Plot

Setting is in Japan. The series basically starts off with Ichigo, the main character, helping out a spirit. As night falls his first encounter with a hollow results in the showing of Kuchiki Rukia, a Death God, to show and help Ichigo. From there he takes her powers in order to save themselves because she saved Ichigo from sacrificing himself to the hollow. Ichigo apparently has a naturally huge spirit force which drives the hollows towards him. Anyway, just from personal opinion, Bleach derives it’s name from Ichigo’s hair, I would suppose. But getting back on track, a Death God is a spirit that is sent from Soul Sociey to bring ghosts and spirits from the living world into Soul Society. There are good spirits and bad spirits. The good spirits are pretty much any spirit that isn’t a hollow, or isn’t doomed to hell. The bad spirits are hollows and any other spirit going to hell. A hollow is the creature formed when a soul’s chain of fate, is cut, and it reaches their heart. The Chain of Fate is what connects a soul to their body, allow in them to enter their bodies. Their face is covered with a white mask to protect their instincts from the outside world, and they have a hole in their heart, showing their lack of heart. When the chain of fate’s dissolving process reaches the chest, their heart is destroyed, resulting in a hollow. Their main objective is to eat other souls. There are three worlds. One is Soul Society, another is the living world, and the other is the empty space between them. This is where all the hollows reside. Soul Society was formed to protect the Living World. Another word for Soul Society is pretty much heaven. In this area there is the court of the thirteen captains. There are a total of thirteen squads, each with a captain, lieutenant, then each other person from most powerful to least from 3 to whatever number of people in the squad. I shall make a table to the Captains, Lieutenants, and the members known in each quad, along with their ranks. The main antagonist is (SPOLIER, HIGHLIGHT) Aizen. All in all they go around killing to protect themselves!

Terminology

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  Hollow- It is a monster which was originally a human soul, but when the chain connecting your body to your soul is cut, the chain eats your heart; thus, leaving a hole where your heart was and covering your mask with a white mask; thus, becoming a hollow
  



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  Seretei- This is the Thirteen Protection Squad's base of operations. It is in Soul Society and is protected by an anti-reitsu barrier.
  



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  Reitsu- Spirit Energy, Ki, Chakra, and/or energy.
  
  



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  Zanpukto- A shinigami's weapon. But in the current episodes this is also the arrancar's weapon. Basically it is originally a katana of some sort.
  



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  Shinigami- Death God, or Grim Reappear as myth would have it, since they take souls to Soul Society or Hell.
  



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  Hollow- This means ghost in Japanese. It is the main antagonist, or main minor conflict within bleach. But it seems that hollows are the main cause of distress.
  



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  Vaizards- A group of shinigami who have inner hollows and have learned how to control it.
  
  



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  Arrancars- Hollows who have been transformed from their hollow selves, with the Orb of Destruction by Aizen. They gain zanpuktos and their mask partially breaks off.
  



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  Hueco Mundo- This is the world between the human and Soul Society worlds. This is also the home of the hollows.
  



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  Gillian- They are the weakest of hollow, yet stronger than the ordinary. They consist of the Menos Grande. They are like the foot soldiers.
  
  



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  Menos Grande- A huge gillian that Ichigo fought with near the first episodes.
  



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  Soul Society- The home to the thirteen protection squads and the alternative for souls from hell.
  



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  Bankai- A Shinigami's ultimate form of this zanpukto.
  

Creators and Staff

Reitsu is Spirit Force, Ki, Chakra, or any type of energy related to strength. The size of reitsu usually determines the amount of strength one has and the size of a shinigami’s zanpukto. Sometimes one’s reitsu can be so powerful that the mere presence of them pulls and affects the atmosphere around you. In all, this is like the marking system of strength, the more reitsu the more strength, and when it runs low you start to get tired.

Reitsu

Reitsu is Spirit Force, Ki, Chakra, or any type of energy related to strength. The size of reitsu usually determines the amount of strength one has and the size of a shinigami’s zanpukto. Sometimes one’s reitsu can be so powerful that the mere presence of them pulls and affects the atmosphere around you. In all, this is like the marking system of strength, the more reitsu the more strength, and when it runs low you start to get tired.

The Thirteen Protection Squads

In Sereti, a vast area in the middle of Soul Society, there are the Thirteen Protection Squads. The main objective of the squads is to protect the human world. All of their goals and missions or for the sake of the human world. What do they protect against are hollows. The thirteen Protection Squads also sends spirits form the human world to either Soul Society, or hell. Here is a table of all the different squads with their respective captains and lieutenants.

