The Arrancar Saga
From Bleach Wiki
The Arrancar Saga is the term used to refer to all the events that took place during the Arrancar, Hueco Mundo, and Fake Karakura arcs. The Saga centers on the burgeoning war between Ichigo Kurosaki's friends (Yasutora Sado, Uryū Ishida, Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, Orihime Inoue, Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and later, Nelliel Tu Oderschvank), the Gotei 13, led by General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, and the Arrancar, led by ex-Shinigami Captain Sōsuke Aizen.
The Calm Before the Storm
After returning from the Soul Society with his friends (and defeating the Bounts in the anime), excluding Rukia, Ichigo's life briefly returns to the relatively peaceful state at which it was before he left. This serenity is broken with the arrival of new student Shinji Hirako. Shinji, who reveals himself as a recruiter for the Vizard, approaches Ichigo and attempts to convince him to join his organization. Ichigo persistently refuses, even after being warned that his inner Hollow will eventually take over and destroy everything in sight. In Hueco Mundo, the Hollow Grand Fisher and another transform into imperfect Arrancar and makes their way to the human world and attacks both Kon (inhabiting Ichigo's body) and Uryū. Uryū is rescued by his father, Ryūken Ishida, who reveals himself to be a Quincy, while Kon remains helpless against Grand Fisher. After rescuing Uryū from the Arrancar attacking him, Ryūken offers to restore his powers provided he never again associates with the Shinigami. Meanwhile, Kon is still running through town in an attempt to evade Grand Fisher. In the anime, despite receiving help from Ririn, Kurōdo and Noba, he is eventually caught. Just as he is about to be killed, Isshin Kurosaki steps in to save him, dressed in Shinigami clothing.
Elsewhere, both Ichigo and Shinji become aware of a new presence, though neither are able to identify it as Isshin. Curious, Ichigo decides to leave in order to check it out, but not before turning down Shinji's invitation. After a short conversation between Grand Fisher and Isshin, during which Isshin makes it clear that he's been aware of Kon, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba as well as Ichigo's Shinigami activities, Grand Fisher transforms into a larger version of himself and draws his Zanpakutō whilst mocking Isshin. Isshin casually identifies him as an Arrancar and dispatches him in a single attack. With the death of Grand Fisher, Kisuke Urahara appears to have a short chat with Isshin. The two talk about the plans of both Aizen and the Vizard, more aware of the former than the latter. Both are aware of the Vizard's interest in Ichigo. After they sense Ichigo approaching, they depart to avoid being seen. Things in Soul Society are also becoming tense, though what is causing it is unclear.
At school, Shinji is still following Ichigo. When Ichigo confronts him, Shinji admits that he won't give up until Ichigo agrees to join the Vizard. The offer is equally out of concern for Ichigo as it is for the Vizard. Shinji explains that Hollow Ichigo will eventually overpower him, destroying everything he cares about. Later on, Shinji is confronted by Hiyori Sarugaki, a fellow Vizard, about his lack of progress. They are interrupted by Chad and Inoue, who want to know what the two want with Ichigo. Hiyori states that it is none of their business, and prepares to kill Chad and Inoue. Shinji grabs her and runs away to prevent any such thing from happening. At the Karakura hospital, Uryū formally asks Ryūken for his own Quincy powers, swearing not to further affiliate with the Shinigami.
The Cold War
First Contact
After his chat with Shinji, Ichigo realizes that his inner Hollow is indeed becoming more than he can control. Meanwhile, two Arrancar (Yammy Riyalgo and Ulquiorra Cifer) arrive in Karakura Town in order to locate and evaluate Ichigo's strength, making a spectacular crater at their landing site. When everyone comes to see what happened, Yammy begins sucking the souls from everyone in the immediate area. Only Tatsuki Arisawa survives, and is left nearly dead as a result. Chad and Orihime arrive to save Tatsuki, but are easily repelled by Yammy, whose strength is great enough to bat Chad away in a single attack and reduce Tsubaki (Orihime's attack spirit) to dust merely by blocking it. Before he can kill either of them, however, Ichigo arrives to save them. Upon seeing Chad injured, Ichigo starts his battle with Yammy using his Bankai, blocking Yammy's first attack and cutting off his arm. However, the fight is cut short when his inner Hollow interferes, allowing Yammy to gain the upper hand. The arrival of Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin forces Ulquiorra into strategic retreat.
Ulquiorra returns to Aizen believing that Ichigo is a waste of his and Aizen's time. After his failure against the Arrancar, Ichigo loses his will as a Shinigami since he cannot protect his friends. This mood lasts until the arrival of Gotei 13's expeditionary force: six Shinigami sent to the human world under the command of Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya. Rukia, who is among them, forces Ichigo to fight a Hollow, all the while chastising him. This causes him to regain his spirit and reaffirm his commitment to protect his friends, the first being Orihime Inoue. Later that day, Ichigo discusses the growing Arrancar threat with Hitsugaya's force and learns what the Arrancar actually are: Menos-class Hollow that have been transformed into (mostly humanoid) Shinigami while retaining their Hollow powers. Rukia is formally accepted into Ichigo's home, sleeping in the same room as his sisters. Finally, Ulquiorra and Yammy return to Hueco Mundo to report back to Aizen.
The Invasion of Karakura Town
Ulquiorra and Yammy are debriefed by Aizen and the other Arrancar. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez questions their actions in regards to Ichigo, but Aizen trusts in Ulquiorra's judgement and does nothing, greatly annoying Grimmjow. That night, six Arrancar under the command of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez invade Karakura Town, intending to finish what they view as an incomplete mission on Ulquiorra's part. They split up, seeking targets with spiritual power. Grimmjow's five Arrancar head off to fight their opponents: Shawlong Kūfang and Nakeem Greendina fight Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, respectively; Di Roy Linker fights Chad; Edrad Liones fights Ikkaku Madarame; and Yylfordt Granz fights Renji Abarai. Di Roy nearly deals Chad a fatal blow to the chest before Ichigo intercepts it with his hand. Upon being told by Ichigo he should stay back and not fight, Chad becomes greatly discouraged since he is no longer any help to his friend. Rukia then steps in and tells Ichigo she will take care of Di Roy herself. Unveiling her Zanpakutō, Rukia easily kills the Arrancar. She and Ichigo are then found by Grimmjow. Meanwhile, Keigo stumbles upon Ikkaku's fight with Edrad. Ikkaku fights Edrad, who is forced to release his Zanpakutō. Ikkaku is overwhelmed, even with his Shikai, and is forced to reveal his Bankai.
