Chapter Summaries

Ichigo Kurosaki stormed into Las Noches to rescue his friends, only to find them playing cards while Aizen waited on his throne. Aizen hinted that he needed Kurosaki's strength for a coming battle, and Kisuke Urahara appeared as Aizen asked whether he had explained the plan.

• Ichigo Kurosaki recalled how Aizen had repeatedly taken his friends hostage to force him to grow stronger.
• Ichigo Kurosaki defeated the Espada and kicked open the doors of Las Noches, where Orihime Inoue, Uryu Ishida, and Yasutora Sado were playing cards.
• Ichigo Kurosaki angrily confronted his friends, and they got into a chaotic scuffle.
• Aizen asked whether Ichigo Kurosaki was now strong enough to defeat the Espada and said he might endure a few attacks against Black Ant.
• Ichigo Kurosaki demanded to know Aizen's intentions, and Aizen turned toward Kisuke Urahara, who had appeared at the entrance.

Ichigo Kurosaki learned that Aizen and Kisuke Urahara had each helped cultivate him for their shared goal, though they had never formally cooperated. After receiving word that Seireitei was under attack, Ichigo confronted them, and Aizen led the group toward the battle with the Quincies.

• Kisuke Urahara appeared at Las Noches and denied that he was cooperating with Aizen, while Ichigo realized both men had helped develop his strength.
• Aizen explained that he and Urahara had independently cultivated Ichigo because their goals were the same and they wanted a better chance of victory.
• Ichigo received a message that the Quincies had besieged Seireitei and accused Aizen and Urahara of luring him to Hueco Mundo as part of the attack.
• Urahara questioned Aizen's failure to persuade the Quincies to cooperate, and Aizen revealed that the two men had spent years calculating against each other while pursuing the same ultimate goal.
• Aizen told Ichigo to help the Quincy King and withstand one or two attacks, then led Ichigo and Urahara through a Garganta toward Seireitei.

Aizen brought Ichigo Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara, the Espada, and Menos Grande to Seireitei, where the Bleaches and Quincy were already locked in a devastating battle. Aizen left for Noble Street while Ichigo decided to descend and help, and Kisuke departed without revealing his plans.

• Ichigo Kurosaki saw Seireitei ravaged by the battle and hesitated to join in, fearing Aizen would unleash the Espada and Menos Grande.
• Ichigo confronted Aizen about his intentions, and Aizen redirected his suspicion toward Kisuke Urahara.
• Kisuke warned that Yhwach had reached the Soul King Palace, while Aizen claimed the Soul King would stop anyone who tried to destroy him.
• Kisuke left using Shunpo after assuring Ichigo and the others that Aizen would not release the Hollows into Seireitei.
• Aizen told Ichigo to help Seireitei and assigned Orihime Inoue to heal him, then headed toward Noble Street for a pre-battle diversion.
• Ichigo shouted after Aizen, then charged down toward Seireitei to join the fighting.

Black Ant subdued Gerard Valkyrie by taking control of his Reishi body and left Gerard's consciousness trapped inside it. After Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends arrived to aid the Bleach, Black Ant bound Uryu Ishida and proposed giving him a Schrift, while Aizen reached the Tsunayashiro Clan estate.

• Black Ant explained that he could control Gerard Valkyrie's Reishi body, then sealed Gerard's mouth and confined his consciousness for study.
• Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions arrived, saw the motionless giant, and greeted Black Ant.
• Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, and Yasutora Sado went to help the Bleach, while Uryu Ishida stayed behind.
• Ichigo Kurosaki warned Black Ant that Aizen had come to the Seireitei and that stronger enemies might appear.
• Black Ant offered Uryu Ishida a Schrift and the chance to become the ancestor of the Quincy, then bound him when he tried to flee.
• Aizen arrived at the Tsunayashiro Clan estate.

Aizen visited Tokinada Tsunayashiro to warn him that Yhwach would fail and that he should prepare to face Black Ant. Tokinada realized Aizen had come to tell him that his death was approaching, and resolved to meet the threat with interest.

• Aizen entered the Tsunayashiro Family estate and told Tokinada Tsunayashiro to take up the family blade and prepare for battle.
• Tokinada refused to help Aizen, believing he had come to recruit the Tsunayashiro Family against Yhwach.
• Aizen revealed that Tokinada’s actions had caused the “Mysterious Hollow” a century earlier, but insisted nobody had cared about him or his position.
• Tokinada laughed at the confirmation and taunted Aizen, while Aizen told him to keep his blade close and struggle to survive.
• After Aizen left, a dark-blue-haired woman observed that he had not come to fight, and Tokinada said he had come to remind him of his death.

