We are so close to the Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War release, so I thought I would do a quick breakdown and recap of each episode that we have had so far. This is the second time that I am rewatching the series this year. I am really excited to go through this journey once again.

Arc: Agent of the Shinigami arc / Manga Chapter: 1

The Death and the Strawberry

What happens in Bleach episode one

Bleach 001 Agent of the Shinigami Arc The Day I Became a Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki

Ichigo beats up some guys who have knocked over a vase of flowers for a girl who had recently died. We learn he is 15 years old, a high school student and that he can see and speak to ghosts. We quickly learn his father is strict with house rules (and abusive as a result which Ichigo gives as good as he gets). He has younger twin sisters too who he seems to be rather close to. Ichigo sees a hollow for the first time and witnesses it being killed. We meet Rukia after she breaks into Ichigo’s room. Surprised that he can see her, she explains that she is a shinigami and that she is there to eliminate the bad spirits, Hollows and help good spirits, pass on to the soul society. Soon after Ichigo’s family is attacked by a Hollow. Ichigo, desperate to save them breaks the Bakudō, a sealing technique that Rukia had placed on him. He rushes in with a chair and needs to be saved by Rukia who had no choice but to sacrifice herself in order to do so. With no other choice, Rukia offers to give Ichigo her abilities by stabbing him with her sword. He doesn’t hesitate and agrees to the plan and then kicks butt. The episode wraps up with Rukia monologuing that she never meant to give him so much of her spirit power and that she has never met a soul reaper with a Zanpakutō as big as their body.

Memorable moment of the episode:

As a long-time viewer of the anime, for me, my favourite moment is the moment where the intro song begins. Nothing beats it. As for the most memorable moment in the episode, for me, it is when Ichigo and Rukia reintroduce themselves and Ichigo lets himself be stabbed. Then we get to hear Ichigo’s theme track. This is an iconic moment in the entirety of the series.