Chapter Summaries

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Retsu Unohana told Mayuri Kurotsuchi about the hidden Wandenreich and redirected his research toward finding a way to enter and fight it. Afterward, Unohana visited Jūshirō Ukitake and Kaien Shiba to report that Mayuri would stop targeting the Quincy in the World of the Living.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi urged Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto to investigate a powerful stranger near the Quincy, but Yamamoto refused, citing the Stealth Force's findings.
• Yamamoto and Mayuri went to the Twelfth Division, where Retsu Unohana joined them to inspect a room designed to block Reiatsu and surveillance.
• Unohana told Mayuri that Yhwach and the Wandenreich had hidden in the shadows of the Seireitei for a thousand years and were preparing for another war.
• Yamamoto ordered Mayuri to research how to find and fight the Wandenreich, and warned him to keep the secret.
• Unohana visited Jūshirō Ukitake and Kaien Shiba and told them that Mayuri would no longer target the Quincy in the World of the Living.

Kaien Shiba went to the World of the Living while Jūshirō Ukitake grew suspicious of Sōsuke Aizen’s interest in his movements. Aizen’s surveillance was exposed when Liu Hao removed a hidden bug from Kaien, leaving them aware of the threat but ready to exploit Aizen’s caution.

• Jūshirō Ukitake sent Kaien Shiba to the World of the Living and privately wondered whether Sōsuke Aizen was the enemy warned of by Yamamoto.
• Sōsuke Aizen questioned Ukitake about Kaien and discussed monitoring the unidentified Soul Reaper suspected of being Liu Hao.
• Aizen met Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen in a secret laboratory, where their surveillance feed of Kaien was cut off as he headed for the Kurosaki Clinic.
• Liu Hao intercepted Kaien in Karakura Town, isolated him from surveillance, and removed a hidden bug from his body.
• Liu Hao told Kaien that Aizen would likely avoid acting until certain of success, and that they could use his caution to their advantage.

Liu Hao and Kaien Shiba brought a device removed from Kaien to Kisuke Urahara, then Liu Hao revealed that his Zanpakuto controlled a domain like an emperor. He said he wanted to prevent tragedies and deal with the person responsible for creating them.

• Liu Hao and Kaien Shiba went to the Urahara Shop with the monitoring insect that Liu Hao had removed from Kaien.
• Kisuke Urahara sealed the insect in a Reishi-lined box, and Kaien explained how it had been found and removed.
• Liu Hao told Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin that his Zanpakuto's domain let him control what existed within its range, though stronger Reiatsu could resist him.
• Kisuke Urahara asked if Liu Hao wanted to be king, and Liu Hao said he had no interest in becoming the Soul King.
• Liu Hao said he wanted fewer tragedies and that a king's dignity meant dealing with the person who caused them.

Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara planned how to protect Kaien Shiba from Aizen, and Kaien returned to Soul Society with precautions in place. A week later, Aizen questioned Kaien about Liu Hao and the Hollowfication Incident, but Kaien carefully revealed nothing.

• Kisuke Urahara prepared a Reishi Interference Device for Kaien Shiba, and Liu Hao advised Kaien to keep their meeting secret and avoid returning to the World of the Living.
• Kisuke Urahara arranged for Yoruichi to protect Kaien in secret and planned to reimplant the tracking bug to mislead Aizen.
• Liu Hao visited Ryūken Ishida and Sōken Ishida, reported that they were safe for now, and strengthened security around their home.
• Kaien Shiba returned to Seireitei, reported to Jūshirō Ukitake, and continued his duties while watching for surveillance.
• Sōsuke Aizen visited Kaien Shiba and questioned him about Liu Hao, the Menos Grande, and the Hollowfication Incident.
• Kaien Shiba gave cautious answers to Aizen and withheld what he knew about Liu Hao and the people involved in the incident.

Aizen tested Kaien Shiba’s loyalties and later attacked him with special Menos Grande, while Liu Hao returned to the Kurosaki family in Karakura Town. When Grand Fisher ambushed Masaki and Ichigo, Masaki’s Quincy powers vanished, but Liu Hao’s protective rune shielded them; Liu Hao then took them to the Ishida Family and resolved to investigate the looming threat.