Yhwach reached the Soul King Palace, where the Zero Division overwhelmed his Schutzstaffel and left Jugram Haschwalth barely standing. Yhwach used Auswählen to reclaim the power of Quincy across the Seireitei, while Aizen watched the dawn and said Yhwach was about to return.

• Jugram Haschwalth told Yhwach that Aizen had arrived in the Seireitei, and Yhwach dismissed Aizen as no longer a threat.
• Tenjiro Kirinji confronted Yhwach, while the other Zero Division members joined the battle and killed three members of the Schutzstaffel.
• Tenjiro Kirinji struck Jugram Haschwalth back to Yhwach, leaving him as the only surviving member of their group besides Yhwach.
• Yhwach activated Auswählen and drained the power of Quincy throughout the Seireitei, turning them into pillars of light.
• Gerard Valkyrie begged Black Ant to save him as Auswählen took his power, but Black Ant watched him vanish.
• Aizen looked toward the brightening sky and said Yhwach was about to return.

Yhwach advanced toward the true Soul King Palace, where Ichibe Hyosube confronted him and used his brush to cut the name and strength of Yhwach’s arm in half. Yhwach countered that he could bestow the power taken from himself once more.

• Yhwach used Auswählen to revive Lille Barro, Askin Nakk Le Vaar, and Pernida Parnkgjas, who fought back against Zero Division and cleared a path for him.
• Yhwach reached the concealed true Soul King Palace and challenged Ichibe Hyosube, but Ichibe’s power burned out Yhwach’s throat when he called his name.
• Ichibe struck Yhwach with Thousand Mile Sky Palm, sending him a thousand miles away, and Yhwach used Sankt Bogen to return.
• Yhwach restored his throat by bestowing a voice upon himself and charged Ichibe, who said he would defeat him before dawn.
• Ichibe cut the name of Yhwach’s arm in half, reducing its strength and speed, then struck Yhwach across the chest.
• Yhwach declared that he could bestow upon himself once more any power that had been taken away.

Yhwach overcame Ichibe Hyosube’s Bankai by reclaiming his power and pierced him with The Almighty. As dawn broke, Yhwach’s sealed memory returned, and Ichibe warned that He-El was beyond his strength before Yhwach crushed him.

• Yhwach restored his name and power, but Ichibe used Ichimonji to erase Yhwach’s name and renamed him Black Ant.
• Ichibe revealed that Black Ant was the name he had given the Mysterious Hollow a century earlier, then tried to crush Yhwach.
• Jugram Haschwalth sensed Yhwach’s power returning, and Yhwach used The Almighty to pierce Ichibe with a Holy Quincy Arrow.
• Yhwach pinned Ichibe beneath his foot as dawn arrived, and the sunlight restored a sealed memory of He-El.
• Ichibe warned Yhwach that he was no match for He-El, and Yhwach stomped him.

As dawn returned the captains’ memories of He-El’s rampage a hundred years earlier, Rangiku Matsumoto and four captains headed for the First Division grounds. Shunsui Kyoraku and the others acknowledged their fear but continued onward, insisting that they were captains.

• After Cang Du died from Yhwach’s Auswählen, Rangiku Matsumoto remembered her past with He-El and left for the First Division grounds despite Toshiro Hitsugaya calling after her.
• Shunsui Kyoraku recalled his history with He-El and, suspecting a greater conspiracy behind Auswählen, headed toward the First Division grounds.
• Juushiro Ukitake, Shinsuke Hirako, and Kensei Muguruma also set out for the First Division grounds, where the four captains’ paths converged.
• Shinsuke Hirako observed that the Bleach who remembered He-El’s rampage had fallen silent from fear, and Shunsui Kyoraku admitted that their fear was understandable.
• The four captains kept moving toward the First Division grounds and declared, “We... are captains.”

