Recaps

Liu Ziyun warned Unohana that Tsunayashiro Tokinada was dangerous and would pursue Soul King research, then asked her to have the Captain-Commander secretly monitor the clan. He denied seeking the Soul King’s power and left Unohana weighing his secrets, while he prepared for the coming crises.

• Liu Ziyun told Unohana that Tokinada had married a woman with a Soul King Fragment and would eventually seek to create and control a Soul King Substitute.
• Liu Ziyun revealed that Tokinada would later kill Kūgo Ginjō’s companions and frame Captain Ukitake, and asked Unohana to urge the Captain-Commander to watch the Tsunayashiro Clan in secret.
• Unohana questioned whether Liu Ziyun wanted to replace the Soul King, and he said he only wanted to preserve lives and avert the worst possible future.
• After Liu Ziyun left, Unohana reflected on his secrets and the dangers gathering around the Tsunayashiro Clan, Kisuke Urahara, and Aizen.
• Liu Ziyun held the Black Cloak Kisuke Urahara had made and prepared for the upcoming Hollowfication Incident, Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin’s flight, and Aizen’s betrayal.

Liu Ziyun told Unohana that the disappearances in Rukongai were the beginning of events he believed they must not interfere with. He warned that six captains would be replaced and the Captain-Commander and Zero Division would fall before a future savior could defeat the greater threat; Unohana went to report to the Captain-Commander.

• Unohana summoned Liu Ziyun and asked whether the mysterious disappearances of souls in Rukongai were connected to the future he had predicted.
• Liu Ziyun said they should handle the incidents through normal procedures and warned Unohana to choose investigators carefully, since six captains would have to be replaced.
• Liu Ziyun explained that a future, nearly unkillable fighter would be needed to defeat a greater enemy, so they had to wait for the savior to appear.
• Liu Ziyun warned that the Captain-Commander and the members of Zero Division would die, and told Unohana that reckless Kensei should be the first captain sent out.
• Unohana accepted Liu Ziyun's advice, and after he left, she headed to the First Division to report to the Captain-Commander.

Yamamoto and Unohana weighed Liu Ziyun’s warning as disappearances in Rukongai escalated and Soul Reapers went missing. Liu Ziyun arranged a covert plan with Unohana, while the Gotei 13 sent a powerful rescue team toward the affected area.

• Unohana told Yamamoto that Liu Ziyun had warned the so-called “cheater” was the only one who could prevent their deaths, and Yamamoto decided to wait and see what happened.
• After souls began disappearing more often in Rukongai and contact was lost with ten elite Soul Reapers, Yamamoto convened a captains’ meeting that assigned Kensei Muguruma and Hiyori Sarugaki to investigate.
• Liu Ziyun gave Unohana a Black Cloak and instructed her to leave the next meeting, follow Kisuke Urahara, and have Chōjirō Sasakibe serve as a witness to their whereabouts.
• When contact was lost with Kensei Muguruma and Hiyori Sarugaki, the captains held another meeting and dispatched Shinji Hirako, Love Aikawa, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Hachigen Ushōda, and Lisa Yadōmaru as a rescue team.

Liu Ziyun and Unohana secretly guided Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi toward the endangered Soul Reapers, warning them to save the eight without revealing their involvement. As the rescue began, Liu Ziyun and Unohana stayed back to watch the Hollowfication Incident unfold.

• Unohana and Liu Ziyun followed Kisuke Urahara out of Seireitei in concealed Black Cloaks.
• Tessai Tsukabishi intercepted Kisuke, but Unohana and Liu Ziyun emerged and explained that Kisuke and Tessai needed to rescue the eight endangered Soul Reapers.
• Liu Ziyun instructed Tessai to use time suspension and spatial displacement to bring the victims to the Twelfth Division, and told Kisuke to use Quincy Reishi and human souls to cure them in the World of the Living.
• Liu Ziyun warned Kisuke and Tessai not to reveal his or Unohana's involvement, then left with Unohana as the two men hurried toward Rukongai.
• Unohana agreed not to interfere as Liu Ziyun explained that their intervention could protect a greater future.
• As Reiatsu erupted in distant Rukongai, Liu Ziyun recognized that the Hollowfication Incident had begun and prepared to guard the points that must be protected.

