The first Bleach movie was released in 2006 (in Japan) between the 5th and 6th seasons of the series.

Like many TV Anime movie spin-offs, it doesn't do much to progress the main story arc. This may have been wise since the direction of the series is fairly muddy at this point.

Setting the Stage

The prologue opens in Soul Society, in a tense, Evangelion-like command center. A cataclysmic event is unfolding, threatening to collapse Soul Society and the "Real World" into one.