Recaps

Yan Si brought the gravely injured Rangiku to the Fourth Division, where Unohana treated her and explained that her soul could not fully heal. Unohana then forced Yan Si into a three-day Zanjutsu duel, and he left resolved to recruit future geniuses into the Ninth Division instead of repairing his own soul.

• Yan Si carried the unconscious Rangiku to the Fourth Division, where Unohana used Minazuki to treat her and arranged for her long-term recovery.
• Unohana told Yan Si that Rangiku’s missing soul fragment could not be restored without leaving a lifelong scar, and that Rangiku had once had captain-level potential.
• Unohana challenged Yan Si to learn Zanjutsu, and he reluctantly fought her for three days using training swords.
• Yan Si escaped the battered room, while Unohana calmly asked Yamada Kiyonosuke to arrange Rangiku’s private ward.
• Yan Si concluded that he could not safely merge with the suppressed portion of his soul and planned to recruit talented Shinigami into the Ninth Division as his backup plan.

Yan Si discovered that his savings were gone and went looking for work after finding Ueyama Tetsu collapsed from overwork. Yoruichi Shihōin offered him a tutoring job with the Kuchiki family, and Yan Si followed her to teach Kuchiki Byakuya.

• Yan Si found his treasury empty after realizing he had spent over two hundred thousand on division expenses and visits.
• Yan Si went to ask Ueyama Tetsu for a loan and discovered him collapsed over his paperwork.
• A Fourth Division member diagnosed Ueyama Tetsu with overwork, and Captain Kensei agreed to establish mandatory rest periods.
• Yan Si decided to earn money, while Captain Kensei, Kinoshita Ishida, and Kyunnan Shiro handled the division paperwork.
• Yan Si met Yoruichi Shihōin near the Noble District, and she offered him a job tutoring Kuchiki Byakuya.
• Yan Si followed Yoruichi into the Noble District, considering the well-paid tutoring job despite his past conflict with Ginrei Kuchiki.

Yan Si challenged the instructors competing to teach Kuchiki Byakuya and defeated all three, securing a broad teaching role. Kuchiki Ginrei hired him for six hundred thousand kan per month, and Byakuya was told to meet his new teacher at the Ninth Division the next day.

• Yoruichi brought Yan Si to the Kuchiki estate, where he announced that he wanted to teach Byakuya and asked how much each subject paid.
• Yan Si offered to teach Kidō, White Strike, Zanjutsu, calligraphy, moral character, and sociology, and Kuchiki Ginrei agreed to let him qualify by defeating the three instructors.
• Yan Si knocked out the bearded noble with White Ray and sent the bald martial artist flying with a finger flick.
• Yan Si defeated the Tenth Division Fifth Seat’s Heartless Style with a branch, tapping his forehead and rendering him unconscious.
• Kuchiki Ginrei hired Yan Si for six hundred thousand kan per month, and Yan Si told him to send Byakuya to the Ninth Division the next day.

Yan Si took Byakuya on patrol through Rukongai, teaching him to observe Wandering Souls and ordering him to live among them for ten days. Later, he collected Urahara’s weighted training gear and asked whether he could capture a wild Zanpakutō, leaving to search for one after learning it might be possible if he could make it obey.

• Yan Si, Kaname Tōsen, and Byakuya patrolled Rukongai as reports of Hollows spread into Districts 35 through 40, and Tōsen split off to patrol those districts.
• Yan Si told Byakuya to observe how Wandering Souls lived, then demonstrated freezing a river while teaching him to stay cool and confident in battle.
• Yan Si ordered Byakuya to obtain Wandering Soul clothes and live in Rukongai for a few days, returning in ten days.
• At the Maggot's Nest, Urahara gave Yan Si a set of weighted training equipment totaling three thousand jin and said research into fusing different powers would take time.
• Yan Si asked Urahara and Kurotsuchi Mayuri whether he could capture a wild Zanpakutō; Mayuri said it could work in theory if Yan Si made it obey.
• Yan Si left the laboratory wondering where he could find a wild Zanpakutō to capture.

