Recaps

After two years of training in Hueco Mundo, Nara Dan had become a Captain-level swordsman who had nearly halved the Menos population in the Forest of Menos. When Nnoitra Gilga and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck arrived to investigate, Nara Dan challenged Nnoitra and their battle began.

• Gin Ichimaru had hidden the Flying Thunder God stone inside a Hollow, leaving Nara Dan trapped in a Gillian until he cut his way out.
• Nara Dan had spent two years secretly training in the Forest of Menos, strengthening his Spiritual Pressure and the Dharma Blade while killing Menos and failed Arrancar experiments.
• After sensing the damage to the forest, Nnoitra Gilga and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck arrived to investigate and found Nara Dan beside a slain Adjuchas.
• Nnoitra ignored Nelliel's warning and attacked Nara Dan, who was driven back because his Spiritual Pressure was sealed beneath his Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor.
• Nara Dan met Nnoitra's next charge with a Flying Slash.

Nara Dan fought Nnoitra in the Forest of Menos, using his Dharma Blade and Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor to withstand the Arrancar’s attacks. After revealing that his armor could rival Nnoitra’s Steel Skin, Nara Dan released it to intensify the battle.

• Nara Dan’s Dharma Blade damaged Nnoitra’s Zanpakutō, but Nnoitra repaired it with his Spiritual Power and launched a relentless assault.
• Nara Dan parried Nnoitra’s blows and repeatedly slashed at his Steel Skin, while Nelliel recognized that Nara Dan had the advantage despite seeming to retreat.
• Nnoitra knocked Nara Dan’s Dharma Blade aside and struck his skin, but the Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor stopped the blow without drawing blood.
• Nara Dan kicked Nnoitra away and explained that he had worn the armor almost constantly for two years to accelerate his training.
• Nara Dan announced the release of his Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor as Nnoitra prepared to continue fighting.

Nara Dan unsealed his Spiritual Power and used the Dharma Blade to defeat and kill Nnoitra, though his slash tore open the boundary above the Forest of Menos. After Aizen repaired the breach and identified Nara Dan as the attacker, he became eager to see how much stronger Nara Dan might become.

• Nara Dan deactivated his Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor and unleashed a devastating Flying Slash that overwhelmed Nnoitra and split open the boundary between the Forest of Menos and the yellow sand above.
• Nelliel released her Resurrección and used her Spiritual Pressure to hold back the sand and repair the growing breach.
• Nnoitra tried to ambush Nara Dan with a Cero Oscuras, but Nara Dan blocked it with the Dharma Blade and killed him with a thrust through the forehead.
• Nara Dan left before Aizen arrived, and Aizen used his Spiritual Pressure to control Reishi and repair the boundary.
• Aizen examined Nnoitra's corpse, recognized the swordsmanship, and learned from Nelliel that Nara Dan had killed him.
• Aizen recalled Nara Dan's strength two years earlier and expressed excitement about his rapid growth.

Nara Dan returned from Hueco Mundo after fighting Aizen and began his intermediate year at Shin'ō Academy, where he continued concealing his strength. He watched Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru prepare to spar, and Kira turned his blade's sharp edge toward Renji.

• Gin Ichimaru considered whether joining forces with Nara Dan could help him kill Aizen, while Aizen wondered how Dan had entered Hueco Mundo and suspected Kisuke Urahara or a mole.
• Nara Dan returned to his dormitory using his refined spatial technique and decided to avoid Hueco Mundo until Aizen was dead.
• Nara Dan entered his intermediate year at Shin'ō Academy and resolved to remain a student rather than join a division, while classmates repeated rumors that he had become lazy.
• Nara Dan spotted Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Momo Hinamori in class and recognized them as childhood friends before Aizen had influenced Momo.
• Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru began their usual swordsmanship duel, and Kira switched to the sharp edge of his blade as he challenged Renji.

Kira Izuru defeated Renji Abarai by using an incomplete Flying Slash, then Tōshirō Hitsugaya challenged Nara Dan after mistaking his restraint for a struggle with overwhelming Spiritual Pressure. Nara Dan demonstrated the true Flying Slash, leaving Hitsugaya unharmed but revealing the gap in their abilities, while Kira grasped how the technique worked.