Meanwhile, Grimmjow easily dispatches Rukia as Ichigo prepares to face him. Ikkaku, now using his Bankai, begins to overpower Edrad. Edrad comes up with a strategy to defeat Ikkaku, and the two clash at full power as the episode ends. Ikkaku falls from the sky, his weapons shattered. However, Edrad is missing a fair portion of his chest and his entire right arm. Edrad falls to his death and Yumichika congratulates Ikkaku for winning. With Ikkaku's battle over, the other fights are touched upon: Hitsugaya, using his Bankai, can't manage to land a hit on Shawlong; Renji, doing the same, is equally outmatched by Yylfordt; Matsumoto has seemingly been defeated by Nakeem; and Ichigo's Shikai can't even scratch Grimmjow, forcing him to use his Bankai to keep up. Renji is granted a short reprieve by a sleep-walking Ururu, whose insane strength allows her to beat Yylfordt to a pulp almost effortlessly. Yylfordt counters this by releasing his Zanpakutō, impaling Ururu on his newly-grown bull horns. Elsewhere, Shawlong has also released his Zanpakutō, and effortlessly dodges or blocks Hitsugaya's attacks. All this time, however, Matsumoto has been requesting that they be able to lift their power limits in order to deal with the powerful Arrancar, and now they finally have permission. With their power limits lifted, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and Renji easily dispatch their opponents.
Meanwhile, Ichigo isn't doing so well against Grimmjow, who is able to block Ichigo's strikes barehanded. After a protracted battle, during which Ichigo can't land a single blow, Ichigo resorts to his "black" Getsuga Tenshō. The attack only manages to burn Grimmjow slightly, and allows Ichigo's inner Hollow to begin surfacing. Ichigo is 'rescued' by Kaname Tōsen, who has arrived to take Grimmjow back to Hueco Mundo because he had disobeyed orders in orchestrating this attack, leaving an unsatisfied Ichigo to sulk in his apparent loss and worry over an injured Rukia. Grimmjow is taken back to Hueco Mundo by Kaname Tōsen, who asks Aizen for permission to execute Grimmjow. When this request is denied, Tōsen slices off Grimmjow's arm and destroys it. Enraged, and shocked at having lost not only his left arm, but his rank/title as the sixth Espada, Grimmjow draws his sword, wanting to kill Tōsen for severing his arm. Aizen, however, "convinces" him not to, and states that he will kill Grimmjow should he ever "raise his sword against one of his superiors again". Annoyed, but realizing that he would die "in vain" at the current state he's in, Grimmjow reluctantly leaves the area, and gives them the finger, though neither seemed to mind. Gin Ichimaru is later seen jokingly chiding Aizen over his habit of "playing around with his subordinates".
Taming The Savage Beast: Ichigo's Vizard Training
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With the Arrancar threat over for the moment, Ichigo sets out to find the Vizard, aware that his inner Hollow has become too powerful to control. Meanwhile, Uryū trains with his father under Karakura Hospital and Chad requests that Urahara train him as well. Back at the Vizard warehouse, Ichigo fights Shinji so he can force him into telling him how to control the inner Hollow. Hiyori interferes and uses her Hollow mask to fight Ichigo as a test to see if he's strong enough to join the Vizard. With her Hollow mask, Hiyori is more than a match for Ichigo. She continues to goad him into using his Hollow mask or Bankai, neither of which Ichigo is willing to do. Ichigo eventually loses control to his Hollow side once more, and nearly kills her. After being forced back into his Shinigami state, Ichigo is informed that he cannot simply keep his Hollow in check with his body or mind, but must force it into the very core of his soul. After a brief period of unappreciated training, Ichigo is told to confront his Hollow side within his inner world.
There, Ichigo squares off against his Hollow self. Even after several exchanges, Ichigo is unable to damage the Hollow, while badly injured himself. Ichigo and his inner Hollow both use their Bankai and commence fighting, but Ichigo is continually assaulted by inner manifestations of previous foes - Byakuya Kuchiki and Jin Kariya - and force him to re-fight their battles (Ichigo is defeated by both of them). Ichigo's inner Hollow overpowers him and breaks his sword, then explains to him that he has no desire to serve someone with no instinct for battle. After another discourse with an inner manifestation of Kenpachi Zaraki, Ichigo realizes his trouble is that he lacks pure fighting spirit, instead needing reasons to fight his opponents. His spirit rekindled by this revelation, Ichigo is able to make a comeback, seizing the Hollow's sword and impaling him on it. His Hollow subdued for the moment, Ichigo fades back to reality. When he comes to, he learns that while he was fighting internally, his outer body had transformed into that of a powerful and berserk Hollow and that the Vizard had taken turns battling this monster to keep it in check.
Elsewhere, General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai speaks with Hitsugaya about Aizen's objective: he plans to obtain the royal key and overthrow the king of the Soul Society. However, as Yamamoto is the only person who knows where the key is, Aizen will have to manufacture a duplicate using 100,000 human souls gathered in Karakura Town, and in doing so vaporize a large portion of the city. At Urahara's shop, Chad is fighting against Renji's Bankai as training, while Ishida is still dodging arrows from his father under Karakura Hospital. Momo Hinamori wakes from her coma that was inflicted by Aizen, and is wishes to speak with Tōshirō. Hinamori appears to still be in a trance, believing that Aizen is innocent and urges Hitsugaya to save him, which angers him. Throughout the town, various training sessions are taking place: Ichigo is training with Hiyori to lengthen the time he can use his Hollow mask, Chad is training with Renji to make his arm stronger, and Uryū is training with Ryūken to regain his powers. Meanwhile, Orihime tracks down Ichigo to inform him of Aizen's plans. This comes as a surprise to the other Vizard, as she passes through the barrier with no effort. In his battle with Ryūken, Uryū finally loses his patience and goes on the attack, only to be shot through the chest. A pentacle-shaped scar forms at the point of contact, and Ryūken informs Uryū that his powers have been restored.
