Chapter Summaries

Rukia fought a Menos Grande that set the Thirteenth Division against her, but after she emerged to save her captured comrades, it crushed them all and tried to kill her. Kaien Shiba arrived in time to cut the Hollow apart, furious at what it had done to his division.

• Rukia escaped the burning hall after injuring the Menos Grande with a point-blank Sōkatsui, but her own body was badly burned.
• The Menos Grande captured the Thirteenth Division members and threatened to eat them to force Rukia out of hiding.
• Rukia emerged, and the Menos Grande claimed it would keep its promise not to eat the Soul Reapers before crushing them all with its tentacles.
• The Menos Grande taunted Rukia and tried to bite her, but an unseen attacker severed its tongue.
• Kaien Shiba appeared beside Rukia and cut the Menos Grande into countless pieces.

After Kaien Shiba saved Rukia from a Menos Grande, the Hollow regenerated from a severed tongue and took her hostage. Sōgo arrived, rescued Rukia, and swallowed the Menos Grande with his released Zanpakuto, leaving a vast pit in the Thirteenth Division barracks.

• Kaien Shiba comforted Rukia Kuchiki after the Menos Grande killed her division members, and she said she wanted the strength to protect others.
• Kaien Shiba released Nejibana and extinguished the fire at the Thirteenth Division barracks, but the Menos Grande reappeared behind Rukia and bound her with its tentacles.
• The Menos Grande explained that it had regenerated from the tongue Kaien had cut off, then threatened to kill Rukia if Kaien attacked.
• Sōgo appeared, instantly freed Rukia, and handed her to Kaien Shiba while provoking the Menos Grande with talk of comparing their manhood.
• Sōgo released his Zanpakuto, and its enormous mouth swallowed the Menos Grande and part of the barracks, leaving a bottomless pit.

Kaien Shiba resigned as captain of the Thirteenth Division after the Menos Grande disaster and named Kūkaku Shiba as his successor. At the Shin'ō Medicinal Relief Institute, Byakuya Kuchiki visited the injured Rukia as Renji Abarai forced his way toward her ward.

• Kaien visited Jūshirō Ukitake, returned his captain’s haori, and explained that he could not forgive himself for failing to protect his subordinates.
• Kaien revealed that Kūkaku Shiba would replace him as captain, while Ukitake worried that her and Yoruichi Shihōin’s rebellious personalities would bring trouble.
• Ukitake threw Kaien’s haori back to him and told him to keep it as a reminder that he had served as captain.
• Byakuya stayed beside the injured Rukia, whose affection for her brother grew as he peeled an apple for her.
• Renji arrived at the institute and struggled with the staff barring him from Rukia’s ward; Byakuya ordered them to let Renji go.

Renji Abarai visited Rukia Kuchiki in the hospital, where she resolved to become stronger and train in the Second Division. After learning from Ikkaku Madarame that its unit commanders were captain-level and its captain was terrifying, Renji vowed to grow strong enough to protect what he loved.

• Renji Abarai visited Rukia Kuchiki, and she rejected his suggestion that they leave Soul Society together.
• Renji encouraged Rukia to grow stronger, and she blamed herself for Kaien Shiba's resignation and decided to seek his forgiveness after gaining power.
• Rukia told Renji she planned to train in the Second Division, and he accepted her choice before leaving the hospital.
• Renji asked Ikkaku Madarame about the Second Division, and Ikkaku revealed that its unit commanders were as strong as Gotei 13 captains.
• Mentioning the Second Division Captain caused Ikkaku's old injury to bleed, and Renji took him to the infirmary before resolving to become stronger.

Rukia Kuchiki arrived at the Second Division for special training and was stunned by its fortress-like entrance and extravagant facilities. After discovering Captain Sōgo Shihoin’s slovenly private habits, she endured his overwhelming Spiritual Pressure, only for him to admit he was bullying her out of pettiness.

• Rukia Kuchiki presented her recommendation letter at the Second Division gates, and its members verified it before Hōshō Ryo escorted her inside.
• Hōshō Ryo carried Rukia over the fifty-meter gates and led her through the barracks to the enormous captain’s office.
• Hōshō Ryo and Rukia found Sōgo Shihoin surrounded by manga and playing games, so Hōshō Ryo confiscated his manga and console after a half-hour scolding.
• Rukia entered the palace and struggled under Sōgo’s intense Spiritual Pressure, while she insisted she understood his trial was meant to strengthen her.
• Sōgo revealed that he was pressuring Rukia partly because she had seen his secret, then admitted he simply wanted to bully her.

Sōgo Shihoin welcomed Rukia Kuchiki into the Second Division and challenged her belief that she needed strength to protect her comrades, telling her to focus on protecting herself while he handled the rest. He began her training with a manga-snatching contest, leaving Rukia to face a game in which he could fight back.

