Location from Bleach by Tite Kubo
The 320 districts surrounding Seireitei where ordinary souls reside after death — peaceful near the center, increasingly lawless and violent toward the outer rings.
Rukongai is Soul Society's ugly truth — the Gotei 13 protects itself, not its people. Souls arrive here after purification and are sorted into districts essentially at random. Those in the first few districts live comfortable lives; those in the 60th and above live in constant danger. Rukia and Renji grew up in Inuzuri, the 78th district, stealing water and burying friends who starved. The class divide between Rukongai and Seireitei is absolute — commoners cannot enter the walled city without invitation or spiritual power. This injustice is the foundation that characters like Tōsen built their grievances on.
Inner districts resemble quiet Edo-period towns with tiled roofs and clean streets. As district numbers climb, the scenery degrades: buildings become shacks, roads turn to dirt, vegetation dies. By the 70th district and beyond, it looks like a post-apocalyptic wasteland where people fight over scraps of food.
Also known as: Rukongai, Rukon District