Yuuichi is a young boy whose soul got trapped in a parakeet's body after hollows killed his mother and gave him some kind of cursed treat. He shows up in episodes 3, 4, and 5, where Chad becomes his unlikely protector, keeping him safe from Shrieker—the hollow responsible for his mother's death. Once Ichigo defeats Shrieker and performs a konso on Yuuichi, he reassures the kid that his mother is waiting for him on the other side.
Later, during the Rukia Rescue arc, Ichigo and Chad run into Yuuichi again, this time in human form and living with an adoptive family in the Soul Society. True to his word, Chad lets him ride on his shoulders while they explore the district. Yuuichi still hasn't found his mother, but he's holding onto hope and keeps searching.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
