Greetings from a Stuffed Lion

Greetings from a Stuffed Lion is the seventh episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo Kurosaki becomes friends with the Mod-Soul, Kon, and puts him into a plushie.

Summary
At the Urahara Shop, Kisuke Urahara sets the Senren Bakusatsu Taihō on the ground and notes that this should be everything as Ururu Tsumugiya approaches him and gets his attention. Ururu claims that this is all her fault and that Urahara must be angry at her, but Urahara smiles and pats her head while assuring her that he is not angry.

Asking Ururu why she is scared, Urahara pulls her to his chest and states that they are in this together before promising to take care of everything, prompting Ururu to cry into his shoulder. While Urahara comforts Ururu, Tessai Tsukabishi and Jinta Hanakari arrive behind them, and when Tessai confirms that everything is ready, Urahara declares that he and his employees will go retrieve their merchandise.

Meanwhile, at Karakura Elementary School, as he and his friends watch in stunned silence, Ino wonders what the Mod-Soul is doing all by himself as Rukia Kuchiki runs up to them before stopping in surprise. Ichigo Kurosaki dodges two kicks from the Mod-Soul before jumping over a sweeping leg and landing behind the Mod-Soul, who is irritated by this. Declaring that he can easily read the Mod-Soul's moves if he stays calm, Ichigo dodges a flying kick from him and catches another kick from him, which he uses as a chance to grab the Mod-Soul and hoist him overhead before throwing him away, only for the Mod-Soul to land in a crouch and leap over the nearby wall.

As Ichigo demands that the Mod-Soul to come back, Rukia tells him to stop and reveals that they have an order as her Denreishinki lights up and beeps. Ichigo expresses his disbelief at the timing, but Rukia asserts that a Hollow will soon appear close to them, prompting Ichigo to curse before following Rukia as she runs off. Meanwhile, in the schoolyard, the P.E. teacher runs up to Ino, Kaneda, and Hashigami, whom she asks about the yelling she heard. While Ino tells her that a strange high school student attacked them and Kaneda describes him as having orange hair, the teacher notices the game console on the ground and picks it up, startling the boys.

Sarcastically wondering what the game console is, the annoyed teacher tells the boys that she thinks they play too many video games. Elsewhere, as he runs along the rooftops, the Mod-Soul curses Ichigo and the boys for ruining his good mood before suddenly sensing a Hollow nearby. As he comes to a halt, the Mod-Soul realizes that the Hollow is near where he was a few minutes ago and grimly wonders if it is going to attack the boys as he recalls their callous conversation about killing their creations. Back at the schoolyard, Hashigami and his friends sweep the yard as he complains about having to clean up as punishment and wonders why they should do this.

When Hashigami asks why their teacher does not believe them, Kaneda notes that it is likely due to them constantly misbehaving, which Hashigami acknowledges while laughing, and Ino complains that she took away their games on top of this. Unnoticed by the boys, a large millipede-like Hollow emerges nearby and arches above a shed behind them while chuckling. Elsewhere, as she runs through the street while looking at her Denreishinki, Rukia come to a stop when it beeps at her, prompting Ichigo to ask her what is wrong. Upon learning that her Denreishinki is not working properly and the battery may be dead, Ichigo angrily states she should have bought spares.

While Ichigo bemoans her decision to focus on Chappie instead, Rukia reveals that she can no longer figure out the location of the Hollow, to Ichigo's consternation. Back at the schoolyard, the Hollow dives down on the boys with its mouth open, only for the Mod-Soul to suddenly appear and kick it hard in the face, leading it to instead crash into the ground behind the boys, who are sent flying several feet away. As Ino wonders what just happened, the dust clears to reveal the Mod-Soul, whom the boys recognize as the one who attacked them earlier. Yelling, the Mod-Soul runs toward the Hollow, who extends one of its tentacles at him.

The Mod-Soul kicks the tentacle away and leaps into the air, where he kicks away another tentacle before having his shoulder sliced by a third. As the Mod-Soul lands on the ground and clutches his arm while falling to his knees, Ino expresses shock at the sight of blood before running away with his friends when the ground is shaken by the Hollow, who glares at the Mod-Soul. Meanwhile, as they run along the street, Ichigo and Rukia see the Mod-Soul leaping to the roof of Karakura Elementary School with the Hollow in pursuit and recognize him. Cursing the Mod-Soul as an idiot, Ichigo runs toward him as a surprised Rukia calls out after him.

