The animation here exists on a different plane than the TV series, fluid, precise, relentless in ways the show could never sustain for 24 episodes. But the real hit is that this movie understands Ichigo and Rukia's connection at a level the anime sometimes forgets, building the entire catastrophe around what they mean to each other rather than just plot mechanics. The Soul Society burning down matters because she's trapped inside it, and he's coming anyway.

An intruder breaks into Mayuri Kurotsuchi's laboratory in the Seireitei, and Rukia, who sees the attack, is carried off by a mysterious pair while something inside her slips away. Back in the World of the Living, Ichigo briefly loses his memory of her until Kon reminds him. The two turn to Kisuke Urahara, who tells them the Seireitei has been devastated and opens a path to the Soul Society. There Ichigo finds that the Soul Reapers he once fought beside no longer remember him or Rukia, and they attack him on sight. On the run from former allies, he must find Rukia and uncover who took her before the pair can strike again and the two are separated for good. The film is a supernatural action drama built around that search.