Bleach (Anime)

Bleach is a Japanese anime series based on Tite Kubo's manga of the same name. The series ran for a total of 366 episodes, including 111 episodes not from the manga. Bleach was produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Noriyuki Abe. Bleach's Japanese and English voice actors include some of the most credited and well known voice actresses/actors, such as Masakazu Morita and Johnny Yong Bosch. The series aired in Japan on October 5, 2004 to March 27, 2012. The English version aired on September 8, 2006 to November 1, 2014. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo is a 15-year-old-boy who has an ability to see ghosts/spirits. Because of his ability, he is able to meet a female death god (AKA Shinigami) named Rukia Kuchiki. To save his family and friends from Hollows, Rukia transfers her Shinigami powers to Ichigo. As Rukia becomes human, together they solve mysteries involving spirits and Hollows until from the spirit world come two other Shinigami, who explain that it is illegal to transfer Shinigami powers to humans and that Rukia exceeded the time limit to stay in the human world. After they sentence her to death for breaking the law, Ichigo snaps and swears to everyone that he will save Rukia by breaking into the spirit world.

Plot
Ichigo Kurosaki is a fifteen-year-old high school student with orange hair, brown eyes, and the ability to see spirits. As he tries to protect the spirit of a little girl from a hollow, he witnesses a clash between the malevolent spirit and a female Soul Reaper. Later, Ichigo is met by the same woman again in his room. She introduces herself as Rukia Kuchiki, and explains to Ichigo the basic duty of the Soul Reapers is the act of soul cleansing. The hollow, named Fishbone D, returns, attacking Ichigo's home, and Rukia is wounded. In order to save his family, Ichigo desperately takes Rukia’s power into himself and becomes a Soul Reaper to successfully defeat the hollow.

After discovering Rukia has enrolled in his class, Ichigo learns that she has lost her power and that he must pose as her substitute, until her powers can recover. Although he refuses this responsibility at first, Ichigo eventually accepts after realizing he cannot just turn a blind eye if he encounters a hollow again.

Ichigo discovers that one of his classmates, Orihime Inoue, is being stalked by her older brother's spirit who turned into the hollow Acidwire, which makes him hesitate to fulfill his duty. As Ichigo is forced to use his power again, his qualms of killing hollows are rested and he finally submits to his purpose as a substitute Soul Reaper.

Ichigo’s friend Yasutora "Chad" Sado comes into possession of a cursed cockatiel that is inhabited by the soul of a small boy. But supposed misfortune to anyone who possesses the cockatriel is due to a hollow named Shrieker who has been stalking the boy's soul. Chad is attacked by Shrieker before Rukia arrives to aid him.

With Rukia's help, Chad fights Shrieker despite not being able to see him. Ichigo eventually arrives and defeats the Shrieker. But as Shrieker was originally a murderer in life, he is dragged through the Gates of Hell instead of dissolving into the Soul Society. The spirit that inhabited the cockatiel is released to move on to the Soul Society.

In order for Ichigo to transform into a Soul Reaper when Rukia is not around, she purchases some soul candy from the Urahara Shop for him. However, the candy is actually a modsoul, an artificial warrior from the Soul Society created to destroy hollows. Once inside Ichigo's body, the modsoul goes on a rampage while ruining Ichigo's social image.

Ichigo confronts the modsoul possessing his body, but is then distracted by an emerging hollow. Together, they defeat the hollow. When Kisuke Urahara, the merchant who sold Rukia her gigai, comes for the "defective" merchandise, Ichigo takes the modsoul back and places him into a stuffed lion plushie while naming him "Kon". Meanwhile in the Soul Society, another Soul Reaper is sent to track down Rukia for retrieval.

Ichigo and his family visit Masaki's grave on the anniversary of her death. While there, the Soul Reaper sent to retrieve Rukia attacks them because she broke the Soul Society's laws by giving Ichigo her powers. The battle halts when Ichigo's sisters Karin and Yuzu are attacked by a huge hollow.

Ichigo confronts the hollow, who is revealed as the Grand Fisher, the hollow who killed Ichigo's mother. In a fit of rage, Ichigo defeats the hollow as he escapes being killed. The Soul Reaper sent after Rukia leaves with a warning when he witnesses Ichigo's strength.

When popular TV star/spirit medium Don Kanonji transforms a spirit into a hollow during an exorcism, Ichigo is forced to clean up the mess. Upon the hollow's defeat, Kanonji is shocked to realize what he has done. With a little cheering-up from Ichigo, Kanonji is back to his old self again, and calls Ichigo, despite Ichigo's objections, his new apprentice.

While on another hollow fighting mission, Ichigo encounters Uryū Ishida, a classmate belonging to a clan known as the Quincy, humans that can use spiritual power to manifest a bow to fight hollows. Uryu declares himself an enemy of all Soul Reapers and challenges Ichigo to a competition of hunting hollows.

The contest between Ichigo and Uryū has lured hundreds of hollows into Karakura Town, endangering many of Ichigo's friends. Chad is forced to fight a hollow in order to save Karin. During the battle, he is finally able to see the hollow clearly, and develops a new ability, an armored right arm capable of firing energy blasts.

The situation worsens as more hollows appear in the human world, attacking the school where Orihime and her friends are. While defending them, Orihime develops her own power, the Shun Shun Rikka, a group of fairy-like creatures coming from the hairpins given to her by her brother, and defeats the hollow. Afterward, Urahara takes in Orihime and Chad to help them with their new powers while Rukia and Ichigo confront Uryū.

The legion of hollows force Ichigo and Uryu to team up in combat while the others watch. A giant hollow called a Menos Grande arrives on the scene, and is driven away after Ichigo inflicts a wound assisted by power from Uryū. However, he releases too much spiritual power in the process. The strain of his powers causes Ichigo to lose consciousness, and Uryu saves him by releasing the excess energy through his bow.

Tired of mistreatment from Ichigo, Kon runs away to find a better owner. But he finds his abuse continuing from girls due to his freaky nature. Ichigo makes an effort to befriend Uryū but is rebuffed. Rukia becomes conflicted with her attachment with humans. Rather than endanger Ichigo, she runs away to face the newly-arrived hunters from the Soul Society. Ichigo chases after Rukia only to encounter the two soul reapers pursuing her.

Ichigo faces off against the Soul Reaper Renji Abarai. Renji triggers the shikai state of his zanpakutō with Ichigo overwhelmed against a fully trained Soul Reaper. Ichigo makes a comeback against Renji, overwhelming him. Just when Renji is about to fall, his commander Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's brother, steps in and defeats Ichigo with overwhelming pace. Rukia returns to the Soul Society so that Ichigo can be spared death, and Ichigo is left dying with his power stripped from him. He is then saved by Urahara, who agrees to help him rescue Rukia, who faces the death penalty in the Soul Society. Ichigo, however, must agree to train with Urahara to regain his powers.

As his last day of school ends, Ichigo is upset to discover that no one except for Orihime, Chad and Uryū seems to remember Rukia, due to a mind wipe imposed by the Soul Society. He begins his training at the Urahara Shop, first battling the shop's girl assistant, Ururu Tsumugiya to regain control of his spirit body. As the training enters stage two, Ichigo's soul is cut from his body and thrown into a pit. He must regain his Soul Reaper powers within three days, or risk becoming a hollow. Meanwhile, Yoruichi Shihōin, a talking cat, offers to train Chad and Orihime to control and enhance their powers so they can join Ichigo to go to the Soul Society and rescue Rukia.

In the Soul Society, Rukia’s sentence is moved up and she only has twenty five days left. In the pit, Ichigo battles through the agony of the process of becoming a hollow. His transformation is almost complete as he enters his own mind, coming face to face with his inner spirit, Zangetsu, who helps him unleash the Soul Reaper powers he was born with. In a powerful display, Ichigo emerges from the pit with his Soul Reaper uniform on, wearing the mask of a hollow. Breaking the mask off, Ichigo enters the next stage of his training, that is to fight Urahara.

While fighting Urahara, Ichigo learns that Zangetsu is the name of his zanpakutō. Upon learning the name, the sword transforms into its more powerful shikai form as Ichigo unleashes an energy blast which knocks off Urahara's hat, completing the third stage in his training. Orihime and Chad, meanwhile, finish their training with Yoruichi. The entire group, including Uryu, who has been training alone, set out for the Soul Society using a gate that Yoruichi and Urahara made.

Ichigo, Uryu, Orihime, Chad" and Yoruichi cross over into the Soul Society using the gate. They arrive in the Rukongai, where normal spirits reside. Ichigo quickly finds himself in a battle with the gatekeeper Jidanbo when he carelessly tries to enter the Seireitei, where the Soul Reapers reside. Thanks to Urahara's training, Ichigo easily defeats Jidanbo, but when Jidanbo opens the gate. Much to Jidanbo's horror Ichigo encounters the third division captain Gin Ichimaru.

