Recaps

After returning from Hueco Mundo, Yan Si learned that his record had been cleared but his rank remained unchanged. He reassured Kurayashiki Kenpachi that Ashido was alive, then declined Kyōraku Shunsui and Hirako Shinji’s suggestion that he enter the Tenth Division captain election.

• Yan Si’s contributions cleared his old offense, but he stayed Fifth Seat of the Ninth Division.
• Yan Si told Kurayashiki Kenpachi that Ashido was alive and safe, easing the captain’s worry.
• Kurayashiki Kenpachi ended training and took the Eleventh Division to Maple Pavilion for a party.
• Kyōraku Shunsui and Hirako Shinji praised Yan Si’s work and urged him to try for the Tenth Division captaincy.
• Yan Si suspected they knew something about his abilities, then declined their suggestion and said he preferred staying in the Ninth Division.
• After Yan Si left, Hirako Shinji said Yan Si seemed more genuine now, while Kyōraku Shunsui agreed that bonds mattered.

Yan Si learned that Chiziro Sochika had slaughtered a noble family and was likely hiding in Rukongai, where he might target the weakened Kurayashiki Kenpachi. To face the danger, Yan Si persuaded Tsuzurimono Bansho to cooperate and revealed that his plan began with meeting Aizen Sōsuke.

• Kensei told Yan Si that Chiziro Sochika had awakened his Zanpakutō during the destruction of the Chiziro Clan, killed the nobles responsible, and fled to Rukongai.
• Yan Si recognized Chiziro Sochika as the future eighth Kenpachi, whose Zanpakutō could manipulate Reishi.
• Yan Si realized Chiziro might challenge the weakened Kurayashiki Kenpachi and set out toward the Eleventh Division before reconsidering his approach.
• Yan Si asked Tsuzurimono Bansho to lend him its strength, and the Zanpakutō finally answered after he promised an honorable plan.
• Yan Si told Tsuzurimono Bansho that he needed to meet Aizen Sōsuke.

Yan Si walked with Aizen and used a conversation about the Great Spirit Book Corridor to steer Aizen toward suspecting that Yan Si’s ability recorded history. After they parted, Yan Si searched Runlin An for a dangerous person who might threaten Kurayashiki Kenpachi.

• Yan Si met Aizen at the Fifth Division Barracks, and they walked together while discussing Yan Si’s encounter with advanced Hollows in Hueco Mundo.
• When Aizen asked Yan Si to help him train for Shikai, Yan Si refused and told him about the Great Spirit Book Corridor, suggesting that it recorded even small events.
• Yan Si said he could no longer continue writing Lan Chuan, then declined Aizen’s request again and warned him that Zanpakutō could be willful.
• Aizen wondered whether Yan Si’s ability recorded history and whether it had helped him write Lan Chuan and Killer.
• Yan Si explained to himself that he had planted the idea to guide Aizen’s suspicions, then searched Runlin An for a dangerous person because Kurayashiki Kenpachi could not afford to get into trouble.

Siwei Yan encountered Chiziro Sochika at the Eleventh Division and tried to dissuade him from challenging Kurayashiki Kenpachi. Chiziro insisted on the duel, and Siwei arranged for witnesses as the two prepared to face each other.

• Siwei Yan argued with Tsuzurimono Bansho that cooperating with Aizen could serve his goals, then insisted they must help save Kurayashiki Kenpachi if Chiziro Sochika appeared.
• After half a month of fruitless patrols, Siwei learned Shiba Isshin had become the Tenth Division captain and that Captain-General Yamamoto had begun advancing reforms.
• Siwei found Chiziro Sochika outside the Eleventh Division barracks and confirmed that he had come to challenge Kurayashiki Kenpachi for the captaincy.
• Chiziro dismissed Siwei's warning that becoming Kenpachi might not achieve his objective and entered the barracks despite being a wanted criminal.
• Siwei contacted Urahara Kisuke and asked him to summon Unohana Retsu and Yamamoto as witnesses to the challenge.
• Kurayashiki Kenpachi welcomed Chiziro at the training ground, and Chiziro agreed to wait for the witnesses before they fought.

