Recaps

Sōsuke Aizen killed Tier Harribel, Coyote Starrk, and Kaname Tōsen, then faced an attack from Ichigo Kurosaki. Liu Ziyun arrived and took over the confrontation, leaving Ichigo to watch as he and Aizen met again.

• Sōsuke Aizen stabbed Tier Harribel and Coyote Starrk, dismissing them as trash before they fell from the sky.
• Aizen killed Kaname Tōsen with a blade of light, prompting Sajin Komamura to charge at him.
• Ichigo Kurosaki attacked Aizen from behind with Getsuga Tenshō, but Aizen's shields stopped the strike and sent Ichigo flying back.
• Liu Ziyun stepped out of the Garganta, told Ichigo Kurosaki to stand aside, and took his place against Aizen.
• Liu Ziyun and Aizen exchanged words as they faced one another, while Ichigo Kurosaki vowed not to hesitate next time.

Liu Ziyun confronted Sōsuke Aizen in Hueco Mundo and faced the full force of his Reiatsu without flinching. Aizen realized Ziyun’s strength should have made him impossible to overlook and asked what he had done to stay hidden.

• Liu Ziyun moved Ichigo Kurosaki aside and took the lead in facing Sōsuke Aizen.
• Liu Ziyun joked that he had gone “blind” before Aizen joined the division to avoid Kyouka Suigetsu.
• Aizen released his Reiatsu, shocking Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki, while Liu Ziyun remained unmoved.
• Liu Ziyun told Aizen he was no longer the Fifth Seat and asked whether Aizen had noticed a problem.
• Aizen reasoned that Liu Ziyun’s strength should have made him impossible to miss and asked what he had done to remain unnoticed.

Liu Ziyun revealed that his Zanpakuto, Life-Taker Tulu, could change fate and had made Aizen remember a conversation that never happened. He showed Aizen the weapon’s true Shikai and opened a screen that began revealing the altered past.

• Liu Ziyun explained that he had once avoided Aizen but later felt safe after Aizen recruited him to investigate Hirako and the others’ Hollowfication.
• Liu Ziyun revealed that he had used his Zanpakuto to make Aizen see an imagined conversation during their earlier meeting.
• Liu Ziyun released his two Zanpakuto into their half-Shikai forms, then merged them into the true Shikai, Life-Taker Tulu.
• Liu Ziyun summoned a screen called Manipulated Fate, which showed his past meeting with Aizen in a Soul Society corridor.
• Aizen recognized the encounter on the screen but frowned when its events differed from what he remembered.

Liu Ziyun explained how his Zanpakuto had implanted a false memory of defeating Aizen, leaving Aizen uncertain about his own understanding of events. After they discussed their different goals, Liu Ziyun pointed his sword at Aizen and prepared to settle their accounts.

• In the screen of light, Liu Ziyun and Aizen clashed with their swords as Liu Ziyun revealed he had watched Aizen’s role in the Hollowfication Incident with Captain Unohana.
• Liu Ziyun used his Zanpakuto to make Aizen experience a false memory in which Liu Ziyun stabbed him and invoked “Be Lost—Prisoner of Fate.”
• Aizen regained his senses unharmed but remembered the imagined attack and left the corridor confused about himself.
• Aizen realized Liu Ziyun had implanted a nonexistent memory into his fate, while Liu Ziyun explained that Aizen had only seen the strength Liu Ziyun chose to reveal.
• Liu Ziyun and Aizen discussed their opposing goals, then Liu Ziyun raised Life-Taker Tulu and said it was time to settle their accounts.

Liu Ziyun revealed that he had used his Zanpakuto to manipulate Aizen’s memories and subconscious, then explained his long-suppressed desire for a life-or-death battle. He unleashed Reiatsu greater than Aizen’s and Yamamoto-Genryūsai’s, then vanished and attacked Aizen with Life-Taker Tulu.

• Aizen realized Liu Ziyun had fabricated their past encounters and planted a suggestion that made Aizen dismiss him as insignificant.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Aizen’s growing strength after contact and fusion with the Hōgyoku had gradually broken the suggestion, prompting Aizen to make precautions against him.
• Liu Ziyun admitted he had craved a truly exhilarating fight for nearly two hundred years and unleashed his full Reiatsu.
• The Soul Reapers, Gotei 13 captains, and Visored were shocked by Liu Ziyun’s overwhelming Reiatsu, which surpassed Aizen’s and Yamamoto-Genryūsai’s.
• Aizen asked whether Liu Ziyun had healed his eyes to counter his Zanpakuto, but Liu Ziyun vanished and slashed at Aizen’s head with Life-Taker Tulu.