Ichimaru uses his shikai and pushes Ichigo back through the gate. After being "shot" out of the Seireitei by Ichimaru, Ichigo and his friends must find another way in. While searching for a friend of Yoruichi’s, Ichigo meets Ganju Shiba, a man who claims to be the number one hater of Soul Reapers of the west part of the Rukongai. The two hate each other immediately and begin to fight, but their battle ends abruptly when the clock on the back of one of Ganju's friends goes off.

Yoruichi solicits the help of Ganju's sister, Kūkaku Shiba, who agrees to send them into the Seireitei using her fireworks cannon. Meanwhile, Rukia's sentence has been moved to fourteen days, and she is transferred into a cell called the Shrine of Penitence. An emergency meeting is called among all the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

In order to use the cannon to enter the Seireitei, Ichigo and his friends must first learn how to focus their spiritual energies in order to use an item called a Spirit Orb, a task Ichigo finds especially difficult. He finally succeeds with the help of Ganju and creates the shell he will need to ride the cannon. Within the Seireitei a meeting of all the captains in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads is held to discuss how to deal with the invaders. The meeting is interrupted by an alarm, indicating that someone has infiltrated the Seireitei.

Before the group launches into the Seireitei, Ganju reveals that the reason he hates Soul Reapers is because his brother was killed by one. In the Seireitei, the eleventh division captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, sets out to hunt Ichigo, believing him to be a worthy opponent. Fifth division captain Sosuke Aizen confronts Ichimaru in front of the tenth division captain Toshiro Hitsugaya about his flimsy excuse for allowing the invaders to escape. As the crew passes through the shield surrounding the Seireitei, Ichigo’s inability to control his spiritual energy results in the shell exploding, separating the group into four different locations.

Ichigo lands with Ganju, whereas Uryu is with Orihime, while Chad and Yoruichi are alone. Ichigo and Ganju encounter and fight eleventh division members, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa respectively. Ikkaku gains an advantage by using the shikai of his zanpakuto against Ichigo. Whereas Ganju attempts to escape from Yumichika using a series of tricks.

Ichigo eventually overpowers Ikkaku, although he is injured in the process. Ganju and Yumichika continue their fight, with Yumichika pursuing Ganju throughout the Seireitei. Kenpachi continues to search for Ichigo, but is lost, thanks to the poor directions of his lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi.

Ganju manages to defeat Yumichika by exploding fireworks on his face. Uryu and Orihime are confronted by Jirobo Ikkanzaka, the fourth seat of the seventh division. Uryū is easily able to destroy the projectiles he sends at them, and destroys his ability to be a Soul Reaper when he threatens Orihime. Meanwhile, the twelfth division captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, dispatches squads to locate the intruders.

Ichigo and Ganju attempt to escape the Soul Reapers following them by using Hanataro Yamada, a fourth division officer, as a distraction. They fail, but the Soul Reapers are distracted by Chad's energy blasts elsewhere, enabling them to escape. Hanataro promises to take Ichigo and Ganju to Rukia. Kenpachi is still attempting to find Ichigo, but Yachiru's directions are leading him in the opposite direction. He then heads to Ikkaku, and stops Mayuri from attacking Ikkaku when the latter refuses to answer any questions.

With Hanataro's help, Ichigo and Ganju begin to move towards Rukia's location. However, Renji Abarai, the lieutenant of the sixth division, confronts them. Ichigo begins to fight him, and Renji reveals that he is five times more powerful than when they fought previously.

Ichigo and Renji fight viciously, with Renji initially gaining the advantage. However, Ichigo reflects on his training with Urahara, and uses his "resolve" to fire a blast of spiritual energy at Renji, defeating him.

Renji reflects on his past with Rukia, remembering how they were childhood friends, and how they joined the Soul Reaper Academy together. However, they steadily grew more separated, and he stopped interfering with her after she was adopted by the Kuchiki clan. After reminiscing, he begs Ichigo to save her.

This is a filler episode featuring Don Kanonji and the Karakura Superheroes. Karin Kurosaki successfully destroys a hollow with her soccer ball after it falls from the sky, along with a kitten's soul. Elsewhere, Ururu Tsumugiya and Jinta Hanakari see a hollow and destroy it. At the park, Kanonji informs the group that he intends to form a team of heroes, the Karakura Superheroes. Later, the kitten shields Yuzu Kurosaki as more hollows attack her, and the minor hollows around them meld into one larger hollow. With help from the kitten, the Karakura Superheroes defeat the hollow.

Hanataro and Ganju carry Ichigo away as the Soul Reapers arrive. Hanatarō begins to heal Ichigo in the underground tunnels. Renji, despite being heavily injured, is incarcerated on the orders of his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki. Meanwhile, the Soul Reaper high command orders all-out war against the intruders. As fifth division lieutenant Momo Hinamori travels to a meeting of lieutenants the following day, she finds the corpse of her captain Aizen, hanging from a tower.

Believing that Ichimaru murdered Aizen, Hinamori attacks him, but is stopped by Kira. Hitsugaya stops their fight, and orders both to be incarcerated. He then promises to kill Ichimaru if he harms Hinamori in any way. Chad continues through the Seireitei, but the eighth division captain, Shunsui Kyoraku, decides to stop him. Ichigo, Ganju and Hanatarō travel towards Rukia's prison, but are immobilized by Kenpachi's immense spiritual force.

The tenth division lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, gives Hinamori a letter from Aizen, which discloses the true identity of his murderer. Meanwhile, Ichigo begins to fight Kenpachi. However, Kenpachi's spiritual energy is so great that Ichigo cannot even attack him.

As Chad continues through the Soul Society, he encounters members of the eighth division. He manages to defeat them all until Kyoraku confronts him. Although Chad is determined to win to uphold his promise to Ichigo, Kyoraku easily, albeit regretfully, defeats him.

Rather than kill him, Kyoraku orders Chad to be incarcerated. Elsewhere, Ichigo is fleeing Kenpachi, terrified of Kenpachi's overwhelming power. After realizing the importance of his mission, Ichigo finds the resolve to face him. He manages to cut Kenpachi, but becomes overconfident after learning that Kenpachi has not mastered his zanpakuto. Kenpachi then stabs him in the chest, breaking Ichigo's zanpakuto in the process.

Zangetsu, the spirit of Ichigo's zanpakutō, brings Ichigo into his world. Through fighting a hollow version of himself, Ichigo realizes that zanpakutō are more than mere tools, and that simply knowing name of his zanpakutō does not make him more powerful. Ichigo is then able to fight Kenpachi on equal footing, and as the two clash in a massive strike, Ichigo collapses.

Kenpachi falls down beside Ichigo in defeat, and Yachiru takes him away for medical treatment. Yoruichi also retrieves Ichigo. Meanwhile Ganju and Hanataro arrive at Rukia's cell, but Ganju becomes infuriated because he believes Rukia was the killer of his brother, Kaien Shiba. Byakuya arrives, and Ganju decides to fight him.

As Ichigo awakens, Yoruichi reveals that she is actually a woman. Afterwards, Yoruichi shows Ichigo a device that allowed her to fly, and Ichigo uses it to go save Ganju and Hanataro. Meanwhile, Byakuya easily defeats Ganju with his shikai, but is then stopped by the thirteenth division captain, Jushiro Ukitake. Ichigo arrives and fights Byakuya. Before Byakuya can activate his shikai, Yoruichi stops him.

As Renji Abarai recovers in his cell, the spirit of his zanpakuto Zabimaru says that he wishes to face Ichigo's zanpakuto Zangetsu again, but Renji tells him that Ichigo is no longer his enemy. Elsewhere, Yoruichi manages to evade Byakuya and escape with Ichigo. After Ichigo regains consciousness, she begins to instruct him in the use of his bankai, the final stage of his zanpakuto that would vastly increase his power. Meanwhile Orihime and Uryu are attempting to travel to Rukia's cell by using Soul Reaper clothes, but they are closely watched by twelfth division captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

Orihime and Uryū continue towards Rukia's location, but are accosted by Makio Aramaki, a Soul Reaper of the eleventh division. Some twelfth division members arrive to help, but Mayuri, who has made them into human bombs, detonates them. Orihime uses her powers to protect Uryu and herself from the explosions, and Mayuri expresses his wish to experiment on Orihime. Uryu begins to fight Mayuri, but is quickly disabled by the paralyzing abilities of Mayuri's zanpakuto when his lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi, uses her body to hold down Uryu. Mayuri then reveals that he has experimented on many other Quincy, including Uryu's grandfather, Soken Ishida, and was responsible for his death.

Uryu uses the Quincy technique ransotengai to overcome the paralysis of Mayuri's zanpakutō. However, he is outclassed by Mayuri, and is forced to take off his sanrei glove, an act that releases the limits on his powers. Uryu proceeds to completely overwhelm Mayuri, even after Mayuri releases his bankai, but Mayuri escapes by transforming into a liquid. Nemu gives Uryu the antidote to the poison of Mayuri's bankai, and Uryu continues on towards Rukia's cell, severely weakened, until he is confronted by another Soul Reaper captain, Kaname Tosen.

