Summary
At the very beginning ofBLEACH,the Shinigami Rukia Kuchikiexplains the basic structure of the series' cosmology, delving into the reason entities like herself exist, and the balancing role that the Shinigami play in maintaining the universe’s current form. Not much later, during the Substitute Shinigami arc, the series introduces the Quincies and their near annihilation at the hands of the Shinigami.
In theThousand-Year Blood Wararc, we learn about how this structure, which features three main realms, came to be, and the heinous actions that it took to keep them that way. Here’s a basic explanation of the structure of the realms inBLEACH, as created by the Soul King Adnyeus himself.
In The Beginning
The Separation of Life and Death
In the beginning, the universe simply consisted of the primordial waters, a chaotic environment in which life and death were one and the same. At some point, an entity that came to be known as the Soul King, Adnyeus, used his power to create order from the chaos, separating this primordial into three distinct realms where different kinds of souls could reside, thus also creating the cycle of life and death as we know it. The three realms he created were the Human World (or World of the Living); Hueco Mundo, where the lost souls known as Hollows reside, and the afterlife known as Soul Society. In the interstices between the realms is an empty plane called the Dangai, otherwise known as the Precipice World. It is a corridor-like dimension connecting the Human World and Soul Society, and is separated from space and time, forming part of the greater void that exists between the realms known as Garganta (derived from the Spanish word for “throat”, but written with the ateji that can be read as “black cavity”).
Reishi in the Garganta is very unstable, and generally does not form any permanent structures like it would with the Soul Society or Hueco Mundo; however, it is possible for a pocket of space called a Valley of Screams to be created. These are spaces derived from the Dangai that vary in size and are made up of souls that have been ejected from the reincarnation cycle. Interestingly, in the original narrative, no mention is made of how Hell, which was introduced in the very first arc, is connected to this tripartition of realms; however, in Ryohgo Narita’sCan’t Fear Your Own Worldnovels, it is revealed that part of the reason why Adnyeus created the World of the Living was so that it could act as a lid that covers Hell – which means that Hell definitely predates the creation of the realms. In theNo Breaths From Hellone-shot, we learn that Hell and the three realms have a relationship, as the amount of reiatsu in Hell must balance out with that which is found in all three realms combined, otherwise, the lid could be pried off by Hell’s inhabitants – whom we are told includethe deceased Captains of the Gotei 13
Unique Attributes of Each Realm
The Differences Found in Each BLEACH Realm
As you’d expect, the Human World or World of the Living is the realm into which souls, also known as Pluses, incarnate. They live human lives and when life ends, the soul is guided back to the Soul Society, where it awaits another incarnation cycle. Should a soul fail to return to Soul Society, it runs the risk of corruption, either throughbeing attacked by Hollows, which are formerly human souls that have succumbed to despair and become monstrosities characterized by the void in their souls which is signified by a hole somewhere on their bodies; or through succumbing to despair and other negative emotions themselves. The Human World is, of course, where Karakura is located; a place with an eerie frequency of supernatural occurrences because it exists on theJūreichi, a region characterized by having the greatest concentration of spiritual beings.
The corridor that connects the Human World to Hueco Mundo, and Hueco Mundo to Soul Society and forms part of the void known as Garganta. This part is a separate dimension in which time flows differently, and once every seven days, a non-spiritual entity known as the Kōtotsu; otherwise known as the cleaner, passes through the corridor to eliminate any foreign material, preventing the possibility that the space be used as a base of operations of any spiritual entity or enemy of Soul Society. Anything caught in the Kōtotsu’s path is trapped in the void by the surging flow of a high density current that flows in the Dangai and within the Kōtotsu itself. The danger that it poses is so great that certain measures are taken to avoid traversing the Dangai when the Kōtotsu is present; however,Sōsuke Aizen managed to destroy itand come out unscathed.
Hollows exist on a plane known as Hueco Mundo, a realm that exists between the Human World and Soul Society, and is characterized by unending night and white sand that stretches far in every direction. There is next to nothing in Hueco Mundo, but it is made up of concentrated reishi. Like with high-powered souls in Soul Society, stronger Hollows are not satiated by this reishi in the atmosphere, and must therefore fill the void by feeding on other souls, be they Hollows or Pluses. Hueco Mundo is connected to the Human World by the Dangai, butHollows, particularly the more powerful ones, and the Arrancar, make use of Garganta to travel between the realms. Interestingly, “Hueco Mundo”, like all other concepts tied to Hollows, is derived from Spanish words; however, it is written with the kanji for “cavity” or “hole” and one for “zone” or “sphere”, continuing the theme of emptiness that Hollows are associated with.
The afterlife inBLEACH, where spiritual beings like Shinigami and regular human souls reside, not to mention the dismembered Soul King, who was attacked by the ancestors of the five (now four) Great Noble Houses of the Shinigami and turned into the linchpin of the three realms. It is due to the mutilation of the Soul King that the realms retain their current form, and should the Soul King be removed; like he was inBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3, episode 2, then the realms will rapidly coalesce, returning the universe to its primordial state of chaos.
It is to maintain the current structure of the realms that the Shinigami act as “balancers”, ensuring that no realm has more souls than the other, purifying Hollows and ensuring that they too can return to the cycle. Due to the fact that Quincies extinguish the souls of Hollows, their existence posed a threat to the structure of the universe, which is how the Shinigami justified previous clashes against the Quincies, and their subsequent near-extermination.
Bleach
Cast
Based on Tite Kubo’s battle shonen manga, Bleach centers around Ichigo, a high school student who is dragged into the world of Soul Reapers. The original anime ended in 2012, but it was revived in 2022.
