Chapter Summaries

Seireitei rebuilt after a catastrophic battle that everyone had forgotten, while a dark sphere in the sky still inspired instinctive fear. Byakuya Kuchiki lost his grandfather, and Rangiku realized she had forgotten someone important as she used skills she could not remember learning.

• Soul Reapers discussed the destruction across Seireitei and recalled that a mysterious Hollow had been defeated, though their memories of it and the battle had vanished.
• Soul Reapers wondered why the dark sphere overhead frightened them, then took comfort in Head Captain Yamamoto's strength.
• Young Byakuya Kuchiki arrived at Ginrei Kuchiki's bedside, heard his grandfather's final words about the Kuchiki Clan's duty, and watched him die.
• At Shin'ō Academy, Rangiku taught her classmates how to control Reishi, then realized she could not remember who had taught her and wept over the loss.

After He-El vanished from everyone’s memories, Tokinada Tsunayashiro embraced his new position as family head, while Aizen and Gin struggled with unexplained gaps in their past. Yamamoto and the True Name Calling Monk discussed He-El’s possible return, but a sudden Hollow transformation among injured captains at the Fourth Division left the crisis unresolved.

• Tokinada Tsunayashiro accepted his position as head of the Tsunayashiro Family and went inside for a ritual.
• Aizen wondered about the person he had lost, while Gin could no longer remember why he had joined Aizen; Aizen then invited Gin to act while the Seireitei was vulnerable.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni asked whether He-El would return, and True Name Calling Monk said He-El might become the living Soul King if he grew too powerful to defeat.
• True Name Calling Monk left Yamamoto in charge of the Seireitei and its people.
• Chōjirō Sasakibe reported that captains receiving treatment in the Fourth Division had suddenly turned into Hollows.

After the True Name Calling Monk erased his memories and changed his name, He-El became Black Ant in Hell. Black Ant discovered that Hell Gatekeepers were torturing its inhabitants and faced the creatures as he tried to understand his new existence.

• He-El's memories of his previous life and his time on Krypton and Earth vanished, leaving him with the name Black Ant.
• Black Ant explored Hell and questioned its terrified inhabitants about where he was.
• A Hell Gatekeeper attacked the people nearby, and Black Ant cut it in half with his Zanpakuto.
• A frightened man told Black Ant that the place was Hell and that Hell Gatekeepers tortured its inhabitants before another Gatekeeper seized him.
• Black Ant concluded that he must have been a villain and decided to do whatever he pleased as Hell Gatekeepers converged on him.

One hundred and ten years after the Seireitei’s earlier crisis, a Spirit Pearl Core sphere breached the Soul Veil and sent four Calamity Travelers falling into the Seireitei. As the captains prepared to intercept them, a giant hand emerged from the dark sphere and seized Uryu Ishida.

• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto ordered the captains of every division to deal with the invading Calamity Travelers.
• The captains prepared for the invasion, while Ichimaru Gin and Byakuya Kuchiki focused on the arriving threat.
• The energy sphere breached the Soul Veil, and four streaks of light scattered toward different parts of the Seireitei.
• A huge hand reached out from the dark sphere and grabbed Uryu Ishida as he passed it.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto saw Uryu Ishida being seized and reacted with alarm.

Black Ant stopped Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue in the air above the Seireitei and asked where he was. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni realized that a returned enemy threatened a Gotei 13 still weakened by its history.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni woke in alarm at news that someone had returned, and his reiatsu shattered his office desk.
• Orihime Inoue clung to Uryu Ishida as they hung in midair, nearly pulling down his pants before she steadied herself.
• Black Ant emerged from a dark sphere, caught Uryu Ishida by the collar, and asked what he and Orihime Inoue were doing.
• Black Ant formed a Reishi disk beneath Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida so they could stand beside him in the air.
• After exchanging names, Black Ant asked where he was, and Uryu Ishida questioned how he could not recognize the Seireitei.

Black Ant helped Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida land in the Seireitei, then was swept into their escape from a group of Soul Reapers. As Orihime explained that people did not revive after death, a tall figure approached and raised a Zanpakuto to strike them.

