Chapter Summaries

Kunimitsu Yami and Kunimitsu Utsugi revealed themselves as masterminds and stole the Spirit King's Right Arm from Jushiro Ukitake, leaving him dying. Yamamoto ordered their capture, but the brothers planned to hold out until Rei arrived, while an authority revoked their noble titles and demanded their arrest.

• Kunimitsu Yami and Kunimitsu Utsugi discussed Rei's battle with Nara Dan and decided to pursue another plan if Rei could not defeat him quickly.
• Nara Dan endured Rei's attacks, healed with Life Essence, and continued fighting while expecting Soul Society to send reinforcements.
• Kunimitsu Yami stabbed Jushiro Ukitake, suppressed his power, and ripped the Spirit King's Right Arm from his body.
• Ukitake activated Kamikake but could not stop Kunimitsu Yami from taking the Right Arm, and the brothers fled to the Kunimitsu Clan Grounds.
• Yamamoto ordered Soul Society sealed and launched a search for the brothers after Ukitake's death.
• The brothers discovered the upgraded barrier blocked their escape and planned to summon Rei, as an aged voice revoked their noble titles and ordered their arrest.

Genryūsai Yamamoto confronted the Kunimitsu brothers, whose Divine Silence Zanpakutō suppressed Ryūjin Jakka while they drew on the Spirit King's Right Arm. As the brothers waited for Rei, Nara Dan ended his drawn-out fight with the Bald Man by invoking Chakra and entering Ten-Tails Jinchūriki Mode.

• Genryūsai Yamamoto surrounded the Kunimitsu clan grounds with captains and Stealth Force members, then attacked Kunimitsu Yami and Kunimitsu Utsugi.
• Kunimitsu Yami released Divine Silence, nullifying nearby Zanpakutō Shikai, while Kunimitsu Utsugi used the Spirit King's Right Arm to raise their Spiritual Pressure enough to restrain Ryūjin Jakka.
• Genryūsai Yamamoto overwhelmed both brothers with his combat skill and Kido, but Kunimitsu Yami remained confident that Rei would return to aid them.
• The Bald Man tried to leave Nara Dan and reach Soul Society, but Nara Dan sealed the surrounding space-time and repeatedly stopped his advance.
• Nara Dan decided to end the fight, summoned Samehada, and transformed into Ten-Tails Jinchūriki Mode as the Bald Man sensed a deadly threat.

Nara Dan battled the Bald Man with his chakra-powered taijutsu until the Spirit King possessed the opponent and confronted him. After the Spirit King’s brief manifestation ended, Nara Dan escaped Retsu Unohana, whose interest in fighting him had grown.

• Nara Dan used Divine Gang and the Hundred-Type Kannon to batter the Bald Man, but the opponent survived with only slight cracks in his body.
• Retsu Unohana sensed the battle’s tremors and hurried toward Nara Dan after detecting a powerful presence in place of his Spiritual Pressure.
• As Nara Dan prepared a piercing attack, the Spirit King possessed the Bald Man and spoke with him about his power and their worlds.
• The Spirit King said his return was not yet time, then vanished as the Bald Man’s body crumbled into Reishi.
• Retsu Unohana arrived and showed a strong desire to fight Nara Dan, who dispelled his chakra form and fled with spatial displacement.
• Retsu Unohana recognized Nara Dan’s technique and left, saying she had become more interested in him.

The Kunimitsu brothers surrendered after 'Rei' vanished, and Nara Dan learned they had tried to recreate the Spirit King's power and had killed Jushiro Ukitake. At Ukitake's family estate, Nara Dan told Genryūsai Yamamoto that Ukitake had a fifty-percent chance of being revived, then prepared to test the Spirit King's authority.

• Kunimitsu Utsugi and Kunimitsu Yami lost 'Rei' and surrendered when Genryūsai Yamamoto prepared to attack them with Hadō #99: Five Dragon Destruction.
• Nara Dan arrived in Soul Society and learned that the Kunimitsu brothers had gathered the Spirit King's fragments, tried to recreate his power, and killed Jushiro Ukitake.
• Nara Dan told Genryūsai Yamamoto that the Bald Man resembled the Spirit King, and Yamamoto condemned the Kunimitsu brothers for desecrating him.
• At the Ukitake Family estate, Genryūsai Yamamoto asked whether Jushiro Ukitake could be saved, and Nara Dan estimated his chances of revival at fifty percent.
• Genryūsai Yamamoto agreed to let Nara Dan try to revive Ukitake, provided he did not greatly disrupt the balance of the Three Realms.
• Nara Dan decided to test the Spirit King's authority.

Nara Dan used the Outer Path to resurrect Jushiro Ukitake, restoring his body with Yang Release while keeping the secret from Soul Society. After Ukitake thanked him and discussed Fuzhuku Rin, Byakuya Kuchiki came to accept Nara Dan’s offer to attempt to resurrect Hisana Kuchiki.