Yan Si tried to delay Chiziro Sochika’s challenge to Kurayashiki Kenpachi while awaiting Urahara’s help, as Captain-General Yamamoto and Captain Unohana came to witness the fight. Just as Yan Si feared the challenge would end in bloodshed, an invasion alarm rang across Seireitei, and he realized his plan had arrived in time.

• Several days earlier, Yan Si asked Urahara to bring an important person to a location when he sent a signal, and Urahara gave him a communicator.
• Captain-General Yamamoto and Captain Unohana arrived at the Eleventh Division sparring ground to witness Chiziro Sochika’s challenge to Kurayashiki Kenpachi.
• Yamamoto confirmed that defeating the current Kenpachi in a formal challenge transferred the title and responsibilities, while Unohana explained that succession had always involved bloodshed.
• Yan Si questioned whether Chiziro had to kill Kurayashiki, then tried to stall as Yamamoto’s pressure nearly overwhelmed him.
• Killing intent stones rang out across Seireitei, announcing an invasion, and Yan Si relaxed when he realized help had arrived in time.

Gremmy and Yachiru crashed into the Eleventh Division grounds, where Gremmy demanded Kurayashiki Kenpachi’s Captain’s Haori and entered the fight already underway. Unohana nearly confronted Gremmy after recognizing Yachiru’s name, but Yamamoto intervened, while Yan Si’s plan relied on Unohana being present to save Kurayashiki if he lost.

• Gremmy and Yachiru followed a Hell Butterfly’s guidance and smashed through the Eleventh Division’s walls to reach the Kenpachi tournament.
• Gremmy recognized Unohana vaguely, then challenged Kurayashiki Kenpachi for his white Captain’s Haori.
• Kurayashiki told Gremmy that Chiziro Sochika had challenged him first, so Gremmy stepped into the field to fight Chiziro first.
• When Gremmy told Yachiru to wait at the edge, Yamamoto noticed Unohana’s tense reaction to the girl’s name.
• Unohana confronted Gremmy, but Yamamoto’s warning stopped her from drawing her Zanpakutō.
• Kurayashiki praised Gremmy’s talent as Yan Si reflected that Unohana’s presence could keep Kurayashiki alive if Chiziro defeated him.

Yan Si was ordered to subdue Gremmy, the wanted intruder who had challenged the Eleventh Division, and defeated him by freezing him in ice. With Gremmy temporarily contained, Yan Si awaited orders from Captain-General Yamamoto and Captain Unohana.

• Yachiru Kusajishi approached Yan Si for candy, and Captain Unohana told him to deal with Gremmy, while Captain-General Yamamoto ordered him to see the trouble through.
• Yan Si confirmed that a Kenpachi challenge required victory, not death, then asked Kurayashiki Kenpachi and Chiziro Sochika to postpone their duel while he captured Gremmy.
• Yan Si released his disguised Shikai, Scroll of Wind and Snow, and formed an icy armament for the fight.
• Yan Si used wind and snow to rush behind Gremmy, blocked Gremmy's backward sword strike, and landed a freezing blow that encased him in ice.
• Yachiru Kusajishi laughed and poked the frozen Gremmy as Yan Si reported that the intruder was temporarily subdued and asked Captain-General Yamamoto and Captain Unohana for orders.

Yan Si unleashed his full power against Gremmy, concentrating his strength into a devastating ice-armored strike. He defeated Gremmy but shattered every bone in his right arm, then declared his victory.

• Unohana warned Yan Si that Gremmy was still conscious, and Gremmy broke free of the ice with a surge of Reiatsu.
• Gremmy attacked with power near captain level, while Yan Si dodged and asked Yamamoto to replace him.
• Yamamoto ordered Yan Si to use his full power, and Yan Si prepared a wind-boosted, ice-armored attack.
• Yan Si released the killing intent he had copied from Unohana and charged Gremmy as Gremmy met him with his sword.
• Yan Si's right arm shattered in the clash, but his ice-armored fist struck Gremmy's face and knocked him unconscious.
• Yan Si confirmed Gremmy was down and declared that he had won.

After Yan Si defeated Gremmy and received treatment for his shattered arm, Chiziro Sochika revealed that he had already attacked Kurayashiki Kenpachi and killed him after Kurayashiki refused to surrender. Captain-General Yamamoto named Chiziro the new Kenpachi and ordered Yan Si to bring Gremmy with him as they left the grieving Eleventh Division behind.