• Rukia set aside her concerns about Sōgo’s personality and asked to train in the Second Division, while Sōgo insisted she share his manga and gaming hobby.
• Shaoling Fon told Sōgo that Byakuya had sent Rukia and urged him to take her serious commitment to training into account; Sōgo agreed to train her despite admitting he was mostly annoyed she had discovered his secret.
• Sōgo ordered Rukia to call him Teacher Sōgo and questioned her desire to become strong enough to protect her comrades.
• Sōgo argued that Rukia’s brother Byakuya and former captain Kaien did not need her protection, and told her to focus on staying safe and reporting crises to him; Rukia accepted his advice in tears.
• Sōgo started Rukia’s training with a manga-snatching contest, allowing her to use her abilities while he fought back without Kidō or a Zanpakuto.

Rukia challenged Sōgo to a game in which she had to take or destroy the manga he held, but her Shikai and Kidō could not overcome his overwhelming power. After Shaoling Fon broke into the office, Sōgo continued teasing Rukia and revealed his resentment toward Kaien Shiba and her brother for marrying.

• Rukia resolved to give everything in the game and released her Zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki.
• Rukia attacked Sōgo with her freezing abilities, but he split her avalanche with a single hand chop and brushed off her Bakudō.
• Sōgo offered to stand still while Rukia tried to destroy the manga, but she still could not touch him after half an hour of trying.
• Shaoling Fon heard the pair through the closed office door, imagined they were doing something obscene, and smashed the door open.
• Sōgo teased the exhausted Rukia and said he resented Kaien Shiba and her brother for betraying him and getting married.

After Rukia Kuchiki lost to Sōgo in training, she met Second Division officers Tier Harribel and Lilynette Starrk in the bathhouse. Rukia asked them to help her become stronger, and Tier Harribel welcomed her request.

• Sōgo defeated Rukia in training, and Shaoling Fon comforted her before directing her to the bathhouse.
• Sōgo noticed Shaoling Fon was unusually cheerful, and she invited him to eat with her while taking a day off from paperwork.
• Lilynette mistook Rukia for Shaoling Fon in the bath and grabbed her until Tier Harribel intervened.
• Tier Harribel and Lilynette introduced themselves as Second Division seated officers, and Lilynette apologized for frightening Rukia.
• Tier Harribel encouraged Rukia to explain why she had come, and Rukia asked Tier Harribel and Lilynette to help her get stronger.

Rukia trained with Harribel in the Second Division, where rumors turned their sparring session into a public challenge. Harribel demonstrated her overwhelming strength and asked to continue training, leaving Rukia wondering if she would survive it.

• Rumors spread that Rukia planned to challenge and defeat Harribel and Lilynette, drawing Second Division members to watch their training.
• Harribel took over Rukia's training, and Rukia used sword strikes and Sōkatsui to test her speed and exploit the division's barrier against gathering Reishi in the air.
• Harribel evaded Rukia's attacks, caught her sword, and kicked her away after Rukia released Sode no Shirayuki.
• Rukia used Tsugi no Mai: Hakuren, but Harribel drew her sealed sword and split the avalanche and training grounds with a powerful slash.
• Harribel apologized for getting serious and beckoned Rukia to continue, while Rukia feared the training would kill her.
• The author explained that Chapter 129 had been censored and that a revised version had been submitted for review.

Rukia Kuchiki sought stronger training after losing to Tier Harribel, then followed Second Division members’ directions to Kuruyashiki Kenpachi and became his self-proclaimed disciple. Kuruyashiki told her to return for training that night, while Rukia mistakenly imagined he was a disgraced hidden master.

• Rukia Kuchiki ended her spar with Tier Harribel, who offered to train her, and decided she would rather improve gradually.
• Rukia went to Sōgo for training, but he sent her away because their training would not begin until the afternoon.
• Rukia asked Second Division members to point her toward an expert, and they gave her an address on a slip of paper.
• Rukia found Kuruyashiki Kenpachi outside a shabby thatched hut and asked him to train her.
• Kuruyashiki accepted Rukia as his disciple after she claimed to be his fan, and told her to return that night for training.

After ten years of training and life in the Tenth Division, Isshin Shiba went to the World of the Living to investigate a suspected Menos Grande and encountered Masaki Kurosaki during a battle with White and Aizen. Isshin later lost contact and was declared a traitor, while the Soul King and the Big-Eyed Monk sensed that Ichigo’s birth was near.

