Chapter Summaries

Shiraishi rescued the wounded Nelliel by killing Ggio, then carried her out of the Forest of Menos. As Nelliel recovered from her injuries, she accepted Shiraishi’s strange claim that she should call him “husband” and fell asleep on his lap.

• Ggio attacked Nelliel while she was too exhausted to defend herself.
• Shiraishi ambushed and killed Ggio, saving Nelliel.
• Shiraishi carried Nelliel out of the Forest of Menos, and she asked who he was and why he had saved her.
• Shiraishi explained that he was allied with a Shinigami but had no desire to wipe out all Hollows, and Nelliel asked him to help heal her.
• Shiraishi applied Nelliel’s healing saliva to her wounds, and she fell asleep on his lap while he watched the cave entrance.

Szayelaporro and Baraggan dealt with Nelliel’s departure and the aftermath of the experiment, while Szayelaporro carried the embryo through a Garganta. In Soul Society, Sōya Azashiro woke from his injuries and prepared to return to Hueco Mundo, leaving the Menos Grande threat to other Shinigami.

• Szayelaporro told Baraggan that Nelliel had left the Forest of Menos, and they decided to return to Las Noches through a different route.
• Szayelaporro said he would plant a Reiatsu Recording Bug on the man involved in the experiment and send him to Soul Society.
• Szayelaporro recalled that Baraggan had helped capture Aaroniero so Genjirō could attempt to fuse with him, then took the blood-red embryo into a Garganta.
• An alarm reported Menos Grande Reiatsu in North Rukongai, and Sōya Azashiro woke with a head injury caused by the destruction of the space fused with his Bankai.
• Sōya Azashiro decided to return to Hueco Mundo and left the Menos Grande for the other Shinigami to handle.

Fifteen-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki traveled through the wilderness in search of Silbern, hoping to restore his mother’s stolen Quincy power and find Uryū Ishida. After meeting a Shinigami who knew where Silbern was, he explained his reasons, and she asked if he knew Miss Kūkaku Shiba.

• Ichigo Kurosaki traveled in a mobile house and lamented that he still had not found a Steel Shell City or reached Silbern.
• Kon spotted a woman riding a motorcycle, and Ichigo recognized her as a Shinigami and ran after her.
• The woman confronted Ichigo, who introduced himself and asked for directions to Silbern.
• The Shinigami warned Ichigo that Silbern was sacred to the Quincy and that a weak Shinigami would die trying to enter.
• Ichigo explained that he wanted to restore his mother’s power and stop Uryū Ishida from confronting Yhwach alone.
• The Shinigami asked Ichigo whether he knew Miss Kūkaku Shiba.

Rukia Kuchiki met Ichigo Kurosaki and told him she was searching for Kisuke Urahara’s Garganta Device to bring Captain Shiraishi and Captain-Commander Yamamoto back from Hueco Mundo. Ichigo joined her, and they set off in the Mobile Spiritual Power-Driven House toward Zuellni.

• Rukia recognized Ichigo’s resemblance to Lord Kaien and learned that he was Isshin Kurosaki’s son.
• Rukia explained that she was tracking down the Garganta Device, and Ichigo offered to help her.
• Ichigo brought the Mobile Spiritual Power-Driven House, which Kisuke Urahara had left behind, to Rukia.
• Rukia boarded the house, kicked Kon after he insulted her, and learned how to operate the vehicle from Ichigo.
• Rukia consulted her map and planned a route toward Zuellni, where Sora Inoue collected Kisuke Urahara’s inventions.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia reached Steel Shell City, Zuellni, seeking the Garganta Device so they could bring Captain Shiraishi and Captain-Commander Yamamoto back. Tatsuki Arisawa agreed to let them enter if they wore Spiritual Power-restricting handcuffs, and Ichigo prepared to go in alone despite Rukia's objections.

• Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia spotted Steel Shell City and approached while Ichigo insisted they should try talking before resorting to force.
• Tatsuki Arisawa saw the approaching Shinigami on Zuellni's surveillance screens and ordered warning shots fired around them.
• Ichigo held up a written request to meet, and Tatsuki replied that Zuellni welcomed outsiders but not Shinigami.
• Ichigo explained that they wanted the Garganta Device in Mr. Sora Inoue's possession to bring Captain Shiraishi and Captain-Commander Yamamoto back.
• Tatsuki offered to let them enter if they wore Spiritual Power-restricting handcuffs, and Ichigo volunteered to go inside while Rukia and Kon warned him against it.

