The Shinigami's Work

 is the second episode of the Bleach anime.

After becoming a Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki refuses to help Rukia Kuchiki with her work as the local Shinigami of Karakura Town.

Summary
The morning after the fateful battle against Fishbone D, Isshin Kurosaki crashes feet-first into a sleeping Ichigo Kurosaki while greeting him, only for Ichigo to scream in anger before pinning his father to the ground while berating him for attacking his own son in his sleep, which leads Isshin to compliment Ichigo's skill.

While Isshin declares that he has nothing more to teach his son, Ichigo suddenly remembers what happened the previous night and hoists Isshin up by his collar before asking about Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki's injuries, only for a confused Isshin to wonder what he is talking about, which surprises Ichigo. Taking Ichigo outside to look at the damage done to the Kurosaki Clinic alongside his sisters, Isshin proclaims that it is a miracle for no one to have been hurt by the truck crashing into their house.

While Karin claims it is more miraculous that no one woke up during this incident and notes the culprit got away, which prompts Isshin to optimistically predict that they will come back to apologize at some point, a stunned Ichigo notes that his sisters' wounds are gone and their memories of the incident have been altered before wondering if this is the work of a Shinigami. As she and Karin walk back into the house, Yuzu tells Ichigo to eat breakfast before he is late for school, which a distracted Ichigo agrees to do before recalling Rukia Kuchiki and wondering if she returned to Soul Society.

Later, at Karakura High School, Orihime Inoue and Tatsuki Arisawa walk through the halls as Tatsuki asks Orihime if she brought lunch today. Confirming this, Orihime details how she brought taiyaki-style ramen with wasabi and honey before asking Tatsuki if she wants any, only for a bemused Tatsuki to deny this after envisioning what this combination of food would look like. While trying to convince Tatsuki that it tastes good, Orihime walks into Ichigo, who inadvertently knocks her down before noting her presence. As Orihime apologizes, Tatsuki berates Ichigo for not having anything more to say after knocking Orihime to the ground.

Realizing his mistake, Ichigo asks Orihime if she is alright, which she affirms, before extending his hand to help her up. However, Orihime is startled by his expression and gets to her feet on her own before frantically claiming she has volleyball to attend. As Orihime runs off, Tatsuki calls after her while Ichigo wonders what her deal is, prompting Tatsuki to claim he has a mean face before asking why Ichigo is so late, which Ichigo states he will explain later as he leaves for class. In his classroom, Ichigo sits with Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima while the former notes that he heard a truck crashed into the Kurosaki Clinic, which Ichigo confirms is true.

Mizuiro asks him if his family has finished cleaning up the place yet, which Ichigo claims is not as easy as it sounds, and Yasutora Sado asks if they will need help, prompting a surprised Ichigo to assert that they will not. While Keigo tells Sado that he will end up damaging the house further if he helps, Ichigo asks what class is next, which Mizuiro identifies as modern literature. Suddenly, a girl walks up behind Ichigo and asks if he is Ichigo Kurosaki, and as Ichigo turns around, he is shocked to see Rukia standing before him in a school uniform. Rukia introduces herself and states that she will be sitting next to Ichigo starting today, leading a speechless Ichigo to stand up and point at her.

As Keigo asks Ichigo if something is wrong, Sado wonders if he and Rukia know each other, prompting Rukia to claim that this is their first time meeting each other. While Mizuiro identifies Rukia as a transfer student, Rukia holds out her hand to Ichigo, who is unnerved to see that she has written a warning not to make a scene on it. Shortly afterward, Ichigo and Rukia meet outside as Ichigo demands to know what Rukia is doing, leading Rukia to mockingly ask him if he plans on doing something to her out here. When Ichigo demands that she stop talking like this, Rukia refuses to do so because she spent all of last night learning how to talk like a modern Human.

Brushing this off, Ichigo asks why Rukia is still here since she was planning on returning to Soul Society, but Rukia asserts that only Shinigami can do this before revealing that she does not have this ability at the moment. With Ichigo expressing confusion at this, Rukia details how Ichigo took most of her Shinigami powers last night, which Ichigo asserts that he does not know anything about, and goes on to state that she is now stuck in a Gigai, prompting a confused Ichigo to question what that is. Rukia explains how Gigai are used as temporary bodies during emergencies for weakened Shinigami who are waiting for their powers to return.

