The tenth episode of Bleach, Casual Soul Realm Assault Trip! provides a break after the tension of episode nine.

Arc: Agent of the Shinigami arc / Manga Chapter: 27-32

What happens in Bleach episode ten

The episode starts with the introduction to a live broadcast then cuts to Orihime laughing ‘bwahahaha’ and asks Ichigo if he knows where it is from. Ichigo does not give her the reaction she expects. He knows it is from the show, Spirit Hunter but he has no interest in it. Tatsuki takes Orihime away with her leaving Ichigo confused. His other friends do the same greeting. Although Ichigo had declined going when his friends invited him, Ichigo finds himself at the live recording with his family.

The recording is happening at an old abandoned hospital. Orihime apologises to Ichigo for her behaviour in class after she had learnt that Ichigo does not like these sorts of TV shows. They chat a little more before she re-joins her group with Tatsuki. Rukia then joins Ichigo, does the laugh, tells himself to enjoy himself and then asks him what the festival is about.

When Ichigo doubts the possibility of a spirit being at the hospital, Rukia says that there might be a possibility as a Jibakurei is hard to locate so soul reapers may not have done anything. That Jibakurei only shows themselves when someone enters their territory. Just then one of the TV crew steps closer to the hospital and a cry can be heard that is similar to that of a hollow. Sado, Karin, and Orihime hear the cry. Rukia tells Ichigo that that cry is that of a Jibakurei. Rukia explains that there are different methods for spirits to become hollows. We get Rukia’s brilliant drawing explanations again. When the show starts up again after its commercial break, Rukia tells Ichigo to relax since it takes months for a Jibakurei to turn into a hollow and that they do not wish to aggravate the spirit while so many people are there. Just as Rukia finishes explaining that as long as no one messes with the hole on the Jibakurei’s chest that they have time, Don Kanonji sticks a staff directly into the while and starts aggravating it. To try and stop the conversion, Ichigo rushes forward but is stopped by security and so is Rukia.

Ichigo is forced out of his body by Kisuke who had also been at the broadcast. Ichigo stops Don Kanonji but he was too late. The Jibakurei had turned into a hollow with it forming on the roof of the hospital. When Ichigo starts to head towards the hollow, Don Kanonji pulls him back and tries to take on the hollow instead. Ichigo saves his life. Urahara observes Ichigo as he battles the hollow.

Ichigo heads into the hospital with Don Kanonji. When Ichigo asks him why he must run away and not Don Kanonji, Don Kanonji says he cannot run away because he must be the hero for the kids who are watching his show. He then starts to head out to the hollow but Ichigo stops him and explains that the hollow will go after them for their spiritual energy and that they should stay inside the hospital so that they do not get the audience involved in the danger of the battle. However, Ichigo had not taken the size of his sword into consideration nor the space inside the hospital, so he ran into trouble when the hollow attacked. The hollow then spat a sticky substance at Ichigo’s hands sticking his hands to his blade. When the hollow attacks again, Ichigo manages to attack it instead which causes it to break the wall and go up to the hospital roof. Prepared to fight it, Ichigo gets distracted by Don Kanonji’s arrival. Which leads to him being covered and stuck by the sticky substance. Ichigo is then saved by Don Kanonji. Don Kanonji then suggests that they should be friends before sending a spirit ‘canon ball’ towards Ichigo causing an explosion which freed him from the sticky stuff. Ichigo then defeats the hollow. Don Kanonji learns that he had been causing hollows to appear because of his actions. Ichigo then encourages Don Kanonji. Don Kanonji claims Ichigo as his number one pupil which Ichigo exclaims is a demotion.

Memorable moments of the episode:

Bleach episode 10, Casual Soul Realm Assault Trip does not have really memorable moments, but if I were forced to pick I would say the characters doing the random bwahahaha laugh and Ichigo being tackled by the security team.