Bount! The Ones Who Hunt Souls

 is the sixty-ninth episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo Kurosaki encounters a Bount for the first time.

Summary
In the Urahara Shop, Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, Uryū Ishida, Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, Jinta Hanakari, Ururu Tsumugiya, Yoruichi Shihōin, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba sit around the table in the central room with cups of tea. After several seconds of silence, Urahara names the Bount, to Uryū's confusion, and holds up the vial containing the Reishi residue collected by 2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng.

Urahara notes that the Reishi is likely from a Bount, leading Ichigo to question what exactly a Bount is. Seeing Yoruichi approve of him responding to this with a silent nod, Urahara recounts how he saw residue that heavily resembled this when he led the Shinigami Research and Development Institute of Soul Society in the distant past and details how it is a mysterious variant of Reishi that interacts with certain special components of Human Souls before revealing that he found details on a tribe called the Bount when he investigated this at the time.

With Uryū surprised by the description of the Bount as a tribe, Urahara explains that they are a group of Humans with special powers and a low population, just like Quincy, and clarifies that Quincy brought ruin upon themselves by destroying Hollows while Bount absorb Human Souls as nourishment, with the additional difference being that Quincy live and die as Humans while Bount can live forever by devouring Souls. However, Urahara admits that this is all he could find out and that he has never actually seen a Bount himself. When Ichigo picks on his mention of the Bount living forever, Urahara states that they gain eternal life by absorbing Souls for food.

While Urahara observes that this has led to the legend of the vampire in some areas and time periods, Yoruichi states that Bount usually feed on the Soul of a Human who has already died while Konsō is being performed upon it, but that one had tried to absorb the Soul of a living Human when Yoruichi found her. Upon being asked by Ichigo about what happens to Humans who have their Souls absorbed, Urahara bluntly informs him that this kills them, leaving Orihime shocked. Though Yoruichi notes that they cannot be sure it is a Bount and asks him if it might be a subspecies, Urahara declines to comment with certainty and sighs alongside Yoruichi.

Seeing Urahara and Yoruichi cross their arms, Ichigo slams his hand onto the table, rattling his cup of tea in the process, and demands to know why they are doing this when there could already be more victims, prompting Urahara to unfurl his fan and praise this reaction as being exactly what he expected from Ichigo and his strong sense of justice before instructing Ririn to go to Ichigo's house tonight, to her surprise and displeasure. When Ichigo expresses confusion at this, Urahara declares that he, Orihime, and Sado will be acting as support for the Mod-Souls, whom he reveals have Reishi sensor functions built in that allow them to detect Reishi waves.

Urahara elaborates that the Bount are targeting Humans and that Ichigo, Orihime, and Sado's exceptional power levels make them tempting prey for the Bount, whom they may not notice coming and thus must instead quickly find first. However, as Uryū wonders what he will be doing, Urahara attempts to explain it to him in a roundabout manner, only to be interrupted when Ririn callously reminds Uryū that he does not have any powers, leaving Uryū to hang his head in shame while Ichigo places a hand on his shoulder and acknowledges this. With this resolved, Urahara assigns Kurōdo to Orihime's apartment, causing him to blush pervertedly and claim it cannot be helped.

Admonished by Ririn for leering like this, an embarrassed Kurōdo looks downward and reiterates that it cannot be helped as Urahara instructs Noba to go to Sado's residence, which leads Noba to nod and zip his hood closed, to Ririn's confusion. Resigning herself to this, Ririn stands up and orders Ichigo to not give her any trouble, but Ichigo points out how she is the one causing him trouble, though he is left with no rebuttal other than asserting that she talks too much when Ririn taunts his inability to defend against her prior attacks. In addition to this, Urahara asks the Mod-Souls to hide themselves in and animate stuffed animals instead of their Gigai.

After Ichigo and his friends depart with the Mod-Souls, Yoruichi stands beside Urahara outside his shop and watches them leave as she inquires about when he found the time to add Reishi detectors to the Mod-Souls, prompting a startled Urahara to claim that he simply did so in case they were needed later, and when Yoruichi notes that he is acting like he knew the Bount would come, Urahara asserts that she is overthinking this. Meanwhile, in the Seireitei Library within Soul Society, 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya and 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake walk past several Shinigami roaming around the building and through multiple aisles of books.