As Ichigo realizes that this is why his classmates could see her, Rukia declares that Ichigo must perform her Shinigami duties until her powers return, to his surprise. Claiming it is only natural, Rukia asserts that Ichigo does not have the right to refuse since he has Shinigami powers, but Ichigo refuses anyway, shocking Rukia, before stating that he does not want to fight Hollows ever again. When Rukia points out that he did well yesterday, Ichigo admits that he only did so because his family was in danger and states that he will not fight for complete strangers before walking away as he half-heartedly apologizes for disappointing Rukia.

Noting that it cannot be helped, Rukia puts on a Gokon Tekkō and gets Ichigo's attention before rushing at him and pushing his soul out of his body. While Ichigo freaks out over seeing his own body lying on the ground and demands to know what she did to him, Rukia tells him to come with her. Shortly afterward, as he and Rukia walk by a memorial set up on a telephone pole near a park, Ichigo asks where they are going, prompting Rukia to pull out her Denreishinki and reveal that she has received an order from Soul Society informing her that a Plus who lives in the nearby park will probably be attacked. Suddenly, a young boy cries out as a play structure is destroyed.

While the playground crumbles into ruins, the boy, a Plus, flees in terror from Hexapodus, who chases him across the park. As the boy cries for help, Ichigo leaps over the metal barrier and prepares to intervene, only for Rukia to tell him to wait before pointing out that the boy is a complete stranger and asking why Ichigo is helping him. Ichigo claims that he cannot just stand by when the boy is being attacked right in front of him, but Rukia tells him to stop being naïve and asserts that a Shinigami must treat all spirits equally without simply helping those who are nearby when it is convenient, as that is not how their role as balancers works.

While the frightened boy continues to run from Hexapodus, Rukia orders Ichigo to not help him until he decides to help all spirits and declares that he must be willing to go anywhere and sacrifice his own life as a Shinigami. However, as the boy falls and Hexapodus prepares to attack him, a determined Ichigo draws his Zanpakutō and cuts off both of Hexapodus's front legs, causing it to fall back in pain and retreat to Hueco Mundo, and when Rukia asks him if he is committed to this, Ichigo denies this and declares that he saved the boy because he wanted to before asking a stunned Rukia if she was thinking about her Shinigami duties when she saved him last night.

As Hexapodus reappears behind him and approaches, Ichigo proclaims that such things do not matter when one puts themselves at risk and declares that he will be different before turning around and shoving his Zanpakutō directly into Hexapodus's face. Watching as Hexapodus collapses and fades away after he pulls out his Zanpakutō, Ichigo turns to face the crying boy and asks if he is alright before kneeling before him. After telling the boy to pass over if he does not want to experience something scary like that again, Ichigo presses the hilt of his Zanpakutō to the boy's forehead and performs Konsō, causing the boy to sink into the ground in a pool of blue light.

While a Jigokuchō flies away from the fading pool of light, Rukia walks up to Ichigo and compliments his Konsō, only for Ichigo to merely state that he is leaving as he walks away. That night, as Orihime reads a magazine in her house, her deceased brother Sora Inoue watches from the air while smiling, only to become concerned when Orihime closes the curtains on her window. Suddenly, two Hollows appear in the air next to Sora and bind him with their tentacles before transporting him to Hueco Mundo as he screams in terror. In Hueco Mundo, after the Hollows bring him out of the shadows, a terrified Sora asks where he is and what they plan to do with him.

Suddenly, Grand Fisher rises up behind Sora and tells the other Hollows to devour his soul, prompting Sora to run away in fear. Catching up to Sora, the Hollows surround and entrap him between their bodies before leaping back as Sora begins to glow with energy. As he grows a large tail and gaining a muscular upper body, Sora has white fluid emerge from his eyes and mouth that turns into a Hollow mask on his face while he roars. The following day, Rukia reads aloud from a dramatic novel she is holding, only for an irritated Ichigo to confront her and demand that she shut up.

