Bleach is a manga and anime series by Tite Kubo , mangaka of Zombie Powder.

Bleach follows the life of Ichigo Kurosaki, a 15-year-old 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 him one day while searching for a hollow (an evil spirit). During the ensuing confrontation with the spirit, she is wounded and forced to transfer virtually all of 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 past, rather than the actual occupation of the shinigami. However, as events unfold, the story begins to delve deeper into the world of these gods of death on the "other side" called Soul Society.

The Bleach manga was first released in August of 2001 in Japan's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. New chapters are featured weekly in the same magazine. VIZ Media has released 16 English volumes in North America, and several scanlation groups continue to release unofficial English translations of new chapters. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category.

The Bleach animated TV series is broadcast on Wednesdays on TV Tokyo and affiliated stations throughout Japan. Studio Pierrot does the animation work. The first episode aired on October 5, 2004. Two OVAs have been produced in addition to the current episodes. The first 63 episodes are based on the manga, while the following episodes up to 109 are original to the anime and designed to prevent the anime storyline from overtaking that of the manga. The series has no plans to end production. An animated film, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, was released in Japan on December 16, 2006. In a 2006 internet poll by TV Asahi, Bleach was ranked as Japan's seventh-favorite anime program.

On March 15, 2006, VIZ Media obtained foreign television, home video, and merchandising rights to the Bleach anime from the TV Tokyo Corporation and Shueisha Inc. Subsequently, VIZ Media contracted Studiopolis to create the English dub of the anime. The English voice acting is directed by Michael Sorich.

The English version of the Bleach anime premiered on Canada's YTV channel in the Bionix program block on September 8, 2006. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim began airing Bleach the following evening. Adult Swim also created a Bleach website that includes the original opening and ending themes with English credits. A Tagalog dub of the anime will begin to air in the Philippines on the GMA Network in the spring of 2007.

Now for a brief synopsis of Bleach:

Ichigo Kurosaki is a rough-and-tumble teenager who has always had the special ability to see spirits. The story begins with the sudden appearance of an oddly-dressed stranger in Ichigo's bedroom. This stranger is the shinigami Rukia Kuchiki, who is surprised at his ability to see her. Their resulting conversation is interrupted by the appearance of a hollow, an evil spirit. After Rukia is severely wounded during battle trying to protect Ichigo, she decides to transfer half of her powers to Ichigo, hoping to give him the opportunity to face the hollow on an equal footing. Ichigo absorbs all of Rukia's powers during the attempt instead, allowing him to defeat the hollow with ease.

The next day, Rukia turns up in Ichigo's classroom as a transfer student. Much to his surprise, she now appears to be a normal human. She theorizes that it was the unusual strength of Ichigo's spirit that caused him to fully absorb her powers, thus leaving her stranded in the human world. Rukia has transferred herself into a gigai — an artificial human body — while waiting to recover her abilities. In the meantime, Ichigo must take over her job as a shinigami, battling hollows and guiding lost souls to the afterlife.

Here are some characters that may be helpful to know:

Ichigo Kurosaki, – Main Character
Rukia Kuchiki – Secondary Main Character
Kurosaki Family – Consists of Isshin (Father), Karin (Younger Sister), Yuzu (Youngest Sister)
Yasutora "Chad" Sado – Ichigo’s large muscular friend though very gentle and kind hearted.
Orihime Inoue – Class – Classmate of Ichigo who has a secret crush on him.
Uryū Ishida – A spiritual human much like Ichigo. He is the last of the Quincy’s (race).