• Isshin Shiba left to investigate suspected Menos Grande activity in the World of the Living, leaving Rangiku Matsumoto and Tōshirō Hitsugaya behind.
• White overwhelmed Isshin Shiba, and Aizen stabbed him from behind, preventing him from using Bankai.
• Masaki Kurosaki saved the badly wounded Isshin Shiba with an arrow, and the two met and connected.
• Aizen watched the encounter and anticipated a being born from the powers of Soul Reapers, Quincies, and Hollows; after Isshin Shiba disappeared, Central 46 declared that he had defected.
• The Soul King’s eyes moved, and the Big-Eyed Monk awoke from a dream and sensed that Ichigo was about to be born.

Isshin Shiba’s departure for the World of the Living unsettled Soul Society, but Sōgo told Hōshō Ryo that the affair would not threaten the Five Great Noble Clans. Kūkaku Shiba and Byakuya Kuchiki dealt with the fallout in their own ways as the chapter ended with Byakuya observing his division members.

• Kaien Shiba read Isshin Shiba’s farewell letter, angrily ordered a secret search for his uncle in the World of the Living, and Soul Society reeled from the news of Isshin’s departure.
• Hōshō Ryo told Sōgo that Captain-Commander Yamamoto had criticized the captains over Isshin’s defection, especially Sōgo, and Sōgo explained that the reprimand was mainly meant to reassure the Gotei 13 and Central 46.
• Sōgo reminisced with Hōshō Ryo about their century-long acquaintance before lying across her lap, while they agreed that their peaceful days were pleasant.
• Kūkaku Shiba smashed her office belongings, scolded her uncle for abandoning the Shiba Clan, and ordered the eavesdropping division members to run a hundred laps around Seireitei.
• Byakuya Kuchiki returned to the Sixth Division unfazed by Yamamoto’s criticism, while Renji Abarai admired him and spoke with the bespectacled lieutenant; Byakuya noticed their conversation and approved of their camaraderie.

After Isshin Shiba's defection, Central 46 debated who should succeed him as Tenth Division captain, while Tōshirō Hitsugaya remained at the division with Rangiku Matsumoto. Kūkaku Shiba endorsed Hitsugaya for the captain's assessment, leaving Rangiku to realize he might soon become her superior.

• Yamamoto reassured Soul Society after Isshin Shiba defected, and Central 46 acknowledged that it could not yet challenge the Five Great Noble Clans.
• A judge proposed Tōshirō Hitsugaya as the next Tenth Division captain, and Jun'ichi Miyake objected that Hitsugaya was too young to lead.
• An elderly sage countered Miyake by pointing out that Miyake himself had become a sage at a young age, and Miyake withdrew his objection.
• Kūkaku Shiba visited Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto, tested Hitsugaya's loyalty to Isshin, then gave him a letter recommending him for the captain's assessment.
• Rangiku read Kūkaku's recommendation and panicked that Hitsugaya would soon become her superior, while Hitsugaya ordered her back to work.

The Tsunayashiro clan discussed its lack of openings in the Gotei 13 and agreed to let Tōshirō Hitsugaya take the Tenth Division captaincy. In the World of the Living, Tokinada recruited Aura Michibane to protect Sōgo while pursuing a supposed mastermind, and the clan leaders reviewed new findings from their cruel Fullbring experiments.

• The former and current Tsunayashiro clan heads concluded that they had no viable way to claim another Gotei 13 captaincy and agreed to give up the Tenth Division for Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
• Tokinada wandered through the World of the Living with Aura Michibane, mistaking Sōgo Shihoin for his lord and naming him the target of a hidden mastermind.
• After hearing that Isshin Shiba had defected to the World of the Living, Tokinada blamed the supposed mastermind and ordered Aura to conceal them with a Kidō barrier.
• Tokinada praised Aura's ability to command reishi and vowed to assemble the strongest guard for Sōgo, while Aura felt valued despite knowing he was using her.
• The Tsunayashiro clan head reported that Fullbring was caused by a child's special nature attracting Hollows before birth, and said the finding came from experiments on thirty-two groups of test subjects.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya passed the captaincy examination and became the Tenth Division’s new captain, receiving Isshin’s haori before returning to the barracks. There, Rangiku Matsumoto’s surprise celebration turned into a dispute over her attempt to skip work, and Tōshirō dragged her to his office.

• Tōshirō Hitsugaya released Bankai during his examination, and Yamamoto’s spiritual pressure shattered one of the timers above him.
• Yamamoto, Retsu Unohana, and Kūkaku Shiba passed Tōshirō and named him captain of the Tenth Division.
• Kūkaku gave Tōshirō the haori Isshin had prepared for him, and Tōshirō thanked her before hurrying back to his division.
• Tōshirō found the division members gathered in the meeting room for a surprise celebration led by Rangiku Matsumoto.
• Rangiku tried to get the day off and enlist Momo Hinamori’s help, but Tōshirō stopped her and dragged her toward his office.

