Twelve years ago, a colossal demon fox terrorized the world. During the monster's attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hokage—the village's leader and most powerful ninja—sacrifices himself to seal the beast inside a newborn, relieving civilization from destruction while dooming the baby to a lonely life. Now, after years of being shunned and bullied, Naruto Uzumaki pesters the village with elaborate pranks and vandalism. Despite these antics, he works hard to achieve his dream: to become the Hokage and earn the acknowledgement of those who have mistreated him for his entire life. Naruto joins Team 7, a ninja squad made up of two of his peers—prodigy Sasuke Uchiha and clever Sakura Haruno. Under the aloof Kakashi Hatake's leadership, Team 7 takes on a series of difficult missions, forcing its members to grow in strength and comradery despite their many differences. Naruto strives to stand out in his rivalry with Sasuke and earn the romantic affection of Sakura. But as the trio brush against danger and death, their tragic pasts threaten to tear them apart.
Ichigo Kurosaki is an ordinary high schooler—until his family is attacked by a Hollow, a corrupt spirit that seeks to devour human souls. It is then that he meets a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki, who gets injured while protecting Ichigo's family from the assailant. To save his family, Ichigo accepts Rukia's offer of taking her powers and becomes a Soul Reaper as a result. However, as Rukia is unable to regain her powers, Ichigo is given the daunting task of hunting down the Hollows that plague their town. However, he is not alone in his fight, as he is later joined by his friends—classmates Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Uryuu Ishida—who each have their own unique abilities. As Ichigo and his comrades get used to their new duties and support each other on and off the battlefield, the young Soul Reaper soon learns that the Hollows are not the only real threat to the human world.