Tosen disables Uryu instantly with his zanpakuto, and has him incarcerated. Yoruichi summons Zangetsu using a tenshintai, one of Kisuke Urahara's inventions. Zangetsu states that if Ichigo defeats him, he will be able to perform his bankai, and will be slain if he fails. Elsewhere, Hanataro Yamada is admonished by his captain, Retsu Unohana. For helping Ichigo, Renji breaks out of his prison cell, third division captain Gin Ichimaru releases his lieutenant, Izuru Kira, from his imprisonment, and eleventh division captain Kenpachi Zaraki agrees to help Orihime find Ichigo in order to fight Ichigo again.

While incarcerated, fifth division lieutenant Momo Hinamori recalls her experiences at the Soul Reaper Academy, where she befriended Renji and Izuru. On a field trip to hunt hollows, she and her comrades were saved by captain Sosuke Aizen and then-lieutenant Ichimaru when powerful hollows attacked. Back in the present, Hinamori knocks her guard unconscious and escapes from her cell, planning to confront the person who killed Aizen.

Yoruichi notes that Ichigo's training for his bankai is going well and stops the training for the day. She reveals in their subsequent conversation that Kisuke Urahara used to be the twelfth division captain. Elsewhere, Toshiro Hitsugaya confronts Ichimaru and Kira over Aizen's murder, but is interrupted by Hinamori, who believes that Hitsugaya killed Aizen. Hitsugaya knocks Hinamori unconscious and prepares to kill Ichimaru.

Hitsugaya and Ichimaru begin to fight, and Ichimaru initially takes the upper hand with his swordplay. Hitsugaya turns the tables by using the shikai of his zanpakutō to immobilize Ichimaru by freezing his arm, but this advantage is countered when Ichimaru uses his own shikai to threaten the unconscious Hinamori. Tenth division lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto arrives to aid Hinamori and Hitsugaya, and Ichimaru withdraws rather than go against her. Meanwhile, Renji arrives at Ichigo's training spot and reveals that Rukia's execution date has been moved to the next day.

Rukia reminisces about her past as a member of the thirteenth division. As she was able to get into the Thirteen Court Guard Squads due to being part of the Kuchiki clan, she was disliked by the other members of her division, but she was able to construct a deep friendship with lieutenant Kaien Shiba. One night however, a hollow merged with Kaien and attempted to kill Rukia. Kaien regained control of his body, and impaled himself on Rukia's zanpakuto. Rukia, believing that she is a coward who killed Kaien, is convinced that she should be executed.

In this filler episode, Kon tries to escape from Yuzu Kurosaki. While on the run, he is found by a desperate Don Kanonji, whose television ratings are starting to plummet. Together they reform the Karakura Superheroes, with Yuzu playing Karakura Yellow and Kon playing Karakura King.

Kenpachi, along with Orihime and his subordinates, begins to travel to the execution grounds, but are confronted by captains Sajin Komamura and Tosen, with their respective lieutenants, Tetsuzaemon Iba and Shuhei Hisagi. Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa, Kenpachi's subordinates, begin fights with Iba and Hisagi respectively, and Komamura and Tosen attack Kenpachi. Elsewhere, Renji has acquired his bankai, and Yoruichi is confident that Ichigo will do the same.

Renji travels to Rukia's execution area, and meets his captain Byakuya along the way. Renji ends up using his bankai to fight Byakuya, but his lack of experience with his bankai stymies his efforts. Byakuya uses his shikai to try and counterattack but fails and Renji reveals that his bankai is held together by his spiritual pressure. Byakuya uses his own bankai and attacks again, wounding Renji and causes his bankai to fade away. Finally Renji makes a last try and actually reaches his captain with his zanpakto, but it breaks and Renji's wounds cause him to fall as the captain congratulates him.

As Rukia travels to the execution area, Ichimaru shatters her resolve by offering to help her, but subsequently claiming that his offer was insincere to begin with. Kenpachi is easily battling both Komamura and Tosen, forcing Tosen to use his bankai, which removes all of Kenpachi's senses with the exception of his sense of touch. Despite being unable to see Tosen, Kenpachi manages to locate and injure Tosen, but is stopped from killing him by Komamura. Komamura activates his bankai and engages Kenpachi. Meanwhile, Rukia arrives at the execution grounds.

Rukia has accepted her execution, and gives a request to first division captain Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto to send Ichigo and his friends home after her execution. The sokyoku, a massive halberd that transforms into a phoenix, is the execution method. However, Ichigo steps forward and stops the sokyoku with his sword, and sympathetic captains Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake destroy the sōkyoku. As Renji arrives to take away Rukia, Ichigo defeats three pursuing lieutenants with his bare hands, and turns to face Byakuya.

Byakuya begins to fight Ichigo, and promises to execute Rukia himself. Unohana personally heals all of the injured present, then leaves to investigate another location. Kyoraku and Ukitake also sprint from the execution grounds, and the pair confront Yamamoto in a secluded area. In an overwhelming display, Yamamoto activates his shikai and incinerates the surrounding area.

Yumichika returns to his captain after defeating Hisagi, and Kenpachi remarks that Komamura fled after Yamamoto began fighting. Kyoraku and Ukitake decide to fight their teacher, and both use the shikai of their zanpakuto. Meanwhile, second division captain Suì-Feng begins to fight Yoruichi, her former commander and teacher, and gains the advantage after she begins using her shikai. Believing she has the advantage, Suì-Feng activates a nameless technique she recently discovered which greatly increases her power. However, Yoruichi activates the same technique, calling it "shunko".

Suì-Feng recalls her past with Yoruichi. She was Yoruichi's personal guard, and highly faithful to her. However, when Yoruichi left the Soul Society, she felt betrayed, and carried a grudge against her mentor from that point forward. As Suì-Feng attacks, Yoruichi uses her shunko to block all of Suì-Feng's attacks. Suì-Feng breaks down in tears, asking Yoruichi why she did not take her along when she left the Soul Society. Ikkaku and Iba are fighting, albeit casually for sake. Near the execution site, Ichigo uses his newly learned Getsuga Tenshō technique to defeat Byakuya's shikai and requests that Byakuya use his bankai.

Byakuya uses his bankai and overwhelms Ichigo with millions of tiny blades. In response, Ichigo uses his own bankai, which makes him incredibly fast. Ichigo evades Byakuya's bankai and stabs him with his sword. Meanwhile, Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto head to the Central 46 Chambers, the highest authority in the Soul Society.

Byakuya uses the second form of his bankai, summoning several rows of swords. As he and Ichigo continue to fight, Ichigo becomes progressively weaker as the strain from his bankai increases. His inner hollow takes over his body after Byakuya wounds him, and he starts to overwhelm Byakuya. However, Ichigo manages to suppress his inner hollow, and regains control over his body. Both Ichigo and Byakuya focus the remainder of their powers and clash in a final strike, with Ichigo the victor. Byakuya reveals that he would allow Rukia to be executed because he values the law above her life "once a criminals punishment has been decided it must be carried out", and admits defeat, claiming that Ichigo has convinced him not to execute Rukia. Elsewhere, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto enter the Central 46 Chambers.

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto enter the Central 46 Chambers to find all of its occupants slain. Kira arrives, and Hitsugaya and Matsumoto pursue him. Hitsugaya returns when Kira tells him that Hinamori has entered the Central 46 Chambers. Ichimaru meets Hinamori and takes her further into the chambers, where she is reunited with Aizen. Aizen impales Hinamori with his sword, and Aizen and Ichimaru leave the chamber. Hitsugaya arrives, and is enraged at Hinamori's state. He uses his bankai, but Aizen effortlessly defeats him. Unohana appears, denouncing Aizen after discovering that he is a traitor. Aizen then informs her that every Soul Reaper has been under the hypnosis of his zanpakuto, with the exception of the blind Tosen, Aizen's other accomplice.

At Unohana's command, Isane Kotetsu informs all high-ranking members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads of Aizen's duplicity. Aizen arrives at Rukia's execution site, where Tosen has brought Rukia and Renji. When Aizen asks Renji to leave Rukia, he refuses and begins to fight Aizen. Ichigo also arrives, and the two fight in unison against Aizen. Aizen defeats both of them, and begins to explain his reasons for betraying the Soul Society until he is interrupted by Komamura.

Aizen defeats Komamura with an extremely powerful kidō spell and continues his explanation by revealing he arranged Rukia's execution to obtain the Hōgyoku, an orb that would allow him to gain hollow powers that was hidden in Rukia's gigai by Urahara. After extracting the Hōgyoku from her body, Aizen orders Ichimaru to kill Rukia before Byakuya saves her as the majority of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads then arrive to restrain Aizen. But Aizen and his accomplices use several hollows to escape into the hollows' world Hueco Mundo. Afterwards, as Byakuya recovers he explains to Rukia that he married her sister, Hisana, and adopted Rukia into the Kuchiki clan as Hisana's dying wish. But explaining that as he promised his parents to uphold the law without question as he broke his clan's rules in adopting her. Byakuya admits that he was conflicted between following the rules and allowing Rukia's execution or breaking them to save her.