Liu Ziyun and Unohana secretly watched Aizen’s Hollowfication experiment as Shinji Hirako and the others began transforming. The chapter ended when two black-cloaked figures charged into the valley.

• Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi hurried toward the battle to rescue the captains and Hiyori Sarugaki.
• Liu Ziyun and Unohana took a concealed route to avoid alerting Aizen, who had nearly mastered Kyouka Suigetsu.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Aizen’s Hollowfication drug had forced the eight victims to fight the Hollows within themselves.
• Shinji Hirako completed his Hollowfication while retaining his sanity, and the others began transforming as Aizen recorded the results.
• Liu Ziyun acknowledged Aizen’s objections to Soul Society’s corruption but condemned his extreme methods.
• Two black figures suddenly charged into the valley.

Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi tried to rescue the eight Soul Reapers undergoing Hollowfication, but Aizen escaped after damaging their containment spell. Liu Ziyun urged Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin to follow a plan that would send the survivors and their allies to the World of the Living after Urahara’s sentence.

• Tessai Tsukabishi tried to freeze Aizen and transfer the eight Hollowfying Soul Reapers, while Kisuke Urahara blocked Aizen’s attack on the spatial sphere.
• Aizen damaged the sphere, let Hollowfication Reiatsu leak out, and vanished after warning Urahara that he would be blamed for the experiment.
• Liu Ziyun told Kisuke Urahara to use the Hōgyoku to treat the victims and predicted that Central 46 would sentence him to death.
• Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi stabilized the sphere and headed to the Twelfth Division to save the victims.
• Liu Ziyun and Unohana told Yoruichi Shihōin to prepare Urahara’s equipment and help take the Hollowfied Soul Reapers to the World of the Living after his sentence.
• Yoruichi Shihōin agreed to follow Liu Ziyun’s plan and prepare to leave Soul Society.

After Aizen framed Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi for the Hollowfication experiments, Yoruichi Shihōin rescued them and the eight victims from execution. Unohana confronted Liu Ziyun about his foreknowledge, and he asked her to trust him until he could reveal the full truth.

• Liu Ziyun told Chōjirō Sasakibe that events should proceed normally and hinted that a powerful witness would appear at the trial.
• Central 46 accused Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi of illegal Hollowfication experiments, and Shunsui Kyōraku and other witnesses testified that Sōsuke Aizen had been elsewhere that night.
• Central 46 sentenced Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi to death, but Yoruichi Shihōin used her authority and the Stealth Force to rescue them.
• Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, Yoruichi Shihōin, and the eight Hollowfied victims gathered at a secret base, where Kisuke began making Gigai to conceal their Reiatsu for their escape.
• Unohana confronted Liu Ziyun about predicting Shunsui Kyōraku’s testimony and Aizen’s alibi, and Liu said the events were necessary to preserve the future.
• Liu Ziyun promised Unohana he would tell her everything when the time was right, and asked her to keep trusting him.

Liu Ziyun explained to Unohana that Aizen’s Kyouka Suigetsu used Complete Hypnosis to control every sense of anyone who had seen its Shikai, accounting for the false alibi. He warned that Aizen and his allies would soon take command of the Gotei 13, then asked Unohana to arrange an unnoticed Senkaimon to the World of the Living.

• Unohana questioned Liu Ziyun about how Aizen had fooled multiple witnesses and established an alibi.
• Liu Ziyun revealed that Kyouka Suigetsu’s Complete Hypnosis could control all the senses of anyone who had seen its Shikai.
• Liu Ziyun said he had blinded himself so he could not be deceived by Aizen, and warned that Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tōsen would soon become captains and bring the Gotei 13 under Aizen’s control.
• Liu Ziyun asked Unohana to arrange a discreet Senkaimon to the World of the Living so he could save someone, speak with Kisuke Urahara, and prepare eight people for future events.
• Unohana agreed to speak with the Captain-Commander, then left after Liu Ziyun declined to explain another risky way to counter Kyouka Suigetsu.
• Alone, Liu Ziyun wondered why Unohana had not pressed him for more information, then sat down to plan his next steps.