• Aizen questioned Kaien Shiba about defending Soul Society, then told Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen to observe Kaien rather than dispose of him.
• Aizen secretly sent special Menos Grande after Kaien during missions, but Kaien survived each attack and destroyed them, prompting Aizen to stop to avoid drawing attention.
• Isshin Kurosaki persuaded Liu Hao to leave the Ishida Family residence and return to the Kurosaki Clinic, where Liu Hao helped at the clinic and taught the children Reiryoku control.
• When Ichigo was nine, Grand Fisher emerged from the river and attacked him, but Masaki’s Quincy powers suddenly disappeared as she tried to defend him.
• Liu Hao’s golden rune protected Masaki and Ichigo from Grand Fisher, who fled after the barrier repelled his attacks.
• Liu Hao took Masaki and the unconscious Ichigo to the Ishida Family residence for help and suspected Masaki’s lost powers were connected to Yhwach’s reclamation of power.

After Auswählen stripped powers from Masaki Kurosaki and other Quincy, Liu Hao, Kisuke Urahara, and Ryūken Ishida uncovered soul damage and Still Silver clots, then developed treatments that saved the affected patients. The Ishida Family hospital became a center for recovery and research, while Liu Hao and Kisuke prepared for the war against Yhwach that still lay ahead.

• Masaki Kurosaki and Liu Hao arrived at the Ishida Family estate with an unconscious Ichigo Kurosaki, where Ryūken Ishida reported that Auswählen had weakened several Quincy while Uryū Ishida had regained his power through The Antithesis.
• Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara examined the affected Quincy and found that mixed-bloods had spreading soul damage, while Masaki and Ryūken's mother showed no such damage.
• Over the following days, Liu Hao and Kisuke discovered Still Silver forming in the patients' blood and used soul repair surgery and delicate operations to stabilize souls and remove the clots.
• Ryūken found that refined Still Silver could be made into equipment that weakened Reishi attacks, and he promised not to endanger patients to obtain it.
• Over the following months, the Ishida Family hospital treated Quincy from across the region, and Liu Hao and Kisuke agreed that Yhwach's real war was still ahead.

After Rukia Kuchiki arrived in Karakura Town, Ichigo Kurosaki gained Soul Reaper powers and began fighting Hollows, while Liu Hao watched from the shadows and helped keep the Kurosaki family hidden. After Ichigo and Uryū Ishida defeated a Gillian together, Liu Hao reflected that his choices could reshape the future.

• Liu Hao, Kisuke Urahara, and Ryūken Ishida discovered new uses for Still Silver, and the Imperial Princess fused it into Liu Hao’s Imperial Sword.
• Rukia Kuchiki arrived in Karakura Town, transferred her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo Kurosaki after a Hollow attacked, and then began attending his school.
• Liu Hao persuaded Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki to leave the clinic temporarily while he moved into the Urahara Shop to monitor Ichigo.
• Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida competed to kill Hollows, then cooperated to wound a Gillian after Ichigo’s power surged out of control.
• The Imperial Princess reminded Liu Hao that his actions could change the future, and Liu Hao accepted that he was helping shape it.

Liu Hao reflected on the bonds he had formed before discovering that Grand Fisher had attacked Ichigo Kurosaki despite Masaki Kurosaki surviving. After Grand Fisher fled Ichigo and Rukia, Liu Hao killed it, freeing the souls it had devoured.

• Liu Hao told the Imperial Princess that he would work to return with the people he cared about, then experienced a subtle evolution in his power.
• Liu Hao found Ichigo Kurosaki fighting Grand Fisher, which used the soul of a little girl Ichigo had once helped to distract him.
• Rukia Kuchiki supported Ichigo Kurosaki, and a newly arrived Soul Reaper joined them, forcing Grand Fisher to retreat through a Garganta.
• Liu Hao trapped Grand Fisher at an Abandoned Factory and questioned it, but the Imperial Princess said it did not know why it had attacked Ichigo.
• Liu Hao killed Grand Fisher with the Imperial Princess's sword light, releasing the many female souls trapped inside it before he left the factory.

After seeing Ichigo Kurosaki fight Grand Fisher, Liu Hao worried that the World Will had arranged the encounter to compensate for his having saved Masaki Kurosaki. Kisuke Urahara helped him reconsider, and Liu Hao left determined to keep making his own choices and protecting others.