With Orihime's attack spirit, Tsubaki, out of commission, Urahara tells Orihime that he doesn't want her to participate in the upcoming battle, as anyone who cannot fight would simply be a burden. Orihime is saddened by the decision, but understands it. After being taken back to the Vizard by Hiyori, however, Hachigen Ushōda is able to restore Tsubaki for her, which she could not accomplish on her own. Meanwhile, Yammy has his arm reattached, while Ulquiorra explains that Grimmjow lost his rank when he lost his arm.
Cloning Arrancar Threat (anime only)
While searching for his sister, Shōta is attacked by an Arrancar. While running away, he meets Rangiku Matsumoto, who protects him from the unknown Arrancar. After the Arrancar is defeated by a timely arrival of Ikkaku Madarame, Rangiku prepared to perform Konsō on him, but is stopped by Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who decides to bring him along for questioning. After arriving at Orihime's apartment, Shōta is asked as to why he was being chased, and if he knew the source of the mysterious sound they had heard earlier. When Hitsugaya concludes that his attack was no more than a coincidence, he prepares to perform Konsō. Seeing this, Shōta tells him that he cannot go as he still has something he must do. Compelled by his plea, Rangiku asks her Captain to at least let him stay for the night. After everyone had gone to bed, Shōta takes Rangiku's Zanpakutō and runs off, but then he is stopped by Rangiku who scolds him for both taking her sword and referring to her as "old lady". Just then, the two hear the same sound and Rangiku feels the same Reiatsu of the Arrancar they had defeated earlier.
Rangiku decides to go investigate the source of the sound and Shōta goes along with her. The two encounter the same Arrancar Ikkaku had defeated earlier and Rangiku asks that he stay behind. Shōta throws rocks at the Arrancar, but is blasted away by an energy attack from the Arrancar. As he flies away, he is caught by Captain Hitsugaya. Shōta and the two Shinigami then watch as many more copies of the same Arrancar begin to show up. Shōta is carried by Rangiku as the three try to find a place with more room to fight, which prompts Shōta to suggest the park at which they first met. Having enough room, Shōta witnesses as Hitsugaya's Shikai defeats all the Arrancar copies at once. While the group compare notes, Shōta wanders off and finds his sister Yui Toyokawa seated seemingly asleep at a bench in the park.
That night at Orihime's apartment, Shōta tells Hitsugaya and Rangiku about he and his family's death, as well as telling them that his sister was who he was searching for. As Hitsugaya was about to ask Shōta a question, they received a transmission from Jūshirō Ukitake and Akon who have information about the Arrancar they had fought. As the group leaves to investigate the Arrancar, Ragiku stays behind to watch over the reunited siblings. With Yui asleep, Shōta is asked by Rangiku if he was hiding something, which he denies. Just then, the two hear a tumbling sound and as they look, Yui has disappeared. Shōta runs towards the park once again, with Rangiku chasing after him. As the reach the park, Rangiku tells him that they will take care of finding his sister, but he insists that he must protect her. As he turns around, he sees his sister seated down at swing in the park. Shōta asks Yui why is she there and she merely responds that she just wanted to go to the park. Shōta then breaks in tears of frustration as he confesses to have run off and left her behind. With some words of encouragement, Shōta is able to compose himself again.
Back at the apartment, Hitsugaya and Rangiku compare notes about what they had found out. As Rangiku suspects Yui, Shōta steps in a denies her claims. Shōta attempts to protect his sister from Hitsugaya as the latter performs a Konsō on Yui to no effect. With the Shinigami considering Yui to be a possible threat, Shōta stands by his sister as Soul Society's Shinigami Research and Development Institute runs tests on her. Hitsugaya tells them Yui will need to be put inside a barrier, but Shōta objects, claiming that she doesn't deserve such treatment. Rangiku manages to convince Yui to by giving her a small ocarina, and with Yui's agreement, Shōta decides to comply as well. As Shōta keeps watch over her, he remembers the time they spent together looking for their parents. As Yui awakens, she asks him to let her go outside and gets Shōta to help her in break the Kidō barrier that had been placed.
Having arrived at the park once again, Rangiku confronts the siblings and ask how were they able to break the barrier, to which Shōta brags about how easy they were able to do it. Yui, after seeing Rangiku's interference, releases a huge amount of Reiatsu, causing multiple clones of the Cloning Arrancar to appear. Shōta, confused by the situation, finds himself being forced to walk toward his sister. Shōta begins to scream Yui's name, waking her up and releasing her from the Arrancar's control. While momentarily in control of herself, Shōta watches as his sister yells at him to stay away. Shōta runs toward his sister, but she pushes him away to protect him as the real Cloning Arrancar appears. Shōta watches as his sister transforms into one of the clones and the rest begin to attack him. Matsumoto begins her fight against the real body of the Arrancar. Shōta gets surrounded by clones of the Arrancar and is saved by a timely attack of Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru.
As the three confront the Arrancar, he tells them that if he dies so will Yui. Shōta, upon hearing this, stands between the Arrancar and Hitsugaya, but Hitsugaya merely replies that what is one soul compared to an entire town. Using the distraction, the Cloning Arrancar hides away and sends a horde of clones against them. In an attempt to calm Shōta down, Rangiku explains to him that Hollows are fallen souls and they must be slain by a Zanpakutō in order to cleanse their souls. She then tells him that while they weren't able to save his sister's soul, they can still save her. The three set off to where the real body is hiding and while Hitsugaya tries to find where the real Arrancar is hiding, Shōta pleas to his sister to tell him where she is. Upon hearing the sound of his sister's ocarina, Shōta is able to tell where the Arrancar is hiding. Shōta watches as Hitsugaya's Bankai overpowers the Arrancar's Resurrección. With the Arrancar immobilized, Shōta, along with Rangiku, uses Haineko to deliver the finishing blow. Shōta digs the ground and finds his sister's original ocarina. With the ocarina in hand, he asks Rangiku if his sister made it to Soul Society, to which Rangiku says that she guarantees it. With this in mind, he tells Rangiku that he needs to catch up to Yui, which results in Rangiku performing a Konsō on him.
