The Shinigami's Work

The Shinigami’s work is the second episode of the Bleach anime.

After becoming a Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki refuses to help Rukia Kuchiki with her work as the local Shinigami.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: October 12, 2004
 * English Airdate: September 15, 2006
 * Opening Song: *~Asterisk~
 * Ending Song: Life is Like a Boat
 * Manga Chapters: Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 (up to page 7).
 * English Name: Pay or Play
 * Kanji: 死神のお仕事
 * Romanji: "Shinigami no oshigoto"
 * Arc: Agent of the Shinigami arc

Summary
“GOOD MORNING, ICHIGO!” Ichigo Kurosaki is woken up by a sudden attack by his father, and after his initial reaction Ichigo asks his father about his two little sisters injuries to which his father looks at him with a confused look on his face. While his family discusses how no one got hurt or even woke up after a truck crashed into their house, Ichigo wonders why his family doesn’t remember what happened and where Rukia disappeared to.

Once at school Ichigo bumps into two of his classmates, Orihime Inoue and Tatsuki Arisawa. Orihime ends up falling on the ground and Ichigo tries to help her up but his frightening face scares her off running. While in class his friends (Keigo, Mizuiro and Chad) wonder how a truck crashed into his house when suddenly Ichigo is greeted by the new transfer student, who to his surprise is none other than Rukia Kuchiki.

After class, Ichigo confronts Rukia and asks her what she's doing at his school, to which she says that she can't go home because only Shinigami can go there and she no longer has the power due to him taking nearly all of it. She then asks that while she waits in her gigai for her powers to come back that he takes over her work, and Ichigo immediately refuses.

Rukia decides to take matters into her own hands and forcefully removes Ichigo’s soul from his body and tells him to come with her. They arrive at a playground where a plus is getting attacked by a Hollow. Ichigo attempts to save the young boy but Rukia tells him that if he saves this soul then he must commit himself to save all the souls he can even if it means chasing them around and sacrificing himself. Ichigo attacks the Hollow and Rukia asks him if he’s ready, Ichigo then tells her that he saved the soul of the boy because he wanted to and reminds Rukia that when she saved him she wasn’t thinking about her duty as a Shinigami. He then gives the Hollow the finishing blow and performs a soul burial (konsō) on the boy.

Later that night as a plus spirit is watching Orihime through her window, some Hollows appear and take him away to their world. Here a larger Hollow appears and commands the others to turn the spirit into a Hollow as well.

The next day while out in town, Ichigo and Rukia meet with Orihime who has just been the victim of a hit and run. While they ask her if she is alright, Rukia notices a mark on Orihime’s leg and ask hers whether that mark was there before. Orihime tells her that it just appeared and it must have been from the car, Ichigo then asks Orihime if she wants him to walk her home but she grabs her stuff and leaves.

On their way back home Rukia asks Ichigo how much he knows about Orihime and he tells her that she is friends with Tatsuki, and that three years ago, her brother died at his family’s clinic. Rukia asks Ichigo how his Spirit perception was back then to which he answers that it was only recently that he has been able to see and talk to them. Rukia then tells Ichigo that she is going home. When he asks her where she's going, she asks him if he really wants to know and then takes her leave.

That night Tatsuki brings over some food for Orihime and tells her that if she didn’t she would always be eating the weird stuff she makes for herself. Meanwhile at Ichigo’s home Yuzu asks him whether he has seen her pajama’s Ichigo tells her that why does she always feel the need to ask him about everything and she leaves. Suddenly, Ichigo starts hearing a strange beeping sound, and Rukia jumps out of his closet telling him that they got orders, and removes Ichigo’s soul from his body once again. A Hollow appears in Ichigo’s room and a battle between the two begins. With a small piece of his mask broken the Hollow runs off and Ichigo is left dumbfounded. Ichigo tells Rukia that the face of the Hollow just now was that of Sora Inoue, Orihime’s brother. Rukia tells Ichigo that all Hollows were once human and even though he knew him before, he is just a monster now and they have to bring him down.

Back at Orihime’s place, Tatsuki and Orihime talk about her encounter with Ichigo and Rukia, to which Tatsuki says how Ichigo is such a fast operator. Just then they hear a loud bang and a roar.

Next Episode Preview
Don Kanonji introduces himself as the charismatic medium of the new millennium, and that he is in a quest of raiding the holy ground from "BAD SPIRITS." Ichigo yells at him telling him that is to early for him yet and is frustrated as he is out of time once again.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Isshin Kurosaki
 * 2) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 3) Yuzu Kurosaki
 * 4) Karin Kurosaki
 * 5) Orihime Inoue
 * 6) Tatsuki Arisawa
 * 7) Keigo Asano
 * 8) Mizuiro Kojima
 * 9) Sado Yasutora
 * 10) Rukia Kuchiki
 * 11) Sora Inoue
 * 12) Grand Fisher
 * 13) Acidwire

Powers and Techniques Used
Other powers:
 * Soul Burial (konsō)

Episode Notes
A short clip in this episode of Orihime spinning a leek was notable for a short flash animation nicknamed Loituma Girl with the song "Ievan Polkka" by Finnish group Loituma playing in the background.