Recaps

Ailin brought Toshiro Hitsugaya to the Seireitei after training him in Zanjutsu, Shunpo, and spiritual pressure control. He introduced Toshiro to the Kuchiki Clan estate and explained the stature of his disciples and his own position as captain of the Eleventh Division.

• Ailin trained Toshiro in Zanjutsu and Shunpo as they traveled toward the Seireitei, reaching it after three months.
• Ailin took Toshiro to buy clothes and brought him to the Kuchiki Clan estate, where Toshiro agreed to stay until enrollment but remained devoted to his grandmother.
• Ailin explained that his disciples attracted attention because three of them had become Gotei 13 captains.
• Ailin described the Gotei 13 as the Seireitei's strongest force and told Toshiro that its captains were among the Seireitei's highest combat powers.
• Ailin showed Toshiro the number on his Captain's Haori and explained that he was captain of the Eleventh Division.

Haruko welcomed Toshiro to the Kuchiki residence and doted on him, while Ailin discovered Rukia crying over her lack of progress and tested her swordsmanship. Byakuya saw how much Ailin’s guidance improved Rukia, and Ailin confronted him about his training.

• Haruko mistook Toshiro for “Shiro-chan,” then welcomed him as Ailin’s disciple and took him inside.
• Haruko spent the next few days taking Toshiro around Seireitei and showing him off.
• Ailin found Rukia crying beneath the cherry blossom tree because she felt she had disappointed him and Byakuya.
• Ailin sparred with Rukia and helped her find a battle rhythm that let her use nearly all the strength she showed in practice.
• Byakuya watched Rukia’s improved swordsmanship, and Ailin criticized him for failing to teach her as effectively.

Ailin confronted Byakuya over Rukia’s lack of progress in combat and challenged him inside his Bankai, Unlimited Blade Works. After swiftly defeating and healing Byakuya, Ailin began synchronizing with Senbonzakura to show him what it meant to face his own Zanpakuto as an enemy.

• Ailin questioned Byakuya’s year of instruction and condemned him for failing to help Rukia develop her swordsmanship in battle.
• Ailin activated Unlimited Blade Works, bringing Byakuya and Rukia into his Inner World and shielding Rukia behind a barrier of Zanpakuto.
• Ailin overwhelmed Byakuya with Shunpo and powerful kicks, leaving him badly injured as Rukia watched in shock.
• A Zanpakuto from Sword Hill healed Byakuya, and Ailin explained that he could use his knowledge of Zanpakuto to affect their abilities.
• Ailin took up Senbonzakura and began synchronizing with it, drawing Byakuya’s combat experience into his mind.

Ailin used Synchronization to take control of Byakuya's Senbonzakura and defeat him, then challenged him to reclaim the Star-tethering hairpin by training. Byakuya recognized how much he had neglected the four Shinigami arts and began training again, while Rukia asked Ailin whether he would be all right.

• Ailin released Byakuya's Senbonzakura Bankai and overwhelmed Byakuya with its cherry-colored blades.
• Ailin criticized Byakuya's poor response to the attack, took his Star-tethering hairpin, and told him to challenge him to win it back.
• After returning to the courtyard, Byakuya reviewed his defeat and went to the place where he had met Hisana.
• Byakuya admitted he had grown lax and relied too heavily on Senbonzakura, then tied a strip of his Captain's Haori around his head and resolved to train the four Shinigami arts.
• Ailin explained that Byakuya's neglected training had weakened his combat instincts, and Rukia asked whether Byakuya would be all right.

Ailin explained that Rukia’s analytical approach suited Kido but had hindered her Zanjutsu, then began teaching her Data Kendo. He demonstrated the technique by predicting her attacks so precisely that she felt like his puppet, leaving her exhausted and frightened.

• Ailin reassured Rukia that Byakuya would recover from his defeat and explained that her diligent but unsuitable Zanjutsu training had sent her down the wrong path.
• Ailin told Rukia that her analytical thinking gave her unusual strengths and that she needed to forget her incorrect swordsmanship before it harmed her future progress.
• Ailin introduced Sword Arts and chose to teach Rukia Data Kendo, which used calculations of an opponent’s movements and weaknesses.
• Ailin demonstrated Data Kendo by predicting Rukia’s attacks and dodging them, while she grew increasingly frightened and exhausted.
• Ailin called a stop after Rukia’s attacks had been repeatedly anticipated and her sword hand was trembling.

Ailin demonstrated Data Kendo to Rukia, explained its risks, and began teaching her how to quantify herself and her opponents. Meanwhile, Nnoitra found a powerful female Vastolorde to consider as a replacement for Nieniel.