When an offended Rukia claims that she is studying contemporary literature, Ichigo dismisses it as not sounding contemporary at all and demands to know how long Rukia plans on following him around, which Rukia says she will do until Ichigo agrees to perform the duties of a Shinigami. Ichigo and Rukia begin to walk away, but upon hearing a car screeching, they turn around to see Orihime lying in a nearby intersection with a bag of groceries on the ground next to her. As Ichigo runs up to her in concern, Orihime sits up and sees him, and when Ichigo asks if a car hit her, Orihime confirms this, prompting a surprised Ichigo to wonder if she is okay.

Orihime asserts that it was just a small bump and that she is fine, but when Ichigo asks her where the car is, she admits that it drove away, angering Ichigo. As Orihime apologizes, Ichigo calms down and states that it does not matter as long as she is okay. When Orihime notices her, Rukia rudely asks who she is, prompting a flustered Ichigo to inform her that Orihime is in their class. Hearing this, Rukia politely curtsies to Orihime as she greets her, and a somewhat confused Orihime returns the gesture. Rukia asks Orihime if she has been out shopping, prompting Orihime to remember her groceries and pick them up from the road while confirming they are intact.

When Orihime reveals that she bought leeks, butter, bananas, and bean jam, a bewildered Ichigo wonders what exactly she plans to make with them. Suddenly, Rukia sees a strange bruise on Orihime's left leg and asks her about where she got it from, only for Orihime to notice it for the first time herself and suggest that she got it from the car that just hit her. As a concerned Rukia continues to examine the bruise, Ichigo notes that it looks like it hurts, and as she assures Ichigo that it only hurts a little, Orihime questions why Rukia looks so serious, prompting a startled Rukia to claim that it is nothing before standing up and telling Orihime to take care.

When Ichigo offers to walk her home, a flustered Orihime declines his offer and claims she is fine before bidding them farewell. As Orihime walks to the other side of the intersection, Ichigo and Rukia watch her, with Ichigo noting that she needs to be careful while Rukia stares at her in concern. Later that day, as the sun begins to set, Ichigo and Rukia walk along a riverbank. When Rukia asks him if he and Orihime are friends, Ichigo denies this and admits that he has not spoken to her very much. Explaining that she is close to one of his friends who lives in the neighborhood, Ichigo reveals that Orihime's brother died at his family's clinic three years ago.

With Rukia's interest piqued by this admission, Ichigo details how Orihime's brother was her only family and was badly injured in a car accident. In the past, a young Orihime stands outside the Kurosaki Clinic while her brother is being wheeled into an ambulance and tearfully begs him to not die and leave her by herself. In the present, Ichigo admits that he only recently learned Orihime was the girl crying that day, and when Rukia asks him how his spiritual perception was at the time, Ichigo states that it was not as strong as it is now and explains that he has only recently been able to see and interact with spirits, which Rukia notes confirms her suspicions.

Ichigo asks Rukia what is wrong, prompting Rukia to claim it is nothing before bidding him farewell. When Ichigo asks her where she is going, Rukia states she is going home, and when Ichigo wonders where this is, she teasingly asks him if he is interested, which Ichigo denies. Telling Ichigo to not ask if this is the case, Rukia walks away while an irritated Ichigo curses her. That night, at Orihime's apartment, Tatsuki brings her stewed beef with potatoes that her mother prepared, to Orihime's delight. Inside, while Orihime gratefully eats her mother's food, Tatsuki claims that she eats strange things when she is alone, to Orihime's surprise.

Meanwhile, at the Kurosaki Clinic, Yuzu opens Ichigo's bedroom door and asks if he has seen her pajamas, prompting an annoyed Ichigo to ask her to knock first. When Yuzu claims that he has gotten mean after entering high school, Ichigo bluntly denies this and states that he does not know where her pajamas are. After Yuzu notes that her dress is also missing, Ichigo asks her why she has to ask him about everything, only for Yuzu to bid him goodnight as she closes the door. In Ichigo's closet, Rukia, who is wearing Yuzu's pajamas, hears her Denreishinki beeping and opens it to look at the screen while a confused Ichigo wonders where the noise is coming from.