Liu Ziyun wounded Aizen with his sword and Kidō, but the Hōgyoku protected Aizen and drove him to evolve further. As Aizen’s Reiatsu surged, Liu Ziyun met him in another clash, confident he could handle the new power.

• Liu Ziyun and Aizen fought at close quarters, wounding each other as their blades and Reiatsu collided.
• Liu Ziyun cut Aizen deeply, but the Hōgyoku stitched the wound closed and protected him from fatal harm.
• Liu Ziyun bound Aizen with Bakudō and struck him with Hadō #91, but Aizen emerged shielded by the Hōgyoku’s white cocoon.
• Liu Ziyun pierced Aizen’s protective layer with Byakurai, prompting Aizen to test his evolving power as his Reiatsu rose.
• Liu Ziyun launched Flying Blade at Aizen, then blocked his counterattack as Aizen declared their probing was over.
• Aizen and Liu Ziyun unleashed their Reiatsu against each other and clashed again.

Liu Ziyun gained the upper hand against Aizen, then unleashed his Bankai, Fate-Deciding God-Slayer, inside a Barrier prepared by Kisuke Urahara and the others. With his new power, Liu Ziyun overwhelmed Aizen and challenged his belief that transcendence came from the Hōgyoku.

• Liu Ziyun wounded Aizen repeatedly and told him he sensed loneliness in his heart, angering Aizen.
• Aizen recovered from a nearly fatal wound with the Hōgyoku and injured Liu Ziyun, who decided to use his Bankai.
• Liu Ziyun released Bankai—Fate-Deciding God-Slayer, gaining Reiatsu wings as a dragon and phoenix emerged from his Zanpakuto.
• Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, Isshin Kurosaki, and Kaien Shiba formed a Barrier around the fighters, as Kisuke explained Liu Ziyun had asked them to contain his Bankai.
• Liu Ziyun moved faster than Aizen could follow and cut through his Zanpakuto and body, overpowering him.
• Liu Ziyun told Aizen that true transcendence came from his own soul, and Aizen asked who he was before Liu Ziyun replied that he was an ordinary person who did not want the world destroyed.

Liu Ziyun overwhelmed Sōsuke Aizen with a relentless barrage of sword strikes, but Aizen repeatedly regenerated and then released Kyouka Suigetsu. Liu Ziyun was left facing an endless darkness instead of Hueco Mundo.

• Sōsuke Aizen regenerated from Liu Ziyun’s nearly fatal slash and taunted him.
• Liu Ziyun’s eyes turned crimson as he attacked Aizen with a faster series of slashes.
• Aizen regenerated from the repeated wounds, then grew angry and accused Liu Ziyun of humiliating him.
• Aizen released Kyouka Suigetsu, and Liu Ziyun found himself surrounded by endless darkness.

Liu Ziyun used Change Fate to avoid Kyouka Suigetsu’s hypnosis and nearly cut Aizen in two, then overwhelmed him as the Hōgyoku struggled to heal his injuries. Aizen transformed into a stronger form, leaving the battle poised to escalate again.

• Liu Ziyun stabbed himself and used Change Fate to undo the fate in which he saw Aizen release Kyouka Suigetsu.
• Liu Ziyun slashed Aizen across the waist, and Aizen realized his hypnosis had been avoided by changing fate.
• Aizen healed his wound as the Hōgyoku increased his power, and he clashed with Liu Ziyun again.
• Liu Ziyun battered Aizen with a rapid series of cuts, weakening him and straining the Hōgyoku’s ability to heal.
• Aizen’s body cracked open and transformed, revealing a stronger form with six petal-like plates and surging Reiatsu.

Liu Ziyun used Life-Taker Tulu to sever Aizen’s ability to evolve, forcing him back into a normal form. He then sealed Aizen with a new Kidō developed by Kisuke Urahara, leaving Aizen contained because the Hōgyoku might make him impossible to kill.

• Liu Ziyun concentrated his wings into a dragon-and-phoenix disc and released Reiatsu that surpassed the limits of a Soul Reaper.
• Liu Ziyun struck Aizen with Fate Severing, cutting away his ability to evolve further.
• Liu Ziyun cleaved Aizen in two, but the Hōgyoku healed him without restoring his Reiatsu or evolution.
• Aizen’s transcendent form receded, leaving him exhausted and looking like a normal person.
• Golden patterns spread across Aizen as the Ninety-Six Kyo Fire Rack Seal, developed by Kisuke Urahara, sealed him.

