Bleach Episode 10 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Assault on Trip at Sacred Ground!

At an abandoned hospital in Karakura Town, the taping of Casual Soul Realm Assault Trip is disrupted when a Jibakurei, whose heart is held by the building, is attacked by Don Kanonji with his Super Spirits Stick and turns into a Demi-Hollow. Ichigo, who came with his family and friends and was already annoyed by the show, first tries to stop Don Kanonji and then fights the Demi-Hollow with Rukia's support on the scene. Ichigo defeats the Demi-Hollow with help from Don Kanonji's Kanonball, and the Jibakurei is revealed beneath the Demi-Hollow's body.

• Jibakurei attacked during the taping

  During the live recording, Don Kanonji jams his Super Spirits Stick into the Jibakurei's chest hole, and the Jibakurei begins to howl and transform into a Hollow-like creature.

• Ichigo intervenes against the staff and Don Kanonji

  Ichigo leaps the barricade to stop the purification, is pinned by security, and is then freed by Urahara, who sends his soul out of his body so he can fight as a Shinigami.

• Demi-Hollow fight on the hospital and roof

  The Jibakurei reforms as a Demi-Hollow that pursues Don Kanonji, and Ichigo fights it inside the hospital and then on the roof, finishing it with a vertical slash through its mask after Don Kanonji's Kanonball enables the attack.

• Don Kanonji's admission and the Jibakurei revealed

  After the Demi-Hollow dissipates, the Jibakurei lies beneath it, and Don Kanonji realizes he created the Hollow and weeps before the crowd cheers him on.

Recent Timeline

• Hollow purified and Mod-Soul sealed (Episode 7)

  On the school rooftop, Ichigo and the Mod-Soul cut and kick the Hollow's mask in unison, and it disintegrates after purification, the Mod-Soul falling until Ichigo catches him by the leg. Urahara then pushes the Mod-Soul out of Ichigo's body, collects the pill, and declares the collection complete, ending the Mod-Soul's use of Ichigo's body. On Rukia's instruction, Ichigo seals the pill into a lion plushie, which comes to life, leaving the Mod-Soul stuck in that body. Rukia also erases the classmates' memories of the previous day's events, and Ichigo agrees they should not remember it.

• Ichigo's confession and exposure (Episode 8)

  Ichigo tells Rukia that he killed his mother and runs off, leaving her shocked; the admission ends the questioning about his mother's death and sets Rukia's view of him. Despite Rukia's warning, Ichigo then tells Saidō that he is a Substitute Shinigami. Saidō calls it a serious crime, so Ichigo's hidden status is now known to a Shinigami of the Onmitsukidō.

• Grand Fisher's flight at the cemetery (Episode 9)

  After the Lure revealed Masaki's final thoughts, Ichigo stabbed Grand Fisher through the side with his Zanpakutō, then drove it to flee into the sky while he collapsed from his wounds. Grand Fisher swore never to forgive Ichigo, leaving the battle unfinished.

• Demi-Hollow born at the abandoned hospital (Episode 10)

  During a televised purification, Don Kanonji jammed his Super Spirits Stick into the Jibakurei's chest hole, provoking it to become a Demi-Hollow that reformed on the hospital roof; he later realized his act was the direct cause of the monster's creation. Don Kanonji was struck down, and Ichigo, having earlier been freed of his restraints by Don Kanonji's Kanonball, drew his Zanpakutō, broke free of the Sticker Phlegm, and slashed the Demi-Hollow's mask vertically, ending the fight.

• Demi-Hollow dissipates and Jibakurei revealed (Episode 10)

  After the Demi-Hollow was defeated, its body shimmered and dissipated, exposing the Jibakurei lying underneath. The Jibakurei then also dissipated as Ichigo explained that a Hollow is a monster without conscience born from a broken Soul chain.

Character Graph

Fishbone D

Hollow

Hollow that pursues the dead girl and then turns on Ichigo's family, seeking a soul with high Reiryoku. He is destroyed when Ichigo cuts through his mask.

