Is Burn the Witch a Bleach Spinoff?

Tite Kubo’s Burn the Witch is about to receive its second film. However, does it have anything to do with Kubo’s biggest series, Bleach?

For those who don’t know, 2018’s Burn the Witch was a one-shot manga by Tite Kubo, known for creating the popular Bleach series. The story follows witches Noel and Ninny as they tend to, or fight, dragons in Reverse London to prevent them from entering the Human World. The manga was adapted in 2020 into an anime movie.

The monster-hunting manga from Shonen Jump is, in fact, set in the same universe as Bleach, hence making it a spinoff. The manga seems to take place two years after the end of Bleach. While no characters from the franchise have made appearances, much of the world is similar to its shonen counterpart.

Connections from Burn the Witch to Bleach

In terms of connections between the two series, in Burn the Witch, the protagonists, Noel and Ninny, work for a sect in the Western Branch of Soul Society in London. Soul Society, in Bleach, is where all of the Soul Reapers reside outside the real world.

Similarly, Wing Bind, the group Noel and Ninny are in is equivalent to Gotei 13. They each have different subsections with leaders and roles. Instead of flowers like Gotei 13, Wing Bind goes by astrology signs. Not all signs are used, as there are only eight sections.

The usage of magic in Burn the Witch is similar to the Kido attacks Soul Reapers use in Bleach. For example, Noel uses a move called Magic Number 75: Gatling Claw among others. Meanwhile, Rukia uses Hado 31: Shakkaho and other abilities. Both systems have number-coordination and utilize energy.

Burn the Witch 0.8, a prequel movie to the original, was announced earlier this month alongside a trailer. Production is headed by Studio Colorido and Team Yamahitsuji and the cast includes Asami Tano, Yuina Yamada, and Saori Hayami.