Bleach/Formation! The Worst Tag

Formation! The Worst Tag
Season 2, Episode 6
Airdate	April 5, 2005
Production Number	26
Written by	—
Directed by	Noriyuki Abe
ADR Writer(s)	Carl Macek Liam O'Brien Mark Ryan Michael Sorich
ADR Director(s)	Michael Sorich
← 2x05 Penetrate the Center with an Enormous Bombshell?	2x07 → Release the Death Blow!
Bleach — Season Two

Formation! The Worst Tag is the sixth episode of the second season of Bleach and the twenty-sixth overall. Ichigo and Ganju have the poor luck of running into soul reapers as soon as they land in Seireitei, forcing each to take up fight or flight against an opponent.

Co-Stars: Terrence Stone (Yoruichi Shihouin), Jamieson Price (Yasutora "Chad" Sado), David Lodge (Kenpachi Zaraki), Kyle Hebert (Ganju Shiba), Vic Mignogna (Ikkaku Madarame), Brian Beacock (Yumichika Ayasegawa), Grant George (Izuru Kira)

Plot Overview

The six travelers have split into four groups, with Chad and Yoruichi being the only two on their own. Ichigo and Ganju safely make it into a pit of sand Ganju created, but they're quickly discovered by two soul reapers, Ikkaku and Yumichika. Chad makes a large crater but isn't discovered and Yoruichi simply evades the soul reapers who are waiting for him. Meanwhile, Uryu and Orihime land relatively uninjured in what they think is an uninhabited area.

Ikkaku spends his time doing an interpretive dance about how lucky he is to find them first, but when Ganju makes a run for it, Yumichika follows quickly. Ichigo, on the other hand, takes a more upfront strategy and decides to fight with Ikkaku. Soon after their fight begins, they both land blows on each other above their eyes. Ikkaku closes his wound with an ointment on the end of his sword, but Ichigo is left blind in his left eye. After learning that Urahara was Ichigo's master, Ikkaku turns his sword into a spear by calling out its name and pulls Ichigo into a trap when he breaks the spear apart and boomerangs the blade back towards him.

In the distance, Ganju flees his pursuer until he finds himself at the old execution grounds where prisoners were put in a pit with captured hollows, much like the Roman coliseum. Yumichika offers Ganju a choice of dying by his sword or in the pit, Ganju throws sand into his eyes and willingly falls into the pit. He floats upwards in a cannonball, and allows Yumichika to pierce it until it explodes. The trick launched him to the other side of the pit, but it only mildly injured Yumichika.

Now gravely injured, Ichigo wraps his arm in a bandage from his sword's hilt and returns to the battle, promising that he's barely begun.

Trivia

The Show

• Opening Titles: The opening title sequence, as well as the song used changes with this episode. Instead of focusing on the mortal realm, instead the titles primarily show Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Uryu and Ganju fighting soul reaper captains and lieutenants, as well as Hanatarō Yamada, a character who was introduced but has yet to appear as anything of consequence. The song is "D-tecnolife" by UVERworld.
• Closing Credits: This episode also saw a shift in the closing credits. The song was changed to "Houkiboshi" by Younha and will rotate the sequence to feature a different captain and lieutenant team with each episode. The credits sequence for this episode shows Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki.