Recaps

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez led an Arrancar attack on Karakura Town, drawing the Soul Reapers and Visoreds into battle while Liu Ziyun watched Ichigo Kurosaki face the attackers. Ichigo easily defeated a weaker Arrancar, but Grimmjow arrived and struck him hard enough to send him sliding backward.

• Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and the Arrancar emerged from a Garganta above Karakura Town, and Soul Reapers across the town sensed their Reiatsu.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya ordered the Soul Reapers to move out, while Shinji Hirako chose to let Ichigo Kurosaki fight first as Liu Ziyun had advised.
• The Soul Reapers headed toward the Arrancar but were intercepted, and battles broke out throughout Karakura Town.
• Liu Ziyun went to Yasutora Sado's home and saw Ichigo Kurosaki defeat a burly Arrancar with one slash.
• Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez confronted Ichigo Kurosaki, then appeared in front of him and struck; Ichigo blocked the punch but was driven several meters backward.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought Grimmjow and unleashed a dangerous surge of Hollow power, but Liu Ziyun intervened before Ichigo lost control. Liu stopped Grimmjow’s Zanpakuto with two fingers, leaving both Grimmjow and Ichigo stunned.

• Ichigo activated Bankai and matched Grimmjow’s speed, but his attacks barely harmed Grimmjow’s Hierro.
• Ichigo’s Reiatsu surged, and he struck Grimmjow with a powerful black crescent that wounded him and buried him in rubble.
• Grimmjow rose, drew his Zanpakuto, and prepared to attack as Ichigo struggled to control the Hollow power overtaking him.
• Liu Ziyun appeared behind Grimmjow and caught his Zanpakuto between two fingers, stopping his attack and making Ichigo’s black eyes fade.

Liu Ziyun severed Grimmjow’s arm and forced him to retreat with Kaname Tōsen, then checked on the wounded Soul Reapers after explaining why he had let them fight without his help. The chapter ended with Liu Ziyun arriving at Ikkaku Madarame’s badly damaged battlefield.

• Liu Ziyun severed Grimmjow’s sword arm, while Ichigo Kurosaki heard White Ichigo claim he would take control of their shared power.
• Kaname Tōsen arrived through a Garganta and ordered Grimmjow back to Aizen, and Grimmjow left with him despite his frustration.
• Liu Ziyun confronted Renji Abarai about hiding, and Ichigo Kurosaki explained that their teacher had held back so they could grow stronger.
• Liu Ziyun and the others found Tōshirō Hitsugaya being healed by Orihime Inoue, and Tōshirō thanked Liu Ziyun for helping him improve through sparring.
• Liu Ziyun went to check on Ikkaku Madarame and found him severely wounded, supported by Yumichika Ayasegawa.

Liu Ziyun restored Ikkaku Madarame’s wounds and damaged Bankai, then gathered the survivors to discuss what they had learned from the battle. As everyone prepared to train for Aizen’s coming attack, Aizen watched from Hueco Mundo and took interest in Ichigo Kurosaki and Liu Ziyun.

• Liu Ziyun used Change Fate to heal Ikkaku Madarame and restore his Bankai, which had become stronger than before.
• Liu Ziyun, Ikkaku Madarame, and Yumichika Ayasegawa returned to Tōshirō Hitsugaya and the others after Orihime Inoue had nearly finished treating Tōshirō.
• Tōshirō admitted that he needed more speed, Ichigo Kurosaki acknowledged his lack of control over his power, and Ikkaku Madarame recognized that he needed to improve his Bankai’s stability.
• Liu Ziyun warned everyone that Aizen’s real attack would come soon and told them to train harder before the coming battles.
• In Hueco Mundo, Sōsuke Aizen watched the moon and expressed interest in Ichigo Kurosaki and Liu Ziyun.

Liu Ziyun brought Ichigo Kurosaki to the Visored's base to begin training him to communicate with and accept the powers within his Inner World. As Ichigo entered meditation inside Hachigen Ushōda's Barrier, he began to undergo Hollowfication and opened his eyes in a violent new form.

• After the others went their separate ways, Liu Ziyun took Ichigo Kurosaki toward the Visored's base and explained that he needed to face Zangetsu and his Hollow.
• Liu Ziyun told Ichigo Kurosaki to accept his Hollow power rather than resist it, so they could fight side by side.
• At the Visored's base, Liu Ziyun asked Hachigen Ushōda to create a strong Barrier for Ichigo Kurosaki's training.
• Hachigen Ushōda sealed the base and built a sturdy Barrier around the training ground.
• Ichigo Kurosaki entered meditation to reach his Inner World, but a Hollow mask formed over his face and his eyes changed as Liu Ziyun watched.