Shortly afterward, the two of them stop in one of the aisles and examine the shelves in surprise before turning to face each other with serious expressions. Elsewhere, 8th Division Lieutenant Nanao Ise approaches her captain, Shunsui Kyōraku, as he sleeps on a rooftop, where she relays Ukitake's request for him to come to the library. With Shunsui continuing to snore, an irritated Nanao accuses him of faking this while being awake, which leads Shunsui to wonder why she speaks in such an unrefined voice since it wastes her beauty. Upon being asked by Nanao if he listened to anything she said, Shunsui confirms that he did and assumes that he will be performing crude work.

Nanao reveals that the material concerning the item they are investigating has been lost, to Shunsui's concern. Back in Karakura Town in the Human World, Sado stands in the downtown district at nighttime while dozens of civilians walk around him and stares at a crane game in front of him containing several different types of plushies. As he examines Noba's Gikongan, Sado sees a slim, green, turtle-like plushie lying over the hole at the bottom of the machine and takes out a 100-yen coin and prepares to get it. Shortly afterward, Sado sits in front of a table at his residence and puts Noba's Gikongan into the plushie, which lies in front of him.

After a few seconds, Noba assumes control of the plushie and sits up in front of Sado as they stare at each other silently for an extended period of time. Suddenly, Kon pops up and demands to know why they are being so quiet because it could be misconstrued as a broadcast error. With Sado and Noba turning their gazes to him, Kon reprimands them for looking at him as though they have seen something unusual and proposes they form a trio since they are all here before laughing, only to tearfully wonder if Sado will hear him out when the latter asks him if something happened. In the past, at the Kurosaki Clinic, Ririn rejects all the plushies offered to her.

Sitting across from Ririn, Ichigo explains that the only plushies left in the house are those that Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki played with when they were young, but Ririn angrily throws a stuffed bear at Ichigo's head and berates him for trying to put her into the worn and battered plushies on the floor. With Ririn threatening to tell Urahara if he does not take this seriously, an annoyed Ichigo questions what kind of plushie she wants and promises to get it if he knows what it is as he begins searching through a drawer behind him, leading Ririn to describe her ideal plushie body as smart, agile, beautiful with a hint of cuteness, gothic, and not formal nor cheap while pacing.

Suddenly, an irritated and exasperated Ichigo decides that the hooded, bird-like plushie he has just found will suffice and tosses it to Ririn, who is startled and steps back as the plushie falls on the ground in front of her, only to accidentally step on Ichigo's Substitute Shinigami Badge with her right foot, which emits a bright light and causes Ririn's Gikongan to pop out of her mouth. While Ririn's Gigai slumps to the ground, her Gikongan bounces off the plushie's forehead into its mouth, and as Ichigo stares in shock, Ririn animates the plushie and stands up to tearfully question what exactly she has inhabited, prompting Ichigo to speculate that it is supposed to be a bird.

After pausing in disbelief, Ririn angrily reveals she cannot inhabit a different plushie now and will be stuck like this for the rest of her life, though Ichigo simply dismisses this and walks away as Kon enters the room and realizes Ririn is now inhabiting the bird-like plushie. With Kon laughing at her misfortune due to her earlier mockery of him and declaring she is now a talking stuffed animal like him, Ririn dropkicks Kon in the face and warns him to watch what he says since she is in a bad mood at the moment, which he tearfully complies with while lying on the ground with a bleeding nose. In the present, Kon concludes Ririn has begun arrogantly bossing him around ever since.

As Noba carries over and sets down a cup of tea, Kon asserts that Ririn should respect him since he is technically her elder before taking the tea and drinking it in one swig. Wiping a trickle of tea off the side of his mouth, Kon claims that he is a Mod-Soul elder in the proper order of things and describes how he wanted to be held against Orihime's chest at her apartment, but expresses jealousy at Kurōdo for being taken there instead. Kon proclaims that they should check on Orihime at her apartment since she was likely made uncomfortable by having Kurōdo pushed onto her, and though Sado states that he has no interest in doing so, Kon counters that they will not be men if they do not go.

Shortly afterward, Kon, Sado, and Noba reach Orihime's apartment. Upon hearing Orihime make a loud and strange noise, a concerned Kon questions if Kurōdo is performing unspeakable acts with her, only to be interrupted when Sado picks him up by the topmost spike on his head, to his annoyance. With Sado noting that peeping is not good, Kon asserts he is simply keeping watch to protect Orihime and frees himself before running off while claiming he cannot leave this alone upon hearing Orihime make another strange sound. However, when Kon opens the door with Sado and Noba, he is shocked to find Orihime holding up Kurōdo in a rabbit-like plushie.

