Recaps

Jun returned to Hueco Mundo, found Ulquiorra, and then settled the Bount in a town in Mino Province while working on a protective barrier. The chapter left Jun dealing with the disruption caused by Starrk’s uncontrolled Reiatsu after Starrk arrived in the World of the Living.

• Jun ran through Hueco Mundo’s Silent Sand Sea, found the Forest of Menos and Ulquiorra’s Tōzanshō, then left him a message before traveling to Mino Province.
• Jun explained the Bount’s origins and their danger from Soul Society; Miki Ichirin and the other Bount chose to settle peacefully, while Kariya Jin demanded revenge.
• Jun began building a large concealment and disorientation Barrier around the Bount’s town, but struggled to supply and link its Spiritual Power generators.
• Jun examined Kariya Jin’s Seal and learned that Aijima had given it to him, then returned it when Kariya demanded it.
• Starrk arrived in the World of the Living with uncontrollable Reiatsu, froze the town’s residents, and left after Jun told him to meet in Hueco Mundo.

Jun evacuated the Bount to Hueco Mundo after Starrk’s arrival disrupted his plans, then returned to the World of the Living and misled the Second Division during its investigation. Months later, he found the Bount thriving in Hueco Mundo and learned that Starrk had encountered an even stronger being in the Endless Sea.

• Jun sent the Bount through the Space-Breaking World to Hueco Mundo and left Starrk and Lilynette to protect them while he returned with Isuzu.
• Jun told the Second Division that the powerful Reiatsu seemed stronger than the Vasto Lorde that had injured him and described a village with chaotic traces of Reishi.
• After nearly three months, Jun returned to Hueco Mundo and found that the Bount had learned to control their Spiritual Power by exchanging Reishi.
• Starrk told Jun that he had met Zegurodo Basirororuzu, a whale who was even stronger than him and wanted to meet more of his kind.
• Jun introduced Isuzu to Starrk and Lilynette as his wife and partner, then asked Starrk to take them to their usual place.

Jun brought Isuzu to see the sleeping Ulquiorra, explained Starrk’s unusual desire for a community, and later helped Starrk capture the self-aware Adjuchas Grimmjow. He relocated the Bount to a hidden mountain settlement in Kai Province, where they could live safely while learning from him during the year he had left.

• Jun showed Isuzu the sleeping Ulquiorra and confirmed that he was a Vasto Lorde, while Starrk’s presence frightened her.
• Jun explained that Starrk’s wolf-pack nature made him crave a community, though Hollows with different symbols might not understand one another.
• Starrk sensed and captured a leopard-shaped Adjuchas, whom Jun identified as Grimmjow and said could potentially become an Arrancar.
• Starrk decided to make Grimmjow an Arrancar and urged Jun to hurry, while Jun sent the Bount from Hueco Mundo to the World of the Living.
• Jun established the Bount in connected caves beneath a mountain in Kai Province and gave them rules for staying hidden and safe.
• Jun told Miki Ichirin that he was not leaving yet, but that he had just over a year to teach the Bount.

Jun helped the Bount settle into a hidden cave, learned how Kariya Jin had lost his father and Aijima, and explained that Aijima had been exiled to Hueco Mundo for advocating for the Bount. The group adopted the name Undead and Jun secured their refuge before returning to Soul Society with Isuzu as their three years in Hueco Mundo ended.

• Kariya Jin told Jun about his father, his childhood escape from the Soul Reapers, and falling in love with Aijima before she vanished.
• Jun revealed that Aijima had proposed accepting the Bount into Soul Society and was exiled to Hueco Mundo after the upper ranks rejected her proposal.
• Jun and Miki Ichirin persuaded the Bount to reject soul hunting and choose a new name, and the group agreed to become the Undead.
• Jun concealed the cave entrance, installed a Rending Space Realm and a sealed passage to Hueco Mundo, and made ten linked Crests for travel.
• Jun returned to Hueco Mundo, waited for Starrk, and spent several more months there before returning to Soul Society with Isuzu.

Jun and Isuzu learned the truth behind the old Spiritual Power traces, then decades later Jun discovered that Retsu Unohana had encountered and wounded a young Zaraki in Rukongai. The chapter left Jun regretting that he had missed their meeting and imagining an absurd thousand-year romance between them.

