Setting

The planes of existence in the Bleach universe broadly correspond to the life and afterlife of human belief systems. The living humans of Bleach reside in a world resembling present-day Japan, buried souls live in a kind of Heaven called Soul Society, and evil souls are sent to Hell. Once a spirit dies in Soul Society, its soul is sent back to the living world and reborn as a new human.[14] This provides the two worlds with balance.



* Human world: The human world of Bleach is focused on modern Japan; specifically, a fictional area of Western Tokyo called Karakura Town.[15] In this world, Ichigo attends school and fights hollows.
* Soul Society: Soul Society (尸魂界（ソウル・ソサエティ）, Sōru Sosaeti?, the Japanese spelling used literally translates to "dead spirit world")[16] consists of two portions: the expansive walled city of Seireitei (瀞霊廷, Court of Pure Souls?), where the shinigami and nobility reside, and the eighty-district residential area of Rukongai (流魂街, Town of Wandering Spirits?).[17] Life in Rukongai is somewhat similar to that of feudal Japan; each district describes its conditions,[18] with the lower numbered districts being more peaceful and becoming progressively harsh as the number increases.[18] A king resides in another realm within Soul Society. [19] Souls in the Soul Society are much like normal humans, but age at an extremely slowed rate, such that lifespans of several centuries are commonplace. Children can even be born as they are in the human world.

* Hueco Mundo: Hueco Mundo (虚圏（ウェコムンド）, Weko Mundo?, the Spanish pronunciation meaning "shallow world" or "hollow world" and the Japanese spelling meaning "hollow area") is a dimension between the human world and Soul Society. It is where hollows reside when not hunting humans, and they are undetectable as long as they remain inside. Entrances to Hueco Mundo are created by ripping the dimensional fabric between the two worlds. On the surface of Hueco Mundo is a desert-like realm, covered in perpetual night. Few hollows reside on the surface, and the landscape is dominated by the imposing Las Noches palace. Directly underneath is the Forest of Menos, where the hollows mainly reside until provoked to leave.



* Hell: Hell is the destination of those who committed unforgivably evil acts during their lives in the human world. When a hollow whose mortal soul is too wicked to enter Soul Society is slain by a zanpakutō, the gates of hell (giant doors held by skeletons) appear and begin to open. A giant, laughing spiritual being with a blade spears the wicked spirit and drags it into hell.[20]

Bleach characters move from world to world by several means. Shinigami open passages between worlds by means of their zanpakutō. Butterflies created during soul burial, called hell butterflies (地獄蝶, jigoku-chō?), make these routes safe. Human souls usually cross between planes only through birth into the human world or soul burial by shinigami. Living humans can also use special portals to move between worlds, but this is dangerous. While hollows are portrayed as able to move between planes at will by opening rifts in space, they usually remain in Hueco Mundo due to the risk of discovery in Soul Society or the human world. Encounters between characters crossing realms are a driving plot force in Bleach.