Bleach Episode 3 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

The Older Brother's Wish, the Younger Sister's Wish

Ichigo and Rukia learn that a powerful Hollow is sending Hollows after Ichigo, and Acidwire, Orihime's dead brother, attacks Orihime and Tatsuki at Orihime's apartment. Ichigo intervenes, Acidwire reveals he has been drawn into Hollow form and is consumed by loneliness over Orihime forgetting him, and Sora Inoue, taken over by a Hollow, purifies himself with Ichigo's Zanpakutō. The next day Orihime tells a cover story, and Rukia confirms she erased Orihime's memories of the night, after which Ichigo agrees to help Rukia.

• Hollow hunt begins

  Rukia theorizes a powerful Hollow is sending Hollows after Ichigo, and Ichigo learns Hollows target their own kin before Acidwire strikes Orihime at her apartment.

• Acidwire confrontation

  Acidwire attacks Tatsuki and Orihime, Ichigo arrives and drives him off, and Acidwire reveals he is Orihime's brother who became a Hollow after she stopped praying for him.

• Sora's purification

  Sora, taken over by a Hollow, impales himself with Ichigo's Zanpakutō and dissipates after Orihime wakes and speaks with him.

• Memory erasure aftermath

  Rukia admits she erased Orihime's memories of the night, and Ichigo agrees to help her perform Shinigami duties.

Recent Timeline

• Ichigo becomes Shinigami and defeats Fishbone D (Episode 1)

  After Fishbone D threatens Ichigo's family, Rukia pours her powers into him through her Zanpakutō, making him a Shinigami with a large Zanpakutō. He cuts off the Hollow's arm and leg and slashes through its mask, destroying it and saving Karin and Yuzu. This event marks the start of Ichigo's role as a Shinigami protecting the living from Hollows.

• Hexapodus destroyed and Sora Inoue becomes a Hollow (Episode 2)

  In the park, Ichigo cuts off the front legs of Hexapodus to save a Plus boy, then pierces its face with his Zanpakutō, destroying it. He performs Konsō on the boy, who passes on in blue light. He acts despite Rukia's reminder that a Shinigami must treat all spirits equally.

  At the same time, two Hollows seize Sora Inoue, Orihime's deceased brother, and take him to Hueco Mundo, where he is trapped and transforms into the Hollow Acidwire, gaining a tail, a muscular body, and a Hollow mask.

• Acidwire driven back from the bedroom (Episode 2)

  Acidwire bursts into Ichigo's bedroom. Ichigo cuts his arm and then slashes his face, shattering the mask over his left eye, and Acidwire retreats into Hueco Mundo. Ichigo learns that the face beneath the mask belonged to Orihime's brother, revealing the Hollow's identity.

• Acidwire's attacks and Sora Inoue's purification (Episode 3)

  Acidwire attacks Orihime and Tatsuki in her apartment and then Ichigo and Rukia in the street. Ichigo is wounded and Orihime is caught in Acidwire's grip, but Orihime shields Ichigo from his bite, enabling Acidwire's defeat.

  Sora Inoue, now a Hollow, chooses to purify himself with Ichigo's Zanpakutō so he can pass on to Soul Society before losing his sanity completely, ending the Acidwire arc.

• Rukia erases Orihime's memories of the attack (Episode 3)

  Rukia uses her Kikanshinki on Orihime to erase memories of the attack and replace them with new ones. As a result, Orihime insists to her classmates that a sumo champion attacked her apartment.

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.

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.

• Fishbone D (Other, Hostility)

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

Acidwire

Hollow

A Hollow that attacked Ichigo and Rukia in the Kurosaki house and is revealed to have the face of Orihime's brother beneath its mask.

• Identity

  Beneath its mask is the face of Orihime's brother, Sora Inoue.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Other, Hostility)

  Hollow that Ichigo wounded and whose mask he shattered.

Keigo Asano (Keigo)

Karakura High School

Ichigo's talkative classmate who reports news about the clinic.

• Role

  Heard about the truck crash at the Kurosaki Clinic.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Colleague, Affinity)

  Classmate who sits with Ichigo.

Mizuiro Kojima (Mizuiro)

Karakura High School

Ichigo's classmate who sits with him and identifies classes.

• Role

  Identifies Rukia as a transfer student and names the next class.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Colleague, Affinity)

  Classmate who sits with him.

Rukia Kuchiki (Rukia)

Shinigami

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.

Now in the Human World after losing most of her powers; she transferred into Ichigo's class and is stuck in a Gigai.

• 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.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Pact, Colleague, Mixed)

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

  Shinigami who demands that Ichigo perform Shinigami duties until her powers return.

