What did Riruka do to Rukia in Bleach? Explained

Modified Oct 12, 2024 01:30 GMT

Bleach and the answer to the question "What did Riruka do to Rukia?" (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Bleach fans often wonder "What did Riruka do to Rukia?" during their fight at the tail end of the Lost Agent arc because this part of the series is often overlooked.

While a much more character-driven arc and with a lot more emphasis on the story than the fights, a lot of fans didn't react too positively to this point of the manga, although it has aged quite well in recent years.

Be as it may, it was during this point of the arc when Rukia returned to help Ichigo Kurosaki get his Shinigami powers back and aid him in his fight against the Fullbringer group, Xcution.

However, it was during this fight that Riruka made use of one of the most unique abilities in Bleach, Addiction Shot, and mostly put Rukia out of commission by turning her into a stuffed animal.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Riruka's actions and her motivations, explained

Rukia and Riruka fighting during the Lost Agent arc (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Riruka is a member of Xcution and joined Ginjo Kugo and his allies because of her sense of abnormality and wanting to find a place to belong.

She holds a grudge against the Shinigami since the Fullbringers have been hunted down by them and also carries guilt for trapping a boy he liked with her powers when they were seven years old.

All of this makes her a very conflicted person during the events of the Lost Agent arc and is seen during her fight with Rukia Kuchiki as her heart is not set on killing the latter.

This is further emphasized by Rukia herself who states that what they did was so wrong and shouldn't have manipulated Ichigo the way they did, although she eventually allows Riruka to live by the end of their battle.

Riruka's powers and abilities in Bleach

Rukia as a plushie as she runs away from Riruka (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Riruka used her ability Addiction Shot to seal Rukia's soul into a plushie, thus weakening her in the process. When a lot of people ask the question "What did Riruka do to Rukia?", this is exactly that and is the core of their battle as the Shinigami begins to learn more about what makes the Fullbringer tick as a person.

From a broader perspective in Bleach, Riruka's Fullbring is Dollhouse, which is the ability to move people's souls in and out of objects that she loves or finds cute.

This is mostly used during the Lost Agent arc so Ichigo Kurosaki can have a safe place to train, although she also used it during the Thousand-Year Blood War arc so the protagonist and his friends could reach Yhwach at the end of the conflict.

She got Addiction Shot after receiving a boost in power by being infused with Ichigo's Fullbringer powers through Ginjo Kugo and also had a new ability called Human Container, which she also used against Rukia.

This allows her to place focus on a target and move away, which does when facing this Shinigami and not being hit in their fight.

Final thoughts

A lot of Bleach fans ask the question "What did Riruka do to Rukia?" because of the bizarre nature of her Fullbringer abilities and because the Lost Agent arc didn't have a lot of notoriety with fans. However, it is also one of the most unique powers in the series and her fight with Rukia was quite peculiar in terms of execution.

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Edited by Abhimanyu Sharma