Chapter Summaries

Aizen experimented on two Death Row Inmates, turning them into Hollowed Soul Reapers, then narrowly avoided having his secret base discovered by Kyōraku Tōshirō. The next day, Hirako Shinji confronted Yamabuki Chidori about the damage and suspicious events, but Yamabuki refused to explain.

• Hirako Shinji checked The Jail and found the two Death Row Inmates still inside, while Aizen secretly took them to his laboratory.
• Aizen injected the prisoners with Hollow Power, and they transformed into mindless Hollowed Soul Reapers that he locked in a cage.
• Kyōraku Tōshirō encountered Aizen near the laboratory, but Hiyori arrived with Kensei Muguruma and Lisa Yadōmaru before Kyōraku could inspect the secret base.
• Aizen added Kyōraku Tōshirō's name to his notebook and resolved to be more careful.
• Hirako Shinji confronted Yamabuki Chidori about the sword marks and the previous night's events, but Yamabuki denied knowing anything and asked him to buy steamed buns.

Shinji Hirako followed Kyōraku Tōshirō to investigate a hidden underground laboratory once used by the Tsunayashiro Clan, where they discovered signs of recent activity. Aizen Sōsuke ambushed them with a force of Hollowed Soul Reapers, and Hirako faced the threat as the chapter ended.

• Shinji Hirako visited Kuchiki Kyōka to question him about the previous night's events, but Kuchiki Ginrei and Kyōka insisted it had been a gas explosion.
• Kyōraku Tōshirō told Hirako that Aizen Sōsuke had acted suspiciously near a village, and the two searched the area.
• Kyōraku Tōshirō found a hidden door in the village well that led to an abandoned Tsunayashiro Clan laboratory.
• Hirako and Kyōraku Tōshirō explored the laboratory and noticed bloodstains that seemed too recent to be centuries old.
• Aizen Sōsuke, hiding nearby with dozens of Hollowed Soul Reapers, ordered them to attack Hirako.
• Kyōraku Tōshirō used a golden whip to stop a masked Soul Reaper from striking Hirako, as more masked enemies emerged.

Shinji Hirako discovered that Aizen and powerful Soul Society figures were connected to experiments combining Hollow and Soul Reaper powers, but decided to keep quiet and watch Aizen. The chapter then shifted to Chizome Tsubaki, who poured her embarrassment and heartbreak into sword training.

• Shinji Hirako and Kyōraku Tōshirō fought Hollowfied Soul Reapers in a dark underground laboratory, and Hirako used his Bankai to make the attackers turn on one another.
• Shinji Hirako recognized the test subjects as death row inmates and suspected Yamabuki Chidori and Aizen were involved in the experiments.
• Aizen decided to let Shinji Hirako live for now and consider a plan to have him die on a mission.
• Shinji Hirako warned Kyōraku Tōshirō to keep the discovery secret, then confronted Aizen and ordered him not to enter his office without permission.
• Shinji Hirako concluded that Aizen was probably only an accomplice and chose to pretend he knew nothing about Yamabuki Chidori's role.
• At the Azashiro Clan estate, Chizome Tsubaki demonstrated rapid swordsmanship progress, and Yamabuki Chidori assigned her to practice piercing two leaves at once.

Chizome Tano took Chizome Tsubaki and Chizome Souya to a business meeting, but a Menos Grande ambushed them on the road and killed their father and servants. As the siblings faced the Hollow, Tsubaki stabbed both of its eyes, leaving their fate uncertain.

• Yamabuki Chidori watched Chizome Tano leave with his children for a business meeting and worried that Tano still pursued profit recklessly.
• Chizome Tsubaki and Chizome Souya traveled with their father and servants, but crows, a broken carriage, and delays troubled their journey.
• A Menos Grande attacked the group, killed the bodyguards and driver, and forced Chizome Tano to sacrifice himself so his children could flee.
• Chizome Tsubaki led Souya through the forest, then stood between him and the pursuing Hollow.
• Chizome Tsubaki used the sword technique Yamabuki had taught her to pierce the Menos Grande's first eye, then stabbed its other eye as it struck back.