• Yan Si received healing from Captain Unohana, and Captain-General Yamamoto warned him to strengthen his body to withstand his own spiritual power.
• Kurayashiki Kenpachi challenged Chiziro Sochika, who revealed that their battle had ended long ago as hidden attacks caused Kurayashiki to bleed from wounds throughout his body.
• Kurayashiki refused to make excuses or surrender, and he advanced toward Chiziro despite Yan Si's pleas to stop.
• Kurayashiki attacked Chiziro with his remaining strength, and Chiziro killed him with a sudden burst of spiritual power.
• Captain-General Yamamoto declared Chiziro the new Kenpachi and ordered two Eleventh Division members to take Kurayashiki's remains to the Twelfth Division's technical department.
• Captain-General Yamamoto told Yan Si to bring Gremmy, and Yan Si left the arena with Gremmy and Yachiru as the Eleventh Division mourned Kurayashiki.

Yan Si persuaded Hikifune Kirio to preserve the dying Kurayashiki Kenpachi in suspended death, avoiding a sacrifice that would further destabilize the Reishi balance. Aizen learned of Yan Si’s actions and suspected he wanted Soul Society to face upheaval, then turned his attention to the Tsunayashiro Clan.

• Captain-General Yamamoto warned Yan Si that saving Kurayashiki could require an equivalent sacrifice, such as a captain-class soul or tens of thousands of Rukongai souls.
• Yan Si refused to let Kurayashiki die and asked Hikifune whether she could suspend his death without disturbing the Reishi balance.
• Hikifune agreed to preserve Kurayashiki in suspended death after Yan Si claimed Soul Society would need his strength during a future crisis.
• Yan Si left the Twelfth Division, deciding to publish Rukon District Godfather and pursue Third-Class Spiritual Pressure Level.
• Aizen read the Great Spirit Book Corridor’s records of Yan Si’s conversation with Hikifune and suspected Yan Si wanted Soul Society to undergo upheaval.
• Aizen focused his attention on the Tsunayashiro Clan, which had recently produced a madman.

Yan Si reconciled with Tsuzurimono Bansho and wrote Rukon District Godfather, a novel that openly drew on Captain-General Yamamoto’s past. After the book was published, Kyōraku Shunsui and Jūshirō Ukitake discussed how it confirmed their suspicions about Yan Si’s ability to glimpse the past.

• Yan Si tried to persuade the sulking Tsuzurimono Bansho that becoming stronger could let them find a third path instead of making impossible choices.
• Tsuzurimono Bansho suggested Yan Si become bald, but crossed out its drawing and returned to his sheath when he refused.
• Yan Si used Tsuzurimono Bansho to write Rukon District Godfather, including a poem about Yamamoto roasting sweet potatoes.
• Yan Si gave the manuscript to Mikazuchi Tetsu, who recognized its references to Yamamoto and arranged for the book to be published.
• Kyōraku Shunsui and Jūshirō Ukitake exchanged copies of Rukon District Godfather and agreed that it confirmed their suspicions about Yan Si’s ability.

Yan Si celebrated the success of Rukon District Godfather by offering to fund the Ninth Division before Chōjirō Sasakibe summoned him to meet Captain-General Yamamoto. At the First Division barracks, Yamamoto greeted Yan Si by inviting him to eat sweet potatoes roasted over Ryūjin Jakka, leaving Yan Si unsure what the Captain-General intended.

• Yan Si revealed that Rukon District Godfather had sold 280,000 copies and offered to pay for desserts, training equipment, and other Ninth Division needs.
• Chōjirō Sasakibe arrived and told Yan Si that Captain-General Yamamoto wanted to speak with him.
• Yan Si tried to avoid going, but Captain Kensei Muguruma urged him to comply, and Kyunnan Shiro promised to eat the desserts in his absence.
• On the way to the First Division barracks, Yan Si questioned Chōjirō Sasakibe about Yamamoto's mood and intentions but learned nothing.
• Yan Si arrived to find Yachiru watching Yamamoto roast sweet potatoes over Ryūjin Jakka, and Yamamoto invited him to eat.