Ichigo Kurosaki entered Zuellni in handcuffs and told Mayor Sora Inoue that the Garganta Device could bring Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Shiraishi back. The councilors questioned his claim, and the chapter ended with an alarm announcing an approaching Hollow horde.

• Rukia let Ichigo enter Zuellni in handcuffs after he insisted on helping, while Tatsuki Arisawa sent him across with a cable.
• A Zuellni Guard vice captain met Ichigo and arranged for someone to take him to Mayor Inoue.
• Orihime Inoue greeted Ichigo and brought him to her brother, Sora Inoue.
• Ichigo told Sora and the councilors that Kisuke Urahara had made the Garganta Device to bring Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Shiraishi back.
• The councilors questioned whether Zuellni should give Ichigo the device, and an alarm warned Sora that a horde of Hollows was approaching.

Sora Inoue freed Ichigo Kurosaki and authorized him to activate the Garganta Device, while Rukia and Zuellni’s fighters battled a pack of Hollows outside the city. As the Hollows began to fall, Rukia sensed an abnormal reiatsu from above and saw that the sky had split open.

• Orihime Inoue agreed to help defend Zuellni from a pack of Hollows, and Ichigo Kurosaki asked to join the fight.
• Mie accused Ichigo of being a Hollow Cult member, but Sora Inoue judged him trustworthy and ordered his handcuffs removed so he could activate the Garganta Device.
• Rukia spotted around a hundred giant Hollows approaching Zuellni and attacked them with Sode no Shirayuki.
• Tatsuki Arisawa and Zuellni’s fighters joined the battle, killing Hollows as Rukia withdrew from the fighting.
• Rukia sensed abnormal reiatsu from the sky, looked up, and saw that it had split open.

Shiraishi emerged from Hueco Mundo and effortlessly destroyed the Menos Grande Shabotas before it could destroy Zuellni. After reuniting with Rukia, he learned little about what had changed and went to bathe while she prepared to explain.

• Shabotas emerged from a Garganta above Zuellni and threatened to destroy the city, while Tatsuki Arisawa and Rukia could not stop him.
• Shiraishi appeared and erased Shabotas with Hadō #90, Kurohitsugi, saving Zuellni from its Cero.
• Shiraishi greeted Rukia, asked about Ichigo Kurosaki and Unohana, and learned that he had been missing for years.
• Rukia directed Shiraishi to a bathroom, where he bathed, changed his appearance, and shaved off his beard.
• Shiraishi noticed that the bathroom had a razor and wondered why Rukia's house had one.

After returning from Hueco Mundo, Shiraishi reunited with Rukia and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and learned that the Soul Society had been devastated. Ichigo Kurosaki arrived seeking to fight Yhwach, but Shiraishi offered to train him after he led them to Kūkaku—and Ichigo admitted he had forgotten the way back.

• Shiraishi left the bathroom and rushed to the hall for food, where he argued with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto about his discarded Captain's Haori.
• Rukia told Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto that the Seireitei had been destroyed, the Gotei 13 scattered, and the captains' whereabouts were unknown.
• Rukia said someone knew where Kūkaku was, and Shiraishi asked her to bring that person to him.
• Ichigo Kurosaki arrived and said he planned to go to Silbern to find Yhwach.
• Shiraishi demonstrated how easily he could reach Ichigo and offered to train him if Ichigo took him to Kūkaku.
• Ichigo told Shiraishi he had forgotten the way back to the village and could not return without finding Ishida.

Ichigo Kurosaki set out with Shiraishi, Rukia, and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto to find Ishida and travel to Silbern, while Shiraishi planned to train Ichigo for the fight ahead. They recruited Orihime Inoue as their healer and left Sora Inoue behind, ending with the group joking around before setting off.

• Ichigo Kurosaki explained that he had left the village to find Ishida but had no plan for tracking him down.
• Rukia estimated that Silbern was at least a month's journey away, and Shiraishi decided they should leave at once.
• Sora Inoue asked the group to take Orihime Inoue with them, and Shiraishi agreed because her healing ability would help them.
• The group returned to Tatsuki Arisawa and Kon, and Ichigo Kurosaki promised to protect Orihime Inoue as Shiraishi urged him to grow stronger.
• Shiraishi, Orihime Inoue, Rukia, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Kon made a silly group introduction before Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto ushered them inside.

