Recaps

Ikkaku Madarame arrived at Yorozuya and defeated the outlaws gathered there while waiting for Duan Mu. When Duan Mu returned, Ikkaku challenged him, and their fight ended with Duan Mu demanding that Ikkaku try to kill him.

• Ikkaku Madarame beat the outlaws in Yorozuya’s backyard and asked when the tavern’s owner would return.
• Iwao tried to keep Ikkaku away from Duan Mu, fearing their fight could draw Kenpachi Zaraki back to the tavern.
• Duan Mu appeared and caught Ikkaku’s wooden sword, then accepted his challenge despite insisting the tavern was not a place for fighting.
• Ikkaku and Duan Mu battled with wooden swords, and Ikkaku knocked Duan Mu backward with a blow to the abdomen.
• Duan Mu dispelled the Kido protecting his abdomen, revealed his fierce battle intent, and charged at Ikkaku, telling him to try to kill him.

Boss Duan Mu used his first real sword fight with Ikkaku Madarame to rapidly improve his Zanjutsu, while Ikkaku held back and tested him. When Duan Mu unleashed lightning and sent Ikkaku crashing through a wall, Ikkaku drew his Zanpakuto and released Hozukimaru.

• Duan Mu and Ikkaku exchanged rapid wooden-sword attacks, and Duan Mu gradually adapted to real combat despite Ikkaku's superior experience.
• Nishijin-ori and Ayasegawa Chikao explained that Ikkaku was drawing out Duan Mu's potential while Duan Mu was restraining his instinctive Hakuda counterattacks.
• Ikkaku pinned Duan Mu's cracked wooden sword beside his neck and demanded that Duan Mu grant his wish.
• Duan Mu seized Ikkaku's blade amid a burst of lightning, shattered it, and vanished without following up with an attack.
• Ayasegawa Chikao threw Ikkaku his Zanpakuto, and Duan Mu struck him with Flash Cry, blasting him through a wall.
• Ikkaku recovered, introduced himself as the Kenpachi Division's Third Seat, and released Hozukimaru.

Duan Mu fought Ikkaku Madarame after Ikkaku released Hozukimaru, testing his lightning-based techniques against the weapon’s spear and three-section staff forms. Both stopped at the same time and called the fight a draw, leaving Ikkaku eager to challenge Duan Mu again.

• Ikkaku released Hozukimaru and explained that it could switch between a spear and a three-section staff.
• Duan Mu dodged Ikkaku’s attacks, countered with lightning and Kido techniques, and found a way to enter the spear’s range.
• Ikkaku blocked Duan Mu’s lightning attacks with rapid spear thrusts, while Duan Mu recognized that his own power and stamina limited his chances of winning.
• Duan Mu dispelled his lightning and said he would stop fighting just as Ikkaku called the match a draw.
• Ikkaku returned to the tavern with Kiyone and Ayasegawa Chikao, saying Duan Mu was the right opponent for him and asking someone to carry his numb-handed sword.

Duan Mu reflected on the strange, exhilarating state he had entered while fighting Ikkaku Madarame, then asked Omaeda how he could obtain an Asauchi. Omaeda explained that Asauchi were tightly controlled, leaving Duan Mu disappointed but unwilling to risk making an enemy of Seireitei.

• Omaeda questioned Duan Mu about his fight with Ikkaku Madarame and warned him that the 11th Division often sought trouble.
• Duan Mu admitted that he had lost to Ikkaku and noted that the battle had sharply improved his Zanjutsu.
• Duan Mu recalled feeling unrestrained and exhilarated during the sword fight, and decided to use Flash Cry more often to strengthen his physique.
• Duan Mu asked to speak with Captain Soi Fon, but Omaeda said she had left matters concerning him in his hands.
• Duan Mu asked for an Asauchi, and Omaeda explained that they were tracked and generally obtained through the Soul Reaper Academy.
• Duan Mu accepted that he could not safely obtain an Asauchi by force or theft.