Yan Si visited Captain-General Yamamoto, who fed him roasted sweet potatoes and urged him to grow stronger. Yamamoto then began personally teaching Yan Si White Strike, leaving him battered and dreading the next lesson.

• Yachiru ate roasted sweet potatoes with Yan Si and Captain-General Yamamoto while Gremmy practiced swordsmanship nearby.
• Captain-General Yamamoto discussed recurring events in Soul Society’s history and advised Yan Si to gain strength rather than worry about the future.
• Yamamoto said Yan Si could not join the Hueco Mundo rescue mission for Ashido and announced that he would teach Yan Si White Strike himself.
• Yamamoto demonstrated Flash Step and struck Yan Si, sending him crashing into the yard wall.
• Yan Si used Tsuzurimono Bansho and charged Yamamoto with his Heaven-and-Earth Overlord Fist, but Yamamoto caught the punch and repeatedly threw or tripped him.
• Yamamoto explained that White Strike relied on technique, timing, and coordination, then ended the lesson and scheduled another for the next day.

Yan Si completed years of training under Captain-General Yamamoto and returned to the Ninth Division. He learned that Chiziro Kenpachi had defected and that Seireitei was under lockdown while captains pursued him, leaving Yan Si to decide whether to join the patrols.

• Captain-General Yamamoto and Chōjirō Sasakibe trained Yan Si in combat, Reiatsu control, and Kidō while Gremmy practiced swordsmanship.
• Captain-General Yamamoto stopped Gremmy from cutting off his arm and took him away to burn off his energy.
• Chōjirō Sasakibe told Yan Si he had mastered the fundamentals and could return to the Ninth Division.
• Yan Si reunited with Yamagane Tetsu, who explained that Chiziro Kenpachi had defected and an arrest order had been issued.
• Yamagane Tetsu told Yan Si that Captain Kyōraku Shunsui and Captain Ukitake Jūshirō were pursuing Chiziro while several divisions sealed Seireitei's routes.
• Yan Si learned he could help patrol if he wished, then stood up and said he understood.

Yan Si visited Urahara and Yoruichi’s secret base, where he met Chiziro Kenpachi’s Zanpakutō, Amatsuyu Takuru, and learned that Chiziro had surrendered. He tested Urahara’s Tenshintai, funded improvements, and began writing a book about Unohana Yachiru’s past, unaware that Yoruichi thought his portrayal would provoke her.

• Yan Si left the Third Seat’s office and went to the Secret Base to work on the second volume of Rukon District Killer.
• Yan Si found Urahara and Yoruichi with Amatsuyu Takuru, who told him about Chiziro Kenpachi’s past and asked him to divine Chiziro’s future.
• Yan Si told Amatsuyu Takuru that Chiziro only needed to wait patiently, and she vanished after sensing that Chiziro had surrendered.
• Yan Si learned that Central 46 would likely imprison Chiziro in The Abyss, then agreed to give Urahara eight hundred thousand kan to improve the Tenshintai.
• Yan Si discussed his Zanpakutō and his reputation with Urahara and Yoruichi, then refused Yoruichi’s invitation to spar.
• Yan Si used Tsuzurimono Bansho to write verses about Unohana Yachiru’s past, while Yoruichi left fearing that Unohana would punish him for the portrayal.

Yan Si returned to the Ninth Division and learned that Soul Society could not send aid to Hueco Mundo because the Quincy hunts in the Human World were destabilizing the balance of Reishi. After Yamamoto approved a final attempt to negotiate, Kyōraku and Ukitake set out for the Human World, where failure could lead to catastrophe.

• Yan Si returned to the Ninth Division, celebrated with Kensei and the squad, and learned Chiziro Kenpachi still held his title because he had surrendered rather than been defeated.
• Ukitake and Kaien discussed how the Quincies’ increasingly frequent Hollow hunts were worsening the Reishi imbalance and preventing the Hueco Mundo Rescue Squad from departing.
• Kaien told Yan Si about the Quincy hunts and their hostility toward Shinigami, revealing why Yamamoto had not allowed Yan Si to go to Hueco Mundo.
• Ukitake and Kyōraku brought the Quincy report to Yamamoto, who warned that the Human World’s Reishi region could collapse and destroy at least one-fifth of the world.
• Yamamoto approved Kyōraku and Ukitake’s mission to give the Quincies one final warning, and the two captains left for the Human World to negotiate.

