Ichigo Kurosaki, along with his family, runs a local clinic. Ichigo has the unusual ability to see poltergeists but rather than react with surprise he merely sees it as an annoyance. Ichigo helps those when he cares but can't bring himself to care enough... until one fateful day. A small, mysterious woman appears on duty inside his room, a Soul Reaper known as Rukia. Soon enough Ichigo and Rukia get formal in the oddest of ways and in such untimely matter the losses begin. The Kurosaki family is soon attacked. This leads Ichigo on his first step to accepting the role and responsibility's a Soul Reaper must uphold.
Rukia delivers a supply of merchandise to the Urahara Shop. Urahara tells her that there have been numerous attacks on Shinigami the past few days and asks if she feels safe going out without a Gigai.
At a meeting, Nanao Ise announces to the Shinigami that they are going to make a movie, and said that the "lost decade" of the 90's had come and gone, and various financial crises' occurred just as people thought that things were finally starting to look up.
Isshin and Aizen begin battling each other but Aizen is able to dodge all of Isshin's blows. Aizen eventually finds an opening and hits Isshin with Hadō #63 Raikōhō. As this happens, Gin remarks that it's been a long time since him and Ichigo last battled and he asks Ichigo if he remembers that battle.
Ichigo yells at Aizen and asks him what he means by saying that every single battle he's fought has played into his hand. Aizen tells him not to yell and explains that once he realized he was the thing he was searching for, he decided to help him grow.
After Aizen is hit by the Kidō spell Ittō Kasō and realizing that he underestimated Yamamoto, he is immediately pummeled by a Hollowfied Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo launches a Getsuga Tenshō at him, sending him crashing through a building and wounding his shoulder.