On the rooftop of the school, the Mod-Soul stands with his back against the fence as the laughing Hollow points out how he merely ran around after interfering with the Hollow's meal and criticizes the Mod-Soul as not being strong enough to be messing with him before extending one of his tentacles. The Mod-Soul leaps into the air to avoid the tentacle, which rebounds off the ground and hits him in the back, knocking the Mod-Soul to the ground. As the Mod-Soul lands, the tentacle hurtles toward him, only for Ichigo to appear and cut off the tip of it with his Zanpakutō while voicing his agreement with the Hollow's assessment of the Mod-Soul.

While the Hollow reels back in pain, Ichigo cleans the blood off his Zanpakutō with a slash before turning his attention to the Mod-Soul, who asks him why he is helping him. Grabbing the Mod-Soul by the collar, Ichigo points out that he got Ichigo's body injured and declares that he should not be fighting if a lowly Hollow can hurt him this much. The Mod-Soul claims that he only had to fight the Hollow because Ichigo took so long getting here, but Ichigo reminds him that he is supposed to be a battle-ready Mod-Soul. As it demands to know what their problem is, the Hollow hurtles toward Ichigo and the Mod-Soul, who proceed to slash and kick his mask in unison.

As the Hollow screams in pain, its mask splits open and its body begins to fall backward, startling the Mod-Soul, who runs toward the falling Hollow as Ichigo expresses confusion. Leaping toward the Hollow's head near the railing, the yelling Mod-Soul kicks upward into the Hollow's body, which is propelled upward as it disintegrates. The Mod-Soul watches this with a smile on his face as he begins to fall over the side of the building, but Ichigo catches him by the leg at the last second and reminds him that Hollows disintegrate after being purified before criticizing him for going to kick it again, only to stop in surprise upon hearing the voice of the teacher.

In the schoolyard below, the teacher notes that no one is here and asks the boys if they are tricking her, prompting Ino to assert that it really is true and that she has to believe them. When the teacher asks them where the bleeding high-school student is, Kaneda also claims that it is true, leading the teacher to order the boys to stay late after school tomorrow to clean again as well, to their dismay and protests, as the four of them walk back back into the school. After pulling the Mod-Soul up, Ichigo asks the Mod-Soul if he did not hate the boys. As he sits next to a line of ants, the Mod-Soul states that they would have been killed if he had not helped them.

Declaring that he will not allow anyone to be killed, the Mod-Soul recounts how Soul Society ordered the Mod-Souls to be destroyed soon after he was created, which meant the date of his death was determined the day after he was created. The Mod-Soul recalls trembling in fear inside his pill as he watched his brethren disappear day after day and admits that he was constantly afraid of being discovered and destroyed even after he escaped the warehouse. As he stands next to Ichigo, the Mod-Soul states that this led him to question why someone other than him should decide his fate and ultimately decide that he will not kill anyone or see anyone be killed.

Suddenly, Urahara appears next to Ichigo and the Mod-Soul as he notes that all the equipment they brought is useless because the Mod-Soul is already injured and fatigued. Pointing his cane at the Mod-Soul's forehead, Urahara pushes it forward, causing it to phase through his head while pushing out the Mod-Soul's pill, to Ichigo's surprise. As Ichigo's lifeless body falls to the ground, Urahara picks up the pill and declares that their collection is complete, prompting Jinta to complain about not being able to fight like he expected. When Ichigo demands to know what they are going to do with the Mod-Soul, Urahara casually states that they will destroy it.

Surprised by Urahara being able to see and hear him, Ichigo wonder who he and his employees are, leading Urahara to puzzle over how best to answer that question as he tosses the pill into the air. Snatching the pill out of the air, Rukia declares that Urahara is a greedy merchant as he asserts that she cannot take the pill. When Rukia asks him if he takes back goods he has sold to people without a refund, Urahara notes that he can give her a refund, but Rukia declines and states that she is satisfied with her purchase before reminding Urahara that he is not obligated to collect forbidden items because he operates outside of Soul Society's laws.

Urahara tells Rukia to not blame him if she gets into trouble over this because they will be hiding, but Rukia claims that this is fine because she has gotten used to trouble lately. Walking up to Ichigo, Rukia hands him the pill before walking away as she tells him they should go home. Later that day, as the sun begins to set, Ichigo walks next to a construction site with Rukia before stopping and clutching his injured shoulder in pain. When Rukia asks him what is wrong, Ichigo complains about the Mod-Soul abusing his body while knowing it did not belong to him and pulls out the pill before demanding to know if it is listening to him.