Yan Si used Reishi and emotional Seeds from his manuscripts to attempt a breakthrough, then endured Unohana Yachiru’s overwhelming killing intent inside his inner world. After the violent process stabilized, Yoruichi arrived and found him alive, and Yan Si left the base after teasing her about seeing him half-dressed.

• Yan Si noticed the Shinigami patrols were unusually tense and went to the Secret Base to check the Seeds collected from his novels.
• Yan Si opened the second volume of Rukon District Killer and was struck by a surge of Unohana Yachiru’s killing intent.
• Yan Si absorbed Reishi from his manuscripts, then faced an endless horde of corpses in his inner world while resisting the killing intent.
• Urahara Kisuke monitored Yan Si’s violent breakthrough, called Yoruichi when a Reishi storm destroyed the monitors, and Yoruichi rushed into the base.
• Yoruichi found Yan Si’s Reiatsu stabilizing, and Yan Si awoke, noticed his shredded uniform, and left after deliberately posing for her.

Yan Si refused Yoruichi's suggestion that he become captain of the Eleventh Division, then was taken by Unohana Retsu to Muken to visit Chiziro Kenpachi. Unohana confronted Chiziro over leaving the Eleventh Division without a Kenpachi, and the chapter ended with her coldly demanding what should be done about the broken succession.

• Yoruichi urged Yan Si to become captain of the vacant Eleventh Division, but he refused because he preferred his Fifth Seat position and feared the future challenge from Gremmy.
• Yan Si ate ramen at a new shop, then went to a flower shop to find plants for the Ninth Division's courtyard.
• Unohana Retsu caught Yan Si trying to leave the flower shop and brought him to Muken for a visit.
• Unohana and Yan Si met Chiziro Kenpachi in his cell, where Chiziro accepted a bouquet through his Zanpakutō ability.
• Unohana accused Chiziro of leaving the Eleventh Division without a Kenpachi and asked what should be done about the broken succession.

Unohana Retsu revealed herself as the First Kenpachi and challenged Chiziro Kenpachi in Muken to settle the succession of the Kenpachi title. As the battle raged, Yan Si struggled against the killing intent overwhelming him and entered his Inner world to resist its effects himself.

• Unohana shattered the barrier to Chiziro Kenpachi's cell, then told Yan Si to record their confrontation in the third volume of his novel.
• Unohana revealed her identity as Unohana Yachiru, the First Kenpachi, and released her Bankai, Minazuki.
• Chiziro Kenpachi attacked Unohana with multiple powerful Kidō spells while Amatsuyu Takuru merged with the surroundings to support him.
• Unohana cut through the Kidō and charged Chiziro Kenpachi, healing rapidly after being struck by his spells.
• Yan Si fought the urge to draw his sword as Minazuki's killing intent stirred his inner bloodlust, then entered his Inner world and summoned two brushes to renovate it.

Yan Si fought to purge the killing intent from his Inner world while Unohana defeated Chiziro Sochika in Muken. After Yan Si invoked the Kenpachi succession and the “Evil Demon,” Unohana spared and healed Sochika, then left with Yan Si.

• Yan Si struggled to cover the killing intent corrupting his Inner world until it stopped spreading, then swept the remaining crimson into the sky and collapsed from exhaustion.
• Yan Si returned to Muken and found Unohana victorious, with Chiziro Kenpachi kneeling and his right arm severed while Amatsuyu Takuru pleaded for his life.
• Amatsuyu Takuru told Unohana that Yan Si had said Sochika would not die, and Yan Si argued that Unohana’s defeat by the “Evil Demon” meant the Kenpachi title belonged to that figure, Gremmy.
• Unohana sheathed her sword, restored her gentle demeanor, and reattached Chiziro Sochika’s arm while suggesting he could fight the “Evil Demon” if he ever left Muken.
• Unohana told Sochika that the captains considered the barrier unnecessary because he had always been one of them, then invited Yan Si to leave with her.

After leaving Muken, Yan Si visited Gremmy at the First Division barracks and tried to persuade him to become the Eleventh Division’s captain by emphasizing the battles that came with the Kenpachi title. Gremmy’s fighting spirit rose as Yan Si hurried away, leaving him contemplating the prospect of constant challenges.

