Chapter Summaries

After the Hollow attack, Retsu Unohana trusted Ichimaru’s report that Kyōsuke Kuchiki had defeated dozens of Hollows, while Kyōsuke played along with Sōsuke Aizen’s suspicions. The group returned to Soul Society, where Kisuke Urahara was waiting to hear the report.

• Retsu Unohana defended Ichimaru’s account and sent the Fourth Division members to search for the injured.
• Kyōsuke Kuchiki told Sōsuke Aizen that he suspected the attack was deliberate, then reassured him and accepted his praise.
• After Kyōsuke left, Sōsuke Aizen realized he had underestimated Kyōsuke’s strength and regretted losing the chance to collect data on the Hollows.
• The Soul Reapers gathered the wounded and suspended Konsō training, while Retsu Unohana showed interest in Kyōsuke.
• Guided by a Hell Butterfly, the group returned to Soul Society, where Kisuke Urahara waited beside the Senkaimon.

After the battle with the Adjuchas, Kisuke Urahara noticed Kyōsuke Kuchiki’s extraordinary strength and lack of visible Reiatsu, but Kuchiki avoided his questions and left. At the Research and Development Institute, Urahara suspected the Hollow might have been modified and considered a connection to the Seireitei’s nobles, but decided not to investigate without evidence.

• Retsu Unohana reported that the students had mostly minor injuries and credited Kyōsuke Kuchiki with dealing with the Adjuchas in time.
• Kisuke Urahara noticed that Kuchiki was completely clean and showed no trace of Reiatsu, despite apparently facing powerful Hollows without being touched.
• Urahara tried to question Kuchiki, but Kuchiki refused, went home, and told Sōsuke Aizen to explain the Adjuchas and Gillians to Urahara.
• At the Research and Development Institute, Aizen described the Adjuchas as unusually intelligent and able to summon Gillians, and Urahara suggested it might be a modified variant.
• After Aizen left, Urahara suspected he was hiding something and recalled secret noble experiments involving Hollows, but chose not to investigate further and opened the detector’s historical data.

Kisuke Urahara’s investigation revealed that Kyōsuke Kuchiki had defeated dozens of Gillians and an Adjuchas in minutes, prompting him to call a meeting of the Gotei 13 captains. The captains were left stunned by Kyōsuke’s strength, and the chapter ended with them weighing the scale of his achievement.

• Sōsuke Aizen secretly observed Kisuke Urahara, used Kyōka Suigetsu’s Complete Hypnosis to conceal his presence, and decided to speed up his plans to eliminate unstable elements.
• Hiyori Sarugaki brought Kisuke Urahara the reports from the Hollow attack, and he found evidence of dozens of distinct Gillian Reiatsu signatures at the scene.
• Kisuke Urahara concluded that Kyōsuke Kuchiki possessed genuine Captain-level strength and might surpass an ordinary captain, then hurried to summon the captains.
• At the First Division conference, Kisuke Urahara presented the investigation showing that Kyōsuke had defeated dozens of Gillians and an Adjuchas in a few minutes.
• Kuchiki Ginrei said Kyōsuke had not explained much about the battle and suggested he might have used powerful Kidō, leaving the captains astonished by his feat.

The captains discussed Kyōsuke Kuchiki’s strength and joked about him defeating Kenpachi Kiganjō, while Kisuke Urahara proposed a wager. As the meeting ended, several captains chose Kyōsuke to win, but Shunsui Kyōraku backed Kiganjō.

• Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, Yoruichi Shihōin, and Retsu Unohana discussed recruiting Kyōsuke Kuchiki into their divisions, while Kuchiki Ginrei hoped he would choose the Sixth Division.
• Kenpachi Kiganjō dismissed reports of Kyōsuke’s strength, insulted the meeting, and walked out.
• Shunsui Kyōraku joked that Kyōsuke could join the 11th Division by defeating Kiganjō, and Kisuke Urahara said he wanted to see the fight and wager on it.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni ended the discussion and adjourned the meeting after Urahara reported that mutated Hollows had become more common.
• Retsu Unohana, Yoruichi Shihōin, Kensei Muguruma, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, and Love Aikawa backed Kyōsuke to win, while Shunsui Kyōraku chose Kiganjō.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki considered how to advance his abilities and build his own force, while Byakuya assured him that the Kuchiki Clan would support his choices. On graduation day, Kyōsuke arrived at Shin'ō Academy and was greeted by Sōsuke Aizen and an intrigued Shinji Hirako.

• Gengorō Ōunabara praised Kyōsuke Kuchiki’s flawless Konsō practicum results and gave him the top grade in the first rank.
• Kyōsuke advised Gin Ichimaru to attract attention by targeting the Fifth Division’s fraudulent Third Seat, and Gin agreed to keep an eye on him.
• Kyōsuke planned to build his own force so he could unlock the Eight Extraordinary Skills and pursue the throne in the sky.
• Byakuya Kuchiki told Kyōsuke that the Kuchiki Clan would support his decision about which division to join.
• Kyōsuke arrived at Shin'ō Academy for graduation, where Sōsuke Aizen congratulated him and Shinji Hirako excitedly recognized his reputation.

At the graduation ceremony, Kyōsuke Kuchiki received honors for completing the academy in one year and killing an Adjuchas, then faced a recruitment gathering attended by nearly every captain. Yoruichi tried to draw him into the Second Division, but he declined and Shinji Hirako also offered him a place in the Fifth Division.

• Genryūsai Shigekuni awarded Kyōsuke Kuchiki a medal, ribbon, and monetary reward, praising his achievement and reminding him of his responsibilities.
• Kyōsuke Kuchiki entered the division recruitment area and found captains and lieutenants staffing the desks to recruit him.
• Yoruichi approached Kyōsuke Kuchiki from behind, teased him, and urged him to join the Second Division.
• Kyōsuke Kuchiki stepped away from Yoruichi and said he was not interested in the Second Division.
• Shinji Hirako asked Kyōsuke Kuchiki whether he would consider joining the Fifth Division.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki weighed recruitment offers from the captains and the Kidō Corps before accepting Tessai Tsukabishi’s offer to become deputy Kidō chief. Meanwhile, Kenpachi Kiganjō dismissed Kyōsuke as a fraud and abused his lieutenant, leaving Kyōsuke poised to join the Kidō Corps with its future and authority in question.

• Tessai Tsukabishi offered Kyōsuke Kuchiki an immediate deputy Kidō chief position and promised to recommend him as grand Kidō chief in ten years.
• Tessai told Kyōsuke he would even hand over the captain’s position after a year if circumstances allowed, while Kyōsuke considered the Kidō Corps’ autonomy and noncombat duties.
• Kenpachi Kiganjō rejected his lieutenant’s suggestion to recruit Kyōsuke and beat the lieutenant for raising the matter.
• Yoruichi Shihōin withdrew from competing for Kyōsuke and hinted that other captains would need to offer him a lieutenant’s position.
• Kyōsuke accepted Tessai’s invitation, and Tessai welcomed him as a hopeful future for the Kidō Corps.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki joined the Kidō Corps as vice chief, impressing Tessai Tsukabishi by bypassing his advanced concealment barrier. Meanwhile, Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin grew more concerned that someone was secretly manipulating events in the Seireitei, and Yoruichi went to observe the gathered captains.

• Kyōsuke entered the Kidō Corps headquarters through Tessai Tsukabishi and Hachigen Ushōda's Eight Linked Twin Cliffs barrier without triggering it, then explained that he could conceal his Reiatsu.
• Tessai praised Kyōsuke's unusual ability, and Kyōsuke persuaded him to stop addressing him so formally.
• Yoruichi told Kisuke that Kyōsuke had joined the Kidō Corps as vice chief, with a promise of the chief's position, and Kisuke regretted that he had not joined the Research and Development Institute.
• Kisuke told Yoruichi that the mutated Hollows and tampering with his research materials suggested someone was working secretly in the Seireitei.
• Yoruichi went to Shin'ō Academy and watched the gathered captains, but she could not identify who was pulling the strings.