While Orihime praises his cuteness, an embarrassed Kurōdo admits his new form can be cute depending on how one looks at it and assures Orihime he is not criticizing her sense of aesthetics as he begins to point out how he is the one inhabiting the plushie, only for a briefly disheartened Orihime to reveal she thinks he looks cute due to how mismatched the plushie is with his voice. Suddenly, before Kurōdo can reply, he and Noba look upward in alarm as they sense something, and while Kon wonders why the atmosphere is so serious, Kurōdo informs them a Bount is nearby, alarming Orihime and Sado. Meanwhile, a woman in a white dress walks through Karakura Town.

The woman passes a pair of intoxicated businessmen before hearing Yoshino Sōma singing a song, causing her eyes to dilate and become glazed over as she turns and walks into a nearby alley, where Yoshino leans against the wall and straightens up while holding her arms out benignly. Back at the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo listens to music with earbuds in his ears and reads a textbook at his desk. Lying on Ichigo's bed nearby, a bored Ririn rolls over onto her back and remains still for several seconds before opening her eyes in shock and declaring she has detected a Bount. Though Ririn assures him the Bount is far from his home, Ichigo yanks out his earbuds and gets up.

Meanwhile, in the alleyway, Yoshino lures the woman into her arms and holds her closely. After praising the woman, Yoshino opens her mouth and bites the woman's throat, causing the latter's legs to tremble as a drop of Reishi falls to the ground. Suddenly, Ichigo demands to know what Yoshino is doing while approaching her in his Shinigami form. When Yoshino expresses surprise at seeing a Shinigami, Ichigo clarifies that he is only a Substitute, and as Yoshino inquires what business he has with her, Ichigo firmly states that he cannot let her devour the Souls of living people. Though Yoshino requests that he not interfere, Ichigo refuses to do so and rushes forward.

In response, Yoshino throws the lifeless woman at Ichigo, who is forced to stop and catch her in his arms before looking up to discover Yoshino has vanished. When Ririn indicates the direction Yoshino moved in, Ichigo is hesitant to leave the woman behind, but Ririn assures him she is simply unconscious. Shortly afterward, Ichigo pursues Yoshino down a street as Ririn warns him to keep his guard up even though she is not as vicious as they expected her to be, which Ichigo acknowledges. Elsewhere, Orihime and Sado walk along the sidewalk with Kon under Sado's left arm, Noba on Sado's right shoulder, and Kurōdo slung over Orihime's left shoulder with a purse strap.

As Kon questions how far Orihime and Sado intend to walk, Kurōdo instructs them to turn right at the next corner since they are close, prompting Orihime and Sado to begin sprinting. Meanwhile, Yoshino climbs over a fence and runs into a larger, dead-end alley while Ichigo leaps over the fence behind her. Upon hitting the wall at the end of the alley and looking up to see how tall it is, Yoshino faces Ichigo, who levels his Shikai, Zangetsu, at her from several meters away and demands to know what she is planning. Despite this, Yoshino claims that there is no way Ichigo could comprehend her plan even if she told him and criticizes him for being so troublesome.

With Ichigo asserting that he will not leave until he is satisfied regardless of how troublesome it is, Yoshino sighs and admits that she does not want to fight before striking the finger claw on her left hand against the bracelet on her right wrist and summoning her Doll, Goethe, causing an arc of flames to burst from the trail of her finger claw and splatter onto the ground. While Ririn cautions Ichigo that this is not ordinary fire, Goethe stands up in the flames as a tall, muscular, flaming golem that breathes fire into the air in front of its face, startling Ichigo, who leaps back and questions what exactly he is as Yoshino asks him how he likes her Doll.

Ichigo is left confused by the term as Goethe asks Yoshino if she called him, leading Yoshino to instruct him to help her since Ichigo is being persistent. Angered by this, Goethe forms a large ball of flame in his hand and hurtles it at Ichigo. Dodging to the left as the fireball strikes the ground behind him and sets it on fir, Ichigo tells Ririn to hold on tightly and rolls to avoid a second fireball from Goethe before slashing through a third fireball, which sets the area in front of him ablaze as Goethe leaps through the flames and throws a punch, only for Ichigo to slash sideways with Zangetsu and sever the right forearm of Goethe, which begins to fly away.

However, Ichigo is shocked to see the forearm of Goethe reattach itself to his upper arm with a tendril of flame, and as Ririn observes that he recomposed himself, Yoshino confirms this and declares that Ichigo has no chance of winning because Goethe will recompose himself no matter how many times he is cut. Elsewhere, Orihime and Sado stand outside a deserted factory as Orihime asks Kurōdo if the Bount is here, which prompts him to warn her and Sado to be careful since the Bount may be nearby. Suddenly, Noba hops down from Sado's shoulder and runs into one of the warehouses, where the curious Orihime and Sado follow him.