• Unohana told Yan Si to visit the Eleventh Division barracks and guide Gremmy toward becoming Kenpachi.
• Yan Si found the Captain-General absent, then went to the backyard training grounds where Gremmy was practicing and Yachiru was eating his candy.
• Yan Si told Gremmy that becoming the Eleventh Division captain would bring a captain’s haori and frequent fights with powerful challengers.
• Gremmy’s fighting spirit grew as he imagined facing strong opponents, while Yan Si gave Yachiru a communicator and ran off.

Gui Yancheng led his thugs into Seireitei to claim the vacant Eleventh Division captaincy, but Yan Si hurried to the division after learning who he was. The Eleventh Division’s members welcomed Yan Si as they faced Gui Yancheng’s group, leaving Ikkaku Madarame intrigued by him.

• Gui Yancheng and his thugs entered Seireitei after Big Jirudo let them pass toward the Eleventh Division.
• Big Jirudo told Yan Si that a criminal named Gui Yancheng had headed for the barracks, and Yan Si recognized him as the tenth-generation Kenpachi.
• Yan Si rushed to the Eleventh Division, where its members confronted Gui Yancheng’s fifteen followers on the training ground.
• Ikkaku Madarame broke away from Gui Yancheng’s group and asked the Eleventh Division about the long-haired man and child who had visited years earlier.
• The Eleventh Division members spotted Yan Si, sheathed their swords, and greeted him warmly while Ikkaku took an interest in him.

Yan Si managed the arrival of Ikkaku and Yumichika while Gui Yancheng challenged the Eleventh Division's Third Seat for the Kenpachi title. As Yan Si secretly wrote that Gremmy would soon become Kenpachi and called for Yachiru, Gui Yancheng defeated the Third Seat in a single blow.

• Yan Si confirmed Ikkaku had come to find Gremmy, and Ikkaku showed his scar before waiting at the training ground for Gremmy to arrive.
• Yumichika silently resented Yan Si's looks, then joined Ikkaku by the wall.
• Gui Yancheng questioned whether Yan Si was the Eleventh Division captain, so Yan Si let the Third Seat face him under the rules of Kenpachi succession.
• Yan Si hid behind a pillar and wrote that Gremmy would soon become Kenpachi, then contacted Yachiru and guided her toward the training ground.
• Gui Yancheng struck the Third Seat before he could finish calling his Shikai, knocking him unconscious and cracking the training-ground wall.

Gremmy arrived at the Eleventh Division after Gui Yancheng defeated its acting captain and claimed the captain’s Haori. He killed Gui Yancheng, took the Haori, and declared himself Gremmy Kenpachi, inviting the division members who wanted to fight to stay.

• Gui Yancheng defeated the Eleventh Division’s acting captain, killed an underling, and forced a division member to bring him the captain’s Haori.
• Yan Si prepared to intervene, but a Hell Butterfly arrived before he drew his Zanpakuto.
• Gremmy burst through the training-ground wall, tore off Gui Yancheng’s arm to take the Haori, and killed him with a single slash.
• Ikkaku killed the fleeing thugs and challenged Gremmy, while Yachiru teased him about his shaved head.
• Yan Si showed Gremmy how to wear the Haori, and Gremmy told the Eleventh Division members that only those who wanted to fight should stay.
• Gremmy introduced himself as Gremmy Kenpachi.

Yan Si left the Eleventh Division and patrolled the remote Huāku District, where he found two hungry children, Rangiku and Gin. He offered to take them to Seireitei, but Gin refused, and Yan Si continued his patrol.

• Gremmy defeated Ikkaku Madarame, invited him to join the Eleventh Division, and named Yachiru lieutenant while making seats open to strength-based challenges.
• Yan Si escaped Gremmy’s attempt to fight him by using Flash Step and tossing candy to Yachiru, then left to patrol Rukongai.
• In Huāku District, Yan Si found a little girl hiding in a rundown house and gave her candy after learning she was hungry.
• The girl revealed herself as Rangiku and called out Gin, who had been hiding nearby with a rusty dagger.
• Yan Si offered to take Rangiku and Gin to Seireitei, but Gin declined on their behalf, and Yan Si left after telling them to seek him if they needed help.