• Black Ant told Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida that he was not a Soul Reaper and landed them safely on a Reishi disc.
• Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida thanked Black Ant and hurried off to rescue Kurosaki.
• Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida ran back, grabbed Black Ant, and fled from pursuing Soul Reapers.
• The trio hid behind wooden boards, and Orihime Inoue explained that people had only one life after Black Ant asked if the dead came back.
• A tall figure approached and swung a Zanpakuto down at them.

Uryu Ishida, Orihime Inoue, and Black Ant escaped a surprise attack in the Seireitei, where Uryu defeated Jirōbō Ikkanzaka in a one-sided fight. Jirōbō appeared ready to attack after admitting defeat, but Black Ant stopped him with a warning.

• Uryu Ishida used Hirenkyaku to bring Orihime Inoue and Black Ant out from behind the wooden boards as Jirōbō Ikkanzaka destroyed them.
• Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue asked Black Ant to let them handle the fight, and he agreed.
• Uryu Ishida faced Jirōbō Ikkanzaka alone after Jirōbō released Tsunzakigarasu and boasted about his flying blades.
• Uryu Ishida blasted apart Tsunzakigarasu with a barrage of arrows, then struck Jirōbō's wrist when he tried to release his Shikai again.
• Jirōbō admitted defeat and began to stir up sand for a sneak attack, but Black Ant warned him, making him freeze and lower his head.

Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida disguised themselves as Shinigami while searching for an escape route with Black Ant. Rangiku Matsumoto questioned them and, after asking Black Ant his name, used Bakudō #1: Sai on him.

• Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida knocked out three Shinigami, took their uniforms, and evaded several search parties with Black Ant.
• The three encountered Rangiku Matsumoto, who felt a strange familiarity when she crossed paths with Black Ant.
• Rangiku asked whether they had seen the captain of the 10th Division, and Orihime Inoue answered that they had not.
• Uryu Ishida claimed that they belonged to the 6th Division, and Rangiku introduced herself before asking Black Ant's name.
• Black Ant answered, and Rangiku cast Bakudō #1: Sai on him.

Rangiku Matsumoto discovered Uryu Ishida, Orihime Inoue, and Black Ant posing as members of the 3rd Division and fought Uryu while restraining Orihime. She defeated Uryu with Haineko, but he began gathering spiritual power despite his severe injuries.

• Rangiku bound Orihime with Bakudō #1: Sai and confronted Uryu after noticing the group's 3rd Division armbands.
• Uryu attacked Rangiku with Reishi arrows and sent Black Ant to move Orihime to safety.
• Rangiku evaded Uryu's arrow barrage and released her Shikai, Haineko.
• Rangiku used ash from Uryu's clothes to cut his hand and foot tendons and send him crashing to the ground.
• As Rangiku approached, Uryu twisted over and began gathering spiritual power into threads.

Rangiku Matsumoto defeated Uryu Ishida after he broke the Sanrei Glove’s safety mechanism and unleashed a surge of power. She captured him and turned to face Black Ant, the instructor she had forgotten.

• Uryu Ishida used Ransōtengai to recover from his injuries and broke the Sanrei Glove’s safety mechanism to gain immense power.
• Rangiku Matsumoto fled Uryu Ishida’s Reishi arrows as they battled across the area.
• Rangiku Matsumoto lured Uryu Ishida into firing at an illusion, then trapped him in Tsuzuri Raiden Formation.
• Rangiku Matsumoto caught the defeated Uryu Ishida as he fell and placed him on the ground.
• Rangiku Matsumoto challenged Black Ant and launched an attack against the instructor she had forgotten.

Black Ant judged Uryu Ishida’s Reishi techniques to be crude after Rangiku Matsumoto defeated him and left him badly injured. Black Ant then effortlessly halted Rangiku’s lightning attack and overwhelmed her with his Reishi manipulation, leaving her demanding to know who he was.