Yan Si searched the Rukon District for a wild Zanpakutō and found Hyorinmaru, an ancient ice dragon. After a three-day battle, Hyorinmaru agreed to accompany him for now, though it believed they were not suited to each other.

• Yan Si considered ways to obtain a powerful Zanpakutō and went to teach at the academy, where he praised Gin Ichimaru and told the students the story of Sun Wukong.
• After class, Yan Si searched the uninhabited parts of the Rukon District and discovered a frozen valley containing a massive ice mountain.
• Hyorinmaru emerged from the mountain and refused Yan Si’s request to become his Zanpakutō, so they fought for three days.
• Yan Si persuaded Hyorinmaru to come with him until Tōshirō Hitsugaya was born, and Hyorinmaru transformed into a sword that Yan Si took with him.
• In Yan Si’s Inner world, Hyorinmaru froze a volcano and settled there while regarding the figure seated above the red mist.

Yan Si returned to Seireitei, trained Byakuya to suppress his Reiatsu, and tested the power Hyorinmaru lent him. He told Chiziro Kenpachi the truth about the Soul King and the future upheaval, while Chiziro noticed the strange Asauchi Yan Si kept hidden.

• Yan Si reunited with Byakuya and learned that he had befriended Hisana and Rukia in Rukongai.
• Yan Si warned Byakuya that his growing Reiatsu could endanger Hisana and taught him to restrain his presence; Tōsen asked to train as well.
• After Urahara reported that the Secret Base was repaired, Yan Si tested Hyorinmaru and found that it roughly tripled his Reiatsu.
• Chiziro Kenpachi visited Yan Si and learned that the Five Noble Houses and Ichibē Hyōsube had dismembered the Soul King, and that they had stopped him before.
• Chiziro Kenpachi reacted with anger to the revelation, then noticed Yan Si's wrapped Asauchi and sensed that it concealed something unusual.

Gin Ichimaru graduated early and chose to join the Ninth Division rather than the Fifth Division, despite considering staying near Aizen to pursue revenge. He reunited with Rangiku at the Ninth Division barracks.

• Gin Ichimaru's exceptional academy record drew recruitment offers from Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, Love Aikawa, and Shiba Isshin.
• Yan Si and Aizen argued over Gin Ichimaru's choice of division, while Gin weighed his promise to Yan Si against his desire to watch Aizen and avenge Rangiku.
• Gin Ichimaru chose the Ninth Division, honoring his agreement with Yan Si and deciding not to leave Rangiku behind.
• Yan Si led Gin Ichimaru to the Ninth Division, where Rangiku welcomed him and poured him tea.

Yan Si confronted Urahara about his research into using willing Living Souls, then refused to take responsibility for Urahara’s choices. Urahara sold the Yan Si-shaped Gigai to Yoruichi and resolved to continue his research to help Yan Si break through and change Soul Society.

• Urahara showed Yan Si a life-size Gigai modeled after him and explained its uses in the Human World.
• Urahara proposed studying willing Living Souls, and Yan Si warned him that he would bear responsibility for his own choices.
• Yan Si tested the Gigai, forced his spirit body out of it, and left without approving or stopping Urahara’s research.
• Urahara decided to fund his research by selling the Gigai to Yoruichi and considered using the Shihoin Clan’s Senkaimon and the Omaeda Family’s business channels.
• Yoruichi arrived, bought the Gigai for two million five hundred thousand Kan, and asked Urahara to make one of Kensei next.

Yan Si took Rangiku to register at the First Academy of Spirit Arts, then returned to Runlin An and discovered that people were staring at him. At the Ninth Division barracks, Kyunnan Shiro accused him of harassing her that morning, but Yan Si realized someone had impersonated him and set out to find the culprit.

• Yan Si told Rangiku to focus on clerical studies at the academy, and she eagerly went to register.
• Yan Si noticed residents watching him, bought Kidō-disguising glasses and a cap from Ginginjiro, and returned to the Ninth Division barracks.
• Kyunnan Shiro hid behind Kensei and accused Yan Si of hugging her, pinching her cheeks, and rubbing her head that morning.
• Yan Si insisted he had taken Rangiku to the academy and had not returned to the barracks, leading Kensei to suspect someone had impersonated him.
• Yan Si suspected Urahara's Gigai and left the barracks to find the impersonator and make him pay.