Unohana told Genryūsai that Aizen’s Kyouka Suigetsu could completely hypnotize anyone who had seen its Shikai, and they agreed to let events proceed while Liu Ziyun stayed hidden. In the years afterward, Liu kept his distance from the Fourth Division, and only Unohana knew why.

• Unohana told Genryūsai that Liu Ziyun had identified Aizen as the Hollowfication Experiment’s mastermind and explained Kyouka Suigetsu’s Complete Hypnosis.
• Unohana relayed Liu Ziyun’s instructions to avoid alerting the traitors, preserve the status quo, and prepare an undetectable Senkaimon for his trips to the World of the Living.
• Genryūsai agreed with Unohana to cooperate with Liu Ziyun and not pursue Kisuke Urahara and his companions.
• The Gotei 13 let the incident end without pursuing Urahara and the others, citing their reduced combat strength.
• Over the following years, Liu Ziyun kept to himself in the Fourth Division and avoided even Unohana, while division members speculated about his behavior.
• Unohana alone knew the truth behind Liu Ziyun’s withdrawal.

As the Gotei 13 completed a major change of captains, Liu Ziyun visited Unohana to ask her to hide his trip to the World of the Living. He left the Seireitei under a Black Cloak with a Special Pass Unohana had prepared for him.

• Over several years, new captains took over divisions, while Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto purged noble-family agents from the Gotei 13.
• Kuchiki Ginrei retired, Byakuya Kuchiki became captain of the Sixth Division, and Kuchiki Kōga withdrew from public life to assist him.
• Liu Ziyun surprised Unohana in her office and asked her to cover for his planned trip to the World of the Living.
• Liu Ziyun said he intended to clarify matters involving Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin and check on the group hiding in the World of the Living.
• After joking with Unohana and fleeing her office, Liu Ziyun headed for the Senkaimon with her Special Pass, which concealed his Reiatsu and whereabouts.

Liu Ziyun secretly traveled from Soul Society to the World of the Living using the Senkaimon key Unohana had prepared. He met Kisuke Urahara at the Urahara Shop, where he encountered Tessai Tsukabishi and a black cat.

• Liu Ziyun left Seireitei through a hidden route and reached North District 80 in Rukongai.
• Liu Ziyun used Unohana's Senkaimon key to enter the Dangai and travel to Karakura Town.
• Liu Ziyun wandered through Karakura Town until Kisuke Urahara appeared and greeted him.
• Liu Ziyun and Kisuke Urahara traded remarks while probing each other's identities and condition.
• Liu Ziyun followed Kisuke Urahara to the shop, where he met Tessai Tsukabishi and picked up the black cat, who struggled against him.

Liu Ziyun explained that he had come to the World of the Living to fulfill his promise to explain his past actions and to train his Bankai. He began recounting how his Zanpakuto showed him a future in which he did not exist, leaving the others to learn that he had been trying to change fate.

• Liu Ziyun recognized Yoruichi Shihōin in her cat form by sensing her reiatsu and explained that he could perceive more than his blindness suggested.
• Liu Ziyun said he planned to train his Bankai at the Unlucky Bastards Legion's base and test their strength.
• Liu Ziyun told Kisuke Urahara that he had helped their escape by warning Yoruichi Shihōin, holding off the Captain-Commander, and working behind the scenes with Captain Unohana.
• Kisuke Urahara asked Tessai Tsukabishi to seal the room with a high-level barrier so Liu Ziyun's explanation could not be recorded or shared.
• Liu Ziyun revealed that, a hundred years earlier, his Zanpakuto showed him future fragments in which he did not exist.
• Liu Ziyun said his Zanpakuto had told him that their purpose was to change the future he had seen.

Liu Ziyun explained that he had seen a future in which a Major Boss replaced the Soul King and nearly destroyed the Three Worlds, so he had intervened only when necessary to preserve the future’s overall course. After revealing what lay ahead, he left with Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and Tessai Tsukabishi to visit the Visored’s secret base and push his old friends to prepare for the coming battles.

