Order! Forbid rescue of Orihime Inoue

'''Order! Forbid rescue of Orihime Inoue''' is the one-hundred-forty-second episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: September 26, 2007
 * English Airdate: August 15, 2009
 * Opening Song: Alones
 * Ending Song: Daidai
 * Manga Chapters: Chapter 238 and Chapter 239.
 * Kanji: 厳命！井上織姫ノ救出ヲ禁ズ
 * Romaji: "Genmei! Inoue Orihime no kyujutsu o kinzu"
 * Arc: The Arrancar arc

Summary
When Ichigo Kurosaki wakes up completely healed from yesterday's battle, he senses a reiatsu from his injured wrist. Tōshirō Hitsugaya shows up in his room to confirm that it is Orihime Inoue's reiatsu that he senses. Hitsugaya claims that they have an emergency, so Ichigo goes with him back to Orihime’s apartment where they proceed to contact Soul Society. It is here that they learn from Jūshirō Ukitake that Orihime has either been abducted or already killed by the Arrancar. This enrages Ichigo because they only know that Orihime disappeared with the Arrancar, so they cannot say that she is dead yet. When Ichigo uses his healed wounds as proof that she is still alive, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto takes over from Ukitake, stating that if Ichigo’s story is true, then Orihime is indeed still living. However, Yamamoto also reasons that this means Orihime has betrayed them, as she would not have had a chance to see Ichigo if she had been abducted, meaning that she had to have gone to the Arrancar on her own.

This angers Ichigo, but Renji Abarai steps in and vows to go to Hueco Mundo to open Orihime’s eyes to reality. Yamamoto refuses to allow this and orders all of the Shinigami to return to Soul Society instead. When Rukia Kuchiki says that she cannot obey this order, Yamamoto says he thought that this may be the case, so he sent Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki to the Human World to force the group to return. Ichigo says that he intends to save Orihime without Soul Society’s help, and he wants to know how to get to Hueco Mundo, but Yamamoto refuses to help, saying that Ichigo’s power is needed for the upcoming battle.

That night, Mashiro Kuna finds that Ichigo had left a bag filled with cleaned bandages and a note saying thanks and gives it to Shinji Hirako. Over at the Kurosaki house, Ichigo’s sister and father are trying to get him to eat dinner, but he does not feel like it. Even Kon cannot get a reaction out of him as he is so lost in thought. At school the next day, Ichigo is lectured by his teacher and later gets a ticket from his friend Mizuiro Kojima for a preview screening of a movie. The date for that is December 5th, and Ichigo says that he will come back by then.

Ichigo then starts walking away from his friends, but Tatsuki stops him. She has been searching for Orihime, and she thinks that Ichigo knows something. When he plays dumb, she grabs his collar and reveals that she hasn’t been able to sense Orihime since yesterday. She really gets his attention by saying that she’s seen him in a black kimono fighting strange people, but Ichigo answers by claiming that it has nothing to do with her. Tatsuki punches Ichigo for this and, as she’s being restrained by Keigo, she questions what she is to Ichigo. She had thought they were friends and remembers all the times she helped him when they were kids. Without directly responding to her, Ichigo leaves her in Keigo and Mizuiro’s hands, and he asks them not to be concerned about him. As Ichigo starts to walk away, Tatsuki can only scream that he’s an idiot.

Later that night, Ichigo shows up at the Urahara Shop where Kisuke Urahara is waiting for him. Urahara had figured out that Ichigo would think that he was the only person who knows how to get to Hueco Mundo, so he had made preparations. Kisuke says that he is helping because feels responsible for what happened to Orihime, and he does not mind disobeying Soul Society, as that is the reason he originally came to the Human World. In the training area underneath the store, Ichigo meets up with Uryū Ishida and Sado Yasutora. Both want to go with him to Hueco Mundo. Ichigo thinks that they are not strong enough, so Sado proves that he has gotten stronger by throwing a punch. He wants Ichigo to believe in them, and he feels that Ichigo should not have to bear the burden alone - that is what comrades are for. With Sado, Ishida, and Ichigo together now, Urahara thinks that their preparations are finally complete.