Bleach Episode 14 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Back to Back, a Fight to the Death!

Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida, after a rivalry clash interrupted by a crack in the sky, fight a horde of Hollows; a Menos Grande breaks through the Kūmon and is confronted with Urahara's crew's help, ending with Ichigo's release of power and Uryū stabilizing him.

• Rivalry clash interrupted by Hollows

  Ichigo confronts Uryū over his Hollow-hunting contest, and the two are forced to fight together when Hollows gather around a crack in the sky.

• Quincy history revealed

  Rukia explains that the Shinigami exterminated the Quincy 200 years ago to prevent the collapse of the universe, and Uryū recounts Sōken's pleas for cooperation before his death.

• Menos Grande emerges

  A Menos Grande pushes through the Kūmon while Urahara and his crew arrive to deal with the ordinary Hollows.

• Ichigo's Reiryoku surge

  Uryū absorbs Ichigo's power through the Zanpakutō to fire a massive Heilig Pfeil, and Ichigo cuts the Menos Grande open, driving it to retreat before he collapses.

• Uryū stabilizes Ichigo

  Uryū fires Heilig Pfeil into the air to release the excess power Ichigo cannot control.

Recent Timeline

• Kanonji broadcast fallout and Uryū's reveal (Episode 11)

  Kagine scolded Ichigo, Rukia and their friends after the Don Kanonji show incident was broadcast nationwide, and the group escaped before he could act. Ichigo sent the frightened Plus to Soul Society with Konsō; the Plus had kept his eyes closed and could not identify his rescuer. Final exam rankings were posted, with Uryū first, Orihime third, Sado 11th and Ichigo 23rd. Uryū then shot a new Hollow through the head with a Heilig Pfeil as it entered the Human World. After Uryū revealed that Ichigo is a Substitute Shinigami drawing power from Rukia, Ichigo accepted the duel challenge and entered Shinigami form by swapping bodies with Kon.

• Bulbous G destroyed by Sado (Episode 12)

  Sado's punch blew off Bulbous G's arm, and his later uppercut released a torrent of energy that split the Hollow vertically. It was sent into the air and disintegrated, ending the threat to Karin and her friends.

• Numb Chandelier and the large Hollow (Episode 13)

  Orihime used Koten Zanshun with the Shun Shun Rikka to bisect Numb Chandelier from within, and the Hollow disintegrated, ending the seed-control attack on the students and on Tatsuki and Chizuru. Ichigo then cut a large Hollow in half just as it was about to attack Rukia, Kon and Uryū, landed behind Uryū and declared he had finally found him, ending the separate searches.

• Quincy extermination and Sōken's death (Episode 14)

  About 200 years ago the Shinigami exterminated the Quincy. Urahara explained the decision was made because the Quincy's eradication of Hollows had disrupted the balance of Souls between Soul Society and the Human World, threatening the destruction of the universe. Sōken Ishida was attacked by five large Hollows and could not defeat them alone; the Shinigami arrived two hours after he began fighting, and he died. Uryū blames this on the Shinigami failing to acknowledge the Quincy's ideals.

• Menos Grande retreats from Karakura Town (Episode 14)

  Ichigo pushed through the Menos Grande's Cero and cut it with a massive vertical slash. The Menos Grande retreated by pulling the Kūmon around itself, ending the threat that had drawn Ichigo and Uryū into the fight.

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.

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.

Sora Inoue (Acidwire)

Deceased · Plus · Hollow

Orihime's deceased brother who was seized by Hollows and transformed into a Hollow.

Orihime's brother Sora Inoue, a Plus taken over by a Hollow; in Hollow form he is called Acidwire, claims Orihime as his own and targets Ichigo. When his mask shatters, Sora's face is revealed and he purifies himself with Ichigo's Zanpakutō.

• Fate

  Gave Orihime the hairpins on the day he died; they had fought that day, and she never saw him alive again.

• Sibling bond

  Raised and protected Orihime after their parents abandoned them when she was three; his Hollow form resents her forgetting him.

• Orihime Inoue (Family, Mixed)

  Her only family, who she loved and who died three years ago.

  Younger sister he raised; as a Hollow he claims her as his own, and when his mask breaks she sees Sora's face.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Other, Hostility)

  Hollow who attacks Ichigo as his target, and Ichigo fights him to protect Orihime.

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.

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.

Karin Kurosaki

Human

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

Karin has seen monsters like the Hollows before and has been wondering what Ichigo's connection to them is; she identifies Sado as Ichigo's friend and sees the Hollow Bulbous G clearly.

• 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.

  Karin is Ichigo's sister; she comments that his heroic attitude is like Sado's and she has been wondering about his connection to monsters.

• Yuzu Kurosaki (Family, Mixed)

  Younger twin sister who worries about her lack of reaction.

• Yasutora Sado (Colleague, Mixed)

  Karin meets Sado, recognizes him as Ichigo's friend, and fights beside him against Bulbous G, telling him he is just like Ichigo in his heroic reasoning.

