Chapter Summaries

Captain-Commander Yamamoto used his battle-honed techniques to overpower Kenpachi Zaraki, who refused to give up fighting. Yoruichi Shihoin watched and recalled Yamamoto’s past as a fearsome killer, while Kenpachi remained barely conscious from his wounds.

• Kenpachi Zaraki charged Captain-Commander Yamamoto with a brutal assault, determined to keep fighting rather than return to being a Soul Reaper.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto used Flash Step to reach Kenpachi Zaraki’s blind spot and struck between his eyes, leaving him unable to move.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto hit Kenpachi Zaraki with a spiritual slash that nearly cut him in two, but Kenpachi clung to consciousness through sheer will.
• Yoruichi Shihoin watched from a concealed height and recalled Yamamoto’s skill with Flash Step, Intimidating Sleep, and Flickering Slash.
• Yoruichi Shihoin reflected that Yamamoto had become a gentler protector over the centuries, though his old resolve and combat instincts remained.

Kenpachi Zaraki awakened a devastating killing-intent technique and traded heavy blows with Captain-Commander Yamamoto. As both fighters suffered serious injuries, Shunsui Kyoraku stepped in to protect Yamamoto.

• Yoruichi watched Captain-Commander Yamamoto fight and recognized how his assassination techniques had grown more refined.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto pierced Kenpachi Zaraki’s chest with Ghost Fire, but Kenpachi quickly recovered and awakened his battle instinct.
• Kenpachi Zaraki unleashed Killing Intent Wave Fist, striking through Yamamoto’s defense and putting him at a disadvantage.
• Yamamoto countered with hundreds of Double Bone attacks, but Kenpachi hit him at close range, leaving both fighters badly injured.
• Shunsui Kyoraku stepped in front of Yamamoto and told him to rest.

Shunsui Kyoraku released Katen Kyōkotsu and challenged Kenpachi Zaraki, using its game-like rules to wound him. Kenpachi Zaraki rejected the idea that any rule could bind a true strong man and prepared to keep fighting.

• Shunsui Kyoraku stepped into the battle despite Captain-Commander Yamamoto's warning and released Katen Kyōkotsu.
• Kenpachi Zaraki destroyed Shunsui Kyoraku's incoming sword-energy attack with a single punch.
• Shunsui Kyoraku used Zan'ō from above, cutting through Kenpachi Zaraki's fist and wounding his chest.
• Shunsui Kyoraku explained that Katen Kyōkotsu made the rules of a game real and that height determined Zan'ō's power.
• Kenpachi Zaraki insisted that fighting spirit could overcome any rule and let a strong man create his own rules.

Shunsui Kyoraku used Katen Kyōkotsu’s rule-based games to attack Kenpachi Zaraki, but Kenpachi endured the wounds and overwhelmed him with sheer force. The fight left Shunsui grievously wounded after Kenpachi struck his own shadow.

• Shunsui explained Katen Kyōkotsu’s games to Kenpachi, who welcomed the challenge.
• Shunsui used Color Demon to slash Kenpachi’s chest, but Kenpachi’s fighting spirit only grew stronger.
• Shunsui switched to Shadow Ghost and pierced Kenpachi through his shadow, yet Kenpachi kept fighting despite the apparent wound to his heart.
• Kenpachi struck Shunsui away, damaging Katen Kyōkotsu, then Shunsui hid in Kenpachi’s shadow and attacked his legs.
• Kenpachi activated Kill All Fist and punched his own shadow, grievously wounding Shunsui inside it.
• Jushiro Ukitake rushed to Shunsui’s aid.

Ichigo Kurosaki and the captains tried to stop Kenpachi Zaraki’s rampage while Shunsui Kyoraku lay gravely wounded, but Sosuke Aizen exploited the chaos to attack. After Byakuya Kuchiki fell protecting Rukia Kuchiki, her Hogyoku-enhanced berserker power awakened, and she erupted with fury.

• Kenpachi Zaraki’s blow left Shunsui Kyoraku unconscious and critically injured, while Retsu Unohana struggled to treat the damage from his killing intent.
• Ichigo Kurosaki warned that Sosuke Aizen remained a threat, and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto stripped Kenpachi Zaraki of his captaincy and title.
• Sosuke Aizen attacked amid the turmoil, using Kyoka Suigetsu to overwhelm the defenders and pierce Byakuya Kuchiki as he protected Rukia Kuchiki.
• Aizen tried to take Rukia Kuchiki, but her Hogyoku- and Absolute Power-driven transformation had made her a berserker capable of altering her own reality.
• Rukia Kuchiki saw Byakuya Kuchiki fall and unleashed her fury and grief.

