Bleach Episode 6 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Fight to the Death! Ichigo vs. Ichigo

Rukia Kuchiki runs low on Gikongan supplies and gets Ichigo Kurosaki to swallow one, which forces his soul out and leaves a Mod-Soul in his body at Karakura High School. The Mod-Soul attacks Tatsuki and the class, then fights Ichigo and escapes. Rukia explains Project Spearhead and the Mod-Soul's status, and the Mod-Soul ends the episode confronting schoolboys before Ichigo blocks his kick.

• Supply run and Gikongan handoff

  Rukia restocks at Urahara Shop, receives a Gikongan labelled Soul Candy, and makes Ichigo swallow one so his soul leaves his body.

• Mod-Soul at school

  The substitute soul in Ichigo's body wrecks the fence, kisses Orihime's hand, and fights Ichigo and Tatsuki's classmates before jumping out the window.

• Project Spearhead explanation

  Rukia explains that the Mod-Soul is a combat soul from a cancelled program and that such souls are slated for destruction by law.

• Confrontation with schoolboys

  The Mod-Soul runs across the city, reaches a schoolyard, and attacks the boys until Ichigo stops his kick.

Recent Timeline

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

  Acidwire, the dead brother of Orihime, 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 she shields Ichigo from his bite, and Acidwire is ultimately defeated. Sora Inoue, who had been turned into a Hollow, chooses to be purified by Ichigo's Zanpakutō so he can pass on to Soul Society before losing his sanity completely, which ends the Acidwire arc.

• Rukia's memory erasure of Orihime (Episode 3)

  Rukia uses her Kikanshinki on Orihime to erase the 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.

• I-beam falls on the construction site (Episode 4)

  A large I-beam falls from the top of a construction site in Karakura Town toward Gitano, Harutoki, and Sado. Sado shields them with his body and is injured. Yūichi thanks him and reveals his name, after which Sado's injuries are completely healed.

• Sado collapses at Kurosaki Clinic (Episode 4)

  Isshin finds a large claw-shaped wound on Sado's back that resembles a burn. Despite the blood loss, Sado tries to leave and collapses, and the Kurosaki family prepares a bed for him.

• Shrieker destroyed by the Gates of Hell (Episode 5)

  Ichigo cuts out Shrieker's tongue and slashes his mask, after which the Gates of Hell open beneath him and an arm impales Shrieker from behind, ending his existence. Rukia explains that the gates are reserved for Souls and Hollows who sinned in life, while the Zanpakutō only washes away sins committed after death. Yūichi's Chain of Fate is severed, so Rukia cannot return him to his body. Ichigo points out that by crossing over he will be able to see his mother again, and Yūichi departs after thanking Sado.

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.

Isshin Kurosaki

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.

• Household

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

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Family, Mixed)

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

• 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.

• 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 (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.

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.

• 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.

Shrieker

Hollow

A Hollow who hunts Shinigami souls, finding them especially tasty, and pursues the soul in the parakeet.

Hollow who killed Yūichi Shibata's mother as a living serial killer and later pursued Yūichi as a Hollow with his soul in a parakeet.

• Hunting

  Has devoured two Shinigami who tried to perform Konsō on the child.

• Past identity revealed

  Confirmed to have been a serial killer when alive who killed Yūichi's mother, his last victim, after she chased him onto the veranda.

• Rukia Kuchiki (Other, Hostility)

  Targets Rukia as prey, declaring he will devour her soul; Rukia fights him with Kidō.

Mod-Soul

Mod-Soul

An artificial soul created for combat that was placed into Ichigo's body after Rukia used a Gikongan to force Ichigo's soul out; he takes Ichigo's form and acts as a fighter with an excitable, flippant personality.

• Origin

  Created under a Soul Society combat program called Project Spearhead; Rukia says such Mod-Souls were slated for destruction under Soul Society law.

• Relation to Ichigo

  Inhabits Ichigo's body while Ichigo's true soul is outside it; Rukia is pursuing him to destroy him and return Ichigo's body.

• Ichigo Kurosaki (Other, Hostility)

  The Mod-Soul wears Ichigo's body and is the artificial soul Ichigo must fight to reclaim his body.

• Rukia Kuchiki (Other, Hostility)

  Rukia created the Mod-Soul's situation by using a Gikongan and is pursuing him to destroy him under Soul Society law.

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.

• Orders sent via Denreishinki

  Soul Society sends orders and alerts to Shinigami through the Denreishinki device, which shows the target location on its screen.

• 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.

• Plus controlled after being devoured

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

  Once a soul's Chain of Fate is completely severed, the soul cannot be returned to its body.

• 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.

Clue Board

• Dead girl vanishes (Episode 1)

  After the monster is destroyed, the dead girl disappears from the scene, and Ichigo looks ahead in shock. The reason is not explained.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Child's mother's murder (Episode 5)

  The soul inside the parakeet holds a memory of seeing his mother murdered in front of him, which is his strongest memory, as relayed by Karin.

  Shrieker confirms he killed Yūichi's mother as a serial killer, and that Yūichi's fall from the veranda followed his own mistake.

• Revival promise is a lie (Episode 5)

  Shrieker promised to revive Yūichi's mother if he evaded him for three months, but Ichigo notes Shrieker has no actual way of doing it.

• Soul inside the parakeet (Episode 5)

  The parakeet houses a soul named Yūichi Shibata who can speak and think; Rukia suspects it is a lonely Plus, but its nature is not established.

  Shrieker reveals he put Yūichi's soul into a parakeet after becoming a Hollow, tying the parakeet to Yūichi's pursuit.

• Rukia's weakening Gigai connection (Episode 6)

  Rukia's hand fails to move properly and her connection with her Gigai has weakened lately, making her body hard to move. Urahara warns she cannot keep faking this forever. The cause is not yet explained.

• 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.

• Mod-Soul identity (Episode 6)

  Rukia names the substitute soul a Mod-Soul, an artificial combat soul originally meant to be placed in human corpses under a cancelled program.

• Mod-Soul survival (Episode 6)

  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.

Battle Record

Ichigo fights the Mod-Soul in the classroom, then the Mod-Soul escapes through the window and Ichigo pursues him. The fight resumes when Ichigo confronts him at the schoolyard.

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

Rukia Kuchiki vs Shrieker street battle

Shrieker's final defeat · Episodes 4–5

Location: town street

Trigger: Shrieker hunting Rukia Kuchiki and holding Yūichi Shibata hostage

Sides

• Shinigami side — fighters: Rukia Kuchiki, Yasutora Sado, Ichigo Kurosaki
• Shrieker side — hollow: Shrieker / summoned units: Targets

Outcome: Shrieker is destroyed; the Gates of Hell claim him

Aftermath

• Yūichi Shibata's Chain of Fate is severed and he is set to cross over to Soul Society

Mod-Soul classroom clash

Ichigo vs the Mod-Soul · Episode 6– (Ongoing)

Location: Karakura High School classroom and schoolyard

Trigger: The Mod-Soul, inhabiting Ichigo's body, attacked Orihime and Tatsuki and then fled

Ichigo vs Mod-Soul

• Ichigo Kurosaki — fighter: Ichigo Kurosaki
• Mod-Soul — fighter: Mod-Soul

Outcome: Ongoing; the Mod-Soul escaped and was confronted again at the schoolyard

Aftermath

• The Mod-Soul is still at large
• Ichigo pursues the Mod-Soul

Ability Table

Music Releases

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