Tite Kubo

"Immediately after checking into the Kurosaki Clinic with a mysterious scar on his back, the muscle-bound Chad goes AWOL. Accompanying Chad is a talking parakeet imbued with the soul of a young boy named Yuichi. It doesn't take newbie Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki long to surmise that a Hollow must be involved. By far the strongest spirit he's faced to date, Ichigo is about to discover that not every soul is bound for the Soul Society, especially if...

"Ichigo Kurosaki may not know this, but the world he lives in is one predicated on balance--between the living and the dead, between everyday life and the Soul Society. Soul Reapers aren't merely fighting Hollows, they are charged with the grand task of equalizing the balance between this life and the next. Naturally, if too much energy is channeled to one side, really bad things will happen--just as they're happening now! Ichigo and Uryû's competition...

"With reports of powerful intruders defeating a number of assistant captains, the inner sanctum of the Soul Society--the Seireitei, the home of the Soul Reapers--is put on a state of high alert. Matters are further compounded by the mysterious death of a prominent captain. Is his death a cover-up to prevent a valuable secret from being exposed? Meanwhile, Ichigo confronts Kenpachi Zaraki, captain of the eleventh company, and by far the most brutal...

"Rukia Kuchiki, the ex-Soul Reaper responsible for Ichigo's transformation, is on the lam. Her brethren at the Soul Society are quite displeased with the fact that she transferred the powers of a Soul Reaper to a human and have dispatched two of their strongest agents to neutralize the situation. Their mission is twofold: to return Rukia to the Soul Society so that she may pay for her crime and to deal with Ichigo--permanently. But an unlikely third...

"The rebellion within the Soul Society grows as doubts spread about the death sentence of ex-Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki. Determined to save her, Rukia's childhood friend Renji vows to cut down the captain of his own squad, unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits him."--Page 4 of cover.

"Ichigo, Chad and Uryû are determined to rescue Orihime from Aizen's vile machinations. But though the Arrancars' fortress is in sight, the would-be heroes must first pass Tres Cifras--the land of the disgraced Arrancars, who see destroying Ichigo and his friends as a way to redeem their honor!"--Page 4 of cover.

"The noose is tightening around Ichigo. His inner Hollow can't wait to consume him, the sinister transfer student has him tapped for a mysterious job, and now powerful new enemies have landed in his hometown to destroy him."--Page 4 of cover.

"Ichigo and his friends return to the world of the living, where life goes on as usual. But the arrival of a new transfer student raises disturbing questions, for outside school he carries a zanpaku-tô and wears the mask of a Hollow..."--Page 4 of cover.

"The race to save Rukia from the Soul Society is officially on, and Ichigo and company have come to their first roadblock, a very, very big roadblock. Jidanbô, the monstrous, fez-sporting gatekeeper hasn't let a single soul enter the Western Gate he guards in over 300 years, and he isn't about to change his mind about it just because Ichigo's crew wants to go through either. But, in a where-the-rubber-meets-the-road kind of way, Ichigo wasn't expecting...

"To Ichigo's surprise, his childlike friend Nel Tu reverts to her true form to shield her human protectors. And yet, an unforeseen turn of events leaves Nel and everyone at the mercy of the enemy, who is a heartbeat away from exterminating them. What hope is there for Ichigo and his friends now?"--Page 4 of cover.