Ichigo defeats Ikkaku and discovers where Rukia is being detained before her execution. Meanwhile, Ganju is having more difficulty with his opponent, and Uryû finally has an opportunity to prove how much more powerful he has become.

Ichigo Kurosaki becomes a Soul Reaper after a Soul Reaper named Rukia lends him her power to protect his family from a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on the psychic energy of humans. Then, Ichigo must protect Chad when he comes into contact with a spirit hiding in a parakeet, and confronts the Grand Fisher, the Hollow most likely responsible for his mother's death.

Ichigo and company meet their first obstacle on the road to saving Rukia from the Soul Society: Jidanbô, the monstrous guard who has not let anyone pass through the Western Gate in more than three hundred years.

"While the Soul Reapers are entrenched in bloody one-on-one battles with the Espadas, their sworn enemy Aizen is preparing to make the next move in his elaborate plan. The battlefields of Hueco Mundo will soon give way to another battlefield where the price of losing will prove to be infinitely higher"--From publisher's web site.

Ichigo "Strawberry" Kurosaki was born with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow - a malevolent lost soul - Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. During a bloody confrontation with a sadistic Soul Reaper, Uryû chooses a path that will temporarily grant him enormous power, at great personal cost. Meanwhile, Ichigo races to master...

Rukia's childhood friend Renji makes a rash decision to kill the captain of his own squad in order to save Rukia from her death sentence.

Rukia Kuchiki's execution is drawing closer, and as members of the Soul Society fight one another, Ichigo Kurosaki struggles to find a way to save her.