• Target

  Was drawn by Ichigo's suppressed power, which had been leaking through the dead girl.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Other, Hostility)

  The Human whose power he hunts; he is destroyed by Ichigo.

• Rukia Kuchiki (Other, Hostility)

  Shinigami who wounds him and is wounded in return.

• Karin Kurosaki (Other, Hostility)

  Girl he seizes and threatens to devour.

Ichigo Kurosaki

Human · Shinigami

Fifteen-year-old tenth grader from Karakura Town whose family runs a clinic. He has been able to see ghosts since childhood and ends the episode with Shinigami powers he took from Rukia.

• Shinigami powers

  Gained Shinigami powers by taking in Rukia's Zanpakutō and power, and now wields a large Zanpakutō of his own.

• Rukia Kuchiki (Pact, Mixed)

  The Shinigami who forced him into becoming one; they clash constantly yet cooperate against Fishbone D.

• Isshin Kurosaki (Family, Mixed)

  Father who fights and bickers with him yet shares the household.

• Yuzu Kurosaki (Family, Affinity)

  Younger sister who worries over him.

• Karin Kurosaki (Family, Mixed)

  Younger sister who is dismissive of him and whom he rescues from Fishbone D.

• Fishbone D (Other, Hostility)

  Hollow that hunts him for his Reiryoku and has attacked his sisters.

Karin Kurosaki

Human

Younger Kurosaki sister who is skeptical of ghosts and does not believe in them. She is calm and blunt at home.

• Disbelief

  Claims ghosts do not exist to her as long as she does not believe in them.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Family, Mixed)

  Older brother she dismisses, and who rescues her from Fishbone D.

• Yuzu Kurosaki (Family, Mixed)

  Younger twin sister who worries about her lack of reaction.

Yuzu Kurosaki

Human

Younger Kurosaki sister who can see ghosts but cannot interact with them. She tries to keep peace at dinner and is jealous of Ichigo's spirit attention.

• Spirit sight

  Can see spirits but cannot speak to or touch them.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Family, Affinity)

  Older brother she worries over.

• Karin Kurosaki (Family, Mixed)

  Older twin sister who is unconcerned by the family conflict.

Rukia Kuchiki (Princess of the Rukongai)

Shinigami · Kuchiki Clan

Shinigami sent from Soul Society to exorcise Hollows and send Pluses on. She first appears by purifying a Hollow in town and later forces her powers into Ichigo.

A Shinigami adopted into the noble Kuchiki Clan, formerly known as the "Princess of the Rukongai"; currently in the Human World hunting Hollows and has been delayed in returning to Soul Society.

• Role

  Explains Shinigami duties to Ichigo: sending Pluses to Soul Society with Konsō and purifying Hollows.

• Current state

  Stuck in a Gigai after Ichigo took most of her Shinigami powers.

• Reputation

  Was famous at the Shin'ō Academy under the nickname "Princess of the Rukongai" after her adoption into the Kuchiki Clan.

• Current status

  Keeps receiving orders to purify Hollows and has not returned to Soul Society; has a Denreishinki that alerts her to Hollows, and is hiding her Shinigami identity from Ichigo's family.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Pact, Colleague, Friend, Mixed)

  Partner forced by circumstance; she gave him her power to save his family and bickers with him throughout.

  Met in the Human World; she is wary of his family's safety and shows concern for him, which Saidō teasingly suggests is romantic interest.

• Fishbone D (Other, Hostility)

  Hollow she fights and wounds, and who threatens Ichigo's family.

• Eikichirō Saidō (Colleague, Hostility)

  Fellow Academy student two years behind him; she does not remember him and he is an Onmitsukidō agent sent to question her.

Eikichirō Saidō (Saidō)

Soul Society · Onmitsukidō · Shinigami

A Soul Society figure who plays spinning tops with children and is approached in an alley by an Onmitsukidō member about his next target, Rukia Kuchiki.