After everyone tries to get over that Aizen, Gin and Tosen betrayed them. Ichigo and his friends return to the human world. However, Rukia decides to remain in the Soul Society rather than leave with Ichigo. Before Ichigo leaves, Jushiro gives him a substitute Shinigami badge, to which he accepts. As Ichigo and company, including Yoruichi her in cat form, travel back through the Dangai to get to the Human World and emerge above Karakura Town. They quickly begin falling toward the ground. Fortunately, Kisuke Urahara and his assistants catch them and welcome them home. Urahara formally apologizes about keeping the Hōgyoku a secret, but Ichigo doesn't mind. However, he does tell Urahara to apologize to Rukia the next time they meet. Everyone gets off at their own stop, though Ishida tells Ichigo that when they meet again, they’ll be enemies, reminding him that they are a Quincy and a Shinigami. Ichigo himself gets off early and walks back home to the family clinic. While flying back, Kisuke and Yoruichi talk about the future war. They both realize the battle isn't over and very soon, he and the other Shinigami will have to rely on Ichigo's group and their strengths more than ever.

Difference Between Anime and Manga
But in the anime, the scene is played differently. Ichigo is not with his family, whereas Yuzu is shown crying as Karin prays to Masaki. Along with the fact that Karin beats up Isshin for being too energetic.
 * In the manga, the Dead Girl has blood on her face and is wearing a night grown when she sees Ichigo. But in the anime, there is no blood present on her whereas she is seen wearing a striped tank top and shorts when she thanks Icgigo.
 * In the manga, Ichigo seems to possess the ability to make the gang see her, effectively scaring them off. But in the anime, this is never shown so he uses a threat instead.
 * In the manga, Ichigo gets annoyed when Karin tries to make money off of him seeing ghost. But in the anime, this never shown. Instead Ichigo attacks his father who had attacked him when he just got home.
 * In the manga, it was Yuzu that told Ichigo he had a New Ghost appearing behind him. But in the anime, it was Karin.
 * In the manga, Ichigo meets Rukia after he fought Isshin. But in the anime, Ichigo meets Rukia the next day when he sees kill a hollow while he was walking to school.
 * In the manga, Isshin even attacks Ichigo when he is talking to Rukia. But in the anime, this is never shown. Instead he is shock that Ichigo tells his problems to Karin and Yuzu instead of him.
 * In the manga, after Isshin and Ichigo are done fighting in Ichigo's bedroom. Ichigo explains to Isshin that he is talking to a female soul reaper. Since he is clueless, Isshin asks Ichigo who he is talking to. But in the anime, this is never shown. Instead after learning that Ichigo doesn't tell his problems to him, Isshin sadly cries on Masaki's huge memorial photo.
 * In the manga, when the Kurosaki Clinic gets attacked by Fishbone D, Yuzu is grabbed by the Hollow and Karin warns Ichigo about the Hollow. However in the anime, Yuzu is the one who warns Ichigo and Karin is the one who gets grabbed.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo gets Rukia's soul reaper powers through her sword. He gets stabbed by her sword. In which his blood is shown on her sword as he is stabbed through his chest. But in the anime, the scene where Ichigo got stab is not shown at all whatsoever. Instead the stabbing sound effects of the wound is heard on screen.
 * In the manga, when the boy Plus comes to the Yumizawa Children's Park everyday around noon. Ichigo explains to Rukia that the little boy plus is at the age of five or six. But in the anime, this conversation is never shown. Instead he learns that the little boy will be attack by the hollow.
 * In the manga, the little boy never went to the afterlife after Ichigo saved him the hollow. But in the anime, Ichigo does send the little boy to the afterlife after he saved him from the hollow.
 * In the manga, Orihime gets run over by a car when she is walking home at night. But in the anime, she gets run over by the car off screen but during the day when Ichigo and Rukia see this.
 * In the manga, Orihime talks with Ichigo and Rukia at a park. But in the anime, she talks to them while they are in the city.
 * In the manga, it never showed how Sora became a Demi Hollow. But in the anime, it's reveal that he became a Demi hollow on purpose in order to attack Ichigo.
 * In the manga, it never shown how Ichigo came to Orihime's house to rescue her from Sora. But in the anime, it does shown how he got to Orihime's house. It shows that Ichigo ran and jumped on the house rooftops in order to get to Orihime's house.
 * In the manga, Sora reveals that he has a grudge against Ichigo and Tatsuki for making Orihime forget about him completely. But in the anime, Sora only explains about his grudge against Tatsuki overall.
 * In the manga, when Sora explains about his past to Ichigo and Rukia. A scene of Orihime being shown at the age of three is shown. But in the anime, this never shown. Instead he says that he was 15 when Orihime was born.
 * In the manga, Sora reveals that his mother was a whore and that his father was a alcoholic. But in the anime, Sora tells Ichigo and Rukia that his parents abandoned him and Orihime.
 * In the manga, Orihime hugs Sora when they are up close to Ichigo. But in the anime, Orihime does this to Sora when they are further away from Ichigo.
 * In the manga, Rukia erases Orihime's memories as soon as Sora departs into the afterlife. But in the anime, she did it after bringing Orihime's soul back into her body.
 * In the manga, Ichigo agrees to help Rukia out with her job when he saves the little boy ghost from the hollow. But in the anime, he agrees to help Rukia with her job after the ordeal with Orihime and Sora.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo and his friends have lunch on the rooftop after one of their classes ended. Reiichi Oshima is shown picking a fight with Ichigo, as Ichigo tells Reiichi that he is stronger than him. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead Chad comes to his friend while explaining why he was late to school.
 * In the manga, Ichigo never explained to Rukia how he met Chad. But in the anime, he does explain to Rukia about how he met Chad.
 * In the manga, Ichigo searches for Chad while asking Keigo and Mizuiro if they had seen him in class. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead Ichigo is already on the streets searching for Chad.
 * In the manga, Ichigo's teacher lets him slide by skipping class while trying to figure out why he is running off when class already started. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead this scene is shown in episode 64 after Ichigo saved Rukia from getting kill by the soul society. When Ichigo goes outside to stop Renji from yelling, she marks Ichigo absence while saying he's alright. But thinks that Ichigo's other male friends are delinquents, which shocks Keigo.
 * In the manga, Karin is shown getting sick while being in school. But in the anime, she is shown getting sick while being at home.
 * In the manga, Karin yells at Yuzu and Midoriko Tono to go back to the classroom, while she still has a stomach ache. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead it shows Karin walking on the streets while Ichigo spots her.
 * In the manga, after Ichigo drops off Karin to their house. He reveals that Karin lost a fight to a six grader when she was in first grade. When she was in second grade, she got sent to the principal's office for throwing a ball to hard. And lastly when she was in third grade, she broke her leg while on a hiking trip. Showing that she didn't cry during any of these events. But in the anime, Ichigo only mentions about Karin being sent to the principl's office and when she broke her leg.
 * In the manga, Rukia senses Shrieker behind her in a close face to face angle. But in the anime, she senses him when he is further away from her. But see him on her right side when he appears right next her.
 * In the manga, Rukia kicks Shrieker in the neck with her knee cap. But in the anime, she kicks him in his face instead.
 * In the manga, when Chad leaves Yuichi Shibata to go help Rukia fight Shrieker. Yuichi reveals that he doesn't want to run over by a car. But in the anime, this is never mention. Instead he begs Chad not to go to Rukia, and mention that he isn't worry about himself.
 * In the manga, Chad punches the hollow known as Shrieker when he is face to face with Rukia. But in the anime, he punches Shrieker when he is next to Rukia.
 * In the manga, Shrieker while being high in the air becomes shock when Chad is able to pull a huge electric pole right in front of his eyes. But in the anime, Shrieker become shock upon seeing this when he is right above them in the air.
 * In the manga, Shrieker's bombs are spiders. But in the anime, his bombs are leaches.
 * In the manga, before Ichigo finishes off Shrieker for good. He removes Shrieker's actual tongue from his mouth. Along with removing Shrieker's leg as well. But in the anime, Ichigo actually does this by putting Shrieker's bomb back into his mouth in order to remove Shrieker's tongue off screen. But doesn't remove Shrieker's leg.
 * In the manga, Yuichi says goodbye to Chad while the latter has his back on a bar fence. But in the anime, he says farewell to Chad while the latter is standing away from Rukia.
 * In the manga, after Ichigo sent Yuichi's soul to the afterlife. Yuzu is seen sleeping next to Karin in her bed. But in the anime, it only shows Karin in her bed by herself.