As the screen turns from blue to yellow, a shocked Rukia throws open the closet door and alerts Ichigo, who demands to know why she is there and wearing Yuzu's pajamas. Telling Ichigo to save this for later, Rukia reveals they have received a Hollow alert and puts on her Gokon Tekkō before shoving Ichigo's soul out of his body just as Acidwire grasps at the place where his body was sitting with his hand from a portal of darkness. With Ichigo and Rukia looking on in surprise, Acidwire flattens Ichigo's bed and pulls himself fully into the room as he roars at them. When Acidwire thrusts his head at them, Ichigo leaps into the air and Rukia leaps back.

Acidwire looks up as Rukia tells Ichigo to aim for the head. Drawing his Zanpakutō, Ichigo drags it through his ceiling toward Acidwire and hits him in the face, but fails to actually cut him as Acidwire hits him with his tail. As he lands on the ground and rolls to his feet, Ichigo dodges a swipe from Acidwire and cuts into his arm, causing Acidwire to reel back in pain. When Rukia tells him to not just swing his Zanpakutō around, Ichigo claims it is fine as long as he defeats Acidwire before running forward as Acidwire charges at him in turn. Dodging another swipe from Acidwire by leaping into the air, Ichigo declares victory and slashes at his face once more.

However, the blow does not strike deep enough, and as Rukia notes its shallowness, Acidwire grabs Ichigo's Zanpakutō by the blade with both hands and attempts to force it back. Angered by this, a yelling Ichigo pushes down on his Zanpakutō, causing it to sink just deep enough to dig into Acidwire's mask and shatter the portion covering his left eye. Seeing this, Ichigo can only stare in shock as a screaming Acidwire retreats into Hueco Mundo. As Rukia declares that they are going after Acidwire, Ichigo simply stands still without saying anything, and when Rukia asks him if something is wrong, Ichigo reveals that the face under Acidwire's mask was that of Orihime's brother.

In Hueco Mundo, Acidwire writhes in pain while surrounded by a violet miasma until his damaged mask regenerates, causing him to begin roaring. Back in the Human World, Ichigo stands in stunned silence while Rukia informs him that attacking Hollow from behind and splitting its head in one blow is the essence of Hollow purification. When Ichigo asks her what she means, Rukia elaborates that this is meant to both minimize a Shinigami's injuries and also prevent them from discovering a Hollow's identity. With Ichigo wondering what a Hollow's identity is, Rukia reminds him of what he saw and reveals that all Hollows were once Humans, to his shock.

Stating that Rukia never told him this, Ichigo asks if Acidwire is not just a monster that they need to kill, prompting Rukia to confirm that he is just a monster now who does need to be destroyed. While Ichigo continues be stunned by Hollows having once been Human, Rukia explains that Pluses who hold onto grudges and regrets are hard to perform Konsō on before detailing how they linger alone before becoming Hollows on their own or being devoured by other Hollows, which then turns them into new Hollows, to Ichigo's shock. Meanwhile, at Orihime's apartment, Tatsuki is surprised to learn Orihime found Ichigo and Rukia walking together that day.

As Orihime asks her what the matter is, Tatsuki admits that she did not think Ichigo was such a fast worker before pointing out that he did not walk Orihime home even though she was hurt. Clarifying that Ichigo did offer to walk her home, Orihime silently plays out the scenario in her head before suddenly warning herself that she is about to win, prompting a confused Tatsuki to wonder what she is imagining. While Orihime continues to envision the scenario and mentions a gun, a crash shakes the apartment, prompting Tatsuki to nervously wonder what that was, and while a torn Enraku falls to the ground, the crashes continue as Acidwire roars outside the apartment complex.

Next Episode Preview
Don Kanonji introduces himself as the charismatic medium of the new millennium and claims that he journeys everywhere in search of "BAD SPIRITS". While Kanonji laughs, Ichigo angrily tells him that it is not his cue yet before realizing that they are out of time once again.