Liu Ziyun trained against Hollowfied Ichigo Kurosaki, repeatedly countering his attacks as Ichigo’s Hollow power intensified. The chapter left Ichigo half-transformed into a Hollow after his body regenerated from Liu Ziyun’s attacks.

• Hollowfied Ichigo Kurosaki attacked Liu Ziyun with his Zanpakuto and close-range strikes, but Liu Ziyun repeatedly threw him into the ground and blocked his blows.
• Ichigo Kurosaki regenerated his mask and wounds, then fired blue crescent attacks that Liu Ziyun dodged or shattered.
• A Hollow Hole appeared in Ichigo Kurosaki’s chest, and his Reiatsu surged as his Zanpakuto changed into Tensa Zangetsu.
• Ichigo Kurosaki attacked with black crescents and tried to strike Liu Ziyun from behind, but Liu Ziyun blocked him with Dankū, wounded him with Tulu, and blasted him with Shakkahō.
• Ichigo Kurosaki regenerated from the blast, forming a giant-mouthed Hollow creature that Liu Ziyun destroyed with another Shakkahō.
• Ichigo Kurosaki emerged with half his body fully transformed into a Hollow.

Liu Ziyun fought Ichigo Kurosaki after he became a complete Hollow, but Ichigo’s regeneration and growing strength made the battle increasingly dangerous. Inside Ichigo’s consciousness, he met White Ichigo, who told him that he could not control the Hollow power.

• Ichigo Kurosaki’s Cero and surprise attack forced Liu Ziyun to defend himself with Dankū before he countered with Black Coffin.
• Ichigo survived Black Coffin’s attack and transformed into a complete Hollow.
• Liu Ziyun battled the Hollowfied Ichigo, whose High-Speed Regeneration restored his wounds and increased his power.
• Ichigo Kurosaki entered a gray world in his consciousness and confronted White Ichigo.
• White Ichigo mocked Ichigo’s belief that he could control the Hollow power and pointed out that it would not keep taking over if he could.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought White in his Inner World to master his Hollow power and learn why it emerged when he lost control. After they both entered Bankai, White overpowered Ichigo and revealed that Ichigo’s Getsuga Tenshō was only an imitation of his.

• White challenged Ichigo Kurosaki to prove himself and attacked without explaining why Ichigo Hollowfied when he could not control the power.
• Ichigo Kurosaki and White exchanged blows, and White unleashed a powerful Getsuga Tenshō that Ichigo countered with his own.
• Ichigo Kurosaki and White both activated Bankai and fought at high speed among the ruins.
• Ichigo Kurosaki kicked White into a skyscraper and fired a massive black Getsuga Tenshō at him.
• White emerged unharmed, split Ichigo Kurosaki’s attack, and told him that White had created Getsuga Tenshō while Ichigo merely copied it.

Ichigo battled White in the Inner World and was overwhelmed as White urged him to stop suppressing his instincts and accept his power. As White tried to take control of their future, Ichigo recalled Kenpachi Zaraki’s words and began to realize that he had to face and accept the Hollow within him.

• White struck Ichigo with a Getsuga Tenshō and repeatedly wounded him while criticizing his attempts to control power through reason.
• White said that he and Zangetsu had been held back by Ichigo’s suppression of his instincts, and Ichigo asked how he should change.
• White took hold of Ichigo’s Tensa Zangetsu, which turned white and vanished, then hurled Ichigo into a high-rise.
• Ichigo asked whether defeating White could stop his Hollowfication, but White declared that Ichigo could not defeat him and impaled him with a white blade.
• As White pulled the blade from his abdomen, Ichigo remembered Kenpachi Zaraki’s advice to face and accept his power rather than run from it.

Ichigo Kurosaki accepted White's power as his own and defeated him in their Inner World battle. He returned to human form after an explosion in the Visoreds' Training Ground, and Liu Ziyun confirmed that Ichigo had overcome his fear of the Hollow within him.

• Ichigo Kurosaki seized White's sword, transformed it with his Reiatsu, and pulled it from his abdomen.
• Ichigo Kurosaki pierced White with Tensa Zangetsu, and White acknowledged his defeat before fading away.
• White warned Ichigo Kurosaki not to die before White appeared again, then an explosion shattered Ichigo's consciousness.
• Hiyori Sarugaki told Hachigen Ushōda to get Liu Ziyun out of the Barrier as cracks spread across Ichigo's Hollow shell.
• The Hollow shell exploded, leaving Ichigo Kurosaki unconscious but alive in human form.
• Liu Ziyun treated Ichigo Kurosaki and told Shinji Hirako that Ichigo had made the Hollow within him his power.