After Aizen was sealed, Liu Ziyun explained to Kisuke Urahara and Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai that the future threat was Yhwach and the hidden Wandenreich. He revealed that he intended to change the future in which Yamamoto and Chōjirō died, while Aizen played a crucial role in defeating Yhwach.

• Liu Ziyun told Aizen that he and Kisuke Urahara chose to protect the people and world they cherished rather than submit to anyone.
• Kisuke Urahara entered the battlefield after the Barrier fell, and Aizen acknowledged his defeat.
• Liu Ziyun warned Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai that Yhwach could return, explained The Almighty, and identified the Wandenreich hidden in Seireitei's shadow.
• Liu Ziyun described the future deaths of Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai and Chōjirō, and explained that Aizen's role in defeating Yhwach had made him preserve Aizen's path.
• Liu Ziyun declared that he would not stand by while the Quincy attacked the Gotei 13, and Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai praised his strength beyond rank.

Liu Ziyun explained the Wandenreich’s abilities and Yhwach’s plan to devour the Soul King, urging Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai to strike first. Yamamoto agreed to prepare an offensive while Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi developed countermeasures, and Liu proposed recruiting the Arrancar in Hueco Mundo.

• Liu Ziyun proposed attacking the Wandenreich and said Kisuke Urahara should find a way for Bankai users to temporarily gain Hollow powers so the Quincy could not steal their Bankai.
• Liu Ziyun warned Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai that the Quincy had Vollständig and that Yhwach could revive fallen soldiers with Auswählen.
• Liu Ziyun revealed that Yhwach wanted to enter the Soul King Palace, devour the Soul King, and return the Three Worlds to chaos.
• Liu Ziyun said Ichigo Kurosaki was the only one who could kill Yhwach in the future he knew, but suggested Yhwach might be vulnerable before devouring the Soul King.
• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai ordered Kisuke Urahara to develop a counter to Bankai theft and Mayuri Kurotsuchi to devise an attack on the Wandenreich.
• Liu Ziyun cautioned against discussing preparations in Soul Society and suggested bringing the Arrancar in Hueco Mundo to their side.

Liu Ziyun persuaded Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai to accept help from Hollows against the Wandenreich, then returned to Soul Society and spent a brief peaceful time with Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu. As the Quincy threat drew nearer, Liu Ziyun asked Yamamoto to find him a place to train and keep watch while he tried to control his unstable Bankai.

• Liu Ziyun convinced Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai to unite with Hollows against the Quincy, and said he would soon enter seclusion to address his out-of-control Bankai.
• The captains returned to Soul Society, where Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai scolded Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki for losing their Captain's Haori.
• Shinji Hirako and the Visored returned to their old barracks, while Kaien Shiba brought his wife to the neglected Shiba Clan residence.
• Liu Ziyun spent several peaceful days with Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu before the approaching Wandenreich threat drew his attention back to preparation.
• Liu Ziyun asked Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai to find a training place and supervise him in case his power ran wild.

Liu Ziyun went to Muken with Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, Retsu Unohana, and Isane Kotetsu to safely train and began Blade Zen with Life-Taker Tulu. In his inner world, he followed the Zanpakuto spirits’ faint Reiatsu to a volcano and discovered a gigantic black egg in its crater.

• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai agreed to supervise Liu Ziyun’s training in Muken, and Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu insisted on accompanying them.
• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai opened Muken’s sealed entrance, and the group descended into its chamber.
• Liu Ziyun summoned Life-Taker Tulu, spoke its Spirit Speech, and began Blade Zen.
• Liu Ziyun entered a scorched inner world and sensed Life-Taker and Tulu’s strange Reiatsu coming from a volcano.
• Liu Ziyun reached the volcano’s crater and found a huge, pitch-black egg covered in glowing patterns.

Liu Ziyun confronted the mysterious being inside the giant egg in his Inner World and learned that Creation was only a fraction of her power. She intended to replace him, but could not say whether she was truly his power or explain what she was.

• Liu Ziyun found that the Reiatsu of Life-Taker and Tulu came from the dragon and phoenix patterns on the egg, while the blades beside it seemed lifeless.
• The woman inside the egg said she was neither Life-Taker Tulu nor Fate-Deciding God-Slayer, and told Liu Ziyun that he was not yet qualified to know who she was.
• She claimed that Liu Ziyun had used her blades to draw out a small portion of her power, which he called Creation.
• Liu Ziyun pressed his hands to the egg and let it consume his Reiatsu as he asked how to master her power and what it was.
• The woman said she did not want him to master her power because she intended to replace him, and rejected his suggestion that she was like White.
• She said she had been in Liu Ziyun's Inner World since becoming conscious, but her connection to him was limited to his use of her two blades, and she was unsure whether she was his power.

