Recaps

After the captains confirmed candidates for the Gotei 13’s vacant posts, Kaien Shiba rejected his nomination and chose to retire. He explained to Ukitake and Rukia his role as the Shiba Clan’s former head and the secret his family had guarded, leaving the waiting room to understand why he had joined the Gotei 13 and what his clan had endured.

• Yamamoto ordered Ukitake to inform Kaien Shiba and Rukia that they would undergo captain assessments, while the captains approved a Hueco Mundo expeditionary legion commander as the Third Division candidate.
• Ukitake told Kaien and Rukia about their nominations, but Kaien refused the Fifth Division post and asked to leave the Gotei 13.
• Rukia repeated Ailin’s claim that the Shiba Clan was the only truly great noble clan, and Kaien affirmed that the other nobles were despicable.
• Kaien revealed that he had once headed the Shiba Clan and had learned from his father the secret and purpose his family had guarded for generations.
• Kaien explained that Ailin had advised him to become a Shinigami to protect his family, but he had failed to protect Miyako when danger came.

Kaien Shiba retired from the Gotei 13 to return to the Shiba Clan, and Jūshirō Ukitake let him keep his Zanpakuto to protect his family. Rukia proceeded to the Captain's Meeting as a candidate for captain, while Shūhei Hisagi resolved to overcome his fear of Kazeshini as war approached.

• Kaien Shiba resigned as Jūshirō Ukitake's Vice-Captain and asked to spend his remaining years with Miyako at the Shiba Clan.
• Jūshirō Ukitake approved Kaien's retirement but let him keep his Zanpakuto so he could defend the Rukon District and his family.
• Kaien said farewell to the Vice-Captains, while Jūshirō Ukitake took Rukia to the Captain's Meeting as a candidate for the Ninth Division.
• Tetsuzaemon Iba urged Shūhei Hisagi to pursue a captaincy, and Shūhei decided to train with Kazeshini so he could protect his comrades.
• Rukia chose the captain assessment that required her to challenge a current captain.

Rukia chose to challenge her teacher Ailin to learn the gap between her strength and that of a true powerhouse. Ailin brought the Captains into his Bankai’s world and began testing her with Tetsusaiga, while Rukia revealed the extraordinary freezing power of Sode no Shirayuki.

• Rukia selected Ailin as her opponent, and he accepted her challenge.
• Ailin released Bankai, Unlimited Blade Works, creating a world filled with swords that astonished the Captains, especially Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
• Ailin summoned his Zanpakuto Tetsusaiga and demonstrated its Wind Scar attack, carving deep ravines into the ground.
• Rukia released Sode no Shirayuki and froze Ailin’s wind slashes before shattering them.
• The Captains questioned whether Seireitei’s records had underestimated Sode no Shirayuki, since Rukia’s Shikai directly froze everything around her.

Rukia used Sode no Shirayuki’s Absolute Zero domain to slow Ailin and withstand his attacks, demonstrating how powerful her Shikai had become. As their clash continued, Rukia realized she could maintain Absolute Zero for only 145 more seconds and began looking for a way to avoid losing.

• Toshiro explained that Hyōrinmaru controlled moisture and could produce more than ice, while noting that a wielder’s skill could raise a Zanpakuto’s power.
• Rukia used Absolute Zero to freeze Ailin’s Wind Scar, then stabilized her body temperature at -50 degrees and advanced through the air.
• Rukia blocked nine of Ailin’s Wind Scar attacks with Tsugi mai: Byakuren, impressing Ailin and prompting Toshiro to consider how Hyōrinmaru might make stronger ice.
• Ailin closed in with Tetsusaiga, and Rukia entered Absolute Zero again, creating a domain that slowed his movements and forced him to shield himself with spiritual pressure.
• Rukia and Ailin traded blows inside the domain as Shunsui and Ukitake discussed its effects and Rukia’s strength.
• Rukia realized she could sustain Absolute Zero for only 145 more seconds before she would have to leave the state and recover.

Rukia unleashed her Bankai, White Mist Punishment, during her fight with Teacher Ailin, but his true spiritual pressure broke through her frost. The Captains judged her stronger than Byakuya Kuchiki and Toshiro Hitsugaya, and Ailin named her his most outstanding disciple before setting her next training goal.

