Chapter Summaries

Sōgo Shihoin defeated Aizen’s Negación and turned the captured traitors over to Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, who faced their coordinated attacks with ease. The confrontation ended with Yamamoto burning away Kaname Tōsen’s Bankai and dismissing it as a diaper of a Bankai.

• Sōgo Shihoin rejected Sōsuke Aizen’s offer to join forces and refused to let him go, though he joked about sending Aizen to Hueco Mundo.
• Sōgo Shihoin used Sayafushi to kill the thousand Menos Grande sustaining the Negación, then trapped Sōsuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tōsen, and Gosuke with Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.
• Sōsuke Aizen attacked Yamamoto with Hadō #90: Black Coffin, Gosuke restrained him with Bakudō #99: Kin, and Kaname Tōsen activated his Bankai.
• Gin Ichimaru struck Yamamoto with Kamishini no Yari, but Yamamoto stopped its blade between two fingers.
• Kaname Tōsen entered his own Bankai, but Yamamoto tracked him inside it and unleashed Ryūjin Jakka, destroying the barrier and calling Tōsen’s Bankai a diaper.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai defeated the Aizen impostors, but Shunsui Kyōraku’s search for Mayuri Kurotsuchi uncovered Yushima Oko’s betrayal. In Hueco Mundo, the real Sōsuke Aizen revealed that the battle had been fought by Reigai and began planning how to stop Sōgo Shihoin.

• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai engulfed Sōsuke Aizen and his three companions in flames, then the barrier shattered and left four charred bodies behind.
• Sōgo Shihoin warned Shunsui Kyōraku that Mayuri Kurotsuchi was missing, so Shunsui took Nanao Ise to the Twelfth Division.
• Shunsui broke into Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s sealed chamber and found him bound to a pillar beside an unconscious young woman.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi blamed Yushima Oko for ambushing and imprisoning him, and Shunsui realized Yushima might have joined Aizen.
• In Las Noches, the real Sōsuke Aizen revealed that the fighters defeated by Yamamoto had been Reigai created by Yushima Oko.
• Sōsuke Aizen told the gathered defectors and Arrancar that Yamamoto would not stop their plans, but Sōgo Shihoin might.

After leaving Soul Society, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends prepared to return to the World of the Living, where Sōgo Shihoin unexpectedly joined them. The group faced the prospect of bringing a powerful, troublesome Soul Reaper into their ordinary school lives.

• Sōgo Shihoin annoyed Hōshō Ryo with his game sound effects until she kicked him out of her office.
• Sōgo Shihoin decided to go have fun in the World of the Living with Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends.
• Ichigo Kurosaki told Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai that Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai had appointed him a Substitute Soul Reaper and given him a badge.
• Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends said goodbye to Rukia Kuchiki and set off for the World of the Living, talking about school and homework.
• Sōgo Shihoin appeared beside Orihime Inoue inside the Dangai and announced that he was going with them.
• Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryū Ishida, and Yasutora Sado reacted with alarm when they noticed Sōgo Shihoin following the group.

Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends arrived in the World of the Living, but Sōgo Shihoin disappeared before Ichigo and Uryū Ishida could keep track of him. Ichigo returned home to a surprise party, only for Sōgo to invent an embarrassing story about Rukia and leave Ichigo’s family eager to welcome her as their daughter-in-law.

• Sōgo Shihoin vanished shortly after arriving, and Orihime Inoue told Ichigo Kurosaki he had flown east; Ichigo and Uryū Ishida searched for him but gave up when they could not find him.
• Ichigo returned to his bedroom, reclaimed his body from Kon, and went downstairs to see his family.
• Ichigo found his family celebrating with Sōgo Shihoin, panicked at seeing him, and eventually joined them for cake.
• Ichigo asked what the party was for, then pulled Sōgo into the hallway and begged him not to tell his family about the Soul Society rescue.
• Sōgo told Ichigo’s family that Rukia Kuchiki came from a wealthy family and that Ichigo had won her family over, prompting Masaki Kurosaki, Yuzu Kurosaki, and Karin Kurosaki to urge Ichigo to bring Rukia home.