Rukia Kuchiki overwhelmed Sosuke Aizen with her immense strength and precise attacks, breaking through his defenses as the battle shook Seireitei. Aizen questioned whether her power came from being a berserker, then Captain-Commander Yamamoto arrived, and Aizen admitted he was not ready to face him.

• Rukia Kuchiki rushed Aizen, slammed him into the ground, and battered him with a barrage of punches.
• Aizen escaped Rukia's assault and used Dankū to block her next blow, but her strength nearly shattered the shield.
• Rukia evaded Aizen's sword pressure and struck through his defenses with spiraling Spiritual Pressure, making him groan.
• Aizen praised Rukia's power and asked whether it was the power of a berserker, while Byakuya Kuchiki realized something about her.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto arrived and confronted Aizen, who said he was not yet prepared to face him.

Aizen tried to escape Soul Society inside the Inverse Membrane after his plans to obtain the Hogyoku and take Rukia Kuchiki failed. Ichigo Kurosaki refused to let him leave and prepared to attack the membrane with his Karma Retribution Fist.

• Aizen activated the Inverse Membrane while Yamamoto and the Gotei 13 watched, unable to stop his escape.
• Komamura questioned Aizen about his deal with the Menos Grande, and Aizen said he was reshaping the world for a higher realm.
• Aizen reflected that he had failed to take Rukia Kuchiki or obtain the Hogyoku, and decided to retreat and seek another way to extract it later.
• Ichigo Kurosaki confronted Aizen and declared that he would not let him leave, despite Ukitake warning that attacks from outside could not reach the membrane's interior.
• Ichigo Kurosaki gathered his spiritual power and launched the Karma Retribution Fist with ten thousand horsepower of Reiatsu Rotation and 45% Absolute Power.

Ichigo Kurosaki wounded Sosuke Aizen with a fate-anchoring punch, but Aizen escaped into Hueco Mundo before Ichigo could pursue him. Ichigo returned to the World of the Living with Tatsuki Arisawa and Kenpachi Zaraki, who settled in Karakura Town.

• Ichigo Kurosaki's Karma Retribution Fist pierced the Inverse Membrane and struck Sosuke Aizen, leaving him seriously wounded.
• Ichigo Kurosaki moved to pursue Aizen, but stopped because he worried about his family, while Kenpachi Zaraki held back because he worried about Yachiru Kusajishi.
• Sosuke Aizen escaped as the Garganta closed, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto realized Aizen was an extremely dangerous threat.
• Ichigo Kurosaki asked Chang Wei to send them back, and a gate of light returned Ichigo, Tatsuki Arisawa, and Kenpachi Zaraki to the World of the Living.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi regretted losing the chance to study the berserkers, and Kenpachi Zaraki settled in Karakura Town.

Kenpachi Zaraki settled into Karakura Town, where daily battles with Berserkers gave him a place among fellow fighters. Yoruichi Shihoin warned Kisuke Urahara that Berserkers were growing extraordinarily powerful and could spread with alarming ease, leaving the scale of the threat uncertain.

• Kenpachi Zaraki found companionship and constant challenges among the Berserkers in Karakura Town.
• Yoruichi Shihoin told Kisuke Urahara that Ichigo Kurosaki could nearly match Captain-Commander Yamamoto without Bankai and was still growing rapidly.
• Yoruichi Shihoin described how other Berserkers had gained power during their invasion of Soul Society through their fierce fighting spirit.
• Yoruichi Shihoin revealed that Kenpachi Zaraki had become a Berserker, defeated Shunsui Kyoraku, and surpassed Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
• Yoruichi Shihoin warned Kisuke Urahara that Berserkers could transform Soul Reapers and humans with few apparent restrictions, and feared Hollows might be transformed too.

Kisuke Urahara decided to seek answers from Ichigo Kurosaki about the Berserkers and the Voice from Beyond the Heavens. Back in Karakura Town, Ichigo tried to make Isshin Kurosaki a Berserker to protect his family, but Chang Wei revealed that Isshin was a former Soul Reaper Captain.

• Kisuke Urahara asked Yoruichi Shihoin whether Ichigo Kurosaki was the King of Berserkers and proposed questioning him directly.
• Ichigo Kurosaki returned to Karakura Town, disbanded the Berserkers, and continued training his Absolute Power.
• Ichigo Kurosaki told Isshin Kurosaki he wanted to make him a Berserker because he feared Sosuke Aizen might threaten their family.
• Chang Wei revealed that Isshin Kurosaki was a Soul Reaper and former Captain who had lost most of his spiritual power.
• Ichigo Kurosaki explained his agreement with Chang Wei, and Isshin Kurosaki urged Chang Wei to come to him instead of involving Ichigo.