Patros' Rebellion (anime only)
In Hueco Mundo, an Arrancar named Patros and his two subordinates steal the Orb of Distortion, seemingly killing Ulquiorra Cifer in the process. Patros is unwilling to continue taking orders from a Shinigami, and intends to make himself king by learning how to use the Orb. To this end, he heads for Urahara's shop, having heard that someone there can operate it. Kisuke, however, is out on business, so Renji battles him instead. Meanwhile, the other Shinigami are kept busy by Patros' two subordinates. As the two sides battle, Ulquiorra appears in the real world, showing no signs of his previous injuries. In Las Noches, Ulquiorra's staged death and the theft of the Orb of Distortion are revealed to be a ploy by Aizen, engineered using his illusion-casting Zanpakutō. The real Orb is safe, Patros having stolen an ordinary ball. Meanwhile, in the real world, Patros' two subordinates are defeated after some effort, leaving Patros alone. In addition, Renji reveals his Bankai and lifts his power limit, forcing Patros to release his Zanpakutō. This allows Patros to overpower Renji, but in doing so he reveals the secret of his attacks to Ririn, who has been watching the whole time. By having Kurōdo grab Patros' arm, which now functions in the same manner as his sealed Zanpakutō, Patros is unable to generate the energy to unleash his attacks, allowing Renji to destroy him. Back in Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra reports to Aizen on Orihime, relating that her abilities would be useful to him. He also notes that she is not in the real world at the moment.
The Winter War
Luppi's Raid
A month later, Aizen orders Ulquiorra to form a team of Arrancar for a special mission: to, once again, invade Karakura and engage the Shinigami in a relatively short battle in order to distract them long enough for Ulquiorra to find and "convince" Orihime to come to Hueco Mundo with him. This team consists of Yammy, Grimmjow, Wonderweiss, and Luppi, Grimmjow's replacement. Once word got out that the Arrancar arrived in Karakura, Ichigo brashly heads off to fight Grimmjow even though he can only remain in his masked form for eleven seconds, while Hitsugaya does battle against Yammy, until a boastful Luppi requests that all four of the present Shinigami face him at once. Luppi then releases his Zanpakutō, which causes him to sprout eight enormous tentacles from his back. After knocking out Tōshirō, he captures Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. Luppi turns one of his tentacles into a mace and attempts to attack Rangiku, only to have it severed by an attack from Kisuke Urahara.
Meanwhile, in Soul Society, Orihime Inoue prepares to cross into the Human World. Orihime is escorted back there by two Shinigami guards, only to be intercepted by Ulquiorra. He severely injures the guards and demands that she accompany him, lest her friends die at the hands of the Espada attacking them. As the battle with Luppi continues, Hitsugaya accomplishes a sneak attack with his Bankai and defeats Luppi. Meanwhile, Urahara dodges Yammy's Bala using a portable gigai, toying with the oafish Espada. Meanwhile, despite using his masked form and Grimmjow's loss of an arm since their last meeting, Ichigo is unable to defeat him within the eleven-second limit. His mask crumbles, and Ichigo is brutally counterattacked. On the brink of defeat and pinned to the ground, Ichigo is granted a short reprieve by Rukia, who used her Zanpakutō's second dance, Hakuren, which froze Grimmjow along with part of the street behind him. Grimmjow's sole arm breaks out of the ice to grab Rukia's head, in which he was about to blast Rukia with a point-blank Cero. As Grimmjow recovers from Rukia's attack, Shinji Hirako appears and fights him until the Arrancar retreat by order of Ulquiorra Cifer. The mission, which was to bring Orihime to Aizen, had been completed. When tending to Ichigo's wounds, the Vizard Hachigen Ushōda reveals that Ichigo's spiritual power has been contaminated somewhat by Grimmjow's. Rukia then takes him back to the Kurosaki Clinic to recover.
Good bye, halcyon days: Orihime's Departure
Orihime is given twelve hours to say goodbye to one person. Ulquiorra gives her a bracelet to make her invisible, which also allows her to pass through walls, in order to keep her from telling her friends anything. Orihime travels around town, watching her friends from a distance. She then visits Ichigo, who is recovering from the numerous injuries Grimmjow inflicted on him. She uses the chance to make a tearful love confession to a sleeping Ichigo; she comes close to kissing him, but cannot bring herself to do it. Before leaving the human world, she writes a cryptic line in a notebook, "Good bye, halcyon days."
Later, Ichigo wakes from a bad dream and realizes that the wound from his wrist is healed. Trying to sense by spiritual pressure who has healed him, he is visited by Hitsugaya, who tells him to come immediately for an emergency Shinigami meeting. The meeting is held at Orihime's apartment where Hitsugaya and Matsumoto took up residence and done via a live-conference device connecting Soul Society and the human world. Captain Ukitake greets them and informs them Orihime was taken by an Arrancar and might have been killed. Ichigo informs them that she visited him to heal him the night before, which leads Yamamoto to believe that Orihime has betrayed them. Renji requests permission to go to Hueco Mundo to rescue her but the request is denied, as Yamamoto believes that the death of one person and the death of the world are weighted on a scale, thus saving Orihime is not important overall. Ichigo asks to go save Orihime by himself, but Yamamoto once again denies the suggestion, stating that Ichigo is a significant asset to Soul Society. The Shinigami are ordered to return to Soul Society to fortify their defenses, leaving Ichigo alone.
Ichigo's Response
Despite Yamamoto's decision, Ichigo decides to make preparations with Urahara to single-handedly retrieve Orihime from Hueco Mundo. At school, Tatsuki Arisawa confronts him about her sightings in which she becomes angry and violent over his reluctance to explain himself. She reveals to him that she is able to sense his and Orihime's spiritual energy, and can see Ichigo and other Shinigami. She is restrained by Keigo and Mizuiro, while Ichigo walks away, cruelly telling his friends not to get involved. At Urahara's shop, Ichigo is joined by Uryū with his Quincy powers restored and Chad with a new more powerful right arm. After some convincing, the trio agree to help each other rescue Orihime and Urahara opens a gate to Hueco Mundo. Ichigo leads Chad and Ishida into Hueco Mundo but unknown to him, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro had followed him and witnessed his departure.