Yan Si confronted Yoruichi Shihōin after discovering she had used his Gigai to stir up trouble and damage his reputation. She revealed she had done so to derail a proposal to appoint him to Central 46, and the chapter ended with Yoruichi escaping the hot spring after Yan Si teased her.

• Yan Si found Yoruichi using his Gigai to flirt with Nobles girls, attacked the Gigai, and froze the Second Division Punishment Force when they intervened.
• Gin Ichimaru helped Yan Si, and Yoruichi explained that she had been teasing Kyunnan Shiro and spreading rumors to counter rumors about Yan Si.
• Yan Si followed Yoruichi to her secret hot spring, where she revealed that ten Central 46 seat holders had nominated him and that he had received twelve votes.
• Yoruichi said she had damaged Yan Si's reputation to prevent him from being pressured into joining Central 46, while the person directing the nomination effort remained unknown.
• Yan Si teased Yoruichi in the hot spring, prompting her to blast the pool apart and flee; he vowed to deal with her.

Aizen Sōsuke watched Central 46 erupt over Siwei Yan’s candidacy while planning to accelerate his research and turn his attention to Hueco Mundo. Meanwhile, Yan Si supported Kuchiki Byakuya and Hisana’s marriage, won Ginrei Kuchiki’s acceptance, and promised to protect Byakuya.

• Aizen Sōsuke left Central 46 as its representatives argued over whether Siwei Yan should become a judge, then resolved to accelerate his research and investigate Hueco Mundo.
• Kuchiki Byakuya told Yan Si that he wanted to marry Hisana, and Hisana confirmed that she wanted to be with Byakuya.
• Yan Si accompanied Byakuya and Hisana to speak with Ginrei Kuchiki and declared that he would witness their union and defend their happiness.
• Ginrei Kuchiki warned Hisana that joining the Kuchiki family would bring hardships, and she vowed to endure them for Byakuya.
• Ginrei Kuchiki asked Yan Si to help Byakuya if the Kuchiki family faced disaster, and Yan Si promised that Byakuya was under his protection.

At Byakuya and Hisana’s quiet wedding, Yan Si learned that the Tsunayashiro Clan had been weakened by the last noble unrest and used the ceremony to publicly affirm the couple’s marriage. The chapter ended with Ginrei Kuchiki announcing Byakuya’s succession as family head and captain of the Sixth Division while Yan Si considered exploiting the coming chaos to take Enrakyōten.

• Ginrei Kuchiki welcomed a small gathering of high-ranking Nobles as Byakuya and Hisana prepared for their wedding.
• Yan Si offered Shiba Kaien a dangerous method to train Bankai, and Kaien agreed to try it.
• Yoruichi explained that the Tsunayashiro Clan had lost its strong members, and that its heir, Tokinada Tsunayashiro, had disappeared after the last noble unrest.
• Yan Si considered creating widespread chaos to get past the Tsunayashiro Clan’s defenses and seize Enrakyōten.
• Yan Si led Byakuya and Hisana through their vows, challenged anyone to object, and declared them husband and wife.
• Ginrei Kuchiki announced Byakuya’s succession as family head and captain of the Sixth Division.

Yan Si arranged for Gin to teach Yushiro Shihoin Zetsu, then helped Shiba Kaien begin Bankai training with a Tenshintai. After battling Nejibana for three days and two nights, Kaien finally succeeded, though the chapter did not reveal the name of his Bankai.

• Yushiro Shihoin visited Yan Si to learn from him, and Yan Si assigned Gin Ichimaru to teach him Zetsu on the division roof.
• Yan Si obtained an improved Tenshintai from Urahara Kisuke, which showed no reaction when Yan Si touched it.
• Yan Si met Shiba Kaien at the Shiba residence and explained the risks of using the Tenshintai to summon a Zanpakuto spirit.
• Kaien summoned Nejibana and fought it in the training ground while Yan Si waited outside.
• After three days and two nights, Kaien announced that the training had worked, and Yan Si told him to rest and buy him a drink later.