• Rangiku Matsumoto explained that Uryu Ishida would survive, though his damaged Reishi pathways would make it difficult for him to use spiritual power again.
• Black Ant said Uryu had wasted his potential through poor technique, and Rangiku defended the young Quincy’s determination.
• Rangiku attacked Black Ant with Haineko combined with Hadō #11: Tsuzuri Raiden.
• Black Ant froze the lightning whip, dispersed it, and used the forces between Reishi particles to crush Rangiku’s hand against the ground.
• Rangiku broke free when Haineko’s hilt dissolved into smoke, retreated, and asked Black Ant who he was.

Black Ant overwhelmed Rangiku Matsumoto despite her amplified Hadō attack, then moved to kill her. An elderly man stopped him by gripping his wrist and warned him not to do something he would regret.

• Rangiku Matsumoto asked Black Ant who he was, and he called himself a lost lamb who was good at learning.
• Rangiku Matsumoto used Haineko to amplify Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui and blasted Black Ant with its concentrated force.
• Toshiro Hitsugaya recognized Rangiku Matsumoto's attack and rushed toward the explosion while its shockwave knocked Orihime Inoue unconscious and worsened Uryu Ishida's injuries.
• Black Ant emerged unharmed, explained that he had been testing Uryu Ishida's defensive potential, and crushed Rangiku Matsumoto to the ground with pressure.
• As Black Ant reached to strike Rangiku Matsumoto's forehead, an elderly man seized his wrist and warned him not to do something he would regret.

Black Ant faced several captains after Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stopped him from touching Rangiku Matsumoto. The chapter ended with Black Ant incapacitating Kenpachi Zaraki with a single finger flick, shocking the captains.

• Soi Fon, Sajin Komamura, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Toshiro Hitsugaya arrived as Yamamoto restrained Black Ant.
• Toshiro Hitsugaya pulled Rangiku Matsumoto away from Black Ant, who withdrew his finger after deciding he should not kill someone who might be a friend from his lost past.
• Black Ant questioned Yamamoto about knowing him, while Yamamoto recalled Black Ant's past and the power he had gained.
• Kenpachi Zaraki charged Black Ant, assuming Yamamoto's silence gave him permission to attack.
• Black Ant flicked his finger at Kenpachi Zaraki, blasting him through buildings and leaving him unconscious in a distant tower.

Black Ant overwhelmed Kenpachi Zaraki, prompting the captains to fear the return of the Mysterious Hollow. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto led Black Ant away to explain the past, while Rangiku Matsumoto asked Toshiro Hitsugaya not to stop Black Ant if he tried to kill her again.

• Kenpachi Zaraki crashed into a tower and was left unconscious, alarming the Seireitei and drawing Aizen and Retsu Unohana's attention to the vanished black sphere and the Mysterious Hollow.
• Retsu Unohana sent Minazuki with Isane Kotetsu to retrieve the injured Kenpachi Zaraki, whom she believed would grow stronger from his wounds.
• Soi Fon, Toshiro Hitsugaya, and Sajin Komamura released their Shikai against Black Ant, but Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto ordered them to stand down.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto invited Black Ant to follow him and explain what he knew, and Black Ant carried Uryu Ishida along to study him.
• Toshiro Hitsugaya asked Rangiku Matsumoto if she was all right, and she told him not to stop Black Ant if he tried to kill her again.

Black Ant walked with Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni while carrying the unconscious Uryu Ishida, and Yamamoto invited him to stay and learn in the Seireitei. Yamamoto reconsidered the Gotei 13’s past conflict with Black Ant and resolved to let him study, while a black cat carried Ichigo Kurosaki away.

• Black Ant and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni heard a crash and saw cherry-blossom blades dancing in the distance.
• A black cat spotted Uryu Ishida in Black Ant’s grasp, then hurried toward the commotion without approaching them.
• Yamamoto invited Black Ant to stay in the Seireitei, and Black Ant said he would remain as long as there was more for him to learn.
• Yamamoto realized that the Gotei 13 had wrongly treated Black Ant’s desire to learn as a threat and offered to find him any knowledge he wanted.
• Black Ant praised Yamamoto as a kind elder, while the black cat carried Ichigo Kurosaki away.