A Shinigami who fights Grand Fisher alongside Ichigo and Rukia and holds a close, teasing rapport with Rukia.

• Assignment

  Receives an assignment from an Onmitsukidō member to find out what else lies behind Rukia Kuchiki's offense in the Human World.

• Academy history

  Two years ahead of Rukia at the Shin'ō Academy, and was popular there according to himself, though Rukia does not remember him.

• Mission

  Confronts Rukia about Soul Society Shinigami growing irritated at her delayed return and questions her about her Human World activities; fights Ichigo after learning he is a Substitute Shinigami.

• Conduct

  Fights aggressively, ignores danger in the battle, and is sometimes shown falling asleep unexpectedly.

• Rukia Kuchiki (Colleague, Mixed)

  Fellow Shin'ō Academy alumnus two years behind him; he mocks her romantic interest in Ichigo and threatens to take her back to Soul Society.

  A fellow Shinigami; he teases her about coming of age and assures her he will not break up a serious couple.

Grand Fisher

Hollow

A Hollow that travels from Hueco Mundo to the Human World and pins Karin, seizes Yuzu with a tentacle, and holds the sisters as bait.

A Hollow that hides itself behind a Lure with a human appearance, attracting people with high Reiryoku and devouring them to increase its power; its favorite targets are women.

• Attack on the sisters

  Pins Karin to the ground, lifts Yuzu by the throat with a tentacle, and opens his mouth to devour Yuzu at the cemetery.

• Lure tactic

  Gives its Lure a human appearance and uses it to attract individuals with high Reiryoku, then attacks and devours them.

• Target preference

  Favors women as targets and has defeated Shinigami this way for over fifty years.

• Karin Kurosaki (Other, Hostility)

  Hollow that pins Karin to the ground and keeps her as bait.

• Yuzu Kurosaki (Other, Hostility)

  Hollow that seizes Yuzu with a tentacle and prepares to devour her.

Isshin Kurosaki (Isshin)

Human

Father of the Kurosaki household who runs the clinic with his children. He is mourning his late wife and is at odds with his children.

Ichigo's father, who grieves Masaki's death while encouraging his son to move on.

• Household

  Enforces dinner at 7:00 pm and quarrels physically with Ichigo.

• Masaki

  Speaks of Masaki's wishes, including her view of his smoking, and insists that no one is responsible for her death.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Family, Affinity)

  Son he spars and fights with, though he cannot see ghosts.

  His father; he tells Ichigo not to blame himself and encourages him to live well.

• Yuzu Kurosaki (Family, Affinity)

  Daughter who cares for him and the household.

• Karin Kurosaki (Family, Mixed)

  Daughter who is cold toward him.

Don Kanonji (the charismatic medium of the new century)

TV personality · medium

Television medium and host of Casual Soul Realm Assault Trip who claims to purify spirits on live broadcast and performs a signature pose and laugh with a catchphrase.

• Show popularity

  Claims his show has a 25% rating, meaning one in four Japanese citizens watches it, with many child viewers he feels must be shown courage.

• Demi-Hollow incident

  Purifies a Jibakurei with his Super Spirits Stick during a live broadcast, causing it to become a Demi-Hollow; then fights it, is protected by Ichigo, and admits he created the Hollow; declares Ichigo his number one pupil.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Mentor, Colleague, Mixed)

  Initially dismissive of Ichigo and fights his wish to stop the purification; later admires Ichigo's courage and power, asks to borrow his strength, and names him his number one pupil.

• Isshin Kurosaki (Other, Affinity)

  Isshin is a fan of the show, following Don Kanonji's broadcasts.

• Karin Kurosaki (Other, Affinity)

  Unlike the rest of her family, Karin is unimpressed by Don Kanonji's broadcasts.

• Yuzu Kurosaki (Other, Affinity)

  Yuzu is a fan of the show, following Don Kanonji's broadcasts.