• Rukia calculated that her Shikai and Bankai could only be used at full power for limited periods, then activated Bankai—White Mist Punishment.
• Rukia's Bankai froze Ailin and impressed the watching Captains, but Ailin released his true spiritual pressure and melted the frost around himself.
• Ailin praised Rukia's Bankai and explained that his spiritual pressure had been suppressed to match hers during their fight.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Retsu Unohana, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Jūshirō Ukitake agreed that Rukia had surpassed Byakuya Kuchiki and Toshiro Hitsugaya.
• Ailin called Rukia his most outstanding disciple and told her to master concentrating her Bankai's cold onto her Zanpakuto so she could eventually fight Yamamoto.

After Rukia demonstrated her strength, the captains approved her appointment as Ninth Division captain, and Ailin urged her to consider bringing laws from the Human World to the Seireitei. Yamamoto then addressed the remaining vacancy in the Gotei 13, leaving Ailin to explain why Zaraki was unsuitable to lead the Fifth Division.

• Retsu Unohana and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto recognized that Rukia’s ice abilities could eventually rival Yamamoto’s power, while Yamamoto wondered how Ailin knew about his control of Flowing Blade-like Fire.
• Ailin, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Byakuya Kuchiki approved Rukia’s captaincy, and Yamamoto officially appointed her captain of the Ninth Division.
• Ailin warned Rukia that the Ninth Division’s authority over imprisonment could destabilize the Seireitei if abused, and suggested she use Human World laws as a model for fair regulations.
• Rukia told Ailin she would visit the Human World after settling into her new duties, and Yamamoto announced that the Fifth Division’s captaincy remained vacant after Kaien Shiba applied for retirement.
• Yamamoto asked Ailin whether Zaraki could fill the vacancy, and Ailin agreed that Zaraki had captain-level strength but said his personality made him unfit to manage the Fifth Division.

Yamamoto appointed Ailin to lead the Fifth Division and Zaraki to take over the Eleventh, allowing Ailin to accept the change before leaving for a two-week vacation in Karakura Town with Haruko. There, Ailin sensed Gin Ichimaru nearby and asked Haruko whether she wanted to investigate.

• The captains objected to Zaraki becoming Fifth Division captain, and Unohana proposed Sasakibe as a better candidate.
• Yamamoto instead asked Ailin to become Fifth Division captain and Zaraki to take over the Eleventh Division; Ailin accepted, requesting not to wear Aizen's old Haori.
• Ailin requested two weeks of leave and took Haruko to the Human World, where she marveled at Karakura Town's modern conveniences.
• Ailin reflected on Seireitei's research into artificial souls and the risks of humanity's evil, then sensed Gin Ichimaru nearby.
• Ailin asked Haruko whether she wanted to go see their acquaintance, and she wondered if anyone they had known in the Human World more than a century earlier could still be alive.

Ailin and Haruko Kuchiki reunited with Gin Ichimaru in the Human World and learned that Aizen had tasked him with using the Bount to distract the Seireitei. Back in Las Noches, Aizen revealed another backup plan and ordered Ulquiorra to prepare two children for deployment into the Seireitei.

• Ailin told Haruko Kuchiki that the acquaintance he sensed in the Human World was Gin Ichimaru, and they went to see him.
• Ailin and Haruko found Gin Ichimaru speaking with Kariya Jin, who fled after Haruko enthusiastically fussed over Gin.
• Ailin recognized Kariya Jin as a Bount and asked Gin whether he had approached the Bount on Aizen's orders.
• Gin confirmed that Aizen was using the Bount to distract the Seireitei while he fused with the Hogyoku, then returned to Hueco Mundo through a Garganta.
• Aizen told Gin that he had said too much, then ordered Ulquiorra to prepare two children for deployment into the Seireitei when needed.

Ailin warned the Seireitei that Aizen Sosuke had prepared the Bount clan as a contingency, while Mayuri Kurotsuchi agreed to investigate their capabilities. Elsewhere, Kariya Jin gathered the remaining Bounts and told them their long-denied existence was about to reach an end.

• Gin Ichimaru left through a closing Garganta, and Ailin promised Haruko Kuchiki he would bring Gin back safely within half a year.
• Ailin contacted the Twelfth Division and asked Akon to connect him to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
• Ailin reported that Aizen Sosuke needed half a year to merge with the Hogyoku and had prepared the Bounts to hinder the Seireitei.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi dismissed the Bounts as weak, but Ailin warned that Aizen's improvements could make them powerful enough to threaten the Seireitei.
• Kariya Jin gathered the eight remaining Bounts and declared that their long-denied existence was about to come to an end.

Kariya Jin strengthened the surviving Bount with bottled souls and prepared them to test their power against Ryoka from the Human World. Ailin considered how Aizen Sosuke might be using disturbances to distract the Seireitei, then sensed spatial fluctuations while shopping with Haruko Kuchiki.

• Kariya Jin revealed that he had gathered vast quantities of souls and let the Bount absorb them, while Soma Yoshino resisted and left.
• The newly empowered Bount agreed to test themselves against the Ryoka before attacking the Seireitei, and Koga Tsuyoshi knocked Mabashi down to warn him about losing control of his power.
• Ailin reported the Bount to the Seireitei and reflected that Aizen Sosuke might be exploiting crises to keep its Soul Reapers occupied while he fused with the Hogyoku.
• While shopping with Haruko Kuchiki, Ailin detected signs of spatial fluctuations nearby.

Ailin and Haruko Kuchiki encountered a Hollow in Karakura Town, and Ailin bound it for the arriving Substitute Shinigami. Later, Shihoin Yoruichi visited them, learned about the Bount threat from Ailin, and left to share the intelligence while Ailin explained the Bount’s tragic history to Haruko.

• Ailin bound a small Hollow with Kido so the stationed Soul Reaper could purify it, while Haruko Kuchiki watched.
• Shihoin Yoruichi visited Haruko at the hotel and confirmed that she was doing well with Ailin’s Avalon.
• Shihoin Yoruichi told Ailin that Ichigo Kurosaki had taken the Kido-bound Hollow to Urahara’s shop without recognizing the binding spell.
• Ailin shared his intelligence that Bount had gathered in Karakura Town and were responsible for the rising number of human deaths.
• Shihoin Yoruichi departed to act on Ailin’s information, and Ailin explained the Bount’s origins and persecution to Haruko Kuchiki.

Ailin reconsidered the Bount after Haruko argued that they fed on human souls and had no right to claim victimhood, then decided to expose their hypocrisy. He approached Uryu Ishida, who had lost his Quincy powers, and began building a connection with him while hinting that Sogen Ishida’s death had more to it than Uryu knew.

• Haruko Kuchiki argued that the Bount survived by consuming human souls and that granting them a home in Soul Society would endanger Rukon District residents.
• Ailin reconsidered his sympathy for the Bount and decided to expose their lies, choosing Uryu Ishida as a possible ally.
• Uryu Ishida continued training after losing his Quincy powers and encountered Ailin in the Human World.
• Ailin asked Uryu to call him Senior, and Uryu accepted the connection to his grandfather Sogen Ishida.
• Ailin confirmed that Uryu had lost his powers and praised him for making Mayuri Kurotsuchi look miserable, while hinting that Sogen’s death was not simple.

Ailin told Uryu Ishida that Quincy power might be recoverable and suggested he seek help from the Bount, then spent a week vacationing with Haruko in the Human World. Yamamoto called him back to the Seireitei after Ranshiro appeared and a group of Bount infiltrated it, leaving Ailin suspicious of Ranshiro’s motives and immortality.

• Ailin told Uryu Ishida that some Quincy had regained their lost powers and suggested he investigate the Bount’s doll power while searching for a permanent solution.
• Ailin left Uryu Ishida and spent the following week visiting Human World landmarks and the shrine built at the village he and Haruko had founded.
• Akon contacted Ailin, but Yamamoto took the Communication Device and asked Ailin to end his vacation early because a figure from a thousand years ago had appeared.
• Yamamoto explained that the Bount had infiltrated the Seireitei and that Ranshiro had argued for their continued existence.
• Ailin recalled that Ranshiro’s clone Soma Yoshino was a Bount and reasoned that Ranshiro had likely used human souls to keep herself alive for a thousand years.

Ailin learned that Ranshiro had threatened to destroy the Seireitei with hidden Pure Realm Chapters unless the oldest captains stayed out of the Bount hunt, and Yamamoto explained the precautions he had taken. Ailin and Haruko decided to return to the Seireitei, where Momo Hinamori’s Fifth Division fought a Bount’s underground whale attack and confronted an old man riding atop it.

• Yamamoto told Ailin that Ranshiro had threatened to detonate the Pure Realm Chapters unless captains who had served for over a hundred years were kept from fighting the Bount.
• Yamamoto explained how he had positioned the captains and other forces to contain the Bount while preparing for Ranshiro to detonate the Pure Realm Chapters.
• Ailin and Haruko agreed to return to the Seireitei and help resolve the crisis.
• Momo Hinamori led the Fifth Division in searching for Bount who had devoured civilian souls, then spotted a shadow moving beneath the ground.
• Hinamori ordered the Soul Reapers into the air, allowing them to avoid a giant whale that erupted from the earth.
• The whale evaded the Fifth Division’s Kido attacks before an old man appeared seated on a chair atop its head.

Ailin returned to Seireitei, captured and killed Sawado, and rescued two Shinigami swallowed by Baura. As the captains confronted the Bount’s plans, Soifon killed Yuki and turned toward Ushi, while Sajin Komamura remained locked in battle with Koga Tsuyoshi and Mabashi.

• Sawado sent Baura into the air, where it swallowed two Shinigami and injured three others before healing from Momo Hinamori’s flames.
• Ailin arrived, restrained Sawado and Baura with golden chains, and used the King's Seal to retrieve the two swallowed Shinigami for treatment.
• Ailin killed Sawado, while Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake restrained Ranshiro after explaining that Ailin could rival Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
• Soifon unleashed Unlimited Shunko and killed Yuki with Nigeki Hissatsu after the Bount sensed Sawado’s spiritual pressure disappear.
• Sajin Komamura continued fighting Koga Tsuyoshi and Mabashi in a remote forest, with Tetsuzaemon Iba nearby.

Ailin and the Soul Reapers defeated the Bount who had invaded the Seireitei, while Sajin Komamura protected Tetsuzaemon Iba from Mabashi’s control. Afterward, Ailin warned Uryu Ishida about the danger of his Quincy power and told him another Quincy lived in Karakura Town, then turned to speak with Ichigo Kurosaki.

• Mabashi controlled Tetsuzaemon Iba and forced Sajin Komamura to fight defensively while Koga Tsuyoshi and Daruku attacked them.
• Ailin’s attack destroyed Koga Tsuyoshi, Mabashi, and their Dolls, freeing Tetsuzaemon Iba; Komamura comforted him and urged the Seventh Division to grow stronger.
• Ailin sensed that Soifon had killed Yuki and Ushi, and Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryu Ishida defeated the remaining Bount, Kariya Jin and Utagawa Ryo.
• Ailin met Ichigo and Uryu, explained that he had left the Eleventh Division to become captain of the Fifth Division, and congratulated Uryu on regaining his powers.
• Ailin warned Uryu that using his Quincy bracelet could make his body explode and told him another Quincy lived in Karakura Town who might know how to help.
• Uryu agreed to seek out the other Quincy, and Ailin turned his attention to Ichigo.

Ichigo Kurosaki met Captain Ailin, learned that Ailin had captured Urahara Kisuke and Tetsusai Gantetsusai in the past, and discovered that Byakuya Kuchiki and Gin Ichimaru were Ailin’s disciples. At Urahara Shoten, Shihoin Yoruichi described Ailin’s early career in the Second Division, and Tetsusai Gantetsusai began sharing what he knew about him.

• Ailin praised Ichigo Kurosaki’s progress and revealed that he knew Urahara Kisuke, Tetsusai Gantetsusai, and Shihoin Yoruichi, and that he had once captured Urahara and Tetsusai.
• Ailin told Ichigo that Byakuya Kuchiki and Gin Ichimaru were his disciples and had sharply different opinions of Ichigo’s abilities, then left for the Fifth Division’s quarters.
• Ichigo and Uryu Ishida visited Urahara Shoten to ask Urahara Kisuke, Tetsusai Gantetsusai, and Shihoin Yoruichi about Ailin.
• Shihoin Yoruichi recounted that Ailin had trained relentlessly in the Second Division, mastered Healing Arts, challenged the Vice-Captain, and reduced casualties with his ideas after she appointed him to the post.
• Shihoin Yoruichi said Ailin later joined the Kuchiki Clan by marriage, transferred to the Sixth Division, and became its captain, then shared the Seireitei saying about protecting his wife’s happiness.
• Tetsusai Gantetsusai began offering his own account of Ailin.

Tetsusai Gantetsusai and Shihoin Yoruichi could tell Ichigo Kurosaki little about Captain Ailin, so Ichigo explained how Ailin’s presence had frightened the Hollow and Quincy powers within him. Urahara Kisuke began to share what he knew about Ailin, while Momo Hinamori returned to the Fifth Division and was startled by how Ailin’s work reminded her of Aizen Sosuke.

• Tetsusai Gantetsusai said Ailin’s strength had frightened him and might even exceed Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s, but Ichigo Kurosaki thanked him for the information.
• Urahara Kisuke asked Ichigo Kurosaki why he wanted to know about Ailin, and Ichigo revealed that his inner Hollow had appeared during past battles and made him fear using Zangetsu.
• Ichigo told Urahara Kisuke that the Hollow became quiet and afraid around Ailin, while Old Man Zangetsu warned him to kill Ailin or stay away from him.
• Urahara Kisuke said he understood some of Ichigo’s experiences but would not explain matters beyond his understanding, then offered to describe what he knew about Ailin.
• Momo Hinamori returned to the Fifth Division captain’s office and nearly mistook Ailin for Aizen Sosuke before Ailin invited her in to discuss the division’s condition.

Ailin took over the Fifth Division and reassured an exhausted Momo Hinamori, granting her leave to make amends with her friends. He then went to the unsettled Third Division, where Izuuru Kira was still managing affairs while the division awaited an unknown Captain from Hueco Mundo.

• Momo Hinamori mistook Ailin’s familiar mannerisms for a moment, then remembered that Aizen had defected and that Ailin was now the Fifth Division Captain.
• Ailin finished the Fifth Division’s accumulated paperwork, covered the sleeping Momo with his Haori, and explained her exhaustion to Miyano Tomomaru.
• Ailin granted Momo three days of paid leave and urged her to reconnect with her friends, prompting her to reflect on how she had hurt Kira and Toshiro.
• Ailin left Momo and headed to the Third Division, where the Captain’s post remained vacant as the replacement from Hueco Mundo had not yet arrived.
• Izuuru Kira continued handling the Third Division’s affairs, while its members remained uneasy about their unknown incoming Captain.

Ailin visited Izuuru Kira and revealed that Gin Ichimaru had been his disciple, urging Kira to protect the Third Division and its members until Gin returned. After testing Kira through a night of training, Ailin recognized Chusuke’s untapped potential and planned to use its gravity ability to create a Gravity Blade.

• Izuuru Kira recalled how he had defended Gin Ichimaru and continued managing the Third Division despite expecting to lose his Vice-Captain position.
• Ailin thanked Kira for looking after Gin and, during a nighttime walk, explained Gin’s past and asked Kira to protect Gin’s subordinates.
• When Kira reacted loudly to Ailin’s suggestion that Gin might return, Ailin struck him to stop him from revealing the secret, then challenged him to draw his blade.
• Ailin trained Kira through the night, and Kira discovered that his skill with Chusuke’s weight-increasing ability had improved greatly.
• Ailin considered Chusuke’s overlooked potential and planned to create a Gravity Blade to train under increased gravity.

Tenkai Shusuke took over as captain of the Third Division and learned how much freedom captains had as long as they fulfilled their duties. He retained Izuuru Kira as vice-captain and announced a combat exercise to assess the division and select its Seat Officers.

• Ailin explained to Tenkai Shusuke that captains could act freely so long as their divisions completed their assigned duties, and Tenkai welcomed the latitude for his own plans.
• Ailin recalled how Kisaragi Taiho had once spared him and how he had repaid that debt by guiding Tenkai in Hueco Mundo, while wondering what Tenkai would do after learning the truth about the past.
• Tenkai met the Third Division Soul Reapers, and Izuuru Kira offered to relinquish his vice-captain position after Gin Ichimaru's departure.
• Tenkai praised Kira's work and asked him to remain vice-captain, disappointing Kifune Ri, who had expected to take the role.
• Tenkai announced a combat exercise to assess the Third Division and choose its Seat Officers, and the Soul Reapers agreed to fight with all their strength.

Tenkai Shusuke took command of the Third Division, where Kifune Ri defeated its members and tried to challenge Izuuru Kira, but Tenkai stopped him. Tenkai won the division’s support by promising to restore its reputation and taking everyone out drinking, while the chapter ended with speculation that he might eventually replace Kira with Kifune Ri.

• Kifune Ri easily defeated Third Division Shinigami and challenged Izuuru Kira to prove his strength.
• Izuuru Kira looked to Tenkai Shusuke for direction, and Tenkai ended the sparring before Kifune could provoke him further.
• Tenkai told the division he would increase its missions and help overcome the stigma left by former Captain Gin Ichimaru.
• Tenkai invited the entire Third Division to an izakaya, winning the members’ enthusiasm and strengthening his position as their captain.
• Izuuru Kira reflected on Gin Ichimaru’s care for the division, while others speculated that Tenkai might eventually make Kifune Ri vice-captain.

After taking over the Fifth Division, Ailin let the Third Division share its rescue duties and entrusted the work to Momo Hinamori and Izuuru Kira. As Momo reflected on how Ailin differed from Aizen and how much she trusted him, she asked Kira what he thought of Ailin.

• Tenkai Shusuke asked Ailin to let the Third Division take on some of the Fifth Division's rescue assignments, and Ailin agreed.
• Ailin had Momo Hinamori and Izuuru Kira coordinate the handover, then left the Fifth Division to rest.
• Momo complained that Ailin had fooled her again by avoiding his duties, while Kira felt glad that she had recovered from Aizen's betrayal.
• Kira told Momo that Ailin's arrival had helped her regain her spirits, and recalled how Ailin's advice had helped him find purpose in the Third Division.
• Momo considered how she admired Aizen but felt comfortable acting spoiled and complaining around Ailin, then asked Kira what he thought of Ailin.

Izuuru Kira encouraged Momo to seek Captain Ailin’s guidance and grow stronger, while concealing his own questions about the Captains’ plans. At an izakaya, Ailin told Shunsui Kyōraku that Captain Tenkai was too impatient, leaving Kyōraku to consider what that revealed about Tenkai.

• Izuuru Kira hid his conversation with Ailin from Momo and wondered why Seireitei had allowed Captain Aizen to defect and why Captain Gin might return in half a year.
• Izuuru Kira urged Momo to train under Ailin, and Momo resolved to ask Ailin for guidance despite the pile of division paperwork.
• Momo and Izuuru Kira worked through the Fifth Division’s paperwork together, with Kira handling more than half of it.
• Shunsui Kyōraku invited Ailin for drinks and told him that Captain Tenkai had been taking support missions to improve the Third Division’s reputation.
• Shunsui Kyōraku asked what Ailin thought of Captain Tenkai, and Ailin answered that Tenkai was far too impatient.

Shunsui Kyōraku realized that Tenkai Shusuke was rushing to accomplish a hidden goal and chose to investigate his identity despite Ailin’s warning. Meanwhile, Kifune Ri’s resentment and ambition led him to lose control of his Zanpakuto and attack Third Division Soul Reapers.

• Shunsui Kyōraku connected Tenkai Shusuke’s haste and assumed name to a dangerous past, then told Ailin he would uncover Tenkai’s identity.
• Ailin warned Shunsui Kyōraku that learning the truth could leave him unable to stop Tenkai, but Shunsui chose to know and make his own decision.
• Ailin said he had repaid a kindness from Tenkai’s father and would stay out of Tenkai’s affairs unless Tenkai harmed the Fifth Division or provoked him.
• Kifune Ri killed a Gillian-class Menos and used the Third Division members’ admiration to imagine taking Izuuru Kira’s vice-captain position.
• Kifune Ri’s Reppū struck a fellow Soul Reaper and then spun out of control, wounding and killing Soul Reapers and Hollows as he continued the attack.