Recaps

Liu Hao's healing power removed Kenpachi Zaraki's self-imposed seal, allowing his strength to surge until he severed the Imperial Guard's arm. Kenpachi challenged Liu Hao to fight, but Liu Hao denied that the Imperial Guard had lost, and Kenpachi turned to see what he had missed.

• Liu Hao's Bankai healed Kenpachi Zaraki and began breaking the seal he had placed on himself after fighting Retsu Unohana.
• Kenpachi Zaraki's power, speed, and swordsmanship grew as he battled the Imperial Guard, who began to suffer wounds.
• Kenpachi Zaraki seized an opening and cut off the Imperial Guard's arm.
• Kenpachi Zaraki declared the Imperial Guard defeated and challenged Liu Hao to fight him.
• Liu Hao questioned Kenpachi Zaraki's claim, and Kenpachi turned to look at the Imperial Guard in surprise.

The Imperial Guard regenerated his severed arm and revealed his true strength, then launched a fierce battle against Kenpachi Zaraki. The fight continued with both combatants adapting and improving as Liu Hao and the spectators watched.

• The Imperial Guard fully regenerated his severed arm within seconds and told Kenpachi Zaraki that he had only slipped up.
• The Imperial Guard unleashed a powerful aura and declared that he would show Kenpachi Zaraki his true strength.
• The Imperial Guard vanished and struck Kenpachi Zaraki with his Tang Dao, sending him flying and injuring him.
• Kenpachi Zaraki charged back, and he and the Imperial Guard traded rapid blows across the arena.
• The Imperial Guard sharpened his attacks while Kenpachi Zaraki improved his strikes and defenses, as the spectators and Liu Hao watched.

As Kenpachi Zaraki fought the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Princess brought Yachiru Kusajishi to Liu Hao so he could resolve the mystery of her connection and existence. Kenpachi tried to reach them, but six Imperial Guards surrounded him.

• Liu Hao exchanged a silent signal with the Imperial Princess, who went to fetch Yachiru Kusajishi.
• The Imperial Princess told Yachiru Kusajishi that Liu Hao would resolve the problems concerning her and Kenpachi Zaraki, and Yachiru followed her toward the Emperor.
• Kenpachi Zaraki noticed Yachiru leaving, grew furious, and unleashed a surge of Reiatsu.
• Kenpachi Zaraki struck the Imperial Guard with enough force to drive him back, then rushed toward the Imperial Princess and Yachiru Kusajishi.
• The Imperial Guard created six solid clones that surrounded Kenpachi Zaraki and blocked his path.

Liu Hao prepared to use the Hōgyoku to resolve the problem between Yachiru Kusajishi and Kenpachi Zaraki while Zaraki fought six Imperial Guards to reach him. The Hōgyoku began glowing with seven-colored light, but its effect on Yachiru remained unknown.

• Kenpachi Zaraki demanded to know what Liu Hao would do to Yachiru, but an Imperial Guard said Zaraki had to defeat him to approach the Emperor.
• Six Imperial Guards attacked Zaraki from every direction, wounding him repeatedly as he continued fighting despite his injuries healing.
• Yachiru Kusajishi met Liu Hao beneath the Imperial Throne, and he promised to resolve the problem between her and Captain Zaraki.
• Liu Hao asked the Imperial Princess for the Hōgyoku and explained that he had kept it to use its power to resolve their problem.
• Seven-colored light gathered in Liu Hao's hand and illuminated Muken.

Liu Hao melted the Hōgyoku and infused its liquid into Yachiru Kusajishi, changing and stabilizing her soul while Kenpachi Zaraki fought to reach them. Despite taking several wounds and nearing his limit, Kenpachi charged toward Liu Hao with his Zanpakuto raised.

• The seven-colored light melted the Hōgyoku into multicolored liquid, and Liu Hao placed his hand on Yachiru Kusajishi’s head.
• Liu Hao’s light and the Hōgyoku’s liquid entered Yachiru, merging with her soul and making her form and aura more stable.
• Liu Hao gave Kenpachi Zaraki a provocative look as he continued infusing Yachiru with the liquid.
• Afraid of losing Yachiru, Kenpachi unleashed greater Reiatsu and struck two Imperial Guards aside.
• Four Imperial Guards stabbed Kenpachi, but he ignored his wounds and charged toward Liu Hao with his Zanpakuto raised.

Kenpachi Zaraki tried to reach Liu Hao while Liu Hao performed a ritual to merge seven-colored liquid into Yachiru Kusajishi. Six Imperial Guards surrounded Kenpachi and attacked him together, while a warm light healed his wounds as they appeared.

• Liu Hao continued the ritual over Yachiru Kusajishi, ignoring Kenpachi Zaraki's furious approach.
• Six Imperial Guards surrounded Kenpachi Zaraki and declared that he had to defeat them to reach the Emperor.
• Kenpachi charged the guards and resumed fighting, facing their coordinated attacks from six directions.
• The Imperial Guards repeatedly wounded Kenpachi, but a warm light quickly healed each injury.