Kaien Shiba learned that Isshin Shiba was living in Karakura Town and prepared to meet him, while Kūkaku Shiba stayed behind. At the hospital, Isshin Kurosaki discovered that Kaien had arrived and was forced to face his uncle’s threats and teasing.

• Shiba Clan retainers found Isshin Shiba in Karakura Town, and Kaien Shiba decided to go meet him.
• Kūkaku Shiba offered to accompany Kaien, but he told her to remain in Soul Society and entrusted her with the Shiba Clan and the Thirteenth Division.
• The retainers guessed that Isshin Kurosaki was withholding dangerous secrets while they waited for Kaien to arrive.
• Masaki Kurosaki told Isshin Kurosaki that Kaien Shiba was beside him, and Isshin tried to flee the hospital room.
• Kaien Shiba stopped Isshin from leaving and threatened to share photos of his antics with Sōgo Shihoin, then told him to go live in another world.

Kaien Shiba visited Masaki Kurosaki and Isshin Kurosaki, then months later returned with Kūkaku Shiba for Ichigo Kurosaki’s birth. The family celebrated together, while Kaien joked about taking Ichigo to inherit the Shiba Clan.

• Kaien Shiba learned that Isshin had given up his Soul Reaper powers to save Masaki and warned him to recover them within fifty years.
• Aizen dismissed Gin Ichimaru’s concerns about Kaien contacting Isshin and said he would wait for a child to grow up before starting his plan.
• Kaien Shiba and Kūkaku Shiba entered Karakura Town using Gigai from Kisuke Urahara and argued with him about Yoruichi.
• After Ichigo Kurosaki was born, Kaien claimed the powerful baby could become the next Shiba Clan head, and Isshin refused to let him take the child.
• Masaki suggested a family photo, and the nurse captured Isshin, Kaien, Kūkaku, Masaki, and Ichigo together.

Rukia thanked Sōgo and the Second Division members as she prepared to return to the understaffed Thirteenth Division, and Sōgo arranged a farewell banquet. At the gathering, Rukia sensed the overwhelming strength of the Second Division’s senior members before her master arrived and was identified as Third Seat Kuruyashiki.

• Rukia thanked Sōgo for his guidance, while Lilynette pressed her about a secret she had nearly mentioned and Tier Harribel gently intervened.
• Hōshō Ryo suggested a farewell celebration, and Sōgo gave Lilynette cookies while forbidding her from drinking.
• Sōgo hosted a banquet attended by the Second Division’s prominent members, and Rukia noticed that several unfamiliar guests had greater Spiritual Pressure than she did.
• Kuruyashiki Kenpachi entered late, and Tsunayashiro Tokinada rebuked him for arriving after everyone else.
• Rukia was shocked when Tsunayashiro Tokinada called Kuruyashiki Kenpachi the Third Seat.

Rukia learned that Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was the Second Division's Third Seat, whose wages went toward repaying damage he caused to the division, and woke after the banquet embarrassed by Lilynette's teasing. After returning to duty, Rukia reported to Kūkaku Shiba, who sent her to the World of the Living with a sealed letter.

• Rukia realized Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was the Second Division's Third Seat, and he explained that he had spent decades paying off the cost of destroying the division's artificial lake.
• Kuruyashiki Kenpachi reassured Rukia about her mistaken idea that he was a hidden expert, then returned to the banquet and drank heavily with the others.
• Rukia woke in Lilynette's bed after the banquet, and Lilynette teased her about drunkenly begging to sleep beside her.
• Rukia reported to Captain Kūkaku Shiba in the Thirteenth Division, and Kūkaku gave her a letter and ordered her to open it in the World of the Living.

Masaki lost her Quincy powers to Auswählen while defending Ichigo from a Hollow, but a Shinigami girl named Rukia killed the Hollow and saved them. The encounter planted in Ichigo a determination to become stronger and protect his family, while Rukia continued her work clearing Hollows from Karakura Town.

• Masaki comforted nine-year-old Ichigo after he lost a fight, telling him that even men could cry and offering him her embrace.
• Ichigo approached a child-shaped lure in the park, and Masaki recognized the Hollow hiding in the mist and moved to protect him.
• Auswählen stripped Masaki of her Quincy powers, leaving her helpless as she shielded Ichigo from the Hollow.
• A black-clad girl cut the Hollow in half, saving Masaki and Ichigo before departing without noticing Ichigo had seen her.
• Ichigo asked Masaki to let him learn more fighting skills so he could protect his family, and she agreed.
• Rukia finished clearing the day's Hollows and reflected on her assignment to keep Karakura Town free of them.