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After being brought before Aizen, Orihime is asked to demonstrate her power by restoring Grimmjow's arm. Upon doing so, Grimmjow also asks her to restore his number six tattoo, identifying him as one of the Espada. Upon completion of this task, Grimmjow butchers Luppi to get his rank back, much to Orihime's horror. Though worried that her actions might only cause more fighting, Orihime resolves to make herself useful until Soul Society has prepared for the upcoming war. Meanwhile, Ichigo, Sado, and Uryū make their way in Hueco Mundo. Along the way, Uryū reveals why he is breaking his promise to his father not to associate with Shinigami; since Ichigo is a Shinigami substitute and has been abandoned by Soul Society, he doesn't consider Ichigo one of them.
Arrival In Hueco Mundo
As Ichigo, Chad, and Ishida enter Hueco Mundo, they are immediately detected by Aizen and attacked by two Arrancar, Demōra and Iceringer. Ichigo is then told to stay back and simply watch as Chad and Ishida engage the two Arrancar by themselves. Once they are victorious, the room and passageway collapses around them, forcing the trio to race outside where they see their destination, a castle in the middle of a barren desert. They see what looks to be a human being chased by three Hollows. After Ichigo attacks the three, it is revealed that the 'human' is actually an Arrancar named Nel Tu; the Hollows are her two brothers and their pet. After becoming friends, the expanded group travels to the wall of Las Noches, where they are attacked by a sand-based Hollow, Runuganga. The Hollow is immune to their attacks, but the group is saved by Renji and Rukia, the latter of which freezes Runuganga in a circle of ice.
The Forest of Menos (anime only)
As Nel explains, Lunuganga has more than one body, thus killing one is not much of an impediment for him. When Rukia prepares to kill this new one, however, the preparations for her attack (stabbing her sword into the ground) end up injuring Bawabawa. Their struggle then allows Lunuganga to sink them beneath the sands. Rukia is thrown clear of the group as they fall in. Runuganga's attack draws them underground, into what Nel describes as the Forest of Menos. It is here where most Hollows reside, explaining why so few exist on the surface. Rukia, in a different location, finds herself confronted by an army of Hollows. Furthermore, her attempts to escape only lead her to a group of Menos Grande. She is rescued by a Shinigami named Ashido Kanō, who is wearing clothing made from the masks of several different Hollows. Despite rescuing her, he proceeds to attack her without provocation. Meanwhile, Ichigo and company soon find themselves surrounded by Hollows and Menos Grande. Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka are kidnapped by a Hollow during the attack, and the arrival of more Menos prevents their rescue. Ashido's attack on Rukia is revealed to have been a simple test of her strength, and he decides to take her back to her friends. Along the way, he chooses to reveal both his face and past to Rukia, explaining how he came to be here. Shortly after, they are attacked by an Adjuchas-class Menos, who in turns commands legions of Gillians.
Meanwhile, Nel and her friends are held captive by the other Adjuchas, while Ichigo and his friends try to track them down. Theatrical attempts to use Nel's Arrancar status as a bargaining chip fail. Though Ashido and Rukia easily destroy the first Adjuchas, another sets up an ambush, then Ashido is injured while trying to protect Rukia. Ashido's mask absorbs the brunt of the Adjuchas' attack, and to repay the favor Rukia kills it for him. They move on to meet with her friends once the Gillians scatter. Meanwhile, Ichigo and the others manage to locate Nel, only to discover that they've been led into an ambush. Despite threats from the Hollows to kill Nel and her friends, they easily dispatch their opponents. At a different place, Ashido and Rukia dispatch yet another Adjuchas intent on preventing the two groups from meeting. Once everyone is reunited, Ashido leads them out of the forest, but a sudden attack by one of the remaining Adjuchas crumbles the passage, leaving Ashido to go back and take care of the Hollow. Rukia laments not having given him the whole story, and promises to return for him. Back in Las Noches, Ulquiorra Cifer informs Orihime that her friends have mounted a rescue.
The Privaron Skirmishes
Friend or Foe: Orihime's Resolve
After breaking into Las Noches and finding themselves at a five-way fork, Ichigo's group splits up and each takes one path. Nel chases after Ichigo, leaving Pesche and Dondochakka forgetting the direction in which she took, and end up separately joining Ishida and Renji, respectively. Elsewhere, Orihime is assigned to a modest room as her friends attempt to rescue her. She receives a new wardrobe similar to that of an Arrancar and is informed by Ulquiorra, after unexpectedly complementing her on how the uniform "surprisingly suits her", that Ichigo and his group (which now includes Rukia, Renji, and a trio of Hollows) are attempting a rescue on her behalf. Orihime then exhibits a mixture of surprise, relief, and dismay in her face, inwardly alarming Ulquiorra. In order to "erase" any thoughts of betrayal upon discovering that her friends are mounting a rescue attempt, Ulquiorra orders Orihime to swear her "unyielding loyalty" to Aizen, which she apparently complies. Immediately afterwards, Ulquiorra orders two Arrancar sisters to escort Orihime to Aizen's room, while he silently follows from behind.
Halfway through, Ulquiorra is then interrupted by a fellow Espada , who (sarcastically) asks if he "finished disciplining her". Disgusted, Ulquiorra dismisses his statement and continues walking, only to have his path blocked by the 'ever-persistent' Nnoitra, who then states that he "just wanted to know if Orihime will ever betray us, now that her friends are here". Ulquiorra rebuffs Nnoitra once again and calmly walked passed him, while simultaneously claiming that he has trapped Orihime in a psychological prison, from which her loyalty to Aizen is guaranteed. Satisfied, Nnoitra complements Ulquiorra's method and leaves, while Ulquiorra silently flash-steps back to Aizen's throne room.