• Shunsui Kyōraku told Jun and Isuzu that the Spiritual Power traces came from victims of a disastrous experiment, and warned them to stay out of the matter.
• Jun and Isuzu denied knowing anything when the Second Division questioned them, and Kyōraku later confirmed that the Bount were presumed dead.
• More than thirty years passed; Mizunami achieved Bankai and joined the First Division, while Jun became the Tenth Division's Fifth Seat.
• Retsu Unohana found a boy named Zaraki atop a mountain of corpses in the eightieth district, was wounded by his blade, and cut his face before Reiatsu subdued him.
• Jun read the record of Unohana and Zaraki's encounter, regretted missing it, and joked that their scars suggested a thousand-year affair.
• The author explained that the chapter had given Unohana and Zaraki's first meeting an alternate setting rather than following the original timeline.

The chapter recounts how Zaraki became the first King of Rukongai after slaughtering a battlefield with a stolen Zanpakuto, then follows Jun and Isuzu as they investigate a hidden archive in the Journal Hall. Jun reveals that Kōga may inherit his secret legacy, and leaves Isuzu with his determination to change Soul Society.

• Zaraki took a Zanpakuto from a gang leader and killed the fighters who swarmed him, prompting the Captain-Commander to leave the blade with him after it achieved Shikai.
• More than thirty years later, Kōga confronted Jun and Isuzu about a secret hidden in the Journal Hall.
• Jun used Kaei True to conceal the Journal Hall and showed Isuzu and Kōga how Kōga could pass through the eastern wall into a hidden space.
• Jun revealed journals in the western wall containing secrets about Starrk, the Undead, and Arrancar, explaining that Kōga might inherit his legacy if he proved capable.
• Kōga vowed to enter the western wall, while Jun told Isuzu he was striving to protect their descendants and declared that they would cleanse Soul Society.

After Jun’s story inspired Kōga to become diligent and humble, Kōga’s swordsmanship duel turned deadly when his opponent tried to kill him. Muramasa appeared as Kōga’s sword spirit and revealed his ability, drawing attention from across Seireitei as Kōga was summoned to meet the Captain-Commander.

• Kōga changed his habits, sought instruction from everyone, and began sparring with students across the academy.
• Kōga fought a senior student in a swordsmanship match and was nearly killed when his opponent used full-power Shunpo to attack him.
• Muramasa appeared, stopped the attack, and identified himself as Kōga’s sword, stunning the academy crowd.
• Jun questioned Muramasa, who demonstrated his ability by summoning Clear Rain and said he could control other swords’ thoughts.
• Tessai Tsukabishi arrived to summon Kōga to meet the Captain-Commander, and Jun agreed to take him.

Jun introduced Kōga and Muramasa to Soul Society’s leaders, then grew wary when Kōga’s Zanpakuto was secretly labeled dangerous and the Kuchiki Clan arranged his future. He sought Aizen’s help and visited the Kuchiki estate, determined to protect Kōga from being separated from his sword or trapped by the clan.

• Jun brought Kōga, Muramasa, and Clear Rain before the Captain-Commander and the captains, where Muramasa explained his power to manifest and influence Zanpakuto.
• Muramasa manifested Isshin’s Engetsu, who stayed in the Tenth Division for a month and defeated most of its members before the captains learned that manifested swords drew on limited Spiritual Power.
• Kōga’s academy dispute appeared settled, but confidential records still classified his Zanpakuto as extremely dangerous, and Jun vowed to protect him.
• Years later, Kuchiki Ginrei announced that Kōga had been preselected for the Sixth Division and chosen as a future son-in-law, prompting Jun to ask Aizen to check whether anyone was pressuring Kōga to abandon his Zanpakuto.
• Jun visited the Kuchiki estate and resolved to get Kōga out if the clan would not listen to reason.

Jun visited Kuchiki Ginrei to ask that Kōga start at the bottom of the Sixth Division, then negotiated for Ginrei’s daughter, Aozumi, to attend Shin'ō Academy before marrying Kōga. Aozumi’s enrollment and planned marriage to Kōga became public, while Aizen watched the news with interest.

