Recaps

While pretending to be blind, Liu Ziyun learned that someone had recommended him for the Hueco Mundo Expedition Team and worried that the nobles were trying to get him killed. He decided to seek Captain Unohana's help, leaving the infirmary while secretly vowing revenge on the nobles.

• Liu Ziyun continued training to fight without sight as Tulu and Life-Taker taught him to rely on sound, touch, and Reiatsu.
• Tazawa Kentarō told Liu Ziyun that the Hueco Mundo Expedition Team was recruiting and that someone from the Sixth Division had recommended him.
• Liu Ziyun warned Tazawa Kentarō against joining the expedition, claiming that nobles and other factions would put him in danger, and Tazawa agreed to decline.
• Liu Ziyun considered whether to join the expedition, then decided to ask Captain Unohana for help.
• Liu Ziyun pretended to feel his way through the division toward the Captain's Office while angrily plotting revenge on Tsunayashiro Tokinada and the other nobles.

Liu Ziyun warned Unohana that the Kasumioji Clan’s plans around Amagai Shūsuke and the Hueco Mundo expedition could lead to disaster, and Yamamoto agreed to keep Liu off the team. After Liu’s warning that Kuchiki Kōga might be targeted, Kuchiki Ginrei brought Kōga to Liu’s residence to seek advice.

• Liu Ziyun told Unohana that Amagai Shūsuke was Kisaragi Shin'etsu’s son and urged her to have the truth about his father explained to him.
• Unohana relayed Liu’s warning to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who confirmed that Liu’s expedition recommendation had been rejected.
• Unohana also told Yamamoto that Kuchiki Kōga might be killed by people in the Thirteenth Division, prompting Yamamoto to order Kuchiki Ginrei to consult Liu.
• Kuchiki Ginrei brought Kuchiki Kōga to the Fourth Division, where Unohana led them to Liu Ziyun’s residence.

Liu Ziyun advised Kuchiki Ginrei and Kuchiki Kōga on protecting Kōga from noble schemes and warned them to keep Muramasa’s ability secret. After the Kuchikis left, Unohana asked about Liu Ziyun’s eyesight, and he admitted that acting carefree made things easier for everyone.

• Unohana, Kuchiki Ginrei, and Kuchiki Kōga arrived while Liu Ziyun practiced sensing Reiatsu in his Inner World with Life-Taker and Tulu.
• Liu Ziyun welcomed the visitors and served tea, then explained that Kōga had become a target because Ginrei intended him to succeed as clan head.
• Liu Ziyun advised Ginrei to arrange a trusted witness for Kōga, encouraged Kōga to build friendships and speak openly with Ginrei, and warned them about rumors and false accusations.
• Liu Ziyun urged Kōga to keep Muramasa’s power to control other Zanpakuto spirits secret because nobles and Central 46 might see it as a threat.
• After Ginrei and Kōga left, Unohana asked whether Liu Ziyun believed they could avoid disaster and whether his eyesight had improved.
• Liu Ziyun said he still could not see, but sensed more clearly, and remarked that his carefree manner made things easier for everyone.

Liu Ziyun told Retsu Unohana that he was keeping a low profile because he foresaw a coming crisis and lacked the strength to change events. More than a decade later, he refused to attend Shinji Hirako’s captain inauguration, choosing to remain distant while he waited for a chance to alter the future.

• Liu Ziyun explained to Retsu Unohana that he could not reveal what he knew about the future and warned that the Three Worlds faced a grave crisis.
• Unohana promised to protect Liu Ziyun, and he joked that he wanted to marry her and start a harem once the danger had passed.
• Liu Ziyun watched the Hueco Mundo Expedition Team depart, knowing some members would die or return changed, while he continued concealing his strength and Zanpakuto.
• More than a decade later, Unohana told Liu Ziyun that Shinji Hirako would become Fifth Division Captain and asked whether he would attend the inauguration.
• Liu Ziyun declined to attend, explaining that he kept his distance to protect his old friends and was waiting for an opportunity to change their fates.