Fights

 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Hexapodus (concluded)
 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Acidwire

Powers and Techniques Used
Shinigami Techniques:

Hollow Techniques:

Anime Notes
Removed Content= Added/Expanded Content= Censorship= Changes= Errors= Trivia=
 * Ichigo Kurosaki's nightmare about his bloodied family blaming him for their deaths and Rukia Kuchiki claiming that he was too late to save them.
 * Karin Kurosaki noting that whoever crashed a truck into their house left them with the repair bills and expressing exasperation at her father and sister's cheerfulness about the situation.
 * Orihime Inoue and Tatsuki Arisawa discussing Orihime's attraction to Ichigo, followed by Tatsuki learning of a truck crashing into the Kurosaki Clinic and panicking at the prospect of Ichigo being hurt, only for Ichigo to reveal that he is still alive by throwing his bag at her head.
 * Ichigo being confused by Orihime's flustered reaction to his arrival and being relieved to learn from Mizuiro Kojima that his next period will be taught by Misato Ochi after the latter mentions him repairing his house.
 * Rukia attempting to use colloquialisms while masquerading as a high school student.
 * Ichigo's internal reaction to Rukia's warning.
 * Ichigo walking with Rukia to a secluded location.
 * A puzzled Rukia questioning Ichigo's demand that she explain herself.
 * Rukia declaring that she lost all of her Shinigami powers, Ichigo expressing confusion at where they went, and Rukia revealing that they went inside Ichigo, making him a Shinigami.
 * Rukia noting that she can only perform a few Kidō now.
 * Ichigo observing that Rukia's Gigai looks like a normal Human and Rukia affirming that this is meant to disguise herself from Hollows.
 * Rukia promising to help Ichigo perform her duties as a Shinigami and claiming that this is all his fault to begin with.
 * Ichigo declaring that he is not self-sacrificing enough to perform Rukia's duties.
 * Ichigo and Rukia waiting at the park, with Ichigo explaining that the Soul of a young boy comes to play in the park every day around noon after Rukia asks him if any spirits inhabit the area.
 * Ichigo recalling Rukia protecting him from Fishbone D with her body and internally realizing something.
 * Hexapodus questioning who Ichigo is when the latter confronts him.
 * Ichigo demanding to know what Rukia is going to do about his choice to save the boy simply because he was here.
 * The other students at Karakura High School finding Ichigo's lifeless body lying on the ground.
 * Orihime singing to herself while walking with her groceries.
 * Ichigo failing Rukia's training for defeating Hollows in a single strike due to his inability to differentiate between her illustrations and Rukia asserting that he must learn to purify Hollows with a single blow to the head from behind.
 * Ichigo internally commenting on Rukia curtsying and Orihime doing so in turn.
 * Orihime having a bandaged arm from seemingly being hit by a car, Ichigo being left incredulous when Orihime recounts this to him, and Rukia wondering if Orihime gets hurt a lot because she is simply clumsy.
 * Orihime mentioning that she will be late for Shōten if she does not get home soon and being embarrassed when Ichigo agrees to let her walk home alone, having wanted him to be more insistent on walking her home.
 * Ichigo explaining that he found Orihime carrying a bloody Sora Inoue on her back just as he was about to leave for school one day and that he died while they were trying to transfer him to Karakura Hospital due to not having the equipment needed to save him.
 * Ichigo being annoyed by Rukia's stubborn refusal to explain herself to him.
 * Yuzu expressing irritation at Ichigo taking a bath without her and Ichigo pointing out that she can take one by herself now that she is in fifth grade.
 * Ichigo asserting that he does not know about Yuzu's other missing set of clothes.
 * Ichigo wondering if the beeping he is hearing is coming from a video game that either Karin or Yuzu is playing.
 * Rukia asserting that they have no time to argue because Orihime is going to die.
 * Tatsuki giving Orihime advice on what to do when she finds herself alone with Ichigo.
 * Orihime and Tatsuki walking through one of the halls at Karakura High School while discussing what Orihime brought for lunch, where Ichigo inadvertently knocks Orihime down and scares her off with his expression while apologizing, followed by Tatsuki asking him why he is late.
 * Ichigo pointing out to Mizuiro that his house will not be repaired overnight and declining an offer of help from Yasutora Sado, whom Keigo Asano asserts will end up damaging the house further.