Ichigo Kurosaki endured a sleepless night sharing a bed with Sōgo Shihoin, then hoped to enjoy an ordinary day at school. His plans ended when Sōgo appeared as a transfer student and revealed that he had become Karakura First High School’s principal after firing the former principal for entering the school gates right-foot-first.

• Sōgo Shihoin talked in his sleep and ground his teeth, keeping Ichigo Kurosaki awake until morning.
• Ichigo Kurosaki rushed to school without finishing breakfast, while Sōgo told Masaki Kurosaki he would make sure Ichigo ate properly.
• At school, Ichigo Kurosaki greeted Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and others before class began.
• Ichigo Kurosaki realized he had forgotten his homework, copied Orihime Inoue’s work, and was let off by the teacher.
• The teacher announced a handsome transfer student, and Sōgo Shihoin entered the classroom in a school uniform.
• Sōgo Shihoin introduced himself as the new principal and Ichigo Kurosaki’s classmate, then said he had fired the former principal for stepping through the gates with his right foot first.

Sōgo Shihoin began his first day at school as chairman and acting principal while Shaoling Fon answered Yoruichi Shihōin’s summons to investigate strange incidents in Karakura Town. Their investigation led them to a woman preying on a train attendant, whom Yoruichi identified as a Bount.

• Sōgo fired the principal, took a classroom seat, and prepared to sleep through the lesson.
• Yoruichi contacted Shaoling Fon and summoned her to the World of the Living to investigate strange phenomena.
• Shaoling Fon examined a woman’s clothing and found Reishi powder left after a human soul had been absorbed.
• The Twelfth Division’s Research and Development Institute could not identify how the Reishi had been produced, and Shunsui Kyōraku sent the results to Shaoling Fon.
• Yoruichi and Shaoling Fon watched a woman lure a train attendant at a deserted station, and Yoruichi recognized her as a Bount.

Yoruichi Shihōin captured Yoshino Sōma and tried to force her to reveal information about the Bounts. Meanwhile, Kariya Jin rallied the Bounts to prepare for an assault on Soul Society, while warning them about the Shihoin Family.

• Yoruichi Shihōin revealed that she had knocked Yoshino Sōma unconscious and bound her with ropes that prevented Bount abilities.
• At a villa, Kariya Jin told the Bounts that Yoshino Sōma had been captured, and Maki Ichinose warned them that Yoruichi Shihōin and Soi Fon had taken her.
• Maki Ichinose urged the Bounts to be cautious around the Shihoin Family, but Yoshi dismissed his warning until Kariya Jin ordered her to listen.
• Kariya Jin called on the Bounts to remember their mission to reach Soul Society and make the Soul Reapers pay for persecuting them.
• At Kisuke Urahara's secret base, Yoshino Sōma refused to betray her companions, and Yoruichi Shihōin prepared to continue tormenting her.

Jin Kariya sent Mabashi to recruit Ichigo Kurosaki, but Mabashi instead challenged him and threatened his family. When Ichigo’s inner powers overwhelmed him, Sōgo Shihoin intervened and forced them to retreat, then turned to face Mabashi himself.

• Jin Kariya told Mabashi to find Ichigo Kurosaki and bring him to the Bounts, explaining that Ichigo’s power could help their plan against the Soul Reapers.
• Mabashi confronted Ichigo and demanded that he come with him, then threatened Ichigo’s family when Ichigo refused.
• Ichigo used Bankai and overwhelmed Mabashi, but a savage power inside him began to take control, leaving him vulnerable to Mabashi’s attack.
• Sōgo Shihoin stopped Mabashi and helped Ichigo as the two powers inside Ichigo sensed Sōgo’s overwhelming strength and withdrew.
• After Ichigo recovered and returned to Shikai, Sōgo approached Mabashi and beckoned him to fight.

Sōgo Shihoin overwhelmed Mabashi after Mabashi attacked Ichigo Kurosaki, then agreed to take him to the Urahara Shop for questioning. Mabashi revealed that his seeds had supposedly controlled them, but Sōgo removed the seeds and destroyed Mabashi’s doll.