Upon joining Noba, who raises his arm to stop their advance, Orihime and Sado see a man in a suit and tie slumped over against the far wall who disintegrates into dust from the head down, causing his clothes to fall down in a heap onto the resulting mound of dust. As Orihime, Sado, Kon, Noba, and Kurōdo approach the remains, Kurōdo notes that they were too late while Orihime admits that she did not think someone could disappear without leaving a trace like this before they see a man's shadow moving next to their own and turn around to see Ryō Utagawa standing on a walkway above. After glaring down at Orihime, Sado, and the Mod-Souls, Utagawa greets them.

Pointing up at Utagawa with his left ear, Kurōdo demands to know if this is his doing, only for Utagawa to claim he was simply finishing up a meal. When an angered Kurōdo tells him to stop joking, Utagawa asserts he would never do something so rude and always pays his respects to his food in order to convey how grateful he is for it. Though he observes Orihime, Sado, and the Mod-Souls seem very tasty, Utagawa casually states he is full for the day and bids them farewell before leaping down to the ground outside while Sado tells him to wait. Kurōdo notes he is a different Bount than the one Yoruichi encountered since she was a woman as Noba inspects the dust.

Back in the alley, a yelling Ichigo runs up to Goethe and slashes diagonally through his upper torso from his left shoulder, but can only watch in astonishment as Goethe reattaches the two portions of his body with fire. Though Yoshino tells him that it is useless to keep cutting Goethe, Ichigo insists that there must be a weak point to attack and strikes at Goethe, who evades to his right and throws a punch that Ichigo blocks with Zangetsu. After Goethe moves backward to avoid another blow, Ichigo slashes horizontally through his midsection, but Goethe easily reattaches the two halves of his body with another braid of fire linking them.

Upon being reminded by Ririn of Yoshino telling him that it is useless to do this, an irritated Ichigo inquires if she has a better idea, which prompts Ririn to reiterate Urahara's advice of staying calm in battle and observing one's opponent to find a weakness. Looking over Goethe, Ichigo hones in on his left pectoral as a weakness and rushes forward despite Ririn's protests before shoving Zangetsu through the left pectoral of Goethe, who moans in pain as he falls apart in a torrent of flame. However, while Ichigo presumes that he has won and tells Ririn that the weak point of Goethe was his heart, a shocked Ririn tells him to look at Goethe in front of him.

A reforming Goethe surges toward Ichigo in a torrent of flame, resulting in Ichigo and Ririn being sent flying back and slamming into the wall of a nearby building as five chunks of Goethe crash into them. While she watches the resulting explosion, a smiling Yoshino observes that she warned Ichigo about this and orders Goethe to finish them, which Goethe acknowledges as he forms a large ball of fire in either hand. With Ichigo lying in the wreckage, a concerned Ririn frantically asks him if he can move, and when Ichigo assures her that he is fine, Ririn chastises him for acting like this and directs his attention to Goethe as the latter charges up his fireballs.

Seeing a whirlwind form around Goethe due to the intensity of his flames, Ichigo struggles to get up, but discovers the debris is trapping him in place. After combining the two fireballs in his hands, Goethe unleashes a large and wide beam of fire that hurtles toward a screaming Ichigo and Ririn. Suddenly, a '''Hadō #33. Sōkatsui''' from above strikes the flames before they can reach Ichigo and Ririn, dispersing them in a violent shockwave that forces Yoshino to shield herself with her arms. With Ichigo staring in astonishment, Rukia Kuchiki lands among the flames in the dress Uryū made and demands to know what he is doing before looking over her shoulder.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
On a walkway in the Seireitei in Soul Society, 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake apologizes to 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya for wasting the latter's time even though he went out of his way to help Ukitake. Though Hitsugaya assures him that it is fine since the situation may be connected to Sōsuke Aizen, Ukitake gives him a large stocking full of snacks as compensation despite them being somewhat out of season, and when Hitsugaya questions why he always does this, Ukitake reveals that he does so because both of their names end in "shirō", leaving a shocked Hitsugaya to wonder if this is really it while Ukitake misinterprets his response as a desire for more snacks.

Fights

 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Yoshino Sōma

Powers and Techniques Used
Hohō Techniques:

Kidō Techniques:

Other Techniques:
 * Hypnosis

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:

Dolls summoned:

Anime Notes
Trivia=
 * In the English dub of this episode, Rukia Kuchiki's sole line of dialogue is removed.