Black Ant examined Uryu Ishida, restored his Quincy powers, and learned that Quincy abilities were governed by a mysterious endpoint. After Uryu left to search for Inoue, Black Ant and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni were interrupted by news that Sosuke Aizen had been murdered.

• As Black Ant and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni headed for the First Division barracks, Black Ant studied Uryu Ishida’s Reishi and restored his powers and burned body.
• Uryu Ishida awoke, realized his spiritual power had returned, and asked Black Ant whether he had saved him.
• Black Ant said he had only treated Uryu out of curiosity and told him that Inoue had been taken away by the Bleach.
• Uryu thanked Black Ant and fled to look for Inoue, wary of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni’s Reiatsu.
• A Bleach messenger stopped Black Ant and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and reported that Sosuke Aizen, captain of the Fifth Division, had been murdered.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni brought Black Ant to investigate Aizen Sōsuke’s apparent murder, where Momo Hinamori accused Ichimaru Gin without evidence. Black Ant discovered that the body was a fake and concluded that Aizen had staged his death; Yamamoto asked what he had noticed.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni invited Black Ant to the scene of Aizen Sōsuke’s apparent death, and Black Ant agreed to watch.
• Yamamoto and Black Ant arrived to find Aizen’s body nailed to a tower while Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira were restrained after fighting.
• Momo Hinamori accused Ichimaru Gin of murdering Aizen, but she could offer no proof, and the captains remained wary of Ichimaru Gin.
• Black Ant examined the body and detected no lingering Reiatsu or signs that it had ever held consciousness.
• Black Ant concluded that the corpse was fake and told Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni what he had discovered.

Black Ant revealed that Aizen Sōsuke’s corpse was fake, leading Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni to conclude that Aizen was alive and had betrayed the Gotei 13. Ichimaru Gin pointed the captains toward Aizen’s possible involvement in the Hollowfication incidents a century earlier, and Yamamoto ordered a full search for him.

• Black Ant examined the corpse and explained that Aizen’s Reiatsu coated its surface while its interior lacked the traces of a real death.
• Retsu Unohana agreed that the corpse was strange, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni declared that Aizen Sōsuke was not dead.
• Momo Hinamori rejoiced that Aizen was alive until Soi Fon told her that this meant he had betrayed the Gotei 13.
• Ichimaru Gin recalled Withered Flower and prompted Retsu Unohana to suspect that Aizen had conducted Hollowfication experiments there and caused the captains’ Hollowfication a century earlier.
• Ichimaru Gin said he had no proof, while revealing that Aizen had suggested transferring him out of the Fifth Division.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni ordered the captains to search for Aizen Sōsuke with all their strength.

Tokinada Tsunayashiro searched the Great Spirit Library for records of the Mysterious Hollow but found only blank books. Aizen concluded that the missing history and the vanished dark sphere might be connected, and left to reconsider his plans.

• Tokinada Tsunayashiro searched the Great Spirit Library and found that its books covering the century-old Mysterious Hollow incident were blank.
• Tokinada wondered whether he had brought the Mysterious Hollow to Soul Society or created it, and questioned his connection to it.
• Aizen arrived and confirmed that the Library held no information about the Mysterious Hollow.
• Aizen connected the lost records to the dark sphere that had hovered over the Seireitei and noted that the sphere had vanished too.
• Aizen decided his plans needed to change and left the Library while Tokinada remained lost in thought.

Aizen moved openly through Seireitei under Kyoka Suigetsu while the divisions searched for him after his staged death was exposed. He reunited with Ichimaru Gin, and the two left together, each seeming to have found a purpose.

• A highest-level alert announced that Aizen had betrayed the Gotei 13, shocking his admirers and the division captains.
• Aizen passed through the 3rd Division's area unnoticed as Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis concealed him from the searchers.
• Ichimaru Gin returned from Aizen's staged death scene and calmly drank tea in the 3rd Division barracks amid the search.
• Aizen arrived at the barracks and told Gin he had believed Gin's story about staying near him to stop his plans.
• Gin said he had stayed with Aizen without knowing his purpose, and Aizen replied that they might already have found it.
• Aizen stepped into the moonlight, and Gin followed him with his Zanpakuto at his abdomen.