Bleach Portal

Episode 14 - Back To Back, A Fight To The Death

Ichigo has finally found Ishida, and will not be satisfied until he beats him down. As Ishida draws his arrow to shoot a Hollow behind Ichigo, Ichigo steps in front of the Hollow. Ishida releases the arrow, but Ichigo cuts the arrow and slices the hollow into half. Ichigo says that this fight is between the two of them, and wants Ishida to stop talking about who killed more Hollows, but rather settle it between the two of them. While Ichigo is annoyed that Ishida is ignoring him, Kon tells him to look at the sky where a crack appears to have formed. Ishida says that the Hollows are gathering, then runs in the direction of the Hollows.

Ichigo stops him, saying that there are too many Hollows, but Ishida simply asks him if he is afraid, and if he is to just observe from there, because victory will be his. With that, he shoots an arrow into the air, which splits into a few more arrows, killing a number of Hollows at once. He shouts at the Hollows that he, the last Quincy, will stand and face them. Ichigo puzzles at the words “last Quincy”, and Rukia imparts to him what knowledge of the Quincys she has. With Rukia’s words ringing in his ears, Ichigo runs to find Ishida, who is shooting down Hollow after Hollow. However, the number of Hollows is not diminishing at all, and as Ishida remembers his sensei, along comes Ichigo. Ichigo is defeating Hollows at an even more alarming rate, which Ishida finds very reckless. As Ichigo stands atop the mound of defeated Hollows, he tells Ishida that he knows his reason for fighting, and while he does not know whether the Shinigami or the Quincys are correct, does not wish to make judgments.

Ishida cuts in the middle of Ichigo’s speech, saying that it is ancient history, and that he has no interest in the extermination 200 years back, which he has only heard about in his sensei’s stories. He actually believes that as far as the story goes, the Shinigami were in the right... until his sensei died right before his eyes. He remembers that his sensei, too, knew it was wrong of the Quincys to turn a deaf ear to the Shingami’s warnings. Young Ishida asks why, since after all it was the Quincys who were exterminated. His sensei tells him that once a person is dead, thinking about who was right is meaningless, and they should think more on how to make sure the same thing is not repeated. Sad faces, be it Shinigami or human, are unbearable for him. Ishida tells Ichigo that his sensei was a kind person who did not hate or despise anyone, and being the last Quincy, was under strict observation of the Shinigami. Despite this, he appealed to the Shinigami to combine their strengths and fight together, but the Shinigami just told him not to interfere with their work.

However, one day, five huge hollows appeared that he could not defeat without aid from Shinigami. Young Ishida was hiding behind a tree watching. When the Shinigami arrived, it was two hours the fight had ensued. Ishida claims that if they had listened to his sensei’s ideas and recognized his powers, they would have arrived earlier and hence, he would not have had to die. For this, Ishida must prove the power of Quincys before a Shinigami no matter what. He tells Ichigo that their ideals may differ, and if Ichigo thinks otherwise, he may stand there and watch. Ishida continues, saying that with his powers…

Just then, Ichigo lands a kick on Ishida’s face and asks when he is going to shut up, and that his story makes no sense at all, since Ishida’s sensei’s wish was not for the Shinigami to recognize the Quincys’ powers, but for them to work together. Then, if Ishida won’t do so now, when will he? Ichigo drags Ishida by the collar and stands back to back with Ishida, saying that in a fight against many enemies, the best way to fight is back to back. With that, the two begin shooting and cutting up the Hollows. However, Ishida retains arrogantly that if he had not shot the hollow, he would have died. Ichigo agrees, saying that “kill or be killed”, but as one person it would be difficult, and so the two have no choice but to fight this way – a more than good enough reason for the Quincys and Shinigami to combine strengths and fight together.

Ichigo explains that the reason he wishes to defeat Hollows is because his mother had been killed by a hollow, and he does not wish to create others like himself, whereby the family suffers a great deal. He does not want to see anymore of that, and sees no need in it either. By this, Ishida realizes that his sensei and Ichigo have quite a bit in common. Ichigo goes on to say that while he can’t say big stuff like he’ll protect everyone in the world, he also won’t say conservative stuff like he’ll protect only those he can manage. Instead, he wants to protect a whole mountain of people. In the match he and Ishida had just abandoned, Ishida had put a whole mountain of people in the crossfire. Nonetheless, it is not the time to say such things, but the time to team up and fight. Ishida agrees and says that if they don’t survive, they won’t have each other to beat up.

Ishida and Ichigo now fight with abandon, both of them defeating Hollows faster than they can gather. Suddenly, Ishida alerts Ichigo to the crack in the sky that has grown, and a hand appears out of the hole. A stunned Rukia watches the hand pull apart the sky, revealing a white face with a long nose. Ichigo comments about its size, while Ishida says that the bait could not have caused this to happen. As more Hollows gather, Ichigo asks Ishida why he is still denying it. The Hollows lunge at the two, but are stopped midway by bullets from a large gun-like thing held by Ururu, who greets them timidly. “Jinta, HOMERUN!” cries Jinta as he uses a baseball bat to knock away a few Hollows. Tessai uses his palm to blow a Hollow’s mask off its face.

As the smoke and dust clears, Urahara’s voice is heard saying that they are here to help Ichigo. While Urahara continues to stand there fanning himself, Ururu and Jinta spring into action, defeating a multitude of Hollows. He tells Ichigo that they will handle the small fry so that Ichigo can concentrate on fighting “him”. He urges Ichigo on, telling him that there is no time to stand there “flapping his gums”.

Rukia tells Kon that the large creature is a Menos Grande, a gigantic Hollow said to be born when hundreds of Hollows pile atop each other and intermingle, which she has never seen before save for a textbook illustration. It is apparently impossible for such a thing to come out and that it is the Royal Special Affairs department’s jurisdiction, not something a single Shinigami can face. Ichigo declares to Ishida that the only way to defeat such a large thing is to slice and dice and cut it down the best they can. That being said, he runs off in the direction of the Menos, Zanpakutou ready in his hand. Ishida has no choice but to follow after. Rukia arrives too and calls after Ichigo that he cannot handle the Menos, which is too powerful for him. Urahara steps in front of her, and realizing this as his handiwork, asks Urahara if he intends to get Ichigo killed. He puts a hand in front of Rukia’s face and tells her that is not his intention, and so to keep quit and watch. Urahara has performed a binding spell on Rukia, who falls to her knees while Urahara tells her that this fight is necessary for both Ichigo and her.

Ichigo runs at the Menos’ leg and tries to cut it, but instead gets thrown off by the Menos and skids a way to Ishida. Ishida shoots an arrow at the Menos, but it has barely any effect on it, making but a small hole on its cheek. He asks Ichigo if he can stand, and Ichigo says that he’s perfectly okay, despite a wound on his forehead that is spouting blood. Ichigo explains that he was planning on cutting the Menos bit by bit from the bottom so that the head would eventually reach the floor.

Ishida puts a hand on Ichigo’s Zanpakutou, telling him to stand and formulate a new plan. Suddenly, the size of Ishida’s bow grows tremendously, a result of Ichigo’s especially high spiritual power. Ichigo realizes the monstrosity that is Ishida’s bow and asks Ishida why it is so huge. Ishida tells Ichigo that he has thought of a way to beat the Menos, and the Menos emerges fully from the crack. Chad and Orihime are on a bridge, watching. Orihime asks if what Urahara meant by “watch from here” was actually “watch and then choose” the path they will take. Orihime says that she has not forgotten anything from that night her Hollow-brother attacked her, but she has doubted her memory. She then asks Chad what they should do.

Ishida, with a determined note in his voice, shouts that they can fight now. We see that he has attached Ichigo’s Zanpakutou to his head. He tells Ichigo to control and release his spirit power at full-blast so that he can shoot an absurdly huge arrow. Ichigo asks him how he is supposed to do so, much to the aggravation of Ishida, who wonders how Ichigo has been able to fight Hollows up till now. Ichigo replies that it was all “spur of the moment”, shocking Ishida further. Ichigo retorts that most likely, his spiritual power is always on at full blast since it’s so badass.

Suddenly, a red glow appears at the mouth of the Menos, and grows larger into an orb with white things revolving about it. Rukia identifies this as a “cero”, and tries to tell Ichigo and Ishida to run away, as if they are hit by the cero, not an atom will remain. Instead of listening to Ishida’s order to hold the sword again, Ichigo grabs the sword and runs toward the Menos, stopping directly in front of it. As the Menos opens its mouth and fires the ceros, Ichigo uses his Zanpakutou to block it, and Ishida realizes that Ichigo’s spirit power is growing. Ishida compares Ichigo’s spirit power to a tap: Rebutting Ichigo’s idea that his spirit power is forever on full-blast as if you leave a tap on all the time, it will eventually run out of water. The fact that he is unable to control his spirit power means that he has too much of it. When you turn on a tap and an unexpected amount of water comes out, you would turn it off, startled. Similarly, if Ichigo’s normal abilities are in “off” mode, and were somehow turned on…

Rukia is still bound and kneeling on the floor, agape, while Urahara looks smug with his cloak blowing in the great wind. He says that it is about time, and true enough, Ichigo uses his sword to reflect the ceros onto the Menos itself. Everyone looks on in awe as Ichigo stands there looking proud. The Menos rears back and goes back into the sky, pulling close the “curtains” of the sky. Ichigo raises his hand in the air with the peace sign and shouts, “VICTORY!”

Tessai remarks that Ichigo’s performance was superb, and that he understood now what Urahara had seen in Ichigo. The crack in the sky disappears as Ichigo asks Ishida to thanks him for cleaning up his mess. However, before Ishida can do anything, Ichigo collapses and his Zanpakutou lights up and its shape begins to deform, shocking everyone. Rukia says that this is because he suddenly released his power, but at this rate, his body will not last.

Ishida decides that he must do something, and rushes forward and puts a foot on the Zanpakutou, his bow once again growing very large, and causing cuts to appear on his arm. He begins to shoot off arrow after arrow, to release the spirit power Ichigo cannot control. Ichigo stirs and asks Ishida what he is doing, and then remarks that his arm is all bloody, but Ishida merely reminds him that if they don’t survive, they wouldn’t have each other to beat up, so Ichigo must survive. As his fingers bleed, Ishida remembers his sensei, and apologizes, saying that he had wanted to avoid seeing the truth, that he was unable to save him, by hating Shinigami. Today, he would save a Shinigami, so could he be forgiven? He, his fingernails broken now, admits that he was a weak student that would not give up his life to save his sensei. He falls to his knees, the size of his bow decreasing, and asks his grandfather (sensei) if he can ever be forgiven. Ichigo turns around and asks himself how he could possibly beat anyone with that look on their face, as Urahara and Rukia continue to look on.

Return to the Episode Summary Index