• Jun told Kuchiki Ginrei that Kōga was his disciple and asked him not to give Kōga special treatment after graduation.
• Ginrei proposed that Kōga marry his daughter, Kuchiki Aozumi, and Jun asked that Aozumi attend Shin'ō Academy so the couple could meet first.
• Sōjun supported Jun’s request, and Jun and Sōjun agreed that Jun would help Aozumi adjust to the academy.
• The Kuchiki Clan announced that Aozumi would enroll at Shin'ō Academy and marry Kōga after his graduation.
• Kōga was bewildered by the congratulations, while Aizen learned the news and reflected on Jun’s insight.

Jun confronted Kōga and Lady Aozumi about their arranged marriage and warned them that their clan might be using them to control Kōga's dangerous Zanpakuto. After Jun pushed Kōga to take responsibility and pursue a workable future with Lady Aozumi, the two began to reconcile, though his clumsy assurances still upset her.

• Jun met Lady Aozumi and told her and Kōga that they could either accept their arranged marriage or resist at a potentially deadly cost.
• Jun explained that Kōga's Zanpakuto had been labeled extremely dangerous and suggested Lady Aozumi might be a sacrifice in her clan's plans.
• Jun staged an argument so Lady Aozumi could leave in tears, then scolded Kōga for acting childishly and failing to take responsibility.
• Kōga tried to approach Lady Aozumi, offended her, and lost a bet with Jun, who made him slap himself and challenged him to consider his own choices.
• Kōga followed Lady Aozumi for several days before apologizing for shifting responsibility onto her and promising to become dependable.
• Lady Aozumi told Kōga that his promise to take care of her was hurting her, then ordered him to leave.

Jun tried to make Kōga and Aozumi reconsider their strained arranged marriage, then challenged Aozumi to examine the Kuchiki Clan’s rules and hierarchy. He left her shaken by the idea that she could begin breaking free of the strictures governing her life, one restraint at a time.

• Kōga told Jun that he no longer wanted to pursue Aozumi, and Jun advised him to take time apart and decide whether he viewed their marriage as work or personal life.
• Kōga returned to training, while Aozumi remained isolated at the academy and did not seek Jun out.
• Jun invited Aozumi to tea and questioned whether Kuchiki etiquette placed spouses and servants below family members.
• Aozumi struggled to defend the Kuchiki hierarchy when Jun suggested that Kōga might be treated as inferior because of his birth and rank.
• Jun created a Spiritual Power puppet threaded with rules governing Aozumi’s life, prompting her to see how tightly her upbringing controlled her.
• Jun urged Aozumi to break only one or two restraints at first, warning that she was not yet strong enough to free herself from all of them.

After Jun transformed Aozumi Kuchiki’s outlook, she and Kōga became a couple and began balancing romance with cultivation. Their shared Kidō practice behind the Journal Hall caught on at Shin'ō Academy, while Jun and Isuzu joked that the method had become their lineage’s way of bearing witness to love.

• Aozumi returned to public life after a month away, greeted Kōga warmly, and joined him in visiting Jun, where she called herself Jun’s disciple and urged Kōga to improve his manners.
• Aozumi and Kōga grew into a couple, and Isuzu later returned from the academy after giving them romantic advice.
• Kōga and Aozumi compared their abilities and spiritual scores, and Aozumi began training harder after learning how strong Kōga was.
• Aozumi followed Kōga to the Journal Hall and persuaded him to use Kōsangō so she could practice Kidō in seclusion behind the building.
• Other students adopted Kōga and Aozumi’s Kōsangō practice method, and Jun and Isuzu joked that it was their lineage’s inherited way of witnessing love.

Jun kept Isuzu out of an Expedition after spotting Ashido Kanō on its roster and grew suspicious that Central 46 was using the missions to eliminate Soul Reapers. After he secretly arranged for Starrk to protect the next Expedition, it returned without casualties, but a rebellion soon forced Nambu Nobuyasu to resign and Shinji Hirako to become Fifth Division captain.