• Liu Ziyun told Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and Tessai Tsukabishi about the Major Boss who would devastate the Seireitei and replace the Soul King before being defeated by Aizen and two youths.
• Liu Ziyun explained that he had tried to preserve the future while saving a few people, and that the Tsunayashiro Clan’s intervention forced him to expose his abilities and seek help from Yamamoto and Unohana.
• Liu Ziyun said he exposed himself during the Hollowfication Incident to contact Kisuke Urahara, verify his earlier warnings, and keep events on their original course by sending the group to the World of the Living.
• When Yoruichi Shihōin questioned whether Liu Ziyun’s vision was real, he cited Kisuke Urahara’s Hōgyoku research as evidence and said the Hōgyoku would lead to the birth of a figure who could change everything.
• Liu Ziyun warned that Isshin Shiba’s appointment as captain would lead to the Soul Reaper Disappearance Incident, Aizen’s ambush, and Isshin’s meeting with Masaki Kurosaki, and urged Kisuke Urahara to grow stronger.
• Kisuke Urahara agreed to take Liu Ziyun and Tessai Tsukabishi to the Visored’s secret base so Liu Ziyun could urge his old friends to prepare for future battles.

Liu Ziyun accompanied Kisuke Urahara and the others to the Visored's secret base, where he reunited with the Visored and challenged them to prove their strength. The Visored remained hostile and wary as he asked to see their training area.

• Kisuke Urahara led Liu Ziyun, Yoruichi Shihōin, and Tessai Tsukabishi through a concealed route to the Visored's hidden factory base.
• Liu Ziyun sensed the base's layered Kidō defenses and encountered the Visored's Hollowfication Reiatsu inside.
• Shinji Hirako and the others recognized Liu Ziyun, and Hiyori Sarugaki and several others reacted with suspicion and hostility.
• Shinji Hirako demanded to know why Liu Ziyun had come, and Liu challenged the Visored to show whether they had the strength to reclaim what they had lost.
• Liu Ziyun asked the Visored to take him to their training area so he could measure their Hollowfication abilities.

Liu Ziyun forced the Visored to take him to their underground training ground and challenged all eight to fight him together. With a powerful barrier raised around them, the Visored prepared to attack as the chapter ended.

• Hiyori Sarugaki attacked Liu Ziyun, but he immobilized her with Bakudō #61, Six Rods Prison of Light.
• Shinji Hirako led Liu Ziyun and the others through the factory to the underground training ground.
• Liu Ziyun taunted the Visored about their past defeat and their weakened state, and Kensei Muguruma agreed to fight him.
• Hachigen Ushōda, Tessai Tsukabishi, and Kisuke Urahara raised the Threefold Heavenly Dipper Protection Barrier around the training ground.
• Liu Ziyun set down the black cat Yoruichi Shihōin and challenged all eight Visored to attack him at once.

Liu Ziyun humiliated the Visored while testing their strength, knocking Hiyori Sarugaki unconscious and defeating Kensei Muguruma despite his Bankai and Hollowfication. He demanded that the remaining Visored attack him together and threatened to start killing them if they refused.

• Hiyori Sarugaki attacked Liu Ziyun with her Hollow mask and Zanpakuto, but he dodged her strike and knocked her unconscious with a blow to the ground.
• Liu Ziyun challenged Shinji Hirako to prove the Visored were strong enough to reclaim what they had lost, and Shinji told Kensei Muguruma to fight without holding back.
• Kensei Muguruma activated Bankai and attacked Liu Ziyun, who deflected his punches and struck him into the Barrier.
• Kensei Muguruma rose, activated Hollowfication, and attacked again, but Liu Ziyun continued to deflect his blows without moving his feet.
• Liu Ziyun insulted Kensei Muguruma and threatened to cut down the Visored unless they attacked together, igniting their anger.

Liu Ziyun overwhelmed Lisa Yadōmaru, Kensei Muguruma, and Hiyori Sarugaki, then wounded Hiyori severely with his released Zanpakuto, Tulu. Shinji Hirako and the remaining Visored drew their swords and prepared to face him together.

