Bleach/New School Term, Renji Has Come to the Material World?!

New School Term, Renji Has Come to the Material World?!
Season 4, Episode 1
Airdate	January 17, 2006
Production Number	64
Written by	Genki Yoshimura Masahiro Okubo Masashi Sogo Michiko Yokote Natsuko Takahashi Rika Nakase
Directed by	Noriyuki Abe
← 3x22 Rukia's Resolution, Ichigo's Feelings	4x02 → Creeping Terror, the Second Victim
Bleach — Season Four

New School Term, Renji Has Come to the Material World?! is the first episode of the fourth season of Bleach, and the sixty-fourth episode overall. It is also the beginning of the "Bount" storyline.

Co-Stars: Tom Fahn (Mizuiro Kojima), Wendee Lee (Tatsuki Arisawa), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Ms. Ito), Michael Sorich (Tessai Tsukabishi), Wendee Lee (Ururu Tsumugiya), Jeannie Elias (Jinta Hanakari), Michael Lindsay (Kisuke Urahara), Terrence Stone (Yoruichi Shihouin), Quinton Flynn (Kon), Liam O'Brien (Sora Inoue)

Plot Overview

After an extended summer in the soul society, Ichigo and his friends are finally back in the land of the living. And he's arrived home just in time to start school again, although no one knows what exactly he went through over the summer. He, and the others, are forced to dodge questions about what they did over the summer from their fellow students, although Orihime manages to spill the entire thing to Tatsuki. Luckily for Ichigo, Tatsuki just thinks that Orihime is making stuff up. By all accounts, Ichigo is about to settle into a typical school year. That is, until Renji shows up dressed like he fell out of the 1960s.

Outside of school, during Ichigo's first class, Renji appears and starts shouting his name in the general direction of the building. Ichigo quickly rushes out to meet his "relative" before he suffers any more embarrassment. Renji tells him that he was assigned that he was assigned to the Kurakara neighborhood by the soul society and Urahara directed him to Ichigo's school. Ichigo makes a joke about Renji getting demoted, but the comment is cut off by a hollow appearing. It scales the school but Ichigo manages to defeat it handily. He tells Renji to never come to school for no reason again and tries to go on with his day.

After the hollow incident, Renji returns to Urahara's shop where he is clearly not welcome since he's considered to be a freeloader by everyone except for Urahara. Tessai, Jinta and Ururu mercilessly hassle him over eating all their food and contributing nothing. He runs off after they tell him to sweep the front of the store. After he's gone, Yoruichi mentions to Urahara that something is very different in the district and suggests that he might now what's wrong, although neither go into it.

Elsewhere, Orihime is feeling remorse over not being of much use in the soul society. As a result, she's forcing herself to practice her abilities to the point of exhaustion in the middle of the night. Chad walks in on her pushing herself and trains with her, although his brand of training typically attracts more attention than they would like. Uryu is also lurking around, but neither see him. Ichigo, however, isn't concerned with more training. Instead, he's stuck dealing with a very irritable Kon, who misses Rukia.

Later that night, Orihime has a dream about making snow-rabbits with her brother and bursts into tears thinking about Rukia's relationship with her own brother. The doorbell rings and she finds her brother at the door, even though he was killed long ago. At the same time, Renji gets a page about a hollow and rushes off to find Ichigo. Renji informed him that the signal originated near Orihime's home, implying that her brother's return is not what it seems. The two run off to save her again. Uryu and Chad also feel the presence and awaken to lend their help. The gate to Hell appears outside of Orihime's window, but she doesn't know quite what is going on. Her "brother" beckons for her to come with him and the image of a woman flashes briefly when she takes his hand. She's sucked into the portal and it disappears. Elsewhere, three shadowy figures look down on band of rescuers and laugh.

Trivia

The Show

• Ending Theme: As of this episode, the ending theme changes to "My Pace" by SunSet Swish. The graphic to go along with it shows off characters from the storyline which begins with this episode who have yet to be introduced, along with dancing stuffed animals and Kon.