Duan Mu delivered furniture to Maggot's Nest and forced the prisoners to cooperate, then promoted Yorozuya around Commercial Street. He met Gin Ginjiro, the lieutenant-captain-level owner of Silver Dragonfly Eyewear, and wondered why an eyewear shopkeeper had such formidable spiritual pressure.

• Duan Mu brought furniture into Maggot's Nest and threatened the prisoners when they failed to respond to his room-number calls.
• A prisoner pointed out that the people Duan Mu had beaten were piled beside the furniture, so Duan Mu healed one of them and withdrew his spiritual pressure.
• The prisoners lined up by room number and accepted their furniture, leaving Duan Mu disappointed that he had no excuse to use them as sparring partners.
• Duan Mu handed out Yorozuya's Small Cards on Commercial Street, prompting people to discuss its Pass Token and its reputation in West Rukongai.
• Gin Ginjiro introduced himself as the owner of Silver Dragonfly Eyewear, and Duan Mu sensed his lieutenant-captain-level spiritual pressure.

Duan Mu visited Gin Ginjiro’s eyewear shop after Ginjiro noticed his Onmitsukidō Pass Token, where he met Ise Nanao and promoted his Yorozuya services. Ginmiha returned from checking the token, and Ise Nanao realized Duan Mu’s Small Card was also a Pass Token.

• Gin Ginjiro examined Duan Mu’s Pass Token, then invited him into his eyewear shop and offered him a pair of glasses.
• Duan Mu recognized Ise Nanao and gave her a Small Card while trying to make her curious about his work and services.
• Gin Ginjiro explained that he hoped to leave the 6th Division to run his shop once a suitable successor was found.
• Duan Mu described his commissions, Kido training, and work at the Fourth Division’s Comprehensive First Aid Station, surprising Gin Ginjiro and Ise Nanao.
• Ginmiha returned after leaving to verify Duan Mu’s Pass Token, and Ise Nanao examined his Small Card and recognized it as a Pass Token.

Duan Mu used his Onmitsukidō Pass Token to introduce his shop to Ise Nanao and Gin Ginjiro, then helped Ise choose glasses as an excuse to get closer to her. Ise left with a new pair of glasses and a slight favorable impression of Duan Mu, who continued his work around Seireitei.

• Gin Ginjiro explained that Duan Mu's Pass Token let him enter and leave Seireitei, and Duan Mu invited the lieutenant captains to hire his shop for odd jobs.
• Ise Nanao asked how Duan Mu obtained the token, but he declined to reveal details of the commission without the client's permission.
• Duan Mu offered to help Ise choose glasses as an apology, and she accepted his offer.
• Duan Mu recommended frames for Ise, including a pair Gin Ginjiro had modified for strenuous activity, earning one favorability point and 160 experience points.
• Ise chose glasses worth 1.4 million rings, then left the shop; Duan Mu declined Gin Ginjiro's offer of glasses and resumed handing out advertisements.

Duan Mu learned that his usual house-repair commissions had dried up, then headed to Seireitei for a Fourth Division flower arrangement gathering. He hoped to meet the gathering’s organizer, Captain Unohana Retsu.

• Duan Mu heard that his repairs had made West Rukongai’s houses sturdy enough to leave him with no seasonal repair commissions.
• Duan Mu scheduled upcoming work and assigned Iwao the crop-harvesting jobs so Iwao could earn money after Kūkaku banished him from her home.
• Duan Mu explained that the Yorozuya still could not attract Seireitei customers because he could not establish a business there.
• Duan Mu revealed that he had obtained an invitation to the Fourth Division’s flower arrangement gathering and left for Seireitei, eager to meet Unohana Retsu.

Duan Mu visited the glasses and herbal shops, where he spoke with Gin Ginjiro and Natsuhiko Yuu and learned that Hollow appearances in the Human World had recently increased. As he arrived at the Comprehensive First Aid Station, Kotetsu Isane asked him to join a Fourth Division aid mission to the Human World.

