The Fullbring User·Kūgo Ginjō

 is the three hundred and forty-sixth episode of the Bleach anime.

Summary
Ichigo Kurosaki punches a nearby lamppost in frustration over recent events, as he laments over the fact that many of his friends have been recently attacked and he doesn't know what to do about it or who to turn to for help. Suddenly he recalls his conversation with Kūgo Ginjō, and takes out the Xcution card that Kūgo had given to him once their conversation had concluded. Deciding it is for the best, Ichigo dials that number, and after getting past an operator, he finally gets through to speak to Kūgo, who informs him that he was expecting his call when Ichigo asks for help.

The next day, Ichigo is walking through the grounds at his school when Orihime Inoue attracts his attention from a ground floor window. She asks a surprised Ichigo if she is aware of Yasutora Sado's current condition. When Ichigo becomes confused, she climbs out of the window and explains that when she went to tell Sado about that attack on Uryū Ishida, his teacher informed her that he hadn't been coming to school or attending classes recently. The news visibly shocks Ichigo as Orihime wonders if she should visit him. When she asks Ichigo if she wants to visit Sado with, he's already walking away, insisting that he is busy. Orihime seems to accept this and, but sadly watches him leave after she advises him she will keep him updated about Sado's status.

Alone, Ichigo recalls his conversation with Kūgo over the phone and thinks back to his friends' attacks. He starts heading to the address Kūgo had given him. Meanwhile, Orihime goes to Sado's house to see if he is alright. However, he doesn't answer the door and she can't help but bring to mind the warning Ryūken Ishida had given to her the previous night. Despite this, she shakes her head, deciding to be positive as she leaves the bag of bread on Sado's door just in case he needs it in the future.

That evening, Ichigo arrives in Naruki City, walking over a bridge before arriving at the building using the directions given to him. Kūgo appears and gets his attention, commending him that he is very punctual. Ichigo explains that his friends have been attacked and that he wants Kūgo's help in finding out who did it. Kūgo asks why Ichigo wants his help when he doesn't even trust him. Ichigo admits that he doesn't; however, since Kūgo knows about him and his father, then he clearly wasn't any ordinary Human and thus was the only one he could turn to for help. Kūgo accepts this response and invites Ichigo in regardless.

While in the elevator, Kūgo mutters that Ichigo was asking something from him without having done the request he assigned to him in the first place. Standing straight, Ichigo asks if he is referring to investigating his father. Kūgo glances at him and asks that he doesn't look so scary, as everything was alright. He advises him that the situation is over anyway given that the request was a pretext in order to lure Ichigo into coming to him for help. He asks Ichigo to use the Xcution card to open the door to the headquarters. They enter the lavishly decorated room with other strangers present. Kūgo states that it is now time for Ichigo to know the truth and for him to regain his Shinigami powers.

Outside, walking across a dark street with a tall, dark man, Riruka Dokugamine is yelling about having found him in a very strange place where he was sleeping, ridiculing him because he is supposed to be a grown up, but was sleeping somewhere unacceptable. She also moans that Kūgo even sent her out in the first place. She believes that if he wanted the man sought out then he should have gone to look himself. She asks the tall guy's opinion on the matter, telling him not to be so silent, since it was partly his fault that she was in such a bad mood in the first place. When he still stays quiet, she punches him in the stomach, but only manages to hurt herself in the process.

Back at the Xcution Headquarters, Ichigo gets angry at the thought of Kūgo being able to restore his Shinigami powers and grabs him by his coat demanding to know what he wants. Kūgo tells him to calm down and that the night was long, so that he could explain the entire situation to him. After offering Ichigo a drink, Kūgo asks Giriko Kutsuzawa to bring him orange juice. Kūgo confirms Ichigo's original assumption that the members of Xcution were not normal humans, and that they were born with special powers. To demonstrate, he manages to evaporate the liquor in his glass, manipulating it so that he can swallow it in one gulp.