• Mabashi challenged Sōgo Shihoin, who mocked him and slapped him repeatedly after dodging his punch.
• Mabashi used his doll to trap Sōgo with vines, but Sōgo broke free and knocked out Mabashi’s teeth before Ichigo Kurosaki asked him to spare Mabashi for questioning.
• Mabashi recognized Sōgo Shihoin and begged for mercy, and Sōgo agreed to take him with Ichigo to the Urahara Shop.
• Mabashi claimed he had planted controlling seeds in Sōgo and Ichigo while they were talking, but Sōgo pulled the seeds from both of them and crushed them.
• Sōgo declared that rules were made to be broken, then tore the head from Mabashi’s doll.

Yoshino Sōma tried to persuade the weakened Mabashi to abandon revenge, while Mabashi confronted the pain of being rejected by both humans and Soul Reapers. At the Urahara Shop, Yoruichi Shihōin explained that the Soul Hunters were tied to the Central 46 Chambers, and Sōgo Shihoin proposed disbanding the organization permanently.

• Yoshino Sōma told Mabashi that his Doll had been killed and his powers destroyed, leaving him too weak to escape his ropes.
• Mabashi remembered how humans had feared him and Soul Reapers had despised him, then broke into tearful laughter as Yoshino Sōma left food beside him.
• Sōgo Shihoin and Ichigo Kurosaki backed Yoruichi Shihōin's cover story to Hōshō Ryo, who reconciled with Sōgo.
• Yoruichi Shihōin reported that the Soul Hunters were failed vanguard soldier project subjects whom the Central 46 Chambers had once ordered hunted down.
• Yoruichi Shihōin suspected someone was using the Soul Hunters as pawns, and Sōgo Shihoin declared that the Central 46 Chambers should be disbanded completely.

The Soul Hunters learned that Mabashi and Yoshino Sōma had been captured, while Sōgo Shihoin caught Ugaki spying on him and blinded him with an attack along his line of sight. Kariya Jin used Sōgo’s absence from Soul Society to rally the Soul Hunters to launch their revenge.

• Yoshi accused Maki Ichinose of betraying the Soul Hunters after Mabashi was captured, and Kariya Jin admitted he had sent Mabashi to find Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Kariya Jin ordered Ugaki to locate Mabashi and Yoshino Sōma, and Ugaki observed them at the Urahara Shop before spying on Sōgo Shihoin and Hōshō Ryo.
• Sōgo noticed Ugaki’s gaze and attacked along his line of sight, leaving Ugaki blind and in agony.
• Ugaki identified Sōgo Shihoin as the attacker, and Maki Ichinose and Yoshi feared the Soul Hunters could not defeat him.
• Kariya Jin argued that Sōgo’s absence from Soul Society gave the Soul Hunters their chance to attack, then led them in a vow to exact revenge.

After a nightmare about destroying everything he wanted to protect, Ichigo Kurosaki tried to outrun his worries and met a masked blond man who claimed he could help control Ichigo’s violent instincts. Ichigo later discovered the man was Shinji Hirako, a new transfer student at his school.

• Ichigo Kurosaki woke from a nightmare about becoming a bull-headed destroyer who killed Yuzu and Karin, then went for an early-morning run.
• Ichigo Kurosaki raced Tatsuki Arisawa, leaving her behind as he focused on moving forward and growing stronger.
• A blond man wearing Ichigo Kurosaki’s school uniform revealed a bone mask and implied he knew how to control Ichigo’s violent instincts, then left before Ichigo could catch him.
• Ichigo Kurosaki searched the school for the blond man, argued with Tatsuki Arisawa in class, and learned that a transfer student was joining them.
• Shinji Hirako entered the classroom, introduced himself, and greeted Ichigo Kurosaki as someone he had already met.

Shinji Hirako introduced himself at Ichigo Kurosaki’s school, then took Ichigo away to help him endure a brutal process. In Hueco Mundo, Sōsuke Aizen moved the Bount into Soul Society, while the Bount began their invasion seeking revenge.