• Fishbone D (Other, Hostility)

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

Tatsuki Arisawa (Tatsuki)

Karakura High School

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

• Role

  Brings Orihime food and comments on her habits.

• Orihime Inoue (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend who looks after her and brings her food.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Colleague, Hostility)

  Classmate who she scolds and teases.

Yasutora Sado (Sado)

Karakura High School

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

• Role

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

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Colleague, Affinity)

  Classmate who offers help.

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.

Ichigo's classmate who can see spirits; now protected by Ichigo and Rukia after her brother Acidwire attacks 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.

  Friend who stands by her at school and backs up her story after the attack.

• 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.

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.

World Memo

• Return to Soul Society restricted

  Only Shinigami can return to Soul Society, and a Shinigami who has lost their powers cannot do so until they regain them.

• Gigai as temporary body

  Gigai are temporary bodies used in emergencies by weakened Shinigami who are waiting for their powers to return; ordinary people can see a Shinigami while they are in a Gigai.

• Shinigami duties and passing over

  Shinigami have two duties: sending spirits to Soul Society through Konsō, and purifying Hollows. As balancers, a Shinigami must treat all spirits equally and cannot help only those who happen to be nearby, and must be willing to go anywhere and sacrifice their own life.

  In the Human World, being sent to Soul Society is called passing over.

• 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.

• Hollow origin from unguided souls

  Hollows are fallen souls that were not guided to Soul Society by a Shinigami or protected from Hollows, and they become Hollows themselves.

• Hueco Mundo reached by dark portal

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

• Shinigami visible only to spiritual beings

  Shinigami are spiritual beings that can only be seen by other spiritual beings, so ordinary people cannot see a Shinigami in Shinigami form.

• Plus controlled after being devoured

  A Plus that is devoured by a strong Hollow is subsequently controlled by that Hollow.

• Chain of Fate keeps soul tied to body

  The Chain of Fate connects a soul to its body, and while it remains intact the soul is prevented from dying.

• No return to former state for Hollows

  Hollows can never return to what they were previously.

• Hollow purification by one blow

  Purifying a Hollow means attacking it from behind and splitting its head in one blow; this minimizes the Shinigami's injuries and keeps them from discovering the Hollow's identity.

  Purifying a Hollow is not killing it; the Hollow's soul is cleansed so it can enter Soul Society, which is why Shinigami exist.

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.

• Car that hit Orihime drove away (Episode 3)

  The car that struck Orihime at the intersection drove away without stopping, and Orihime admits this when asked where the car is.

  Orihime theorizes that Acidwire pulled her leg to get her out of the way of the car, suggesting he protected her from being hit.

• Why Hollows seek Ichigo (Episode 3)

  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.

Battle Record

Acidwire attacks Orihime's apartment and Tatsuki, then fights Ichigo and Rukia in the street before the fight ends with Sora purifying himself.

Hexapodus attack in the park

Plus boy hunted by a Hollow · Episode 2

Location: park near a telephone-pole memorial, Karakura

Trigger: Soul Society order warned that a Plus living in the park would likely be attacked

Shinigami vs Hollow

• Shinigami — defender: Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki
• Hollow — attacker: Hexapodus

Outcome: Hexapodus is destroyed; it collapses and fades away after Ichigo's Zanpakutō strike

Aftermath

• The Plus boy is sent on by Ichigo's Konsō
• A Jigokuchō flies away from the fading light

Acidwire attack on Ichigo's bedroom

Hollow breaks into the Kurosaki Clinic · Episode 2

Location: Ichigo's bedroom at the Kurosaki Clinic

Trigger: Hollow alert received by Rukia

Shinigami vs Hollow

• Shinigami — defender: Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki
• Hollow — attacker: Acidwire

Outcome: Acidwire retreats into Hueco Mundo with the mask over his left eye shattered

Aftermath

• Ichigo learns the face under Acidwire's mask was that of Orihime's brother
• Acidwire's damaged mask regenerates in Hueco Mundo

Acidwire attack at Orihime's apartment

Acidwire's assault on Orihime · Episode 3

Location: Orihime's apartment and the street outside

Trigger: Acidwire, Orihime's brother, targets Ichigo and then turns on Orihime and Tatsuki

Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki vs Acidwire

• Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki — defenders: Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki
• Acidwire — attacker: Acidwire

Outcome: Acidwire's mask shatters and Sora Inoue purifies himself by impaling himself on Ichigo's Zanpakutō

Aftermath

• Orihime is left grieving and tearful beside Rukia
• Tatsuki is left unable to see or hear the spirits and is later made to forget the night's events

Ability Table

Music Releases

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