• Liu Hao waited for Rukia Kuchiki to leave the Urahara Shop, then entered and asked Kisuke Urahara whether the world had a will of its own.
• Liu Hao explained that Ichigo Kurosaki had fought Grand Fisher on the anniversary of Masaki Kurosaki's death, and wondered whether the World Will had redirected fate toward other victims.
• Liu Hao connected the Soul King's birth to the world's need for balance, while Kisuke Urahara admitted that neither of them could know how fate worked.
• Kisuke Urahara argued that changing tragedies was a conscious choice and suggested the world might accept, or even welcome, Liu Hao's actions.
• Liu Hao resolved to keep acting according to what he believed was right, and Kisuke Urahara privately wondered whether Liu Hao himself had been sent to change the world's tragedies.
• As Liu Hao walked home, he told Imperial Princess that the future was woven from choices and felt renewed determination to protect those he cared about.

Liu Hao watched Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai confront Rukia Kuchiki, then intervened only in his thoughts as Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida joined the fight. After Byakuya incapacitated Ichigo and warned Rukia and Renji that Liu Hao was a traitor, Rukia insisted she believed Liu Hao had a reason for distancing himself from them.

• Liu Hao told Imperial Princess that he had killed Grand Fisher to test whether the world's will would restore events, then concealed his true confidence from Kisuke Urahara.
• Liu Hao sensed Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai arrive in Karakura Town and followed Rukia Kuchiki to an abandoned construction site.
• Renji attacked Rukia, and Uryū Ishida challenged him before Ichigo Kurosaki arrived and fought Renji.
• Byakuya used Shunpo to wound Ichigo and bring him down, then warned Rukia and Renji that Liu Hao was a fallen Soul Society traitor they might have to kill.
• Renji accepted Byakuya's warning, but Rukia said she believed Liu Hao had a reason for distancing himself from them.

After Rukia Kuchiki and the others returned to Soul Society, Kisuke Urahara began training Ichigo Kurosaki to regain his Soul Reaper powers, while Liu Hao watched and explained the role of Ichigo Kurosaki’s Quincy and Hollow powers. Ichigo Kurosaki emerged from the Pit of Despair with his powers restored and faced Kisuke Urahara for his next test.

• Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, and Byakuya Kuchiki left the World of the Living through the Senkaimon, while Liu Hao remained hidden.
• Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi found Liu Hao, and Uryū Ishida left after saying they would need Ichigo Kurosaki to save Rukia Kuchiki.
• Tessai Tsukabishi carried the unconscious Ichigo Kurosaki to the Urahara Shop, where Kisuke Urahara restored his soul to his body.
• Kisuke Urahara trained Ichigo Kurosaki in the Pit of Despair, while Liu Hao explained how Ichigo Kurosaki’s Quincy power suppressed his Soul Reaper powers and reacted to his Hollow power.
• On the third night, Ichigo Kurosaki escaped the pit, shattered his Hollow mask, and regained his Soul Reaper powers.
• Kisuke Urahara began the third test, challenging Ichigo Kurosaki to knock off his hat as Liu Hao watched from the shadows.

Ichigo awakened Zangetsu during Kisuke Urahara’s training, while Liu Hao used the Imperial Princess’s spatial abilities to return to Soul Society through the Dangai. He learned that Rukia Kuchiki had been sentenced to execution and sought shelter with Retsu Unohana, but she sent him away, leaving him unsure where to hide from Aizen.

• Kisuke pursued Ichigo through a training exercise until Ichigo steadied himself and awakened Zangetsu in its complete form.
• Ichigo unleashed a powerful strike that damaged Kisuke’s Blood Haze Shield and exhausted Ichigo, who fell asleep; Liu Hao emerged from the shadows and praised his progress.
• Liu Hao asked the Imperial Princess to open passages through the Dangai, evaded Kōtotsu, and returned to Soul Society at the Fourth Division’s private training ground.
• Liu Hao visited Retsu Unohana and learned that Rukia’s execution by the Sōkyoku had been ordered, with Central 46 refusing reconsideration.
• Liu Hao asked to stay in Unohana’s office, but she teased him about his drunken remarks and sent him away; he worried that Aizen was watching his quarters and had nowhere safe to go.

