A shinigami ( Soul Reaper or , literally , `` death god '' ) named Rukia Kuchiki , meets Ichigo while hunting an evil spirit known as a Hollow . His life is drastically changed by the sudden appearance of a Soul Reaper â '' one who governs the flow of souls between the human world and the afterlifeâ '' named Rukia Kuchiki , who arrives in search of a Hollow , a dangerous lost soul . When Rukia is severely wounded defending Ichigo from the Hollow , she attempts to transfer half of her reiatsu energy to Ichigo so that he can defeat the Hollow .