Liu Ziyun learned that the two Zanpakuto had sealed the woman inside the egg and that his Reiatsu could help her grow enough to escape. She revealed that their disappearance had left his heart hollow and his power at risk of running wild, while she began to emerge as a beautiful woman within the glowing, transparent shell.

• The woman in the egg refused to tell Liu Ziyun her name until he freed her from the seal.
• Liu Ziyun realized that Life-Taker and Tulu had spent their power sealing and nourishing her, and she explained that his Reiatsu could help her grow.
• She warned Liu Ziyun that his heart had collapsed after the swords disappeared, and that using Bankai against Aizen had accelerated the danger of his power running wild.
• Liu Ziyun asked why she could not guide his power herself, and she said she would create an avatar to hold the fort in his heart instead.
• Liu Ziyun poured Reiatsu into the egg, brightening its patterns and making the shell transparent enough for him to see the woman inside.

Liu Ziyun met the woman who had appeared in his dreams, and she manifested an avatar to hold down the center of his heart while he grew stronger. She merged Life-Taker and Tulu into Life-Taker Tulu, but warned him that he would no longer be able to use Bankai.

• Liu Ziyun recognized the woman inside the Giant Egg from his recurring dreams and asked how she spoke without moving her mouth.
• The woman explained that she used her Reiatsu to make nearby Reishi vibrate, then told Liu Ziyun that his power was too low in quality to free her from the egg.
• The woman formed an avatar from the Giant Egg's energy and said she would hold down the center of Liu Ziyun's heart until he developed sufficient mental strength.
• The woman merged Life-Taker and Tulu into Life-Taker Tulu and tossed the restored Zanpakuto to Liu Ziyun.
• The woman told Liu Ziyun to keep using Life-Taker Tulu but said she would not lend him the power to use Bankai again.

Liu Ziyun returned to Muken after the woman in his Inner World awakened and explained that his Zanpakuto’s power belonged to her. Though he could no longer use Bankai and his Reiatsu had fallen, Retsu Unohana discovered that its quality had improved, leaving him resolved to keep moving forward.

• The woman in Liu Ziyun’s Inner World sent him back to Muken after he transferred some of his power to her.
• Retsu Unohana treated Liu Ziyun while Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai and Isane Kotetsu watched over him.
• Liu Ziyun told them the woman was the true owner of his Zanpakuto and that he could no longer use Bankai.
• Retsu Unohana observed that Liu Ziyun’s Reiatsu had decreased in quantity but improved in quality.
• Liu Ziyun accepted the change, and Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai encouraged him to continue forward.

After the captains left Muken, Liu Ziyun continued feeding Reiatsu into the giant egg in Blade Zen. In the Seireitei, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai organized secret captains' meetings and Kisuke Urahara began work on the Shadow-Invasion Drug.

• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, Retsu Unohana, and Isane Kotetsu left Liu Ziyun alone in Muken.
• Liu Ziyun resumed Blade Zen and steadily poured his Reiatsu into the giant egg, which absorbed and refined his power.
• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai ordered Mayuri Kurotsuchi to build a shadowless room for secret captains' meetings.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi completed the room, and Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai ordered the captains to keep everything discussed there secret.
• Kisuke Urahara received a secret directive about the Shadow-Invasion Drug and began experimenting on it.

Ichibē Hyōsube rejected the Gotei 13’s request for Zero Division training and ordered Liu Ziyun’s promotion to the Zero Division instead. Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai accepted the decision and went to Muken.

• In Hueco Mundo, Ichigo Kurosaki received Liu Ziyun’s warning about a possible Quincy invasion and agreed to inform Nelliel.
• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai sent the Zero Division a request to train Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Byakuya Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Ikkaku Madarame, and Yumichika Ayasegawa.
• The Zero Division discussed the request and Liu Ziyun’s abilities before Ichibē Hyōsube rejected the training request and ordered Liu Ziyun promoted to the Zero Division.
• A Zero Division messenger delivered the decision to Seireitei, and Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai accepted it despite his anger over the rejected request.
• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai went to Muken after receiving the order.