• Ailin stopped his sparring match with Rukia after she was exhausted and explained that he had used Data Kendo to anticipate her every move.
• Ailin told Rukia that Data Kendo could cripple her close-combat ability if she failed to learn it properly, but Rukia eagerly asked him to teach her.
• Ailin explained how to quantify strength, speed, and defense, then set Rukia the task of turning her own abilities into data.
• Haruko Kuchiki saw Ailin teaching Rukia and left without interrupting them, returning to arrange Toshiro Hitsugaya's accommodations.
• Nnoitra and Szayelaporro searched Hueco Mundo for a replacement for Nieniel, and Nnoitra identified a female Vastolorde who had once defeated him but spared his life.

Ailin transformed Yammy Riyalgo into an Arrancar and recruited him as the Tenth Espada. After sensing Nnoitra near a powerful Hollow presence, Ailin flew toward Tier Holi Bell’s territory.

• Ulquiorra brought Yammy Riyalgo before Ailin, and Yammy challenged Ailin’s authority over him.
• Ailin used the Hogyoku to transform Yammy into an Arrancar, and Yammy chose to serve him.
• Ailin branded Yammy with the number 10 and dismissed him and Ulquiorra.
• Ailin used Kyoka Suigetsu to extend his spiritual pressure sensing across Hueco Mundo and detected Nnoitra near four Hollows.
• Ailin flew toward the source of the spiritual pressure near Tier Holi Bell’s refuge.

Ailin offered Holi Bell help after Nnoitra defeated her and badly wounded her followers, and she accepted his offer to become his subordinate. Holi Bell began transforming into an Arrancar, leaving Nnoitra alarmed at the power she might gain.

• Nnoitra fought Holi Bell, released his Resurrección: Cimarrón, and overpowered her.
• Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun charged to help Holi Bell, but Nnoitra wounded them and severed each of their left arms.
• Ailin arrived unseen by Nnoitra, introduced himself to Holi Bell as Aizen and the master of Las Noches, and offered her a place as his subordinate.
• Holi Bell accepted Ailin’s offer, and her transformation into an Arrancar began.
• Nnoitra recognized the transformation and feared Holi Bell would become stronger than him.

Holi Bell completed her Arrancar transformation and defeated Nnoitra, then brought Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun to Las Noches as the new Third Espada. Nnoitra was left questioning the belief that the strong must devour the weak and wondering whether Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu had influenced him.

• Holi Bell completed her Arrancar transformation, gained control over Sonido and Reishi, and overpowered Nnoitra in close combat.
• Ailin helped Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun complete their Arrancar transformations while Holi Bell fought Nnoitra.
• Ailin reflected on how Nnoitra's despair and hatred of female Hollows had been shaped by his defeats by Tier Harribel and Nienyell Ghiaccius.
• Holi Bell spared Nnoitra, brought Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun to Las Noches, and became its new Third Espada.
• Nnoitra realized Aizen had likely arranged the transformations and wondered whether Kyoka Suigetsu had made him doubt Hueco Mundo's law.

Ailin learned that the Fifth Division would protect True Zero Spirit Arts Academy students during their graduation assessment in the Human World, and he chose to lead the assignment himself. After briefing the students and distributing rescue fireworks, he prepared to take them through the Senkaimon for the assessment.

• Ailin reviewed the assessment roster and noticed Renji Abarai, Momo Hinamori, and Izuuru Kira among the students marked for recruitment.
• Ailin decided to join the Fifth Division's protection detail, then met Jūshirō Ukitake at the Thirteenth Division before the assessment.
• Momo Hinamori and the other students recognized Ailin and welcomed the Fifth Division's arrival.
• Ailin warned the students that the assessment was dangerous, urged them to prioritize returning safely, and explained that using a rescue firework would disqualify them.
• Ailin told Jūshirō Ukitake that the Fifth Division was ready and asked him to open the Senkaimon to the Human World.

Ailin began the True Zero Spirit Arts Academy’s month-long Human World assessment, while Inaba Kagerōza ordered five times the usual Hollow Bait deployed, causing more than a hundred Hollows to descend. Students including Momo Hinamori, Renji Abarai, and Izuuru Kira fought Hollows as the assessment grew far more dangerous than expected.

• Ailin sent the students and Shinigami into the city and announced that they would remain there for a month as part of the assessment.
• Inaba Kagerōza mistook Ailin’s call for a request to impress a favored student and ordered five times the usual amount of Hollow Bait.
• More than a hundred Hollows appeared across the examination grounds, and Ailin questioned whether the students could survive the onslaught.
• Momo Hinamori, Renji Abarai, and Izuuru Kira each defeated Hollows with Kidō and swordsmanship.
• The Hollows began fighting students throughout the city, while many ordinary students lacked the combat experience to handle them.