Kenpachi Zaraki fought the six Imperial Guards in Liu Hao’s Bankai domain until one of them severed his Zanpakuto arm, which immediately regenerated. As Kenpachi faced his opponents again, his Reiatsu began rising beyond its previous peak.

• Kenpachi Zaraki continued fighting the six Imperial Guards despite his exhaustion and weakening Reiatsu.
• An Imperial Guard exploited Kenpachi Zaraki’s stumble and severed the arm holding his Zanpakuto.
• Yachiru Kusajishi panicked, but Liu Hao held her back and reassured her that injuries in his Bankai domain could heal.
• Kenpachi Zaraki’s severed arm regenerated completely, and he focused on the six Imperial Guards.
• Kenpachi Zaraki’s Reiatsu surged, surpassing its former peak and climbing toward an unknown realm.

Kenpachi Zaraki heard his Zanpakuto’s voice for the first time and reunited with it, gaining a surge of power as he prepared to complete his Shikai. Liu Hao stopped him just before he could call the sword’s name, saying that hearing its voice was enough.

• Kenpachi Zaraki’s Zanpakuto awakened with powerful Reiatsu and called his name, revealing that it could speak.
• Kenpachi Zaraki realized the voice came from his Zanpakuto and reached for the sword as it flew into his hand.
• Kenpachi Zaraki tore the severed arm from the hilt and gripped the Zanpakuto, merging with its power.
• The Zanpakuto urged Kenpachi Zaraki to call its name, but Liu Hao interrupted him before he could complete his Shikai.
• Liu Hao told Kenpachi Zaraki that hearing the Zanpakuto’s voice was enough.

Kenpachi Zaraki learned that Liu Hao had sensed his Zanpakuto awakening because they were still inside Liu Hao’s Bankai domain. Liu Hao freed Yachiru Kusajishi from her Shikai role but explained she would remain his anchor in Bankai, and Kenpachi insisted their fight was not over.

• Kenpachi Zaraki asked Liu Hao how he had known he could hear his Zanpakuto’s voice, and Liu Hao said he could perceive everything within his Bankai domain.
• Kenpachi Zaraki asked Liu Hao to release Yachiru Kusajishi, and Liu Hao withdrew the multicolored light surrounding her.
• Liu Hao told Kenpachi Zaraki that Little Deer would no longer return to his body during Shikai, but would still help control his power during Bankai.
• Liu Hao explained that Yachiru Kusajishi would anchor Kenpachi Zaraki’s soul and protect his sanity because his Bankai power could overwhelm his body and consciousness.
• Kenpachi Zaraki watched Yachiru Kusajishi, then told Liu Hao that their fight was not over.

After the battle was stopped, Kenpachi Zaraki accepted that he needed to adapt to his newly awakened power and vowed to challenge Liu Hao again. Liu Hao’s imperial regalia and immense Reiatsu vanished, revealing his exhaustion, and he told Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto that he had made no preparations for going to the Soul King Palace.

• Liu Hao told Kenpachi Zaraki that he was not yet a match for him and should first adapt to his new power.
• Kenpachi Zaraki agreed to fight Liu Hao again once he had adapted, and Liu Hao promised there would be more battles.
• Liu Hao rose from the Imperial Throne, causing the throne, imperial attendants, his robes and crown, and his overwhelming Reiatsu to disappear.
• Those present saw Liu Hao’s exhaustion, but he remained standing through sheer will.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto asked Liu Hao whether he had prepared for the trip to the Soul King Palace, and Liu Hao said he would see what happened when he arrived.

After recovering from his battle with Kenpachi Zaraki, Liu Hao prepared to take Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki to meet the Zero Division. The group set out for Rukongai, while Byakuya Kuchiki stayed behind to study Senbonzakura.

• Liu Hao returned to the Fourth Division Barracks exhausted and slept for a day as Retsu Unohana monitored his recovery.
• Isane Kotetsu and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto checked on Liu Hao, while Kenpachi Zaraki silently visited him; Ichigo Kurosaki reflected on the gap between himself and Liu Hao.
• Liu Hao woke, regained much of his strength, and went to meet Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki outside the Squad Six barracks.
• Renji Abarai told Liu Hao that Byakuya Kuchiki would stay behind and seek a new understanding of Senbonzakura.
• Liu Hao led Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki toward Rukongai to meet the Zero Division.

Liu Hao departed for the Soul King Palace with Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki, while the Captains and Zero Division gathered at Kūkaku Shiba’s residence. After teasing Kūkaku and being cornered by Retsu Unohana over his flirtations, Liu Hao hurried into the Tenchūren, which closed as the group prepared to leave.

• Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki worried about what awaited Liu Hao at the Soul King Palace, but he reassured them and led them to Kūkaku Shiba’s residence.
• Liu Hao and his companions found Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Captains, and the Zero Division waiting beside the Tenchūren.
• Ichibē Hyōsube invited Liu Hao and the others into the Tenchūren to avoid keeping the Soul King waiting.
• Kūkaku Shiba thanked Liu Hao for helping her eldest brother and sister-in-law, and Liu Hao jokingly asked her to give herself to him when he returned.
• Kūkaku threatened to break Liu Hao’s third leg, while Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu teased him about his relationships.
• Liu Hao pleaded with Ichibē to leave at once, and Ichibē agreed as the Tenchūren’s door closed.

