A mysterious man informs a group of strange beings that it is the time to strike. Ichigo Kurosaki wakes up in Zangetsu's dimension and receives a warning of what is about to happen. Meanwhile in Seireitei, the captains and lieutenants of Gotei 13 begin to feel their zanpakut-s detachment from them, but do not understand what it means. At night, a group of ryoka attempts to enter Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genry... sai's abode. Yamamoto and Sasakibe confront the intruders but what they see leaves them in shock. Later, the captains and lieutenants are ordered by Yamamoto to gather at Soukyoku Hill. Upon arriving there, they are met by the mysterious man, who calls himself Muramasa. Sajin Komamura attacks the intruder with Tenken but instead of hitting Muramasa, Tenken attacks Komamura. Reappearing as a human form, Tenken strikes down Komamura. The rest of the Soul Reapers prepare to attack but find themselves unable to release their zanpakut... s. Their zanpakut... s take on human form and stand beside Muramasa, who tells the Soul Reapers that their zanpakut... s have renounced them and declares war.
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.