Hexapodus

Bulky and many-legged, this Hollow takes the shape of an oversized insect that scuttles on six limbs. Its hide runs a muted gray green, broken up by orange at the joints and a scatter of orange markings across the back. Sitting incongruously atop the creature is a blank white mask carved with humanlike features, flanked by two brown tufts while a lock of purple hair spills down across its brow.

Little of the creature's mind shows beyond raw appetite. It hunts the weakest prey it can find, chasing down the soul of a small child rather than facing anything that might fight back. When a Soul Reaper interrupts the meal, the Hollow first stalls with a puzzled question, then, once wounded, resorts to a cowardly strike at its enemy's unguarded back.

The Hollow surfaces in a children's park in Karakura Town, where it corners the lingering spirit of a dead boy and moves in to feed. The terrified soul flees but stumbles, and just as the monster closes in, Ichigo Kurosaki steps between them. Thrown by the newcomer's black robes, it pauses to ask what he is; the answer arrives as a blade that lops off one of its forelegs. Reeling and shrieking, it bides its time while Ichigo speaks with Rukia Kuchiki about a Reaper's work, then lunges from behind, only for Ichigo to spin and drive his sword through the mask, cleansing the Hollow. Its name stays a mystery for dozens of chapters, surfacing later when Rukia tries to claim the bounty on it. A retooled version of the fight appears in the live-action film, where the creature briefly overpowers Ichigo before Renji Abarai finishes it.