The Death Trilogy Overture

Cover of 044. Awaken[to the Threat]

Karin leads Isshin to the soccer fields, but Chad is now gone. Isshin assumes that Karin made up the wounded man just to spend time with him, prompting him to angrily attack him.

Orihime awakens from a dream involving Ichigo, accidentally hitting Chad in the nose in the process. Urahara arrives and asks how they're doing, and Chad explains that Urahara must have saved them. Chad then asks Urahara to further explain what strange power has been born in the two of them.

Elsewhere, Ichigo continues to take out Hollows. Ichigo is confident that he's taken out the Hollows who were a threat to Karin, and promises to go find Uryū to make him clean up the mess. Uryū, meanwhile, is having difficulty easily finishing off the Hollows now, because his strength and ability can't keep up with the sheer number of them. However, he promises to complete the task and win, in order to avenge his teacher.

Rukia is using Kidō to try to finish off Hollows on her own. However, her attacks are having no effect. Before the Hollow she was fighting can attack her again, Kon dives in and saves her. Uryū then arrives, and Kon accuses him of starting the fight, though Uryū says he won't allow a single person in the town to die. This prompts Rukia to ask what he means, but before he can respond, the Hollow attacks again, and Uryū shoots another arrow at him.

At the Urahara Shop, Urahara has explained to Chad and Orihime about Shinigami and Hollows. They both try to deny it, but Urahara points out that if they say Hollows don't exist, then they have to deny the fear and pain they felt earlier at the hands of a Hollow. Urahara adds that Ichigo's uncontrolled spiritual power affects others, including Chad and Orihime. He then asks them to recall the times they have encountered Ichigo's Shinigami form.

Elsewhere, Ichigo has finally re-encountered Uryū.

Back at the shop, Urahara says Chad's and Orihime's contact with Ichigo has brought out their own natural powers.

Cover of 051. DEATH 3

Two Shinigami are discussing their mission to find Rukia. One of them releases a pair of Hell Butterflies, while the other reads their orders - to capture or kill Rukia.

Uryū turns up late for school, with bandages on both his arms. He tells his teacher, Misato Ochi, that he fell done some stairs. Despite none of the other students believing his excuse, Ochi accepts it, telling him to take his seat. Ichigo looks intently at Ishida, but Rukia tells him that Uryū caused his own injuries and that Ichigo should not to pay attention to it. Keigo reveals that he saw the battle against the Hollows and Menos Grande the previous day. Asano, however, thought that it was practise for a theatre. Ichigo thinks to himself that it is good that Asano is an idiot.

At the Urahara Shop, Ururu and Jinta are cleaning outside the store when Ururu notices a black cat. Urahara is excited by the appearance of the cat. Tessai says the cat, called Yoruichi, is Urahara's only relative. Jinta thinks this makes his boss rather pitiful.

Ichigo asks Ishida to join him for lunch. As they eat, Ishida asks Ichigo if he invited him because of his injuries. Ichigo denies this, saying that Ishida should be thankful somebody invited him to lunch. When both of them say that they prefer eating alone, Mizuiro thinks that they are very similar. Rukia is invited to eat lunch with some of the girls from her class.

As Urahara brings Yoruichi some milk, he asks why the cat is looking up at the sky. Yoruichi speaks to Kisuke, telling to stop pretending that he does not know that the Shinigami have come.

At the Kurosaki house, Ichigo takes the left-overs from dinner up to his room, telling Yuzu that it is a midnight snack. He calls for Rukia, telling her that he has her dinner, but she is not there. Ichigo fails to notice a note from Rukia thanking him lying on his desk. Rukia is running through the town's streets, lost in thought. She is spotted from above by the two Shinigami, one of whom identifies her using special goggles, which confirm that she is in an artificial body. The tattooed Shinigami expresses disbelieve that she is in a Gigai, and says he has found his quarry.