Chang Wei urged Isshin Kurosaki to become a Berserker, while Ichigo Kurosaki reassured his father that he had chosen to follow Chang Wei after growing stronger. Isshin learned how powerful Ichigo had become, but Chang Wei left him facing the danger posed by the mastermind behind his wife’s and mother’s deaths.

• Ichigo Kurosaki told Isshin Kurosaki to trust his decision to follow Chang Wei, and Isshin accepted that his son had grown beyond needing his protection.
• Isshin refused to become a Berserker, saying he had regained his Soul Reaper powers and needed no more strength.
• Chang Wei revealed that Ichigo had driven Sosuke Aizen to Hueco Mundo and could force Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto to compromise without using Bankai.
• After learning what Ichigo had faced in the Soul Society, Isshin marveled at his son's growth and compared it with his own.
• Chang Wei warned Isshin that the mastermind behind his wife’s and mother’s deaths was beyond his current power and asked whether he would leave the burden to Ichigo.

Chang Wei revealed that Masaki Kurosaki may have been secretly made powerless before her death, prompting Isshin Kurosaki to face the mystery and seek justice. Isshin chose to become a Berserker and fight alongside Ichigo as a new power awakened within him.

• Chang Wei told Isshin Kurosaki that Masaki Kurosaki’s loss of power may have left her vulnerable to the Hollow that killed her.
• Isshin Kurosaki resolved to uncover the mastermind and make them pay, while Chang Wei warned that the enemy was far beyond Ichigo Kurosaki’s strength.
• Ichigo Kurosaki offered to handle the matter alone, but Isshin insisted that Masaki’s death was their family’s fight and decided to become a Berserker.
• Ichigo Kurosaki punched Isshin Kurosaki in the chest, awakening a surge of power and a longing for battle within him.

Isshin Kurosaki awakened as a berserker and fought Ichigo, rediscovering his resolve and beginning to merge with Engetsu. Meanwhile, Sosuke Aizen regrouped with Barragan and Gin Ichimaru after his defeat, while Gin questioned what he planned to do about the Hogyoku on Rukia Kuchiki.

• Isshin Kurosaki reconciled with his past and chose to keep fighting to protect his family.
• Isshin Kurosaki and Ichigo Kurosaki fought, strengthening their bond and resolving themselves to their paths.
• Isshin Kurosaki realized his berserker power had brought his Soul Reaper abilities under his control, while Engetsu began merging with his soul.
• Isshin Kurosaki asked the Lord Observer whether he was ready to learn the truth of that year, but received no answer.
• Sosuke Aizen accepted Barragan's criticism after their retreat and assured him he would resolve the situation.
• Gin Ichimaru asked Sosuke Aizen how they would obtain the Hogyoku on Rukia Kuchiki, but Aizen only told him not to worry.

Aizen began researching five captured Berserkers, suspecting they might help him surpass the limits of Soul Reapers and Hollows. Meanwhile, Ikkaku Madarame, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and other 11th Division Soul Reapers defected to the World of the Living to find Kenpachi Zaraki, and Ichigo Kurosaki met them at his school.

• Aizen arrived at his hidden laboratory and began studying five captured Berserkers, considering whether they could become Hollows and whether they held the key to another Hogyoku.
• After a month of recovery, Seireitei formed a Hueco Mundo Subjugation Force to capture Sosuke Aizen, whom Mayuri Kurotsuchi suspected was seeking the King Key of Creation in Karakura Town.
• Ikkaku Madarame, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and several 11th Division Soul Reapers defected to the World of the Living to follow Kenpachi Zaraki.
• Ichigo Kurosaki spotted the newcomers outside his classroom, reassured Orihime Inoue, and went out to meet them.
• Ikkaku Madarame said they had come to follow Captain Zaraki, while Ayasegawa Yumichika clarified that they wanted to continue fighting by his side, whatever the path required.

Kenpachi Zaraki welcomed Ikkaku Madarame, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and other Soul Reapers who wanted to follow him, then tested their resolve as they began training in the Killing Intent Style. After leaving the warehouse, Ichigo Kurosaki confronted Kisuke Urahara, who was astonished that Ichigo had detected his concealment.

• Ichigo Kurosaki led Ikkaku Madarame, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and the other Soul Reapers to Kenpachi Zaraki, who agreed to let them follow him.
• Kenpachi Zaraki tested Ikkaku Madarame by punching him, and Ikkaku endured the blow without giving up.
• Ayasegawa Yumichika failed to withstand Kenpachi Zaraki's punch, while Ichigo Kurosaki explained that Kenpachi's training taught Berserkers to face and control their own killing intent.
• Kenpachi Zaraki challenged the Soul Reapers one by one, knocking them down as they repeatedly got back up and demanded to continue.
• Ichigo Kurosaki left the warehouse and called out Kisuke Urahara, who emerged from hiding and asked how Ichigo had detected him.