 * In the manga, Rukia asks Kisuke for a new giguy since she helped with the Shrieker incident. But in the anime, she tells Kisuke in person that she is already having problems with her giguy.
 * In the manga, while Ichigo wonders where Rukia disappear to before class starts. Yuzu scolds him by telling him to eat breakfast downstairs instead eating while walking. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead he eats Rukia's breakfast after learning that she isn't in his closet. Whereas Yuzu tells Karin while eating breakfast at the table, that Ichigo has been eating in his room lately.
 * In the manga, Ichigo also realize that Rukia erased Chads memories of the battle with Shrieker due to the fact that the cocktail speaks normal. Along with the fact that Chad had brought the cocktail to school. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead he realizes this by pointing out that she did erase Chads memories after the incident with Kon.
 * In the manga, it never show what tasks Ichigo did as a soul reaper when Kon got into his classroom. But in the anime, it does show what tasks Ichigo do while Kon is in his classroom.
 * In the manga, Kon jumped a few meters over the gym teacher's head. But in the anime, Kon jumps a few inches above the gym teachers head instead.
 * In the manga, Orihime and Tatsuki are at the window when Kon lands on it in close range. But in the anime, Orihime and Tatsuki are further away from the window when Kon lands on it.
 * In the manga, when Chizuru sees Tatsuki fighting Kon inside Ichigo's body. She mentions that this is something that Bruce Willis will do. But in the anime, this is not mentioned at all. Instead she gets frighten by Tatsuki fighting Kon.
 * In the manga, Kon jumps out of the window that Ichigo is at in order to escape from him and Rukia. But in the anime, it shows Kon and Ichigo having a little battle inside the classroom before Kon jumps out of the window to make his escape from Ichigo and Rukia.
 * In the manga, when Keigo, Chad and Mizuiro return to their destroyed classroom. He wondering who could have done something like this. Keigo asks Tatsuki if she did this. So Tatsuki scares Keigo by giving him an angry look on her face, showing him that she doesn't want to be bother right now. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead Keigo and the boys were already in the classroom watching Tatsuki fight Kon.
 * In the manga, when a teacher also sees the destroyed classroom he asks Tatsuki the same question that Keigo asked her. So she gives him the same angry glare that she gave Keigo. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead Tatsuki is shown being angry while having fire flames around her.
 * In the manga, Orihime reveals the person that she saw wasn't Ichigo which confused her classmates. But in the anime, she realized this while sensing Ichigo move one of the chairs after he fell on the desks.
 * In the manga, the teacher in the destroyed classroom ask Tatsuki questions demanding to know how the classroom got ruin. He is then informed by Michiru on how the classroom got ruin but he doesn't believe her at all. It is until Ryo informs him that what Michiru is saying is true that he finally believes them by saying that he will inform the principal about this. Including that they should also clean up the classroom. But in the anime, these scenes are never shown. Instead the girls talk about this after Kon and Rukia left.
 * In the manga, Karin and Yuzu witness Kon in Ichigo's body jumping in mid air. Even though Yuzu believed it was Ichigo, Karin didn't believe this person was their brother until she saw this for herself. So she told Yuzu that person was not Ichigo, but she was shock that Midoriko also saw this. Karin then told Midoriko that she didn't seen anything at all. But in the anime, none of these scenes are shown. Instead it shows Ichigo complaining that Kon used his body to kiss Tatsuki including that he only acts mean on purpose to build up his image.
 * In the manga, Karin overhears some boys who claim Ichigo broke their video game. Believing he wouldn't do such a thing, Karin dismisses the idea that he was there and states it had to be someone else. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead Kon and Ichigo hear this themselves while watching the scene from a rooftop after Kon saved the three boys from the hollow.
 * In the manga, while Rukia explains what a Mod soul is to Ichigo. He admits in his mind that Rukia's drawings are cute. But in the anime, he tells her that her drawings suck. This gets him hit on the head by Rukia after he said this.
 * In the manga, Ururu apologized to Kisuke as soon as Kon sees three boys deleting their video game characters. But in the anime, this scene happens before Kon meets the three school boys.
 * In the manga, Kon destroyed the three boys game console after seeing them delete characters. So the boys tell their gym teacher about this with Yuzu being confuse about who the boys are talking about, while Karin thinks it's an imposter. But in the anime, Kon gets angry after seeing a character get delete right in front of him. This makes him confront the three boys in person which scares the three boys, and since the gym teacher didn't believe the three boys at all when they told her. She made them sweep the school yard after school.
 * In the manga, while Rukia and Ichigo are searching for Kon. Rukia asks a prevert which make Ichigo drag her away quickly, since the prevert wanted to touch her chest which confused her. But in the anime, Ichigo and Rukia try to find Kon without asking for help.
 * In the manga, Kon saved the three boys by himself when a hollow was about to kill them. However when he told them to run, this leads to him having Ichigo's right arm being cut. But in the anime, he saved the three boys without grabbing them. He fights the hollow on his own by kicking it to the ground, this causes a big wind to make the three boys land on the ground which confused them. The three boys then leave without Kon telling them to run.
 * In the manga, after the incident with Kon. Ichigo and Rukia watch the news on TV and learn that the news people also saw Kon running around in town. But in the anime, this scene is never shown at all. Instead it show's Ichigo and Rukia walking on the streets while trying to find a non live body for Kon to be place in.
 * In the manga, Mizuiro speaks to Ichigo out of his house after Yuzu tells him that he is waiting for him. But in the anime, Mizuiro is present with Keigo when Ichigo sees them outside of his window.
 * In the manga, Ichigo knows that Kisuke erased his classmates memories of Kon. But in the anime, Ichigo asks Rukia if she erased his classmates memories of Kon. To which she tells him yes.
 * In the manga, it is Tatsuki who tells Orihime that she will get detention for doing their art homework in correct. But in the anime, it is Michiru who says this to Orihime.
 * In the manga, it was Orihime who notice that Ichigo was tense as he enter the classroom. But in the anime, Tatsuki tells Orihime about this without her even knowing.
 * In the manga, after Isshin's meeting with his children. Yuzu is seen sleeping with Karin in her bed. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead it shows Ichigo explaining to Rukia that tomorrow is the anniversary of Masaki's death.
 * In the manga, Tatsuki tells Orihime that she is Ichigo's childhood best friend when the Kurosaki family is walking to the grave yard. But in the anime, she says this after the Kurosaki family are at the grave yard entrance.
 * In the manga, Tatsuki tells Orihime that Masaki's died when Ichigo was nine as soon as he sees Grand Fishers lure while Rukia is talking to him. But in the anime, this scene was shown after Ichigo accused Rukia of thinking that a hollow killed Masaki's. Including that the scene with Ichigo seeing Grand Fisher's lure again right in front of him as he talks to Rukia is not shown in the anime.
 * In the manga, Ichigo admits to Rukia that he killed Masaki as he tries to catch up to Grand Fisher's lure. But in the anime, he tells this to Rukia before he runs off into the woods.
 * In the manga, when Masaki came to pick up Ichigo from the dojo. She was seen with no parents next to her. But in the anime, it does show her with random parents at her side.
 * In the manga, Ichigo is with his family as Karin tells Masaki hat Isshin is the same. Not only that Yuzu even asks Ichigo to stop Isshin from being too energetic.
 * In the manga, Masaki even teased Ichigo that he couldn't beat Tatsuki in a martial arts match. However Ichigo angrily tells her that he beat Tatsuki the other day. But in anime, Ichigo says this calmly instead being angry.
 * In the manga, Ichigo tells Masaki to hold his hand while they walk home. But in the anime, he asks her if he can hold her hand instead.
 * In the manga, a young Ichigo tells Masaki to wait where she is standing at so can save Grand Fisher's lure. But in the anime, Ichigo tells Masaki that he will be right back.
 * In the manga, Karin and Yuzu meet Grand Fisher when they are at a hill cliff. But in the anime, they meet Grand Fisher at Masaki's grave.
 * In the manga, Ichigo senses that Karin and Yuzu are in danger. He then meets up with Rukia while running to Yuzu and Karin's location. But in the anime, Ichigo has a fight with a soul reaper. While Rukia tells Ichigo that his family is in danger. They then run to go save Karin and Yuzu.
