soul Society, but Ichigo manages to stop them.

An ongoing rumor has permeated the Bleach fandom that author Tite Kubo had some involvement in the production of Memories of Nobody and that he is actually a fan of the film. This lends some validity to the inclusion of the Valley of Screams in the manga, but now with the release of episode 32 of Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War, the key card talking about the Valley of Screams confirms that not only is this pocket dimension canon but so is Senna.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

Release Date

October 11, 2022

Creator

Tite Kubo

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

MyAnimeList Score

9 (The Conflict)