• When Isuzu was asked to join an Expedition, Jun persuaded her not to go and found Ashido Kanō on the roster of 122 Soul Reapers.
• Jun asked Jūshirō Ukitake why the Expedition had grown so large, and Ukitake acknowledged that such missions were used to deal with disobedient people.
• Jun gave Starrk a tuft of wolf fur and asked him to clear obstacles and protect the Expedition; it returned half a year later without anyone dying.
• Less than a month later, thirty-four rebellious Soul Reapers were killed after their rebellion targeted Nambu Nobuyasu.
• Nambu Nobuyasu accepted responsibility and retired, and Shinji Hirako took over as Fifth Division captain.
• Jun concluded that Central 46 was exploiting conflict to preserve Soul Society’s hierarchy.

Rebellions across five divisions killed 153 Soul Reapers, and Jun’s attempts to contain them damaged his standing in the Tenth Division. After the crisis, Shunsui Kyōraku learned that his division had been sacrificed in a political struggle and abandoned his former sense of responsibility, leaving Jun to recognize the shift toward the carefree man he would become.

• Jun stopped a rebellion in the Tenth Division, captured twenty-four rebels, and questioned one who revealed knowledge of a sealed incident from 150 years earlier.
• When Vice Captain Takagi tried to kill the suspect, Jun first blocked him, then killed the captive himself after Takagi insisted the division should conceal its disgrace; Jun later killed the remaining rebels with his Shikai.
• Rebellions in the Fifth, Eighth, Tenth, and Thirteenth Divisions killed 153 people, while Kisuke Urahara swiftly killed four rebels in the Twelfth Division.
• Jun attended a gathering with Jūshirō Ukitake, Shunsui Kyōraku, Jing, Nanao Ise, Lisa Yadōmaru, and Isuzu, then carried an unusually drunk Kyōraku home and spoke with him about Soul Society.
• Kyōraku changed into a seemingly lazy, hard-drinking captain who let the Eighth Division accept mostly women, and Jun later learned from Jing that Kyōraku had discovered an Eighth Division Sixth Seat tied to Central 46 but lacked evidence to act.
• Kyōraku concluded that Central 46 and Yamamoto had sacrificed his division’s members for stability, so he stopped trying to serve their interests; the chapter ended with the author explaining revised age and history details for the story.

Jun learned that Soul Society was preparing a surprise attack against Emperor Baraggan’s Hollow army in Hueco Mundo, and he gave Isuzu a created Shikai called Thunder Charge so she could keep up in battle. After meeting Thunder Charge in her inner world, Isuzu woke and asked Jun to let her meet Clear Rain.

• Jun joined Tachikawa Zan and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi for drinks, where Shunsui Kyōraku arrived and toasted four hundred years of friendship with Kuruyashiki.
• Gosuke brought word that the First Division had ordered a deployment, and Jun learned that Soul Society would attack the Hollow army led by Emperor Baraggan in Hueco Mundo.
• Jun told Isuzu to stay with her division’s formation during battle and promised she could come to him if it broke apart.
• Jun altered Isuzu’s connection to her sword and taught her the release phrase, awakening her Shikai, Thunder Charge.
• Isuzu met Thunder Charge in her inner world, where Thunder Charge called Jun her dad and Clear Rain her older sister.
• Isuzu returned to her body and asked Jun to let her meet Clear Rain.

The Soul Reapers launched a surprise assault on the Hollow army in Hueco Mundo, and Jun helped fight off an Adjuchas before Sōya Azashiro finished it. The chapter ends with Kuruyashiki Kenpachi unleashing his Bankai and swallowing the bull warrior Vasto Lorde and everything nearby in its enormous jaws.

• Three days after preparing for battle, the Soul Reapers entered Hueco Mundo through ten Senkaimon and struck the Hollow army with powerful attacks.
• Jun cast Hadō #99: Goryū Tenmetsu, then bound an Adjuchas with Rikujōkō before Sōya Azashiro killed it with a beam.
• The Soul Reapers struggled against the Hollow army as the captains engaged its Vasto Lorde, and the remaining Adjuchas injured several First Division fighters.
• Kuruyashiki Kenpachi fought a bull-masked Vasto Lorde with his Shikai, summoning Mouth Bears that absorbed Spiritual Power and grew larger.
• Kuruyashiki Kenpachi activated Bankai, and its giant jaws swallowed the bull warrior, nearby Hollows, sand, soil, and Reishi before vanishing.

