They were released in Japan from Februto June 1, 2005. The arc was released on five DVD compilations, each containing four episodes of the show. The ending theme for the first thirteen episodes is 'Life is Like a Boat' by Rie Fu, while the remaining seven used 'Thank You!!' by Home Made Kazoku. The opening theme is Orange Range's single 'Asterisk'. The episodes use three pieces of theme music: one opening theme and two ending themes. The arc started airing in the UK starting in September 2007 on AnimeCentral. It was shown on both YTV's Bionix and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming blocks, with Bionix airing the show one day sooner. The first English airing of the series was from September 2006 until January 2007. The arc initially ran from October 2004 until February 2005 in Japan on TV Tokyo. The episodes' plot covers the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after becoming a Soul Reaper and assuming the duties of Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki. The episodes are based on Tite Kubo's Bleach manga series, spanning twenty episodes. In the English release by Viz Media, its title is translated as The Substitute. The episodes are directed by Noriyuki Abe and produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu, and Studio Pierrot. The Agent of the Shinigami arc is the first season of the Bleach anime series.
