Bleach has had a big resurgence thanks to the arrival of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. The latest anime series is one that finally brought the final major storyline of the Soul Society to the small screen, seeing the Shinigami taking on the Wandenreich and their devastating leader Yhwach. While there has been a live-action adaptation film covering the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, Bleach made the news in the real world thanks to a far darker headline. In a recent murder case, the suspect in question apparently was attempting to recreate one of Bleach’s scenes in a gruesome manner.
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The case in question is currently underway in New Zealand, in which defendant Gabriel Hikari Yad-Elohim, 36, is accused of murdering 69 year old Michael Mulholland. Allegedly, Yad-Elohim entered the victim’s apartment to purchase drugs and ended up killing Mulholland. The case was brought back to the forefront following the 2017 conviction thanks in part to an appeal that recently surfaced. Originally stating that Yad-Elohim was suffering from insanity, the defendant’s attorney stated that there were elements that weren’t “fully represented” in their client’s case. In his recent appeal, the defendant went all the way to New Zealand’s Supreme Court last year in July 2024, though the high court has yet to state whether or not it will hear the case.
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Bleach’s Day In Court
Yad-Elohim was apparently attempting to recreate a scene from the Bleach anime, though which scene in question from which series remains a mystery. The court kept the Soul Society reference under wraps, stating that it was later discovered thanks to a monologue delivered by the defendant in the police interview room following the act. The defendant had been previously diagnosed with schizophrenia, hence the insanity plea, but the New Zealand jury ultimately rejected the initial claim. In 2018, the defendant stated that he was “mentally ill when the incident happened.”
Official statement from the New Zealand Supreme Court are as such, “We have considered the video and the transcript of Mr. Yad-Elohim’s monologue. Dr. Cavney identifies several similarities between the video and the attack on Mr. Mulholland and there are similarities also with Mr. Yad-Elohim’s monologue. The argument is that the video and the transcript together justify the inference that Mr. Yad-Elohim was in the grip of a delusion when he attacked Mr. Mulholland. The evidence is significant and appears credible, but on a leave application it is difficult for us to gauge its impact on the other expert evidence led at trial and on appeal, and on its implications for the verdict.”
The third part of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War came to a close to wrap 2024 with the fourth and final cours expected to arrive at some point this year. Neither Studio Pierrot nor creator Tite Kubo has confirmed if new stories focusing on the Shinigami will arrive post-Blood War.
Want to stay in the loop on the Soul Society? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest on Bleach and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