 * In the manga, Rukia turned Ichigo into a soul reaper before he makes contact with Grand Fisher. Not only that Rukia was shown carrying Ichigo after turning him into a soul reaper. But in the anime, Ichigo used Kon to turn into a soul reaper. He even let Kon used his battle after he nearly defeated Grand Fisher.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo lies unconscious after nearly defeating Grand Fisher. It is Rukia who explains that Ichigo is a strange boy after defeating a hollow. But in the anime, it is a soul reaper who saids this.
 * In the manga, when Karin regains consciousness after Ichigo nearly defeats Grand Fisher. She sees Kon talking to her. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead it shows Karin almost waking up to which Kon wonder if she is waking up.
 * In the manga, Rukia heals Ichigo's stomach wound which cause him to complain that the other parts of his body still hurt. She explains that couldn't heal his whole body since he was in soul reaper form but could only heal his stomach, and she apologized for it now that he back in his own body. But in the anime, this scene is never shown. Instead it shows Ichigo falling unconscious when he places his head on Rukia's shoulder after Grand Fisher escape from getting nearly kill.
 * In the manga, while Orihime and Tatsuki are talking on the 6 year anniversary of Masaki's death. She explains that she got kicked out of her apartment and is now living in a hotel, until she can paid off her apartment bills. But in the anime, this is never shown. Instead it shows Orihime reflecting on how similar she is to Ichigo as she is walking home.
 * In the manga, Orihime notice that it is raining as well and asks Tatasuki for an umbrella. But in the anime, this never shown at all. Instead it shows Orihime leaving with the umbrella, and saying goodbye to Tatsuki.
 * In the manga, just two days after the 6 year anniversary of Masaki's death. Ichigo and Tatsaki have a conversation where Tatsaki reflects on how Ichigo has changed since their childhood. But in the anime, this is never shown. Instead it shows Isshin reflecting on how Ichigo has changed when he is with him in front of Masaki's grave.
 * In the manga, Ichigo explains about the history of Dan Kanonji's show at his house much to his annoyance. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Yuzu admits that she wants to see ghost as well since watches Don Koniji's show. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Karin explains to Ichigo at their house that she and him are alike by seeing ghost clearly, and being not interested in watching Dan Koniji's show. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, after Ichigo learns that Karin is similar to him. He wonders if Karin can see soul reapers as well. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Yuzu tells her family that Don Kanonji is making a episode in their hometown. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, after Tatsuki pulls Orihime away from doing the Bohaha pose in front of Ichigo. Much to Ichigo's annoyance, he sees Chad doing it right in front of his face. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Orihime and Tatsuki see Keigo begging Rukia to come with him to Don Kanonji's show. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, when Keigo and Mizuiro sees Ichigo attending Don Kanonji's show. Ichigo threatened for them to shut up or he will kill them. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Keigo and Mizuiro see two girls at Don Kanonji's show. With Keigo trying to flirt with them with the Bohaha pose. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, when Karin hears the Demi Hollow's scream she says that it is making her stomach hurt. Including that it should have been better for her to stay home but she also wonders where Ichigo is. But ine the anime, it only shows her saying that she should have never come here.
 * In the manga, Tatsuki also hears the Demi Hollow's scream. But in the anime, she hears the scream alongside Orihime.
 * In the manga, when Don Kanonji makes the Demi Hollow scream really loud. It is only Karin's scare reaction that it is shown. But in the anime, it shows not only Karin, but Orihime, Tatsuki and Chad's reaction as well.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo gets in a fight with security guards to stop the show. Rukia tries to help him but she gets attack by security guards as well. But in the anime, it is only Ichigo who gets attack by security guards.
 * In the manga, Yuzu sees Ichigo be attack by security but she tells her father not to impersonate Ichigo. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Ichigo and Rukia have a argument on how many security guards that they each had that is stopping them from ruining the show. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Chad even tries to go Ichigo when the security guards attack him. But Keigo tells Chad not since he will make things worse. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Jinta and Ururu go to see the show with Kisuke. But in the anime, it is only Kisuke and Tessei who attend the show.
 * In the manga, Kisuke even erases a questionable person's memory who saw what he was wearing. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Karin even sees Ichigo about to fight the Demi Hollow. Even Tatsuki and Chad sense Ichigo fighting the Demi Hollow, even though they can't see him. But in the anime, none of these scenes are shown.
 * In the manga, even Orihime knows that Ichigo is fighting the Demi Hollow. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo runs through the hospital door busting shattered glass in the process. Isshin is shown protecting Karin and Yuzu using his body as a shield. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo is fighting the Demi Hollow in the hospital. He gets his sword stuck in the ceiling, and Dan Knoiji sets Ichigo's sword free with a spell. But in the anime, Dan Kanonji doesn't help Ichigo get his sword out of the ceiling.
 * In the manga, when the Demi Hollow brings Ichigo up to the rooftop in mid air, Karin can see this in person. But in the anime, Karin's reaction is never shown during this scene.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo is about to fight the Demi Hollow on the roof. He hopes Dan Kanonji doesn't show up. But in the anime, he doesn't mention this at all whatsoever.
 * In the manga, Don Kanonji never jumped in the Demi Hollow's way by telling Ichigo to finish the enemy off. But in the anime, he does do this.
 * In the manga, at school Ichigo's classmates learn that he is ranked number 18 for the top 50 best students. But in the anime, he is ranked number 23 instead.
 * In the manga, Ichigo's classmates learn that Chad is ranked number 11 for the top 50 best students. But in the anime, he is ranked number 10 instead.
 * In the manga, while Ichigo is fighting hollows and is searching for Karin at the same time. He knows that Karin is not in school but wonders where she hangs out at. But in the anime, he still doesn't knows where Karin is at and hopes to get to her in time.
 * In the manga, when Orihime is fighting a female hollow at school. The female hollow uses her attacks to make Orihime and her friends have blood on them. But in anime, her attacks are green acid seeds instead but will make Orihime and her friends bleed less.
 * In the manga, it shown that boys are cutting a young Orihime's hair. But in the anime, the boys are not shown in the flashback at all.
 * In the manga, when a young Orihime tells Sora that she got a haircut in a flashback Sora is not shown. But in the anime, he is shown in the flashback.
 * In the manga, a flashback shown Tatsuki scolding a young Orihime for not standing up to bullies. But in the anime, it just shows Orihime meeting Tatsuki for the first time instead.
 * In the manga, a flashback also shows Tatsuki defending a young Orihime from bullies. But in the anime, this is not shown whatsoever.
 * In the manga, when Uryu is done explaining his past to Ichigo. Ichigo kicks Uryu in the back of the head into a hollow's face. But in the anime, Ichigo does this to Uryu but further away from a Hollow.
 * In the manga, Yuzu finds Kon on the floor and mistakenly believe that he belongs to Karin. But in the anime, this scene is never shown.
 * In the manga, Kon runs away from Ichigo and returns by begging to stay with him. This storyline happens before Ichigo meets Don Kanonji and Uryu Ishida. But in the anime, this happens after Ichigo had already met Don Kanonji and Uryu Ishida.
 * In the manga, when Kon is running away from a female name Ryo Kunieda. Chad also joins in on the race with Ryo. But in the anime, it is only Ryo who chases Kon.
 * In the manga, when Orihime and Tatsuki asks Rukia to join them for lunch. It also shows Michiru, Chizuru, Mahana & Ryo Kunieda present during this scene. But in the anime, it is only Orihime, Tatsuki and Mahana that is shown during this scene.
 * In the manga, Kon tells Ichigo that the reason why he smells so bad is because Isshin used the bathroom before him. But in the anime, the scene just shows Ichigo spraying Kon with air freshener to get rid of how bad the toy bear smells.
 * In the manga, according to Ichigo and Kon's reaction. Rukia wrote her missing letter to Ichigo as a word search puzzle. But in the anime, she just writes her letter as an actual letter to Ichigo but uses it with bunnie symbols.
 * In the manga, after Renji defeated Uryu in battle. Ichigo arrives on the scene, and uses the same line, that Renji say after defeating Uryu to introduce himself. But in the anime, Ichigo introduced himself in a normal tone, but also told Renji that he is a substitute shinigami and that he is going to kick his A** as well.

