We meet Ichigo Kurosaki, a boy who can see spirits of the dead. His life is about to become a lot more complicated. Death God by the name Rukia Kuchiki arrives to the town, trailing a massive a malevolent spirit, Hollow. During her search she runs into Ichigo. Kuchiki finally finds the Hollow she has been trailing. Unfortunately, the Hollow has captured Ichigo’s little sister, Karin. Kuchiki gets badly wounded in her fight against the evil spirit. In order to finish this Hollow off, she must transfer Death God powers to Ichigo. This is how Ichigo’s adventures as an unofficial Death God begin

Kuchiki, trapped in her faux body for the time being, decides to train Ichigo how to control his new powers. He must put those powers into use right away when Orihime, Ichigo’s friend classmate, gets in trouble. Her dead brother’s spirit has refused to pass on to the Soul Society. Instead, the spirit has become vengeful and the only person who can send him to the afterlife is Ichigo.

Orihime’s dead brother Sora’s spirit refuses to let go of her sister. He links his and Orihime’s souls together, making Orihime practically dead. Ichigo is determined to save his friend, no matter what happens to Orihime’s brother.

Chad is the only one willing to take care of a supposedly cursed cockatiel, whose owners have all died horrible deaths. However, Chad soon finds out that the cockatiel is actually the soul of a boy, Yuuichi Shibata. A certain Hollow has used Yuuchi as bait to lure Shinigamis for him to feed upon. Chad, unfazed by the accidents happening around him, refuses to ditch Yuuchi. But the Hollow has already found its next target, Rukia!

Rukia is having tough time fighting without her Death God- powers. Luckily, Chad arrives to help her. With Rukia’s help, Chad, who can't see Hollows, can use his monstrous power to tame the Hollow for a moment. But only Ichigo can send this Hollow to Hell where he belongs.

Rukia gives Ichigo a Gikongan, a pill that removes soul from body, replacing it with a temporary, faux soul. This allows Ichigo to turn into a Shinigami whenever he needs to, in case Rukia isn’t around. Unfortunately, the modified soul Ichigo receives, is a result of a failed project a Spearheada , conducted by the Soul Society. While Ichigo is hunting for a Hollow, The Mod Soul causes mischief at Ichigoa 's school. Things get serious when the Mod Soul overhears a conversation of three boys about the worthlessness of artificial life.

Ichigo finds the rebellious Mod Soul and a fight commences between the two. Ichigo fails to knock the enhanced soul down, making it possible for the Mod Soul to fleet yet again. Unfortunately, Ichigo can't go after his precious body, because a Hollow has entered the human realm.

It is the anniversary of Ichigo's mother, Masaki's, death. Kurosaki family is visiting her grave. But the day, which was supposed to be spent reminiscencing about Masaki, is ruined by a Hollow who attacks Karin, Ichigo's little sister. Meanwhile, Rukia is approached by a Shinigami from Soul Society's Secret Mobile Unit, informing that she is to return back to Soul Society at once.

A Hollow known as Grand Fisher is holding Ichigo's sister, Karin, as a hostage. It quickly becomes clear that Grand Fisher was the one responsible for Ichigo's mother years ago. Ichigo, fuelled by the prospect of avenging his mother's death, unleashes powers no one thought he had.

Everyone is excited by the upcoming performance of Don Kan'onji, exterminator of bad spirits. Only one who isn't impressed by Mr. Kan'onji's flamboyant performances is Ichigo. However, being the good brother he is, he agrees to tag along with his sisters. Much to Ichigo's surprise, Don Kan'onji's act isn't a hoax. But the manner which Kan'onji uses to get rid of the spirits is hazardous to say the least. The Hollow he is planning to destroy is much stronger than he thought. Fortunately, Ichigo is there to lend a helping hand to this peculiar entertainer.

Ichigo has a run-in with Uryuu Ishida who is a Quincy, member of a legendary clan which was thought to be wiped out completely 200 years ago. Like Shinigamis, Quincys can see spirits and use that skill to get rid of Hollows. However, Quincys consider every Shinigami to be their enemy. Uryuu, determined to follow the traditions of the Quincy clan, challenges Ichigo to a duel.

Ishida explains the rules of their duel. The one who beats the most Hollows in 24 hours is the winner. Overconfident Uryuu uses an anti-Hollow bait to lure countless Hollows to the human realm. No matter how many Hollows Ichigo and Uryuu destroy, things quickly get out of hand. Ichigo's sister Karin's strong spirit force lures a powerful Hollow to go after her. Fortunately, Chad arrives to save the day. He uses his newly found powers to fight against the monster.

Because of Uryuu's dangerous Hollow bait, yet another of Ichigo's friends is in danger. Orihime Inoue, blessed with high spirit force, is targeted by a Hollow, who has the ability to control human bodies it contaminates. The Hollow forces several of Orihime's schoolmates to attack her. Just when it looks like nothing can save Orihime, six fairies known as the Shun Shun Rikka manifest themselves from hair clips Orihime received from her brother. These powerful spirit fairies give Orihime a fighting chance against the mind-controlling Hollow.

