After being defeated by Zaraki Kenpachi and with his sword broken, Zangetsu takes Ichigo into his Inner world, where Ichigo must win Zangetsu back from his inner devil. After fighting him Ichigo then understands that just like Zaraki, he as well was only counting on himself and was using Zangetsu only as a tool without relying on Zangetsu's power. He asks Zangetsu for a second chance, and gets it. He then returns to Soul society to fight Zaraki again, this time with Zangetsu as his ally, but just as things look promising to Ichigo, Zaraki starts fighting him with full power. Ichigo then lends Zangetsu's power for the last blow, which will decide everything.
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.