After defeating White and accepting his Hollow power, Ichigo Kurosaki began training with the Visored to control it. As he struggled to extend his Hollowfication, a dangerous presence stirred over Karakura Town, threatening the brief calm.

• Ichigo Kurosaki awoke healed and told Liu Ziyun he felt ready to continue after defeating Zangetsu.
• Liu Ziyun left Ichigo Kurosaki in Shinji Hirako and the Visored's care, warning them to protect him and train him to control his new power.
• Ichigo Kurosaki trained with Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, and Hiyori Sarugaki, learning to guide his Hollow power in battle.
• Ichigo Kurosaki remained able to maintain Hollowfication for only eleven seconds, frustrating Shinji Hirako.
• A dangerous undercurrent of Reiatsu began stirring beneath the peaceful afternoon in Karakura Town.

Arrancar led by Ulquiorra Cifer attacked Karakura Town, and Soul Reapers and Ichigo Kurosaki moved to confront them. Liu Ziyun realized Aizen had sent Ulquiorra specifically to face him, and the two met as the battles raged.

• Tōshirō Hitsugaya sensed the Arrancar’s Reiatsu, and Shinji Hirako and Ichigo Kurosaki recognized that the attackers had arrived.
• Ulquiorra Cifer, Luppi Antenor, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Yammy Llargo, and Wonderweiss Margela emerged from a rift above Karakura Town.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya and the Soul Reapers set out to fight, while Shinji Hirako sent Ichigo Kurosaki to join them.
• Liu Ziyun recognized Ulquiorra’s presence as a deliberate move by Aizen and sent Isane Kotetsu to warn Soul Society and keep Orihime Inoue away from the World of the Living.
• Liu Ziyun arrived to find Tōshirō Hitsugaya fighting Luppi Antenor and Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Rangiku Matsumoto battling Yammy Llargo.
• Ulquiorra Cifer confronted Liu Ziyun and explained that Aizen had sent him because the other Arrancar might not be able to match Liu Ziyun.

Liu Ziyun broke his standoff with Ulquiorra to protect Rangiku Matsumoto from Luppi Antenor, then overwhelmed Ulquiorra and severed his arm. Ulquiorra regenerated it and prepared to continue fighting.

• Liu Ziyun and Ulquiorra agreed to hold their attacks while they watched the battlefield.
• Luppi Antenor released his Zanpakuto, struck Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and bound Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Rangiku Matsumoto with his tentacles.
• Luppi Antenor attacked Liu Ziyun, and Liu cut off the tentacle before Ulquiorra blocked his path.
• When Luppi Antenor aimed a spike at Rangiku Matsumoto, Liu charged past Ulquiorra and cut the tentacle, then countered Ulquiorra's Bala with Shakkahō.
• Liu Ziyun cut off Ulquiorra's arm before he could finish charging a Cero, shocking both sides of the battlefield.
• Ulquiorra regenerated his arm and told Liu that the cut would not stop him.

Liu Ziyun urged Ulquiorra to leave Aizen, but Ulquiorra refused and resumed their fight. Tōshirō Hitsugaya froze Luppi Antenor in Thousand-Year Ice Prison, while Kisuke Urahara wounded Yammy Llargo.

• Liu Ziyun told Ulquiorra he should stop serving Aizen, but Ulquiorra refused and attacked him again.
• Luppi Antenor tried to kill Rangiku Matsumoto, but Kisuke Urahara arrived and cut off his tentacle.
• Wonderweiss struck at Kisuke Urahara while Yammy Llargo bombarded him with Bala, forcing Urahara to focus on dodging.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya froze Luppi Antenor and sealed him inside Thousand-Year Ice Prison.
• Kisuke Urahara attacked Yammy Llargo from behind and opened a deep wound in his arm.

Kisuke Urahara revealed how his portable Gigai let him evade Yammy Llargo’s Bala, while the freed Soul Reapers regrouped and assessed the Arrancar. Ulquiorra Cifer challenged Liu Ziyun about his knowledge of the Espada, and Liu Ziyun ended the chapter by claiming he could kill him.

• Kisuke Urahara explained that Yammy Llargo’s Bala had struck a portable Gigai instead of him.
• Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Rangiku Matsumoto broke free of Luppi Antenor’s weakened tentacles.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya checked that the three Soul Reapers were safe and turned his attention to Wonderweiss Margela.
• Ulquiorra Cifer questioned Liu Ziyun about how much he knew of the Espada and his own strength.
• Liu Ziyun told Ulquiorra Cifer that he should be able to kill him, sharply raising the tension on the battlefield.