Liu Ziyun learned that the Zero Division had ordered him to transfer there, but he refused and discussed how to handle Kūgo Ginjō and the Fullbringers with Retsu Unohana. He also called for Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi, explaining his thoughts about Aizen's Number One Espada and his potential Segunda Etapa.

• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai told Liu Ziyun that the Zero Division had rejected their request to train troops and ordered Liu to join them.
• Liu Ziyun objected to the transfer, and Retsu Unohana arrived to report that Kūgo Ginjō had begun making contact with Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Liu Ziyun ordered Retsu Unohana to arrest Kūgo Ginjō and consider recruiting the Fullbringers, whose abilities could help Soul Society against the Quincy.
• Liu Ziyun refused the Zero Division order and asked Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai to summon Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi so Kenpachi's power could be unsealed.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Aizen's Number One Espada had split his soul to escape the loneliness caused by his overwhelming Reiatsu and suggested that he might possess Segunda Etapa.

Liu Ziyun told Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai he wanted to separate Yachiru Kusajishi from Kenpachi Zaraki so she would not disappear when Zaraki awakened his Zanpakuto. Yamamoto summoned Zaraki and Yachiru to Muken, where Liu prepared to attempt the separation.

• Liu Ziyun explained that Yachiru Kusajishi had emerged from Kenpachi Zaraki's power and would return to him when he awakened his Zanpakuto.
• Liu Ziyun said separating Yachiru could let Kenpachi Zaraki use his full power without losing his reason, and Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai agreed to summon them to Muken.
• After Yamamoto and Retsu Unohana left, Liu Ziyun resumed Blade Zen and channeled his Reiatsu into the Giant Egg, saying he wanted to save someone who should not disappear.
• A messenger ordered Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi to go to Muken, and Zaraki eagerly set out, though he showed hesitation about Yachiru going too.

Kenpachi Zaraki brought Yachiru Kusajishi into Muken to wait for Liu Ziyun to recover and fight him. Liu Ziyun instead began explaining that Zaraki and Yachiru were originally one, with Yachiru born from Zaraki’s leaking power and given independent existence when he named her.

• Yachiru asked Zaraki to take her to Muken, and he agreed despite his fears for her safety.
• Zaraki and Yachiru entered Muken, where Zaraki rested and Yachiru fell asleep while Liu Ziyun meditated.
• Liu Ziyun regained some strength and greeted Zaraki and Yachiru after several hours.
• Zaraki readied his sword for a fight, but Liu Ziyun asked him to wait while he recovered and explained their relationship.
• Liu Ziyun told Zaraki and Yachiru that they were originally one, and that Yachiru had emerged from Zaraki’s power and gained the possibility of independent existence through his naming her.

Liu Ziyun explained that awakening Kenpachi Zaraki’s Zanpakuto would make Yachiru Kusajishi disappear and could leave Zaraki unable to control or withstand his power. They chose to keep Yachiru separate, and Liu Ziyun learned a possible way to let them merge and separate as needed before the three recovered in Muken.

• Liu Ziyun told Kenpachi Zaraki that awakening his Zanpakuto would return Yachiru Kusajishi to his body, erase her independent existence, and risk injuring him when he used Bankai.
• Kenpachi Zaraki refused to release his Zanpakuto, choosing Yachiru’s continued existence over gaining strength.
• Yachiru Kusajishi asked Liu Ziyun to find a way for Zaraki to master his power, and Liu Ziyun offered to prevent the two from merging.
• Liu Ziyun consulted his clone in the Inner World, who said they could be changed to merge when needed and separate otherwise, like Coyote Starrk.
• The clone told Liu Ziyun to recover and later let her take over his body so he could learn, then sent him back to Muken.
• Liu Ziyun, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Yachiru Kusajishi meditated and restored themselves to peak condition after an unknown stretch of time.

Liu Ziyun used Life-Taker Tulu’s power to separate Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi into independent bodies while preserving their ability to merge. After confirming the change succeeded, Zaraki and Liu Ziyun agreed to fight once Liu Ziyun recovered.

• Liu Ziyun explained that he would use his power to make Yachiru independent of Kenpachi Zaraki while preserving their connection, and they both agreed.
• Liu Ziyun released Life-Taker Tulu’s Shikai, and the voice from his Inner World took control of his body to perform the separation.
• The power split between Zaraki and Yachiru, leaving an invisible connection that would let them merge when needed.
• Liu Ziyun’s Reiatsu collapsed after the technique, while Zaraki and Yachiru confirmed that they felt complete and remained connected.
• Zaraki asked when their fight could begin, and Liu Ziyun promised they would fight after he fully recovered.