• Gin Ginjiro drove Duan Mu out of the glasses shop because he suspected Duan Mu was courting Ginmiha and other women on Commercial Street.
• Duan Mu gave Natsuhiko Yoshinori an advance list of herbs for the Comprehensive First Aid Station and helped Natsuhiko Yuu sort the shop’s herbs.
• Natsuhiko Yuu told Duan Mu that Hollow appearances had increased in the Human World and that the rate returned to normal after Aizen went there to provide aid.
• Duan Mu wondered whether the increase was connected to Hueco Mundo or Aizen, but decided against investigating and headed to the Comprehensive First Aid Station.
• Kotetsu Isane asked Duan Mu to join a group of Fourth Division members going to the Human World to provide aid because they were short on staff.

Duan Mu joined Unohana Retsu and the Fourth Division on an emergency trip to the Human World after the Third Division’s support unit encountered trouble. At the Thirteenth Division barracks, he confronted Unohana’s overwhelming danger, then gained one point of her favorability and 1,500 experience as the group prepared to depart.

• Kotetsu Isane told Duan Mu that the Fourth Division had been ordered to treat injured Third Division members in the Human World, and Duan Mu agreed to go when he learned Unohana Retsu was leading the mission.
• Kotetsu Isane led the group toward the Thirteenth Division barracks, where Duan Mu kept pace with her Shunpo despite appearing to have little Spiritual Power.
• At the barracks, Duan Mu found Omaeda, Otsubaki Sentarō, and members of the Punishment Army waiting with the Fourth Division team.
• Unohana Retsu arrived, and Duan Mu instinctively readied himself against her before stepping toward her despite his fear; Unohana called him not bad and continued toward the Senkaimon.
• Duan Mu received one point of Unohana Retsu’s favorability and 1,500 experience, then muttered to Omaeda that he regretted not squirming closer.

Duan Mu traveled with Unohana Retsu’s group to the Human World, where the Fourth Division treated casualties from a battle with four giant Hollows. After Duan Mu revived Togakushi Riku, Riku revealed that three Third Division seated officers had led a betrayal, and Ōmaeda prepared to hunt them down.

• Duan Mu learned from Ōmaeda that Hell Butterflies guided Shinigami through the passage and carried confidential messages.
• Unohana Retsu led the group into the Human World and directed the Fourth Division to treat wounded soldiers at a Third Division camp under attack by four giant Hollows.
• Duan Mu noticed that many wounded Shinigami had blade injuries and realized the Onmitsukidō had come to execute traitors.
• Duan Mu treated Togakushi Riku’s Soul Sleep and revived him while Ōmaeda questioned him about the defectors.
• Togakushi Riku reported that the Third Division’s Fourth Seat, Ninth Seat, and Twelfth Seat had each brought three soldiers before ambushing the support unit.

Duan Mu joined Omaeda and the Punishment Army to pursue three Third Division deserters, lured by a promised payment and a commission office. As they raced toward Kagero City, they encountered and quickly killed a wolf-shaped Hollow, then continued their pursuit after a local Shinigami fled from the Punishment Army.

• Kotetsu Isane organized the rescue effort while Duan Mu left to check the Third Division's second defensive line.
• Duan Mu found Omaeda and the Punishment Army hiding in the forest, and agreed to help pursue the deserters in exchange for five million kan and a commission office.
• Omaeda used a Technical Development Bureau tracker to locate the deserters near Kagero City, and the group hurried after them.
• Duan Mu and the Punishment Army crossed a mountain range, where a wolf-shaped Hollow emerged from a Garganta and Duan Mu destroyed it with Byakurai.
• A middle-aged Shinigami confronted the group over their territory, but fled when a Punishment Army member identified their business as Onmitsukidō work.

Duan Mu accompanied Omaeda to pursue three supposed defectors, but they discovered the men were decoys and the three seated officers had escaped. Duan Mu offered to help track down the missing officers for an increased reward.

• Kotetsu Isane worried when Duan Mu failed to reach the second defensive line, and Unohana Retsu explained that Omaeda had taken him to assist Onmitsukidō.
• Omaeda and Duan Mu followed three Spiritual Power traces west toward Karakura Town after the defectors split up.
• Duan Mu and Omaeda caught three Third Division members whose Spiritual Power had been altered to resemble that of the missing seated officers.
• Omaeda killed one captive and questioned the other two, who revealed that the seated officers had used them as decoys while escaping.
• Duan Mu pointed out the signs that the pursuit had been a setup, then offered to find the missing seated officers if Omaeda added another million to his reward.