Kenpachi Kiganjō mocked Kyōsuke Kuchiki for joining the Kidō Corps, prompting Tessai Tsukabishi and Yoruichi Shihōin to defend him. Yoruichi exposed Kiganjō’s disputed rise to captain, leaving him enraged and threatening the onlookers.

• Kensei Muguruma expressed concern that Kyōsuke Kuchiki was wasting his talent in the Kidō Corps, while Retsu Unohana said he would shine wherever he went.
• Kenpachi Kiganjō arrived, ridiculed the Kidō Corps and Kyōsuke Kuchiki, and tried to pat Kyōsuke on the shoulder.
• Tessai Tsukabishi blocked Kiganjō with his staff-shaped Zanpakuto and demanded that he apologize, while Yoruichi Shihōin threatened him for insulting Kyōsuke.
• Yoruichi Shihōin called Kiganjō’s captaincy the result of luck and mocked his claim to the Kenpachi title.
• Kiganjō flew into a rage, threatened the watching students and captains, and challenged Yoruichi’s accusation about how he became captain.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki blocked Kenpachi Kiganjō’s attack with one hand, then stood firm against Kiganjō’s unleashed Reiatsu as the captains watched. The chapter ended with Kiganjō preparing to fight Kyōsuke inside a barrier.

• Yoruichi Shihōin and Kiganjō prepared to fight, but Kyōsuke stopped Kiganjō’s Zanpakuto with one hand.
• Kyōsuke taunted Kiganjō, who grew enraged and released his Shikai, overwhelming several students with his Reiatsu.
• Kyōsuke used Shunpo to move Tessai Tsukabishi to safety and shielded him from Kiganjō’s Reiatsu.
• Shunsui Kyōraku and the other captains formed a barrier around Kiganjō, while Retsu Unohana led the students away.
• The captains chose to let Kyōsuke face Kiganjō alone, and Kyōsuke drew his Zanpakuto as Kiganjō’s blood-colored Reiatsu distorted the space inside the barrier.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki outclassed Kiganjō with precise basic swordsmanship while leaving his own Shikai unreleased. Humiliated and enraged, Kiganjō unleashed Bankai: Adamantine Exhaustion and prepared to attack with his transformed giant sword.

• Kiganjō released his Shikai and attacked Kyōsuke Kuchiki, who deflected his strikes and repeatedly wounded him with precise swordsmanship.
• Kyōsuke Kuchiki circled Kiganjō with Shunpo and taunted him while the watching students and captains marveled at his skill.
• Kensei Muguruma pointed out that Kyōsuke Kuchiki still had not used Shikai, astonishing the Gotei 13 captains.
• Kyōsuke Kuchiki questioned Kiganjō's claim to the Kenpachi title, driving Kiganjō into a furious rage.
• Kiganjō activated Bankai: Adamantine Exhaustion, enlarging his Zanpakuto and gaining greater strength, defense, and attack range.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki used his Shikai and an unfamiliar form of Shunpo to evade Kenpachi Kiganjō’s Bankai attacks, then revealed a new Kidō designed to seal Reiatsu. Kiganjō realized that his Reiatsu had stopped responding, leaving the fight’s outcome poised to be decided.

• Kyōsuke Kuchiki released Dijiang and used Senka to slip behind Kiganjō and slash him without being detected.
• Kiganjō spun his greatsword in a furious attempt to hit Kyōsuke, but Kyōsuke declared that he had already dealt with him.
• Kyōsuke revealed the Meridian-Sealing and Spirit-Intercepting Technique, a talisman he had created to seal Reiatsu.
• Tessai Tsukabishi and the others were shocked by Kyōsuke’s new Kidō, while Kiganjō dismissed the golden characters after they landed on him.
• Kiganjō tried to release his Reiatsu and swing his Zanpakuto, then panicked when his Reiatsu would not respond.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki killed Kenpachi Kiganjō after sealing his reiatsu and overwhelming him with an unfamiliar Shunpo technique. The captains and students recognized Kyōsuke as a formidable Captain-level fighter, while Yoruichi Shihōin reflected on how early he must have developed his technique.