• Kira Izuru used Blade Qi to overwhelm Renji Abarai, who surrendered after realizing he could not withstand the attack.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya challenged Nara Dan, believing Nara Dan was hiding his power because his Spiritual Pressure troubled him.
• Hitsugaya mistook Nara Dan's unusual Dharma Blade for a Zanpakutō suppressed before awakening and urged him to communicate with it.
• Nara Dan told Kira to watch as he faced Hitsugaya and demonstrated the true Flying Slash, cutting a deep fissure through the Training Ground without harming Hitsugaya.
• Kira Izuru studied Nara Dan's swing and realized the Flying Slash required both intense concentration and the force of the swing.

Nara Dan ended his training arrangement with Rukia and Renji Abarai after deciding the Hōgyoku inside Rukia had reached its current limit. A Kuchiki Clan attendant then invited him to meet the clan head, leading Nara Dan to realize Byakuya Kuchiki wanted to bring Rukia into the family and might be seeking his help.

• Nara Dan concluded that the incomplete Hōgyoku inside Rukia could draw out Hollow Power but could not awaken Quincy or Fullbring abilities, and he speculated that the Hōgyoku might be made from the Spirit King's remains.
• Nara Dan told Rukia that their training arrangement was over, though she and the others could still use the Underground Space.
• Rukia and Renji Abarai reacted with surprise and regret, while Kira Izuru remained composed; Nara Dan left without addressing Rukia's unspoken concerns.
• A Kuchiki Clan attendant invited Nara Dan to meet the clan head, but Nara Dan told him the clan head should come in person.
• Nara Dan inferred that Byakuya Kuchiki had learned Rukia's identity and wanted to honor his wife's final wish by bringing her into the Kuchiki Clan, possibly using Nara Dan to persuade her.

Byakuya Kuchiki sought Nara Dan’s help in persuading Rukia to join the Kuchiki Family, and Nara demanded the family head’s favor in return. Their negotiation turned into a swordsmanship challenge, which ended with Byakuya shocked when Nara blocked his first strike.

• Byakuya Kuchiki learned that Nara Dan had been guiding Rukia’s training and ordered a retainer to approach Renji Abarai as another possible influence.
• In the Human World, Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihouin discussed hiding from Aizen and opening a shop, then learned someone had bypassed Urahara’s Kido seal at the Underground Space.
• Byakuya met Nara and explained that he wanted to honor Hisana’s dying wish by caring for her younger sister, Rukia, and giving her the Kuchiki name.
• Nara agreed to help persuade Rukia in exchange for the Kuchiki Family’s favor, and Byakuya accepted the condition.
• Byakuya challenged Nara to last ten moves against him, but Nara reversed the terms and drew his Dharma Blade.
• Byakuya attacked at nearly full strength, and Nara blocked his first strike while declaring that Byakuya would not last ten moves against him.

Nara Dan defeated Byakuya Kuchiki in a swordsmanship bout, then explained the unusual technique behind his powerful slashes. Byakuya honored their agreement and promised the Kuchiki Family would owe Nara Dan a favor, leaving Nara considering what to ask for.

• Nara Dan overwhelmed Byakuya Kuchiki with rapid sword strikes and unleashed a devastating Flying Slash within their ten-move limit.
• Byakuya Kuchiki released Senbonzakura at the last moment to block part of the slash, but was left injured and his Kenseikan was ruined.
• Byakuya Kuchiki asked about Nara Dan's slash, and Nara explained that it came from a technique and the power of the mind rather than an ability or Spiritual Pressure.
• Byakuya Kuchiki accepted Nara Dan's strength and promised that the Kuchiki Family would owe him a favor, regardless of whether Rukia joined the family.
• Nara Dan considered using the favor to obtain a fragment of the Spirit King's remains from one of the Four Great Noble Clans.