During the True Zero Spirit Arts Academy assessment, trainees faced deadly Hollows and those who used distress flares were disqualified and condemned to serve in the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force. Ailin, posing as Captain Aizen, treated the rescued trainees’ injuries and left them in Miyano Matsuri’s care.

• Trainees fought the Hollows in groups or alone, while those who activated distress flares were eliminated from the assessment.
• The chapter explained how Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto’s agreement with the nobles made failed commoner trainees serve in the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.
• Fifth Division Shinigami brought bloodied survivors to Ailin, while some trainees had already died before rescue arrived.
• Ailin cast Tōzan'ō to shelter the injured trainees and ordered Miyano Matsuri to treat them.

After the graduation assessment left dozens of students facing transfer to the deadly Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, Ailin gave them hope by calling them heroes and urging them to grow stronger. Once the students departed through the Senkaimon, Miyano Fujimaru reported that sixty-eight students remained.

• Ailin reflected on the Miyano siblings’ abilities and watched the defeated students grieve over their futures in Hueco Mundo.
• At dawn, Miyano Matsuri finished treating the wounded, and Ailin dissolved Tōzanshō before addressing the students.
• Ailin told the students that the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force protected the Human World and Soul Society by keeping Hollows occupied, and called the students heroes for joining it.
• Ailin encouraged the students to train and promised they could return to the Seireitei as honored heroes if they became legion commanders; the students bowed to him before entering the Senkaimon.
• After the eliminated students departed, Ailin asked Miyano Fujimaru how many students remained, and Miyano Fujimaru answered that sixty-eight remained.

Ailin and Miyano Fujimaru oversaw the trainees’ increasingly dangerous assessment as Medium Hollows began appearing, forcing the survivors to work together. After the first six trainees were eliminated, Ailin opened a Senkaimon to return them to the Seireitei for assignment.

• Miyano Fujimaru blamed himself for thirteen trainees dying on the first day, but Ailin reassured him and told him to organize the night watch.
• Over the next nine days, the trainees gained experience, and only five more were eliminated, leaving fifty-three in the city.
• Miyano Fujimaru warned Miyano Matsuri to flee if she encountered a powerful Medium Hollow as the assessment entered its more difficult stage.
• Momo Hinamori used Kido to defeat a powerful ant-like Medium Hollow, while other trainees were rescued by Fifth Division Soul Reapers.
• After trainees including Renji Abarai, Izuuru Kira, and Momo Hinamori began working in teams, Ailin sent the six eliminated trainees through a Senkaimon to the Seireitei for assignment.

Ailin rejected six failed students’ pleas for another chance, insisting the graduation assessment had to treat everyone equally. Kitada Yosuke then challenged his elimination by claiming a Soul Reaper had interfered before he used his distress flare, and a Soul Reaper stepped forward to dispute him.

• Six students begged Ailin to let them retake the assessment and promised to join the Fifth Division, but he refused to break the rules for them.
• Ailin explained to Kitada Yosuke that every eliminated student had to receive the same treatment, regardless of the unfairness they faced elsewhere.
• Kitada Yosuke accused Ailin of favoring nobles and said he had not used his distress flare when a Soul Reaper intervened in his fight with a mid-level Hollow.
• Kitada Yosuke argued that he should not have been eliminated because he had not called for rescue, and accused someone of framing him.
• A Soul Reaper defended his intervention, saying Kitada Yosuke would have been swallowed by the Hollow if he had not killed it.

Ailin restored Kitada Yosuke’s examination eligibility after accepting that he had not called for rescue, then publicly announced a stricter flare rule that exposed Kitada’s conduct to every student. The other examinees left for the Seireitei, while Matsubashi Yuma was assigned to protect Kitada during the rest of the examination.

• Kitada Yosuke argued that he had broken free and completed a Kido incantation before Matsubashi Yuma rescued him, and accused someone of sabotaging his examination.
• Ailin accepted Kitada’s claim because he had not released his distress flare, restored his eligibility, and ordered Matsubashi Yuma to guard him.
• Ailin used Tenteikūra to tell the remaining examinees about Kitada’s case and warned that rescue teams would not intervene without a distress flare.
• The five students refused Ailin’s offer to restore their eligibility and denied having circumstances like Kitada’s.
• Ailin sent the five students through the Senkaimon toward the Seireitei, and they hurried through the Dangai.