 * Rukia claiming that her and Ichigo's reunion in the classroom is their first meeting.
 * Ichigo asserting that he does not know what Rukia is talking about when she is explaining what happened to her powers.
 * Rukia drawing Ichigo's attention prior to forcing his Soul out of his body.
 * A play structure being destroyed by Hexapodus as he pursues the child, who screams for help.
 * Hexapodus retreating into Hueco Mundo after having his legs severed and later reemerging behind Ichigo.
 * Ichigo performing Konsō on the boy, which Rukia praises as well-done.
 * Sora watching Orihime from outside her house as a Soul, where he is dragged to Hueco Mundo by two Hollows and transformed into Acidwire at the behest of Grand Fisher.
 * Orihime assuring Ichigo that she is fine despite having nearly been hit by a car and observing that the car drove away before apologizing when Ichigo expresses irritation.
 * Orihime picking her groceries up off the ground after remembering that they fell out when the car nearly hit her.
 * A flashback to Orihime pleading with Sora to not die and leave her alone.
 * Rukia asking Ichigo how developed his Reiryoku was at the time of Sora's death and Ichigo claiming that he has only recently grown strong enough to see and talk to spirits.
 * Tatsuki bringing a home-cooked meal from her mother to Orihime and eating it alongside her while gently berating Orihime for her strange taste in food.
 * Yuzu bidding Ichigo goodnight and closing the door to his room.
 * Rukia warning Ichigo to not just stand there because Acidwire is coming.
 * Ichigo dodging a blow from Acidwire and cutting deeply into his right arm after missing his first attack, followed by Rukia lecturing him on swinging his sword around wildly and Ichigo brushing this off before slashing at Acidwire, who grabs his Zanpakutō by the blade and struggles to hold it back, resulting in the tip shattering part of his mask.
 * Acidwire retreating to Hueco Mundo and reforming the shattered portion of his mask with Reishi.
 * Rukia telling Ichigo to not forget about the practice of purifying Hollows with a single strike to the head from behind and Ichigo questioning what she means.
 * Rukia explaining how Hollows are Souls who could not be sent to Soul Society with Konsō due to lingering negative feelings either transforming them into Hollows or causing them to be devoured by Hollows, which makes them become new Hollows, to Ichigo's shock.
 * Acidwire repeatedly shaking Orihime's apartment and roaring as he looms over the building.
 * Ichigo severing Hexapodus's legs and stabbing Hexapodus in the face is heavily darkened, obscuring the blood drawn from these injuries.
 * Acidwire is not wounded on his face upon losing part of his mask.
 * In the manga, after being woken up by Isshin, Ichigo keeps him pinned to the floor and questions the disappearance of his injuries; here, Ichigo releases Isshin and asks him about Karin and Yuzu's injuries instead, leaving Isshin with a visible handprint on his face.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo inspects the damage done to his house with his family, the large hole in the wall has already been boarded up by Isshin, who is wearing a bandanna and carrying a mallet; here, it remains untouched and Isshin continues wearing his lab coat instead.
 * In the manga, Yuzu is the one to comment on how miraculous it is that none of her family woke up when a truck crashed into their house; here, Karin does so instead.
 * In the manga, Yuzu warns her family that they will be late if they do not eat breakfast quickly and does so while Ichigo is pondering the strange situation; here, she specifically addresses Ichigo and does so after he goes over the details of the situation.
 * In the manga, Orihime and Tatsuki are present in Ichigo's classroom when Rukia arrives; here, they are absent.
 * In the manga, Mizuiro informs Orihime and Tatsuki of a truck crashing into Ichigo's house; here, Keigo mentions this in front of Mizuiro and Sado instead.
 * In the manga, Rukia is introduced to Ichigo by Mizuiro as a new transfer student whose family had to move, Mizuiro is unnerved by Ichigo's shocked reaction, and Rukia reveals her message to Ichigo by holding out her hand and requesting to borrow his textbooks; here, Rukia introduces herself, Mizuiro only identifies her as a transfer student, Keigo and Sado are the ones to react to Ichigo's shock, and Rukia reveals her message by extending her hand for a handshake.
 * In the manga, after being brought to a different area of the school by Ichigo, Rukia inquires how far they will be going and comments on the secluded nature of their location; here, she mockingly asks Ichigo what is wrong.