Duan Mu used a modified Tsuriboshi to locate the three missing seated officers, spending experience to expand his Spiritual Pressure and withstand the spell’s overload. Meanwhile, Kisuke and a black cat observed him and discussed his unusual spiritual body before Duan Mu and Omaeda headed toward the forest where the officers were hiding.

• Omaeda offered Duan Mu seven million rings and a Seireitei branch equipped with a Command Divine Machine if he found the three missing seated officers.
• Duan Mu combined Tsuriboshi with Tenteikūra and a Shiba Clan spirit pattern, then spent experience to strengthen his Spiritual Pressure as the spell flooded him with information.
• Duan Mu located the three seated officers concealed behind a barrier at the edge of the forest where they had entered the Human World.
• Kisuke and a black cat watched Duan Mu on television and discussed his physical-form spiritual body and unusual ability to conceal his Spiritual Pressure.
• Duan Mu sensed that someone had been watching him, then continued toward the forest with Omaeda and asked why the Soul Reapers had not had their Spiritual Pressure restricted.

Omaeda and Duan Mu cornered three Soul Reaper defectors hiding in a concealed basin, and the fight exposed the gap between their strength and the pursuers’. Duan Mu shattered Fengyuan Qianhui’s amplified Kidō while Omaeda killed Yuan Mingyu, leaving Liu Chuan Yuan and Fengyuan as the remaining threats.

• Yuan Mingyu, Liu Chuan Yuan, and Fengyuan Qianhui waited in hiding for the Onmitsukidō to withdraw before fleeing in Gigai.
• Duan Mu and Omaeda attacked the basin with Sōkatsui, exposing the defectors’ hiding place and spirit tools.
• Yuan Mingyu tried to fight Omaeda but was overwhelmed and killed by Omaeda’s spiked ball.
• Fengyuan Qianhui fired a powerful Raikōhō at Omaeda, but Duan Mu broke it apart with Kyaku.
• Duan Mu concluded that Fengyuan’s Zanpakuto magnified Kidō’s appearance rather than its true power.

Duan Mu and Omaeda defeated the two defectors, Liu Chuan Yuan and Fengyuan Qianhui, after Duan Mu broke Liu Chuan Yuan’s water prison and killed him with a feint. They discussed the Supervision Team’s monitoring practices while waiting for the Punishment Force, and Duan Mu borrowed an Asauchi from Omaeda.

• Liu Chuan Yuan trapped Duan Mu in a shrinking Sea Prison, but Duan Mu broke it apart with his overwhelming spiritual pressure.
• Duan Mu dodged Liu Chuan Yuan’s counterattack and beheaded him, refusing to fight by his opponent’s rules.
• Omaeda overpowered Fengyuan Qianhui’s Kidō and killed him by piercing his chest.
• Omaeda explained that the Supervision Team had monitored the defectors but had not planned to arrest them, and Duan Mu questioned how they handled misconduct by Soul Reapers.
• After the two reported their location and waited for the Punishment Force, Omaeda lent Duan Mu an Asauchi to examine.

Duan Mu’s first contact with an Asauchi unexpectedly triggered it to transform into his Zanpakuto, drawing Omaeda into a dangerous cover-up. After returning from the Human World, Duan Mu and Omaeda hurried off to report the incident to Captain Soi Fon.

• Duan Mu examined Omaeda’s Asauchi without deliberately infusing it with spiritual pressure, but the blade began absorbing reishi and changing on its own.
• Duan Mu discovered that his system had activated the Zanpakuto and raised its level directly to Intermediate, while Omaeda sealed the transforming blade with a special bandage.
• Omaeda warned Duan Mu to keep the incident secret and said they needed Captain Soi Fon’s protection before Central 46 learned of it.
• Duan Mu returned through the Senkaimon with Omaeda and reassured Kotetsu Isane that he was uninjured.
• Omaeda told Kotetsu Isane that he needed to take Duan Mu for a routine report, then the two used Shunpo to leave the Punishment Force behind.

Duan Mu secured permission to keep his newly formed Zanpakuto, though it would be sealed because he refused to become a Shinigami. After resting at the Comprehensive First Aid Station, he discovered that a wounded 3rd Division officer’s damaged Core of Spiritual Pressure was absorbing reishi abnormally, and saw a chance to study the condition for his new kidō.

• Soi Fon offered Duan Mu the choice of becoming a Shinigami or taking the Zanpakuto sealed, and Duan Mu chose the seal.
• Omaeda removed the bandages, and Duan Mu’s Spiritual Pressure rapidly transformed the Zanpakuto into a long, narrow blade while unleashing a sinister aura.
• Soi Fon canceled Omaeda’s leave for three years, and Omaeda took the Zanpakuto to the Division of Heavenly Gifts for sealing.
• Duan Mu went to the Comprehensive First Aid Station to rest, where Sugi Natsuhane directed him to an empty ward.
• Fourth Division officers summoned Duan Mu to examine a 3rd Division officer who was coughing blood, and Duan Mu found that the man’s damaged Core of Spiritual Pressure was absorbing reishi without converting it into Spiritual Power.
• Duan Mu recognized the case as a rare opportunity to study the Core’s changes and potentially advance his new kidō.

Duan Mu experimented on a gravely injured Third Division squad member and discovered the Development Spirit Crest, then healed the man and used the system’s experience points to develop the new technique. He left the hospital with the spirit crest at Advanced level and Kotetsu Isane’s favorability at 50.

• Duan Mu secretly tested Kido and spell runes on the dying squad member while the Fourth Division watched.
• Duan Mu inscribed spell runes on the patient, causing the man’s Spiritual Pressure to surge, and the system recognized an unnamed spell rune as a new technique.
• Duan Mu named the technique the Development Spirit Crest, used it to accelerate Spiritual Power production, and healed the patient, whose Spiritual Pressure had increased.
• The recovered squad member thanked Duan Mu, while grateful Fourth Division members and Kotetsu Isane granted Duan Mu large amounts of experience points.
• Duan Mu invested experience points in the Development Spirit Crest and raised it to Advanced, while worrying that Kotetsu Isane’s favorability had reached 50.

Duan Mu checked on Kiryu Ori, then learned how Aokiro’s fear of Hollows had led him to join the Fourth Division and reassured him that he belonged there. On his way to work in West District 1, Duan Mu spotted a woman drinking heavily in a tavern.

• Duan Mu found Aokiro keeping watch over the sleeping Kiryu Ori and took him to breakfast.
• Duan Mu explained Kiryu Ori’s treatment to Aokiro and Yamadatarō, then heard about Aokiro’s past with Shuhei Hisagi and the Hollow attack that killed Kanze.
• Duan Mu and Yamadatarō told Aokiro that his gentleness and responsibility made him suited to the Fourth Division, and Aokiro thanked them.
• Duan Mu decided not to retrieve his Zanpakuto until he had a bag made for it, then headed toward the Byakudō Gate.
• Duan Mu noticed a woman in a tavern pouring alcohol into her mouth and stopped to look at her.

Duan Mu finished his Rukongai commissions and learned that Nishijin-ori, Habutae, and Diao Ao were fighting in the north, adding to his growing influence there. He visited Seireitei, retrieved his sealed Zanpakuto and the seven-million-ring commission fee, and learned that Yamamoto had readily approved his possession of it.

• Duan Mu finished building a cabin, collected his payment, and noted that commissions had dried up earlier than usual.
• Duan Mu learned that Nishijin-ori had started a territorial fight in North District 80 after losing to Ikkaku Madarame, and that Habutae and Diao Ao had joined the fighting.
• Duan Mu told Uzuki to keep Iwao from rushing into the conflict, while Iwao said he only wanted to help Diao Ao.
• Duan Mu reflected that Nishijin-ori, Habutae, and Diao Ao had become a powerful force under his influence, despite his lack of plans to build one.
• Duan Mu visited the 2nd Division, where Omaeda gave him the sealed Zanpakuto and the address of his Seireitei shop, along with the seven-million-ring commission fee.
• Duan Mu learned that Yamamoto had readily approved his Zanpakuto and inspected its seal before heading to the cafeteria.