World Memo

• Two types of spirits

  Spirits come in two kinds: Pluses, the normal spirits that living people such as Ichigo can see, and Hollows, evil spirits that attack both the living and the dead to devour their souls.

  All Hollows were once Humans. Pluses who hold onto grudges and regrets are hard to perform Konsō on; they linger alone and become Hollows on their own or are devoured by other Hollows, and the devoured then become new Hollows.

• Hueco Mundo reached by dark portal

  Hollows can retreat into Hueco Mundo through a portal of darkness.

• No return to former state for Hollows

  Hollows can never return to what they were previously.

• Hollows crave Shinigami souls

  Once a Hollow has tasted a Shinigami's soul, it will always crave Shinigami souls because they are exceptionally tasty, and Hollows must keep devouring to fill the emptiness of their existence.

• Hollows hide between worlds

  Hollows usually hide in the space between worlds until they appear to devour souls, so they cannot be located in advance and only show up in the Human World when they attack.

• Gates of Hell reserved for sinners

  The Gates of Hell are reserved for Souls and Hollows who committed sins while alive. The Zanpakutō only washes away sins committed after death.

• Project Spearhead cancelled in Soul Society

  Soul Society once ran a program called Project Spearhead that placed artificial combat souls into dead human bodies to fight Hollows; it was cancelled because it would force corpses to fight, and all Mod-Souls in development were slated for destruction.

• Mod-Souls must be destroyed by law

  Under Soul Society's law, Mod-Souls must be destroyed; these laws exist to protect Humans.

  Soul Society issued the destruction order soon after each Mod-Soul was created, so its death date was fixed the day after creation.

• Mod-Soul pill needs soulless body

  A Mod-Soul pill is inserted into a body without a soul, which would be a corpse.

• Reiryoku as Shinigami life energy

  A Shinigami's Reiryoku is their life energy, so its depletion or excess bears on their survival.

• Fixed-location Jibakurei hidden in earth

  Souls that inhabit a fixed location such as a building become fixed-location Jibakurei and assimilate into the earth, which largely keeps Shinigami and Soul Society from detecting them.

• Attachment-driven Jibakurei become Hollows

  A Jibakurei that feels strong attachment to a part of the Human World left alone can eventually become a Hollow.

Clue Board

• Suppressed Reiryoku origin (Episode 1)

  Rukia conjectures that Ichigo's power was almost completely suppressed until just now, which is why she sensed nothing from him and why no Hollow attacked him before. The cause of the suppression is unexplained.

• Shrieker's reason for pursuing the child (Episode 4)

  Shrieker has devoured two Shinigami who tried to perform Konsō on the child and relentlessly pursues the soul, but he refuses to explain why unless Rukia lets him devour her soul.

• Mod-Soul survival (Episode 7)

  Rukia is surprised some Mod-Souls still exist despite the order to destroy all those in development, and Ichigo wonders how this one survived being created and discarded.

  Urahara intends to destroy the pill, but Rukia takes it and hands it to Ichigo. The Mod-Soul then lives on inside a plushie body.

• Urahara's group identity (Episode 7)

  Urahara and his employees can see and hear Ichigo, which surprises him. Ichigo asks who they are, and Urahara hesitates without giving an answer.

• Source of Ichigo's transformation (Episode 8)

  Saidō asks how a Human like Ichigo can transform this way and how he got the ability. Ichigo refuses to answer, so the source remains unexplained.

• Girl cannot recall six years ago (Episode 9)

  The girl admits she does not remember things from six years ago and finds this interesting, leaving the reason for the gap unexplained.

• Ichigo's mother's killing (Episode 9)

  Ichigo's mother died on June 17 and was killed, not simply dead. He recalls as a child seeing a girl by the river, trying to save her, his mother calling after him, and finding his mother dead in a pool of blood. Who killed his mother is not yet known.

  Ichigo denies saying his mother was killed, then declares he himself killed her. Rukia's theory that a Hollow killed her by mistake while hunting Ichigo is rejected by him. The cause of death remains unexplained.