• Lisa attacked Liu Ziyun from above as Kensei Muguruma charged from the side, but Liu caught Lisa's Zanpakuto, dodged Kensei's punch, and kicked Kensei through his mask and into the Barrier.
• Hiyori Sarugaki recovered and attacked Liu from behind, but he blocked her strike, then kicked Lisa and Hiyori away in quick succession.
• Liu taunted the Visored and threatened to kill them, prompting Hiyori to charge at him again.
• Liu released Tulu and slashed Hiyori from her right shoulder to her left abdomen, breaking her Zanpakuto and leaving her unable to move.
• Shinji Hirako drew his Zanpakuto, and the other standing Visored members masked themselves and joined him as their combined Reiatsu filled the training ground.
• Liu took a serious stance and announced that the real fight was about to begin.

Liu Ziyun effortlessly held off the Visored as they escalated their attack, provoking them until Shinji Hirako released Sakanade. Liu revealed that its vision-inverting ability could not confuse him because he was blind.

• Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, and Lisa Yadōmaru attacked Liu Ziyun together, but he deflected their strikes without moving from his spot.
• Liu taunted the three and threatened to kill one of them, prompting Kensei to don his mask and Love Aikawa, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, and Mashiro Kuna to join the fight.
• Six Visored attacked Liu, who dodged and countered with ease while criticizing their techniques; Kisuke Urahara told Hachigen Ushōda that Liu had not fully revealed his Zanpakuto's ability.
• Shinji activated Sakanade to invert Liu's vision, but Liu appeared beside him and mocked him, saying the ability could not confuse a blind man.

Liu Ziyun quickly defeated Shinji Hirako and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, exposing the weaknesses in their abilities. Love Aikawa and the remaining Visored stopped fighting and asked Liu Ziyun what he wanted.

• Liu Ziyun broke Shinji Hirako's Sakanade and wounded him, then kicked him beside the unconscious Hiyori Sarugaki.
• Kisuke Urahara explained that Sakanade could not affect Liu Ziyun because he was blind.
• Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi used Kinshara Butōdan to attack Liu Ziyun with illusions, water, and flames, but Liu Ziyun emerged unharmed.
• Liu Ziyun seized Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, slammed him into the ground, and stomped him until his Bankai released.
• Love Aikawa sat down and asked Liu Ziyun what he wanted, and Kensei Muguruma, Lisa Yadōmaru, and Mashiro Kuna stopped fighting.

Liu Ziyun healed the Visored after defeating them and explained that he had known about the future but had preserved key events so a savior could emerge. He asked to train his Bankai at their base and challenged them to develop their abilities, leaving the Visored resolved to resume training.

• Liu Ziyun used Wound Severance to heal the injured Visored and restore Sakanade, then Kisuke Urahara, Hachigen Ushōda, and Tessai Tsukabishi lowered the Barrier.
• Liu Ziyun told Shinji Hirako and the others that Life-Taker had shown him Aizen’s plot, their Hollowfication, and a future disaster, and that changing events could prevent the savior from appearing.
• Liu Ziyun said he had come to assess the Visored’s growth and borrow their training ground so he could conceal his Reiatsu while training his Bankai.
• Liu Ziyun urged Shinji Hirako, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, and the other Visored to expand their Zanpakuto and Hollowfication abilities.
• Shinji Hirako admitted the Visored had grown complacent and vowed they would resume training as Liu Ziyun began preparing to train his Bankai.

Liu Ziyun began Bankai training in an isolated space built by Kisuke Urahara, facing the manifested spirits Life-Taker and Tulu. After a fierce opening exchange, all three pulled apart, while the observers realized none of them had yet unleashed their full power.

• Liu Ziyun spent several days calming his mind in Karakura Town while Kisuke Urahara constructed an isolated training space at the Visored base.
• Kisuke Urahara completed the space, and Liu Ziyun entered it as Yoruichi Shihōin, Tessai Tsukabishi, and the Visored watched from outside.
• Liu Ziyun released his Zanpakuto, and Life-Taker and Tulu appeared as separate sword spirits before him.
• Liu Ziyun, Life-Taker, and Tulu released their powers and began fighting, with the spirits combining their attacks against Liu Ziyun.
• Shinji Hirako and the others watched in surprise as Kisuke Urahara observed that all three fighters were still holding back.
• After a fierce clash, Liu Ziyun, Life-Taker, and Tulu leaped apart and created distance between them.