After Aizen punished Matsubashi Yuma for rescuing Kitada Yosuke, Miyano Matsuri hinted that Yuma could interpret his new protection orders loosely. Meanwhile, Momo Hinamori, Izuuru Kira, and Renji Abarai teamed up to fight Hollows during the increasingly dangerous examination, leaving Kira reflecting on his hidden origins.

• Miyano Matsuri told Matsubashi Yuma that he could protect Kitada Yosuke by choosing not to notice students’ distress fireworks, but Yuma remained confused and lost track of Yosuke.
• Kitada Yosuke blamed Aizen for his predicament, failed to join other student groups, and decided to hide until the examination ended while privately resenting the Soul Reaper who had exposed his weakness.
• Izuuru Kira used a Crimson Flame Barrier to hold back a medium-sized Hollow while Momo Hinamori injured it with a Crimson Cannon and Renji Abarai finished it with a strike to its mask.
• Momo Hinamori, Izuuru Kira, and Renji Abarai discussed how their teamwork had helped them survive the growing Hollow threat and how difficult the examination was.
• When Renji Abarai and Momo Hinamori spoke about coming from the Rukon District to change their lives, Izuuru Kira lowered his head because he had never told them about his own origins.

The chapter explained why Izuuru Kira hid his noble origins from Momo Hinamori and Renji Abarai, then followed Kitada Yosuke as he used civilians to draw Hollows and force Soul Reapers to rescue him. Captain Aizen confronted him after a Hollow badly injured him, leaving Kitada Yosuke begging for his life.

• Izuuru Kira secretly felt guilty for hiding his lower-nobility background while Momo Hinamori and Renji Abarai tried to comfort him about his supposed Rukon District origins.
• Kitada Yosuke’s reputation prevented him from finding companions, so he survived the assessment by drawing medium-sized Hollows toward crowded areas.
• Kitada Yosuke lured a powerful Hollow toward a shopping mall filled with civilians, expecting the rescue squad to arrive.
• Shimomura pursued Kitada Yosuke but stopped when Captain Aizen appeared and ordered him to leave the area.
• The Hollow struck Kitada Yosuke through several buildings, leaving him gravely injured at Ailin’s feet as he pleaded for help.

Kitada Yosuke crawled toward his fallen Distress Flare while Ailin refused to rescue him unless he launched it, then revealed how Kitada's selfish actions had cost students their lives. As Kitada faced death, Ailin challenged whether he could truly be called a Soul Reaper, reminding him of the promise that had once inspired him.

• Ailin told Kitada Yosuke that he would not rescue him unless Kitada launched his Distress Flare, and Kitada crawled toward it despite his shattered body.
• Kitada reached the flare, but Ailin told him to activate it himself; unable to use his broken limbs, Kitada realized Ailin had played him.
• Ailin said Kitada's actions had contributed to the deaths of seven other students and could lead to more deaths in future assessments.
• Kitada laughed at the thought that many people would die because of him, while Ailin questioned whether someone who used ordinary humans as shields deserved to be called a Soul Reaper.
• Ailin reminded Kitada that, as a child, he had vowed to become a Soul Reaper after one saved his village by drawing a Hollow away from its people.

After Kitada Yosuke died in the assessment, Ailin’s clone finished the trial and returned to the Seireitei, where Ailin asked Rukia to join her peers in the division selection. Rukia chose to face the other Soul Reapers without relying on noble connections, hoping their hostility would help her gather data for her swordsmanship.

• Kitada Yosuke froze in regret before a Medium Hollow killed him, and Ailin destroyed the Hollow with Haien.
• Fewer than twenty candidates passed the month-long assessment, and Ailin’s clone returned to the Seireitei.
• Ailin watched Rukia train and invited her to attend the division selection with her graduating peers.
• Ailin explained that Soul Reapers might resent Rukia for entering through noble connections, while Rukia said she wanted opponents whose techniques she could study.
• Ailin explained that Data Kendo improved through gathering intelligence, and Rukia agreed.

Three Gotei 13 captains visited the True Zero Spirit Arts Academy to recruit graduates, and Rukia reunited with Renji Abarai after six years apart. Rukia met Renji’s friends, Momo Hinamori and Izuuru Kira, as the story left them catching up at the academy.

• Toshiro Hitsugaya continued doing much of the Tenth Division’s work while M Matsumoto Rangiku neglected her duties.
• Byakuya Kuchiki, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Jūshirō Ukitake arrived at the True Zero Spirit Arts Academy to recruit new Shinigami.
• Rukia stepped out from behind Byakuya Kuchiki and approached the newly graduated students.
• Renji Abarai hesitated when he saw Rukia’s dignified bearing, but Rukia ran to him and joyfully greeted him.
• Renji Abarai introduced Rukia to his friends Momo Hinamori and Izuuru Kira, and Rukia thanked them for supporting him.