Nara Dan encountered Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi in Soul Society, while Aizen deduced that Urahara had returned to advance the Hōgyoku. Nara Dan then spoke with Rukia about Byakuya Kuchiki’s offer to bring her into the Kuchiki Family, leaving her to weigh its benefits and responsibilities.

• Nara Dan discovered Kisuke Urahara following him and confronted him, but stopped attacking after recognizing him.
• Urahara explained that he had come to meet the person who broke his Kido seal, while Nara Dan warned him that Aizen was watching.
• Yoruichi told Urahara that Nara Dan seemed as dangerous as Aizen, and Urahara judged that Nara Dan would not side with Aizen.
• Aizen found traces of the clash and concluded that Urahara had returned to Soul Society to let the Hōgyoku mature.
• Nara Dan met Rukia in the Underground Space and told her about Byakuya Kuchiki’s offer, explaining that joining the family would bring both advantages and responsibilities.

Rukia accepted Captain Kuchiki’s offer to join the Kuchiki Family, while Aizen secretly tried to awaken Nara Dan’s Hollow Power and Isshin Shiba intervened nearby. After finding Gin Ichimaru’s warning, Dan summoned the evolved Samehada and prepared to use its power against Aizen.

• Rukia told Nara Dan she had decided to join the Kuchiki Family, and Renji Abarai reacted with relief and concealed disappointment.
• Aizen took over a Shin'ō Academy lesson and used the Hōgyoku to stir Dan’s Hollow Power, but Dan suppressed it with his Sword Intent.
• Dan sensed Aizen following him through an illusion, but Isshin Shiba’s arrival drove Aizen away; Isshin then offered Dan a position in the 10th Division, which Dan refused.
• Isshin Shiba concluded that a real, deliberate force was obscuring Soul Society and suspected Dan was connected to it.
• Dan found a note from Gin Ichimaru warning him to beware of Aizen, then summoned the fully evolved Ten-Tails Samehada to use its power.

Byakuya Kuchiki welcomed Rukia into the Kuchiki Family, but an explosion at the Central 46 interrupted the ceremony. Nara Dan revealed that the blast was part of a plan aimed at Sōsuke Aizen, who arrived at the ruins and prepared to deceive Yamamoto Genryusai.

• Nara Dan attended Rukia’s Surname Conferral Ceremony at the Kuchiki estate, where guests questioned why a Shino Academy student had been invited.
• Byakuya Kuchiki gave Rukia the Kuchiki name, tied a white ribbon around her head, and accepted her as his younger sister.
• An explosion sounded during the ceremony, and Nara Dan recognized it as the start of the show he had arranged for Aizen.
• The captains left the estate to investigate, while Rukia stayed behind with Nara Dan and asked him about the blast.
• Yamamoto Genryusai reached the destroyed Central 46 first and noticed that the ruins showed no bodies or blood.
• Sōsuke Aizen arrived, recognized that Illusion was concealing the corpses from Yamamoto Genryusai, and activated Illusion.

Aizen tried to hide the truth about Central 46 with Illusion, but Samehada’s stronger Genjutsu exposed the elders’ deaths and confronted him. Yamamoto ordered an investigation while Aizen stayed behind on the ruins to study Samehada.

• Aizen used Illusion to make the dead Central 46 elders appear to rise and attack the captains, but they ignored the illusion.
• Retsu Unohana identified an elder’s corpse and determined its blade wound and Reishi indicated that it had been dead for five to eight years.
• Yamamoto Genryūsai ordered Unohana to gather the corpses, Jushiro Ukitake to review Central 46’s cases, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi to investigate the explosion and concealed events.
• Aizen realized that a Genjutsu had overwritten Illusion, used the Hōgyoku to break free, and discovered Samehada casting the false reality with its Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan.
• Yamamoto sent the captains to a meeting, while Aizen used Illusion to send a fake body and remained among the ruins facing Samehada.

Samehada’s staged appearance at Central 46 warned Aizen and drew his attention away from Nara Dan, who used the time to consider how to become a godlike being beyond entropy. Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihouin discussed the threat to Aizen and the Vizard, and Kisuke resolved to use the Hōgyoku to increase their own power.