Liu Hao hid in the Training Ground while waiting for Ichigo Kurosaki and the other Ryoka to invade Soul Society, and explained to Isane Kotetsu how their arrival could force Aizen to act for the Hōgyoku. After the Ryoka breached the Seireitei, Liu Hao tracked Ichigo and Ganju Shiba to a hiding place and watched from the shadows as their escape from the Gotei 13 began.

• Unohana and Isane Kotetsu found Liu Hao sleeping in the Training Ground, and Unohana agreed to arrange meals for him while teasing him about Isane.
• Isane brought Liu Hao meals over the next few days, and their playful sparring improved her swordsmanship.
• Liu Hao told Isane that Aizen would be forced to act for the Hōgyoku after the Ryoka disrupted his plans, then asked her to prepare the Fourth Division for wounded Soul Reapers.
• Liu Hao watched from an observation tower as Kūkaku Shiba's Spirit Pearl Core breached the Soul-Covering Membrane and entered the Seireitei.
• Liu Hao tracked Ichigo Kurosaki and Ganju Shiba to an abandoned warehouse, where they hid from the Soul Reapers searching for them.

Ichigo Kurosaki defeated Ikkaku Madarame, and Liu Hao secretly treated Ikkaku while asking him to keep his presence and plans secret. Liu Hao then watched over Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue before taking up a hidden position near the White Tower to await Ichigo’s coming fight with Renji Abarai.

• Ichigo Kurosaki adapted to Ikkaku Madarame’s attacks, broke Hōzukimaru, and defeated him in battle.
• After Ikkaku woke, Liu Hao revealed himself, reminded Ikkaku of his old favor, and healed most of his wounds with the Imperial Sword.
• Liu Hao asked Ikkaku to keep his return and healing ability secret, then left as Ikkaku wondered about his motives.
• Liu Hao confirmed that Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue were safe after Uryū defeated Jirōbō Ikkanzaka.
• Liu Hao waited near the White Tower for Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai’s expected fight, and the Imperial Princess asked whether he feared Renji would fight Ichigo harder because of him and Rukia.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought Renji Abarai near the white tower while Liu Hao and the Imperial Princess watched from the shadows. Ichigo defeated Renji with Getsuga Tenshō, and Renji begged him to save Rukia, which Ichigo promised to do.

• Liu Hao and the Imperial Princess watched as Ichigo Kurosaki, Ganju Shiba, and Hanatarō Yamada emerged near the white tower and met Renji Abarai.
• Renji attacked Ichigo, explaining that his power was no longer suppressed, and drove him back with Zabimaru.
• Renji pressed Ichigo to reveal how far he would go to save Rukia, and Ichigo insisted that he had to save her because he had caused her predicament.
• Ichigo analyzed the timing of Renji's attacks, then caught Zabimaru with his bare hand as his Reiatsu surged.
• Ichigo struck Renji with Getsuga Tenshō, shattering Zabimaru and leaving Renji badly wounded.
• Renji grabbed Ichigo's collar and begged him to save Rukia, and Ichigo firmly agreed.

After Renji Abarai defeated Ichigo Kurosaki, he began to Hollowfy, prompting Liu Hao to reveal his immense power and intervene. Liu Hao and the Imperial Princess stopped the transformation, and he vowed to kill Aizen for experimenting on Renji.

• After Ichigo agreed to Renji’s plea, Renji collapsed from his injuries and exhaustion.
• A Hollow mask began forming on Renji, and Liu Hao rushed out of hiding to stop the transformation.
• Liu Hao’s Reiatsu blasted Ichigo, Ganju Shiba, and Hanatarō Yamada away, while Soul Reaper captains across Seireitei sensed his power.
• Liu Hao pierced Renji with the Imperial Sword, and the Imperial Princess helped its power purge the Hollowfication.
• With Renji stable but unconscious, Liu Hao blamed Aizen for the experiment and vowed to make him pay.

Liu Hao rescued Renji Abarai from Hollowfication and took him to a hidden training ground for treatment, while Ichigo and the others escaped the Seireitei search party. Renji learned that someone had secretly infected him with Hollow fragments and chose to trust Liu Hao despite the unanswered questions about his alleged betrayal.