Encounter With An Eccentric Arrancar: Ichigo Kurosaki & Nel Tu vs Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio - The Cientecimo Tercero Arrancar
Ichigo and Nel encounter the Privaron Espada Dordonii, and Ichigo engages in battle with him after a comedic introduction. Ichigo at first underestimates Dordonii due to his high number (103), but is quickly surprised by Dordonii's true level of strength when the latter decides gets serious.. Meanwhile, Uryū and Chad each encounter an Arrancar while Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen look on. Though Ichigo and Dordonii are about even at first, Dordonii tells Ichigo to release his Bankai or else he stands no chance of defeating him. Ichigo responds by stating that a Privaron Espada technically isn't an actual Espada, and that he can't use his Bankai on everyone who isn't even an Espada. Dordonii rebuffs this by informing Ichigo not to underestimate him and releases his Zanpakutō. Nel stumbles in on their fight, and the eyes of her Hollow mask glow at the prospect of Ichigo's death. Ichigo's battle with Dordonii continues, with Dordonii overwhelming Ichigo in his released state.
Dordonii continually pesters Ichigo to use his Bankai, ultimately leading to a Cero attack. Nel jumps in and swallows it whole, then fires it back at Dordonii. In retaliation, Dordonii strikes back at Nel and attempts to finish her off , finally convincing Ichigo to intervene and use his Bankai. Still not satisfied, Dordonii insists that Ichigo use his Hollow powers, and attacks Nel once again to force the issue. Ichigo agrees and dons his mask. Before Dordonii can react, Ichigo disables him with a single strike.
Nel heals Dordonii with her saliva at Ichigo's request, and Dordonii explains that he had hoped to regain his position as an Espada by defeating Ichigo at full power. After becoming "healed", he takes the opportunity to attack again saying that kind acts like healing the wounds of an enemy are "as sweet as chocolate". Dordonii is struck down by Ichigo once again, and as thanks for Ichigo giving him a satisfying battle, he remains behind to hold off the Exequias while Ichigo escapes; telling Ichigo to "Leave the chocolate here and become a Demon" as he is struck down in battle. One of Aizen's henchmen reports this news back to him, and Aizen asks who gave the order for the Exequias to move. Szayel Aporro Granz steps forward to take the blame, but Aizen lets him off the hook since it will help Szayel's research. Meanwhile, Uryū does battle with the Arrancar Cirucci Sanderwicci and Rukia runs into the Ninth Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie. Aaroniero takes off his mask, revealing the face of the deceased Kaien Shiba.
The Cost of War & An Unlikely Ally: Uryū Ishida and Pesche Guatiche vs Cirucci Sanderwicci - The 105th Arrancar
Uryū's meanwhile battles another Privaron Espada, Cirucci Sanderwicci. Cirucci continuously mocks Uryu and toys with him throughout the beginning of the battle using her uniquely-shaped Zanpakutō whist a figure watches from the shadows. This figure turns out in fact to be Pesche Guatiche, who complains about the "pinch" he is in having followed (in his opinion) "the weakest one of the bunch". However he is quickly spotted by Cirucci after having attempted to peek at her panties. After a very comical dialogue between Pesche and Uryu, Pesche decides to lend his aid in battle with his "Secret Technique". Using his Infinite Slick ability, he (amazingly enough) disables her Zanpakutō and causes her to fall from the raised platforms and crash into the ground below.
Unable to counter her abilities and protect Pesche with his arrows alone, Uryū pulls one of the tubes from his belt, which produces a powerful energy blade which easily slices through her winged blade attacks. With his energy sword, which he calls a Seele Schneider, Uryū is easily able to fend off Cirucci's attacks. After realizing the futility of her attacks, Cirucci sheds her wings and focuses all her power into a single blade on her tail. Uryu questions on whether all Arrancar can go in between their Released and Sealed forms like this, but Cirucci corrects him by stating that this change is permanent and she can never again return to that form. Shocked, Uryu asks if this war is that important to take such drastic actions. Cirucci responds that if it wasn't they would have never gone to war in the first place. In an attempt to finish the battle, she transforms the energy on her tail into a blade of sorts, but this too proves useless as Uryu gathers he energy, explaining that the Quincy manipulate Spiritual Energy by stealing it from their opponents. Finally revealing that his "sword" is actually an arrow, Uryū fires it through Cirucci's chest, destroying the source of her spiritual power and ending the battle. As Uryū and Pesche leave, Cirucci laments about being spared but is soon surrounded by the Exequias who appear to finish her off.
Unlock The True Power: Chad vs Gantenbainne Mosqueda - The 107th Arrancar
Meanwhile, in another Area of Las Noches, Chad finds himself unable to harm his opponent, The Privaron Espada Gantenbainne Mosqueda. Gantenbainne berates Chad for his weakness and states that Chad's punches will never touch him without Sonido. After dealing many damaging blows to Chad, Gantenbainne tells Chad to start fighting seriously using his true power. When Chad spares no respones back, Gantenbainne attempts to deal the finishing blow. However, at the last second, Chad catches the attack and apologizes to Gantenbainne, explaing that he has never been able to unlock his true power, and transforms his right arm into a giant shield, Brazo Derecha del Gigante.
With his full power unleashed, Chad easily begins dominates Gantenbainne Mosqueda in their battle. When Gantenbainne releases his Zanpakutō to match up, Chad reveals that his left arm also has a hidden power and that the right arm was only meant to defend. His left arm, meant for attack, becomes white with a pointed tip known as Brazo Izquierda del Diablo. Once again more than a match for Gantenbainne, Chad easily defeats him, and in return for helping him to realize his potential, spares Gantenbainne's life. However, his victory is short-lived as Nnoitra arrives at the scene, seemingly unfazed by Chad's attacks. With a single attack, Nnoitra disables Chad. Bored with the ease of his victory, he heads for the next target. Chad's defeat is felt by everyone in Hueco Mundo, including Orihime. Ulquiorra then walks in to her room, and as tries to convince her to eat, she repeatedly insists that Chad is still alive. Frustrated, Ulquiorra notes that, regardless of his fate, her friends are doomed to fail because they "rushed into battle without realizing the odds they were up against". Deeply offended, Orihime responds with a slap across Ulquiorra's face. Ulquiorra simply glares at Orihime and leaves as she breaks down and starts crying. After Chad's defeat at Nnoitra's hands, Gin Ichimaru is seen operating some sort of control panel. Ulquiorra then walks in as he does so, wanting to know about the intruders' progress. Rather than answer the question, Gin comments on the fact that he's "surprised" that Ulquiorra is actually willing to talk to him, falsely assuming that Ulquiorra hates him. Ulquiorra denies this, and Gin tells him to act friendlier. It would appear that Gin and Luppi were on good terms, as Gin follows up by saying that he feels lonely after Luppi died. However, in a recent omake, Luppi says that he doesn't like Gin very much. Ulquiorra brings the conversation back on track by asking if Gin has been moving the halls from their original positions. Gin denies it cheerfully, saying that he "wouldn't do that to those kids" and that he also "hates sad stories".