• Kyōsuke Kuchiki used Senka to strike Kiganjō, whose reiatsu remained sealed and whose vital points were shattered.
• Kiganjō died insisting he was the strongest Kenpachi, and Kyōsuke sheathed Dijiang without blood on its blade.
• Yoruichi Shihōin, Retsu Unohana, and the Soul Reaper students reacted to Kyōsuke's victory over a Bankai-using captain.
• Shinji Hirako and Kisuke Urahara discussed Kyōsuke's strange Kidō and Shunpo with Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake, who admitted they had no clear counter.
• Yoruichi Shihōin considered Kyōsuke's Shunpo and recalled that she had perfected her own Utsusemi only shortly before becoming Stealth Force Commander-in-Chief and Second Division Captain.

After killing Kiganjō, Kyōsuke Kuchiki was named the new Kenpachi and captain of the 11th Division, but he tried to refuse the post because he wanted to join the Kidō Corps. Tessai Tsukabishi and Genryūsai Shigekuni argued over whether Kyōsuke should join the Kidō Corps or take up the captaincy.

• Retsu Unohana's squad confirmed that Kiganjō had died after Kyōsuke Kuchiki killed him.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni questioned Kyōsuke about deliberately killing a colleague, then declared that he had inherited the Kenpachi name and the 11th Division captaincy.
• Kyōsuke objected to becoming captain and said he had already chosen to join the Kidō Corps.
• Tessai Tsukabishi argued that Kyōsuke should remain with the Kidō Corps and called the killing self-defense.
• Genryūsai insisted that Kyōsuke rightfully held the Kenpachi title, while Tessai challenged the rule and argued that Kyōsuke's Kidō talent would be wasted in the 11th Division.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki chose the Kidō Corps over the Gotei 13 after Tessai Tsukabishi offered him the Deputy Kidō Chief position. Genryūsai Shigekuni agreed to let him go if he found someone to inherit the name of Kenpachi, and Yoruichi Shihōin suggested he leave on assignments to buy time.

• Tessai Tsukabishi offered Kyōsuke Kuchiki the post of Deputy Kidō Chief and said he could succeed him as Grand Kidō Chief.
• Sōsuke Aizen worried that Kyōsuke Kuchiki might become an unpredictable influence if he joined the Gotei 13.
• Kyōsuke Kuchiki declined Genryūsai Shigekuni’s offer and chose to remain with the Kidō Corps.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni told Kyōsuke Kuchiki to find someone capable of inheriting the name of Kenpachi, and Kyōsuke agreed.
• Yoruichi Shihōin urged Kyōsuke Kuchiki to register with the Kidō Corps and take assignments outside the Seireitei while he searched.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki chose a candidate for Kenpachi in Rukongai and prepared to travel there with Yoruichi Shihōin. The chapter ended with Yoruichi arriving at his bedroom early the next morning, before he had eaten breakfast.

• Kyōsuke told Yoruichi Shihōin and Tessai Tsukabishi that he had a candidate for Kenpachi in Rukongai and would seek him out the next morning.
• Yoruichi decided to accompany Kyōsuke, and Tessai left to find a suitable Kidō Corps candidate in the Seireitei.
• Kyōsuke told Kuchiki Ginrei and Byakuya Kuchiki about his plans; Byakuya offered to send Sixth Division members, but Kyōsuke declined.
• Kyōsuke checked his Heaven Communicating Talisman Art proficiency and reflected on the potential of the Eight Extraordinary Skills.
• Yoruichi arrived at Kyōsuke's bedroom early the next morning and greeted him before he had eaten breakfast.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki and Yoruichi Shihōin reached Zaraki in East District 80, where they found evidence of a massacre and unusually powerful Reiatsu. As the terrified residents barred their doors, a badly wounded Soul Reaper approached them, asking whether they were reinforcements.