 * In the manga, Ichigo noting that Rukia's Gigai is why his classmates can see her is internal; here, he says it out loud and Rukia confirms it.
 * In the manga, Ichigo asks Rukia what a powerless Shinigami wants with him, leading into her declaration that he must perform her duties as a Shinigami until she regains her powers; here, she declares this without prompting from Ichigo.
 * In the manga, Ichigo begins walking away from Rukia while clarifying that he only fought Fishbone D yesterday to protect his family; here, he begins walking away after claiming to be sorry over disappointing her.
 * In the manga, after being forced out of his body by Rukia, Ichigo realizes that he is now a Soul and urges his lifeless body to wake up; here, he instead points at his body in panic and demands to know what Rukia did to him.
 * In the manga, Ichigo and Rukia are already at the park when Ichigo learns of the Hollow order that Rukia has received, and Rukia specifies that the child he spoke of will likely be attacked by the Hollow that will appear 15 minutes before or after 12:00 P.M. within 20 meters of the park; here, they are walking to the park when this occurs, and Rukia simply states that a Plus who lives in the park will be attacked by a Hollow.
 * In the manga, Rukia's Denreishinki resembles a standard Nokia cellphone; here, it instead resembles a flip phone.
 * In the manga, upon seeing Hexapodus chasing the boy, Ichigo prepares to leap over a railing encircling the park; here, he instead leaps over several short vertical poles at one of the park's entrances.
 * In the manga, when Ichigo attempts to save the boy, Rukia points out that Souls will be attacked regardless of whether or not he can see them and declares that the boy will simply be devoured later even if Ichigo helps him now should he not perform her duties, concluding that he does not get to simply help those who are nearby; here, she simply admonishes him for being naive.
 * In the manga, Ichigo only cuts off Hexapodus's left front leg; here, he cuts off both of the latter's front legs.
 * In the manga, when Rukia asks him if he has made his decision, Ichigo demands that she shut up while driving his Zanpakutō into the ground next to the boy, frightening him; here, he simply denies having made a decision and does not do anything with his Zanpakutō.
 * In the manga, after defeating Hexapodus, Ichigo promises to help Rukia with her Shinigami duties to repay his debt to her despite his unwillingness to constantly risk his life for strangers; here, he simply performs Konsō on the boy and leaves, not agreeing to help Rukia until later.
 * In the manga, Rukia reads a fictitious horror book called "The Jade Hermitage" about two sisters vying over a jade box left to them by their mother while sitting on a bench in a park during Ichigo's training; here, she reads an unspecified book where one of the characters suffers an existential crisis while walking behind Ichigo in an attempt to convince him to help her fulfill her Shinigami duties.
 * In the manga, Orihime is nearly hit by a car at night and encounters Ichigo and Rukia at the park during the following afternoon, where she startles Ichigo with her sudden arrival; here, she is nearly hit by a car in an intersection near the street where Ichigo and Rukia are walking, prompting them to run over to her in concern.
 * In the manga, Orihime mentions her grocery shopping prior to greeting Rukia; here, she does so after Rukia greets her and inquires if Orihime has been out shopping.
 * In the manga, the mark left by Acidwire on Orihime's leg looks like a large bruise and she is aware of its existence prior to Rukia bringing it up, attributing it to the car hitting her; here, it instead resembles a large handprint, and Orihime does not notice it until Rukia points it out, leading her to assume that it is the result of the car hitting her.
 * In the manga, Orihime admits that her leg hurts a lot worse than her arm does, leading a shocked Ichigo to recommend that she see a doctor; here, her arm is not injured and she claims that her leg only hurts a little, to Ichigo's surprise.
 * In the manga, Rukia claims that she is inspecting Orihime's bruise closely because it looks painful; here, she simply tells Orihime to get home safely.
 * In the manga, while watching Orihime walk away, Ichigo asserts that simply watching her makes him tired; here, he instead hopes that she will be careful.
 * In the manga, Ichigo and Rukia's conversation about Sora takes place immediately after Orihime leaves; here, it begins several hours later in a different part of town as the sun begins to set.
 * In the manga, when asked by Rukia if he is close friends with Orihime, Ichigo admits that he is to a degree; here, he flatly states that he has barely ever spoken to her.
