Bleach, Vol. 2

Ichigo 'Strawberry' Kurosaki was born with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hallow - a malevolent lost soul - Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits find peace. 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 - 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 it's tainted with innocent blood.

Bleach is author Tite Kubo's second title. Kubo made his debut with ZOMBIEPOWDER., a four-volume series for Weekly Shonen Jump. To date, Bleach has been translated into numerous languages and has also inspired an animated TV series that began airing in Japan in 2004. Beginning its serialization in 2001, Bleach is still a mainstay in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shonen (boys) category.