Yasutora Sado

Karakura High School

Ichigo's classmate who offers to help the Kurosaki family clean up.

Sado recalls his childhood in Mexico, where his grandfather Oscar Joaquín de la Rosa praised his physical gifts and taught him to use his large, strong fists to protect rather than hurt others.

• Role

  Offers help to the Kurosaki family after the house was damaged.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Colleague, Affinity)

  Classmate who offers help.

Chizuru Honshō

Karakura High School

Karakura High School student who is seeded by Numb Chandelier and loses control of her own arm.

• Orihime Inoue (Friend, Mixed)

  Classmate who teases Orihime and tries to kiss her, but also runs to protect her.

• Tatsuki Arisawa (Friend, Mixed)

  Classmate who quarrels with Tatsuki over chores and tends to glare at her.

Numb Chandelier

Hollow

Hollow that fires seeds from its forehead to take control of humans and make them fight among themselves.

• Orihime Inoue (Other, Hostility)

  Targets Orihime, who sees her and wants to get away; the Hollow is ultimately defeated by Orihime's power.

• Tatsuki Arisawa (Other, Hostility)

  Seeds Tatsuki and tries to control her body, which Tatsuki resists by biting her tentacle.

Orihime Inoue

Karakura High School · Human

Ichigo's classmate who is close to Tatsuki and whose only family, her brother, died after a car accident three years ago.

Vows to never forgive anyone who hurts Tatsuki, whose loyalty she repays after being protected by her.

• Family loss

  Her only brother died at the Kurosaki Clinic three years ago after being badly injured in a car accident.

• Brother bond

  Recognized her Hollow brother Acidwire and sacrificed herself to intercept his bite out of guilt over her past neglect of him.

• Tatsuki Arisawa (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend who brings her food and walks with her through the school halls.

  Her closest friend, who walked her home when she felt isolated and has protected her since; Orihime keeps her hair long as proof of trust in her.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Colleague, Neutral)

  Classmate whom she has not spoken to much; she was the girl crying at the Kurosaki Clinic years ago.

• Sora Inoue (Family, Affinity)

  Brother who died and became a Hollow; she mourns him and wears the hairpins he gave her.

Tatsuki Arisawa

Karakura High School

Orihime's close friend at Karakura High School who is blunt and teasing with Ichigo.

Karate practitioner who fights through possessed students to protect Orihime.

• Role

  Brings Orihime food and comments on her habits.

• Childhood with Ichigo

  First met Ichigo when he was four at her dojo; was the first to make him cry; looked out for him after Masaki died, finding him walking by the riverbank with his book bag.

• Orihime Inoue (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend who looks after her and brings her food.

  Has always beaten up anyone who made Orihime cry; Orihime's protector, now protected in return.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Classmate who she scolds and teases.

  Childhood dojo acquaintance who grew up alongside her; she watched him struggle after his mother's death.

• Chizuru Honshō (Friend, Mixed)

  Classmate who argues with her over the chores and glares at her, yet she is willing to act for her.

• Numb Chandelier (Other, Hostility)

  Picked a fight with her after the Hollow hurt Orihime; she resolves to beat her down.

Ichigo Kurosaki (Ichigo)

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.

Substitute Shinigami who fights Hollows; this episode reveals the personal reason he fights them.

• Shinigami powers

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

• Motive for fighting Hollows

  His mother was killed by a Hollow; he wants no one else to suffer as his family did, and aims to protect as many people as possible.

• 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.

• Uryū Ishida (Colleague, Mixed)

  Shifts from rivalry to a fragile alliance, though he still criticizes Uryū's plan.

Uryū Ishida (Uryū)

Quincy · Classmate

A Quincy who hates Shinigami and specifically hates Ichigo Kurosaki; ranked first on the final exam and sits in Ichigo's class, where he is in the handicrafts club with Orihime Inoue.

Quincy who fights Hollows and rivals Ichigo; this episode he begins to set aside his hostility toward Ichigo and agrees to join forces.

• Quincy identity

  Introduces himself as a Quincy who hates Shinigami; his Heilig Bogen is Kojaku, formed from the cross on his wrist, and he fires Heilig Pfeil that pierces Hollows entering the Human World.

• Taunting Ichigo

  Taunts Ichigo as a mere Substitute Shinigami who received his powers from Rukia Kuchiki and cannot lift a finger without her permission.

• Awareness of Ichigo

  Has known Ichigo has high Reiatsu since Ichigo entered school and became a Shinigami; has watched Ichigo and Orihime from afar and challenges Ichigo to a duel.

• Master-disciple tie

  Revealed as a child who was taught by Sōken; Sōken's death drives Uryū's hatred of Shinigami.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Other, Colleague, Mixed)

  Uryū openly hates Ichigo, criticizes his ignorance of basic Shinigami matters, and challenges him to a duel to prove who is stronger and that Shinigami are unnecessary.

  Rivals who begin to fight side by side against the Menos Grande after Ichigo points out that it is too hard to do alone.