Orihime Inoue left Zuellni with Shiraishi and the others, while Tatsuki Arisawa stayed behind to protect the city. As their mobile house traveled, Shiraishi trained Ichigo Kurosaki, and Orihime struggled to learn Rukia's map before making dinner.

• Orihime Inoue said goodbye to Tatsuki Arisawa, then joined Shiraishi's group as they departed Zuellni in the mobile house.
• Shiraishi began intensive training with Ichigo Kurosaki, matching his speed and Reiatsu while teaching him to attack more effectively.
• Rukia tried to teach Orihime Inoue how to read her Chappy map, but Orihime gave up after failing to understand it.
• Orihime Inoue cooked dinner, and Shiraishi ended Ichigo Kurosaki's training session so everyone could eat.
• Shiraishi reflected that Ichigo Kurosaki had advanced rapidly toward captain-level strength, though learning Bankai in three days seemed impossible without a Tenshintai.

Orihime Inoue’s unusual cooking tested everyone’s stomachs while Ichigo Kurosaki continued training to achieve Bankai. On May 6, Rukia’s map led the group to a village, where Shiraishi and Ichigo discovered a cave full of slaughtered people and sent Ichigo to search the forest for the killer.

• Orihime Inoue served a strange, strongly flavored noodle dish, which Shiraishi and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto enjoyed while Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia struggled to eat it.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto advised Ichigo Kurosaki to be patient and deepen his connection with Zangetsu as he trained for Bankai.
• Rukia used her Chappy map to locate a village and suggested hunting nearby before the group crossed into harsher terrain.
• Shiraishi and Ichigo Kurosaki found a cave filled with human remains and confronted the lone surviving man inside.
• The man denied killing the villagers, and Shiraishi directed Ichigo to search the forest for the nearby culprit.

Shiraishi sent Ichigo Kurosaki after the killer who had slaughtered a village, while he organized the others at the cave. Ichigo defeated the killer, who had used explosive bubbles, and killed him after forcing him to face fear.

• Shiraishi introduced himself to Yasutora Sado and recognized that Sado had awakened his Fullbringer powers as a child.
• Rukia and Orihime Inoue arrived at the cave, where Shiraishi tasked Orihime with burying the villagers and Rukia with gathering food and water.
• Ichigo Kurosaki encountered the killer in the forest and learned that he had murdered villagers for amusement and abused a mother and her child.
• The killer detonated his bubbles, but Ichigo spun Zangetsu to push through the explosions and hurled it at the killer, cutting off his right hand.
• Ichigo caught the fleeing killer, beat him, pulled out his tongue, and beheaded him.

After killing a bandit who had tortured and murdered villagers, Ichigo returned to Shiraishi’s group, recovered, and resumed training while Orihime helped bury the victims. Yamamoto recruited Yasutora Sado to travel with them and fight the supergiant Hollows, leaving the group with another powerful ally.

• Ichigo returned to the house after killing the man who had tortured villagers and asked Shiraishi whether defeating Aizen would restore the world.
• Yamamoto said he would rebuild the world’s order, and Ichigo resolved to defeat Aizen after reclaiming his mother’s Quincy power.
• Orihime healed Ichigo, and he asked Shiraishi to continue their training after feeling Zangetsu’s power in battle.
• Orihime and Yasutora Sado helped bury the villagers, and Sado played a mournful song as they mourned the dead.
• Yamamoto invited Sado to join his group, pressured him with his Reiatsu, and persuaded him to travel with them and fight Hollows.

Shiraishi and his companions reached a sky island, where a recording from Kisuke Urahara revealed that Aizen had sealed several captains and that Urahara had gone to Silbern to seek help from Yhwach. Shiraishi and Yamamoto decided to split up, with Yamamoto rescuing the sealed captains while Shiraishi took Ichigo and the others to Silbern.

• Rukia led Shiraishi, Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, and Kon up a fierce wind to a small island above the clouds.
• Shiraishi landed the house safely and approached the island's central rock, which opened to reveal a recording from Kisuke Urahara.
• Kisuke Urahara showed Yamamoto a spiritual motorcycle that would locate sealed captains and explained that Aizen had sealed Ichibē Hyōsube and other captains fifteen years earlier.
• Kisuke Urahara said he had waited for the new generation and Yhwach to awaken, then asked Yamamoto to go to Silbern if he was not there in person.
• Yamamoto recognized that Urahara had designed the motorcycle to require his Reiatsu, and Shiraishi chose to take Ichigo and the others to Silbern while Yamamoto rescued the sealed captains.