• Kyōsuke Kuchiki and Yoruichi Shihōin left the Seireitei and headed for Zaraki in East District 80 to find a suitable candidate.
• They passed through increasingly desolate districts, where residents watched them warily but kept their distance from the Soul Reapers.
• In Zaraki, Kyōsuke Kuchiki and Yoruichi Shihōin found streets stained with blood and strewn with dozens of mutilated remains.
• Yoruichi Shihōin questioned where the area's Soul Reapers were and sensed immense Reiatsu lingering on the corpses.
• The residents slammed their doors and blocked their entrances, while Kyōsuke Kuchiki noticed someone approaching.
• A one-armed, bloodied Soul Reaper rushed up to Kyōsuke Kuchiki and Yoruichi Shihōin and asked if they were reinforcements.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki found Zaraki and faced his attack alongside Yoruichi. After Kyōsuke used Dijiang’s tenfold boost to block Zaraki’s sword, Zaraki turned his attention to him.

• A wounded Soul Reaper warned Yoruichi and Kyōsuke that Zaraki was a monster, then fled as Zaraki arrived.
• Kyōsuke identified Zaraki as the man he was seeking and urged Yoruichi to return to the Seireitei, but she refused.
• Zaraki noticed Yoruichi and charged, forcing her into a desperate attempt to block his sword.
• Kyōsuke activated Dijiang’s tenfold boost and blocked Zaraki’s strike just before it reached Yoruichi.
• Yoruichi retreated at full Shunpo speed, and Zaraki turned toward Kyōsuke.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki unleashed Dijiang’s tenfold Reiatsu boost and faced Kenpachi Zaraki in a brutal clash of raw power. Kyōsuke wounded Kenpachi with Dijiang’s Shikai, and Kenpachi answered by releasing an even more ferocious Reiatsu as the fight continued.

• Kyōsuke told Kenpachi he would reveal how he had grown stronger if Kenpachi won, then unleashed his Reiatsu and drove back Kenpachi’s aura.
• Yoruichi Shihōin sensed the danger from the two fighters’ Reiatsu and realized she could not safely take part in their battle.
• Kenpachi charged Kyōsuke, and the two repeatedly clashed their Reiatsu, destroying the surrounding area.
• Kyōsuke blocked Kenpachi’s sword and activated Dijiang’s Shikai, then grazed Kenpachi and inflicted a deep wound.
• Kenpachi laughed with delight and released a more powerful wave of Reiatsu, leaving Yoruichi and distant Soul Reapers struggling under its pressure.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki used Dijiang’s erasing ability to destroy part of Kenpachi Zaraki’s sword and blasted him into ruins with Byakurai, but Kenpachi rose, stronger and eager to continue fighting. As Kenpachi reached for fallen weapons to counter Dijiang, Kyōsuke moved to stop him, determined to force him to join the Seireitei.

• Kenpachi Zaraki’s slash missed when Dijiang erased part of his damaged sword, and Kyōsuke Kuchiki blasted him into ruins with Byakurai.
• Yoruichi Shihōin was astonished by Kyōsuke’s powerful Kidō, then sensed Kenpachi’s Reiatsu surge from the ruins.
• Kenpachi Zaraki rose with a grievous wound and revealed his excitement at facing Kyōsuke, who warned him not to fight too long in his condition.
• Kyōsuke Kuchiki explained that Dijiang erased whatever its blade touched, and Yoruichi Shihōin learned the secret of his Zanpakuto.
• Kenpachi Zaraki lunged toward fallen weapons to defend against Dijiang, so Kyōsuke Kuchiki moved to stop him and make him join the Seireitei.