As Rukia notes that he must look very strange to outsiders right now, Ichigo blushes with embarrassment and asks how he can complain to the Mod-Soul directly, leading Rukia to explain that he needs to insert the pill into a body without a soul, which would mean a corpse. Pretending to look around for a corpse, Ichigo angrily declares that he is not going to find one so easily, but as Rukia tells him to stop whining, Ichigo notices a lion plushie sitting on top of some trash bags nearby and asks Rukia if all he really needs is a receptacle. Rukia begins to protest that the plushie is not a real body, but stops short as she realizes that her Gigai is not either.

When Rukia agrees that they should give it a try, Ichigo asks her what he is supposed to do and puts the pill into the plushie's mouth at Rukia's instruction. After a few seconds of silence, Ichigo picks up the plushie by the arm and notes that it does not seem to have worked, which Rukia agrees with as she begins to walk away. However, when Ichigo spins the plushie around by the arm, it comes to life and declares that this hurts before hitting Ichigo in the face and pushing itself away from him. Landing on the ground, the Mod-Soul turns and challenges Ichigo once more, only to notice that he is suddenly much smaller and that his hands are now cute.

Smiling at the Mod-Soul's disbelief over his new situation, Ichigo crouches and reminds him that their conversation was not over as he grabs the Mod-Soul by the head. When Ichigo promises with irritation to take good care of him, the Mod-Soul decides to take Ichigo on as he is, only to quickly be defeated. The next morning, at the Kurosaki Clinic. the Mod-Soul declares that it is morning and drops onto a sleeping Ichigo's chest while demanding that he wake up and apologize. As Ichigo opens his eyes, the Mod-Soul promises to hide in his bag and go to school with him if he does not wake up before describing how he will be mocked by the girls in his class for carrying a stuffed animal around.

Annoyed by this, Ichigo picks up the Mod-Soul by the head and throws him at the wall before reminding him that he is supposed to act like a stuffed animal instead of talking so much while addressing him as Kon. Getting up, Kon demands to know why he is being called this, prompting Ichigo to explain that it is too hard to refer to him as Kaizō Konpaku and that Kon is good enough for him. Kon declares that this is no reason to call him Kon because it sounds silly and suggest that Ichigo call him Kai instead, which he likes, but Ichigo declines because Kai is a cool-sounding name and he would not like this, which greatly irritates Kon.

Rukia opens the closet door and demands to know what the racket is that is preventing her from changing her clothes in peace, but upon hopping out onto the floor of Ichigo's bedroom, she realizes that she has stepped on Kon, who is looking up her skirt and praising the angle while admitting that he is glad to be a stuffed animal. Angered by this, Rukia begins grinding Kon into the ground with her foot, causing him to yell out in pain and protest that his stuffing is coming out. Suddenly, Yuzu Kurosaki announces that she is coming in, to the surprise of those present, and opens the door while beginning to tell Ichigo that Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima are doing something.

Stopping as she sees Ichigo standing against his closet with his hands on the doors, Yuzu asks him what he is doing, prompting a nervous Ichigo to frantically claim that he is not doing anything before asking Yuzu what she is doing so early in the morning. Yuzu states that it is no longer early and reveals that Keigo and Mizuiro are waiting for Ichigo, who is shocked by the time on his clock and begins rushing to change his clothes as he declares that he will be late, prompting Yuzu to look away in embarrassment while informing him that he can eat before he leaves because his toast is ready. As he looks out his window, Ichigo apologizes to Keigo and Mizuiro in the street for oversleeping.

While Ichigo asks them to stay where they are because he will be out shortly, Keigo notes that this is unusual and Mizuiro tells him to take his time as he hurries. Smiling, Ichigo backs up and asks Rukia, who opens the closet door as Kon falls out, if she erased his classmates' memories again, which she confirms before asserting that he would not want them to remember the events of yesterday, which Ichigo concedes. As he mentally notes that too many things have been happening recently and that it feels only natural, Ichigo puts on his watch, only to stop in shock upon noticing the date. Rukia prepares to leave through the window and tells Ichigo she is going ahead.

When Ichigo does not respond, a slightly concerned Rukia asks him what is wrong, but Ichigo claims it is nothing. Soon afterward, at Karakura High School, Michiru Ogawa asks Tatsuki Arisawa if her elective was art, and when Tatsuki confirms this and having done the "My Future" assignment, Michiru asks to share their work with each other because she has no confidence in her piece. Agreeing to this, Tatsuki pulls out her artwork, which portrays her standing over a defeated opponent in a fighting ring, and declares that she is going to be the vale tudo champion one day as Michiru praises her work while claiming her own is too embarrassing to show Tatsuki.

