Recaps

Ailin considered the world of Bleach incomplete and believed he needed to surpass the Spirit King to reach its creator. He reassured Shihoin Yoruichi that he would stay out of her conflict with Aizen and protect Seireitei if Yushima Oshu attacked, leaving Yoruichi confident in Urahara Kisuke’s plans.

• Ailin reflected that the world of Bleach was losing its finite source of souls and that Hell might eventually consume the other realms.
• Ailin resolved that surpassing the Spirit King was necessary to reach the creator beyond the world of Bleach.
• Ailin acknowledged that Haruko Kuchiki kept him from acting recklessly and had shown her the vast army of Zanpakuto in his Inner World.
• Ailin promised Shihoin Yoruichi he would not interfere in her conflict with Aizen as long as Shino Madarame remained safe.
• Ailin promised to kill his own Reikaku if Yushima Oshu attacked Seireitei, and Yoruichi trusted that Urahara Kisuke had prepared plans to defeat Aizen.

Uryu Ishida’s Hollow Bait drew hundreds of Hollows into Karakura Town, causing heavy casualties as he, Ichigo Kurosaki, Shino Madarame, Orihime Inoue, and Yasutora Sado fought them. After the Hollows were defeated, a Gillian-class Menos began entering the Human World, and Ichigo charged to confront it.

• Uryu Ishida used Hollow Bait to challenge Ichigo Kurosaki, drawing hundreds of Hollows into the Human World and endangering Karakura Town.
• Uryu Ishida, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Shino Madarame fought the Hollows, while Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado awakened Fullbring and joined the battle.
• After an hour, the group defeated the invading Hollows, but the attack had caused at least a hundred casualties.
• Ichigo Kurosaki punched Uryu Ishida and angrily blamed him for the disaster, while Uryu accepted the reprimand in silence.
• A Gillian-class Menos began breaking into the Human World, and Ichigo Kurosaki charged at it rather than flee.
• Ichigo Kurosaki swung his Zanpakuto at the Menos’s foot as the monster began to enter Karakura Town.

Ichigo Kurosaki drove a Gillian-class Menos back into the Garganta after a burst of hidden power, then Uryu Ishida absorbed the spiritual particles threatening to overwhelm him. A discovery about Shino Madarame prompted a Captain's Meeting in Seireitei, where Shunsui Kyōraku reflected on the approaching troubled times.

• Shino Madarame tried to help Ichigo Kurosaki, but Urahara Kisuke stopped her and told her to trust Ichigo's resolve.
• Ichigo Kurosaki unleashed hidden power and slashed the Gillian-class Menos back through the Garganta, but his spiritual pressure continued to surge beyond his control.
• Uryu Ishida arrived and absorbed Ichigo Kurosaki's excess spirit particles, firing them into the sky as arrows.
• A Twelfth Division Soul Reaper detected the Menos's arrival, mistook Ichigo's feat for Shino Madarame's, then discovered Shino's identity and ran to alert Captain Mayuri.
• The captain's summons sounded across Seireitei, and Shunsui Kyōraku noted that the Quincy-prophesied time was drawing closer.

Ailin attended the Captains’ Meeting, where the captains learned that Shino Madarame had given a human Shinigami powers and ordered Byakuya Kuchiki to arrest them. Byakuya and Renji Abarai entered the Human World, where they tracked Ichigo Kurosaki’s conspicuous spiritual pressure.

• Ailin left Alice and another powerful Zanpakuto to protect Haruko Kuchiki before heading to the First Division.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi told the captains that Shino Madarame had depleted her spiritual power while a human wielding a Zanpakuto drove off a Gillian-class Menos.
• Byakuya Kuchiki accused Shino of violating Seireitei’s prohibition and received orders to investigate and apprehend her and the human.
• Byakuya and Renji Abarai entered the Human World through a Senkaimon, and Shihoin Yoruichi slipped through after them in her black-cat form.
• Renji sensed Ichigo Kurosaki’s overwhelming spiritual pressure and located him in Karakura Town.

Renji Abarai confronted Shino Madarame in Karakura Town over her suspected transfer of Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo Kurosaki. When Renji revealed that Seireitei had ordered him to arrest Shino and kill Ichigo, Ichigo stepped in to protect her, and the two began fighting.

