Anime #24- Bleach!

This is now one of my favourite anime. I like it a whole lot more than Naruto. My friends got me into it. Well, on with the show.

Brief Intro
When someone dies, they have two paths to follow. If they were a good person, they become a spirit called a whole. But if they're full of regret- they become an evil spirit called a Hollow. Centuries-old Rukia Kuchiki is a Soul Reaper, a warrior who gets rid of Hollows and sends all good souls to the Soul Society, the place where all souls end up. One day, she enters the human world and is spotted by 15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki, who lives with a dysfunctional family and hashad the ability to see ghosts since birth. He also has dyed his hair since birth--- a bright orange. Rukia is amazed that Ichigo was able to spot her so quickly and tells him not to bother with what she's doing. Ichigo finds out that a Hollow is loose near his house and could endanger the life of not only him, but his two younger sisters as well as his oddball dad. Try as he might, he is helpless against the power of the Hollow. Rukia decides she will lend him some of her power. When Ichigo absorbs the power, he absorbs too much, in fact, all, of Rukia's power. The sword she carries, or zanpakuto, grows very large in his hands, and the Hollow becomes no match for him. The series follows Ichigo as he learns to become a full-fledged Soul Reaper, along with his friends who are also gifted with the ability to see ghosts. And later- find out why Rukia is in big trouble.

The Soul Society
As mentioned before, the place where all souls come to rest. It has to main parts: the Rukongai and the Sereitei. The Rukongai is where souls first enter. It is made up of many smaller districts. The Sereitei, or Court of Pure Souls, is where the Soul Reapers live. There are then the elite Soul Reapers: the court guards. The Court Guard is divided into 13 companies. Court Guard Soul Reapers come in many ranks. Highest is Captain; followed by Lieutenant; and then respective seats until twenty, and then the remaining members who do not possess a seat. Here is a a breakdown of each company's Captain and Lieutenant.

1st Company
Captain: Yamamoto Genryuusai
Lieutant: Sasakibe Chojiro

2nd Company
Captain: Soi Fon
Lieutenant: Omaeda Marechiyo

3rd Company
Captain: Gin Ichimaru
Lieutenant: Izuru Kira

4th Company
Captain: Retsu Unohana
Lieutenant: Kotetsu Isane

5th Company
Captain: Sousuke Aizen
Lieutenant: Momo Hinamori

6th Company
Captain: Byakuya Kuchiki
Lieutenant: Renji Abarai

7th Company
Captain: Sanjin Komamura
Lieutenant: Iba Testuzaemon

8th Company
Captain: Shunsui Kyoraku
Lieutenant: Nanao Ise

9th Company
Captain: Kaname Tousen
Vice President: Shuhei Hisagi

10th Company
Captain: Toshirou Hitsugaya
Lieutenant: Rangiku Matsumoto

11th Company
Captain: Kenpachi Zaraki
Lieutenant: Yachiru Kusagishi

12th Company
Captain: Mayuri Kurotsuchi
Lieutenant: Nemu Kurotsuchi

13th Company
Captain: Jushiro Ukitake
Lieutenant: Kaien Shiba (Dead, unfortunately)

Characters (some spoiler content)

Ichigo Kurosaki
An oranged-haired Japanese kid with a bad attitude. Upon getting his Soul Reaper powers, he becomes a substitute Soul Reaper and needs to learn many things about his power. Like how to control it, what his zanpakuto's name is.

Rukia Kuchiki
A Soul Reaper formally from the 13th company. She becomes a good friend to Ichigo and trains him to become the a proper "substitute" soul reaper. She does not gain her powers back for some time.

Orihime Inoue
A somewhat ditzy friend of Ichigo's. She develops her own spiritual powers, unique to her only. She has a power of shields. She has three main powers:
i) A shield that repels everything on the outside- in other words, a mirror-type barrier
ii) A shield that repels everything on the inside- in other words, a healing technique
iii) A shield that repels everything on both sides- in other words, a slicing shield

Yusatora "Chad" Sado
A strong, tall, yet kind and quiet friend of Ichigo's. He used to be a bully, but became kind thanks to his grandfather. Now he uses his strength to help his friends.

Kon
A somewhat perverted stuffed lion who was originally a soul used for battle. He caused a lot of problems with Ichigo's friends but is now usually the person who fills in for Ichigo when Ichigo enters his Soul Reaper's body.
Isshin/Yuzu/Karin Kurosaki
Ichigo's family. Isshin, his father, is a very strange dad who greets Ichigo with a kick in the face every morining. Karin is Ichigo's elder of his two younger sisters. She sees ghosts but doesn't like to get involved with Hollows and such. Yuzu is the youngest in the family and feels responsible for doing housework chores and cooking since the Kurosaki mother, Masaki, died.

Uryu Ishida
Long ago, there were two groups who disliked each other- there were the Soul Reapers and the Quincys. The Quincys believed Hollows had to be killed, while Soul Reapers wanted to cleanse them. All Quincys were wiped out except for two; Uryu Ishida and his father. Uryu is at first an enemy of Ichigo's but quickly becomes an ally. His main weapon is a bow which he can summon at any time.

Kisuke Uruhara
An enigmatic man Ichigo meets when Rukia presents him with a Soul Candy, which is a candy that gives a person's body a soul that can take its place. Kisuke runs his own shop, Uruhara Shoten, which sells various types of spiritual products. He has two children with him. Jinta; an obnoxious and forceful boy and Ururu; a shy and quiet girl. There is also Tessai, a tall, strong man who seems to help Kisuke out with big problems.

Yoruichi Shihoin
A black cat who appears later in the series. Not much is known about him, other than that he's extremely fast and has talents far superior to Ichigo and his friends.

A description of the second season of Bleach may become available depending on the popularity of this summary.