 * In the manga, Rukia learns of Sora's passing after picking up on Ichigo's use of past tense when mentioning that Orihime had a brother; here, Ichigo reveals that he died without any prompting from Rukia.
 * In the manga, after relaying his past with Orihime to Rukia, Ichigo inquires if Rukia is worried about her, prompting Rukia to claim that she is not; here, Ichigo instead questions why she is asking him about this, leading Rukia to claim that it is nothing.
 * Ichigo's irritation and anger at Rukia's teasing are much less pronounced here than they are in the manga.
 * In the manga, when asking Ichigo about her missing clothes, Yuzu meets him in the hallway right after he finishes taking a shower, having initially looked in his room; here, Yuzu finds Ichigo in his room reading a book.
 * In the manga, Yuzu first mentions her missing dress to Ichigo, then notes that her pajamas are missing as well, leading Ichigo to question if she thinks that he is stealing her clothes; here, she brings them up in reverse order, and Ichigo simply wonders why she has to ask him about everything.
 * In the manga, upon learning that Rukia has received another order, Ichigo frantically asks her where the Hollow will appear, prompting Rukia to reveal that it will be here and now while donning her Gokon Tekkō and pushing Ichigo out of his body; here, Ichigo instead expresses astonishment at them receiving an order, and Rukia merely states that the Hollow is coming before pushing Ichigo out of his body.
 * In the manga, when emerging in Ichigo's room, Acidwire's hand bursts out of the air directly above the pillow on Ichigo's bed and pulls it back against the wall; here, it instead emerges from the wall behind the head of Ichigo's bed, which it pushes down and quickly flattens.
 * In the manga, when told by Rukia to aim for Acidwire's head, Ichigo acknowledges this and slashes off part of Acidwire's mask with a glancing blow; here, he is caught off-guard when Acidwire rushes toward him, leading him to drag his Zanpakutō through the ceiling while slashing overhead, and his first attack does not injure Acidwire, leading to an extended battle.
 * In the manga, when Acidwire loses the upper left portion of his mask, it is sliced off in a single large piece; here, it is instead shattered into several smaller pieces.
 * In the manga, as Rukia attempts to run off to confront Acidwire again, Ichigo tells her to wait and demands to know why he saw Sora behind Acidwire's mask, leading Rukia to explain why Shinigami kill Hollows with a blow to the head from behind; here, he instead remains silent, prompting Rukia to ask him what is wrong, and reveals that he saw Sora behind Acidwire's mask, which shocks Rukia.
 * In the manga, while explaining why Shinigami kill Hollows with a blow to the head from behind, Rukia reminds Ichigo that she told him this earlier after his failed training session; here, she instead frames it as something important he should know, since he did not perform the training.
 * In the manga, Rukia concludes her explanation by revealing that the other purpose of the technique is to prevent Shinigami from learning of a Hollow's Human identity as she clarifies how all Hollows were once living people; here, she instead states that they must not learn a Hollow's identity, and when Ichigo questions what this means, Rukia reveals that all Hollows were once Human.
 * Ichigo does not grab Rukia by the collar while yelling at her about what he had been led to believe about Hollows.
 * In the manga, after Rukia establishes that Hollows used to be Humans and are now monsters, Ichigo is left stunned over having slain former Humans; here, he instead fixates on Acidwire specifically having once been Human.
 * In the manga, during their dinner, Tatsuki admonishes Orihime for wasting an opportunity to get Ichigo alone earlier that day; here, she instead expresses shock at Ichigo spending time with Rukia.
 * Orihime's strange mental fantasy of spending time with Ichigo is prompted by mentioning that he wanted to walk her home rather than Tatsuki inquiring if she has ever gone to the park with him, and it is not portrayed on-screen.
 * The manga firmly establishes that Ichigo was born with the ability to see Souls and could see them so clearly that he could not tell the difference between Humans and Souls when he was young; however, in this episode, Ichigo claims that he has only recently been able to see and interact with Souls.
 * A short clip in this episode of Orihime spinning a leek was notable for a short flash animation nicknamed Loituma Girl with the song "Ievan Polkka" by Finnish group Loituma playing in the background.