• Renji Abarai found Shino Madarame and confirmed with his spiritual-power-measuring goggles that she had lost nearly all her spiritual power.
• Renji explained that Seireitei suspected Shino had given Soul Reaper powers to a human and offered to conceal her actions if she surrendered Ichigo.
• Shino refused to betray Ichigo and bound herself with Kidō: Haijō so Renji could take her back to Seireitei.
• Ichigo Kurosaki arrived, cut the binding rope, and stood between Shino and Renji.
• Renji revealed that his orders required him to arrest Shino and kill Ichigo, then attacked Ichigo, who met his blade without backing down.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought Renji Abarai after overpowering him with a Reiatsu Burst, but Renji released Zabimaru and wounded Ichigo in their renewed clash. Byakuya Kuchiki arrived and swiftly severed Ichigo’s Zanpakuto, reclaiming his Shinigami power while sparing his life.

• Ichigo Kurosaki sent Renji Abarai flying with a powerful Reiatsu Burst, then gave Renji his name.
• Renji Abarai released Zabimaru and struck Ichigo Kurosaki hard enough to send him through a wall.
• Ichigo Kurosaki resumed the fight despite his injuries and drove Renji Abarai back with another Reiatsu Burst slash.
• Byakuya Kuchiki appeared, moved behind Ichigo Kurosaki, and severed his Zanpakuto, leaving him gravely wounded.
• Byakuya Kuchiki told Shino Madarame that he had destroyed Ichigo’s Chikaku and Sōtsubame and reclaimed his Shinigami power, but had not killed him.

Central 46 repeatedly revised Shino Madarame’s punishment while Ailin let the dispute between the nobles and the Eleventh Division simmer. At a Captain’s Meeting, Yamamoto announced that Ryoka had entered Soul Society and demanded an explanation from Gin Ichimaru about his encounter with them.

• Central 46 imprisoned Shino Madarame in the Hall of Penitence, then repeatedly revised her punishment, prompting the Eleventh Division to train instead of carrying out missions.
• Yamamoto spoke with Ailin about the Eleventh Division neglecting its duties, while Ailin took no clear stance on the dispute.
• Shunsui Kyōraku told Ailin he was gathering intelligence to find the Quincy’s hiding place, unaware that Ailin suspected they were concealed in Seireitei’s shadows.
• At the Captain’s Meeting, Yamamoto announced that humans had crossed the Dangai into Soul Society and been classified as Ryoka.
• Yamamoto questioned Gin Ichimaru about meeting the Ryoka at the North Path Gate and letting them cause unrest in the Rukon District without either side being injured.

Gin Ichimaru explained that Ichigo Kurosaki and the other Ryoka had escaped the Byakudōmon as the gates were sealed, while Aizen Sosuke suspected Gin of deliberately letting them go. The Ryoka then breached the Seireitei’s Soul-Shield Membrane, and the captains prepared to hunt them down as the infiltrators scattered across the city.

• Gin Ichimaru told Captain-Commander Yamamoto that the Ryoka had escaped the Byakudōmon when the Seireitei’s spirit walls sealed the gates.
• Aizen Sosuke accused Gin Ichimaru of possibly letting the Ryoka escape, while Toshiro Hitsugaya grew wary of both captains and resolved to watch them.
• A flaming shell struck and pierced the Soul-Shield Membrane, allowing the Ryoka to enter the Seireitei before the shell shattered.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto declared the Seireitei in combat readiness and ordered the Soul Reapers to kill resisting Ryoka.
• Ailin recognized Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryu Ishida, Yasutora Sado, Orihime Inoue, Shihoin Yoruichi, and Ganju Shiba among the infiltrators as they scattered after the shell broke apart.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Ganju Shiba survived their fall into the Seireitei when Ganju used the Shiba Clan's secret art, Ishiha, to turn the ground into sand. As they set their sights on rescuing Shino, Renji Abarai headed toward Ichigo and Ganju fled from the approaching Vice-Captain.

