Bleach/The Man Who Hates Shinigami

The Man Who Hates Shinigami
Season 2, Episode 2
Airdate	March 8, 2005
Production Number	22
Written by	—
Directed by	Noriyuki Abe
ADR Writer(s)	Carl Macek Liam O'Brien Mark Ryan Michael Sorich
ADR Director(s)	Michael Sorich
← 2x01 Enter! The World of the Shinigami	2x03 → The Sentence of Rukia, Before the 14th Day
Bleach — Season Two

The Man Who Hates Shinigami is the second episode of the second season of Bleach and the twenty-second overall. With their gate closed, Ichigo and the others mingle amongst the West Rukon citizens until they can formulate an alternative plan to get across the wall.

Co-Stars: Peter Lurie (Jidanbou), Doug Erholtz (Gin Ichimaru), Michael McConnohie (Rukon District Elder), Philece Sampler (Shun'o), Dorothy Elias-Fahn (Ayame), Jamieson Price (Yasutora "Chad" Sado), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Yuichi Shibata), Terrence Stone (Yoruichi Shihouin), Kyle Hebert (Ganju Shiba), Liam O'Brien (Ganju's Head Gang Member)

Plot Overview

Gin Ichimaru meets the Ichigo and the others at the gate which Jidanbou has helpfully opened after losing to them. Ichimaru insists that a gatekeeper isn't supposed to open the gate, a gatekeeper is supposed to die and leave the gate closed if he loses. Ichimaru turns and backs away when he learns Ichigo's name and realizes that he must be the one who Rukia lost her powers to. He attacks Ichigo and sends him hurtling backwards into Jidanbou. The gate closes on them and they're forced to find another way in.

The Rukon District peasants leave their homes and greet Ichigo and his friends, now that they know that they are friendly. They consider Ichigo to be Jidanbou's true savior by helping save him from Ichimaru's attack instead of letting him die. Although Jidanbou's wounds are substantive, Orihime heals it using her powers. While she gets to work, Chad's friend Yuichi, the former parakeet, finds him in the crowd. He tells Chad that he hasn't found his mother because the district is so sprawling. Instead, Yuichi has fallen in with a pseudo-family brought together by their common lack of family.

That night, Yoruichi tells the four that they need to give up on passing the gate by conventional means. They won't be able to get through it because squad captains will be all over them. Instead, Yoruichi asks the elder if he knows where Kukaku Shiba is. The elder looks at him in shock but before Yoruichi can explain what exactly his plan is, their meeting is interrupted by a man named Ganju and his boar. He claims to be the bossman of West Rukon and to be the self-proclaimed number one soul reaper hater in the area. He and Ichigo get into a knock-down, drag-out fight that leads to Ganjo sinking Ichigo's sword into a circle of ground that suddenly turns to quicksand. The two fight until the clock strikes 9:00 and Ganjo's entire gang flees.