Liu Ziyun chose to pursue complete mastery of his Shikai, accepting a dangerous, years-long training process so he could face Aizen. Meanwhile, Shinji Hirako and his friends wondered why Liu had distanced himself and agreed to be ready to help when he finally acted.

• Unohana wondered where Liu Ziyun would strike after he left her.
• Liu Ziyun met with Life-Taker and Tulu in his hidden training ground, where they explained that mastering his complete Shikai was necessary to unleash their true power.
• Liu Ziyun chose the dangerous Shikai training over pursuing Bankai, aiming to become strong enough to face Aizen.
• After Shinji Hirako's inauguration as Fifth Division captain, Shinji and his friends discussed Liu Ziyun's distance from them and suspected he was trying not to change future events.
• Shinji and his friends agreed to respect Liu's choice to keep his distance and stand ready to help him when the time came.

After years of seclusion and repeated battles with his Zanpakuto spirits, Liu Ziyun began training to master complete Shikai. Life-Taker and Tulu merged into a single form and summoned a new Zanpakuto, leaving Liu Ziyun facing a dangerous test.

• Liu Ziyun quietly treated injured Soul Reapers while Love Aikawa became Seventh Division captain, then continued avoiding later captain inaugurations and promotions.
• Liu Ziyun spent years training in his underground ground and serving as a healer, while Retsu Unohana alone understood his transformation.
• During his 127th Blade Zen session, Life-Taker and Tulu warned that Liu Ziyun's Reiatsu was stable but his mind had reached its limit.
• Life-Taker and Tulu merged into a crimson-black-robed woman and told Liu Ziyun they would begin teaching him.
• The merged Life-Taker Tulu released a new Tang Dao-style Zanpakuto and warned Liu Ziyun not to die.

Liu Ziyun released Life-Taker Tulu and briefly gained enough power to fight her, but the complete Shikai state overwhelmed his reason and left his soul badly damaged. Life-Taker and Tulu resolved to train him until he could withstand the power, then sent him out of his Inner World.

• Life-Taker Tulu broke Liu Ziyun’s swords and slashed him, forcing him to release his Shikai if he wanted to survive.
• Liu Ziyun summoned Life-Taker Tulu, restored his weapon, and rose to the threshold of Captain-level power as madness began to erode his consciousness.
• Liu Ziyun fought Life-Taker Tulu through seventy exchanges before she knocked him unconscious to stop him from losing control.
• Life-Taker and Tulu healed Liu Ziyun and concluded that he needed more training before facing the complete fusion state again.
• Life-Taker tapped Liu Ziyun’s forehead and sent him out of his Inner World.

Liu Ziyun recovered from the severe backlash of achieving complete Shikai and learned that mastering its power required enduring Reiatsu tempering rather than relying on medicine. He resolved to strengthen himself and master his fate before upheaval struck Soul Society.

• Liu Ziyun woke in the underground training ground after spending one day and seven hours unconscious, then struggled back to his dormitory with severe soul pain and uncontrolled Reiatsu.
• Liu Ziyun spent a week recovering, and Tazawa Kentarō visited him with medicinal broth and reported resistance to Captain Muguruma's Ninth Division reforms.
• Liu Ziyun told Tazawa to prioritize any wounded Ninth Division members brought to the Fourth Division.
• Liu Ziyun consulted Retsu Unohana about strengthening his body, and she explained that Blood Soul Pills would ease his pain but damage his soul and prevent him from mastering his power.
• Liu Ziyun meditated as his Reiatsu slowly repaired his soul, then resolved to master complete Shikai and prepare to face Soul Society's coming upheaval.

Liu Ziyun learned that Sōsuke Aizen had joined the Fifth Division and warned Tazawa Kentarō to keep his distance while helping him watch Aizen. That night, Liu secretly entered the Fifth Division Barracks and sensed Aizen’s unusual Reiatsu, confirming his suspicions.