  Rukia reveals Grand Fisher's favorite target is women, and Masaki's head is shown inside the Lure, linking Grand Fisher to the mother's death.

• Lure may hold Masaki's last thoughts (Episode 9)

  The Lure manifests a Masaki who is not menacing, and Saidō theorizes it shows Masaki's thoughts; Rukia asks whether the Lure recorded them at the time of her death, and the meaning is left unresolved.

• Ichigo's potential to become a monster (Episode 10)

  Saidō notes that a Shinigami's Reiryoku is their life energy and asserts that Ichigo's immense power means he could become a monster, a possibility left open.

• Don Kanonji can see Ichigo (Episode 10)

  Don Kanonji can see Ichigo and claims this is because he is a charismatic medium, while Urahara notes he seems to have some power of his own; the source of that power is not explained.

• Unexplained orb of light (Episode 10)

  A bright orb of light obscures the moon, moves to the hospital roof, and draws Reishi to form the Demi-Hollow; its origin and nature are not explained.

• Why Hollows seek Ichigo (Episode 10)

  Rukia suspects Ichigo's power began pouring out through contact with the dead girl and that the Hollows sensed his power through her, making him their real target. Rukia admits this is only conjecture and unconfirmed.

  Rukia explains that the Hollow that took over Sora was the one after Ichigo, but that powerful Hollow remains unidentified.

  Grand Fisher holds Karin and Yuzu at the cemetery, calling them sizable bait and a single hostage enough. The purpose of this bait is left unexplained.

  Grand Fisher theorizes that he may have first targeted Ichigo for his high Reiryoku, though he has not confirmed it.

  Ichigo states that the Demi-Hollow goes after individuals with high Reiryoku, such as himself and Don Kanonji.

Battle Record

Ichigo and Don Kanonji fight the Jibakurei-turned Demi-Hollow at the abandoned hospital in Karakura Town during a live broadcast.

Forest clash with Saidō

Ichigo versus Saidō · Episode 8– (Ongoing)

Location: Forest near the Karakura cemetery

Trigger: Saidō attacks Ichigo to take Rukia back to Soul Society

Sides

• Ichigo's side — combatant: Ichigo Kurosaki, Kon
• Saidō's side — combatant: Eikichirō Saidō

Outcome: Unresolved; interrupted when Rukia's Denreishinki detects a Hollow

Aftermath

• Ichigo and Rukia run toward the nearby Hollow
• Saidō is left behind and told to wait

Grand Fisher cemetery battle

Ichigo's fight against Grand Fisher · Episodes 8–9

Location: cemetery and clearing in the forest

Trigger: Grand Fisher attacks the Kurosaki family to devour high Reiryoku individuals

sides

• Ichigo's side — fighters: Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Eikichirō Saidō
• Grand Fisher — fighters: Grand Fisher

Outcome: Grand Fisher flees into the sky after Ichigo stabs him in the side; Rukia declares the battle over.

Aftermath

• Ichigo collapses into Rukia's arms
• Grand Fisher is not dead and vows never to forgive Ichigo

Demi-Hollow battle at the abandoned hospital

Karakura Town · Episode 10

Location: Abandoned hospital, Karakura Town

Trigger: Don Kanonji forcibly purifies a Jibakurei with his Super Spirits Stick during a live broadcast, causing it to become a Demi-Hollow

Sides

• Ichigo Kurosaki and Don Kanonji — combatants: Ichigo Kurosaki, Don Kanonji
• Demi-Hollow — enemy: Demi-Hollow

Outcome: The Demi-Hollow is destroyed by Ichigo's vertical slash through its mask; the Jibakurei underneath dissipates.

Aftermath

• Don Kanonji realizes he created the Hollow and is shamed, then is cheered by the crowd.
• Don Kanonji asks Ichigo to lend strength from now on; Ichigo agrees once in a while and is named Don Kanonji's number one pupil.

Ability Table

Music Releases

• *~Asterisk~ (OP)
• Life is Like a Boat (ED)