Aizen tested Hollowification in Inuzuri, confirming that it increased a Shinigami’s Spiritual Pressure but caused subjects to lose their reason. Kaname Tōsen then applied to leave Yan Si’s Ninth Division for the Third Division, revealing his ties to Aizen before Yan Si accepted his decision.

• Aizen transformed a Seventh-level Shinigami into a Hollow, and Kaname Tōsen killed it before Aizen’s experiment split it into two Hollows that Tōsen destroyed with Hadō #54: Haien.
• Aizen collected data showing that Hollowification raised Spiritual Pressure while preserving a splitting trait, but he worried that Hollow traits overwhelmed his test subjects and considered adding another power to balance them.
• Sarugaki Hiyori and Akon investigated the Reishi disturbance in Inuzuri, found no trace of it, and returned to the Twelfth Division to help with the captain’s research.
• Kaname Tōsen asked Yan Si to transfer him from the Ninth Division to the Third Division, whose flower language was despair.
• Tōsen cited Yan Si’s support for Kuchiki Kyōka as inspiration and revealed that he knew Kyōka had been sealed, signaling that he was Aizen’s man.
• Yan Si accepted Tōsen’s decision and told him to bear the consequences of his choices, and Tōsen left the Ninth Division.

Yan visited Yamamoto with gifts, but Yamamoto challenged him to demonstrate his swordsmanship. Yan impressed Yamamoto with original techniques, and their spirited duel left Yamamoto delighted that Yan might one day surpass him.

• Kaname Tōsen transferred to the Third Division to pursue becoming vice-captain, while Ninth Division members worried about their prospects as more talented Shinigami rose.
• Yan brought gifts to the First Division and gave Chōjirō Sasakibe a box of premium tea before seeking out Yamamoto.
• Yamamoto challenged Yan to show why he had little interest in Zanjutsu, and Yan struck him with a three-part slash made from basic sword movements.
• Yan followed with several named sword techniques, prompting Yamamoto to block and advance as the two began an enthusiastic duel.
• Kyōraku Shunsui joined Sasakibe to watch, and Sasakibe explained that Yamamoto most wanted someone to surpass him; both were glad Yan might fulfill that wish.

Rangiku graduated with top marks and joined the Ninth Division, where Yan Si sent her to help Gin while he rested. After Yoruichi told Yan Si that Urahara was looking for him, he left the barracks to find out why.

• Rangiku graduated from the First Academy of Spirit Arts with top marks and chose the Ninth Division, while Shūhei Hisagi was held back.
• Rangiku confronted Yan Si for missing her graduation, and he sent her to help Gin with division affairs instead of taking her to a feast.
• Yushiro visited Yan Si, joked about Rangiku and Yoruichi, and was caught by Yoruichi, who took him home.
• Yoruichi told Yan Si that Urahara was looking for him, and Yan Si left the barracks after hearing Rangiku and Gin making noise in the division affairs room.

Yan Si learned that Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri's Soul Jade research had stalled because it needed Quincy power, but he refused to bring Quincy from the Human World. He showed Urahara that his asauchi had changed as Hollow and Quincy powers fused within it, then began meditating to discover whether it was his Zanpakuto.

• Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri showed Yan Si the Soul Jade, whose limited effect had left their research at a bottleneck.
• Kurotsuchi Mayuri urged Yan Si to bring back Quincy from the Human World, but Yan Si refused to interfere with humans.
• Yan Si explained that Quincy powers had reappeared in the descendants of those who lost their powers, and considered the Soul King's role in his own lost soul and desires.
• Yan Si took the Soul Jade from Urahara and led him to the training grounds, where he revealed his asauchi's intertwined Hollow and Quincy powers.
• The asauchi repelled Urahara when he tried to touch it, while Yan Si handled it without harm.
• Yan Si sat down with the asauchi across his knees, entered Heart Meditation, and said it might be his Zanpakuto.