Ulquiorra Cifer prepared to fight Liu Ziyun, while Ichigo Kurosaki encountered Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez on his way to the Arrancar and challenged him. After Grimmjow recalled losing his arm and Espada rank, Ichigo activated Bankai and began forming his Hollow mask.

• Ulquiorra Cifer raised his Reiatsu as he faced Liu Ziyun, who worried that a full battle would harm the nearby Soul Reapers.
• Ichigo Kurosaki hurried toward the strongest Arrancar Reiatsu but Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez blocked his path.
• Grimmjow recalled how Kaname Tōsen destroyed his severed arm and stripped him of his Espada position after his defeat.
• Grimmjow taunted Ichigo Kurosaki and asked whether Liu Ziyun was afraid to face him, but Ichigo said he could handle Grimmjow himself.
• Ichigo Kurosaki activated Bankai, reminded Grimmjow of the scar from their previous fight, and began forming a Hollow mask.

Ichigo Kurosaki gained the upper hand against Grimmjow with Hollowfication, but his mask shattered and left him exhausted and badly injured. Just as Grimmjow prepared a finishing Cero, an unknown attacker struck it with a blue slash, leaving Ichigo looking toward the source.

• Ichigo Kurosaki used his Hollow mask and Getsuga Tenshō to wound Grimmjow and damage his Zanpakuto.
• Ichigo Kurosaki split Grimmjow's Cero and continued attacking, but his Hollow mask cracked and vanished as his power ran out.
• Grimmjow overwhelmed the exhausted Ichigo Kurosaki with sword strikes and began charging a Cero for a final blow.
• An unknown attacker sent a blue slash from the sky that struck and detonated Grimmjow's Cero before it could be fired.
• Ichigo Kurosaki retreated and turned toward the direction the blue slash had come from.

Shinji Hirako defeated Grimmjow, but Coyote Starrk arrived and used Negación to retreat with him. Elsewhere, Negación descended around Ulquiorra Cifer during his confrontation with Liu Ziyun, leaving their encounter interrupted.

• Shinji Hirako parried Grimmjow's attacks, then used his Hollow mask and a Cero to blast him into a crater.
• Rukia Kuchiki joined Ichigo Kurosaki, who identified Shinji Hirako as a friend of his teacher and said he was strong.
• Grimmjow began preparing to release his Zanpakuto, but Coyote Starrk seized his arm and told him the mission was complete.
• Coyote Starrk and Grimmjow were enveloped by Negación, and Grimmjow vowed to kill Ichigo Kurosaki next time.
• Golden Negación descended around Ulquiorra Cifer as Liu Ziyun looked up at the changing sky.

The Negación pillars retrieved the Arrancar after their battle with the Soul Reapers, and Liu Ziyun realized their mission had been to abduct Orihime Inoue. Ulquiorra Cifer revealed that Aizen targeted her after seeing her reject an injury, leaving Liu Ziyun to face the consequences of having exposed her ability.

• The Negación shattered Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Thousand-Year Ice Prison and freed Luppi Antenor, who threatened to kill him when they met again.
• Yammy Llargo recovered from his wounds and glared at Kisuke Urahara, while Wonderweiss Margela silently watched from inside his pillar of light.
• Ulquiorra Cifer declared the mission complete, and Liu Ziyun realized the Arrancar had come to take Orihime Inoue.
• Liu Ziyun questioned why Aizen wanted Orihime, and Ulquiorra explained that he had seen her use her ability to heal someone during an earlier visit to the World of the Living.

After suspecting that Aizen had taken Orihime Inoue, Liu Ziyun arranged a rescue mission to Hueco Mundo and coordinated with Soul Society. He also asked Ryūken Ishida to keep Uryū out of the operation and train him to replace the power Yhwach had given him.

• Liu Ziyun told Tōshirō Hitsugaya and the others that Orihime Inoue had likely been taken by Aizen, then led them to the Urahara Shop to discuss their next move.
• Liu Ziyun reported the Arrancar attack and Orihime's disappearance to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who approved a Hueco Mundo rescue mission and agreed to recall Soul Society personnel from Karakura Town.
• Liu Ziyun told Yamamoto he would leave for Hueco Mundo with a group and gave him a three-day deadline for contact.
• Liu Ziyun visited Ryūken Ishida and asked him to keep Uryū out of the rescue mission because Yhwach's power could become a danger to him.
• Ryūken Ishida agreed to train Uryū in the Ishida Family's methods, and Liu Ziyun left to continue preparing for the mission.