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni awoke and learned that He-El had returned, while several Soul Reapers recovered memories of their past encounters with him. He-El sat enthroned at the First Division as captains approached, demanding that they amuse him.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni awoke, learned that Sajin Komamura had died saving him, and set out for the First Division after hearing Kenpachi Zaraki had not recovered enough strength.
• Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tosen regained memories of He-El, and Tosen doubted that Aizen's preparations could defeat him.
• Tokinada Tsunayashiro unsealed Enrakyoten, but dawn filled him with terror and extinguished his delight.
• He-El awakened Uryu Ishida's potential, then took an iron throne as several captains approached and commanded them to amuse him.

Shinsuke Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, Juushiro Ukitake, and Shunsui Kyoraku confronted He-El, who demanded access to the Soul King's memories despite being unable to guarantee the Three Realms would remain unharmed. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni refused to compromise, and He-El began the battle by targeting the Tsunayashiro Clan residence.

• Shinsuke Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, Juushiro Ukitake, and Shunsui Kyoraku arrived together and faced He-El.
• He-El told Shunsui Kyoraku he wanted to examine the Soul King's memories of creating the Three Realms, and admitted he could not guarantee this would cause no harm.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni declared that the Bleach could not compromise their duty, while Retsu Unohana collected Sajin Komamura's corpse and departed.
• He-El promised to honor his agreement with Sajin Komamura and challenged the captains to attack him together.
• He-El flicked a finger toward the Tsunayashiro Clan residence in Noble Street, beginning the battle.

He-El unleashed a devastating attack across Seireitei, but Tokinada Tsunayashiro appeared with Enrakyoten and copied He-El’s Shikai. Using his fiftyfold Reiatsu advantage, Tokinada spread dark spheres across all of Soul Society and challenged He-El, who calmly invited him to attack.

• He-El erased everything along a vast canyon stretching from the First Division to the Tsunayashiro estate, shocking the Soul Reaper captains.
• Tokinada Tsunayashiro appeared in the sky with Enrakyoten, revealing that he had stopped fleeing and intended to face He-El.
• Tokinada declared his Reiatsu was fifty times He-El’s and said Enrakyoten could imitate any Zanpakuto, including He-El’s.
• Tokinada copied He-El’s Shikai and produced sixty million dark spheres that covered Soul Society in darkness.
• He-El remained seated and encouraged Tokinada to go all out and try to defeat him.

Tokinada Tsunayashiro used Enrakyoten to wield He-El’s Shikai, but could not reach him through the shifting layers of space. When Tokinada tried to overwhelm He-El’s dark spheres by absorbing Reishi, the spheres burst and Tokinada was badly injured.

• Tokinada Tsunayashiro attacked He-El with Enrakyoten, but He-El evaded him by shifting through layers of space.
• The Bleach captains could not join the fight, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni ordered a messenger to summon the Kidō Corps to prepare a spatial sealing barrier.
• Tokinada continued slashing at He-El’s illusions, then realized the dark spheres’ rapid regeneration kept him from reaching He-El’s real body.
• He-El told Tokinada that his life would end when He-El lost interest in him, while Tokinada’s use of Enrakyoten depleted his lifespan.
• Tokinada made the dark spheres absorb Reishi to break through them, but the spheres exploded and he vomited blood as he swayed in the sky.

He-El explained why Tokinada could not safely absorb Reishi, then defeated him despite Tokinada using Senbonzakura and hiding within He-El’s Shikai. As Tokinada called for Aizen, He-El killed him and turned his attention to Aizen, who began chanting.

• Tokinada nearly died after using dark spheres to absorb Reishi without He-El’s microscopic control.
• He-El rejected Tokinada’s claim that his Shikai was only an auxiliary tool and challenged him to continue fighting.
• Tokinada used Senbonzakura and dark spheres to attack He-El, but He-El pierced the blades with Hadō #4: Byakurai and wounded Tokinada.
• Tokinada hid inside He-El’s Shikai, but He-El passed through the spatial barriers and found him.
• Tokinada fled and tried to defend himself with an ice wall, but He-El shattered it and pointed Tokinada to death as he cried, “Aizen, save me!”
• He-El looked down at Aizen, who had three pairs of wings and an open eye on his forehead, as Aizen began chanting.

Aizen trapped He-El in a space-time-warping Black Coffin to restrict his powers and force a direct fight, hoping to delay him while Yhwach approached the Soul King. He-El adapted to the pressure, drew his Zanpakuto, and cut Aizen in half, leaving the fight's outcome unresolved.

