Board Thread:Fanon Canon/@comment-2089817-20151121173630

Alright, so a while ago, we had a discussion about a possible origin story for how the world of Bleach came to be. And the main crux of the argument was basically that one side believes that all cultures have to have their own different afterlives, while another side believes Soul Society has to be "the one true heaven".

After giving it some thought and doing some mild research myself, I want to make the following proposal that will probably satisfy both parties.

Now, we know Shintoism is the only named religion in Bleach that is actually followed, but there's no reason why we can't borrow ideas from Buddhism to fit everything in together. I've done some looking into it and want to make this proposal. That there are, in fact, six worlds/dimensions. And the Soul King is the lynchpin that holds all these worlds together.

We have proof that this is most likely the case.

Soul Society is obviously the home of those born into the Asura Realm. All signs point to it. Shinigami's entire history is one born of bloodshed and violence, with Yamamoto seizing control of the world. The central city is a militant city, which only fits so perfectly.

How else can we describe what Hueco Mundo is without calling it the home of those born into the Preta, or "Hungry Ghost", Realm?

Hell is obviously the Hell Realm.

Yuanrang can be better adapted to be the Animal Realm.

And here is what might make the best sense. God Realm can be considered a dimension that houses multiple blissful civilizations and existences, each pertaining to the different cultures, religions, and pantheons of deities from different mythologies.

Of course, spirits have managed to learn how to cross over from their ancestral home (where the cycle of life has sent them) to visit other realms. Dragons have done this, Komamura has done this, Sei did this when he visited Yuanrang, and of course, you know the Soul Society is capable of visiting the Human Realm.

Basically, my idea here is to use the basic concept from Buddhism to create the proper "background" or "template" so that we can agree to there being a standard singular afterlife but at the same time, we don't ignore the existences of those other mythologies and pantheons.

So what do you all think? 