Yan Si discovered that Hollow and Quincy powers had manifested as a robe and mask rather than a Zanpakuto, and briefly used abilities from both powers before regaining control. He successfully infused Quincy power into the Soul Jade, but Urahara found it had only been contained, not fused, leaving them to investigate the Soul King Fragment.

• Yan Si searched his shattered Inner world for a Zanpakuto and asked Hyorinmaru whether any Hollow- or Quincy-linked presence had appeared there.
• Yan Si found himself wearing a white Hollow robe and silver-white Quincy mask that he could not remove inside the Inner world.
• Yan Si manifested the robe and mask in the Secret Base, fired a Cero, and formed a Reishi sword while Urahara activated a barrier and prepared to use Bankai.
• Yan Si tore off the mask, causing the robe and Reishi sword to disappear, then told Urahara he had learned to use Quincy power.
• Yan Si infused Quincy power into the Soul Jade, but Urahara found that the power had only been contained and warned that the Soul Jade remained unstable.
• Urahara went to seal the Soul Jade and continue investigating the Soul King Fragment, while Yan Si wrapped his Asauchi and hid it again.

Yan Si discovered that the Human World had advanced to the modern era and decided to visit, but first found that Urahara and Kurotsuchi Mayuri had made and sold unusual custom Gigai, including an adolescent copy of Yan Si. He took the copy and left Maggot's Nest, while agreeing to consider Kurotsuchi Mayuri's request to conduct research outside.

• Yan Si noticed modern-looking snack packaging and realized that a great deal of time had passed in the Human World, then decided to visit and see whether it had game consoles.
• Yan Si found Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri stabilizing the Soul Jade and asked Urahara for a Gigai to use in the Human World.
• Urahara showed Yan Si expensive Succubus and Angel's Heart Gigai made for Shinigami, explaining that Yoruichi's earlier use of Yan Si's Gigai had inspired custom orders.
• Kurotsuchi Mayuri revealed a hidden adolescent Gigai modeled on Yan Si, and Yan Si learned that Yoruichi, Sarugaki Hiyori, Yadomaru Lisa, and several Noble ladies had ordered copies.
• Yan Si took the adolescent Gigai, ordered Urahara to stop making the remaining copies, and agreed to consider Kurotsuchi Mayuri's request to conduct research outside.
• Yan Si left Maggot's Nest to visit the modern Human World.

Yan Si accepted Jūshirō Ukitake’s mission to investigate an unknown Shinigami in the Human World and traveled there with Shiba Kaien. After seeing the changed city and several wandering souls, Yan Si followed the trail toward Yoshiwara, expecting the mysterious Shinigami to appear.

• Yan Si visited Jūshirō Ukitake and agreed to investigate reports of an unknown Shinigami who helped souls and fought Hollows in the Human World.
• Jūshirō Ukitake arranged for Yan Si to travel through the Senkaimon during the afternoon handover.
• Shiba Kaien told Yan Si that he had stabilized his Bankai, and Yan Si crossed into the Human World wearing a Gigai.
• Yan Si explored the changed city, noticed many unburied souls, and spotted a Shinigami rushing across a rooftop.
• Yan Si walked toward a narrow alley where more souls had gathered and saw a sign reading Yoshiwara.

Yan Si visited Yoshiwara, where he drank with the courtesan Hiyou and watched a mysterious Shinigami perform Soul Burials. When Matsudaira Tadanao arrived and revealed his ties to the Omaeda Clan, Yan Si questioned the Nobles’ influence in the Human World and laughed at the blurred boundary between life and death.

• Yan Si walked through Yoshiwara and entered its tallest building after Hiyou invited him inside.
• Yan Si met Hiyou, took several patrons’ brocade pouches, and drank wine while she served him.
• Yan Si spotted a familiar-looking Shinigami performing Soul Burials in the streets below.
• Yan Si used Urahara’s communicator to request money, then continued drinking with Hiyou.
• Matsudaira Tadanao entered with an ornate box and knelt before Yan Si, who asked who had allowed him in.
• Matsudaira Tadanao said he was affiliated with the Omaeda Clan, and Yan Si reflected on Noble influence and laughed at the divisions between life and death.