• Shihoin Yoruichi used the chaos of the invaders' arrival to slip across the Seireitei rooftops unseen.
• Renji Abarai sensed Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual pressure and left the First Division's Vice-Captain waiting room to investigate.
• Ganju Shiba used Ishiha to turn the ground beneath Ichigo and himself into sand, cushioning their fall.
• Ganju explained that Ishiha was a Shiba Clan secret art that broke down reishi matter into sand, while the clan's shell-making method condensed reishi into powerful defenses.
• Ichigo Kurosaki looked toward the Hall of Penitence, where Shino was being held, as a red-haired Vice-Captain approached.
• Ganju Shiba fled through the alley walls by using Ishiha to make holes in the Killer Stone.

Ichigo Kurosaki confronted Renji Abarai in the Seireitei after arriving to rescue Shino Madarame, while Renji feared Ichigo’s presence would worsen Shino’s punishment. Renji revealed that his strength was no longer limited by a Limiting Seal, but Ichigo eagerly faced him with his newly awakened Zanpakuto, Zangetsu.

• Ganju Shiba fled through a hole in the wall, while Ichigo Kurosaki stayed to face Renji Abarai.
• Renji Abarai realized Ichigo’s return could undermine Captain Kuchiki’s account and lead Central 46 to punish Shino Madarame more severely.
• Ichigo Kurosaki said he had come to rescue Shino Madarame, and Renji Abarai vowed to kill him to prevent further trouble for her.
• Renji Abarai explained that the Limiting Seal had restricted eighty percent of his reiatsu in the Human World, leaving him at least five times stronger in Soul Society.
• Ichigo Kurosaki welcomed the challenge, confident in Zangetsu, which had formed from the Soul Reaper, Quincy, and Hollow powers within him.

After awakening Zangetsu, Ichigo Kurosaki overwhelmed Renji Abarai, who released Zabimaru to fight back. Ailin watched the battles across Seireitei as Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue, along with Yasutora Sado, headed for the Hall of Penitence, while the group’s plan to escape after rescuing Shino Madarame remained unresolved.

• Ichigo Kurosaki awakened his true power and explained that his strength had grown dramatically since fighting Renji Abarai in the Human World.
• Renji Abarai attacked Ichigo Kurosaki but was sent crashing through a wall, then released Zabimaru to continue the fight.
• Ailin watched Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai battle across Seireitei using his Reikaku.
• Uryu Ishida used Ichigo Kurosaki’s spiritual pressure to strengthen his Quincy power, defeated nearby Soul Reapers with Orihime Inoue, and headed for the Hall of Penitence.
• Yasutora Sado defeated the Soul Reapers he encountered and also headed for the Hall of Penitence, following Shihoin Yoruichi’s plan to regroup there.
• The group had no plan for how to leave Seireitei after rescuing Shino Madarame.

After Renji Abarai’s defeat prompted the Gotei 13 to lift the ban on Zanpakuto releases, Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue were exposed while disguised as Shinigami. Orihime defeated the patrols, and Uryu revealed his identity as a Ryoka by shooting the Shinigami who had tried to protect him.

• The First Division announced that Renji Abarai had been defeated and that Captains could release their Zanpakuto, prompting Shinigami to patrol in groups.
• Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue wore stolen Fifth Division uniforms to evade the searches, but the patrols’ increased numbers made them stand out.
• A patrol stopped Uryu and Orihime, and its burly Shinigami recognized them as Ryoka and ordered his squad to seize them.
• Orihime summoned Tsubaki and defeated the attacking Shinigami with Koten Zanshu.
• The burly Shinigami shielded Uryu from Orihime, but Uryu shot him with a blue arrow and admitted that he was also a Ryoka.

Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue fought off Soul Reapers surrounding them, with Orihime’s shield giving Uryu time to defeat their attackers. Watching from afar, Ailin considered Urahara Kisuke’s willingness to risk casualties and the danger facing Ichigo Kurosaki’s group if they harmed too many Soul Reapers.

• Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue were surrounded by Soul Reapers, and they fought back with arrows and Tsubaki.
• Soul Reapers cast fire Kido at Orihime Inoue while two Seat Officers attacked Uryu Ishida with rocks and boomerangs.
• Uryu Ishida destroyed the fire spells, and Orihime Inoue used Three-Day Shield to protect him from the incoming attacks.
• Uryu Ishida used the opening to shoot down the surrounding Soul Reapers, who fell unable to fight.
• Ailin watched and reasoned that Urahara Kisuke might accept severe casualties to protect the Seireitei, while Uryu Ishida knew that harming too many Soul Reapers could doom their group.

Ailin forged a Zanpakuto embodying Orihime Inoue’s Shunko Rikka, then Ichigo Kurosaki confronted Ikkaku Madarame while trying to reach Shino. Ikkaku released Kidōmaru and pressed Ichigo into a fierce fight, then called for his weapon to split apart.

• Ailin shaped the elements of swords in his Inner World into a Zanpakuto embodying Shunko Rikka and embedded it at the peak of Sword Hill.
• Ichigo recognized Ikkaku Madarame as Shino’s older brother and asked him to help rescue Shino from the Hall of Penitence.
• Ikkaku explained that his duty as an Eleventh Division officer required him to stop Ichigo, though he would defend Shino if her punishment became unbearable.
• Ichigo warned Ikkaku that he had defeated Renji Abarai and said he would hold back, but Ikkaku released Kidōmaru into a long spear.
• Ikkaku’s spear attacks forced Ichigo to fight at full strength, and Ikkaku called out for Kidōmaru to split apart.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought Ikkaku Madarame, who urged him to treat battle as a life-or-death struggle and revealed his Bankai, Dragon-Patterned Kidōmaru. Ikkaku overwhelmed Ichigo and held an axe to his neck, leaving Ichigo focused on saving Shino despite the danger.

• Ikkaku Madarame transformed Kidōmaru into a three-section staff and cut Ichigo Kurosaki's cheek, then challenged Ichigo's lack of killing intent.
• Ikkaku released his Bankai, Dragon-Patterned Kidōmaru, while Ailin watched from a rooftop and reflected on the Seireitei's changed leadership and Zaraki's bond with Yachiru Kusajishi.
• Ikkaku struck Ichigo with his Bankai and sent him crashing through buildings into a wall.
• Ikkaku held an axe to Ichigo's neck and warned that many stronger fighters stood between him and Shino.
• Ichigo remembered the girl punished because of him and fixed his attention on Ikkaku.

Ichigo Kurosaki unlocked more of his power and fought Ikkaku Madarame in a fierce clash to reach Shino. Their strongest attacks left both badly wounded, and the chapter ended with Shihoin Yoruichi rescuing Ichigo while Ailin healed Ikkaku.

• Quincy Zangetsu appeared in Ichigo Kurosaki’s inner world and urged him to choose whether to keep fighting, win, or live.
• Ichigo Kurosaki declared he would save Shino, and Quincy Zangetsu loosened his suppression, restoring Ichigo’s injuries and raising his reiatsu to Captain-level.
• Ichigo Kurosaki and Ikkaku Madarame resumed their battle, and Ikkaku warned that his awakened Zanpakuto, Kidōmaru, was about to unleash its full power.
• Ichigo Kurosaki’s Getsuga Tensho collided with Ikkaku Madarame’s blood-red tornado, and the blast left both fighters with fatal wounds.
• Shihoin Yoruichi rescued Ichigo Kurosaki, while Ailin used Healing Art to stabilize Ikkaku, who woke and was startled to see him.

Ailin comforted Ikkaku Madarame after his defeat by Ichigo Kurosaki and urged him to challenge the Seireitei’s authorities. Meanwhile, Yasutora Sado pressed on toward the Hall of Penitence and confronted Shunsui Kyōraku, who learned the Ryoka had come to rescue Shino Madarame.

• Ailin told the injured Ikkaku Madarame that he understood why Ikkaku had held back against Ichigo Kurosaki and encouraged him to act according to his own wishes.
• Ikkaku Madarame recalled that he had planned to oppose the Seireitei if Central 46’s verdict against Shino Madarame exceeded his expectations.
• Ailin promised to support Ikkaku Madarame and urged him to make trouble for those who had long held power over others.
• After Ichigo Kurosaki’s spiritual pressure disappeared, Yasutora Sado ran toward the Hall of Penitence while Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue were left uncertain.
• Shunsui Kyōraku stopped Yasutora Sado and urged him to surrender, but Sado activated his Demon's Right Arm and refused to give up on rescuing Shino Madarame.
• Shunsui Kyōraku realized that the Ryoka’s goal was rescuing Shino Madarame, not gathering intelligence for the Quincy.

Shunsui Kyōraku confronted Yasutora Sado, who fought to escape and help Ichigo Kurosaki save Shino, but Ise Nanao subdued him with Kido. Meanwhile, Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue continued toward the Hall of Penitence, knowing they had to rescue Shino without help from Ichigo or Chad.

• Shunsui Kyōraku offered Yasutora Sado leniency if he surrendered, but Sado refused and attacked to help Ichigo rescue Shino.
• Sado circled Shunsui with spiritual-energy punches, using the distraction to run into an alley.
• Ise Nanao immobilized Sado with Bakudō, and Shunsui and Nanao decided to send him to the Fourth Division for treatment.
• Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue sensed Sado's spiritual pressure fade, and Ishida assured Orihime that Chad was still alive.
• Ishida and Orihime hurried toward the Hall of Penitence to rescue Shino before more Soul Reapers discovered their objective.

Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue encountered Mayuri Kurotsuchi, whom Uryu recognized as the Shinigami who had plotted against his grandfather, and Uryu stayed to fight while Orihime fled. Later, the Seireitei was shaken by the discovery of Aizen Sosuke’s corpse, with the Ryoka suspected of killing him.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi blocked Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue in an alley and called them specimens for his research.
• Uryu Ishida recognized Mayuri Kurotsuchi from the attack on his grandfather twelve years earlier and prepared to fight him.
• Uryu Ishida told Orihime Inoue to escape toward the Hall of Penitence, and she ran while he attacked Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
• On the third day of the Ryoka invasion, Shinigami found Aizen Sosuke’s corpse nailed to a spire and suspected the Ryoka had killed him.
• An irreverent voice mocked Aizen Sosuke’s reputation, angering the Shinigami gathered below.

Momo Hinamori accused Gin Ichimaru of killing Aizen Sosuke and attacked him, but Toshiro Hitsugaya stopped the fight and ordered Momo and Izuuru Kira detained. Meanwhile, Orihime Inoue headed for the Hall of Penitence to rescue Shino and ran into Ganju Shiba, who had already found his brother Kaien.

• Momo Hinamori accused Gin Ichimaru of murdering Aizen Sosuke and charged at him, but Izuuru Kira blocked her.
• Momo Hinamori and Izuuru Kira released their Zanpakuto, and Toshiro Hitsugaya subdued them with his spiritual pressure.
• Toshiro Hitsugaya ordered M Matsumoto Rangiku to take Momo Hinamori and Izuuru Kira to the Ninth Division for detention, then warned Gin Ichimaru he would punish him if evidence proved he killed Aizen Sosuke.
• Orihime Inoue, worried that Uryu Ishida and Yasutora Sado had been captured, encouraged herself and set off toward the Hall of Penitence to rescue Shino.
• Ganju Shiba emerged through a wall and met Orihime Inoue; he had come to the Seireitei to find his brother Kaien Shiba and had already met him at the Thirteenth Division.

Kaien Shiba refused Ganju Shiba’s request to return to the Shiba Clan and sought revenge by following Rukia, while Ailin urged Rukia to learn the truth about events at Central 46 before choosing what to do. Meanwhile, Ganju Shiba and Orihime Inoue reached the Hall of Penitence to rescue Shino Madarame but were stopped by Byakuya Kuchiki.

• Kaien Shiba decided he needed Rukia and Ailin’s support to avenge Miyako Shiba and the Shiba Clan.
• Ailin told Rukia he did not blame her for stopping his earlier purge, and asked her to watch Central 46 and make her choice after the current incident.
• Kaien Shiba revealed that he had overheard Ailin and Rukia, then began telling Rukia why Ailin wanted to purge corrupt nobles.
• Ganju Shiba and Orihime Inoue fought their way into the Hall of Penitence, where Ganju sensed Shino Madarame nearby.
• Byakuya Kuchiki blocked Ganju Shiba and Orihime Inoue on the suspension bridge and attacked them with Byakurai, but Orihime’s Three-Day Shield held.