Yamabuki Chidori saved Chizome Tsubaki after a Hollow attack, but she and her brother Souya lost their father and the rest of their family. At their father's funeral, Shinji Hirako confronted Chidori about his secret research, and Chidori tried to pay him to stay silent.

• Yamabuki Chidori arrived in time to kill the Menos Grande and rushed the critically injured Chizome Tsubaki and Chizome Souya to the Fourth Division for treatment.
• Shiba Isshin confirmed that Chizome Tano and several servants had died, while Souya donated blood that helped save Tsubaki.
• After Tsubaki survived surgery, Souya said he wanted to join the Gotei 13 and kill every Hollow, and Chidori explained that Hollows were part of an ongoing cycle.
• Tsubaki recovered enough to attend her father's funeral in a wheelchair, while Souya pushed her and mourners gathered in the rain.
• Shinji Hirako took Chidori aside at the funeral and said he knew about Chidori's secret research, warning him to turn back.
• Chidori asked Hirako to take his money and pretend he had learned nothing.

Shinji Hirako learned that Yamabuki Chidori was not behind the Hollowfication experiments, while Yamabuki forced him to keep quiet about his secret collection of illicit books. At the Azashiro funeral, Yamabuki protected Chizome Tsubaki and Chizome Souya from greedy nobles, then promised to answer Hirako’s questions after they ate.

• Yamabuki Chidori mistook Hirako’s accusation about the Hollowfication experiments for a threat about his illicit books and strangled him.
• Hirako explained that he had found Hollowfied Shinigami in a Tsunayashiro Clan underground laboratory, and Yamabuki demonstrated that his own Hollowfication research was unrelated.
• Yamabuki gave Hirako a head injury to make him forget their conversation, then forced him to keep one of his illicit books as a compromising secret.
• At Chizome Tano’s funeral, Kameda and other nobles tried to seize the Azashiro family’s assets and force Chizome Tsubaki into marriage.
• Yamabuki cut off Kameda’s hand, killed him, and warned the nobles that he would protect the Azashiro siblings for a hundred years.
• After the nobles fled, Yamabuki encouraged Chizome Souya to grow strong and promised to answer Hirako’s questions after preparing a meal.

Yamabuki Chidori recruited Shinji Hirako into a plan to prepare a replacement for a looming threat, giving him Hollow powers with a Simplified Hogyoku. Aizen then ordered the newly captured Vasto Lorde Aseria to kill Hirako, and Aseria arrived in Soul Society ready to face him.

• Yamabuki Chidori told Hirako about the danger posed by Zero Division and his plan to cultivate a perfect replacement, then made Hirako swallow a Simplified Hogyoku that gave him dormant Hollow Power.
• Hirako escaped Yamabuki Chidori and returned to his office, where Aizen noticed his changed attitude and decided Hirako might have uncovered the truth.
• Aizen chose the unknown Vasto Lorde Aseria to assassinate Hirako and ordered Nel Tu to offer him a place in Las Noches if he succeeded.
• Nel Tu gave Aseria the mission and information about Hirako, while Aseria flirted with her and broke free of his chains.
• Aseria secretly read the intelligence, recognized Hirako as a captain, and entered Soul Society while releasing his formidable Reiatsu.

Aseria’s attacks drew Soul Reaper captains away from Seireitei, and Yamabuki Chidori recognized the scheme and sent Shinji Hirako as bait. Hirako revealed Sakanade and briefly used Hollow power to hold Aseria off, but Aseria escalated the fight by tearing out and swallowing his own eyes.

• A Vastolorde-class Menos Grande appeared in different parts of Soul Society, and Yamabuki Chidori warned the captains that the attacks might be a trap.
• Shikkōgai Musashi and another captain responded to the Menos Grande’s appearances, while Yamabuki Chidori ordered them to hold their positions.
• Yamabuki Chidori sent Shinji Hirako alone to face the next attack and prevented Aizen from accompanying him.
• Aseria ambushed Hirako in an abandoned Rukongai village, but Hirako activated Sakanade and reversed Aseria’s perceptions.
• Aseria launched a black Cero, and Hirako briefly used Hollow power to meet it before taunting Aseria about his predicament.
• Aseria tore out and swallowed both of his eyes as he prepared to continue the fight.