Liu Ziyun fully released his Zanpakuto and fought Life-Taker and Tulu in a fierce battle, using Kidō and fate-based abilities to counter their attacks. Life-Taker and Tulu overwhelmed him with a coordinated assault, and the chapter left Liu Ziyun struck down as Life-Taker’s slash exploded into the dust around him.

• Liu Ziyun, Life-Taker, and Tulu released Complete Shikai, transforming their swords and greatly increasing their Reiatsu.
• Kisuke Urahara explained that Liu Ziyun had previously fought using only a half Shikai, while the Visored watched in shock.
• Liu Ziyun and his Zanpakuto counterparts exchanged attacks and healed their injuries, though the healing drained his Spiritual Power and mental energy.
• Liu Ziyun used Black Coffin, but Life-Taker broke the spell with Broken Wall, and both sides traded increasingly powerful sword techniques.
• Tulu erased Liu Ziyun’s returning arrows with Fate Slaughter, while Life-Taker attacked from the side and Tulu struck Liu Ziyun with Chain Blade Slash.
• Life-Taker fired a Flying Blade into the dust after Liu Ziyun crashed to the ground, triggering a massive explosion.

Liu Ziyun fought Life-Taker and Tulu in a devastating final clash but failed to master Bankai, then explained that accepting every part of oneself was essential to gaining power. He fell asleep after the battle, while the Visored reflected on his advice and his training remained unfinished.

• Liu Ziyun, Life-Taker, and Tulu raised their Reiatsu and charged into a final clash that shook the training space.
• After the dust settled, Liu Ziyun lay exhausted on the ground while Life-Taker and Tulu had disappeared.
• Liu Ziyun told Shinji Hirako and the others that he regretted delaying Bankai training and explained that his Zanpakuto’s strength grew along with his own.
• Liu Ziyun urged the Visored to accept their Zanpakuto and inner Hollows as parts of themselves, prompting them to reconsider their resistance to Hollowfication.
• Liu Ziyun asked Kisuke Urahara to reinforce the Barrier, then went to sleep as the others left the damaged training space.

Liu Ziyun woke blind but able to sense light and went to the Underground Training Ground, where he criticized the Visoreds’ tame sparring. He urged them to train under life-and-death pressure, suggested Hachigen Ushōda develop his restoration ability for healing, and sent Hiyori Sarugaki and Lisa Yadōmaru to watch from the side.

• Liu Ziyun woke in the Visored base, confirmed that he was still blind, changed into spare clothes, and sensed activity in the Underground Training Ground.
• Liu Ziyun heard Hiyori Sarugaki and Lisa Yadōmaru sparring and mocked their lack of killing intent.
• Liu Ziyun challenged Hiyori Sarugaki to consider how often she had aimed to kill or strike vital spots, leaving her unable to answer.
• Liu Ziyun told the Visoreds that weaker fighters should face stronger opponents and that sparring should push them to their limits.
• Liu Ziyun proposed that Hachigen Ushōda develop his Return to Origin ability to heal injuries, and Hachigen Ushōda agreed to study it.
• Liu Ziyun ordered Hiyori Sarugaki and Lisa Yadōmaru to stop sparring and watch from the side.

Liu Ziyun sparred seriously with Shinji Hirako, showing him how his blindness countered Sakanade and suggesting ways to expand its reversal ability. Shinji began combining his combat skills, but Liu called on him to use everything he had and attacked.

• Liu Ziyun challenged Shinji Hirako to spar and released his Zanpakuto, Life-Taker.
• Shinji activated Sakanade, but Liu blocked his attack by sensing his movements without relying on sight.
• Liu told Shinji to develop Sakanade to reverse spiritual perception and other senses, leaving Shinji stunned.
• Shinji attacked with Shunpo, Zanjutsu, and Hakuda, but Liu blocked his strikes and gave him several shallow cuts.
• Liu urged Shinji to use his mask and all his abilities, then launched an attack of his own.