On the anniversary of his mother's passing Ichigo and his family visit her grave. While he is there Ichigo remembers the day his mother died. Rukia is found by a Shinigami who asks her why she hasn't returned to the soul society. Ichigo accidentally tells him that he is her substitute Shinigami; which happens to be a felony. Meanwhile Ichigo's sisters are being attacked by a Hollow.
From creator Tite Kubo, comes the story of a world where passing lurks impalpable to an everyday human's eyes. Ichigo Kurosaki helps run a local clinic with his family but 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 an untimely matter the losses begin. The Kurosaki family is soon attacked. This leads Ichigo on his first step to accepting the roles and responsibility's a Soul Reaper must uphold.