Shinji Hirako tried to hold off the blind Vasto Lorde Aseria, then fled through the forest and led him to a woodcutter’s cabin. After Aseria destroyed the cabin, the woodcutter revealed overwhelming strength by crushing Aseria’s head, but Aseria regenerated and charged him again.

• Aseria’s blindness rendered Hirako’s Zanpakuto ineffective, and Hirako struggled to defend himself while asking Yamabuki Chidori for reinforcements.
• Yamabuki refused to send reinforcements, so Hirako announced Bankai and used the declaration as a bluff to escape.
• Hirako led Aseria through the forest, where Aseria’s Cero destroyed a cabin and enraged its returning owner, Woodcutter.
• Woodcutter seized Aseria and slammed him into the ground, crushing his skull despite Aseria’s Reiatsu and strength.
• Aseria regenerated, dismissed Woodcutter’s claim that he was not a Soul Reaper, and charged him again as Woodcutter prepared to punch.

Kuruyashiki defeated the Vastolorde Aseria and joined the Gotei 13’s 11th Division after Shinji Hirako and Yamabuki Chidori recruited him. At the division barracks, the members welcomed him and immediately challenged him to fight.

• Kuruyashiki beat Aseria, then released Gakurō Kairō to devour the Hollow’s remains and prevent his regeneration.
• Shinji Hirako contacted Yamabuki Chidori, introduced Kuruyashiki, and recommended him for the Gotei 13.
• Aizen learned that the assassination attempt had failed and ordered Salkapolo not to make another move against Hirako.
• Yamabuki Chidori registered Kuruyashiki and took him directly to the 11th Division instead of sending him to Shino Academy.
• The 11th Division members heard that Kuruyashiki had defeated a Vastolorde and eagerly challenged him to a fight.

Kuruyashiki joined the 11th Division, where Huo Ying invited him to fight for the captaincy and then let him settle in as a regular member. Meanwhile, Aizen reconsidered his plans after Kuruyashiki saved Shinji Hirako, and Yamabuki Chidori gathered allies to begin recruiting for his plan to remake the world.

• Yamabuki Chidori explained the Kenpachi succession and offered Kuruyashiki the chance to become the Seventh Kenpachi, but Kuruyashiki declined.
• Huo Ying challenged Kuruyashiki for the captaincy, but he refused to fight and chose to start as a regular member of the 11th Division.
• Huo Ying told Kuruyashiki that 11th Division members could do as they pleased between fights, and news of his Vasto Lorde victory spread through Seireitei.
• Aizen learned Kuruyashiki had saved Shinji Hirako and decided to avoid further attempts on Hirako to protect his own secrecy.
• Yamabuki Chidori met with Shinji Hirako and Rojuro, explained his plan to remake the world, and proposed recruiting Kensei Muguruma, Lisa Yadōmaru, and Sarugaki Hiyori.
• Yamabuki Chidori assigned Rojuro to recruit Kensei, took responsibility for Lisa, and told Hirako to approach Hiyori, prompting Hirako to object and suggest they switch assignments.

Yamabuki Chidori lured Lisa Yadōmaru into a secluded place with unreleased comic pages, then revealed himself and invited her to join a special team to save the world. Lisa refused until he offered his private collection of comics, and she eagerly agreed to hear his offer again.

• Shunsui Kyōraku teased Lisa Yadōmaru about wearing a Sailor Suit and Black Silk Stockings, then revealed Yamabuki Chidori had invented them.
• Lisa Yadōmaru read her latest comic and followed a trail of paper airplanes carrying its remaining pages into a secluded place.
• A masked man attacked Lisa Yadōmaru, overwhelmed her in combat, and carried her away.
• The masked man revealed himself as Yamabuki Chidori and asked Lisa Yadōmaru to join a special team to save the world.
• Lisa Yadōmaru refused until Yamabuki Chidori offered her his unreleased comic collection, then eagerly asked him to repeat the invitation.

