Bleach Episode 5: The Gate of the End

Written by Hikaru no Michiru

First Aired: November 1^st, 2004

Corresponds with “Bleach” Vol. 2, Chapters 10, 11 and 12

Opening: Asterisk, by Orange Range

Ending: Life is Like a Boat, by Rie Fu

Having tucked Karin back into bed, Ichigo heads back to help Rukia. He remembers back when his mother died, Yuzu took over the mom's duties like a grown up, while Karin stepped aside and took care of herself. Ichigo remembers that he never saw her cry again till now.

Meanwhile, Chad gives the hollow a strong hard punch, saving Rukia from its grasp. Rukia wonders how Chad could touch the hollow, considering the human world can't interact with the spiritual like that (Ichigo being a strange exception). Chad continues to punch thin air, giving away that though he could touch the hollow, he still can't see him. “He's attacking a deadly enemy he can't even perceive! Doesn’t he…… have any fear?” When the bat hollow takes to the air, Chad asks Rukia to tell him where the ghost is in the air. Before Rukia can protest why it matters, Chad rips a telephone pole out of the ground. With Rukia's direction, Chad swings and brings the hollow to the ground!

The Hollow wasn't alone

Although subdued, the hollow laughs at Rukia's naive behavior. “I never said I was a loner”. A swarm of frog creatures leaps down on Rukia and Chad, pinning them to the ground. While the hollow decides who to eat first, Chad manages to shake the frogs off him and takes a close swing at the hollow. He then kicks the frogs off of Rukia. The hollow takes to the air again, but Rukia has an idea. Chad throws her into the air, and it looks like the hollow is done for. But it pulls a fast one, and a frog creature pops out and strikes Rukia to the ground by spitting leeches at her. The bat hollow explains that those aren’t just normal leeches, they respond to the screech of his tongue –– by exploding. The explosions leave Rukia bloodied and beaten.

The hollow then steps aside to reveal the parakeet and his cage. He had been caught. The

The parakeet is caught.

hollow tempts Rukia to run away, or he’ll blow up the bird. Rukia takes the chance to lure away the hollow and protect the parakeet. A chase in sues, in which Rukia is bombarded more and more by the leeches. The chase ends at the river. The hollow thinks he has her, when lo and behold –– Ichigo stomps him from behind. The leeches fly, but through the explosion’s smoke appears Ichigo as a Soul Reaper. The battle begins between Ichigo and the bat hollow’s leech explosions. When Ichigo gets the hollow by the neck, he forces him to answer this: did he kill the boy’s parents?

The hollow killed his mother.

Safe with Chad and Rukia, the parakeet admits to them it was all his fault everyone is getting hurt. He says this is all happening because he wants to bring his mom back to life. Rukia is shocked, and asked who told him he could do this. Back with the hollow and Ichigo, the hollow admits he told the parakeet, five years ago. When he was alive, he was a serial killer, killed eight people. He stabbed the boy’s mother, but she still ran with her son clutched in her arms. He chased her onto the balcony and finished her, but his scheme took a turn for the worst when the boy grabbed his shoe laces and he tripped, falling to his death. So he sucked out the kid’s soul, stuck it in the parakeet, and told him if he could run from him for three months, he would bring his mommy back to life. Ichigo asks if that’s possible. “Of course not, I told the kid that so he’d play. And it worked like a charm.”

So the hollow gets the joy of killing anyone who tries to protect the parakeet, and the boy squeals “I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t like this." But the hollow reminds the boy “Mommy’s counting on you to save her,” and the boy is ready to run all over again, crying “Momma, momma.” With his defenses down, the hollow knocks Ichigo’s sword away and covers him in leeches. He sticks out his tongue to screech, but before he can Ichigo jumps up, grabs a fistful of leeches and shoves his fist, and the tongue, into the hollow’s mouth. “What’s wrong, weren’t you going to explode the bomb? Well if you’re not going to use your tongue, I’ll just take it!” And Ichigo tears out the hollow’s tongue and slashes the hollow’s face open.

Strangely, instead of dissolving like the other hollows, a giant hellish door appears behind the

A hollow damned to Hell.

dying bat hollow. Rukia shows up, and explains the Zanpakutoh (sword wielded by Soul Reapers) can only cleanse the sins performed after death. For hollows who sinned before death, the gates of Hell will open. The doors open and a massive arm stabs the hollow through the chest with a blade, pulls him in, and the gate to hell shuts.

Going to see Momma.

As the sun sets on the hectic day, Rukia attempts to comfort the boy, not be afraid of going to Soul Society, which appears to be ineffective. Ichigo steps in, and reassures the boy that though he can't revive his mother, she’s waiting for him there. A joyous smile appears on the parakeet. The boy thanks Chad for running around and protecting him, Chad shrugs it off, “It was nothing.” (5) As the boy's soul appears, Chad asks him, that when he dies and goes over to that place, could he carry him and around again. The boy smiles and Ichigo performs Konsoh, reuniting the boy and his momma.

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