Films

 * Bleach movie 1
 * Bleach movie 2
 * Bleach movie 3
 * Bleach movie 4

Theme Songs

 * Opening


 * "Asterisk" (Ep. 1 – 25)
 * "D-tecnolife" (Ep. 26 – 51)
 * "One Lone Flower" (Ep. 52 – 74)
 * "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" (Ep. 75 – 97)
 * "Rolling Star" (Ep. 98 – 120)
 * "ALONES" (Ep. 121 – 143)
 * "After Dark" (Ep. 144 – 167)
 * "CHU-BURA" (Ep. 168 – 189)
 * "Velonica" (Ep. 190 – 214)
 * "Girl S" (Ep. 215 – 242)
 * "Anima Rossa" (Ep. 243 – 265)
 * "CHANGE" (Ep. 266 – 291)
 * "Melody of the Wild Dance" (Ep. 292 – 316)
 * "BLUE" (Ep. 317 – 342)
 * "Spring Wind" (Ep. 343 – 366)
 * Closing


 * "Life is Like a Boat" (Ep. 1 – 13)
 * "Thank You!!" (Ep. 14 – 25)
 * "Comet" (Ep. 26 – 38)
 * "happypeople" (Ep. 39 – 51)
 * "Life" (Ep. 52 – 63)
 * "My Pace" (Ep. 64 – 74)
 * "Hanabi" (Ep. 75 – 86)
 * "MOVIN!!" (Ep. 87 – 97)
 * "Baby It's You" (Ep. 98 – 109)
 * "Sakura Biyori" (Ep. 110 – 120)
 * "Tiptoe" (Ep. 121 – 131)
 * "Bitter Orange") (Ep. 132 – 143)
 * "Tane o Maku Hibi" (Ep. 144 – 154)
 * "Gratitude" (Ep. 155 – 167)
 * "Orange" (Ep. 168 – 179)
 * "Gallop" (Ep. 180 – 189)
 * "Hitohira no Hanabira" (Ep. 190 – 201)
 * "Sky Chord ~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~" (Ep. 202 – 214)
 * "Kimi o Mamotte, Kimi o Aishite" (Ep. 215 – 229)
 * "Mad Surfer" (Ep. 230 – 242)
 * "Sakurabito" (Ep. 243 – 255)
 * "On a Journey to You") (Ep. 256 – 265)
 * "Stay Beautiful" (Ep. 266 – 278)
 * "Echoes" (Ep. 279 – 291)
 * "Last Moment" (Ep. 292 – 303)
 * "Song for..." (Ep. 304 – 316)
 * "Blue Bird" (Ep. 317 – 329)
 * "Haruka Kanata" (Ep. 330 – 342)
 * "Re:pray" (Ep. 343 – 354)
 * "MASK" (Ep. 355 – 366)

Sagas

 * The Substitute (Ep. 1 – 20)
 * Soul Society: The Entry (Ep. 21 – 41)
 * The Rescue (Ep. 42 – 63)
 * The Bounts (Ep. 64 – 91)
 * The Assault (Ep. 92 – 109)
 * The Arrancar (Ep. 110 – 131)
 * The Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry (Ep. 132 – 151)
 * The Fierce Fight (Ep. 152 – 167)
 * The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai (Ep. 168 – 189)
 * Arrancar vs Shinigami (Ep. 190 – 205)
 * The Past (Ep. 206 – 212)
 * Battle in Karakura Town (Ep. 213 – 229)
 * Zanpakuto: The Alternate Tale (Ep. 230 – 265)
 * Fall of the Espada (Ep. 266 – 306)
 * Gotei 13 Invading Army (Ep. 307 – 342)
 * The Lost Substitute Shinigami (Ep. 343 – 366)

Voice Cast

 * Japanese


 * Masakazu Morita as Ichigo Kurosaki/Hollow Ichigo
 * Yuki Matsuoka as Orihime Inoue & Young Ichigo
 * Fumiko Orikasa as Rukia Kuchiki & Hisana Kuchiki
 * Noriaki Sugiyama as Uryu Ishida
 * Hiroki Yasumoto as Yasutora "Chad" Sado
 * Kentaro Ito as Renji Abarai
 * Rie Kugimiya as Karin Kurosaki
 * Tomoe Sakuragawa as Yuzu Kurosaki
 * Toshiyuki Morikawa as Isshin Kurosaki & Kaname Tosen
 * Sayaka Ohara as Masaki Kurosaki
 * Junko Noda as Tatsuki Arisawa
 * Satsuki Yukino as Yoruichi Shihoin
 * Romi Park as Toshiro Hitsugaya
 * Ryotaro Okiayu as Byakuya Kuchiki
 * Kaya Matsutani as Rangiku Matsumoto
 * Shinichiro Miki as Kisuke Urahara
 * Pumihiko Tachiki as Kenpachi Zaraki
 * Akio Otsuko as Shunsui Kyoraku
 * Hideo Ishikawa as Jushiro Ukitake
 * Yuji Ueda as Sora Inoue
 * Takako Honda as Young Uryu
 * Reiko Kiuchi as Young Renji
 * Yu Kobayashi as Young Shuhei
 * Shiro Saito as Yoruichi's Cat Form
 * Tomoko Kawakami as Sui-Feng (Ep. 20 – 182)
 * Hoko Kuwashima as Sui-Feng (Ep. 206 – Present)
 * Nobuyuki Hiyama as Ikkaku Madarame
 * Tomoko Kaneda as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck
 * Toshihiko Seki as Kaien Shiba
 * Tomokazu Sugita as Kensei Muguruma
 * Masaya Onosako as Shinji Hirako
 * Saki Nakajima as Chizuru Honsho
 * Asami Sanada as Michiru Ogawa
 * Kayo Noumi as Mahana Natsui
 * Akemi Kanda as Mashiro Kuna
 * Sayori Ishizuka as Kyoko Haida
 * Kaoru Mizuhara as Kaoru Unagiya
 * Yuko Kaida as Ikumi Unagiya
 * Shigeru Chiba as Don Kanonji
 * Masashi Hirose as Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa
 * Reiko Takagi as Rurichiyo Kasumioji
 * Tetsu Inada as Sajin Komamura
 * Kiyoyuki Yanada as Tessai Tsukabishi
 * Akiko Hiramatsu as Kukaku Shiba
 * Wataru Takagi as Ganju Shiba
 * Takahiro Sakurai as Izuru Kira
 * Katsuyuki Konishi as Keigo Asano & Shuhei Hisagi
 * Chafurin as Grand Fisher
 * Chinami Nishimura as Kiyone Kotetsu
 * Yukana as Isane Kotetsu
 * Aya Hisakawa as Retsu Unohana
 * Hitomi Nabatame as Nanao Ise
 * Hisayo Mochizuki as Yachiru Kusajishi
 * Kumi Sakuma as Momo Hinamori
 * Takako Honda as Jinta Hanakari
 * Noriko Shitaya as Ururu Tsumugiya
 * Jun Fukuyama as Mizuiro Kojima
 * Mitsuaki Madono as Kon
 * English


 * Johnny Yong Bosch as Ichigo Kurosaki/Hollow Ichigo & Young Ichigo (Ep. 178)
 * Stephanie Sheh as Orihime Inoue & Isane Kotetsu
 * Michelle Ruff as Rukia Kuchiki & Mahana Natsui
 * Derek Stephen Prince as Uryu Ishida
 * Mac Worden as Yasutora "Chad" Sado (Agents of Shinigami arc – Soul Society arc)
 * Jamieson Price as Yasutora "Chad" Sado (Bounts arc – Present)
 * Wally Wingert as Renji Abarai
 * Kate Higgins as Karin Kurosaki, Retsu Unohana & Nanao Ise
 * Janice Kawaye as Yuzu Kurosaki
 * Patrick Seitz as Isshin Kurosaki & Kenpachi Zaraki (Ep. 244 – Present)
 * Ellyn Stern as Masaki Kurosaki
 * Mona Marshall as Young Ichigo (Ep. 7 – 8)
 * Wendee Lee as Tatsuki Arisawa, Ururu Tsumugiya & Yoruichi Shihoin
 * Steve Staley as Toshiro Hitsugaya & Shuhei Hisagi
 * Daniel Woren as Byakuya Kuchiki
 * Megan Hollingshead as Rangiku Matsumoto
 * Michael Lindsay as Kisuke Urahara (Ep. 4 – 214)
 * Doug Erholtz as Kisuke Urahara (Ep. 215 – Present)
 * David Lodge as Kenpachi Zaraki (Ep. 20 – 243)
 * Steve Kramer as Shunsui Kyoraku
 * Liam O'Brien as Jushiro Ukitake, Sora Inoue
 * Karen Strassman as Momo Hinamori & Sui-Feng
 * Vic Mignogna as Ikkaku Madarame
 * Colleen O' Shaughnessey as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, Michiru Ogawa & Kyoko Haida
 * N/A as Chizuru Honsho
 * Dave Mallow as Kaien Shiba & Kensei Muguruma
 * David Rasner as Kaname Tosen
 * Roger Craig Smith as Shinji Hirako
 * Terrance Stone as Yoruichi's Cat Form
 * Laura Bailey as Mashiro Kuna
 * Yuri Lowenthal as Keigo Asano, Young Renji, Young Byakuya & Kaoru Unagiya
 * Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Ikumi Unagiya
 * Michael Sorich as Don Kanonji
 * Eden Riegel as Rurichiyo Kasumioji
 * Kim Strauss as Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa & Sajin Komamura (Ep. 51 – 63)
 * J.B Blanc as Sajin Komamura (Ep. 64 – Present)
 * Michael Sorich as Tessai Tsukabishi
 * Kyle Hebert as Ganju Shiba
 * Grant George as Izuru Kira
 * Paul St Peter as Grand Fisher
 * Stevie Bloch as Yachiru Kusajishi
 * Debi Mae West as Hisana Kuchiki
 * Cindy Robinson as Jinta Hanakari, Kukaku Shiba & Kiyone Kotetsu
 * Tom Fahn as Mizuiro Kojima
 * Quinton Flynn as Kon