• Samehada confronted Aizen at the ruins of Central 46, then vanished with its spatial technique while Aizen chose not to pursue it.
• Nara Dan revealed that he had arranged the spectacle to unsettle Aizen and keep him occupied, and he reflected on creating a vessel for the rules of his existence.
• Kisuke Urahara concluded that the attack on Central 46 was intended to warn and restrain Aizen, while Yoruichi Shihouin questioned why the mastermind had not attacked him directly.
• Kisuke told Yoruichi that Aizen was still dangerous and had been sending Menos after the Vizard, but expected him to avoid acting personally for now.
• Kisuke planned to contact the Vizard and have them clear out nearby Menos, then decided they could use the Hōgyoku to grow stronger as Aizen did.

Nara Dan taught Kira Izuru how to use Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor to increase his Spiritual Pressure, then agreed to train Renji Abarai in exchange for his loyalty. He began considering how to give Renji Hollow and Quincy powers and shape him into another candidate capable of challenging the Spirit King.

• Nara Dan explained that Kira Izuru could not hear or remember his Zanpakutō's name because his Spiritual Pressure was insufficient for Shikai.
• Nara Dan demonstrated Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor and taught Kira how its intense weight could rapidly develop Spiritual Pressure, warning him to rest and train carefully.
• Renji Abarai visited Nara Dan and asked him to continue his training, offering to follow him like Kira Izuru.
• Nara Dan persuaded Renji to accept demanding training by promising it would not violate his conscience or harm his friends and family.
• Nara Dan considered developing Renji's potential with Hollow and Quincy powers so he could become another candidate like Ichigo Kurosaki and help him prepare for the Spirit King.

Byakuya Kuchiki began training Rukia after recognizing the strong fundamentals Nara Dan had taught her. Nara brought Renji Abarai to visit Rukia, then revealed she faced danger and knocked Renji unconscious for an unknown purpose.

• Byakuya Kuchiki sparred with Rukia, praised her swordsmanship, and said he would teach her himself.
• A retainer told Byakuya that Nara Dan had come to see Rukia, and Byakuya allowed her to meet him.
• Nara Dan brought Renji Abarai to the Kuchiki Family so he could catch up with Rukia, then waited outside.
• After Renji left the Kuchiki Family, Nara Dan told him that Rukia was in danger because someone had his eye on the Hōgyoku inside her.
• Nara Dan knocked Renji unconscious and remarked that Shinigami Hollowfication had to begin when they were young.

Nara Dan clashed with Kenpachi Zaraki, who invited him to join the Eleventh Division after graduation, then brought Renji Abarai back to the dormitory and sealed the Hollow Power he had awakened. The seal only delayed Renji’s dangerous Hollowfication, while Nara Dan considered how to obtain the Quincy Power needed for his plans.

• Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi encountered Nara Dan and the unconscious Renji Abarai, and Kenpachi attacked Nara without warning.
• Nara blocked Kenpachi’s strike with the Dharma Blade and hinted that he knew Yachiru’s true identity, then declined Kenpachi’s invitation to join the Eleventh Division after graduation.
• Nara returned Renji to the dormitory and recognized that the Hōgyoku had awakened Hollow Power within him, which could make him completely Hollowfied within days.
• Nara used an Eight Trigrams Seal to suppress Renji’s Hollow Power, knowing it would grow stronger when the seal failed.
• Nara decided that Quincy Power was the harder requirement for making Renji a hybrid and thought of Yhwach, the Quincy progenitor.

Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru fought, and Kira revealed Wabisuke’s ability to make weapons heavier with each clash, defeating Renji. On graduation-exam day, Tōshirō Hitsugaya was assigned as their examiner, but their group still waited for Nara Dan to arrive.