Yamabuki Chidori recruited Lisa Yadōmaru and tried to bring Hiyori into his secret mission, while keeping Kiryu in the dark. Hiyori was left weighing the offer, and Yamabuki expected her attachment to Kiryu to lead her to accept.

• Lisa Yadōmaru discovered Yamabuki Chidori’s hidden manga collection, agreed to support his plan, and swallowed a Simplified Hogyoku.
• Shinji Hirako gave up trying to recruit Hiyori, while Rojuro reported that his contact with Kensei Muguruma had gone smoothly.
• Yamabuki Chidori approached Hiyori at the 12th Division, then asked Kiryu to let Hiyori join a secret team without explaining the mission.
• Kiryu refused to risk Hiyori without knowing the mission, so Yamabuki gave Hiyori three days to decide and warned her to keep the mission secret.
• Kiryu guessed the mission concerned an old war and reassured Hiyori that she trusted Yamabuki; Yamabuki later told Hirako he expected Hiyori to seek him out because of her bond with Kiryu.

Aizen arranged a Hollow invasion of Rukongai to hypnotize the Soul Reapers with Kyōka Suigetsu during the ensuing battle. The Hollows were defeated, Kuruyashiki impressed everyone with his strength and revealed his Bankai, while Aizen remained unnoticed and pretended to be injured.

• Aizen ordered Salkapolo to prepare ten thousand ordinary Hollows and several dozen Lesser Menos Grande to attack Rukongai, while forbidding elite Hollows from entering the Soul Society.
• Aizen secretly manipulated the deployment order so the Fifth Division joined the 11th Division in battle, then released Kyōka Suigetsu and hypnotized the Soul Reapers present.
• Huo Ying and Kuruyashiki cut through the Hollows, and Aizen saved an 11th Division squad member while keeping his strength hidden.
• Kuruyashiki released Gakurō Kairō, defeated a Menos Grande, and told Huo Ying that his Bankai devoured everything nearby but left him unable to use Shikai or Bankai for half a year afterward.
• After the Captains helped wipe out most of the Hollows, Soul Reapers crowded around Kuruyashiki with offers and questions, and Aizen directed him to Yamabuki Chidori for help.
• Aizen continued helping the wounded while pretending his deliberately inflicted injury was real, even as a squad member urged him to rest.

After the battle, Kuruyashiki drew the attention of the nobles while Aizen reflected on his continued growth beyond the Soul Reaper limit. Huo Ying pressed Yamabuki Chidori to let her transfer to the Fourth Division, but he insisted that Kuruyashiki must willingly succeed her and defeat her in a serious fight first.

• Aizen accepted Kuruyashiki's offer of friendship while concealing that he considered no one his equal, and he recalled how his Quincy power had raised his growth limit.
• After returning to the Seireitei, Kuruyashiki was overwhelmed by gifts and love letters, then learned that the 11th Division let its members set their own arrival times.
• Huo Ying confronted Yamabuki Chidori with a resignation letter and demanded permission to transfer to the Fourth Division, naming Kuruyashiki as her successor.
• Yamabuki Chidori told Huo Ying that Kuruyashiki had to agree to become captain and defeat her without either of them holding back before she could transfer.

Huo Ying asked Kuruyashiki to succeed her as Captain of the 11th Division so she could retire to the Fourth Division, and Kuruyashiki agreed to challenge her. Their Kenpachi succession battle was announced across Seireitei, and Yamabuki Chidori began arranging a venue where they could fight at full strength.

• Hiyori accepted Yamabuki Chidori's offer to join his secret organization, and he gave her a Simplified Hogyoku.
• Kirimaru Tsukishima confronted Yamabuki Chidori about Hiyori's safety, then took him home to eat.
• Huo Ying asked Kuruyashiki to become the next Captain of the 11th Division, and he agreed to challenge her after she began crying.
• Kuruyashiki submitted his challenge application to Yamabuki Chidori and requested a venue where he could use his full power.
• Yamabuki Chidori promised to arrange a suitable venue, and Kuruyashiki bumped into two people as he left the office.

Kuruyashiki sparred with Kamishirokawa to prove his strength as a Kenpachi challenger, and the fight ended in a draw. After setting Kuruyashiki’s decisive battle with Huo Ying for three days later, Yamabuki Chidori visited the desolate Azashiro Clan estate, where Chizome Souya was struggling to care for it alone.

• Yamabuki Chidori introduced Kuruyashiki to former Kenpachis Kamishirokawa and Hyakki-ji, and Kamishirokawa challenged him to a fight.
• Kuruyashiki and Kamishirokawa traded powerful attacks without releasing their Zanpakuto and ended their spar at a draw.
• Kuruyashiki explained his biological-type Zanpakuto, and Kamishirokawa warned that Huo Ying, his half-disciple, would make the coming battle difficult.
• Yamabuki Chidori scheduled Kuruyashiki’s decisive battle for three days later so he could prepare a suitable arena.
• Yamabuki Chidori visited the Azashiro Clan estate and found Chizome Souya alone, pulling weeds while his sister Chizome Tsubaki remained hospitalized.

Yamabuki Chidori prepared a public arena in Rukongai for the coming duel between two captains and helped Chizome Tsubaki accept a role in the family business. Kenpachi Zaraki learned of the contest and set out to watch, where he collided with a bald stranger.

• Yamabuki Chidori told Chizome Souya about the duel for the title of Strongest Shinigami and offered to take him to see it.
• Yamabuki Chidori urged Chizome Tsubaki to manage the family business, and she accepted while asking him to look after Souya.
• Yamabuki Chidori met Kensei Muguruma, gave him a Simplified Hogyoku, and Kensei swallowed it to gain the ability to undergo Hollowfication.
• Yamabuki Chidori chose Gomukui District as the duel site, created a vast arena that could restore its surroundings, and sent the 2nd Division to distribute flyers.
• Kenpachi Zaraki read a flyer about the duel and, carrying Kusajishi Yachiru, headed to see the fight.
• Kenpachi Zaraki collided with a bald man, and Kusajishi Yachiru greeted him as Baldy.

Kenpachi Zaraki defeated Ikkaku Madarame, then found Yamabuki Chidori and tried to challenge him. Chidori tricked Zaraki and Kusajishi Yachiru into a Wormhole to the North Pole, while Ikkaku learned about the upcoming Kenpachi Succession Battle and resolved to challenge Zaraki again.

• Kenpachi Zaraki overwhelmed Ikkaku Madarame and spared him, prompting Ikkaku to vow to train and challenge him again.
• Kenpachi Zaraki spotted Yamabuki Chidori in the crowd and rushed off to confront him, but accidentally headed in the wrong direction.
• Yamabuki Chidori caught Zaraki's attack, then lured him and Kusajishi Yachiru through a Wormhole and stranded them at the North Pole.
• Ayasegawa Yumichika told the injured Ikkaku Madarame about the Kenpachi Succession Battle, and Ikkaku planned to attend and challenge Zaraki.
• The Kenpachi Succession Battle became a major event, with even ordinary residents able to watch.

Shunshun Shidō and Ōtōgawa Utsugi bickered as Soul Society gathered to watch the Kenpachi Succession Battle between Akane Youka and Kuruyashiki. Their swords clashed in a burst of overwhelming Reiatsu, leaving Ikkaku Madarame and the other spectators stunned.

• Shunshun Shidō complained that the 2nd Division had been reduced to handing out flyers and ordered its members to arrest thieves during the succession battle.
• Ōtōgawa Utsugi arrived to promote bets on the battle, and she and Shunshun Shidō broke into a childish fight.
• Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika joined the crowd, where a young girl named Huo Ying tried to treat Ikkaku's wound before Retsu Unohana healed it with Kidō.
• The crowd learned that Huo Ying was the 11th Division Captain, Akane Youka, and watched as Kuruyashiki and Akane entered a huge arena for their succession battle.
• Hane Hane Chiyo started the match after Yamabuki Chidori stopped her casino advertising, and Akane and Kuruyashiki attacked at the same time.
• Akane and Kuruyashiki's swords collided, unleashing Reiatsu so powerful that some spectators fainted and Ikkaku and Yumichika were left in awe.