• Nara Dan gathered Ukitake’s Spiritual Light from Hell, using the Right Arm of the Spirit King to overcome Hell’s resistance and bring Ukitake back to life.
• Three days later, Ukitake reported that his restrictions were gone and his body was healthy, while Nara Dan explained that Yang Release had restored his organs.
• Ukitake offered to repay Nara Dan, who asked him to transfer Fuzhuku Rin back to his family because she was better suited to the Fourth Division.
• Nara Dan returned to the Third Division barracks and found Retsu Unohana and Byakuya Kuchiki waiting for him.
• Byakuya accepted Nara Dan’s request to resurrect Hisana Kuchiki, and Nara Dan warned him that he could not guarantee success before sending both captains away.

Renji Abarai suffered recurring nightmares and unexplained changes in his Spiritual Pressure after making a deal with Nara Dan. After passing out during a Hollow attack, he went to the Third Division seeking answers and learned that Kira Izuru remembered the incident when Renji first lost control.

• Renji Abarai woke from another nightmare about a snake-masked figure and joined the Fifth Division's mission to support Rukongai.
• Renji sensed the masked figure's presence on the way, then killed three Hollows attacking Rukongai and rescued a wounded Soul Reaper.
• A strange force struck Renji, and he lost consciousness; Isane Kotetsu later said his Spiritual Pressure seemed to act on its own and advised him to visit the Twelfth Division.
• Renji refused treatment from the Twelfth Division or Captain Unohana and went to the Third Division to speak with Nara Dan.
• Renji discovered that Rukia had joined the Third Division, then asked Kira Izuru about his condition; Kira said he remembered Renji's first loss of control.

Renji Abarai visited the Third Division seeking Nara Dan’s help, but learned that Nara was in seclusion and that Rukia had joined the division. As Kira Izuru and Renji prepared to spar, Fuzhuku Rin declared that she would win Nara’s heart, provoking denials from Rukia and Momo Hinamori.

• Kira Izuru told Renji Abarai that Nara Dan was in seclusion and explained that Rukia had joined the Third Division through a deal with the Kuchiki Clan.
• Kira Izuru revealed that Rukia, Fuzhuku Rin, and Momo Hinamori had all joined the Third Division because of Nara Dan, and Renji accepted that Rukia might follow her own path.
• In Karakura Town, Kisuke Urahara told Yoruichi Shihouin that Nara Dan had found the Hōgyoku, and they discussed Urahara returning to the Soul Society and the possible dangers ahead.
• Kira Izuru and Renji Abarai took their places at the Third Division’s Training Ground for a friendly spar as Rukia and the others watched.
• Momo Hinamori explained that Nara Dan had saved her during the Graduation Exam, and Fuzhuku Rin declared that Nara was destined to be hers, taunting Rukia and identifying Momo as a rival.

Kira Izuru and Renji Abarai fought to a stalemate while Nara Dan examined the Hōgyoku and the Right Arm of the Spirit King. Kisuke Urahara confronted Nara Dan over the Hōgyoku, and they parted with threats after Nara Dan made clear he intended to pursue his own path to transcendence.

• Kira Izuru fought Renji Abarai with barehanded Hakuda, impressing Lucia and the Third Division members as he matched Renji's swordsmanship.
• Nara Dan studied the Hōgyoku and the Right Arm of the Spirit King, concluding that he needed an opportunity to kindle their divine properties and his own divinity.
• Kisuke Urahara appeared before Nara Dan and asked for the Hōgyoku, warning that it could grant power while eroding its user's mind.
• Nara Dan refused to give up the Hōgyoku and warned Kisuke Urahara not to interfere with his plans.
• Kisuke Urahara vowed to stop Nara Dan if he threatened the balance of the Three Realms, and Nara Dan left after challenging him to try.

Kira Izuru and Renji Abarai fought fiercely in the Third Division barracks until Nara Dan stopped them and addressed the power growing inside Renji. Nara Dan said he would take Renji on an assignment outside the Soul Society to help him awaken and control it, warning that losing control could lead to Hollowfication.

• Kira Izuru opened the Eight Inner Gates and used a powerful kick against Renji Abarai, who countered with Zabimaru.
• Kira Izuru and Renji Abarai continued clashing until Nara Dan stopped them and ordered them to cover the damage to the barracks.
• Fuzhuku Rin brought Nara Dan flower tea while Momo Hinamori and Rukia watched.
• Nara Dan told Renji Abarai that the power inside him was helping him and that he needed to learn to control it rather than remove it.
• Nara Dan said Renji Abarai's power was not ready to awaken and offered to take him on an assignment outside the Soul Society.
• Nara Dan warned Renji Abarai that if the power ran wild and caused Hollowfication, the Soul Society would not accept him.

Nara Dan began teaching swordsmanship at Shin'ō Academy, distinguishing it from ordinary Zanjutsu as a way of wielding a blade as an extension of oneself. He demonstrated that his intent could keep a captain-level Zanpakutō from cutting cloth, leaving the students astonished.

• Students and several captains gathered at Shin'ō Academy for Nara Dan's first Swordsmanship Class.
• Nara Dan explained that swordsmanship differed from Zanjutsu because its blade acted as an extension of the wielder's limbs.
• Retsu Unohana lent Nara Dan her Zanpakutō for a demonstration.
• Nara Dan showed that the blade could cut wood, then swung it twice through floating cloth without damaging it.
• Nara Dan explained that swordsmanship let him cut only what he intended to cut.

Nara Dan demonstrated that Swordsmanship began with sensing the Breath of All Things, then ended his open class after explaining how to pursue it. Byakuya Kuchiki recognized Swordsmanship’s potential beyond Soul Reapers, leaving Nara Dan to consider its broader possibilities and immense cost.

• Nara Dan explained that sensing the Breath of All Things let a swordsman cut a target without harming anything else.
• Nara Dan split a cloth with a blunt hand, demonstrating how to cut off its breath, and warned the students that mastering Swordsmanship was beyond most people.
• Nara Dan gave a rough explanation of how to sense the breath of all things and ended the open class.
• Byakuya Kuchiki praised Nara Dan’s lesson and said Swordsmanship could strengthen a direct-attack-type Zanpakutō release.
• Byakuya argued that any intelligent being could learn Swordsmanship, prompting Nara Dan to consider establishing it as a human power system despite the immense time and effort required.

Nara Dan discussed Swordsmanship’s potential to help Soul Reapers surpass their limits with Retsu Unohana, who proposed strengthening the weapon rather than risking the wielder’s Spirit Body. The chapter left Nara Dan still searching for a path to transcendence so he could eventually condense divinity and forge a divine throne.

• Byakuya Kuchiki thanked Nara Dan for briefly bringing Hisana Kuchiki back to life, then warned him not to pursue Rukia.
• Retsu Unohana praised Nara Dan’s Swordsmanship lesson and discussed whether it could lead beyond a Soul Reaper’s limits.
• Retsu Unohana suggested that Soul Reapers could strengthen their weapons to increase their power when Spiritual Pressure could improve no further.
• Nara Dan agreed that advancing a Zanpakutō was safer than risking the collapse of his Spirit Body through personal evolution.
• Nara Dan reflected that he still needed to enter the Transcendent realm himself before he could condense divinity and forge a divine throne.

Kisuke Urahara and Isshin Shiba discussed Nara Dan’s growing power and agreed to watch him, while Urahara chose to remain in the living world. The Soul Society’s Hueco Mundo purge team assembled, and Kenpachi Zaraki challenged Nara Dan to fight before they departed.

• Kisuke Urahara warned Isshin Shiba that Nara Dan could become a greater threat than Sōsuke Aizen, and Isshin agreed to watch him while asking Urahara to keep him informed as well.
• Urahara declined to return to the Soul Society, saying he could better help stabilize the Three Realms from the living world.
• Isshin told Urahara that Kenpachi Zaraki, Retsu Unohana, and Nara Dan would lead the Hueco Mundo purge, with Gin Ichimaru assigned as their guide at Nara Dan’s request.
• Urahara promised to keep an eye on the team in Hueco Mundo as the purge group assembled with Kira Izuru and Renji Abarai accompanying Nara Dan.
• Nara Dan complained about being assigned to the mission and called Kira Izuru and Renji Abarai deadweights, while Kenpachi Zaraki challenged him to a match before they left.

Nara Dan led Retsu Unohana, Gin Ichimaru, Kenpachi Zaraki, Renji Abarai, and Kira Izuru toward Hueco Mundo, but secretly caused the Garganta to collapse and scatter the group. Renji and Kira arrived in Hueco Mundo together, while Nara Dan vanished to pursue his own plans.

• Retsu Unohana brought the shackled Gin Ichimaru from prison, and Nara Dan recruited him for the mission to Hueco Mundo.
• Retsu Unohana opened a Garganta, and Nara Dan, Kenpachi Zaraki, Retsu Unohana, and Gin Ichimaru entered after him.
• The Garganta destabilized, and Retsu Unohana failed to steady it with Kido as the passage collapsed and scattered everyone.
• Nara Dan revealed that he had deliberately disrupted the Garganta to conceal his other spatial movements, then disappeared to handle his own business.
• Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru landed together in Hueco Mundo's white desert and realized they had been separated from the others.
• Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru discussed finding Las Noches, where the Arrancar they had been sent to eliminate were gathered.

Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru encountered a giant Insect Hollow in Hueco Mundo that they could not defeat. After Kira’s Hadō failed to stop its pursuit, the creature grew even larger and its Spiritual Pressure surged.

• Kira Izuru sensed a Hollow beneath the sand, and Renji Abarai killed the wormlike creature with Zabimaru.
• Kira warned Renji to flee as a much larger Insect Hollow emerged from the desert.
• Renji failed to pierce the giant Hollow’s Steel Skin, so he and Kira ran from it.
• Kira cast Hadō #73: Twin Lotus Blue Fire Fall to escape, but the Hollow kept pursuing them and grew larger with increased Spiritual Pressure.

Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi reached Las Noches and encountered Grimmjow, who agreed to fight Kenpachi. Meanwhile, Retsu Unohana freed Gin Ichimaru and brought him to search for Tōsen Kaname, but they were confronted by a grotesque Arrancar.

• Kenpachi Zaraki carved a path to Las Noches after arguing with Yachiru Kusajishi about getting lost.
• Grimmjow appeared and accepted Kenpachi Zaraki's challenge to a fight to the death.
• Retsu Unohana removed Gin Ichimaru's restraints, and Gin Ichimaru agreed to guide her through Las Noches.
• Retsu Unohana asked Gin Ichimaru to help find Tōsen Kaname, and he led her through the palace.
• A grotesque Humanoid Arrancar confronted Retsu Unohana and Gin Ichimaru, remarking that Aizen must be in poor condition.

Retsu Unohana faced Zomari in Las Noches and countered his speed with her instinctive swordsmanship. She then used a technique taught by Nara Dan, leaving Zomari immobilized as she declared the battle over.

• Gin Ichimaru warned Retsu Unohana that Zomari was a Captain-level Arrancar and the fastest among the Espada.
• Zomari used his speed to create five afterimages and attacked Retsu Unohana from every direction.
• Retsu Unohana struck Zomari’s true body, explaining that she had read his blade’s angle and speed through instinct.
• Zomari released his strongest form, while Retsu Unohana said she would use a technique Captain Nara had taught her.
• Retsu Unohana’s presence locked Zomari and Gin Ichimaru in place, and she said she had heard Zomari breathing before she sheathed her sword.

Retsu Unohana killed Zomari and continued deeper into Las Noches with Gin Ichimaru, while Kira Izuru forced Renji Abarai to awaken the power inside him to survive the Giant Insect Hollow. Renji transformed, but Kira worried that the growing power might let the inner presence take over.

• Retsu Unohana killed Zomari with a slash to the neck, then headed deeper into Las Noches with Gin Ichimaru.
• Kira Izuru and Renji Abarai struggled to evade the Giant Insect Hollow, which had already injured Renji.
• Kira Izuru trapped Renji Abarai with Bakudō #61 and told him to unleash the power inside him if he wanted to survive.
• Renji Abarai accepted the inner presence's offer and transformed, stopping the Giant Insect Hollow's charge with a surge of dark purple Spiritual Pressure.
• Kira Izuru watched Renji's transformation and worried that the inner presence might grow strong enough to take over, despite Nara Dan's instructions.

Nara Dan returned to the Wandenreich and persuaded Haschwalth to let him see the still-unconscious Yhwach. He placed the Hōgyoku inside Yhwach to accelerate his resurrection, and Haschwalth realized that was his purpose.

• Nara Dan entered the Wandenreich, where Quincy soldiers surrounded him until Haschwalth ordered them to stand down.
• Haschwalth said he could find no future involving Nara Dan and warned that Yhwach's resurrection could not be stopped.
• Nara Dan claimed he would help Yhwach and pressed Haschwalth to let him meet the sleeping king.
• Haschwalth allowed Nara Dan to approach Yhwach after sensing that he posed a grave danger and could not be stopped.
• Nara Dan placed the Hōgyoku inside Yhwach to speed up his resurrection, and Haschwalth recognized what he had done.

Nara Dan accelerated Yhwach’s resurrection by restoring the Hōgyoku, while 'Renji Abarai' awakened a Hollow power that let him devour Spiritual Pressure and overwhelm Kira Izuru. Kira opened the Gate of View to fight back, but 'Renji Abarai' remained standing after his punch.

• Nara Dan told Haschwalth that Yhwach was the Spirit King’s son and that he would draw power from a being created to approach the Spirit King, then recalled the Hōgyoku from Yhwach and left as Yhwach’s consciousness began to take shape.
• 'Renji Abarai' tore into the Giant Insect Hollow with Zabimaru, absorbed its Spiritual Pressure, and destroyed its head with a Cero.
• 'Renji Abarai' turned on Kira Izuru and knocked him across the sand with a kick, badly injuring his arm.
• Kira Izuru opened the Gate of View and struck 'Renji Abarai' with a powerful punch that cracked his Mask, but 'Renji Abarai' remained arrogant and seemingly unharmed.