The Soul Reapers struggled to coordinate as the Hollow army overwhelmed their formations, while Jun, Isuzu, Ukitake, and others fought powerful enemies. Kyōraku was unable to harm a Vasto Lorde until Kuruyashiki Kenpachi arrived, and the chapter ended with them heading to help elsewhere.

• The Soul Reapers' formations broke down under the Hollow tide, and Isuzu used Thunder Charge to strike down Hollows while Ukitake protected nearby fighters by reflecting attacks with Sōgyo no Kotowari.
• Jun and Shinten helped Isshin defeat a powerful Adjuchas with Hadō #99: Goryū Tenmetsu, then discussed the struggling battle as Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's Bankai appeared in the distance.
• Kyōraku fought a giant-eagle Vasto Lorde whose control of airflow prevented his Shikai attacks from reaching it.
• Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's sword and descending shadow drove the giant eagle away, and he joined Kyōraku to help another fighter.

Jun fought across the battlefield to support Soul Reaper squads and helped defeat a fox-aspected Adjuchas, while Kuchiki Ginrei and Shunsui Kyōraku killed a Scorpion Vasto Lorde. After the Scorpion named Baraggan as its king, the captains ordered an orderly retreat, bringing the war between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo to a temporary close.

• Jun used Clear Rain to support Isuzu, Asai Shinten, and an Eighth Division squad, then went to help the First Division seniors fight a fox-aspected Adjuchas.
• Jun trapped the Adjuchas with Kidō so the First Division fighters could kill it, then joined Higashiyama and went to support Jing's squad.
• Kuchiki Ginrei used Senbonzakura Honjō to batter and restrain a Scorpion Vasto Lorde, while Shunsui Kyōraku killed it with Katen Kyōkotsu.
• The dying Scorpion cried out that it hated His Majesty Baraggan, and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi returned carrying the badly wounded Sorachi Murozō.
• Kuchiki Ginrei, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi ordered a retreat, and Soul Society's forces withdrew as the war ended temporarily.

After Soul Society suffered heavy losses in the Hollow war, Jun grew furious when Central 46 rejected his request to expand the Gotei 13, while Sorachi Murozō died from his wounds. He confided in Isuzu, then resolved to teach her and continued considering reforms to Soul Society’s training, Kidō, and specialized units.

• Jun reflected on Soul Society’s population and military weakness compared with Hueco Mundo, and felt his desire to destroy the sick system growing.
• Hollow incursions increased, and the 11th Division began patrolling Soul Society’s outer areas as deaths mounted.
• Sorachi Murozō died despite treatment by Unohana and Tenjirō Kirinji, leaving Kensei Muguruma able to fill the Ninth Division captaincy after achieving Bankai.
• Jun requested expanded recruitment after calculating a 47 percent death rate, but Central 46 rejected the proposal and reprimanded him.
• Jun told Isuzu he feared the power he was preparing might destroy Soul Society, and he promised to teach her everything when she offered to learn.
• Jun considered improving Kidō and developing specialized Soul Reaper roles, then lamented Soul Society’s backwardness and poor cooperation.

Jun visited the Undead settlement to build a Spiritual Power detector and told Miki Ichirin that the Undead might be able to have children through spiritual union. When Oura Naizi became pregnant, the Undead rejoiced and Kariya Jin vowed to open a path to Hueco Mundo so their descendants could survive and their people could grow stronger.

• Jun arrived at the Undead settlement, where Miki Ichirin showed him their underground tunnels and led him to a sturdy place to build the detector.
• Jun explained that the Undead might reproduce through spiritual union, and Miki Ichirin promised to share the idea with the others.
• Jun began making the Spiritual Power detector while several Undead tried and failed to learn Sōdō.
• Miki Ichirin told Jun that Oura Naizi was expecting a child with Oura Daisuke, and Jun saw that the child was absorbing her Reishi and making her body transparent.
• Jun warned the Undead that pregnancy would consume substantial Spiritual Power, and Kariya Jin vowed to open a path to Hueco Mundo for their descendants.

Jun Shimizu clashed with Lieutenant Takagi over whether to report the 11th Division, and escalating deaths between the divisions made the dispute worse. At a Four Great Noble Clans banquet, Jūshirō Ukitake explained that Jun had been invited as a candidate to become a noble, drawing him into the Main House faction.