• Tazawa Kentarō told Liu Ziyun that the Fifth Division had recruited Sōsuke Aizen, a talented graduate favored by Captain Hirako.
• Liu warned Tazawa to stay on guard around Aizen and asked him to report on Aizen’s activities and Gin Ichimaru’s possible appearance.
• Liu urged Tazawa to act more distant around him in public because the dangerous plans ahead could put Tazawa at risk.
• After Tazawa left, Liu decided to investigate Aizen and slipped into the Fifth Division Barracks at night with his Reiatsu concealed.
• Liu sensed Aizen’s Lieutenant-level Reiatsu and recognized its concealed, unsettling quality.

Liu Ziyun secretly visited Shinji Hirako to warn him and the others to sever all contact with him and distrust anyone who seemed too perfect. After returning to the Fourth Division, Liu Ziyun found Retsu Unohana waiting and was ordered to follow her to the Captain’s Office.

• Liu Ziyun entered the Fifth Division Barracks and told Shinji Hirako to pretend their friendship had ended and to keep their connection secret.
• Liu Ziyun warned Shinji that an undisclosed danger threatened them, urged him not to trust anyone completely, and asked him to notify Love, Kensei, Rōjūrō, and the others to bury their ties to him.
• Shinji Hirako wrote discreet letters summoning the group for a private meeting.
• Liu Ziyun circled Seireitei to ensure he was not being followed before returning to the Fourth Division Barracks.
• Retsu Unohana waited outside Liu Ziyun’s dormitory and ordered him to accompany her to the Captain’s Office.

Liu Ziyun explained to Unohana that his knowledge of the future made him wary of changing events, so he tried to limit his influence and remain hidden. After he accidentally revealed that he knew Unohana’s secret nickname, he fled her office, while Unohana realized how much he knew and wondered whether he would remain their ally.

• Liu Ziyun told Unohana that his presence could alter the future and that he had saved Hirako and the others to correct changes his arrival caused.
• Liu Ziyun asked Unohana to advise the Captain-Commander and Captain Kuchiki to keep Kuchiki Kōga out of the clan succession spotlight and to conceal information about him.
• Unohana questioned whether she should have killed Liu Ziyun, and he said she could not have done so at the time.
• Liu Ziyun accidentally called Unohana “Xiao Lielie,” prompting her to threaten a sparring match, and he escaped using Shunpo.
• Unohana reflected on Liu Ziyun’s repeated accurate revelations and hoped he would be on their side when the coming storm arrived.

Unohana reported Liu Ziyun’s warnings and concealed power to Yamamoto, who agreed to let him remain hidden while discreetly preparing for possible threats. In the Fourth Division’s underground training ground, Liu Ziyun began training to master his complete Shikai before upheaval struck Soul Society.

• Unohana told Yamamoto that Liu Ziyun planned to keep hiding, feared changing the future, and regarded someone in the Fifth Division as a potential threat.
• Unohana said Liu Ziyun’s suppressed Reiatsu concealed power that could surpass Captain-level, and Yamamoto agreed to let him hide while keeping watch discreetly.
• Yamamoto ordered Unohana to have the captains note Sōsuke Aizen during routine meetings and said he would discuss Kuchiki Kōga and Amagai Shūsuke with Kuchiki Ginrei.
• Liu Ziyun told Life-Taker and Tulu that Aizen’s arrival meant events were accelerating and that he needed to master his complete Shikai before Soul Society’s coming upheaval.
• Life-Taker and Tulu merged into their complete form, and Liu Ziyun began battling them.

Liu Ziyun abandoned his restraint during his battle with Life-Taker Tulu, and both fighters unleashed their berserk states. As their fight injured Liu Ziyun in the Real World, he wandered through the darkness of his consciousness and reached a strange, three-colored light.

• Liu Ziyun realized that Life-Taker Tulu was also nearing a mindless state and decided that surrendering to madness might help him regain his sanity.
• Liu Ziyun released his restraint, and Life-Taker Tulu followed, beginning a lethal battle between the two berserkers in the Inner World.
• Their clashes caused matching spiritual and physical wounds to appear on Liu Ziyun in the Underground Training Ground.
• Liu Ziyun's reason sank into darkness, where he found a light woven from gold, red, and black.
• Liu Ziyun reached out and grasped the light, which blazed forth.

