A Gentle Right Arm

A Gentle Right Arm is the twelfth episode of the Bleach anime.

As Ichigo Kurosaki begins his game with Uryū Ishida, Yasutora Sado gains a new power.

Summary
Uryū and Ichigo begin their challenge, and Uryū pulls out a small capsule, which he claims is Hollow bait. He says that they will compete to see who can kill the most Hollows in 24 hours, but Ichigo objects on the basis that it will endanger the lives of everyone in the town. Uryū comes back, saying that if he is a competent Shinigami, then he won't have anything to worry about, and he crushes the bait. Moments later, a Hollow appears high above the town, and Uryū hits it with an arrow in the head and kills it. "That's number one," he says.

Ichigo angrily grabs Uryū by the collar, demanding that he undoes summoning Hollows. Uryū tells him that the Hollow bait is now everywhere, reminding him he should be more concerned about getting rid of the Hollows than fighting with Uryū. As Uryū picks himself back up, he reminds Ichigo that Hollows tend to attack those with high spirit power. Ichigo instantly recalls the Hollows that attacked his sisters, Karin and Yuzu. As Ichigo runs off, worried for his family, Uryū mutters to himself that Ichigo has not yet realized that his family isn't the only one with high Reiatsu. "Don't worry," he reassures, "I'll defeat them all." He glances up to the night sky and recalls the image of an elderly man.

Back at Karakura High School, Tatsuki Arisawa is relaxing against a school wall, presumably after a karate class. She is annoyed by the presence of two flirting ghosts that drift by her. Her instructor calls her back to class, and as she is about to return, she runs into Orihime Inoue who has a worried expression on her face. Tatsuki recalls what had happened earlier with Orihime's brother, unable to remember everything, but remembers random aspects, like thinking she had seen Rukia Kuchiki in the same room. Tatsuki had thought it was a dream, but as she speaks with Orihime, she realizes that her friend had dreamed the very same thing. Ever since that day, Tatsuki had gained the ability to see ghosts. As she continues speaking with Orihime on the school grounds, an annoying ghost gets on Tastuki's nerves. She refocuses her attention on Orihime, but just as Orihime is about to speak what's on her mind, they hear a loud crash nearby. They both run to investigate, but Orihime pauses as she senses something ominous in the bright skies.

Elsewhere, Karin Kurosaki, who is playing soccer with her friends, senses a malevolent presence.

Ichigo destroys his third Hollow and continues searching for his sisters. Uryū, standing on a bridge somewhere in the city, is seen firing off arrows, bumping his kill count up to eleven.

At the Urahara Shop, Rukia's command receiver is going berserk with Hollow alerts that flicker off as fast as they appear, alarming her with the vast amount. She hears a Hollow cry, and running outside, Rukia discovers a black slit in the sky. She can't figure out what is going on with the chaotic spirit force she senses, and she questions what will happen.

Ichigo continuously tears up Hollows, taking on three at once with his huge Zanpakutō. Uryū is busy doing his job as well, firing off arrow after arrow.

Out on the city streets, Chad's friends are beckoning him to hurry up because they are hungry for lunch, but Chad seems to be distracted by something. Suddenly, one of his friends attempts to kick him in the head, only to fall backwards and hurt himself because of Chad's powerful build. He continues to bug Chad to hurry up and get some food, but, just as they start walking, a large, invisible weight falls behind Chad. As they fall back and dust erupts everywhere, afterwards, everyone else can only see nothingness, and presume the explosion must have had something to do with a gas explosion. Chad, however, can see the faint outline of a Hollow that has caused destruction in several stores. Chad realizes it's after him, and begins running to lead the mysterious entity to a more deserted area.

At the soccer field, Karin remains distracted. She can't concentrate on the sport. She spots Chad out of breath, recognizing him as Ichigo's friend from when Chad had visited their clinic. She asks what Chad's doing at the field, but as she does, he grabs her and lunges forward. An explosion of dirt ensues behind them. They land safely away from the Hollow, and Karin stares at it over Chad's shoulder, terrified at what she's seeing. Chad wishes he could see it better to help him dodge, but Karin simply comments, "It's back. What the heck is it?" Chad is surprised that she can see it perfectly. She suddenly screams out and warns him that the Hollow is behind them, and Chad picks her up and darts to the side in the nick of time. Karin continually warns Chad of the Hollow's impending attacks after she discovers he can barely see it at all. She rides on his large back and keeps watch of the giant Hollow, which is pursuing them. She explains that it isn't her first time to see a monster like that. She has noticed that somehow, these monsters are related to Ichigo. Suddenly, the Hollow attacks from the left, and out of nowhere, Chad sees a part of the Hollow's arm, delivering it a powerful downward punch. The Hollow cries out in pain and hits them quickly, with no time for the two to react. As they are thrown aside, Karin thinks that Chad has passed out. Suddenly, Karin's soccer friends come up to her and ask if Chad is alright. She warns them angrily that they're in danger, but they don't have a clue what she's talking about. She jumps at one of them to push him out of harm's way.

Meanwhile, Chad is in a dreamlike state, remembering his youth. A man chewing on a cigar asks the younger Chad if he has hit someone again today. He lays a gentle hand on Chad's head, reminding him that Chad is a strong kid, and was born with many fortunate physical features that put him to an advantage. However, this man encourages Chad to be gentle, because the reason his big, strong fists exist, and the reason his body is big, is to protect others. Chad wakes up and picks himself up off the ground, echoing the words of his Abuelo. He takes his place behind Karin; the other children run away. Chad continues to ask his Abuelo for strength, so that he can protect those who need his help.

He suddenly sees the Hollow coming clearly, and lunges his right arm in a defensive punch. There's an explosion of power. The Hollow's arm deteriorates and it is sent flying backward. Karin stares in shock at Chad, and just as the dust clears, she notices that his right arm now wears a skin-tight glove that runs from his hand up to his shoulder. It has a "tail piece" and "fin pieces" by the wrist. It is black with a maroon stripe down the center, and two white lines bordering the maroon stripe.

Chad lunges forward again and finally defeats the Hollow. Karin runs up to him and asks if Chad is okay, wondering what had happened to his arm. Chad turns to face her, and raises his left arm in a thumbs up, saying that he is alright. Karin is totally appalled at the dorkiness of the thumbs up, and Chad collapses onto the ground, unable to fully understand what happened. He asks Karin if she was hurt, but she replies that only he was hurt. He comments that that's a good thing, but Karin kicks him on the head and angrily questions how Chad being hurt is a good thing. She runs off to call her dad to come help him.

Back at the high school grounds, Orihime is helping the girls clean up the mess caused by the "explosion" they had heard earlier. As she stares in the direction of the gym, lured by an ominous feeling, she suddenly spots a shadowy figure staring right back at her.

Next Episode Preview
Orihime details a story about her, the fighter of hope, driving evil out of the somber Karakura Town with six henchmen. When Ichigo asks her what she is talking about, Orihime reveals this is the next episode preview, which Ichigo notes is too convenient.

Fights

 * Yasutora Sado vs. Bulbous G (concluded)

Powers and Techniques Used
Fullbring Used:

Other powers: