Beat the Invisible Enemy!

Beat the Invisible Enemy! is the fifth episode of the Bleach anime.

Rukia Kuchiki and Yasutora Sado team up to take on the Hollow Shrieker.

Summary
Having brought Karin Kurosaki back to the Kurosaki Clinic and put her to bed, Ichigo Kurosaki runs down the street while wondering how long it has been since he has seen Karin cry. Noting that Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki were crybabies up until their mother died, Ichigo recalls how Yuzu took over their mother's housekeeping duties in the following years.

Ichigo also remembers how Karin stopped crying altogether so she would not worry the rest of her family because she did not have much skill in anything, and how she did not cry once even after losing a fight with an upperclassman, being reprimanded by the principal, or breaking her leg while hiking. Recalling Karin crying into his shirt, Ichigo runs off while telling her to leave it to him. Meanwhile, Shrieker pins Rukia Kuchiki against a wall and asks her if she is really a Shinigami.

Shrieker tells Rukia to shed her human form, but Rukia does not, causing him to narrow his eyes. Suddenly, Yasutora Sado punches Shrieker hard in the face, causing him to let go of Rukia and sending him flying away. As Sado wonders if he hit him, Rukia expresses astonishment at Sado being able to hit a Hollow and wonders if he can see spiritual beings, only to revise her assessment with embarrassment upon seeing Sado repeatedly punching the empty air. Getting to his feet, Shrieker mirthfully realizes Sado cannot see him and only hit him on accident right before Sado punches him directly in the face again, toppling Shrieker.

Sado states that he got Shrieker again as a stunned Rukia notes that Sado is calmly facing down an enemy that he should not be able to see or hear before wondering if he has any fear. Cursing, Shrieker leaps into the air and spreads the wings on his arms as he taunts Rukia about her inability to reach him at this height. When Rukia frantically tells him to run because Shrieker has taken to the air, a surprised Sado asks her if she can see spirits, prompting Rukia to tell him to ignore this. However, Sado merely asks her where Shrieker is in the air, and when a confused Rukia asks him what good this would do, Sado wraps his arms around a nearby telephone pole and begins to pull.

Wondering if he should swoop down and grab Sado like a falcon, Shrieker is astonished when a yelling Sado breaks the telephone pole off its base. Sado asks Rukia where Shrieker is, and when Rukia points him in the right direction, Sado slams the telephone pole into Shrieker, who is sent crashing to the ground underneath it. As the top of the telephone pole snaps off from the impact, Sado discards the rest of the pole while Rukia runs up to the motionless Shrieker and tells him to give up because someone is on his way to defeat him. However, Shrieker begins laughing in response and notes that this is why he keeps defeating Shinigami.

Suddenly, dozens of Targets leap into the air behind Rukia and Sado before pinning them both to the ground. Noting that the tables have turned and that Shinigami underestimating him has always been how he has beaten them, Shrieker decides to devour Rukia first and save Sado for last, only to be stunned when a roaring Sado frees himself from the Targets holding him down by flexing his muscles. As he reels back, Shrieker berates Sado for thinking all his problems can be solved with brute force before narrowly dodging another punch from Sado, which causes him to note that Sado has sharp reflexes as Sado continues to punch the empty air.

Rukia tells Sado to kick the air above her, which he obliges, sending the Targets on her back flying away, and Shrieker takes to the air once more while cursing. As the remaining Targets also leap back, Rukia tells Sado that Shrieker is above them again and that she has an idea. Shortly afterward, as he holds Rukia up in his hands, Sado asks her if this will really work, prompting Rukia to state that they will utilize his strength and her brains. When Sado notes that this does not seem smart, Rukia claims that she does not have to take this from him before directing his aim to directly face Shrieker, who believes that no telephone pole can reach him up here.

However, he is shocked to see Rukia hurtling toward him, having been thrown by Sado. When Rukia tells him to give up, a seemingly panicked Shrieker promises that he will, only to drop the ruse as a Target emerges from the fur on his neck before firing several leeches from its forehead at Rukia, who is covered with them and sent falling to the ground below. Seeing this, Sado runs forward and manages to catch Rukia at the last minute as he asks her what happened. Noting that she was caught off-guard, Rukia tries to remove the leeches from her body and wonders what they are as Shrieker lands on the ground nearby and confirms they are leeches that will not come off easily.

Shrieker opens his mouth and extends his tongue before vibrating it, which sends out a sound pulse that causes the leeches on Rukia's body to detonate, injuring her. As Sado expresses concern for a collapses Rukia, Shrieker explains that the leeches are small bombs that explode in response to a sound his tongue makes and declares that Rukia's guard was wide opening. With a solemn expression, Sado stands up and walks forward to confront Shrieker, who notes that Sado wants to fight him before revealing that he has brought Yūichi Shibata in his cage to the site of their battle, shocking Sado as Rukia realizes that Shrieker avoided them earlier to buy time for this.

As Yūichi apologizes for getting caught, three Targets appear around his cage while Shrieker notes that Sado understands now before telling Rukia it is time for them to play. While the Target on top of the cage prepares to fire a stream of leeches at Yūichi if needed, Shrieker proclaims he will enjoy hunting down Rukia, who gets to her feet and warns Sado to not move from this spot because Shrieker will blow up the birdcage if he does. Sado expresses concern for Rukia, but she states that she gave her word to not screw up, which surprises Sado, before running off, prompting the Targets to give pursuit as Shrieker follows while claiming that this is getting fun.

Running down another street, Rukia sees two Targets flanking her, one on each side, and leaps into the air just before they fire two streams of leeches directly under her. As Rukia lands on a wall, a Target appears in the tree next to her and fires another stream of leeches, which hits her right side and causes her to fall to the ground below. Shrieker appears behind Rukia and proclaims that she is covered in leeches before sending out another pulse of sound with his tongue, causing the leeches on Rukia's leg and arm to detonate and injure her further. Laughing, Shrieker claims that Rukia looks pretty when covered in blood and that he can hardly wait before throwing a Target at her.

As Rukia dodges and resumes running, the Target splatters against the telephone pole that was behind her, causing its leeches to fall out. Giving chase, Shrieker keeps throwing Targets at her and asks her how long she intends to keep running before reminding him that she is free to turn around and attack him. Suddenly, Rukia comes to a halt in an empty intersection, prompting a confused Shrieker to stop as well and ask her if she has given up already. While Shrieker claims that this is not fun and tells her to keep running, Rukia states that she has not given up and points out how Shrieker said she could attack before proclaiming that she plans to do so.

Suddenly, Shrieker is pushed to the ground by Ichigo, who has arrived and landed on Shrieker's head. As Rukia greets him, an annoyed Ichigo reminds her that she promised to not worry him by screwing up, only for Rukia to note that this is something that someone who is worried would say, which Ichigo admits is true. Cursing, Shrieker demands to know how long Ichigo plans to sit on his head and gets to his feet, prompting Ichigo to leap off his head to the ground in front of him before introducing himself as the 15 year old Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki. As Ichigo claims he has been chasing the wrong person, Shrieker realizes he should have gone after Ichigo from the start.

With several Targets firing streams of leeches at them and Shrieker releasing a sound pulse with his tongue, Rukia pushes Ichigo's Soul out of his body with her Gokon Tekkō just as a large explosion engulfs them both. As the smoke clears, Ichigo appears in the air above Shrieker and criticizes him for being slow before slashing him with his Zanpakutō. Landing nearby with his Targets, Shrieker notes that Ichigo looks the tastiest as Rukia pulls Ichigo's body away. Deducing that Shrieker used his bombs to pin down Sado so he could enjoy attacking Rukia, Ichigo declares that Shrieker is nothing but a pig, only for Shrieker to claim that this means Ichigo will be eaten by a pig.

As he approaches the battle, Sado spots Rukia and Ichigo's body lying near her, prompting him to ask Ichigo what is wrong. Noticing Sado, Rukia says that this is perfect timing and tells him to hide Ichigo's body and Yūichi somewhere safe. When Sado asks her what is going on, Rukia tells him to not worry because Ichigo is fighting right now. Elsewhere, as he and Shrieker create multiple craters in the ground, Ichigo cuts three Targets in half, causing their leeches to spill onto the ground. Praising him for this move, Shrieker reminds Ichigo that the leeches are still bombs and extends his tongue before releasing a sound pulse, causing the leeches to erupt in a large explosion.

Laughing at this, Shrieker is shocked when an unharmed Ichigo leaps out of the smoke and swings his Zanpakutō at Shrieker's neck. However, Ichigo stops his blade just before it cuts into Shrieker and asks him if he is the one who killed Yūichi's parents. Meanwhile, Rukia expresses shock as Yūichi explains how Shrieker said it was his fault that Rukia and Sado got hurt because he wants to bring his mother back to life. As Yūichi apologizes, an unnerved Rukia asks him if someone said they had the ability to bring his mother back to life. Elsewhere, Shrieker confirms that he killed Yūichi's mother when he was alive as an infamous serial killer.

Shrieker proceeds to explain how Yūichi's mother was his last victim and kept running to protect him even while she could barely breathe. Noting that his mistake was chasing her onto the veranda, Shrieker reveals that Yūichi grabbed his shoelaces, which caused him to trip and break through the railing before falling to his death. As he claims that this an ignominious end for him, Shrieker states that he decided to pay Yūichi back as a Hollow and put his soul in a parakeet before telling him that he would bring Yūichi's mother back to life if Yūichi could evade him for three months. Ichigo is shocked by this, but Shrieker proclaims that he does not actually have a way of achieving it.

Stating that Yūichi believed him anyway and started running, Shrieker sadistically explains how the best part of this arrangement was how Yūichi would give up and want to quite every time Shrieker killed the people protecting him, only to regain his will when Shrieker claimed that his mother was waiting for him to save her, which leaves Ichigo trembling with anger. Upon seeing this, Shrieker pushes Ichigo's Zanpakutō away from his neck and demands to know why he is sympathizing with Yūichi before firing two more Targets at him. As Ichigo blocks one of the targets with his hand and grabs the leeches it releases, Shrieker declares that this is the end for him.

However, as Shrieker prepares to unleash a sound pulse with his tongue, Ichigo runs up and shoves his hand full of leeches through Shrieker's teeth and into his mouth. Stating that Shrieker can have his bomb back, Ichigo tells him to go ahead and set them off with his tongue. When a stunned Shrieker does not, Ichigo proclaims that he will take Shrieker's tongue instead before ripping the circular end of Shrieker's tongue out of his mouth. While Shrieker howls in pain at the loss of his tongue, Ichigo tells him to disappear before slashing upward through through Shrieker's mask, leaving a deep cut that begins to glow as Shrieker's body begins to disintegrate before reforming.

Suddenly, Shrieker's wound begins spewing a torrent of energy as a large set of gates with the upper torsos of skeletons sticking out of the center of each door appears behind him. While Ichigo stares in shock, Rukia, having appeared behind him, reveals that these are the Gates of Hell and explains that it is reserved for Souls and Hollows who committed sins in life, as the Zanpakutō only washes away sins committed after death. As the chains on the gates break apart, the gates open to reveal a red void within, and Shrieker screams as his mask is torn apart before a large arm wielding an equally large blade impales him from behind, causing the gates to close and shatter.

Later that day, Ichigo, Sado, and Rukia gather around Yūichi as Rukia confirms that his Chain of Fate has been completely severed, which means she cannot return Yūichi to his body. When Rukia assures a dejected Yūichi that Soul Society is a place better than the Human World where he will never be hungry and feel light all the time, Ichigo skeptically asks her if she can really say this wholeheartedly, leaving Rukia speechless. However, Ichigo points out that Yūichi will be able to see his mother again if he crosses over, which perks him up, and states that he will be able to go to his mother even if he cannot bring her back to life.

Yūichi thanks Sado for protecting him all this time by running around with him in his arms and manifests his Soul outside of the parakeet before noting that he should be going. When Sado asks Yūichi if he could run around with him in his arms again when he dies, Yūichi grins and agrees to let him to do so. Smiling at the sight of this, Ichigo prepares to perform Konsō on Yūichi. That night, as Karin lies in her bed, she tearfully thanks Ichigo while a Jigokuchō flies toward the moon outside.

Next Episode Preview
Kisuke Urahara introduced himself as the owner of the Urahara Shop and promises to do his best to preview the next episode. As he begins to detail the origin of his store, Ichigo demands to know what he is talking about and reminds him that they do not have much time for this preview.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Rukia Kuchiki
 * 2) Shrieker
 * 3) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 4) Karin Kurosaki
 * 5) Yuzu Kurosaki
 * 6) Yasutora Sado
 * 7) Yūichi Shibata (parakeet form)

Fights

 * Rukia Kuchiki & Yasutora Sado vs. Shrieker (concluded)
 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Shrieker (concluded)

Powers and Techniques Used
Techniques used:

Other powers: