One of BleachThe recurring problem from the beginning has been figuring out whether this is a serious shonen anime with comedic moments or a comedy with a bit of drama and action. This struggle becomes even more blatant in episode 6, "Fight to the Death! Ichigo vs. Ichigo." Ironically, as BleachThe protagonist is forced to confront a rogue version of himselfthe anime clashes with its two opposing tones and, unfortunately, neither of them emerges victorious.

There appears to be a small time jump between episodes 5 and 6 of Bleach, as the story doesn't feel as directly connected to what came before. This solidifies that the shonen anime is definitely a hybrid between episodic and serialized storytelling. While the tonal balance breaks the immersion, there's still enough good stuff in the episode to keep it from being a total failure. Bleach Episode 6 aired in Japanese on November 9, 2004, and then on October 14, 2006, in English.

What happens in Bleach episode 6, "Fight to the Death! Ichigo vs. Ichigo"?

Following Rukia's instructions, Ichigo places an artificial soul into his body.

• Characters appearing in Bleach episode 6: Rukia Kuchiki; ;

Sitting high above, overlooking Karakura Town, Rukia realizes that her Gigai, her artificial body, is starting to give her trouble and that she's running low on supplies. Meanwhile, Ichigo's family discusses his recent behavior and how secretive he's been. Ichigo goes to give Rukia dinner, expecting her to be in her closet, but discovers she's missing. The next day, Rukia goes to the Urahara Shop to buy special items for her spirit communicator.

While there, Rukia receives an item she requested, which ultimately becomes a catalyst for the episode's events. When she arrives at the school later, she forcibly takes Ichigo aside and introduces him to Soul Candy, a pill a Soul Reaper can take to temporarily replace their body with a soul so they can focus on their fight against Hollows. After tasting the candy, Ichigo's replacement goes rogue, and things escalate, forcing Ichigo to confront his replacement. The episode ends with them on opposing sides, seconds away from a showdown.

Why is Rukia worried during Bleach episode 6?

Rukia fears losing control of her Gigai and not being able to defend Ichigo.

Since his fridging in episode 1, Rukia expressed that there is a limit to what she can do within her Gigai, and every episode since has shown how weak Rukia is because of it. Episode 6 adds an extra layer when Rukia realizes she can't stay in this Gigai for much longer, raising the stakes even further. But for all that seriousness, Bleach loses sight of this terribly just a few seconds later, as the episode takes on a mostly comedic tone.

It's common knowledge that shonen anime targets the male demographic, and most include comedic elements. However, shifting tones often detract from an anime's overall appeal, making it seem like the story doesn't take itself seriously, even when the events that unfold involve life-or-death stakes. This is more than evident in Bleachsixth episode. Rukia's goal throughout this episode is to ensure that Ichigo is prepared in case there is a moment when she and her abilities are not available.

For someone in Ichigo's position, this should be extremely worrying. Yet Bleach chooses to focus on fan service and the perverted antics of a soul that went rogue while inhabiting Ichigo's body. Even though it's clear that this is temporary, the episode doesn't seem to care all that much. What viewers are left with is a confusing episode that doesn't really know whether to make viewers laugh or worry about the deteriorating fate of a main character.

What is Project Spearhead and why is it important?

Project Spearhead is a program launched by Soul Society

• Events that occur in Bleach episode 6: The Mod Soul Incident

After Rukia instructs Ichigo to eat a piece of Soul Candy, his soul is removed from his body and he enters his Soul Reaper state. His soul is replaced by an artificial soul that goes rogue over the course of the episode. As events progress, Ichigo senses something wrong with the artificial soul after defeating a Hollow. He and Rukia pursue it and realize that the soul is incredibly strong and fast.

Rukia then tells Ichigo about Project Spearhead, which is where Episode 6 gets good. The focus shifts back to worldbuilding and the anime takes on a more serious tone. Bleach is extremely intriguing, engaging, and fun. Project Spearhead is Bleach what Treadstone represents to the Bourne universe, or what supersoldier programs represent to the CIA. In the case of BleachHowever, super soldiers were artificial souls designed for combat that were placed in the bodies of dead humans to fight Hollows.

Although the program was canceled and the artificial souls destroyed, some survived, and the soul inhabiting Ichigo's body is one of them. It's unfortunate that, instead of causing any real damage or danger, the artificial soul mostly acts like a pervert, frolicking around town. Only when he approaches a group of boys playing video games does things take a darker turn, as the boys begin to say things that ultimately awaken the soul and bring to light the trauma of his existence.

Is Bleach episode 6 good?

Bleach Episode 6 Struggles with Tone

To cancel completely Bleach Episode 6's lack of conviction in tone would be a mistake. Yes, the series struggles, but so do most shonen anime. Ultimately, these tonal shifts feel more like expected elements of the shonen formula. While their occurrence in this episode may be jarring, the way events unfold in the second half of “Fight to the Death! Ichigo vs. Ichigo” saves the episode from failure.

Fortunately, episode 6 ends with a standoff between Soul Reaper Ichigo and Rogue Ichigo, setting up what could be a great showdown for episode 7. Bleachthe sixth episode could have been better, but it had enough meaningful character moments and world-building to ensure interest in what might come next. With over 300 episodes remaining, not every episode will be a perfect 10, and the anime wouldn't have earned a spot as one of the Big Three if the overall story wasn't good enough.