Bleach Episode 8 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

June 17, Memories in the Rain

The Kurosaki family visits Masaki Kurosaki's grave on the anniversary of her death in June. Rukia Kuchiki appears on the path and Ichigo drags her off into the forest to avoid his family. There Rukia questions Ichigo about his mother's death and suggests a Hollow caused it, which Ichigo angrily rejects. Saidō Eikichirō, an Onmitsukidō agent, confronts Rukia and reveals himself to Ichigo, who admits to being a Substitute Shinigami; Saidō attacks and the fight is interrupted when Rukia detects a strong Hollow. Meanwhile Grand Fisher seizes Karin and Yuzu at the cemetery, pinning Karin and lifting Yuzu by the throat, and Ichigo and Rukia rush back to rescue them.

• Cemetery visit and family banter

  The Kurosaki family climbs the hill to visit Masaki's grave, with Isshin's antics and Karin's exasperation over the tombstone dominoes tradition.

• Ichigo and Rukia in the forest

  Ichigo pulls Rukia away from his family and presses her about why she is following him. She asks whether a Hollow killed his mother, and Ichigo answers that he was the one who killed her.

• Saidō confrontation and Ichigo's reveal

  Saidō appears, reveals Rukia's past at the Shin'ō Academy, and threatens to take her back. Ichigo reveals he is a Substitute Shinigami, and they fight with swords before a Hollow is detected.

• Grand Fisher attacks at the cemetery

  Grand Fisher ambushes Karin and Yuzu at Masaki's grave, pins Karin, and seizes Yuzu by the throat as Ichigo and Rukia run back to them.

Recent Timeline

• 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 he will be able to see his mother again by crossing over, and Yūichi departs after thanking Sado.

• Hollow purified and Mod-Soul pill extracted (Episode 7)

  Ichigo and the Mod-Soul cut and kick the Hollow's mask in unison, and it disintegrates after being purified on the school rooftop. The Mod-Soul falls toward the ground until Ichigo catches him by the leg.

  Urahara then pushes the Mod-Soul out of Ichigo's body and collects the pill, ending the Mod-Soul's use of Ichigo's body and completing the collection.

• Mod-Soul sealed into a lion plushie (Episode 7)

  Following Rukia's instruction, Ichigo puts the pill into a lion plushie, which comes to life; the Mod-Soul is now stuck in this body.

  Rukia also erases the memories of Ichigo's classmates about the previous day's events, and Ichigo agrees they should not remember it.

• Ichigo's confession to Rukia (Episode 8)

  Ichigo tells Rukia that he killed his mother, then runs off, leaving her shocked. The admission ends the questioning about his mother's death and sets Rukia's view of him.

• Ichigo exposed as a Substitute Shinigami (Episode 8)

  Ichigo tells Saidō that he is a Substitute Shinigami despite Rukia's warning. Saidō calls it a serious crime, so Ichigo's hidden status is now known to a Shinigami of the Onmitsukidō.

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.

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.

Eikichirō Saidō (Saidō)

Soul Society · Onmitsukidō

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 is part of the Onmitsukidō, sent to question Rukia; sleeps often due to many exhausting missions, and wears a hat whose cord flips up a message.

• 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.

• Rukia Kuchiki (Colleague, Hostility)

  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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.

Tatsuki Arisawa (Tatsuki)

Karakura High School

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

A childhood acquaintance of Ichigo who first met him at her dojo when he was four and has known him since; she recounts his past to 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.

  Friend who asks her about Ichigo's childhood.

• 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.

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.

• Orders sent via Denreishinki

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

• Shinigami duties and the concept of passing over

  Shinigami have two duties: sending Pluses to Soul Society through Konsō, and purifying Hollows.

  A Shinigami must treat all spirits equally and cannot help only those who happen to be nearby. This follows from their role as balancers, and a Shinigami must be willing to go anywhere and sacrifice their own life.

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Onmitsukidō Shinigami organization

  The Onmitsukidō is a Shinigami organization to which Saidō belongs.

• Substitute Shinigami status as serious crime

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

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 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.

• Ichigo's mother's killing (Episode 8)

  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's hidden offense (Episode 8)

  An Onmitsukidō member targets Rukia Kuchiki for staying too long in the Human World, but insists something else lies behind the order. Saidō is tasked to find out what it is.

  Saidō says Rukia has committed a serious crime. Rukia refuses to explain it. Saidō doubts her stated reason for not returning to Soul Society, the recurring Hollows and purification orders, and suspects a cover story.

• 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.

• Why Hollows seek Ichigo (Episode 8)

  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.

Battle Record

Grand Fisher attacks Karin and Yuzu at Masaki's grave and pins Karin while seizing Yuzu; Ichigo and Rukia arrive mid-attack.

Mod-Soul vs Hollow at the school

Hollow ambush on the schoolyard · Episodes 6–7

Location: Karakura Elementary School

Trigger: A large millipede-like Hollow attacks the schoolboys and the Mod-Soul intervenes

Sides

• Mod-Soul and Ichigo Kurosaki — fighters: Mod-Soul, Ichigo Kurosaki
• Hollow — attacker: Hollow

Outcome: The Hollow is purified and disintegrates; the Mod-Soul is injured in the shoulder

Aftermath

• Urahara removes the Mod-Soul's pill from Ichigo's body
• The Mod-Soul is placed into a plushie body

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 attack on the sisters

Cemetery ambush · Episode 8– (Ongoing)

Location: Masaki Kurosaki's grave, Karakura cemetery

Trigger: Grand Fisher seizes the sisters as bait

Sides

• Grand Fisher's side — attacker: Grand Fisher
• Sisters' side — victims: Karin Kurosaki, Yuzu Kurosaki

Outcome: Unresolved; Ichigo and Rukia approach as Grand Fisher prepares to devour Yuzu

Ability Table

Music Releases

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