Summary

Nemu Kurotsuchi was Kurotsuchi’s 7th attempt at creating an artificial soul, his greatest scientific triumph.
Nemu’s creation was a part of the Nemuri Project, named ironically by Kurotsuchi as his dream come true.
Nemu’s tragic death in battle showed Kurotsuchi’s deep attachment and fear for her, leading to the creation of an 8th iteration.

We’ve known since their introduction that Nemu Kurotsuchi is a creation of 12th Squad Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, but it is only in the 10th episode of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 – The Conflict, that we actually learn the specifics surrounding Nemu’s creation and what she really meant to the sociopathic mad scientist. In a masterclass in pulling at the audience’s heartstrings, we learned more about the quiet lieutenant of the 12th Squad before having her violently ripped away from us in what was most likely the saddest moment of the entire final arc of Tite Kubo’s BLEACH.

Nemu Kurotsuchi, known originally as “Nemuri Nanagō” (Nemuri No. 7) was Kurotsuchi’s 7th attempt at creating an artificial soul, and for him, his greatest scientific triumph. What exactly was the so-called “Nemuri Project”, and why is it such a significant foray into the emotional standpoint of one of the series’ most villainous characters?

Lieutenant Kurotsuchi Nemu is an artificial entity created from Gigai and Gikon technology by Captain Kurotsuchi. The same blood flows in Nemu and Captain Kurotsuchi, hence, be it interest or how to spend free time, she will have many similarities to him.

– Tite Kubo

Nemu loses her life in the battle against Pernida, winning our hearts in the process as we learn more about her relationship with Kurotsuchi.

The Waking Dream

Kurotsuchi’s Primary Scientific Goal

Before Kurotsuchi became Captain of the 12th Squad, and thus, leader of the Shinigami’s Research and Development Institute, the founder of the latter, Kisuke Urahara, was the individual in charge. Urahara enlisted Kurotsuchi, a heinous criminal, to become his successor should anything happen, understanding him to be the only person in the entire Soul Society with scientific curiosity and intelligence that could rival his own.

As such, Kurotsuchi has held a deep-seated desire to surpass Urahara and become the greatest scientist in the history of Soul Society. To do so, Kurotsuchi would need to succeed where Urahara has failed, and one such field is the creation of artificial souls.

New souls created from nothing are the dream of any Shinigami. However, it’s stupid to have a dream while awake. That’s why I will call this project the “Sleep Project”.

– Mayuri Kurotsuchi

The Nemuri Project was a collection of attempts to create a whole new soul from what is referred to as “konpaku cells”, but as you’d expect, creating life is no small feat. There were six failed attempts in the Nemuri Project, each one giving Kurotsuchi the basis of a different technology, and it is only in the fourth attempt that the organism being developed managed to grow a brain. The fifth attempt managed to develop into an embryo, while the sixth attempt made it to two years old before dying. The seventh is the individual we came to know as “Nemu”, who was initially referred to by her designation “Nemuri No. 7”.

Why Was It Named the “Nemuri Project”?

A Dream Come True

According to Akon, Kurotsuchi named the Nemuri Project with a sense of irony, as the word “Nemuri” is the Japanese word for sleep, using the word to express the fact that the creation of an artificial soul from nothing is his dream; however, he considers having a dream while awake to be stupid. Thus, for as long as Nemu lives, breathes, eats, learns and evolves, Kurotsuchi considers himself to be in a state of slumber as she is his dream come true.

Nemu is Kurotsuchi’s magnum opus, which is why Kurotsuchi was very touchy about her involving herself in the battle against Pernida Parnkgjas of her own accord. The reality behind Nemu’s creation revealed that, despite his horrendous treatment of her as a mere tool that he created, Kurotsuchi was deeply moved by her existence and meant it when he described her as his “daughter”, which is why we see him despair for the first time ever when she is killed in action against the Left Arm of the Soul King. Kurotsuchi’s attachment to Nemu was deeply troubled and troubling, given the way he seemed to be unable to care any less whether she lived or died; however, as he mentioned in “BABY, HOLD YOUR HAND 2”, Nemu’s only duty is to continue to evolve.

The Nemuri Project

Iteration
Outcome

No. 1
Failure

No. 2
Failure

No. 3
Failure

No. 4
Failure, but a brain grew

No. 5
Failure, but managed to get to embryonic stage

No. 6
Failure, but grew to two years old before dying

Nemu
Resounding Success, tragically died while fighting Pernida Parnkgjas

Nemuri No. 8
Success, even retains the memories of her predecessor

During the fight against Pernida, Nemu saved her father/creator from various fatal situations without being ordered to do so, leading to Kurotsuchi actually working together with her for the very first time – to his chagrin, of course. He realized that he could trust her in battle because of how much growth she had shown; growth beyond his measured influence and control. His anger at her decision-making was reminiscent of a parent’s anxiety at watching their only child begin to make their own potentially life-altering decisions and being unable to do more than just watch their child become.

Nemu’s horrific death confirmed Kurotsuchi’s fears surrounding her involvement in the battle, but it was also the reason he came away with a victory against the hand. In a strange way, the duty to learn and grow that Kurotsuchi had placed upon her, and her self-imposed duty to protect her creator converged. Because Kurotsuchi held on to Nemu’s brain, he was later able to create an eighth iteration of the Nemuri Project after the events of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.