Duan Mu waited at Arakawa's Izakaya for Matsumoto Rangiku, hoping to meet the 10th Division lieutenant captain. Rangiku recognized his name through a story Omaeda had once told her, leaving Duan Mu grateful to Omaeda.

• Duan Mu spent three days at Arakawa's Izakaya ordering liquor without drinking it, while Arakawa wondered if he planned to open a competing tavern.
• Duan Mu explained that the Seireitei Yorozuya branch only transferred commissions to his Rukongai shop, easing Arakawa's suspicions.
• Matsumoto Rangiku arrived and ordered ten flasks of Arakawa's best liquor.
• Duan Mu introduced himself to Rangiku and gave her a Yorozuya card, while she noticed the Spirit Patterns on his Zanpakuto bag.
• Rangiku remembered that Omaeda had mentioned Duan Mu after a lieutenant captains' gathering, and Duan Mu silently praised Omaeda for helping her recognize his name.

After drinking heavily with Matsumoto Rangiku, Duan Mu went to the 11th Division and fought Ikkaku Madarame, but Kenpachi Zaraki interrupted and sent him flying. Duan Mu poured his experience points into Raikōhō, physical constitution, and spiritual pressure, then launched himself back at Zaraki.

• Matsumoto Rangiku drank with Duan Mu until she passed out, while Duan Mu kept drinking and gained affection and experience.
• Soi Fon learned that Duan Mu had crossed into the 11th Division and ordered the Punishment Force to restrict passage around it.
• Duan Mu arrived at the 11th Division and attacked Ikkaku Madarame, who eagerly fought back as the division members watched.
• Kenpachi Zaraki joined the fight and blasted Duan Mu through the barracks.
• Duan Mu spent nearly all his remaining experience increasing his Raikōhō, physical constitution, and spiritual pressure, then charged back toward Zaraki.

Duan Mu fought Kenpachi Zaraki as his sealed restraints loosened, learning to wield his long blade under the captain’s relentless assault. He finally forced Kenpachi Zaraki back once, but was badly injured and the battle remained unresolved.

• Duan Mu’s immense spiritual pressure alarmed the divisions, and Soi Fon ordered the area sealed in case Kenpachi Zaraki went on a rampage.
• Ikkaku Madarame recognized that Duan Mu had released his restraints and explained that Kenpachi Zaraki was waiting for him to reach his peak.
• Duan Mu adapted to Kenpachi Zaraki’s one-handed sword style while blocking, healing his injured hand with Kido, and gradually improving his Zanjutsu.
• Duan Mu seized an opening and slashed Kenpachi Zaraki’s chest, but the shallow wound only heightened Kenpachi Zaraki’s excitement.
• Duan Mu used his spirit crest and a spinning, thunder-powered attack to clash with Kenpachi Zaraki and force him back for the first time, shattering his right shoulder in the process.

Duan Mu fought Kenpachi Zaraki to a standstill, landing a major slash before collapsing from his injuries. The 11th Division hid him from Central 46, and three days later he was recovering in Maggot's Nest while Seireitei searched for him.

• Duan Mu continued fighting Kenpachi Zaraki, using his growing battle instincts, thunder, and overwhelming strikes to wound him across the chest.
• Kenpachi Zaraki removed his eyepatch in excitement, but stopped when Duan Mu collapsed in a pool of blood.
• Ayasegawa Chikao sent Yachiru to carry Duan Mu to the Comprehensive First Aid Station while he and Ikkaku Madarame distracted investigators, including Central 46's representatives.
• Three days later, Soi Fon learned that the 11th Division was searching for Duan Mu and inviting him to visit, while Duan Mu had left the Comprehensive First Aid Station and entered Maggot's Nest.
• Omaeda reported that Duan Mu had killed prisoners who attacked him and was now banging his head against a wall; Soi Fon learned that Kenpachi Zaraki had taken responsibility for the destruction of the 11th Division barracks.