Chapter Summaries

Hoshiryu left Miroku with Kukaku and a childlike clone to keep his amusement-park promise while taking Yachiru Unohana to the moon and confessing that he would never give up on her or anyone else in his life. Yachiru answered by unleashing her Bankai and challenging him to defeat her.

• Hoshiryu vanished with Yachiru Unohana, leaving Miroku behind, and she complained to Kukaku that he had broken his promise to take her to the amusement park.
• Little Xingliu emerged from a space crack, grumbled about being a childlike clone, and promised to take Miroku to the amusement park.
• Kukaku, Miroku, and Little Xingliu went to the amusement park and enjoyed its rides together.
• On the moon, Hoshiryu told Yachiru Unohana that he was selfish, would not let her go, and would not give up on anyone else in his life.
• Yachiru Unohana activated Bankai—Minazuki, summoned a sea of blood, and told Hoshiryu to defeat her if he wanted her to do what he said.

Hoshiryu and Yachiru Unohana fought fiercely on the moon until he stopped the battle by embracing her, and they began another intimate encounter. In Hueco Mundo, Aizen sensed their power and grew fascinated by the possibility of surpassing Death Gods and Hollows.

• Hoshiryu charged into Yachiru Unohana's sea of blood, and the two exchanged powerful attacks.
• Their escalating battle cracked the moon and threatened to destroy it.
• Hoshiryu released his blade and embraced Yachiru Unohana, who stopped struggling and accepted his warmth.
• Yachiru Unohana wrapped her legs around Hoshiryu and asked him to teach her, beginning another battle between them.
• Aizen watched the moon from Hueco Mundo, sensed their power, and wondered about gods from another world.

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni moved to abolish Soul Society's entrenched noble privileges, while Kisuke Urahara noticed signs of a battle involving Hoshiryu and faced Hollowified Ichigo. The fight ended this chapter amid laughter as Shinji Hirako and Hiyori bickered in sync.

• Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni learned that most nobles rejected his proposed terms and set out with Chōjirō Sasakibe to remove the old privileges by force.
• Hoshiryu repaired the damaged moon, but Kisuke Urahara noticed the subtle change and wondered who had fought Hoshiryu.
• Kisuke Urahara used Benihime to block a dark crimson beam as Hiyori and Shinji Hirako watched.
• Hollowified Ichigo fired Ceros at Hiyori and Shinji Hirako, and Hiyori struck the flying Shinji with her slipper.
• Kensei Muguruma teased Shinji Hirako and Hiyori for getting along, prompting their synchronized denials and laughter across the battlefield.

Ichigo fought White Hollow in his inner world, but hesitation and a devastating wound left him unconscious and triggered a dangerous Hollow transformation. As the Visoreds prepared to stop it, an overwhelming spiritual pressure erupted and an inhuman howl rang out.

• White Hollow challenged Ichigo to understand the difference between a king and a subordinate, arguing that instinct and an unrestrained desire to fight made one stronger.
• Ichigo recognized that he had restrained his fighting instincts, but White Hollow stabbed him in the abdomen before he could respond.
• Ichigo lost consciousness, and a white cocoon, Hollow mask, and chest hole began forming around his body.
• Kensei Muguruma struggled against Ichigo as his Hollowification intensified, and Kisuke Urahara ordered the Visoreds to stop it with all their strength.
• A powerful spiritual pressure shook the area, and Hiyori cried out before an inhuman howl echoed across the sky.

Ichigo completed his transformation into Bullhead Ichigo and overwhelmed the Visoreds with his power. Shinji Hirako survived Ichigo’s devastating Cero thanks to three Ceros that intercepted it, while Kisuke Urahara admitted Ichigo’s strength had exceeded his expectations.

• Ichigo’s mask finished forming, and his casual Zanpakuto swings unleashed powerful gusts across the field.
• Bullhead Ichigo targeted Hiyori, but Kisuke Urahara blocked his strike and pulled her to safety with Flash Step.
• Shinji Hirako, Hiyori, Lisa Yadōmaru, Kensei Muguruma, and the others attacked Ichigo, but he sent them flying and severely wounded Hiyori and Lisa.
• Shinji fired a Cero at Ichigo, whose horn-powered Cero swallowed the attack and surged toward Shinji.
• Three Ceros struck Ichigo’s Cero and detonated it, leaving Shinji injured but alive.
• Shinji confronted Kisuke Urahara about Ichigo’s power, and Kisuke said the transformation had surpassed his expectations.