Uryū Ishida collapsed from a poisonous bite outside Silbern and woke in Retsu Unohana’s care. After learning how to enter the Quincy city, he prepared to pursue his mission, while Unohana teased him about the man she loved.

• Uryū Ishida reached the surface near Silbern, but a poisonous bite made him collapse beside Kisuke Urahara’s motorcycle.
• Uryū dreamed of his mother’s death and woke in a Japanese-style room, where Retsu Unohana introduced herself as the woman who had found him.
• Retsu Unohana explained that the bite of a black butterfly was not fatal and that Pure-Blood Quincy lived inside Silbern while Mixed-Blood Quincy outside had been killed by Yhwach’s Auswählen.
• Uryū realized he might pass as a Pure-Blood Quincy and asked Retsu Unohana how to enter Silbern; she told him to use Heilig Pfeil at the west gate.
• Uryū thanked Retsu Unohana and asked why she wore her hair loose, then learned she loved a man who was involved with several other women.

Shiraishi found Isane Kotetsu in the Dark Forest and embraced her so suddenly that she fainted, then took her to her room and tended to her. While he washed her feet and massaged her legs, Isane described the settlement and its residents, and Shiraishi asked whether she had missed him.

• Rin Kunieda told Shiraishi and Rukia that Shinigami had settled in the Dark Forest and that Unohana had left.
• Shiraishi sensed Isane Kotetsu nearby, rushed to her, and hugged her until she fainted.
• Renji Abarai found Shiraishi holding Isane, and Shiraishi said she had overworked herself and needed rest.
• Shiraishi carried Isane to her room, revived her when her stockings tore, and told her he was washing her feet and massaging her legs.
• Isane told Shiraishi about settling in the Dark Forest with Unohana and other Shinigami.
• Shiraishi apologized for failing to stop Aizen, asked whether Isane had missed him, and told her that he had missed her.

Retsu Unohana revealed how Kisuke Urahara had orchestrated events around Ichigo Kurosaki and explained the origins of Ichigo’s Hollow powers. Ichigo and Rukia chose to continue training, while Shiraishi reunited with Soi Fon and went with her to a room.

• Retsu Unohana told Ichigo Kurosaki that his mother, Masaki, had been infected by an Aizen-created Hollow and that its power had passed to him.
• Retsu Unohana explained that Kisuke Urahara had sealed Ichigo’s powers and arranged events to bring him there, prompting Ichigo to angrily object to being treated like a puppet.
• Rukia decided to train with Retsu Unohana, and Ichigo chose to join her after realizing they had made their own decisions.
• Shiraishi bathed and washed his soiled clothes, then met Soi Fon in the corridor.
• Soi Fon suspected Shiraishi had been with Retsu Unohana, challenged him to stop arguing, and led him toward a room.

Shiraishi confessed his feelings to Isane Kotetsu, and they shared a bed beneath a quilt. At Mount Taiping, Renji Abarai recognized Rukia and challenged Ichigo Kurosaki, leaving a fight about to begin.

• Shiraishi told Isane Kotetsu he liked her and persuaded her to sleep beside him, promising not to make a move.
• Renji Abarai guarded the entrance to Mount Taiping and blocked Ichigo Kurosaki as he tried to go up the steps.
• Renji Abarai and Ichigo Kurosaki clashed blades, and Renji forced Ichigo back with his Reiatsu.
• Renji Abarai spotted Rukia and happily greeted her, while she introduced him to Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Jealous that Rukia was close to Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai challenged him to fight in an open space, and Ichigo accepted.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought Renji Abarai and awakened Getsuga Tenshō, impressing Shiraishi. After the fight, Shiraishi returned to Isane Kotetsu and resumed their intimate encounter.

• Rin Kunieda dismissed the fight and left while Orihime Inoue watched anxiously.
• Renji Abarai released Zabimaru and wounded Ichigo Kurosaki, then criticized his fear and turned away.
• Ichigo Kurosaki overcame his hesitation, unleashed Getsuga Tenshō, and damaged Zabimaru before Shiraishi intercepted the attack.
• Shiraishi praised Ichigo Kurosaki's progress and scolded Renji Abarai for failing to use Bankai.
• Shiraishi returned to Isane Kotetsu and pounced on her after promising to prove his stamina.