At the Visored base, Liu Ziyun explained that Ichigo Kurosaki’s fear of his Hollow powers was preventing him from controlling his Soul Reaper power, then stopped his training. After teasing Hiyori Sarugaki, Liu Ziyun immobilized her with a Bakudō spell as she tried to run off.

• Liu Ziyun watched Ichigo Kurosaki spar with Hiyori Sarugaki and asked Shinji Hirako how long Ichigo could maintain Hollowfication.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Ichigo’s Hollow and Soul Reaper powers shared an origin and that his rejection of Hollowfication blocked his progress.
• Liu Ziyun told Shinji Hirako to stop the sparring, and Ichigo Kurosaki and Hiyori Sarugaki joined them.
• Hiyori Sarugaki charged Liu Ziyun with her Zanpakuto after he insulted her, but he held her back and Shinji Hirako dragged her away.
• Hiyori Sarugaki threatened to tell Isane Kotetsu that Liu Ziyun had harassed her, then tried to run off, so Liu Ziyun trapped her with Six Rods Prison of Light.

Liu Ziyun confronted Ichigo Kurosaki about holding back in battle and explained that Aizen had taken Orihime Inoue to lure Ichigo and his friends to Hueco Mundo. Ichigo resolved to rescue Orihime, and the group prepared to enter Hueco Mundo as the Visoreds stayed behind to ready themselves for Aizen’s attack.

• Liu Ziyun questioned Ichigo Kurosaki’s reluctance to kill his enemies and warned that his hesitation could endanger those around him.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Aizen had taken Orihime Inoue to draw Ichigo to Hueco Mundo and leave the World of the Living vulnerable.
• Ichigo Kurosaki accepted the truth and resolved to go after Orihime Inoue.
• Liu Ziyun told Shinji Hirako and the Visoreds to contact the Captain-Commander and prepare for Aizen’s attack.
• Liu Ziyun and Ichigo Kurosaki joined Yasutora Sado, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki at the Urahara Shop.
• Kisuke Urahara opened the Garganta, and the group prepared to depart for Hueco Mundo.

Liu Ziyun led Ichigo Kurosaki, Yasutora Sado, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki through the Garganta toward Hueco Mundo, explaining why Uryū Ishida had stayed behind. He made Ichigo practice forming Reiatsu footholds, but Ichigo’s unstable platforms turned their path into a hazardous mess, drawing Liu Ziyun’s scorn.

• Liu Ziyun led Ichigo Kurosaki, Yasutora Sado, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki into the Garganta on the way to Hueco Mundo.
• Yasutora Sado asked why Uryū Ishida had not joined them, and Liu Ziyun said Ishida needed to stay home and train.
• Liu Ziyun ordered Ichigo Kurosaki to lead and practice making footholds with his Reiatsu.
• Ichigo Kurosaki struggled to control his Reiatsu, creating crooked, cracked platforms that made the path difficult to cross.
• Liu Ziyun criticized Ichigo’s poor Reiatsu control and said he was relieved he had not chosen him as his final disciple.

Liu Ziyun made Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai practice controlling their Reiatsu to create footholds as the group crossed the Garganta. They reached Hueco Mundo and fell into its sandy landscape, where Liu Ziyun landed safely with Yasutora Sado while Ichigo Kurosaki crashed into the sand.

• Liu Ziyun ordered Renji Abarai to make his own footholds after criticizing his Reiatsu control, and Renji joined Ichigo Kurosaki in building a rough path.
• Liu Ziyun led Rukia Kuchiki and Yasutora Sado along his smooth blue platforms while Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai followed on their uneven footholds.
• The group reached a distant white light, and Liu Ziyun announced they had arrived before the Garganta dropped them into Hueco Mundo.
• Liu Ziyun caught Yasutora Sado and landed them safely using Reiatsu platforms and Shunpo, while Ichigo Kurosaki plunged headfirst into the sand.

After landing in Hueco Mundo, Liu Ziyun scolded the Soul Reapers for failing to cushion their fall and urged Sado and Inoue to develop their Fullbring abilities. As the group followed him toward ruined buildings, a frightened girl ran toward them with three Hollows in pursuit.

• Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki landed awkwardly in the sand, and Liu Ziyun criticized them for not using Shunpo or Reiatsu to slow their fall.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Sado and Orihime Inoue had similar Fullbring powers and encouraged Sado to make better use of his ability.
• Liu Ziyun surveyed Hueco Mundo, sensed Reiatsu near some ruined buildings, and led the others toward them.
• A green-haired girl in a worn cloak ran toward the group while an enormous Beetle-like Hollow and two humanoid Hollows chased her.