• Aizen enclosed He-El in a Black Coffin filled with a crushing Spacetime Gravity Torrent that blocked his Senkai, spatial abilities, and external Reishi manipulation.
• Aizen explained that He-El had to defeat him quickly before Yhwach devoured the Soul King and the memories He-El sought.
• He-El adjusted to the pressure and summoned his Zanpakuto, clarifying that the weapon was simply an extension of his limbs.
• He-El and Aizen charged at each other, and He-El passed Aizen with a single slash that split his body in two.

Rangiku Matsumoto reunited with Ichimaru Gin as Aizen trapped He-El in Hadō #90: Black Coffin, while Soul Reapers and Espada gathered for a possible clash. The chapter ended as the Black Coffin began to change.

• Rangiku Matsumoto saw He-El trapped by Aizen and rushed toward the Black Coffin.
• Ichimaru Gin left the Garganta, met Rangiku, and revealed that his memories of their childhood with He-El had returned.
• Shunsui Kyoraku, Kensei Muguruma, and Juushiro Ukitake confronted Ichimaru Gin, while several Espada emerged and drew the other captains into a standoff.
• Ichimaru Gin explained that Aizen was continuing his unfinished battle with He-El and called the Hollows expendable distractions.
• Aizen's Hadō #90: Black Coffin began to change.

He-El broke through Aizen’s Kyoka Suigetsu and destroyed his control of Black Coffin, then left for the Soul King Palace to stop Yhwach. Aizen remained behind, badly wounded and unable to pursue him.

• Aizen used Kyoka Suigetsu to conceal his real body and trap He-El inside Black Coffin while warning that Yhwach’s fate would determine the battle’s outcome.
• He-El closed his eyes and relied on his perception to locate Aizen, then struck him and disrupted the Hogyoku’s ability to heal.
• Aizen’s injuries caused Black Coffin to collapse, and He-El told him that his tricks could no longer fool him.
• He-El vanished inside a dark sphere and headed for the Soul King Palace, leaving Aizen to speculate about how he had found him.

After Aizen recovered from He-El’s attack, he revealed that He-El had gone to the Soul King Palace. With the usual route unavailable, Aizen proposed using Enrakyoten to follow him there.

• The Bleaches surrounded the Espada, while Grimmjow remained badly wounded from their assault.
• Aizen’s Black Coffin vanished, revealing his transformed body as he finished recovering from He-El’s lingering attack.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni demanded to know where He-El had gone, and Aizen said He-El was already at the Soul King Palace.
• The Bleach captains realized they could not reach the Soul King Palace by the usual route quickly enough, and feared what He-El might do there.
• Aizen ordered Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, Ichigo Kurosaki, and the Espada to prepare to fight, then told Shunsui Kyoraku to use Enrakyoten’s connection to send them to the Soul King Palace.

He-El revived True Name Calling Monk and continued toward the Soul King Palace, where Yhwach was approaching the Soul King. Jugram Haschwalth and the Schutzstaffel blocked He-El’s path, setting up a confrontation.

• He-El emerged from a dark sphere on Omotesandō and revived True Name Calling Monk by speaking his name.
• True Name Calling Monk thanked He-El and urged him to stop Yhwach before he claimed the Soul King.
• True Name Calling Monk admitted he had hoped He-El and Yhwach would weaken each other enough for him to take advantage.
• He-El said his growth meant no one in the Shinigami World could stop him.
• Jugram Haschwalth, Lille Barro, Askin Nakk Le Vaar, and Pernida Parnkgjas arrived and blocked He-El’s way to the Soul King Palace.

He-El advanced toward the inner hall of the Soul King Palace, effortlessly defeating the Quincy who tried to stop him. True Name Calling Monk watched as He-El continued on toward his confrontation with Yhwach.

• True Name Calling Monk offered to clear the Quincy from He-El’s path, but He-El continued forward and dismissed the threat.
• He-El caught Lille Barro’s X-Axis bullet, then sent it back with Everything Must Hit and killed Lille Barro.
• Jugram Haschwalth attacked He-El with his sword, but He-El blocked his assault with Blut Vene-covered fingers and walked through the other Quincy’s Holy Annihilation attacks.
• He-El’s overwhelming luck prevented Jugram Haschwalth’s Balance from affecting him, and a Reishi bullet snapped Haschwalth’s sword and killed him.
• He-El used the Thousand Mile Sky Palm against the remaining Quincy, then entered the inner hall as True Name Calling Monk watched in astonishment.