Bullhead Ichigo attacked Kisuke Urahara during training, but Urahara escaped with Utsusemi as the Visoreds joined the fight. Outside the barrier around the shop, Orihime Inoue sought news about Ichigo, and Tessai Tsukabishi offered to contact Urahara for her.

• Bullhead Ichigo struck Kisuke Urahara with overwhelming speed, but Urahara used Utsusemi to avoid the fatal blow.
• Shinji Hirako recognized Urahara's technique and acknowledged his strength.
• The Visoreds joined the battle and coordinated their attacks against Bullhead Ichigo.
• Orihime Inoue arrived at Kisuke Urahara's shop but could not pass through its golden barrier to reach Ichigo.
• Tessai Tsukabishi reassured Orihime that Ichigo was safe inside and offered to contact Urahara with an update.

Orihime Inoue fought through the crushing Spiritual Pressure to reach the basement, where Hollowified Ichigo battled the Visoreds. Her cry stopped Ichigo’s rampage, and within his inner world he seized his Zanpakuto and attacked White Hollow to end their fight quickly so he could return to someone waiting outside.

• Tessai Tsukabishi opened the barrier, releasing several captain-class Spiritual Pressures that forced Orihime Inoue to her knees.
• Orihime Inoue gathered her resolve and struggled through the Spiritual Pressure until she reached the basement.
• Shinji Hirako urged Kisuke Urahara to intervene as Hollowified Ichigo grew more violent against the Visoreds, but Urahara said he had a plan.
• Orihime Inoue shouted Ichigo’s name, and Bullhead Ichigo’s attack stopped as he struggled against his instincts.
• Inside Ichigo’s inner world, Ichigo seized Tensa Zangetsu from White Hollow and declared that he had to end their battle quickly because someone was waiting for him outside.
• Ichigo struck at White Hollow with Getsuga Tensho.

Kurosaki Ichigo defeated White Hollow and returned to normal, then reunited with Orihime Inoue. Hoshiryu intervened when Yachiru Unohana punished Hiyori and ordered Ichigo and Orihime to go with him.

• Kurosaki Ichigo defeated White Hollow in his inner world, and his Hollow mask and chest hole disappeared as his spiritual pressure settled.
• Orihime Inoue ran to Kurosaki Ichigo, who embraced her before nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
• Hoshiryu praised Kurosaki Ichigo but said he still needed to understand the power within himself, while Kisuke Urahara defended his potential.
• Hiyori insulted Hoshiryu, and Yachiru Unohana's spiritual pressure began to make Hiyori's body dissipate.
• Hoshiryu stopped Yachiru Unohana, and Shinji Hirako helped Hiyori after she collapsed.
• Hoshiryu told Kurosaki Ichigo and Orihime Inoue to come with him.

Hoshiryu asked Kurosaki Ichigo to supervise Aizen, and Ichigo agreed after Orihime Inoue supported him. Hoshiryu then made the appointment conditional on Ichigo becoming strong enough to defeat Aizen.

• Hoshiryu entered the portal, and Kurosaki Ichigo and Orihime Inoue followed him into an unfamiliar space.
• Retsu Unohana stayed behind, greeted Hiyori, and dragged her away for swordsmanship training while Shinji Hirako and the Visoreds pretended not to notice.
• Hoshiryu explained the world fusion and the coming competition between the Gotei 13 and Aizen, then asked Ichigo to supervise Aizen.
• Orihime told Ichigo she would support his choice, and Ichigo agreed to take responsibility for supervising Aizen.
• Hoshiryu said Ichigo would need the strength to defeat Aizen before he could convince the others to accept his authority.

Hoshiryu agreed to help Kurosaki Ichigo develop his potential and warned Kisuke Urahara that Aizen had accelerated his plans. He explained that his guidance was punishment for Aizen’s attempts to test him, leaving Aizen’s competition with the Gotei 13 increasingly tilted against him.

