With Hollow Bait scattered on the wind and no way to recall it, the contest between Ichigo and Uryu begins in earnest, and across Karakura Town the friends who have quietly grown sensitive to spirits feel the sky itself begin to warp toward disaster.
Summary
A Hollow rips into the living world only to be dropped instantly by one of Uryu's spirit arrows, scoring him the first kill. Furious, Ichigo pins him to a wall and demands the game be called off, but Uryu explains the bait is already carried on the breeze and cannot be gathered back, so monsters will soon flood the town. He warns that Hollows hunt those with strong spiritual power, and the thought of Karin sends Ichigo racing away with Kon behind him. Privately, Uryu notes that Ichigo has no idea how many people close to him share such power, a blindness he expects will crush the boy on the far side of the line they have now crossed.
On the school sports field, Tatsuki sits out a game feeling inexplicably low despite her winning streak, and recalls how she and Orihime began perceiving spirits after the frightening incident at Orihime's home months earlier, their vision sharpening from vague smudges into distinct figures by the time of the Kanonji broadcast. Before Orihime can share what is troubling her, windows on a nearby building shatter, and she looks up to see the sky itself distorting.
Key Events
Elsewhere, Ichigo cuts down his third Hollow but despairs at how much ground he must cover and how slow he is; he sends Kon off to fetch Rukia's tracking device so he can locate the monsters. Uryu, meanwhile, coolly racks up eleven kills from a rooftop as the sky buckles behind him. The disturbance ripples out to everyone attuned to it: Sado halts mid-errand, Urahara studies the heavens outside his shop, and even Don Kanonji turns his head in the makeup chair. On a field of her own, Karin freezes in fear as a soccer ball rolls to her feet and the warping sky intensifies overhead.
Notes
The chapter launches the Hollow-hunting duel that drives the fifth volume and begins awakening the latent spiritual abilities of Ichigo's classmates. Its title matches the Viz edition, Crossing the Rubicon. It was adapted into the anime's twelfth episode, A Gentle Right Arm, and belongs to the fifth collected volume, RIGHTARM OF THE GIANT.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happens in the Bleach chapter Crossing The Rubicon?
In Crossing The Rubicon, the Hollow-hunting contest between Ichigo and Uryu begins in earnest after Hollow Bait is scattered on the wind with no way to recall it. Across Karakura Town, the friends who have quietly grown sensitive to spirits feel the sky itself begin to warp toward disaster.
Why can't the Hollow Bait contest be stopped in Crossing The Rubicon?
In Crossing The Rubicon, Ichigo pins Uryu to a wall and demands the game be called off, but Uryu explains the bait is already carried on the breeze and cannot be gathered back. As a result, Hollows will soon flood the town no matter what.
How did Tatsuki and Orihime gain the ability to see spirits?
In Crossing The Rubicon, Tatsuki recalls that she and Orihime began perceiving spirits after the frightening incident at Orihime's home months earlier. Their vision sharpened from vague smudges into distinct figures by the time of the Kanonji broadcast.
Who is winning the Hollow-hunting duel in Crossing The Rubicon?
In Crossing The Rubicon, Uryu coolly racks up eleven kills from a rooftop while Ichigo has cut down only three. Ichigo despairs at how much ground he must cover and how slow he is, and sends Kon off to fetch Rukia's tracking device.
Which volume and episode does Crossing The Rubicon belong to?
Crossing The Rubicon belongs to the fifth collected volume, RIGHTARM OF THE GIANT. It was adapted into the anime's twelfth episode, A Gentle Right Arm.
Sources & Information
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