The Espada Fights
A Friend's Stolen Heart: Rukia Kuchiki vs Aaroniero Arruruerie - The Noveno Espada
Rukia converses with Aaroniero Arruruerie, who moves, speaks, sounds,and acts like the real Kaien. Kaien states that the Hollow that infected him was transported back to Hueco Mundo, regenerating as his body, but his "good" mind was the one that gained control. He offers Rukia a way to "atone for her sin" by letting him kill her, and she accepts - providing she is able to rescue Inoue first. Kaien shrugs his earlier statement off as a joke, then offers her another method: kill all of her friends that followed her here. By this act, Rukia exposes him as an imposter. The two do battle, but Rukia cannot gain the upper hand, as Kaien was the one who taught her how to fight in the first place. Rukia continues to struggle against Aaroniero, and her situation only worsens when he reveals Kaien's released Zanpakutō. When he finally disarms her, Rukia's desperate final attack with a Kidō spell reveals a helpful fact: Aaroniero is afraid of the sunlight. Armed with this knowledge, she binds his movement and blows a hole in the wall, exposing him to the light outside. So exposed, Aaroniero's true form is revealed; that of a strange creature with two masks in a capsule for a head.
He explains that he is the only Gillian among the Espada; a position granted to him by his ability to devour other Hollows and gain their power (this includes their physical bodies and memories). By eating the Hollow that merged with Kaien, he gained Kaien's powers. To show Rukia just how outmatched she is, Aaroniero releases his Zanpakutō, transforming his lower body into a giant, octopus-like form. Finally, Aaroniero explains to Rukia that he has absorbed 33,650 Hollows, and with his Zanpakutō released, she is now facing their combined might. He goes on to explain the truth behind the acquisition of Kaien's powers, and reveals that Rukia is indeed fighting Kaien's real spirit body. The news tears at Rukia: she had always reasoned that by killing Kaien, she had saved him from the enemy. The realization of her failure renders Rukia dejected and unable to lift her sword against Kaien's body. Aaroniero releases his Zanpakutō and impales Rukia on the end of Nejibana.
.Spurred on by her memories of Kaien, where he told her about how a person's heart is held by those they are close to, Rukia regains her resolve and uses the last of her strength to perform her Zanpakutō's third dance, impaling the ninth Espada through his upper skull and shattering the container that sits in place of his head. The bottom face dies screaming in agony while feeling betrayed by Aizen's promise that he would "never feel pain again", whereas the top face curses one last time before splitting in half. As Aaroniero dies, Rukia compares Orihime's current situation to her own when she was a prisoner in the Soul Society, and resolves to rescue her friend despite her condition. Though she attempts to keep moving, her injuries get the better of her and she collapses, seemingly dying in the process. The deaths of both Rukia and Aaroniero are felt throughout Las Noches, shocking most of the intruders and mildly surprising the Espada, the latter of which appear indifferent towards their comrade's death, likely due to his relatively weak amount of power.
Intermission: Jealousy and Confrontation
Elsewhere, as Orihime notices that most of her friends are in peril, Loly and Menoly enter her room, as Ulquiorra was currently fighting Ichigo at that time. Curious as to why they decided to visit her, Orihime calculates that Ulquiorra "is busy" and asks if he sent them there in his place, only to have the two ignore her query and comment on how the room "looks nice", acting somewhat friendly and unfocused. Commenting on Orihime's apparent popularity, Loly falsely perceived Aizen's (apparently unusual) interest in Orihime as romantic feelings for her, notes how everyone of her friends came just to save "their princess", and her many interactions with several high-ranking Espada, most of whom are males. Loly then begins berating her, falsely accusing Orihime of believing herself to be "hot stuff". Orihime denies this as she is forced to one of the walls, but Loly rebukes her and chastises this to Menoly. Loly then pulls Orihime by the hair and throws her to the floor, once again telling her to "stay away" from Aizen, though Orihime doesn't respond. Frustrated, Loly begins kicking Orihime's head, while laughing maniacally.
After escaping Loly's grasp, Orihime runs for the door, knowing that either Aizen or Ulquiorra would help her should she leave, only to have Loly destroy the door with a Bala, the blast propelling Orihime backwards. After sarcastically stating that she was "just trying to get the door for her", Loly notices that Orihime "looks like she wants to say something" and tells her to "speak her mind". Orihime boldly states that they "have no business with [her]" and demands that they leave immediately. Surprised, Loly then walks toward Orihime and bends down to her level, inwardly angered at not being able to 'break' Orihime, while convincing herself that Orihime's "acting all high-and-mighty again", and calmly asks what kind of a person Orihime believes herself to be. When Orihime offers no response, Loly simply smirk and orders Menoly to charge up her Cero, while informing Orihime that Menoly "still has trouble controlling her powers", which could endanger Orihime's life, and asks if she's scared. Orihime remains unresponsive. Frustrated, Loly grabs Orihime by the neck and raises her from the ground. However, Orihime breaks free, prompting Loly to punch her, the force knocking Orihime to the ground and enabling Loly to grab her by the hair yet again.