• Shinji Hirako introduced himself to Ichigo Kurosaki’s class, flirted with Orihime Inoue, and proposed to her before Ichigo dragged him outside.
• Shinji Hirako told Ichigo he had come to help him and warned that the process would be brutal and keep him away for a long time; Ichigo agreed to go without saying goodbye to his family and friends.
• Sōsuke Aizen studied a board representing the three realms and their factions, including the Soul King, the Captains, Kisuke Urahara, and an unknown presence in Soul Society’s shadows.
• Sōsuke Aizen placed the Bount piece in Soul Society, sending them into the territory as his first move against Sōgo Shihoin.
• The Bount entered Soul Society while Sōgo remained in the World of the Living, intending to take revenge and fulfill their failed oath.

The Bount entered Soul Society and forced Jidanbō Ikkanzaka to open Seireitei’s western gate, where they confronted Sōgo Shihoin. Sōgo revealed Sayafushi’s true Shikai and trapped the Bount in a world filled with failed Zanpakuto, declaring himself its only god.

• Kariya Jin led the Bount into Soul Society, where they believed the abundant reishi would greatly strengthen them.
• The Bount reached Seireitei’s western gate, and Kariya Jin used his power to control Jidanbō Ikkanzaka and force him to open it.
• The Bount found Sōgo Shihoin calmly eating ramen inside the gate, and he stopped Jidanbō Ikkanzaka from closing it with a chopstick.
• Sōgo showed Kariya Jin that he had opened a passage to the World of the Living, where Little Fon was sleeping, and said he had not come to kill anyone.
• Kariya Jin rallied the Bount to fight Sōgo, who drew Sayafushi and released its true Shikai, transporting them to a world of broken and failed Zanpakuto.
• Sōgo appeared on a throne above the Bount and declared himself the sole god of that world, promising to cut away whatever troubled them.

Sōgo Shihoin offered the Bount a choice between becoming Soul Reapers and returning to human lives, using his Zanpakuto to remove their powers and memories. Kariya Jin and Maki Ichinose refused to yield and attacked him, but Sōgo killed them and ended the Bount organization.

• Sōgo Shihoin offered the Bount a chance to become Soul Reapers or humans, with customized conditions for their new lives.
• Koga Gō and two children chose to become humans, and Sōgo severed their powers and erased Koga Gō's Bount memories before sending them to the World of the Living.
• Kariya Jin urged Udagawa Ryo and Yoshi to become humans; both chose to keep their memories, lose their powers, and go to the World of the Living.
• Saw atari chose to become a Soul Reaper, and Sōgo made him unconscious and sent him away.
• Kariya Jin and Maki Ichinose chose to fight Sōgo; they released their powers and attacked him together.
• Sōgo killed Kariya Jin and Maki Ichinose with a snap of his fingers, reducing the Bount organization to ashes.

Sōgo Shihoin convened the Five Great Noble Clans and persuaded them to dissolve the Central 46 Chambers and appoint him their leader. He then transferred the Chambers’ duties to the Gotei 13, leaving Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai with authority to reform Soul Society.

• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai learned that Sōgo Shihoin had called a meeting of the Five Great Noble Clans, suspected it concerned the Central 46 Chambers, and ordered his intelligence officer to act as though they knew nothing.
• Sōgo Shihoin argued that the Central 46 Chambers’ destruction and the false orders issued in their name proved it should not be reconstituted, and the clan heads agreed to take over its duties.
• Sōgo Shihoin invoked the clans’ authority, won their unanimous support to become their leader, and declared himself Soul Society’s supreme ruler.
• Sōgo Shihoin dissolved the Central 46 Chambers and assigned their functions to the Gotei 13, while the Tsunayashiro Clan head lamented that he had discarded their new power.
• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai received Sōgo Shihoin’s order and realized he could now lead the Gotei 13 in reforming Soul Society’s laws.

Ichigo Kurosaki joined the Visored at their secret base to train, but his Bankai triggered a powerful Hollowfication that overwhelmed the group. A newcomer stopped the transformation with Kidō, leaving Ichigo pinned down and the Visored relieved he had arrived in time.