Kūgo explains that what he did was draw the soul from the liquor so that he could swallow it, as not only living beings had souls. He states that the souls in simple objects, like tools, are used to help the skills of those humans who use them. Their power allows them to draw out these souls so that they can augment those souls with their own powers in order to make the object more useful. He uses examples of how their powers can be used to walk on water or to speed up when running. Kūgo further elaborates that if the item is special to the user and it they are compatible, they can even make the object change its shape.

When Ichigo looks on surprised, Kūgo stands up in order to demonstrate for him. He takes the pendant on his chest in hand, using his powers on it, momentarily making it glow green and then grow in size. When the light subsides, the pendant has become a very large sword with an elongated handle and a large, gold guard. It's weight is so immense that it embeds itself within the tiled floor. Kūgo states that this ability is called "Fullbring" and is the name of their abilities. Ichigo stares dumbfounded and can merely repeat the word for several seconds.

Just then, the door handle turns and the door opens to permit Riruka to enter the room in her usual loud fashion. She complains that with the light off, the room is too dark and she can barely see anything, to which Kūgo replies that she should wear her glasses if she is having trouble seeing things. Riruka asserts that she hates her glasses and hates contact lenses even more because they quickly dry out her large eyes. Ichigo asks who she is and Kūgo gives him her name and explains that she is a member of Xcution. He then tells Riruka to bring in the guy she's just fetch, who turns out to be Sado, much to Ichigo's shock and then anger. Kūgo tells him twice to calm down and warns him not make him say it a second time, but to sit and allow him to fully explain the situation.

Kūgo gets up to get Sado a drink just before Riruka begins to be alarmed that Ichigo Kurosaki has been in the room the whole time and she hasn't seen him. She tries to get past Kūgo, but he pushes her back, aggravating her further, forcing her to grab a torch so she can see more clearly in the dim light. When she finally focuses on Ichigo, she becomes stunned by his apparent attractiveness, so much that she collapses to the ground in shock. Alarmed, Ichigo gets to his feet to see to her, but she advises him that she is not fine with a clear blush on her face.

After this, Kūgo sits down and begins to explain the origin of the power of Fullbring. He asserts that those with the ability were born with it because their mothers were attacked by Hollows while they were pregnant. Their masks, the heart of their power, transferred a little of that power into their victim's womb, allowing the powers to manifest when they were born as babies. Kūgo maintains that they hate Fullbring, asking Ichigo if he understands, as he too knows what it is like to have Hollow powers with in himself. He moves on to claim that if those with Fullbring could come in contact with a Human who also had Shinigami power, in other words, their exact opposites, they could transfer their hated powers onto that person. Ichigo asks how he knows for sure and Kūgo reveals that there was one other Substitute Shinigami before him and that he had helped those with Fullbring previous to current events.

Elsewhere, the mysterious man is seen reading a book as he quietly sits on a window ledge. Slowly he closes the book as if to get up and take action once more, placing a bookmark into one of the pages.

Xcution Dictionary
Riruka introduces the members of Xcution. First, she introduces Giriko, who she says he pisses her off sometimes because she can't tell what he's thinking. Next, she introduces Jackie, who she says that the way she dress to flaunt off her figure pisses her off big time. Riruka then proceeds to introduce Yukio, who she says really pisses her off with the way he talks back to her. As Riruka is about to introduce herself, Ginjō appears, stating that she's a troublesome woman who can't speak her honest feelings. This angers Riruka, who proceeds to attack Ginjō, but he dodges and gets out of harms way.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 2) Kūgo Ginjō
 * 3) Orihime Inoue
 * 4) Ryūken Ishida (flashback)
 * 5) Giriko Kutsuzawa
 * 6) Jackie Tristan
 * 7) Yukio Hans Vorarlberna
 * 8) Riruka Dokugamine
 * 9) Yasutora Sado
 * 10) Mizuiro Kojima (flashback)
 * 11) Keigo Asano (flashback)
 * 12) Uryū Ishida (flashback)
 * 13) Hollow Ichigo (flashback)
 * 14) Shūkurō Tsukishima

Fights
None.

Powers and Techniques Used
Hollow techniques:
 * (flashback)

Techniques used:

Zanpakutō released:


 * (flashback)

Fullbring used: