Chapter Summaries

In the Land of Rain, Aizen gave Gin and Ulquiorra experimental reagents that would transform them into Hollows, warning Gin that his human body would not last long enough for him to return to Soul Society. After they injected themselves, both endured violent changes, and Ulquiorra sensed his power returning.

• Aizen revealed that the gray-white reagents were stable Hollow-transforming experiments and invited Gin and Ulquiorra to inject them.
• Gin hesitated at becoming a Hollow, but Aizen reminded him that his human body would age and could prevent his return to Soul Society.
• Gin accepted the transformation, and he and Ulquiorra injected the reagents as Aizen observed the results.
• The reagents unleashed powerful force that gouged the palace floor, while Gin’s veins throbbed and sweat poured from him.
• Bone-like material spread over Ulquiorra and formed a helmet over one side of his face, and he said his power was gradually returning.

Gin and Ulquiorra completed their Hollowfications, restoring Ulquiorra’s former strength and greatly enhancing Gin’s physical abilities. Aizen took them to test their new powers, while Nagato and Konan discussed separating Tobi and Zetsu now that Aizen had returned.

• Gin and Ulquiorra finished their evolutions, with Ulquiorra regaining his Hollow strength and Gin enduring the transformation’s pain.
• Ulquiorra thanked Aizen for letting him experience human emotions, and Aizen promised he could experience them again in the future.
• Gin praised his new physical abilities and suggested testing his strength somewhere away from Las Noches.
• Aizen opened a spatial void, and he, Gin, and Ulquiorra stepped through it.
• In the Land of Rivers, Konan warned Nagato that Tobi’s actions were growing excessive and urged him to separate Tobi from Zetsu.
• Nagato agreed to assign Tobi and Zetsu different partners, saying Aizen’s return meant they no longer needed to be overly restrained.

Nagato ordered Konan to notify the Akatsuki members that their pairings would change, prompting Tobi, Sasori, and Deidara to consider whether the decision reflected suspicion or the failed mission. Sasori and Deidara received the notice, but the reason for the reassignment remained unclear.

• Konan sent paper cranes to notify Akatsuki members of the pairing changes after Nagato and Yahiko approved.
• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu discussed Nagato's possible suspicions, then Black Zetsu left Tobi and told him to contact White Zetsu if anything happened.
• Tobi agreed to change partners but privately wondered whether Nagato's group had discovered something.
• Deidara complained that the failed mission to capture the One-Tail Jinchuriki had kept him from proving himself, and Sasori blamed Deidara for provoking the Kazekage.
• Sasori recalled avoiding a familiar figure among the Sand Ninja during the mission, then he and Deidara received Konan's paper crane.
• Sasori suggested the reassignment likely stemmed from Nagato's unusual thoughts about Tobi's group, not from their failed mission.

Sasori and Deidara were assigned to new missions, while Aizen gathered Las Noches to watch Gin and Ulquiorra fight for the right to command it. The battle was about to begin, and Barragan realized Ulquiorra had recovered his Hollow powers.

• Sasori suspected Nagato had assigned him to monitor Black Zetsu, whose control over White Zetsu had cut off their intelligence.
• Deidara and Tobi spotted their target’s convoy in the desert, and Deidara warned Tobi not to alert the guards.
• Sasori waited outside a town while Zetsu went to lure out their target, who knew intelligence about Kumogakure.
• Aizen gathered Las Noches to watch Gin and Ulquiorra fight for the right to command it.
• Barragan recognized that Ulquiorra had recovered the power of a Hollow as Aizen told the crowd to watch closely.

Gin and Ulquiorra faced off in Las Noches, where Ulquiorra condemned Gin for betraying Aizen and Gin challenged his confidence. Gin launched a sudden attack with Shinso, but Ulquiorra dodged and countered with a strike that left the arena in ruins, with the result obscured by dust.

• Aizen’s words reminded the Las Noches spectators that they had rarely seen Ulquiorra or Gin fight, and they watched the duel intently.
• Ulquiorra explained his loyalty to Aizen and accused Gin of committing an unforgivable betrayal.
• Gin drew Shinso and used its extending blade to attack Ulquiorra, who dodged the strike.
• Ulquiorra said he would teach Gin to use his Hollow power and then suddenly attacked him.
• Gin met Ulquiorra’s descending blade, and their clash blasted apart the arena floor as the spectators watched through a cloud of dust.

Aizen explained that Gin and Ulquiorra’s battle was meant to display the strength of Las Noches’s future leaders, while revealing that he had a new plan that made Las Noches an obstacle to his goals. Gin and Ulquiorra’s fight escalated until Ulquiorra called out, “Seal it, Black-Winged Demon!”

• Minato worried that Gin and Ulquiorra’s serious battle would create a grudge and damage Las Noches’s future command structure, but Aizen said the fight would demonstrate their strength and quiet dissent.
• Aizen told Minato that he had a new plan and that Las Noches could no longer remain an obstacle in his path.
• Gin and Ulquiorra continued exchanging rapid attacks across the devastated arena as onlookers, including Barragan and Uchiha Fugaku, watched.
• Gin’s Shinso pierced Ulquiorra’s shoulder and sent him flying, but Ulquiorra cut off his own arm to escape the blade.
• Ulquiorra calmly called out, “Seal it, Black-Winged Demon!”

Ulquiorra transformed into his Resurreccion form, regenerated his severed arm, and used his newfound speed to impale Gin and strike him with a Black Cero. Aizen said the battle was not over yet.

• Ulquiorra activated Resurreccion, shocking Gin, Aizen, Barragan, and the others with his changed appearance.
• Ulquiorra regenerated his missing left arm with High-Speed Regeneration, which Aizen identified as a high-level Hollow ability.
• Ulquiorra used his increased speed to appear behind Gin and impale him with a sword of emerald-green light before Gin could use Bankai.
• Ulquiorra fired a Black Cero that devastated the arena and left the ground filled with molten lava.
• Aizen said the battle was not over, and Ulquiorra's expression suddenly turned cold.

Gin Ichimaru revealed that he had a Hollow's body and used Bankai to pierce Ulquiorra with Kamishini no Yari. Ulquiorra answered by unveiling his Segunda Etapa and enclosing the battlefield in a vast dark barrier.

• Gin Ichimaru emerged from the rubble, regenerated his injuries, and confirmed that he had gained a Hollow's body.
• Ulquiorra attacked Gin at immense speed, overwhelmed him with sword strikes, and blasted him with a Black Cero, but Gin regenerated again.
• Gin released Bankai, declaring that Kamishini no Yari could strike at five hundred times the speed of sound, and pierced Ulquiorra's chest with its extended blade.
• Ulquiorra gripped Gin's blade, raised a dark barrier around the battlefield, and announced his Resurreccion Segunda Etapa, Black-Winged Demon.

Ulquiorra transformed into his Resurreccion Segunda Etapa and overwhelmed Gin with a Black Cero, but Gin recovered and unleashed Kamishini no Yari: Dance Step. The chapter left Ulquiorra weaving through Gin’s vast storm of blades.

• Ulquiorra’s black rain struck the arena, and he sent Gin crashing into the ground.
• Ulquiorra revealed his Resurreccion Segunda Etapa, shocking Barragan and the others.
• Ulquiorra fired a Black Cero into the dust cloud where Gin had fallen.
• Gin emerged badly injured, recovered with High-Speed Regeneration, and announced he would use his full strength.
• Gin unleashed Kamishini no Yari: Dance Step, and Ulquiorra began weaving through the mass of blades.

Ulquiorra and Gin Ichimaru traded high-speed attacks and devastating blows before Ulquiorra emerged from the ruined arena with massive black wings. He challenged Gin to stop the farce and end the fight after they had shown their abilities.

• Ulquiorra evaded Gin Ichimaru's Kamishini no Yari and attacked him from behind with an emerald lightning spear.
• Gin Ichimaru escaped the spear by tearing away his clothes, then used Senban Hakufuku to restrain Ulquiorra and unleashed Kamishini no Yari: God-Killing Rain.
• Gin Ichimaru waited amid the destruction, suspecting that Aizen wanted to force him to use Bankai.
• Ulquiorra burst from the dust with massive black wings and told Gin Ichimaru that they should end the fight.

Ulquiorra unleashed the power of Resurreccion Segunda Etapa and launched a renewed assault on Gin Ichimaru. Gin redirected one of Ulquiorra’s lightning spears and counterattacked, leaving the battle raging at close quarters.

• Ulquiorra’s wounds healed as he faced Gin, while Aizen and Barragan watched the battlefield.
• Ulquiorra formed two powerful black lightning spears and charged at Gin, whose dodge let one spear devastate the ground.
• Ulquiorra and Gin fought at blinding speed with lightning and Kamishini no Yari as onlookers struggled to follow them.
• Gin deflected Ulquiorra’s spear into the ground and swung at his head, forcing Ulquiorra to abandon the weapon and evade.

Gin ambushed Ulquiorra with Kamishini no Yari after a prolonged battle, exploiting the brief moment it took Ulquiorra to heal from grievous wounds. Gin’s blade pierced Ulquiorra, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Ulquiorra survived Gin’s initial explosion and countered with repeated Black Ceros before searching the blast zone.
• Gin trapped Ulquiorra with Senban Hakufuku and unleashed Kamishini no Yari: Hundred Killings, severing one arm and one leg and inflicting serious wounds.
• Gin revealed himself and taunted Ulquiorra, who said his injuries would heal in moments.
• Gin rushed Ulquiorra during his regeneration and stabbed him with Kamishini no Yari.

Gin defeated Ulquiorra with Kamishini no Yari’s hidden toxin, which dissolved Ulquiorra’s body despite his recovery. Ulquiorra died while thinking of his loyalty to Aizen and his past failure, leaving the onlookers stunned.

• Gin revealed that Kamishini no Yari had left a fragment inside Ulquiorra, and its toxin began dissolving Ulquiorra’s body.
• Gin explained that the blade’s true ability was a toxin that instantly dissolved cells, and said he could not neutralize it.
• Ulquiorra realized Gin had used the move against Aizen before and asked whether he should seek Aizen’s help.
• Ulquiorra recalled his failure against Ichigo Kurosaki and his resolve to clear obstacles for Aizen as his body turned to dust.
• Ulquiorra vanished in the wind, and the onlookers stared in disbelief.

Ulquiorra appeared to die in his battle with Gin, leaving Las Noches and Gin questioning Aizen’s intentions. He returned from a chaotic void with a new power, and Barragan recognized it as authority.

• Ulquiorra vanished after Gin’s attack, and Barragan, Sakuya, Fugaku, Tokino, and Gin each questioned whether he had truly died.
• Tokino warned Sakuya that Aizen’s indifference toward Ulquiorra’s death revealed the danger faced by his followers.
• Gin suspected Ulquiorra had survived and that the apparent death was part of Aizen’s plan.
• Aizen sensed that Ulquiorra had used the Hogyoku to break through his limits.
• Ulquiorra awakened in a chaotic void, declared himself the First Espada and master of nothingness, and broke back into the battlefield.
• Barragan recognized Ulquiorra’s new power as authority, while Aizen watched with interest.

Ulquiorra returned from the void in a transformed, armored form and confronted Gin Ichimaru, demanding that he answer for his sins. Ulquiorra then struck with overwhelming speed, leaving Gin’s position buried beneath a vast crater as Aizen praised his breakthrough.

• Ulquiorra emerged from distorted space, and his imposing new form shocked those gathered at Las Noches.
• Gin recognized Ulquiorra’s transformation and argued that his past actions should be forgiven because Aizen had accepted him again.
• Ulquiorra ignored Gin’s defense and repeated his demand that Gin acknowledge his sin.
• Gin raised Kamishini no Yari and challenged Ulquiorra to resume their fight.
• Ulquiorra moved with tremendous speed and devastated the ground where Gin had stood, while Aizen remarked that Ulquiorra had broken through his restraint.

Ulquiorra overwhelmed Gin and caught Kamishini no Yari, then began invoking the weight of nothingness. The battlefield vanished into a vast black abyss, leaving the extent of Ulquiorra’s power unclear.

• Gin emerged from the crater, healed his wounds, and insisted that his fight with Ulquiorra was not over.
• Ulquiorra demanded that Gin accept his judgment and promised to break his hopes.
• Gin attacked with Kamishini no Yari: Snake Kiss, but Ulquiorra caught the blade and dodged its extension.
• Ulquiorra pointed a finger at Gin and began focusing his power, prompting Barragan to identify it as the weight of nothingness.
• The ruined battlefield across several kilometers vanished and became a vast, pitch-black abyss.

Ulquiorra demonstrated his newly mastered power by erasing a vast stretch of land, forcing Gin Ichimaru to admit defeat. Ulquiorra rejected Gin’s surrender and began to annihilate him for refusing to acknowledge his crimes.

• Ulquiorra’s power created a gigantic, soundless cavern across the field, terrifying Gin Ichimaru and drawing Aizen and Barragan’s attention.
• Ulquiorra asked Gin whether he still needed to demonstrate their difference, and Gin admitted that he had lost.
• Ulquiorra demanded that Gin accept his judgment and acknowledge his crimes, threatening to erase him if he refused.
• Gin challenged Ulquiorra’s threat, but Ulquiorra declared that Gin was unfit to remain beside Lord Aizen and aimed his hand at him.
• Ulquiorra said, “Be annihilated,” and the space between him and Gin twisted and shattered.

Aizen stopped Ulquiorra from annihilating Gin after Ulquiorra broke through his limits in their arranged battle. Aizen examined Ulquiorra’s new power, then told him to master it before the Espada returned to the Soul King Palace to seize the power of the heavens.

• Ulquiorra’s annihilating attack on Gin was stopped when Aizen appeared and ordered him to stop.
• Ulquiorra knelt before Aizen and credited him for helping him break through his shackles.
• Aizen revealed that he had arranged the battle to test whether Ulquiorra could break through when facing death.
• Aizen touched Ulquiorra’s armor, and his hand was annihilated before it regenerated; he identified Ulquiorra’s new ability as the power of nothingness.
• Aizen told Ulquiorra to master his power of weight and declared that the Espada would return to the Soul King Palace to divide the power of the heavens.
• Ulquiorra vowed to clear Aizen’s obstacles and punish all rebels.

Aizen named Ulquiorra the leader of Las Noches after he defeated Gin and urged the others to choose whether to pursue Hollow transformations. Gin was left reflecting on Aizen’s warning to master the Hollow power within himself.

• Aizen told Gin that his difficult battle had helped Ulquiorra evolve, then advised him to master the Hollow power within his body.
• Ulquiorra returned to his original form after defeating Gin and became the First Espada.
• Aizen declared Ulquiorra the leader of Las Noches whenever he was absent, and Tokino and Barragan agreed to obey Ulquiorra’s orders.
• Aizen addressed the gathered members of Las Noches and urged them to make their own choices about the power gained through transforming into a Hollow.

Aizen offered reagents that would transform his followers into Hollows, and most of those present accepted. Tokino agreed for himself but refused to let Sakuya undergo the experiment, leaving her behind as the others took their vials.

• Barragan agreed to become a Hollow, followed by Shijimi Tamako and Hyuga Minato.
• Tokino stopped Sakuya from agreeing and announced that he would undergo the transformation in her place.
• Aizen accepted Tokino's condition, and the others prepared to take part in the experiment.
• Aizen handed out grayish-white reagents and told everyone to inject them when they chose.
• Aizen said the age of ninja would soon end and urged the new era to explore the power of Hollows.