Trivia
all information on the Bleach (Anime) came from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach_(anime)
 * The third ending, "Houki Boushi," had a different animation for each episode, one for each of the 13 squads. The squad for each episode is as follows: Episode 26- 6th Squad, Episode 27- 3rd Squad, Episode 28- 11th Squad, Episode 29- 12th Squad, Episode 30- 4th Squad, Episode 31- 2nd Squad, Episode 32- 9th Squad, Episode 33- 7th Squad, Episode 34- 5th Squad, Episode 35- 10th Squad, Episode 36- 1st Squad, Episode 37- 8th Squad, and Episode 38- 13th Squad. In addition to the Captain and Lieutenant from each squad, they also show major characters from that squad, other characters that squad interacts with (ex. many of the female Lieutenants are shown hanging out in multiple endings), and a shot of our "heroes".
 * Early scanlations of the manga noted Ichigo's birthday as July 7 instead of July 15, causing great confusion among fans.
 * BLEACH creator Tite Kubo assigned several characters theme songs which are used to give insight to characters that might not normally appear in the run of the manga or anime.
 * Ichigo names the mod soul he finds Kon, which is fitting seeing as "Kon" literally translates to "soul".
 * The Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and BLEACH anime share the same musician, Shiroh Sagisu.
 * When Ichigo used to go to the hair dresser, people would ask him about his hair color and since he hated that, he doesn't go anymore. Normally, Yuzu cuts it.
 * In the first anime episode, there is an electric guitar which suggests Ichigo might like to play or listen to rock music (which is viable, considering one of his favorite celebrities is Mike Ness from the band Social Distortion).
 * According to the Shonen Jump's character popularity polls, Ichigo is consistently the Bleach series's favorite character.
 * Rukia likes to climb to high places, rabbit-themed items (evident when she reveals she wanted a "Chappy the Bunny" soul candy dispenser), and her favorite foods are eggs and cucumbers.
 * Rukia has consistently been the second most popular Bleach character in Shonen Jump's polls. Her position has been usurped only very recently by Toshiro Hitsugaya in an official poll.
 * The Shiba siblings have a naming pattern. The first characters in their names refer to a type of terrain ("kai" means "sea," "kuu" means "air," "gan" means "boulder) and the second characters refer to birds ("en" means "swallow," "kaku" means "crane," "ju" means "eagle").
 * On the front of the magazine that is offered to kon by the young boys in "Kon-samma's diary Part 1" (ep 56) is Matsumoto in a red bathing suit.
 * Starting from minute 30 of the 1 hour special (episode 68-69) you can hear, in the background, what was the current ending theme "My Pace" by SunSet Swish.
 * "Menos Grande" probably was meant to be translated as "Big Minus", in the sense of a very large Hollow, but in this specific order it is literally translated from Spanish as "Less Big".
 * Byakuya Kuchiki wears the standard captain uniform along with a white headpiece called a kenseikan (symbolizing his noble rank as the head of the Kuchiki family) and a white scarf made by the master weaver, Tsujishirō Kuroemon III. The scarf is called ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu (lit. silver-white windflower light silk), and is a family heirloom handed down through the generations to the head of the Kuchiki family. Ten large houses can be built from the cost of just one of these.
 * During the fourth opening, "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" (episodes 75-97), after the closeup of Kariya's right eye, there is a different still picture for every of those episodes.
 * In order to promote the new Bleach movie, the production team decided to replace the new Opening (Rolling Star - YUI) and Ending's (Baby it's you! - June) animation with footage from the movie "Memories of Nobody".
 * "Ichigo" using certain kanji does mean "strawberry," which is where his nickname comes from. However, the kanji used in his name means "to protect one."
 * When Byakuya Kuchiki was first shown in the real world he was infact not wearing his captians uniform...not to long after he was seen in Soul Society wearing his captains uniform
 * In episdoe 28, after the smoking shinigami-s begin to chase Ichigo, the anime is shown from the air, showing the streets of the Seireitei like a maze, the second time, when you see the maze, it's not only different, but it has the form of the number 28 (like on a digital watch), referring to the episode number.
 * Going with the "15" motif/joke in referrance to Ichigo's name (ichi - one, go - five), Ichigo's birthday is July 15th. Also, although several characters' birthdays have passed, they remain the same age (strangely enough, 15)
 * In the Japanese version, Ichigo's younger sisters often call him "Ichi-Nii" as a shorthand for Ichigo Nii-san. Ichi means 1 and nii means 2. He is also called Ichi-niisan which means 1,2,3 if 'niisan' is broken into 'nii' and 'san' respectively.
 * When Episode 186 aired on TV Tokyo in Japan, an unusual error occured. The ending sequence attatched to the episode did not include a credit roll. Instead, it was just the typical ending sequence without any credits.
 * The Arrancar section of episode 196, Byakuya and the Arrancar copy the act of endlessly dashing behind the other as done in the Buso Renkin manga.
 * In the restaurant scene of episode 204 at around 7.41 you can see the back of Sennas head from the Bleach movie "Memories of Nobody".
 * In episode 1. When Ichigo and Isshin throw their last punches before Ichigo goes to his room. Isshin falls in a way that the door behind Ichigo would be to his right. But after Ichigo leaves, we see that the top of Isshin's head now faces the door instead.
 * A Running gag in every episode, is that during the preview for the next episode, instead of a character explaining what's supposed to happen in the next episode, either two characters will argue with each other, or a single character will rant on and on about something that has no importance whatsoever to the next episode.
 * As of episode 20 episode, Ichigo's Zangetsu is always in its Shikai state.
 * In episode 1. Tite Kubo (Bleach creator) anwsered this question from 'anime insider' that (shortened)  Did Ichigo when he used Rukia's powers have his zanpaku-tô Zangetsu or Rukia's zanpaku-tô sode no shirayuki. Tite repled  He used used Rukia's I think because his powers were not 'discovered' till Zangetsu helped him become soul reaper (after his first fight with Byakuya).
 * In all episodes, Konamura is an anthropomorphic canine who is very self-conscious about his appearance, and so wears a large helmet that conceals his entire head when he is first introduced. After his fight with Kenpachi Zaraki (during which his helmet is destroyed), he gains enough confidence to go without the helmet. His canine appearance is often the source of jokes; for example, when his lieutenant asks where to find a bathroom, he appears to direct him to a fire hydrant, though he is in fact pointing at a bathroom just around the corner.
 * Komamura has a close friendship with Kaname Tōsen, and is shocked when the latter defects from Soul Society, feeling that his friend has abandoned his morals. Komamura resolves to awaken Tōsen with his own hands. Komamura is immensely strong, as demonstrated by his ability to hurl the arrancar Po's massive released state over his head and onto the ground.
 * In every episode Hitsugaya is only 3'5".
 * At the end of episode 89 in the English dub there is a spelling mistake, instead of saying "to be continue" it is spelled "to be countinued".
 * In episode 1 A Shinigami Is Born in the last scene where the girl ghost is being chased by a Hollow and just before Rukia explains to Ichigo what Shinigami do, we see five Hollow footsteps, but only hear the last four.
 * In episode 1 When Ichigo is confronting the skateboarders at the beginning of the episode, there are four of them. Yet when they run away, there are only three shown. In the next shot, the first guy knocked down is gone as well.
 * In episode 1, Soon after Rukia uses a binding spell on Ichigo, she draws a moustache on his face with a marker, yet soon after it's gone. Problem is, his arms were bound behind his back, so how could he wipe it off? As answer to this mysterious disappearance, it was not shown in the pacing of the anime version; but in the original manga version there's a scene showing that Ichigo is wiping the hopely-still-wet moustache drawing on the floor and he was successful in doing so.
 * In epsiode 1, the japanese word "shinigami" literally menas "death god" (shini means die & gami is one way of saying god, the other being kami) however when dubbed they call the Shinigami "Soul reapers" instead of "death gods". There is a reason for this however; despite its literal meaning, the Japanese word "shinigami", at least in recent years, is the word used for the traditional grim reaper of Western tradition. The grim reaper quite literally reaps souls; thus "soul reaper" is a logical translation.
 * In the English version in episode 5, that hollow with the exploding slugs says to Rukia and Chad, "Say hello to my little friends." That's the very famous line Al Pacino said in the movie "Scarface." Word-for-word. The voice-over almost sounded like Scarface himself.
 * In episode 16 Renji Abari has black tribal tattoos over much of his body. Besides his forehead, his arms, neck, shoulders, chest and back are tattooed. His legs do not appear to be tattooed yet. His tattoos increase in conjunction with his personal achievements. The eyebrow tattoos were his first. Rukia likes to tease Renji about his "weird tattooed eyebrows."
 * In episode 41 a familiar piece from Neon Genesis Evangelion plays.
 * Ichigo's name also sounds like ichi (one) and go(five). Thus in episode 113, you can see a sign on Ichigo's bedroom door saying 15.
 * In episode 132, Toushiro Hitsugaya reacts similarly to Edward Elric from FMA when one of Karin's friends called him a 'midget.' Ironically enough, both Hitsugaya and Ed were voiced by the same Japanese voice actress, Romi Park.
 * In episode 204, in the restaurant where Ichigo had dinner with Rurichiyo, there is a girl looks like Senna behind Ichigo.