Michiru turns to Orihime Inoue and asks her what she drew, prompting Orihime to thank her for asking and admit that she secretly calls it her masterpiece as she digs it out of her bag. Though Michiru is excited to see Orihime's work, she and Tatsuki are stunned to see that Orihime drew herself as a large robot armed with weapons, which Orihime describes as possessing a top speed of 380 kilometers per hour, the ability to shoot 20,000°C flames from her mouth, and destructive rays of energy that fire from her eyes. As Uryū Ishida cross-stitches behind them, an incredulous Michiru tells Orihime that this is not what she was supposed to draw.

While Tatsuki warns her that this could earn her detention again, a confused Orihime tries to explain the rest of her theoretical capabilities, only to stop short when Ichigo walks into the room. When Orihime greets him, Ichigo turns and greets her in return in a friendly manner, which surprises Orihime and Tatsuki. Michiru notes that Ichigo is in a good mood today and asks Orihime if she agrees, but Orihime just nods her head while Tatsuki asks Michiru for today's date. After learning that it is June 16th, Tatsuki explains that Ichigo is not actually in a good mood and just acts like this when he is really tense while Ichigo chats with Keigo, Mizuiro, and Yasutora Sado.

When Orihime looks at her in concern, Tatsuki assures her that she knows the reason why Ichigo is acting so strange and reveals that he is going to skip school tomorrow. That night, with a notice taped to the Kurosaki Clinic explaining that they will be closed the following day, Isshin Kurosaki declares that it is time for the family to discuss their duties for tomorrow and that he is the chairman who gets to make all of the decisions because he is their father. Karin protests this because it prevents a discussion, but Isshin tells her to raise her hand if she wishes to speak and refers to her as the Chief of Staff, which placates her because she likes the title.

Isshin designates Yuzu as the lunch staff officer and Karin as the porter, prompting the latter to demand to know what happened to her title of Chief of Staff. While Isshin invites his daughters to look at his new haircut, which Karin refuses to do, Ichigo watches quietly and smiles. Later, as the lights are turned off, Ichigo stretches in his room after a shower as Rukia tells him that the family meeting he had looked fun. When Rukia asks Ichigo if he is cutting school tomorrow for a picnic with his family, Kon opens the closet door and proclaims that a picnic sounds fun, only for Rukia to quickly shut the door with her foot while Ichigo looks out the window.

Getting Rukia's attention, Ichigo asks her if he can take tomorrow off from his Shinigami duties, a surprised Rukia asserts that he cannot and demands to know what is wrong with him that has had him acting strange since that morning. However, she is stunned into silence when Ichigo reveals that tomorrow is the anniversary of the day his mother died and clarifies that she was killed. Elsewhere in Karakura Town, as it begins to rain, Orihime looks out her window and recalls Ichigo's behavior and Tatsuki's words about tomorrow as she wonders if being the rain would allow her to connect with someone's heart the way it connects the sky and earth.

In his bed at the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo sleeps with a cloth over his eyes and recalls the day his mother died, with him seeing a girl by the river and trying to save her, his mother calling after him, and him finding her dead in a pool of blood, all as a child, which makes him clutch his head in pain and say something unintelligible as Rukia lies awake in the closet. Meanwhile, in Soul Society, Eikichirō Saidō plays a game of spinning tops with some children and root for his top to win the clash in the bowl, only to clutch his head in disappointment when it is instead forced out. As the children cheer, Saidō challenges them to one more game.

However, upon noticing a member of the Onmitsukidō standing nearby, Saidō falls silent, prompting one of the children to ask him what is wrong. Saidō apologizes and states that something has come up, but as the children express their disappointment, he hands one of them some Kan, which they joyfully run away with. In an alleyway, Saidō asks the Onmitsukidō member who he is targeting today, and when the member reveals that it is Rukia Kuchiki, a somewhat surprised Saidō asks with a grin what she has done this time. The member asserts that Rukia has stayed in the Human World for too long, prompting Saidō to wryly ask if this is all she is guilty of.

Pointing out that they would not call Saidō out if that was it, the member claims that something else is behind this and tasks him to find out what it is. As Saidō asks him if he can get a little rough, the member walks past him while ordering him to leave immediately before disappearing into the air while Saidō thinks about Rukia.

Next Episode Preview
Isshin Kurosaki promises amazing suspense in the next episode in what he calls "The Isshin Kurosaki Murder Case - The Madness over a Huge Serving of Pot Stickers and The Sweat of a Sorrowful Father Sealed in a Bean Jam Ricecake by a Beautiful Nurse!", only for Ichigo to angrily say there is no such show.

Fights

 * Ichigo Kurosaki & Kon vs. Millipede-like Hollow (concluded)

Powers and Techniques Used
Shinigami techniques used: