Recaps

During the Quincy extermination in Miyahara Village, Ailin protected an escape route and asked Urahara Kisuke to help stop Haruko Kuchiki’s worsening soul dissipation. The chapter ended with Yoruichi and Urahara shocked that Haruko, a member of the Kuchiki Clan, was suffering from a condition usually seen among ordinary souls in the Rukon District.

• As Soul Reapers slaughtered the Quincies and villagers fled Miyahara Village, Ailin guarded the eastern road and let the survivors escape past him.
• After the Quincy extermination succeeded, Ukitake and the Thirteenth Division performed Soul Burials for the dead villagers while Quincy souls were destroyed.
• Yoruichi thanked Ailin for his help, and he asked Urahara Kisuke to find a way to stop Haruko Kuchiki’s soul from dissipating.
• Ailin told Yoruichi and Urahara that Haruko’s soul had been dissipating for three years and had recently begun weakening faster.
• Yoruichi and Urahara were shocked because soul dissipation usually affected ordinary souls in the Rukon District, not someone from the Kuchiki Clan.

Ailin asked Urahara Kisuke to cure Haruko Kuchiki’s soul dissipation, revealing that his spiritual pressure had weakened her soul and hinting that he knew about Urahara’s secret. After half a year in the Human World, Ailin met a young Quincy struggling to master his Spirit Bow.

• Ailin explained that Haruko’s soul dissipation had started after she married him and asked Urahara Kisuke to help cure her.
• Shihoin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke grew wary when Ailin revealed what he knew, but he promised not to interfere with their plans and offered Urahara a favor for helping Haruko.
• Ailin said he would remain in the Human World with Ukitake to eliminate Quincy and warned that he would use his own methods if Haruko could not be cured.
• Ailin stayed in the Human World for six months, living near a village where Quincy might be present while wandering and training alone.
• Ailin found a seven- or eight-year-old Quincy boy practicing archery beneath a waterfall and gave him food and advice about training.

Sogen Ishida told Ailin how Hollows and Soul Reapers had destroyed the Quincy clan of Miyahara Village, leaving him as the last Quincy. After Ailin revealed that he was a captain and had taken part in the attack, Sogen fought him and began retreating toward the forest.

• Sogen explained that Hollows and Soul Reapers had wiped out his village’s Quincies half a year earlier, leaving him alone with the ability to sense Reishi.
• Ailin realized that Sogen was the source of the faint Reishi trace he had detected and asked the boy his name.
• Sogen identified himself as Sogen Ishida and described the Ishida family’s pure-blood Quincy lineage.
• Ailin revealed that he was a Soul Reaper captain and had been among the Soul Reapers who attacked the Quincy village.
• Sogen summoned his Spirit Bow and attacked Ailin, but his arrows shattered harmlessly against Ailin’s body.
• Sogen continued firing as he retreated toward the forest, intending to flee once he reached the trees.

Ailin captured Sogen Ishida and explained how Hollows, Soul Reapers, and Quincy affected the balance among the three worlds. Sogen accepted that Quincy powers could threaten the world and asked Ailin to kill him, but Ailin rejected sacrificing someone for the greater good.

• Ailin used Kidō to restrain Sogen Ishida when he tried to flee, then brought him back to the campfire.
• Ailin explained how Hollows formed, how Soul Reapers guided souls, and how the Human World, Hueco Mundo, and Soul Society depended on a balance of souls.
• Ailin said the world's total number of souls was fixed and that Quincy attacks annihilated Hollows instead of returning their souls to the cycle.
• Sogen concluded that the Quincy could eventually destroy the world and asked Ailin to kill him.
• Ailin said he hated situations where someone had to be killed for the greater good.

Ailin offered Sogen Ishida a way to preserve his Quincy branch under Seireitei supervision, and Sogen agreed before rapidly advancing his training. Back in the Seireitei, Ailin learned that Yoruichi and Urahara were helping Haruko and reunited with Byakuya, who challenged him to a Shunpo race.

• Ailin offered Sogen Ishida permission to continue Quincy training and raise a family in exchange for registering his branch with the Seireitei and letting Soul Reapers kill Hollows.
• Sogen Ishida accepted the conditions and, within a few days, completed the first stage of Quincy training and formed a stable Spirit Bow.
• Ailin returned through the Kuchiki Clan's Senkaimon and joined Ginrei Kuchiki as he watched Byakuya Kuchiki train.
• Ginrei told Ailin that Yoruichi and her friend had been taking Haruko Kuchiki out for treatment, and that her condition had improved each time.
• Byakuya challenged Ailin to compete in Shunpo, saying Yoruichi had told him to surpass Ailin before he could challenge her.

Ailin sparred with Byakuya Kuchiki and showed him that his Shunpo was too rigid, then took him to a remote part of the Rukon District to teach him about Soul Reaper combat beyond Zanpakuto abilities. He began by asking how Soul Reapers fought before Zanpakuto existed and why their four arts mattered.

• Ailin sparred with Byakuya and repeatedly outmaneuvered him with Shunpo, explaining that Byakuya relied too heavily on straightforward speed.
• Ailin asked Ginrei Kuchiki to watch over the Sixth Division while he took Byakuya away for training.
• Ailin carried Byakuya through Byakudōmon to a desolate area of District 78 in the Rukon District.
• Ailin asked Byakuya how Soul Reapers fought before Zanpakuto and why Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido were among their four arts.

Ailin demonstrated his mastery of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Kidō to Byakuya Kuchiki, showing him techniques that cut hills, resisted sword strikes, and shattered powerful defenses. Byakuya was awestruck, while Ailin insisted his strength was still far from invincible.

• Ailin used a Flying Slash to cut several hills apart and explained his approach to Zanjutsu.
• Byakuya attacked Ailin, who evaded his strikes with Paper Arts and endured his sword blows with Hakuda.
• Ailin used a finger flick to knock Byakuya’s Zanpakuto away, then demonstrated Hakuda’s offense by shattering a Dankū barrier with Twin Bone.
• Ailin cast Hadō #88—Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō, blasting apart hills along a passage hundreds of meters long.
• Byakuya called Ailin invincible, but Ailin replied that his strength was still far from that level.

Ailin taught Byakuya that Shunpo required far more than youthful boasts, while Byakuya grew more composed under his guidance. When Ailin reunited with Haruko, he was relieved to see her health improving, but Yoruichi warned that Haruko remained in danger unless the cause of her illness was resolved.

• Ailin explained to Byakuya how Shunpo complemented the other Soul Reaper arts and cautioned him against claiming he had surpassed Yoruichi.
• Ginrei noticed Byakuya had become more composed and diligent, even when Yoruichi tried to tease him.
• Yoruichi greeted Ailin and reunited him with Haruko, whose health and spirits had improved with Urahara's help.
• Ailin held Haruko's hand and expressed concern for how hard she had suffered.
• Yoruichi warned Ailin that Haruko's condition remained serious and could worsen unless its source was completely resolved.

Ailin met Urahara Kisuke to learn how he planned to fully resolve Haruko Kuchiki’s soul weakness, while remaining wary that Urahara might have hidden motives. Urahara began explaining his treatment plan, leaving the proposed method and its cost undisclosed.

• Yoruichi told Ailin that Urahara had a way to resolve Haruko’s condition but had waited because the method might be unusual.
• Ailin asked Yoruichi to arrange a meeting with Urahara and brought Haruko to hear his proposed solution.
• Three days later, Yoruichi led Ailin and Haruko to Urahara’s underground base in the Seireitei.
• Ailin offered to owe Urahara and Yoruichi a favor in exchange for curing Haruko, and Haruko worried about what that might cost him.
• Urahara wondered how much Ailin knew about his secrets, then began explaining his treatment plan for Haruko.

Urahara Kisuke explained that Ailin’s powerful Reiatsu was weakening Haruko Kuchiki’s soul and proposed healing her by making her a human in a specially created Gigai. His plan would force Haruko to live in the Human World and leave Ailin to choose between going with her or arranging protection, while Urahara watched how he responded.

• Urahara Kisuke told Ailin and Haruko Kuchiki that Ailin’s Reiatsu had been weakening her soul and that the damage would recur if they stayed together in Soul Society.
• Urahara Kisuke explained that a specially made Gigai could nourish and restore Haruko’s soul, but she would have to live in the Human World and could not leave the Gigai unless she died.
• Ailin recognized that Urahara Kisuke’s proposal would take Haruko—and potentially Ailin—away from Soul Society.
• Urahara Kisuke revealed that he was testing Ailin’s response, since Ailin could either remain in the Human World with Haruko or arrange for Shinigami to protect her there.

Ailin agreed to take Haruko Kuchiki to the Human World and asked Urahara Kisuke to make her a Gigai, warning him not to tamper with it. Urahara admitted he had considered doing so, while Shihoin Yoruichi recognized Ailin’s warning as a display of his superior Shunpo.

• Haruko Kuchiki rejected Urahara Kisuke’s offer to send her to the Human World under Soul Reaper protection and tried to leave with Ailin.
• Ailin stopped Haruko and asked Urahara how long it would take to make her a Gigai, then agreed to return in three months.
• Ailin warned Urahara and Shihoin Yoruichi not to add anything to Haruko’s Gigai before leaving with her.
• Urahara admitted to Shihoin Yoruichi that he had considered tampering with Haruko’s Gigai because Ailin was so mysterious.
• Shihoin Yoruichi told Urahara that Ailin’s departure had been an intimidation, and that his Shunpo exceeded what she could sense.

Ailin told Ginrei Kuchiki that Haruko Kuchiki would need to live in the Human World in a compatible Gigai, and Ginrei agreed to his plan. While Haruko's Gigai was being made, Ailin began training Byakuya and revealed his Bankai.

• Yoruichi and Urahara discussed Ailin's superior Shunpo and agreed not to provoke him.
• Ailin explained Urahara's treatment plan for Haruko to Ginrei and said he would take her to the Human World once her Gigai was ready.
• Ginrei accepted Ailin's plan and asked him to train Byakuya during the three months before they left.
• Ailin began Byakuya's training by releasing his Zanpakuto and activating Bankai: Unlimited Blade Works.

Ailin unleashed his Bankai, Unlimited Blade Works, and brought Byakuya Kuchiki into his sword-filled inner world. With only three months left to train Byakuya, Ailin prepared to begin their training through battle.

• Ailin released his full spiritual pressure and Bankai within the Seireitei, drawing the attention of the Gotei 13 captains.
• Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake wondered why Ailin had released his Zanpakuto, while Ukitake worried that Ailin might be punished and miss a future battle.
• Ailin revealed to Byakuya that his Bankai created and stored swords, then summoned thousands of them around Byakuya.
• Ailin said he had only three months to train Byakuya and challenged him to draw his sword and fight.

Ailin taught Byakuya Kuchiki that drawing a sword meant accepting the possibility of killing or being killed, then used a restorative Zanpakuto to turn their fight into training. Byakuya faced Ailin again, and Ailin prepared to strike his right arm with Byakurai.

• Byakuya Kuchiki drew his Zanpakuto, but Ailin used Flash Blossom to appear behind him and inflict two grave wounds.
• Ailin explained that fighters had to be prepared both to kill and to die, then released Void Bandage to heal Byakuya Kuchiki.
• Ailin told Byakuya Kuchiki to keep fighting and avoid being killed, while Void Bandage could restore him unless he died outright.
• Byakuya Kuchiki blocked Ailin's attack with both hands, gaining the advantage in strength as Ailin aimed a finger at his right arm.
• Ailin cast Hadō #4—Byakurai at Byakuya Kuchiki.

Ailin put Kuchiki Byakuya through three months of brutal combat training, teaching him to combine Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, Kidō, and spiritual pressure. Byakuya passed the first stage, and Ailin asked whether he wanted to continue toward greater strength.

• Ailin injured Byakuya's right arm and repeatedly defeated him, forcing him to use more than Zanjutsu.
• Byakuya began combining his swordsmanship with Kidō and learned to use Shunpo and spiritual pressure to fight more effectively.
• Byakuya completed his Zanpakuto's Shikai early in the third month, while Ailin had already discovered it and recreated Senbonzakura on his Sword Hill.
• Ailin praised Byakuya's progress and declared that he had passed the first stage of training.
• Ailin offered Byakuya a second stage and asked whether he was satisfied with being an ordinary Soul Reaper.

Ailin explained how Byakuya’s first training phase had built a foundation in the four Soul Reaper arts and contrasted that path with relying on Bankai alone. He began the second phase by declaring that Byakuya would develop and apply his Zanpakuto’s abilities.

• Ailin told Byakuya that their life-and-death battles had integrated the four Soul Reaper arts into his instincts and prepared him to pursue Captain-level mastery.
• Ailin explained that some captains relied mainly on Bankai, while mastery of the four Soul Reaper arts could provide a broader foundation for strength.
• Ailin said that Soul Reapers who mastered the four arts could achieve Bankai more easily, while many who gained power through Bankai neglected further training.
• Byakuya asked what the second training phase involved, and Ailin said it would focus on developing and applying Zanpakuto abilities.
• Ailin slapped Byakuya for questioning the change in focus and explained that a Zanpakuto represented a Soul Reaper’s upper limit.

Byakuya Kuchiki began the second stage of Ailin’s training, which focused on developing his Zanpakuto ability, Senbonzakura. After Byakuya’s attacks failed to make Ailin move, Ailin told him that his understanding of Senbonzakura was mistaken.

• Byakuya agreed to undergo Ailin’s second stage of training after completing the four Shinigami arts and releasing his Zanpakuto.
• Ailin reminded Byakuya to believe in his Zanpakuto and said there were no useless abilities, only useless users.
• Byakuya released Senbonzakura, transforming it into thousands of cherry-blossom-shaped blades and attacking Ailin.
• Ailin scattered Byakuya’s attacks, and Byakuya exhausted his spiritual power without making Ailin move.
• Byakuya regained his confidence by remembering Ailin’s advice, and Ailin said Byakuya had misunderstood Senbonzakura’s ability.

Ailin explained that Senbonzakura turned Byakuya Kuchiki’s reiatsu into petal-sized blades, but that Byakuya lacked the spiritual power to realize its full potential. Ailin began training Byakuya with Thousand Blades, whose larger fragments overwhelmed Senbonzakura’s first attack and forced Byakuya to dodge.

• Byakuya asked Ailin to teach him after Ailin explained Senbonzakura’s true ability and its dependence on reiatsu.
• Byakuya apologized to Senbonzakura and promised to train until its petals could bloom throughout Seireitei.
• Ailin told Byakuya he would teach him by fighting with weapons similar to Senbonzakura.
• Ailin released Thousand Blades, explaining that it split into one thousand fragments, each much larger than Senbonzakura’s blades.
• Byakuya attacked first with Senbonzakura, but Ailin’s Thousand Blades scattered the petals and continued toward him.
• Byakuya used Shunpo to evade the fragments, which gouged deep craters into the ground.

Ailin trained Byakuya Kuchiki to overcome Senbonzakura’s close-range weakness and improve his control over its blades. Byakuya began using the weapon both as a gathered sword and as a swarm, while Ailin shifted their training toward Senbonzakura’s strength in ranged attacks.

• Ailin struck Byakuya while Senbonzakura’s blades were keeping him occupied, then explained that Byakuya was vulnerable when his Zanpakuto fully dispersed into blades.
• Byakuya practiced gathering Senbonzakura’s blades into a stable sword, and Ailin let him continue until he could withstand Thousand Blades in close combat.
• Ailin demonstrated that Thousand Blades could split apart and rejoin after passing Senbonzakura, then Byakuya recovered and returned for more training.
• Byakuya released Senbonzakura, gathered half its blades into a sword, and directed the rest at Ailin as a mist.
• Ailin avoided close combat and launched a barrage of Thousand Blades fragments at Byakuya to teach him how to use Senbonzakura’s blades as his main force.

Ailin tested Byakuya Kuchiki against Demon Blade: Thousand Blades, then used Bankai to overwhelm him and turned the encounter into a lesson about gathering intelligence in battle. After Byakuya accepted Ailin’s offer to demonstrate another Zanpakuto, Ailin released the Sword of Golden Osmanthus and filled Byakuya’s vision with golden blossoms.

• Byakuya Kuchiki defended himself from Thousand Blades’ fragments by forming a rapidly spinning ring of Senbonzakura blades, though some fragments wounded him.
• Ailin ended the Shikai test, then used Bankai—Demon Blade: Thousand Blades to overwhelm Byakuya.
• In Ailin’s Inner World, Byakuya sulked while Ailin apologized and explained that Byakuya should gather information about an opponent’s abilities.
• Byakuya challenged Ailin’s claim that he had kept his spiritual pressure equal, and Ailin explained how his Bankai worked.
• Byakuya’s curiosity overcame his anger, and he agreed to see Ailin’s other Zanpakuto.
• Ailin released Bankai—Sword of Golden Osmanthus and Memory Release, surrounding Byakuya with golden osmanthus blossoms.