Liu Ziyun mastered his Complete Shikai after awakening the power of the three-colored light and calming Life-Taker Tulu. He returned to the Underground Training Ground badly injured, began healing with Kaidō, and prepared to face the coming storm with his newly awakened power.

• Liu Ziyun recovered his reason in the Inner World, reversed his wounds, and repelled Life-Taker Tulu’s attacks with a newfound power.
• He guided the gold, red, and black light into his blade and struck Life-Taker Tulu, ending her madness.
• Life-Taker Tulu congratulated Liu Ziyun on mastering Complete Shikai and explained that he would need to discover its abilities himself.
• Life-Taker Tulu dissolved back into Life-Taker and Tulu, who warned Liu Ziyun that his real body needed treatment.
• Liu Ziyun woke in the Underground Training Ground, used Kaidō to heal his severe injuries, and sensed his Zanpakuto’s power responding to the words “Change Fate.”

After Liu Ziyun mastered Complete Shikai, Life-Taker and Tulu attacked him in the Inner World and forced him out. They celebrated their fully awakened blades and discussed how to train him for Bankai.

• Life-Taker and Tulu attacked Liu Ziyun with their newly awakened blades, severely wounding him and kicking him out of the Inner World.
• After Liu Ziyun vanished, Life-Taker and Tulu admired their blades and celebrated his success in awakening them completely.
• Tulu and Life-Taker discussed training Liu Ziyun for Bankai, considering a group fight or having him master each blade separately.
• Life-Taker and Tulu settled down to meditate in the Inner World.

After a brutal fight with Life-Taker and Tulu in his Inner World, Liu Ziyun returned to the Fourth Division Barracks with severe spiritual injuries and slowly recovered in the infirmary. Retsu Unohana learned that he was still working to master his Shikai, then told him that Captain Hirako had promoted Sōsuke Aizen to Lieutenant.

• Liu Ziyun woke in the Underground Training Ground with soul-deep injuries, depleted Reiatsu, and no memory of why Life-Taker and Tulu had attacked him.
• Liu Ziyun slowly gathered Reishi and used Kaidō, but his spiritual injuries resisted healing, so he struggled toward the exit.
• Liu Ziyun took two hours to reach the Fourth Division Barracks, where squad members helped him before he collapsed.
• Liu Ziyun woke in the Fourth Division infirmary, and Retsu Unohana asked how his training had left him so badly injured.
• Liu Ziyun explained that he had fought his Zanpakuto in his Inner World to master his Shikai, but still had abilities to discover on his own.
• Retsu Unohana told Liu Ziyun that Captain Hirako had promoted Sōsuke Aizen from his division to Lieutenant.

Liu Ziyun warned Unohana that the coming changes among the Captains were necessary but that they must avoid discussing sensitive matters where shadows could conceal eavesdroppers. He asked her to contact Yoruichi Shihōin so he could obtain a Reiatsu-concealing cloak from Kisuke Urahara, then focused on recovering and preparing for the coming Hollowfication Experiment.

• Liu Ziyun told Unohana that Captain replacements were within control and urged her not to interfere or discuss the matter inside the Seireitei, especially near shadows.
• Liu Ziyun asked Unohana to contact Yoruichi Shihōin so he could seek a black cloak from Kisuke Urahara, using “shadows” and “mirrors” as the explanation.
• Unohana agreed to contact Yoruichi and left Liu Ziyun’s hospital room.
• Liu Ziyun considered Aizen’s promotion to Lieutenant, the coming Hollowfication Experiment, and his need to learn Bankai and master Life-Taker Tulu’s abilities.
• Liu Ziyun resolved to protect people and change their fates, then began circulating his Reiatsu to heal his soul wounds.