• Renji Abarai attacked Kira Izuru with Shikai, and Kira eventually released Wabisuke after Renji challenged him to use his own Shikai.
• Kira explained that Wabisuke doubled the weight of any weapon it struck, then used the ability to weigh down Zabimaru and defeat Renji.
• Renji and Kira discussed their Zanpakutō and prepared for their Graduation Exam, which would send them to the Human World to fight Hollows.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya appeared as the group’s examiner, and Momo Hinamori softened his stern welcome to Renji and Kira.
• Momo Hinamori asked about the group’s missing fourth student, and Kira Izuru worried that Nara Dan had forgotten the exam.

Nara Dan accompanied Tōshirō Hitsugaya and the graduates on their Human World exam, where Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru defeated an evolving Hollow together. After the group discovered their return route and backup communication had been sealed, a powerful Humanoid Hollow appeared, leaving them facing an unknown threat.

• Nara Dan joined Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Momo Hinamori, Renji Abarai, and Kira Izuru as they entered the Human World for the Graduation Exam.
• Momo Hinamori, Renji Abarai, and Kira Izuru defeated the Hollows they encountered, but one Hollow faked its death and consumed its companions to evolve.
• Renji Abarai restrained the evolved Fake Death Hollow with Zabimaru, and Kira Izuru killed it with Wabisuke.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya discovered that the Gate of Crossing and the Record Badge could not contact Soul Society, while Nara Dan sensed that the area had been sealed.
• A towering Humanoid Hollow with an Ox-head Mask emerged from a black hole, unleashing Spiritual Pressure that made the Reishi across the city boil.

Nara Dan faced Aizen’s powerful White Hollow during the graduation exam after Tōshirō Hitsugaya and the other candidates were forced to retreat. He revealed overwhelming Spiritual Pressure after his armor withstood White Hollow’s attacks, but the battle remained unresolved as Aizen watched.

• Tōshirō Hitsugaya recognized White Hollow’s immense strength, released Hyōrinmaru, and was badly hurt by its Cero.
• Nara Dan sent Hitsugaya and the other candidates away, then challenged White Hollow while Aizen and Gin Ichimaru observed from the Soul Society.
• White Hollow attacked Nara Dan with its bone blade, but Nara Dan’s Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor stopped the blows.
• White Hollow fired a stronger Cero that destroyed the surrounding buildings, but Nara Dan emerged unharmed as cracks formed in his armor.
• Nara Dan broke the armor and unleashed Spiritual Pressure exceeding White Hollow’s, while Aizen wondered whether he could defeat his creation.

Nara Dan overwhelmed White Hollow with his swordsmanship and revealed that his Dharma Blade could inflict wounds its regeneration could not heal. As White Hollow tried to escape through a Negación void, Nara Dan invoked the World Tree’s Temporal Suppression.

• White Hollow attacked Nara Dan with Sonído, but Nara Dan matched its spatial movement with Flying Thunder God as they battled across the city and devastated it.
• Nara Dan endured injuries from White Hollow’s attacks, healed them with Life Essence from the World Tree, and decided to end the fight.
• Nara Dan’s Divine Gang: Clear and Turbid slash cut White Hollow nearly in half and inflicted True Damage that stopped its High-Speed Regeneration.
• White Hollow forced its wound closed with Spiritual Pressure and charged into a Negación void to flee.
• Nara Dan thrust his Dharma Blade into the void and called on the World Tree to use Temporal Suppression.

Nara Dan killed White Hollow and negotiated with Kisuke Urahara, refusing his offer to awaken Nara Dan’s Hollow powers but agreeing to trade the corpse for a scabbard. Aizen watched the fight and became fascinated by Nara Dan’s strength, wondering whether he represented a path beyond the limits of Soul Reapers.

• Nara Dan used the World Tree’s power to pin White Hollow in place, then killed it with his Dharma Blade.
• Kisuke Urahara appeared and offered to awaken and help control the Hollow power in Nara Dan’s body, but Nara Dan refused.
• Nara Dan asked Urahara for the Spirit King’s fragments; Urahara refused and instead offered to make a scabbard for the Dharma Blade in exchange for White Hollow’s corpse.
• Nara Dan left White Hollow’s corpse with Urahara, returned to the unconscious Kira Izuru and the others, and waited for the Soul Society’s rescue team.
• Gin Ichimaru and Aizen watched the fight’s recording, and Aizen grew interested in Nara Dan as someone who might reveal a path beyond Soul Reapers.