Liu Hao and his companions arrived at the Soul King Palace, where Ichigo learned how the Oken worked and Ichibē revealed that Liu Hao had reached the Soul King's level. Liu Hao and Ichibē set off together through the air toward the Soul King's inner palace, leaving Rukia, Renji, and Ichigo behind.

• The Tenchūren carried Liu Hao, Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Ichigo Kurosaki, and the Zero Division through the barriers to the Soul King Palace.
• Ichigo admired the palace and asked Ichibē Hyōsube how they had entered without using the Oken.
• Liu Hao explained that the Oken consisted of the Zero Division's transformed bodies and described the two ways to enter the Soul King Palace.
• Ichibē told Liu Hao that his power had reached the Soul King's level and that he could cross the barriers by force.
• Liu Hao asked to go directly to the Soul King's inner palace, and Ichibē led him through the air toward it.

Liu Hao met the Soul King in his crystal prison and learned that the Soul King knew he came from another world but could not identify his origins. The Soul King said Liu Hao’s arrival had obscured fate, that he would not interfere even if the world were destroyed, and thanked him for showing compassion toward life.

• Liu Hao followed Ichibē Hyōsube into the Soul King’s palace and saw the limbless Soul King suspended inside a crystal by golden chains.
• Ichibē Hyōsube bowed to the Soul King, told Liu Hao to pay his respects, and left them alone.
• The Soul King opened his eight eyes and spoke directly into Liu Hao’s mind, greeting him as a wanderer from another world.
• Liu Hao asked whether the Soul King knew his origins, and the Soul King said he knew only that Liu Hao was not from this world.
• Liu Hao asked whether the Soul King would restore fate, and the Soul King refused, explaining that Liu Hao’s arrival had made fate unclear and that he would not intervene.
• The Soul King said Liu Hao could destroy the world but had acted with compassion, then Liu Hao asked why he had been summoned.

Liu Hao told the Soul King that the Soul Society’s treatment of powerful souls was unjust, but refused to remake the world or become its ruler. The Soul King continued to press the offer, while Liu Hao insisted he wanted to avoid the burdens and conflicts of power.

• The Soul King asked Liu Hao what he thought of the world, and Liu Hao called it incomplete.
• Liu Hao criticized the Soul Society for sending powerful souls, including deceased captains, to Hell solely because their Reishi concentration was too high.
• The Soul King asked whether Liu Hao wanted to remake the world, but Liu Hao said he only wanted to live his own life and change what was within reach.
• The Soul King offered Liu Hao the position of Soul King, promising he could reshape the world, and Liu Hao refused.
• Liu Hao explained that Soul Society’s nobles and the Zero Division might resist or try to control him, but the Soul King argued his strength would let him overcome them.
• Liu Hao again refused, saying the role would be too much trouble and he wanted his freedom.

The Soul King explained that he had arranged for Yhwach to inherit his power and become the Linchpin of the Three Worlds, while hoping Liu Hao would instead accept the role and create a fairer system. Liu Hao refused, left the Soul King to resume his sleep, and remained uncertain about the Soul King's prediction that he would follow the path of an Emperor.

• The Soul King told Liu Hao that his fading consciousness had led him to plan for Yhwach to devour him, inherit his power, and maintain the Three Worlds.
• Liu Hao questioned how the plan would endure and who would succeed Yhwach, and the Soul King said his will would merge with Yhwach and that Yhwach would eventually seek a successor.
• The Soul King urged Liu Hao to become Soul King and build a system that did not depend on a single powerful being, but Liu Hao asked why the Soul King could not change the world himself.
• The Soul King explained that maintaining the Three Worlds consumed nearly all his energy and that Hell might spiral out of control, while Liu Hao suggested Ichigo Kurosaki's son might address the problem.
• Liu Hao declined the offer and left the hall as the Soul King returned to sleep, believing Liu Hao would eventually follow the path of an Emperor.
• Outside the hall, Liu Hao dismissed the prediction with a faint smile and wondered aloud what the future would bring.

Liu Hao left the Soul King Palace and returned to Soul Society, where he discussed plans to reach the Wandenreich with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. He then offered to visit the World of the Living to find Ryūken Ishida, while Unohana teased him about leaving the Fourth Division.

• Liu Hao suggested that Kirio Hikifune use Reiatsu-infused tools to cook without changing her figure, then said he wanted to return to Soul Society and find the enemy hideout.
• Ichibē Hyōsube told Liu Hao that the Soul King had allowed him to leave whenever he wanted and arranged his return.
• Two days later, Liu Hao said goodbye to Ichigo Kurosaki and the others before descending in the Tenchūren.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto told Liu Hao that Mayuri Kurotsuchi had identified the problem with the shadows but had not found a way into the Wandenreich.
• Liu Hao proposed going to the World of the Living to ask Ryūken Ishida about infiltrating the Wandenreich, and Unohana teased him as he chased after her.