Unohana arranged for Yoruichi Shihōin to meet Liu Ziyun and request a Reiatsu-concealing cloak from Kisuke Urahara. Yoruichi agreed to pass on the specifications and secrecy conditions, while Liu left her with more questions about what he knew of the future.

• Unohana summoned Yoruichi Shihōin after receiving the Captain-Commander's approval and introduced her to Liu Ziyun.
• Liu Ziyun asked Yoruichi to have Kisuke Urahara make black cloaks that could conceal the wearer’s Reiatsu and figure and support Kidō enhancements.
• After Unohana confirmed his account, Yoruichi agreed to the request, and Liu said the Fourth Division would pay for as many cloaks as Kisuke could make.
• Liu asked Yoruichi to keep the cloaks secret and told her Kisuke should not use one before becoming a captain; Yoruichi questioned how he knew that but agreed to pass it on.
• Yoruichi recalled that Liu had blinded himself decades earlier, offered to ask Kisuke to restore his sight, and left after he declined.

Liu Ziyun discussed Kisuke Urahara’s potential and his plans for equipment with Unohana, then considered the approaching Hollowfication Experiment and his preparations. In the days afterward, he continued his medical duties while secretly training to master Life-Taker Tulu’s growing powers.

• Liu Ziyun told Unohana that Kisuke Urahara could create equipment to conceal Reiatsu and appearance, and predicted that Urahara would become captain of the Twelfth Division after Kirio Hikifune’s promotion to Zero Division.
• Liu Ziyun let slip that he hoped to visit the Soul King Palace and pursue Kirio Hikifune and Senjumaru Shutara, prompting Unohana to send him away.
• Liu Ziyun realized he had forgotten to ask Yoruichi Shihōin to have Urahara make him a Reiatsu-concealing Gigai, and decided to wait until Urahara reached the World of the Living.
• Liu Ziyun assessed that Aizen’s Hollowfication Experiment and the ensuing exile of Urahara and Yoruichi would happen within a few years, so he planned to obtain a black cloak, a Gigai, and greater mastery of Shikai and Bankai.
• Liu Ziyun kept up his Fourth Division duties while secretly training with Life-Taker and Tulu, developing his Complete Shikai ability, “Change Fate,” and exploring its other powers.

Liu Ziyun received a stealth cloak made by Kisuke and arranged to meet Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke in the World of the Living in the future. He left determined to wait for the right moment to act in secret.

• Yoruichi Shihōin gave Liu Ziyun a black cloak made by Kisuke that concealed his Reiatsu and presence when he activated it.
• Liu Ziyun tested the cloak, and Unohana and Yoruichi Shihōin confirmed that they could barely sense him.
• Liu Ziyun told Yoruichi Shihōin that he might seek her and Kisuke out in the World of the Living and asked her not to change her usual behavior.
• Yoruichi Shihōin agreed to wait for Liu Ziyun's explanation and left the Fourth Division.
• Liu Ziyun told Unohana that he needed only the cloak and his sword while he waited for the right moment to act.

Liu Ziyun explained why he had told Yoruichi Shihōin about the future and asked Unohana to stop Kisuke Urahara from watching him. He claimed his Zanpakuto had once shown him fragments of his fate, leaving Unohana with his explanation and fear of changing events.

• Unohana asked whether Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke Urahara were involved in Liu Ziyun’s visions, and Liu confirmed that many people were caught in the web of fate.
• Liu Ziyun asked Unohana to persuade the Captain-Commander to keep Kisuke Urahara from monitoring him, warning that the attention could draw the hidden BOSS to him.
• Liu Ziyun said he needed to earn Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke Urahara’s trust because he would seek them in the World of the Living to save people, including two motherless children.
• When Unohana asked how Liu Ziyun knew so much, he claimed Life-Taker had shown him fragments of his future when he first achieved Shikai.
• Liu Ziyun listed events he had glimpsed and told Unohana he feared that changing the future would lead to consequences he could not foresee.