Renji, Momo, Izuuru, and Rukia discussed which Divisions they would join after graduating, while Rukia struggled between joining Renji in the Eleventh Division and following Byakuya’s request to enter the Thirteenth. Several Captains gathered to recruit Rukia, as Shunsui continued to suspect either Ailin or Aizen of being the hidden mastermind he had failed to uncover.

• Renji said he would join the Eleventh Division to receive guidance from a teacher Ailin had recommended, while Izuuru favored the Fourth Division and Momo was considering the Fifth.
• Rukia hesitated between joining Renji in the Eleventh Division and obeying Byakuya’s request to join the Thirteenth without taking a Seat Officer position.
• Byakuya, Shunsui, Ukitake, Soifon, Gin, and Isshin came to the academy’s recruitment day, with several Captains hoping to bring Rukia into their Divisions.
• Soifon sought to strengthen the Second Division, Isshin hoped Rukia would help the Tenth Division, and Gin watched an orange-haired figure while appearing to pursue his junior sister.
• Shunsui reflected that he had found no evidence of the hidden mastermind and continued to wonder whether Ailin or Aizen was responsible.

Shunsui Kyōraku suspected that Ailin and Aizen Sosuke were still preparing for a future clash, while Rukia joined the Thirteenth Division as an ordinary Soul Reaper despite her strength. Renji Abarai learned that Ailin and Zaraki were about to fight in their decennial battle and realized his captain might be stronger than he had thought.

• Shunsui Kyōraku considered Ailin and Aizen Sosuke’s histories and suspected their apparent peace was only a pause before another conflict.
• Shunsui Kyōraku saw that Rukia possessed Fifth Rank Reiatsu and wondered why Byakuya Kuchiki wanted her to serve as an ordinary Soul Reaper.
• Rukia joined the Thirteenth Division at Captain Ukitake’s invitation, while Izuuru Kira entered the Fourth Division, Momo Hinamori the Fifth, and Renji Abarai the Eleventh.
• After a year of training under Ikkaku Madarame, Renji Abarai learned that the Eleventh Division was heading to the Rukon District to watch Ailin fight Zaraki.
• Ikkaku Madarame reassured Renji Abarai that Ailin would not kill Zaraki, leaving Renji stunned by the implication of Ailin’s strength.

Renji Abarai watched Captain Ailin and Zaraki fight and realized how far Rukia had advanced beyond him. As Ailin unleashed a powerful new technique and the battle’s shockwave swept toward the spectators, Kiyone Shunjō and Ikkaku Madarame activated their Bankai to try to stop it.

• Renji Abarai reflected on how Captain Ailin’s strength had widened the distance between him and Rukia.
• Eleventh Division Soul Reapers raced to Zaraki District to watch Zaraki and Ailin’s ten-yearly battle.
• Zaraki removed his eyepatch, attacked at full strength, and shattered Ailin’s first slash.
• Ailin unleashed Crescent Moon Cross Slash, and Zaraki answered with Two-Handed Kendo; their attacks created a huge explosion and spreading shockwave.
• Kiyone Shunjō and Ikkaku Madarame activated their Bankai and struck at the shockwave, but it continued advancing.

Yachiru Kusajishi, Kiyone Shunjō, and Ikkaku Madarame endured the shockwaves from Zaraki and Ailin’s battle as Renji Abarai learned that Kiyone and Ikkaku had mastered Bankai. Zaraki and Ailin then escalated their close-range sword fight, leaving the Eleventh Division struggling to withstand the aftermath.

• Ikkaku Madarame and Yachiru Kusajishi used their Zanpakuto to withstand the shockwave, while Kiyone Shunjō and Ikkaku recovered from their injuries.
• Ikkaku Madarame and Kiyone Shunjō told Yachiru Kusajishi that Zaraki’s growing strength had forced them to retreat farther than before.
• Renji Abarai learned from a veteran that Kiyone Shunjō and Ikkaku Madarame had mastered Bankai, then joined the Eleventh Division in resisting the approaching shockwave.
• Ailin unleashed repeated slashes, but Zaraki broke through them and charged at him despite suffering several wounds.
• Zaraki and Ailin’s swords collided at close range, sending out a stronger shockwave that destroyed the ground and pushed some Eleventh Division members backward.
• Ailin and Zaraki used Reishi to race across the wilderness, their clashes destroying everything around them as Renji Abarai braced against the battle’s aftermath.