Headhittin'

Ichigo finishes a clumsy drill in which he was supposed to strike only the head-marked balls, prompting Rukia to stress that a single blow to a Hollow's head is the surest way to fell it. Orihime Inoue turns up, cheerful despite a bandaged arm from being hit by a car, and Rukia spots a strange bruise on her leg. After Orihime leaves, Ichigo mentions that her elder brother died three years earlier at his family's clinic. That night, Rukia receives an urgent order just as a Hollow, Acidwire, tears into Ichigo's room. His strike merely clips the mask, and the exposed face stuns him: he recognizes Sora Inoue, Orihime's brother. Rukia explains that finishing Hollows from behind exists so Shinigami never learn the human identities beneath them. Meanwhile, at Orihime's home, her stuffed bear Enraku suddenly splits open.

Ichigo trains to land killing blows on Hollows. Orihime's frequent injuries and a leg bruise hint at danger. Ichigo reveals Orihime's brother died years ago. Acidwire attacks and is unmasked as Sora Inoue. The threat reaches Orihime's apartment.

This chapter of Volume 1 (THE DEATH AND THE STRAWBERRY) begins Orihime's introduction and the tragic Acidwire storyline. Episode 2 adapts it. Featured characters include Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Yuzu, Acidwire, and the revealed Sora Inoue.