Byakuya Kuchiki defeated Ganju Shiba and Orihime Inoue at the Hall of Penitence, but Jūshirō Ukitake intervened and took charge of them. Orihime healed Ganju’s injuries, including the damage to his power, and Ukitake prepared to lead them away.

• Ganju Shiba attacked Byakuya Kuchiki with Ishiha, but Byakuya explained its weakness and cut Ganju down with Flash Blossom.
• Byakuya knocked Tsubaki into the wall, severely injuring him, then advanced on Orihime Inoue.
• Jūshirō Ukitake asked Byakuya to spare the two intruders and take them for questioning, and Byakuya agreed and left.
• Ukitake carried Ganju away for treatment while Orihime waited, then let her heal him with Soten Kisshun.
• Orihime restored Ganju’s wounds and lost power, and Ukitake told the pair to leave the Hall of Penitence.

Jūshirō Ukitake rescued Ganju Shiba and Orihime Inoue, while Rukia saw how Central 46’s shifting verdict against Shino Madarame was eroding confidence in the nobles. Ailin reflected on Aizen’s plan to strip the nobles of their prestige, and Ichigo Kurosaki began Bankai training as Shihoin Yoruichi received a troubling message.

• Ganju Shiba shielded Orihime Inoue from Jūshirō Ukitake, but Ukitake revealed his connection to Kaien Shiba and took them with him.
• Rukia examined Shino Madarame’s case and saw that Central 46 had repeatedly changed the ruling before ordering execution by the Sōkyoku.
• Ailin recognized that Aizen Sosuke’s plan was to discredit noble names and destroy the reverence attached to their status.
• Ailin sensed the Spirit King and questioned whether he would still seek his own death after Ailin changed the world.
• Shihoin Yoruichi rescued the injured Ichigo Kurosaki, explained the Captains’ strength, and watched him train against Quincy Zangetsu to achieve Bankai.
• Shihoin Yoruichi received a message from a black Hell Butterfly and frowned.

Ichigo Kurosaki learned he had only two days to master Bankai before Shino Madarame’s execution, while unrest over the verdict spread among the Seireitei’s commoner Soul Reapers. After reading a letter from Aizen Sosuke, Momo Hinamori escaped prison and attacked Ailin’s residence, declaring that she wanted to kill him.

• Shihoin Yoruichi told Ichigo Kurosaki that Shino Madarame would be executed in three days, leaving him two days to complete Bankai training, and Ichigo resumed fighting Quincy Zangetsu.
• The Seireitei’s Soul Reapers grew resentful of Central 46 and the nobility as the Ryoka search continued, and many sympathized with the effort to rescue Shino Madarame.
• M Matsumoto Rangiku comforted Momo Hinamori in the Ninth Division Prison and gave her a letter Aizen Sosuke had left for her.
• After reading Aizen’s letter, Momo Hinamori escaped the Prison and made her way to Ailin’s residence.
• Momo Hinamori attacked the residence with Tobiume, and Alice blocked her fireballs before Momo declared that she intended to kill Captain Ailin.

Momo Hinamori attacked Ailin’s residence after believing a letter that accused him of killing Aizen Sosuke and serving the Quincy, while Toshiro Hitsugaya and Gin Ichimaru argued over whether the letter had been altered. Gin wounded Momo as he stopped her second attack, prompting Toshiro to unleash Hyōrinmaru and fight Gin.

• Momo Hinamori told Toshiro Hitsugaya that Aizen Sosuke’s letter named Ailin as his killer and a Quincy agent, then tried to reach Ailin’s residence.
• Toshiro protected Ailin and challenged Momo’s claim, while Gin Ichimaru arrived and implied that Momo’s letter was genuine despite Toshiro’s suspicion that it had been altered.
• Confused by the two captains’ words, Momo attacked Ailin’s residence again, and Gin’s Shinsō pierced her fireball before striking her and sending Toshiro crashing through a wall.
• Toshiro froze Momo’s wounds and attacked Gin with Hyōrinmaru, whose ice dragon shattered against Gin’s Shinsō.