Rukia’s VA Drops A Major Bleach Movie Tease — Also A Demon Slayer Star

Anime movies keep muscling their way into the mainstream, and now it sounds like Bleach might be the next heavyweight to step into theaters. The spark? A little nudge from Rukia herself.

So... is a Bleach movie actually happening?

At Anime Pasadena 2025, Michelle Ruff, the English voice of Kuchiki Rukia, told ScreenRant she would love to see Bleach hit the big screen. She was enthusiastic enough that it did not feel like a wild idea, especially with how the anime film trend has exploded lately.

'Oh, I would love that! It would be so fun to see a big Bleach movie premiere in a place like the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. That would be amazing. And hey — I was in Demon Slayer too, so I’m already familiar with cinematic territory!'

To be clear: this is not an announcement. It is an actor saying the quiet part fans are already thinking. But given where Bleach is in its run, the timing is interesting.

Where Bleach stands right now

Bleach is one of the Big Three that rewired the anime/manga landscape, with the anime dating back to 2004. The current revival, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, is the endgame. There is one cour left. Part 4 is expected sometime in 2026, but nothing official has been locked in yet.

Why a movie finale makes sense (and why studios love this playbook)

Studios have been leaning harder into theatrical anime because it checks every box: bigger box office, bigger global footprint, and room to make the visuals sing in ways TV schedules do not usually allow. Demon Slayer turned this into a modern blueprint, and Chainsaw Man is taking a swing with The Movie: Reze Arc. It is not hard to imagine Studio Pierrot eyeing the same stage for Bleach.

• Scale and spectacle: A feature would give Bleach the grand, cinematic sendoff it has earned after two decades.
• Global launch: Theatrical gives you event status and a worldwide rollout that a weekly drop cannot match.
• Flexibility: Pierrot could even split the final stretch into two films, similar to Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle plan.
• Brand move: There has been chatter about Pierrot evolving its theatrical identity — think a more formal Pierrot films push. Nerdy business detail, but relevant if they want to plant a flag in theaters.

There is also the simpler route: make a new Bleach movie that is not tied to the main story, like the older non-canon films. That would be fun, but it would not hit like making the Thousand-Year Blood War finale itself a movie.

The catch

Spinning up a feature this late in the game is not trivial. Schedules, budgets, and marketing windows get messy. But the upside is obvious: a theatrical capstone could supercharge the franchise one more time and reassert Bleach’s Big Three aura for a new wave of fans.

If it happens, you could do a lot worse than Michelle Ruff’s dream scenario: a flashy premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre. It fits the moment.

Bleach is currently streaming on Hulu.