• Shinji Hirako brought Ichigo Kurosaki to the Visored's hidden training ground, where Hiyori Sarugaki repeatedly attacked him and the others mocked his attempts to lead.
• Kensei Muguruma introduced himself and assured Ichigo that the Visored could help him control Hollowfication.
• Shinji asked Ichigo to use Bankai, and Ichigo transformed into Tensa Zangetsu, releasing Spiritual Pressure that continued to rise far beyond Kensei Muguruma's level.
• Ichigo began to Hollowfy and attacked Hiyori, so Shinji, Lisa Yadōmaru, Mashiro Kuna, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Kensei, and Love Aikawa pinned him down while wearing their Hollow masks.
• Ichigo's Hollow power kept growing until an oily-looking man arrived and used Kidō to stop the transformation.

Ichigo Kurosaki accepted his innate Hollow instinct and emerged with his power under control, then challenged the Visored to train with him. Meanwhile, Sōsuke Aizen prepared a pawn against Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, who welcomed the returning Hueco Mundo expeditionary force and thanked them in person.

• Lisa Yadōmaru, Love Aikawa, Shinji Hirako, and the other Visored restrained Ichigo Kurosaki as his Hollowfication ran wild, while Hiyori Sarugaki urged him to wake up and control himself.
• In his inner world, Ichigo Kurosaki learned that instinct distinguished a king from a mount, accepted White Ichigo as part of himself, and merged with him as the older man called Zangetsu offered his power.
• Ichigo Kurosaki emerged wearing a bone mask and black trench coat, and he told Shinji Hirako that his Spiritual Pressure was still rising but that he was limiting its growth to avoid harming himself.
• Ichigo Kurosaki invited the Visored to train with him, prompting Lisa Yadōmaru and Kensei Muguruma to prepare to fight him while Mashiro Kuna mocked Kensei.
• In Las Noches, Sōsuke Aizen decided to use a second pawn against Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, fearing the Captain-Commander might attack Hueco Mundo.
• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai greeted the returning Hueco Mundo expeditionary force, whose members included Captain Amagai, and bowed to thank them for their service.

Sōgo Shihoin woke beside Rurichiyo Kasumioji and mistook her attempt to secure his support for a scandalous affair until Hōshō Ryo arrived and heard the truth. After learning that Rurichiyo’s parents were gone and her clan’s elders were moving against her, Sōgo redirected her plan toward Ichigo Kurosaki, leaving Rurichiyo eager to find him and secure a marriage alliance.

• Sōgo Shihoin woke beside Rurichiyo Kasumioji, and Hōshō Ryo saw them together and initially believed he had been unfaithful.
• Sōgo blamed the misunderstanding on Sōsuke Aizen’s Kyōka Suigetsu and explained to Hōshō Ryo that Rurichiyo had appeared in his room.
• Rurichiyo introduced herself as the Kasumioji Clan heir and explained that her parents had suffered an accident while clan elders tried to force her out.
• Sōgo and Hōshō Ryo pointed out that marrying Sōgo would draw the Kasumioji Clan into the Shihoin Family, so Sōgo suggested another candidate.
• Sōgo told Rurichiyo that Ichigo Kurosaki was a fifteen-year-old Shiba Clan descendant who could marry into her clan, and she resolved to seek him out.

The captains gathered to welcome Shūsuke Amagai as the new Third Division captain, and his late, awkward arrival drew attention to his two Zanpakuto. After the meeting, Shunsui Kyōraku warned him over drinks never to offend the absent Sōgo Shihoin, whom he described as invincible.

• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai convened the captains to announce Shūsuke Amagai’s appointment as Third Division captain.
• Shūsuke Amagai arrived late in disheveled clothing, then returned properly dressed and was welcomed by the gathered captains.
• Shunsui Kyōraku noticed that Shūsuke Amagai carried two Zanpakuto and privately worried that the unusual detail foretold trouble.
• Shūsuke Amagai asked why only ten captains were present, and the others explained that Sōgo Shihoin was unwell.
• Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai kept Shunsui Kyōraku and Shūsuke Amagai behind for a three-hour lecture after they discussed going out for drinks.
• At an izakaya, Shunsui Kyōraku warned Shūsuke Amagai never to offend Sōgo Shihoin and called him invincible.