• Liu Hao and Imperial Princess rescued Renji, and Renji revealed Liu Hao’s identity before Liu Hao urged Ichigo, Hanatarō Yamada, and Ganju Shiba to escape.
• Momo Hinamori, Izuru Kira, Soi Fon, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto, and other Soul Reapers searched the ruined site but found no trace of the escapees.
• Hanatarō treated Ichigo in an abandoned warehouse, then explained Liu Hao’s official status as a traitor and his former strength in the Fourth Division.
• Ichigo concluded that Liu Hao was the uncle who had helped at his family’s clinic and wondered why he had waited to intervene until Renji was in danger.
• Liu Hao brought Renji to the secret Training Ground and used a vaccine and the Imperial Sword’s healing ability to suppress Renji’s Hollowfication.
• Imperial Princess told Renji that someone had forcibly injected Hollow soul fragments into him and that Liu Hao had not betrayed anyone; Renji accepted treatment and decided to trust him.

Renji Abarai learned that he had to master the Hollow power fused with Zabimaru by defeating its new manifested form and rebuilding their bond. Meanwhile, Liu Hao uncovered Aizen’s apparent death as a setup, escaped Shunsui Kyōraku, and watched Ichigo Kurosaki battle Kenpachi Zaraki as Renji began his trial.

• The Imperial Princess explained that Renji Abarai had to recover before challenging the Hollow-infused Zabimaru and warned that failure could let the Hollow power consume him.
• Liu Hao discovered Sōsuke Aizen’s body and realized Aizen was framing him for the apparent murder to distract the Gotei 13.
• Shunsui Kyōraku confronted Liu Hao after he found Yasutora Sado defeated, but Liu Hao escaped through a spatial gate and Shunsui ordered Sado detained gently.
• Liu Hao found Ichigo Kurosaki fighting Kenpachi Zaraki and chose to watch rather than interfere.
• Renji Abarai summoned Zabimaru’s changed form, heard it demand that he conquer the Hollow’s will, and accepted the challenge to rebuild their bond.

Renji fought Zabimaru’s materialized form to train his Bankai, but the Imperial Princess stopped the battle when she saw Zabimaru draining Renji’s Reiatsu and warned that the Hollow influence threatened both souls. Elsewhere, Liu Hao told Yachiru he had been framed for attacking Captain Ichimaru and killing Captain Aizen, and said the truth would emerge as events progressed.

• Renji exchanged blows with Zabimaru’s baboon-and-snake form, which used a Cero and exploited Renji’s weakness in Kidō.
• Renji detonated a crude Shakkahō at close range, injuring himself and Zabimaru before they resumed their fight.
• The Imperial Princess interrupted after revealing that Zabimaru was draining Renji’s Reiatsu and that continued fighting could damage their souls and lead to Hollowfication.
• Zabimaru returned to Renji’s Zanpakuto, and the Imperial Princess told Renji to recover before continuing his training.
• Elsewhere, Liu Hao watched Kenpachi fight with Yachiru and denied framing him for the attack on Captain Ichimaru and Captain Aizen’s death.
• Liu Hao said one person had deceived the witnesses and warned that the schemer’s tricks would frustrate Kenpachi.

Liu Hao treated Kenpachi Zaraki after his fierce battle with Ichigo Kurosaki, then went to the White Tower to help Hanatarō Yamada and Ganju Shiba escape with Rukia Kuchiki. Byakuya Kuchiki intercepted them, and Liu Hao prepared to fight him as Soul Reaper reinforcements approached.

• Ichigo Kurosaki and Kenpachi Zaraki clashed with their full strength, and both fell severely wounded, with Kenpachi declaring Ichigo the winner.
• Liu Hao used the Imperial Sword to stop Kenpachi’s bleeding, while Yachiru Kusajishi carried him away and Yoruichi Shihōin took charge of Ichigo.
• Liu Hao reached the White Tower and found Hanatarō Yamada and Ganju Shiba preparing to rescue Rukia Kuchiki, who recognized him as the person who had knocked her unconscious days earlier.
• Liu Hao carried Hanatarō and Ganju out of the White Tower, but Byakuya Kuchiki blocked their path and exchanged attacks with him.
• Byakuya offered to let Liu Hao leave if he abandoned Hanatarō and Ganju, but Liu Hao refused and prepared to end the fight quickly as reinforcements neared.