After Nara Dan described the Human World battle, Isshin Shiba reported the Humanoid Hollow and Kisuke Urahara’s involvement to Soul Society, prompting Yamamoto Genryūsai to expand the investigation into abnormal Spiritual Power and Nara Dan. Nara Dan left the Stealth Force after clashing with Soi Fon, while Tōshirō Hitsugaya recovered and resolved to train harder.

• Isshin Shiba questioned Nara Dan about the ruined city, reviewed Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s Badge recording, and reported the battle and Kisuke Urahara’s suspicious appearance.
• Yamamoto Genryūsai ordered the investigation into Kisuke Urahara and abnormal Spiritual Power to intensify, and told the Stealth Force to investigate Nara Dan’s background.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya woke in the Fourth Division treatment room, heard Retsu Unohana ask about Nara Dan’s swordsmanship, and decided to train harder after recalling his helplessness against White Hollow.
• Momo Hinamori told Tōshirō Hitsugaya that Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru had left to train and that the Secret Agency had taken Nara Dan for questioning.
• Soi Fon escorted Nara Dan to the Stealth Force entrance and warned him not to return, but Nara Dan teased her and left after recalling how he had threatened her during questioning.

Renji Abarai’s growing Spiritual Pressure drove him into a dangerous frenzy during training with Kira Izuru, who called for Nara Dan’s help. Unable to reach them, Nara Dan fought his way into the Wandenreich, where his attack drew the attention of Yhwach’s elite guards.

• Renji Abarai’s wild attacks and rising Spiritual Pressure overwhelmed Kira Izuru, who activated Nara Dan’s communication device for help.
• Nara Dan entered the Wandenreich and defeated nearly ten Quincies with Flying Thunder God-enhanced Taijutsu, including their leader.
• As powerful Spiritual Pressures gathered inside the palace, Nara Dan unleashed a colossal Heaven’s Fall slash across the Wandenreich.
• A white-cloaked Quincy redirected the slash, while the other Quincies wore it down; the slash’s Sword Intent left the man’s hand split and unable to heal.
• Nara Dan recognized the injured Quincy as the Left Arm of the Spirit King and a member of Yhwach’s Royal Guard.

Nara Dan entered the Wandenreich, collected Yhwach’s blood while he slept, and left before provoking the Spirit King. Beneath the Sōkyoku, Renji Abarai overwhelmed Kira Izuru, whose defeat seemed imminent.

• Nara Dan summoned Samehada to face the Quincy, but Haschwalth ordered them to stand down and escorted him to Yhwach.
• Nara Dan examined the sleeping Yhwach and considered the Spirit King’s influence over his fate and power.
• Nara Dan cut Yhwach’s arm, collected the blood that gathered from the wound, and left through a Garganta as Haschwalth watched.
• Beneath the Sōkyoku, Renji Abarai’s black Spiritual Pressure overwhelmed Kira Izuru, and Zabimaru’s barbs struck Kira in the shoulder blade.
• Kira Izuru realized he could not withstand Renji’s attack, just as someone announced that they had arrived in time.

Nara Dan subdued the Hollow inside Renji Abarai and used Yhwach’s blood to balance its power. He then began a new transformation for Kira Izuru with Yang Release, leaving Kira feeling as if he were truly alive.

• Kira Izuru held off Hollowfied Renji Abarai until Nara Dan arrived, and Dan overwhelmed Renji with his Spiritual Pressure.
• Renji’s inner Hollow emerged at Captain-level after being affected by White Hollow’s Spiritual Pressure, but Dan knocked it unconscious and used Yhwach’s blood to suppress it.
• Dan healed Kira Izuru’s shoulder wound and heard that Kira was willing to pursue dangerous power rather than be left behind.
• Dan explained that Hollowfication did not suit Kira and offered him another path, which Kira accepted.
• Dan used Samehada’s Yang Release to transform Kira’s Spirit Body toward a physical form, and Kira said he felt alive.