Apparently Squad 11 is the strongest out of them all, as we enter Soul Society. Each death god has a Zanpakuto, Soul Slayer. He Soul Slayer is shaped and has different powers in accordance to their souls. The Soul Slayer is usually shaped as a normal katana at first, but it has two different stages of transformation. The first stage is bfibho. To achieve this you need to go into the Soul SLayer’s world and learn its name. This is where the true form of the Soul Slayer is seen, and it becomes more powerful. Ichigo’s Soul Slayer is always in this form because of his massive spirit energy. Usually to truly master this you need to know the swords name. Once you achieve this you can go to the second most powerful stage which is bankai. This is where you Soul Slayer’s TRUE form comes out. Before this was a form true to you spirit, but now it is what the sword’s soul is like. When the Soul Slayer’s soul comes into the living world it is called Materialization. Then you must learn how to master the bankai, to control it’s movements, which usally takes around 14 years, but Ichigo masters it in two days! That’s enough background information, let’s talk of the characters.

Captain Class

The captain class is the strongest level of shinigami. Usually in order to become a captain you need to achieve bankai, and be recommended by a number of other captains. But the other way is to engage a captain in a formal battle with over 100 people watching and defeat the captain. There are 13 captains that correspond to the squads. The Special Squad captains are of squads 2 and 12. Squad two’s captain is also the general of the Special Ops, and 12 is the director of the science and technology departments in Seretei.

Shinigami

The English translation of shinigami is death god. You can also call them grim reapers of a sort because they send spirits and ghosts to Soul Society or hell. Shinigami consist of all of the thirteen protection squads. shinigami are like the police of Soul Society. People outside of Seretei don’t like shinigami because they don’t try improving conditions in Soul Society. Each shinigami has a zanpukto that transforms into two different stages. They are also able to use magic, and they all protect the world order and peace.

Zanpukto

A Zanpukto is a sword, majority are katanas in their suppressed forms. This is the main source of their attacks. A shinigami treats their zanpukto like a partner in battle, and though this, a shinigami learns it’s name, and is able to call out it’s released form. Zanpukto’s have this first release, and then their other release is Bankai. When a shinigami calls a Zanpukto’s name it changes to its real form. This form resembles the amount and style of the wielder’s soul. This is why when Ichigo first got his zanpukto his was so big. The second and most high form is Bankai. TO get this a shinigami must achieve materialization first, which is when the shinigami is able to bring out its soul in your world, instead of you going inside of it’s world when you first learn its name. Sometimes your costume changes with the zanpukto, but Bankai is the ultimate form of the shinigami. Only after many years of training can one fully master their bankai, and the size of it makes it easier, smaller, or harder, larger, to control under a certain amount of time.

Kido [Demon Arts]

This is pretty much like magic spells. In Kido, there are three categories which are for offense, and binding. These are usually used when a shinigami looses, breaks, or can’t use his sword, but shinigami also use it when they don’t feel like using their Zanpuktos. However, below I will give a list of spells in the respective categories. The numbers deals with the number of the spell because in the episodes the shinigami call of the number of the spell before they actually use it. Just a reminder, for all content see the sources section.

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  1. Restrain– Binds a person’s arm behind his back.
  


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  4. Crawling Rope– Mixes a persons’ arms with a rope of energy.
  
  


• 9. Hit– Paralyzes enemy in a Red Light.
  
  –Incantation: "
  Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!"
  


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  58. Summoning of the Tracking Sparrows– With this one is able to track the spirit energy of anyone you focus on.
  
  –Incantation: "
  Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain."
  
  


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  61. Six Rods Prison of Light– This happened to Renji against Byakuya, this is when 6 wide beams of light is jousted through the persons mid-section; thus, holding him in place.
  
  –Incantation: "
  Carriage of thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six"
  


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  75. Quintet of 1 kan Iron Pillars– This is when the Vaizards try to contain Ichigo in the real world while he battled his inner hollow. This consists of five huge concrete pillars all connected by a chain that pin a person to the ground.
  
  –Incantation: "
  Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end."
  
  


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  77. Heavenly Rickshaws in Silken Air– This was used to tell everyone is Soul Society about the room being massacred, and Hitsuyaga being injured. While saying the incantation the user must draw symbols on their arms so they can transport the message clearly.
  
  –Incantation: "
  Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts. Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line. Form a circle and fly through the heavens."
  


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  99, Part 1. Seal– Pretty much it just binds a person with a string like energy.
  


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  99, Part 2. Great seal– "
  This spell covers a target from head to toe with spiritual fabric (first song), stabs them with numerous metal blades (second song), and then smashes them with an immense metal cube (final song)."
  
  
  –Incantation: "
  First song: halting fabric (shiryu), second song: hundred linked bolts , final song: great seal of 10,000 forbiddings."
  

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  4. White Lightning– a bolt of lightning comes from the index finger.
  
  


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  31. Shot of Red Fire– A Fire ball
  
  –Incantation: Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, The sea barrier surges, March on to the south!


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  33. Blue Fire, Crash Down– A stronger version of 31, but it is blue and covers a wider area.
  