The amount of Hollows in the human realm is starting to become too large for Ichigo and Uryuu to handle alone. They both are surrounded by a huge amount of Hollows when suddenly; the "Sandal-hat" and his employees arrive to help them. However, the problems aren't over. The sky breaks and a huge Hollow, Menos Grande, comes out. Ichigo and Uryuu must combine their forces to beat this new, fearsome enemy.

Kon isn't happy with the way he is treated at Kurosaki family's house. He decides to embark on a journey to search for the place where he truly belongs. However, his adventure is one full of pain and suffering. Ichigo gives seemingly lonely Uryuu a chance to make new friends by inviting him to eat lunch with their group. At the same time, Orihime tries to bond with Rukia.

Rukia feels she has gotten too attached to the human realm and has decided to run away from it all. While fleeing, she runs into her fellow Shinigami, Renji Abarai and the leader of the Kuchiki family, Byakuya Kuchiki. Their orders are to kill the person who has Rukia's death god- powers and to take Rukia back to Soul Society to be executed. Uryuu Ishida just happens to show up to the site of confrontation. When Ichigo realises Rukia is gone, he too goes after her. Ichigo is about to fight against a full-fledged Shinigami for the first time.

The fight between Ichigo and Renji goes on. Ichigo surprises everyone with his amazing perseverance and huge amount of spirit power. However, in a blink of an eye, Byakuya Kuchiki manages to immobilize Ichigo. They escort Rukia back to the Soul Society, leaving Ichigo gasping for his last few breaths.

It is time for summer break. It seems everyone at Ichigo's school has forgotten Rukia Kuchiki ever existed. However, Orihime, Chad and Uryuu are expectations and they are all very eager to save Rukia. Instead of spending his summer relaxing, Ichigo is going through rigorous training under "Sandal-hat dude." Meanwhile, a mysterious cat Yoruichi is teaching Orihime, Chad and Uryuu how to best use their unique abilities. Rukia’s execution is going to be carried out twenty-five days from now. That means that in ten days, they must become powerful enough to both infiltrate Soul Society and survive.

Ichigo finds himself in a sticky situation. His chain of fate was cut by his trainer, which means that the chain will erode bit by bit until Ichigo turns into a Hollow. His only hope is to regain his Shinigami powers and climb up from the hole he was thrown in. Ichigo, with the help of his Soul Slayer, Zangetsu, struggles to find the Death God powers hidden inside him.

After passing the second lesson, it's time Ichigo's third and final lesson. He has to knock off "Sandal-hat's" hat using his Zanpakutou, Soul Slayer. After receiving some encouraging words from Zangetsu, Ichigo is able to bring out the true form of his Zanpakutou. Orihime, Chad and Uryuu have all learned how to use their special abilities better. The time for training is over. After enjoying their last few hours in the human realm, it's time for the group to travel to Soul Society.

The "Rukia rescue group" is running for their lives to escape the Capturing Flow following them. Fortunately, the group manages to get to the Rukongai, Wandering Soul Town, unharmed. In order to save Rukia, they must get inside the Court of Pure Spirits, where all the Shinigami reside. However, getting in isn't going to be easy. Court of Pure Spirits is surrounded by a huge wall and the gate is protected by Jidanbou, an amazingly powerful giant wielding two massive axes. But, without a second thought, Ichigo challenges the guardsman.

Jidanbou, impressed by Ichigo's overwhelming power, agrees to open the Gate of the White Way. Before the group has the chance to go in, they are confronted by the 3rd Shinigami Court Division Squads captain, Ichimaru Gin. The ruthless Death God cuts Jidanbou's both hands, making it impossible for the gate to be opened. Orihime uses the power of her fairies to heal Jidanbou. Meanwhile, Chad is reunited with Yuuichi Shibata, the soul of the boy he saved earlier. Since their initial plan failed, the group must come up with a new way to enter Court of Pure Spirits. But their planning is disrupted by Ganju Shiba and his boar-riding gang. Ganju, who hates Death Gods, taunts Ichigo and a fight breaks out between the two wackos.

The fight between Ichigo and Ganju comes to sudden halt when Ganju realizes he must be somewhere else. The group starts searching for Kuukaku Shiba, the only person who knows a way, other than the gate, to enter the Court of Pure Spirits. However, neither Kuukaku nor her special method to infiltrate the Court aren't what the group expected. Meanwhile, Rukia is transferred to the Shrine of Penitence to await her upcoming execution. For the rest of her days, Rukia's cruel fate is to gaze upon Soukyoku, the massive blade that will eventually kill her.

Kuukaku explains to the group how they are expected to break into the Court of Pure Spirits. They are to be shot into the sky with Kuukaku's Kakaku Cannon. Every member of the group must concentrate their spirit power into a spirit orb, creating a huge cannonball capable of breaking through the barrier protecting the Court. Ichigo is having tough time controlling his spirit powers. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem form a proper spirit barrier around him. If the cannonball is to break through the barrier, every member of the group must to be able to fortify its walls.

After receiving a helpful tip from Ganju, Ichigo finally manages to concentrate his spirit power into the Spirit Orb. But the combination of his massive spirit force and lack of concentration results into a huge explosion. It's time for the plan B of operation "Infiltration of Court of Pure Spirits" to begin. Everything goes according to plan, until the cannonball collides with the barrier. Because of the huge shockwave caused by the impact, the group members get separated and fly into four different directions.