Shinji Hirako and the Visored Army sought Ichigo Kurosaki’s help controlling the unstable Hollow power Aizen had forced into them. Ichigo explained that they could master it by strengthening their will and becoming Berserkers, leaving the Visoreds considering the path he offered.

• Shinji Hirako and the Visored Army appeared before Ichigo Kurosaki and asked about mastering their Hollow power.
• Shinji explained that Aizen’s Hollowfication experiment had left the Visoreds struggling to control their power and maintain their balance.
• Ichigo told the Visoreds to subdue their instincts through force while gradually understanding and mastering their power.
• Ichigo offered to help them become Berserkers, whose will could control changes in their bodies and powers.
• Ichigo explained that Berserkers drew battle intent from latent human willpower, shocking Shinji Hirako and the others.

Ichigo Kurosaki explained willpower and intensity to the Visoreds, then brought them to train against Karakura Town’s Berserkers. Kensei Muguruma challenged a Dog Class Berserker, whose instinct-powered fighting ability surprised him.

• Kisuke Urahara asked about willpower, and Ichigo Kurosaki explained how it let fighters surpass their limits and control powers that belonged to them.
• Ichigo Kurosaki described intensity as willpower manifested in battle and warned that pursuing it excessively could make a fighter lose himself.
• Ichigo Kurosaki led the Visoreds to a Dog Class Berserker and told them to fight him.
• Kensei Muguruma challenged the Berserker and attacked with Sandbag Strike, but the Berserker effortlessly dodged his punches.
• Ichigo Kurosaki revealed that the Berserker’s extraordinary speed, strength, and reactions came from instinct.

Ichigo Kurosaki helped Shinji Hirako and the others understand fighting intent and awaken Berserker power, while Kisuke Urahara urged them to stay calm about Aizen. In Hueco Mundo, Aizen created a Berserk Menos Grande and sent it to confront the Soul Society’s Hueco Mundo Suppression Squad.

• Ichigo Kurosaki explained how Berserkers’ will and desire to fight let them exceed ordinary limits, and Shinji Hirako and the others completed their training by grasping fighting intent.
• Shinji Hirako discovered he could use Sakazuki’s power without releasing his Zanpakuto, and the Visored Army wanted to go to Hueco Mundo to take revenge on Aizen.
• Kisuke Urahara warned the Visored Army that Soul Society had already sent a squad to deal with Aizen and asked them to help study Berserker power.
• Aizen fused a Berserker soul into a Gillian, creating a Berserk Menos Grande that killed and devoured other Gillians and appeared able to evolve according to its opponents.
• Aizen sent the Berserk Menos Grande to face the Hueco Mundo Suppression Squad.

The Hueco Mundo expedition force was ambushed by a powerful Gillian whose unusual Cero devastated the Soul Reapers. Sajin Komamura released his Bankai to confront it as the battle began.

• Retsu Unohana sensed killing intent just before a crimson Cero struck the expedition force, killing some members and severely injuring others.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi studied the Cero while a grotesque Gillian emerged from the explosion.
• Sajin Komamura moved to protect Retsu Unohana, who stepped aside and left the fight to him and the other Soul Reapers.
• Byakuya Kuchiki recognized Retsu Unohana's true strength but focused on becoming stronger to protect Rukia Kuchiki from Aizen.
• Sajin Komamura released Bankai, summoning Black Rope Heavenly Condemnation Myōō, whose injuries would also be inflicted on Komamura.

The Berserk Menos Grande used Self-Modification to evolve from a Gillian into a humanoid Adjuchas, then overwhelmed Byakuya Kuchiki in battle. As the creature closed in on the injured captain, Retsu Unohana called on Mayuri Kurotsuchi to act.

• The Berserk Menos Grande struck Black Rope Heavenly Condemnation Myōō with its claws and a point-blank Cero, forcing Sajin Komamura to withdraw it before it could be bitten.
• Byakuya Kuchiki used Senbonzakura Kageyoshi against the Berserk Menos Grande, but its wounds quickly recovered and his blades barely harmed it.
• The Berserk Menos Grande used Self-Modification to transform from a Gillian-class Menos Grande into a humanoid Adjuchas and declared that everyone would become a stepping stone for its evolution.
• The evolved Berserk Menos Grande unleashed Hollow Bullets, and Byakuya Kuchiki answered with Gokei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, but the attack only left shallow marks.
• The Berserk Menos Grande wounded Byakuya Kuchiki with a claw strike, and Retsu Unohana asked Mayuri Kurotsuchi to intervene.