• Hoshiryu returned with Kurosaki Ichigo and Orihime Inoue, then stopped Yachiru Unohana from sending Hiyori flying.
• Hiyori landed in a cloud of dust and hid behind Shinji Hirako while he quietly enjoyed her humiliation.
• Hoshiryu warned Kisuke Urahara that Aizen had accelerated his plans and said Ichigo needed to find his true power or learn the Final Getsuga Tensho.
• Kisuke asked why Hoshiryu was helping them, and Hoshiryu explained that Aizen’s desire to choose another path had prompted his intervention.
• Hoshiryu said his hints were reducing Aizen’s chances of winning as punishment for testing his limits.

Hoshiryu and Yachiru Unohana found Miroku and Kūkaku Shiba playing an arcade game, where Kūkaku intimidated Miroku into losing a rematch. When Miroku ran to Hoshiryu for help, he scolded her for provoking Kūkaku.

• Hoshiryu left Kisuke Urahara and went with Yachiru Unohana to find Miroku and Kūkaku Shiba.
• Miroku beat Kūkaku at King of Fighters and taunted her about her poor skills.
• Kūkaku threatened Miroku with a hammer and challenged her to a rematch, which Miroku lost.
• Kūkaku softened her manner when she noticed Hoshiryu watching, and Miroku ran to him, claiming Kūkaku had bullied her.
• Hoshiryu tapped Miroku on the head and told her she had brought the trouble on herself by provoking Kūkaku.

Hoshiryu and Miroku teased each other while Unohana unnerved Kukaku by proposing a game that Kukaku feared would become a fight to the death. A black vortex then brought two monsters to the Living World, where Ulquiorra warned his companion not to act rashly because Aizen had identified someone they could not afford to provoke.

• Miroku complained that Hoshiryu was too rough, and he ruffled her hair as she secretly smiled.
• Unohana invited Kukaku to play a game, and Kukaku awkwardly tried to refuse because she feared Unohana's true nature.
• A strange ripple warped space, and a black vortex appeared before Hoshiryu and the others.
• Two monsters emerged from the vortex, and one threatened to purify the place.
• Ulquiorra stopped his companion and said Aizen had warned them not to provoke someone in the Living World.

Yammy attacked nearby humans until an unknown assailant interrupted him with Hado 63: Thunder Roar Cannon. Hoshiryu appeared and restrained Ulquiorra as he tried to escape to Hueco Mundo.

• Yammy inhaled and knocked out humans within a thousand meters, then increased his suction to devour their souls.
• A Thunder Roar Cannon struck from the sky, forcing Yammy to abandon his attack and defend himself.
• Yammy met the spell with his spiritual pressure and Bala, causing a violent clash with Ulquiorra watching.
• The explosions abruptly froze and vanished, leaving Yammy and Ulquiorra stunned.
• Ulquiorra opened a portal to Hueco Mundo, but an invisible force stopped him from entering.
• Hoshiryu appeared and asked Ulquiorra why he had disobeyed Aizen, joking that he was in a rebellious phase.

Ulquiorra confronted Hoshiryu and remembered Aizen's warning that they should pray if they faced an unbeatable existence. Yammy transformed into his Resurrección and attacked Hoshiryu, who struck him down with a single swing of his sword.

• Ulquiorra recognized Hoshiryu as an existence he could neither understand nor resist and recalled Aizen's warning to pray for survival.
• Yammy released his Resurrección, transforming into a gigantic twelve-legged monster.
• Furious that Hoshiryu ignored him, Yammy charged and vowed to punish him.
• Hoshiryu drew a sword and struck Yammy with a dazzling blade of light.
• Yammy lost consciousness and crashed to the ground while Hoshiryu remained standing.

Hoshiryu learned that Aizen had sent Ulquiorra and Yammy to kill Kurosaki Ichigo and realized their arrival was part of Aizen’s scheme to provoke him. Meanwhile, Aizen’s sneak attack drove Ichigo into a horned transformation, forcing Aizen to reconsider the battle.

• Ulquiorra confessed to Hoshiryu that Aizen had ordered him and Yammy to eliminate Kurosaki Ichigo.
• Hoshiryu recognized that Aizen’s orders had changed because his own attention to Ichigo had altered events, while Yachiru Unohana offered to kill Aizen and Hoshiryu refused.
• A distant rumble led Hoshiryu to realize Aizen had positioned Ulquiorra and Yammy near him as sacrifices to provoke a conflict.
• Ulquiorra understood Aizen’s plan and began doubting his loyalty, while Hoshiryu questioned whether Aizen could be trusted with power.
• Aizen recalled that his sneak attack had pierced Ichigo’s chest, but Ichigo transformed with a horned mask and struck him with a point-blank Cero, leaving Aizen lightly injured.