Yan Si confronted Matsudaira Tadanao over the Nobles’ interference in the Human World, then discussed the suffering in Yoshiwara with Ri Yao and met Kūgo Ginjō. Ginjō chose to keep his Shinigami powers and continue guiding souls, leaving Yan Si to decide what would happen next.

• Yan Si warned Matsudaira Tadanao that anyone who crossed his bottom line deserved to die and sent him back to deliver the warning to Omaeda.
• Matsudaira Tadanao fled and resolved to leave the matter for his superiors to decide.
• Ri Yao described the women of Yoshiwara as trapped in cages, and Yan Si saw souls rising from the river and noticed the mysterious Shinigami nearby.
• Yan Si invited the mysterious Shinigami to drink, recognized him as Kūgo Ginjō, and sent Ri Yao away with a wooden box.
• Ginjō questioned Yan Si about killing humans, and Yan Si told him he must either give up his powers or join Soul Society and accept supervision.
• After seeing more souls rise from the river, Ginjō said he wanted to keep his Shinigami powers and guide them, then rushed out.

Yan Si discovered that Yoshiwara’s assigned Shinigami was missing and warned Ukitake before confronting a Shinigami-infused Adjuchas that attacked Kūgo Ginjō. After Yan Si defeated it, Aizen chose not to seize Ginjō’s Soul King Fragment and reflected with Tōsen on Yan Si’s ideas about justice and responsibility.

• Yan Si told Ukitake that Yoshiwara’s Shinigami was absent, and Ukitake warned him to be careful and said he would send Kaien.
• Yan Si left his Gigai with Ri Yao and rushed to Ginjō’s aid when an Adjuchas attacked him with a powerful Cero.
• Yan Si blocked the Cero with Dankū and froze the Adjuchas with Hyorinmaru, shattering it in the street.
• Aizen revealed to Tōsen that he had created the Adjuchas as a test subject and ordered him not to take Ginjō’s Soul King Fragment.
• Aizen and Tōsen discussed Yan Si’s views on justice and responsibility, and Aizen said he looked forward to their paths crossing again.

After killing the Adjuchas, Yan Si stayed alert for Aizen but eventually settled in Yoshiwara with Hiyou and Kūgo Ginjō. Ginjo joined the Thirteenth Division as a Substitute Soul Reaper, while Yan Si rested as Hiyou played the flute.

• Yan Si remained on guard after the Adjuchas fight, then returned to Hiyou and told her to buy the building with the money he had given her.
• Yan Si persuaded Ginjo to settle in Yoshiwara and help protect its residents, and Ginjo agreed to make it his base.
• Yan Si suspected Aizen had created the Adjuchas to test a Hollow infused with a Soul King Fragment, but Aizen did not appear or attack.
• Shiba Kaien gave Ginjo a Substitute Shinigami Badge and explained that Ginjo would serve as an auxiliary member of the Thirteenth Division under surveillance.
• Yan Si assigned the area to Ginjo, and Kaien agreed to teach him while investigating the missing Shinigami and the Hollow attack.
• Hiyou told Yan Si she had bought the building, then played the flute as he rested in a quiet room.

Yan Si returned to Soul Society and urged Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri to pursue research into fusing Shinigami and Hollow powers after reporting an Adjuchas with Shinigami abilities. He left them to begin work, then punched Urahara over the unauthorized Gigai order.

• Yan Si left Ginjo and Kaien in the Human World, telling Ginjo to use his own judgment while Kaien promised to teach him the rules.
• After returning to Soul Society, Yan Si went to Maggot's Nest, where Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri denied accepting more orders for his Gigai.
• Yan Si told Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri that he had killed an Adjuchas whose claws were formed from Shinigami power, but its body had dispersed before he could preserve it.
• Yan Si challenged the researchers to reproduce the fusion, prompting Urahara Kisuke to agree to ask Captain Yoruichi for Hollow specimens and begin work with Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
• Yan Si punched Urahara Kisuke for making decisions about his Gigai without permission, then left as Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri resumed their research.