Bleach follows the lives of Ichigo Kurosaki, who is a high school
student with the ability to see ghosts, and a shinigami (Soul Reaper
or, literally, “death god”) named Rukia Kuchiki, who crosses paths with
Ichigo while hunting an evil spirit known as a hollow. Rukia is wounded
during the ensuing confrontation with the spirit and is left with no
choice but to transfer her powers into Ichigo. Thus the adventures of
Ichigo and Rukia begin. Together they search for hollows and perform
soul burials on wayward souls, cleansing the spirits and sending them
to Soul Society. The early parts of the story focus mainly on the
characters and their pasts, rather than the actual occupation of the
shinigami. As events unfold, the story begins to delve deeper into the
world of these gods of death on the “other side” called Soul Society.