Aizen realized that Bullhead Ichigo had surpassed the limits of a Death God, and their battle escalated as Ichigo’s instinctive attacks broke through Aizen’s defenses. Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu to hypnotize him, but Ichigo still located Aizen by instinct and nearly hit him with a devastating Cero.

• Aizen sensed Bullhead Ichigo’s spiritual pressure vanish and return at a level beyond the limits of a Death God.
• Bullhead Ichigo appeared before Aizen and shattered his Danku with a powerful sword strike, forcing Aizen to evade.
• Aizen released Kyōka Suigetsu and believed Bullhead Ichigo had fallen under Complete Hypnosis.
• Bullhead Ichigo fired a Cero toward Aizen, who escaped with Flash Step as the blast created a huge mushroom cloud in the distance.
• Aizen realized Bullhead Ichigo was fighting on instinct and had found his location despite the hypnosis.

Aizen escaped to Hueco Mundo after Bullhead Ichigo’s attacks cracked the Anti-Barrier, and he marveled at Ichigo’s power as he reconsidered his pursuit of surpassing the limits of a Death God. In the Living World, Orihime Inoue calmed Ichigo’s frenzy, treated his injuries, and stayed beside him until he awoke.

• Aizen summoned the Anti-Barrier to escape Bullhead Ichigo, whose attacks cracked the barrier before it pulled Aizen into Hueco Mundo.
• Aizen praised Kurosaki Ichigo’s power and questioned whether he needed the Hogyoku to surpass the limits of a Death God.
• After Aizen vanished, Bullhead Ichigo continued attacking wildly until Orihime Inoue called to him and his mask shattered.
• Orihime Inoue caught Kurosaki Ichigo, healed his wounds with the power of rejection, and watched over him as he recovered.
• Kurosaki Ichigo groaned and woke up.

Kurosaki Ichigo woke after Aizen caused him to lose control and destroy part of the city, and he struggled with guilt over the damage. Kisuke Urahara reassured him that the people were safe and hinted that someone in the Living World would prevent a repeat.

• Kurosaki Ichigo awoke and remembered Aizen's ambush and his own rampage.
• Orihime Inoue helped Kurosaki Ichigo up and held his hand as he grieved over the ruined city.
• Kisuke Urahara interrupted their awkwardly tender moment and appeared beside them.
• Kisuke Urahara told Kurosaki Ichigo that he had evacuated the people before the destruction and that they were all safe.
• Kisuke Urahara hinted that someone in the Living World would never let such a disaster happen again.

Hoshiryu arrived at Kisuke Urahara’s location and explained that neither Aizen nor Captain-Commander Yamamoto should lead the Soul Society after the worlds merged. The chapter left Urahara listening in agreement, as Hoshiryu prepared to discuss another path.

• Hoshiryu brought Unohana, Kukaku, and Miroku through a spatial gate to meet Kisuke Urahara, while Ulquiorra returned to Hueco Mundo alone.
• Urahara assumed Hoshiryu had come to see Kurosaki Ichigo and tried to leave, but Hoshiryu stopped him to talk.
• Hoshiryu said Aizen’s ambition would prevent him from maintaining long-term stability in the Soul Society.
• Hoshiryu argued that Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s rigid outlook made him unsuitable to lead through the coming fusion of worlds.
• Urahara’s expression showed that he agreed with Hoshiryu’s assessment.

Hoshiryu told Kisuke Urahara that he could not escape the changes overtaking Soul Society, then sparred with Retsu Unohana. Meanwhile, Aizen revised his plans after his defeat by Kurosaki Ichigo, and the Menos launched a massive invasion of Soul Society.

• Hoshiryu told Kisuke Urahara that he wanted him and warned that the times would force him forward.
• Hoshiryu praised Aizen’s resolve, while Retsu Unohana asked how he would introduce her to the others.
• Retsu Unohana took Hoshiryu to the training grounds and challenged him to a fight.
• After Kurosaki Ichigo defeated him, Aizen treated his wounds in Hueco Mundo and prepared for the final battle sooner than planned.
• The next day, the Menos surged into Soul Society in a massive wave, astonishing Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.