• Jun Shimizu argued with Lieutenant Takagi, rejecting his plan to report the 11th Division to the First Division.
• Central 46 reprimanded the 11th Division, and the Tenth Division became a laughingstock as deaths between the divisions continued to rise to thirty-seven.
• Jun received an invitation to a gathering of the Four Great Noble Clans and attended the banquet with Isuzu.
• Jūshirō Ukitake told Jun that the nobles had split into Main House and Retainer factions and that Jun was a popular candidate for nobility.
• Ukitake said that he, Shunsui, and the Four Great Noble Clans supported Jun's candidacy, leaving Jun feeling that he had been drawn into the Main House faction.

Jun and Sōya Azashiro were elevated to noble status after the Main-house faction countered the Retainer faction’s attempts to block the proposal. Jun’s success left him bitter because Isuzu had been barred from witnessing it, and he resolved to change Soul Society’s rules.

• The Main-house faction divided Soul Society’s patrol territories among four divisions, curbing the Retainer faction’s assassinations and clearing the way for the elevation meeting.
• Jun discussed the factional struggle and the Shimizu Family’s expected noble status with Isuzu at home.
• At Central 46, officials barred Isuzu from entering because she came from Rukongai, and Jun watched her leave before entering the meeting alone.
• Sōya Azashiro thanked Jun for helping him regain noble status and promised to repay him with a favor.
• The Four Great Noble Clans presided over speeches and voting, and Kuchiki Ginrei presented Jun and Sōya Azashiro with noble plaques.

Jun learned about the noble families, then joined Aizen in killing a Central 46 councilor’s son. After meeting young Rangiku and Gin, Jun realized Aizen’s questions about missing people in Rukongai pointed to his experiments and the Hōgyoku.

• Jun reviewed the noble-family register and learned that the Shihoin Family had 104 vassal families among Soul Society’s 247 lower noble families.
• Jun visited Aizen, and the two decided to kill the son of upper councilor Higashiyama, whom Aizen said visited women in Rukongai.
• Jun killed the man with a remotely activated technique, and he and Aizen discussed Kidō and people disappearing from Rukongai.
• Jun caught young Rangiku as she ran into him, and she and Gin thanked Jun and Aizen before running off together.
• Jun recalled that Gin had witnessed Aizen take part of Rangiku’s soul and concluded that Aizen’s missing-person inquiries were connected to creating the Hōgyoku.

Jun struggled with whether to stop Aizen’s Hōgyoku research, then let it continue and reunited with Kōga and Aozumi after their graduation and wedding. During their visit, Aozumi described how she had developed a sense of self and asked Jun to let her meet Starrk and see an Arrancar.

• Jun weighed stopping Aizen’s research, decided to let it happen, and questioned how much Soul Society had changed his principles.
• Kōga and Aozumi graduated with exceptional Kidō results, and Jun and Isuzu attended their wedding as Kōga’s elders.
• Kōga and Aozumi visited Jun and Isuzu, completed the customary rites, and told them about the Kuchiki Clan’s restrictive rules.
• Aozumi explained how she had moved beyond seeing herself as a puppet, and Jun praised her for building her own strength and choices.
• Aozumi asked to meet Starrk and see an Arrancar, and Jun agreed to take her and Kōga when an opportunity arose.

Jun taught Aozumi how to design a Free Shikai and revealed his own Shikai, Non-Aggression, which prevented anyone from harming anyone else. Aozumi grasped Jun’s argument that Soul Society feared change and freedom of thought, and Jun declared her his finest disciple.

• Jun explained how a Zanpakuto’s abilities, appearance, and personality should be designed, using Clear Rain and Thunder Charge as examples.
• Jun helped Kōga realize that Muramasa embodied his deepest wish for someone to stay by his side, and Muramasa vowed to remain with him forever.
• Jun released his Shikai, Non-Aggression, conjuring music, food, and wine while making attacks against others ineffective.
• Jun explained that Non-Aggression reflected his belief that force could not solve every problem, and he criticized Soul Society for relying on violence against those it considered enemies.
• Aozumi reasoned that Soul Society feared change, freedom, and new ideas, prompting Jun to call her his finest disciple and say she could inherit everything he had.