• Rukia Kuchiki (Other, Neutral)

  Uryū taunts that Ichigo is merely a Substitute Shinigami who received his powers from Rukia and cannot lift a finger without her permission.

• Orihime Inoue (Colleague, Neutral)

  Shares a handicrafts club with Orihime, who knows his name and points him out to Ichigo.

World Memo

• 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.

• Substitute Shinigami status as serious crime

  Saidō declares that being a Substitute Shinigami is a serious crime, a status Ichigo revealed to him.

• 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.

• Quincy kill Hollows, Shinigami purify them

  Shinigami purify Hollows and send them to Soul Society with their Zanpakutō, while the Quincy sought to completely kill Hollows, believing they were avenging their loved ones; this belief led to their destruction.

• Hollows emerge from sky tears

  Hollows appear through tears in the sky above Karakura Town, where a distorted sound resonates before they emerge.

• Strong Reiryoku release affects nearby humans

  When a Shinigami releases strong Reiryoku while fighting Hollows, the release affects ordinary humans nearby, even those who did not see the fight.

• Kūmon converging on Karakura Town

  Kūmon have begun converging on the town, and the necessary preparations are complete. Meanwhile, Urahara tells Orihime and Sado that it is up to them whether to open the door that has appeared before them.

• Quincy tribe extinct 200 years ago

  The Quincy were a tribe scattered throughout the world that specialized in destroying Hollows; humans with powers like Ichigo's sensed Hollows and trained to fight them, forming the tribe, and the tribe was destroyed about 200 years ago.

  The Shinigami exterminated the Quincy 200 years ago because the Quincy's elimination of Hollows was judged to threaten the destruction of the universe.

• Quincy refusal to cede Hollow management

  A few years after the Quincy were discovered, Soul Society asked them to leave the management of Hollows to the Shinigami, and the Quincy stubbornly refused.

Clue Board

• 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.

• Defective Gikongan effect (Episode 6)

  The Gikongan sold as new item is labelled Defective Merchandise, and Tessai warns it will be trouble. Urahara says they must act quickly because they do not know what it will do.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Uryū's advance knowledge of Hollow location (Episode 11)

  Uryū names the street where the new Hollow will appear before Rukia's Denreishinki reports the order. The source of his knowledge is not explained.

• Karin's clear sight of Hollows (Episode 12)

  Karin can see Bulbous G very clearly, has seen a monster like it before, and has been wondering what Ichigo's association with such monsters is.

• Ichigo as the source of Shun Shun Rikka (Episode 13)

  Shun'ō says Ichigo is the reason the Shun Shun Rikka were born, but Tsubaki cuts off the explanation before it is given.

• Hollows lured by an unseen force (Episode 13)

  Uryū theorizes that the Hollows are drawn here by an even greater force, but the force itself is not identified.

• Urahara's reason for binding Rukia (Episode 14)

  Urahara binds Rukia with a Bakudō and says the battle is necessary for both her and Ichigo, but what that necessity is remains unstated.

• Urahara's interest in Ichigo's power (Episode 14)

  Tessai suggests Ichigo's power is why Urahara is interested in him, but the reason for that interest is not stated.

Battle Record

A Menos Grande pushes through the Kūmon into the Human World; Ichigo and Uryū, joined by Urahara's crew, fight it until it retreats.

Numb Chandelier's seed assault at school

Karakura High School · Episode 13

Location: Karakura High School grounds and rooftop

Trigger: Numb Chandelier seeds possess students and take control of bodies

Sides

• Numb Chandelier — Hollow: Numb Chandelier, possessed students
• Orihime's side — defenders: Orihime Inoue, Tatsuki Arisawa, Chizuru Honshō, Shun Shun Rikka

Outcome: Numb Chandelier is bisected by Koten Zanshun and disintegrates

Aftermath

• Orihime collapses after using all the Shun Shun Rikka
• Tatsuki and Chizuru are left unconscious and healing

Hollow swarm at the sky crack

Episode 11– (Ongoing)

Location: Karakura Town, beneath the crack in the sky

Trigger: Hollows gathering around a large crack in the sky

Sides

• Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida — combatants: Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryū Ishida
• Hollows — enemy horde: Hollows

Menos Grande battle at the Kūmon

Episode 14

Location: Karakura Town, from the Kūmon into the Human World

Trigger: A Menos Grande pushing through the Kūmon

Sides

• Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryū Ishida and Urahara's crew — combatants against the Menos Grande: Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryū Ishida / crew clearing ordinary Hollows: Kisuke Urahara, Ururu Tsumugiya, Jinta Hanakari, Tessai Tsukabishi
• Menos Grande — enemy: Menos Grande

Outcome: The Menos Grande retreated back through the Kūmon after Ichigo cut it with a massive vertical slash.

Aftermath

• Ichigo's Zanpakutō began glowing and distorting from the power he released, and Ichigo collapsed.
• Uryū's hand was tearing apart as he fired giant Heilig Pfeil into the air to stabilize Ichigo.

Ability Table

Music Releases

• *~Asterisk~ (OP)
• Thank You!! (ED)