  –Incantation: "
  Ye Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, Upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws![18] In the English dub, it is read as "
  Ruler, the mask of blood and flesh, all things in the universe that fly, that which names all! In the name of truth and temperance, dig your claws into the wall of sinless dreams!"
  
  


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  54. Abolishing Flames– Totally decimates someone...though I don’t think I ever saw this...
  


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  63. Thunder Roar Cannon- It is it’s name, it is a yellow ball of energy.
  
  –Incantation: "
  Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!"
  



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  66. Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down– This is an upgrade of 33 since it fires two shots with more power.
  
  –Incantation- "
  Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens."
  


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  90. Black Coffin– A black box develops around you, then swords pierce your whole body, this was used on the sword dude in the movie.
  

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  White Crawl– Hinomori used it to knock out guards when imprisoned.
  


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  Mirror Door– A barrier which is hard to break from the outside, but the person within can get out easily.
  


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  Reverse Demon– This negates an attack like the fight against Soi Fon and Yourchi.
  

Modified Souls

Hollows are the center antagonists in Bleach. Many things are centered around Hollows. A hollow was a human soul, but they transform when their chain of life is cut for more than 72 hours, and if a soul lingers too long on earth. They transform by growing a white mask that shields their face from the world, and then they live off of eating human souls. shinigami usually slash right through the hollows head so they don’t crack the mask off because it might be someone you knew. Then they develop a hole around their chest area to signify that they have no heart. When then chain of life is cut through, it eats itself up to your heart, and when it gets closer it becomes extremely painful, when the chain is gone you become a hollow. Hollows live in Hueco Mundo

Hollow

Hollows are the center antagonists in Bleach. Many things are centered around Hollows. A hollow was a human soul, but they transform when their chain of life is cut for more than 72 hours, and if a soul lingers too long on earth. They transform by growing a white mask that shields their face from the world, and then they live off of eating human souls. shinigami usually slash right through the hollows head so they don't crack the mask off because it might be someone you knew. Then they develop a hole around their chest area to signify that they have no heart. When then chain of life is cut through, it eats itself up to your heart, and when it gets closer it becomes extremely painful, when the chain is gone you become a hollow. Hollows live in Hueco Mundo

Hueco Mundo

Hueco Mundo, in Spanish means, Ghost World; which in the series represents it correctly. Hueco Mundo is where all hollow reside. It is a world between Soul Society and the Living World. Ichigo and his companions had to cross Hueco Mundo to get to Soul Society when using Urahara's portal.

Orb of Distortion

This is a special orb that Urahara created in order to become the ultimate shinigami. It involves gaining hollow powers because shinigami's strength is limited as to where a hollow's strength and grow a lot more. This was hidden in Kuchiki Rukia until Aizen found it. It needs to be fully awakened though in order to be used for this, so in the mean time Aizen creates Arrancar to help him with his ultimate goal.

Arrancar

With the Orb of Distortion not at full power, Aizen uses it to make Arrancar. Arrancar are hollow whose mask has been partially ripped off. These arrancar have to forms, there normal form with a zanpukto, and then a super form where they become their zanpukto, instead of wielding one. The arrancar are initially ranked by birth order, but then there is the Espada, who is ranked on stength 1 through 10.

"Inner Hollow"

This is just as the title states. Shinigami usually don't have this, but one develops a inner hollow when he/she is near a hollow transformation. Ichigo developed one with his experience in trying to get his own shinigami powers back. This inner hollow can take over a shinigami and turn him into a powerful hollow, but one needs to suppress the inner hollow in order to use it's powers to the fullest, or else; the hollow will take over.

Vaizards

The Vaizard are a group of shinigami who have inner hollows, and have learned to suppress and control them. They want Ichigo to join them because of his strength. They usually call out their hollow powers by putting their hand over their face and almost scraping their mask from another dimension, to revel the mask. Then they either place it on their face, or it just appears on their face.

Types of Hollow

There are many types of hollow that reside in Hueco Mundo. The categories are just normal hollow, earth-bound hollow, Gillian, Adjuunca, and Vasto Lorde. Normal Hollow are just humans who souls are filled with hatred. Earth-Bound hollows are stronger because they are bound to objects on the Earth that makes them filled with hatred. Below the others are looked at in detail.

Gillian

These are the weakest of the "stronger" hollow. These usually consist of the Menos Grandes. These are considered the "Foot Soliders" or "the pawns". The Gillian are the largest of the hollow too.

Adjuunca

These are the second strongest. There size usually consists of being larger than humans, but smaller than gillians.

Vasto Lorde

These are the strongest of all hollow. There is around a small number of them in Hueco Mundo that exist. It is also said that if one were to take control of only five or ten of them, Soul Society would be destroyed. These are human sized, but the most powerful or all hollows.