At the Captain's Meeting, Yamamoto confronted Ailin Kuchiki for releasing his Bankai in the Seireitei while training Byakuya and dismissed him as Sixth Division captain. The captains reacted with shock as Ailin faced the unprecedented punishment.

• Ginrei Kuchiki accompanied Ailin to the Captain's Meeting while Haruko stayed home with Byakuya.
• Yamamoto asked Ailin whether he had used his Bankai to train Byakuya in the Kuchiki residence, and Ailin admitted that he had.
• Yamamoto accused Ailin of knowingly violating the prohibition on captains releasing their Zanpakuto in the Seireitei, despite Ginrei's attempts to stop him.
• Yamamoto stripped Ailin of his position as Sixth Division captain, shocking the assembled captains.

Ailin accepted Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s judgment and gave up his position as captain, then prepared to leave Soul Society with Haruko for the Human World. Urahara Kisuke showed them specially made Gigai and opened an experimental Senkaimon to take them to their new bodies.

• Ailin accepted his dismissal for violating the ban, and Ginrei Kuchiki resumed his position as Captain of the Sixth Division.
• Haruko Kuchiki said farewell to Ginrei and Byakuya, while Ailin promised they could seek help in the Human World if needed.
• Ailin and Haruko met Yoruichi and an exhausted Urahara Kisuke, who explained that he had spent over two months making permanent, fully compatible Gigai for them.
• Urahara led Ailin, Haruko, and Yoruichi to a Senkaimon he had built by studying the Garganta, and Ailin questioned its safety.

Ailin, Haruko Kuchiki, and Urahara Kisuke crossed the Senkaimon to Urahara’s secret base in the Human World, where their Gigai awaited. Before letting Haruko enter hers, Ailin used his Bankai to inspect both bodies and confirmed they were safe.

• Urahara Kisuke led Ailin and Haruko Kuchiki through an unfinished Senkaimon passage, where Ailin used reishi to steady himself and carried Haruko.
• The group emerged in Urahara Kisuke’s Human World base and went to a cabin containing Gigai for Ailin and Haruko.
• Haruko hesitated before entering her Gigai and looked to Ailin, mindful that he had paid a price for her treatment.
• Ailin released his Bankai, All-Seeing Eyes, and used its visual abilities to examine both Gigai for hidden alterations.
• After confirming that Urahara Kisuke had not tampered with the Gigai, Ailin nodded to Haruko.

Ailin tested Urahara Kisuke’s Gigai, then helped Haruko Kuchiki enter one so her weakened soul could recover in the Human World. He began building a home for them and arranged for nearby villagers to relocate under his protection.

• Ailin entered a Gigai first, confirmed it had no hidden tampering, and let Haruko enter the other; Urahara Kisuke explained that her body would gradually nourish her weakened soul.
• Ailin persuaded Urahara Kisuke to lend him houses, an underground base, and currency before Urahara returned to Soul Society alone.
• Ailin cleaned the houses, planned a courtyard with Haruko, and set up a Mirror Gate barrier while she rested.
• Ailin surveyed the sparsely populated area and decided to bring nearby villagers together so he could protect them from the war.
• Ailin demonstrated his swordsmanship to the villagers, who agreed to relocate after the autumn harvest and began building homes at his direction.

After six years in the Human World, Ailin learned from Byakuya that Ginrei Kuchiki was critically ill and prepared to return to the Soul Society. He left Haruko Kuchiki behind in Sakura Garden Village, promising to investigate and see whether she could visit her father.

• Ailin established Sakura Garden Village, trained its youths, and eventually protected it from attackers with a barrier that made ordinary people overlook the village.
• A merchant named Grandpa Miyashita told children the legend of Sakura Garden Village and claimed he had once entered it.
• Ailin received a message from Byakuya through a Hell Butterfly saying Ginrei Kuchiki was critically ill and might die within days.
• Haruko Kuchiki grieved over her father's condition, and Ailin promised to go to the Soul Society to find out what had happened.
• Ailin left swords to protect Haruko and planned to ask Urahara Kisuke whether he could bring her to the Soul Society.