Liu Ziyun explained to Unohana why he had intervened to save Hirako and the others, then continued hiding his strength while training to master Complete Shikai and Bankai. Months later, he told Unohana the next events he expected, including Kisuke Urahara’s rise to captain of the Twelfth Division, and asked her to monitor any changes.

• Liu Ziyun told Unohana that a Tsunayashiro noble had altered the academy trial and nearly killed Hirako and the others, forcing him to intervene.
• Unohana agreed to speak with the Captain-Commander, while Liu Ziyun joked about courting her before fleeing her office.
• Liu Ziyun kept up his ordinary duties in the Fourth Division while battling Life-Taker and Tulu in his Inner World and struggling to master Bankai.
• Months later, Liu Ziyun treated injured members of the 11th Division and went to Unohana’s office after she summoned him.
• Unohana told Liu Ziyun that Kirio Hikifune had been transferred to the Zero Division, and he predicted Kisuke Urahara would become Twelfth Division captain and establish the Technology Development Bureau with Mayuri Kurotsuchi as deputy director.
• Liu Ziyun asked Unohana to watch for changes to those events, then hurriedly left her office.

Unohana reported Liu Ziyun’s accurate predictions to Yamamoto, who decided to watch him while allowing him to act freely unless he threatened Soul Society. Meanwhile, Liu Ziyun continued training in secret as he prepared to change fate.

• Unohana went to the First Division and led Yamamoto to the Shadowless Room to discuss Liu Ziyun’s predictions.
• Unohana told Yamamoto that Liu Ziyun had predicted Kirio Hikifune’s promotion, Kisuke Urahara’s likely succession, and the Technology Development Bureau’s establishment.
• Yamamoto confirmed that Kisuke Urahara’s candidacy was already under consideration and weighed whether Soul Society should prepare for future upheaval.
• Unohana argued that Liu Ziyun’s choice to save Kuchiki Kōga and Amagai Shūsuke showed he meant Soul Society no ill will.
• Yamamoto decided to monitor Liu Ziyun but let him act freely unless he broke the rules or endangered Soul Society.
• Liu Ziyun continued his grueling training with Life-Taker and Tulu, believing he was close to being able to change fate.

Liu Ziyun’s efforts to keep his secrets from Kisuke Urahara failed as the scientist spent three months probing him and monitoring him. After reaching his limit, Liu Ziyun summoned Yoruichi Shihōin and warned her that Kisuke was in danger and that she had put herself in the path of those watching him.

• Kisuke Urahara visited the Fourth Division and tried to recruit Liu Ziyun for research, but Liu refused and claimed he was under orders to rest.
• Kisuke repeatedly approached Liu at the Fourth Division with research questions and technology, while Liu sensed that he was being watched.
• After three months of pressure, Liu went to Unohana and asked her to contact Yoruichi Shihōin immediately.
• Yoruichi arrived at the Fourth Division Captain’s Office, where Liu angrily demanded to know why Kisuke was pursuing him despite their agreement to keep his secret.
• Liu told Yoruichi that Kisuke was the one being watched and that Yoruichi had stepped forward to protect him, putting herself in danger.

Liu Ziyun warned Yoruichi Shihōin to prepare to flee Soul Society with the Hōgyoku and revealed that he could overpower her and Kisuke Urahara. Years later, he heard that Tsunayashiro Tokinada had murdered his wife, an event he recognized from the future he knew.

• Liu Ziyun urged Yoruichi Shihōin to prepare the Senkaimon, take the Hōgyoku to the World of the Living, and stop Kisuke Urahara from investigating him.
• Unohana confirmed that Liu Ziyun was far stronger than he appeared and warned Yoruichi not to pry into what he knew about coming events.
• Yoruichi agreed to keep Kisuke away from Liu Ziyun and left the Captain's Office.
• Kisuke stopped visiting the Fourth Division, and Liu Ziyun returned to his routine for several peaceful years.
• While treating an injured Ninth Division member, Liu Ziyun overheard that Tsunayashiro Tokinada had murdered his wife and recognized the event as the start of Tokinada's downfall.