After a hollow falls from the sky, Karin (Ichigo's sister) destroys it with her soccer ball. At the same time, Ururu and Jinta, Urahara's shop workers, also manage to destroy a hollow. Based on their actions, Don informs the young hollow slayers that he is forming the Karakura Superheroes. After a bit of back-and-forth between Jinta and Karin over who the leader of the group is, the Superheroes team up to destroy a large hollow.
Meanwhile, back in the Soul Society, Hanataro and Ganju tend to the injured Ichigo while Renji is taken into captivity. Frustrated that the intruders are still at large in the Seiretei, the high command orders that the Soul Reapers pull out all the stops in their pursuit and declare a state of war. The following day the lieutenants meet only to discover the corpse of Aizen, one of the 5th Division Captains.
As the Soul Society teeters on the brink of civil war after the discovery of Aizen's body, the 8th Division Captain, Shunsui Kyoraku, enters combat with Chad, who continues to slam his way through the Seireitei. Ichigo, Ganju and Hanataro also make their way towards Rukia's cell, only to be stopped by Kenpachi, whose power is greater than anything Ichigo has experienced yet.
After a slight dip in quality in the last volume, Bleach 09 picks the pacing up just a little. The first episode is obvious filler, but it gives a slight bit of insight into what is going on in the human world while its defenders are away. It also provides some much needed comic relief going into the following three episodes, which are pretty intense. The added murder mystery and unraveling of the Soul Reapers helps build up a few new characters and adds another dimension to the main arc.