Fearing Ulquiorra's arrival, Menoly tries to convince Loly to stop and leave. Enraged, Loly demands that Orihime speaks and dismisses Menoly's concerns, telling her to leave if she's "chickening out". An explosion suddenly occurs through one of the walls, which turns out to be Grimmjow's doing. When Grimmjow sarcastically comments on how the two were "doing a great job of 'protecting' that woman", Loly rudely questions his being there. Grimmjow calmly walks toward Loly and punches her in the gut, prompting Loly to vomit a pool of blood. In retaliation, Menoly charges at Grimmjow, Cero in hand, but the latter grabs her Cero, then adds his own, blasting her top half away. After regaining her composure, Loly warns Grimmjow that Aizen "will butcher a disrespectful shithead like you". Grimmjow, unfazed, calmly walks towards her. Frightened at the likely prospect of dying a gruesome death, Loly apologizes and promised not to inform anyone of this ordeal. Undaunted, Grimmjow bends down to her level, grabs her left leg, cruelly yanks it off, and coldly stomps on her to keep her silent, saying she is "a dumb slut" for actually believing that Aizen would "ever giving a rat's ass about two low-level Arrancar servants".
Surprised by Grimmjow's actions, Orihime asked why Grimmjow helped her, who explains that he's "returning the favor" for healing his arm and indirectly helping him regain his rank as the sixth Espada. Grimmjow then grabs Orihime by the collar of her uniform and hoists her up, explaining that she now owes him another favor. Before they depart, Orihime revives the two Arrancar he killed, leading them to refer to her as a monster because of her ability to bring back the dead.
Man and Machine: Ichigo Kurosaki vs Ulquiorra Cifer - Espada Cuatro - Round One
Ulquiorra tells Ichigo that Rukia has been killed, which Ichigo denies. Ichigo attempts to leave to save Rukia, reasoning that he "has no quarrel with" Ulquiorra and "doesn't see any reason for them to fight". Ulquiorra reveals that he was the one who kidnapped Orihime and successfully goads Ichigo into fighting. Though Ichigo starts out well, he proves to be no match for Ulquiorra, who explains that even if Ichigo managed to somehow win, there would be three other Espada who are stronger still, as Ulquiorra is the 4th Espada. Ulquiorra then impales Ichigo's chest with his hand, apparently killing him. He leaves after suggesting to him that he should retreat if able, and flash-steps back to Orihime's room, only to discover that the door was destroyed, Orihime was not inside, and that Loly and Menoly were there instead. Oblivious at his arrival, Loly helps Menoly stand, asking if she's fully recovered. After checking herself (and finding no injuries whatsoever), Menoly confirms by stating that she's "just glad that [she]'s actually alive", to which Loly slightly nods and informs Menoly that they'll need to leave the room before Ulquiorra arrives, fearing their safety. Loly notices Ulquiorra himself standing just outside the room, and freezes mid-sentence, visibly terrified at his presence. Menoly immediately notices, questions Loly's condition, and quickly notices Ulquiorra as well. Loly and Menoly, visibly shocked at Ulquiorra's arrival, remain silent as he walks inside.
After silently analyzing the room's condition, and calculating that either Yammy, Nnoitra, or Grimmjow were the ones responsible for the act, Ulquiorra orders Loly to confirm the identity of the perpetrator. Loly, realizing that Ulquiorra would (albeit unknowingly) kill Grimmjow in her place (thus indirectly exacting vengeance on him), simply says the latter's name, placing the blame entirely on Grimmjow. Satisfied, Ulquiorra calmly leaves the room while Loly and Menoly silently watch. Calculating that Grimmjow wants to personally finish his feud with Ichigo, Ulquiorra heads back to Ichigo's location, intending to kill Grimmjow for his treasonous actions, stop Orihime from reviving Ichigo, and take her back to one of the towers, now that her room is "out-of-commission". After Ulquiorra's departure, Menoly questions Loly on their next objective. Curious as to who the winner would be, Loly states that they'll silently observe the Ulquiorra-Grimmjow-Ichigo fight[s] off-screen, hoping that she'll 'snag' Orihime away from the combatants and personally kill her in retaliation for the 'incident' earlier, and silently follows Ulquiorra as he heads back to Ichigo's location.
Predator and Prey: Ichigo Kurosaki vs Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez - The Sexta Espada - Round Three
After chaining her arms together to prevent her from escaping, Grimmjow drags Orihime to Ichigo, wanting to fight him at full strength, and orders her to revive him. Orihime has trouble doing so due to the large amount of leftover reiatsu from Ulquiorra's attacks. Meanwhile, Loly and Menoly were then encountered by Ulquiorra, who demanded to know who was responsible for taking Orihime and destroying the room. After informing him that Grimmjow was the perpetrator, Ulquiorra leaves the room and attempts to retrieve Orihime, but Grimmjow uses a portable Negación field to temporarily imprison him, thus allowing the two to battle unimpeded. After Orihime bemoans Grimmjow's questionable actions (as a means for her to stand up for herself yet again against her captors), Grimmjow strangles her with his left arm, as she is of no further use to him, now that Kurosaki has been "resurrected". A fully-recovered Ichigo promptly grabs Grimmjow's badly-damaged left arm (inflicted by Ulquiorra during their earlier fight), and orders Orihime to finish healing both combatants, to which Orihime reluctantly complies.
The two then begin a brief sword duel around the tower's ruins. Much like Kenpachi Zaraki before him, Grimmjow insists that Ichigo not battle for his friends, instead just wanting him to focus on killing him, and reveals that he kept the scar from their first battle as a reminder to fight and kill Ichigo to prove that he is stronger, all the while provoking Ichigo to don his Hollow mask again by implying that Orihime has been "hurt on the inside". In a last-ditch effort to provoke Ichigo, Grimmjow fires the 'ultimate Cero' at Nel and Orihime, forcing Ichigo to run towards their location, don his Hollow mask, and effortlessly deflect the attack, simultaneously frightening Orihime, as the mask held a faint resemblance to her now-deceased brother's Hollow mask, which displayed the same amount of cold emptiness every other soulless Hollow possesses. This change of attitude worries Ichigo, prompting him to feel as if he had lost the trust/friendship of one of his companions (something that never happened before in his life), which ultimately causes him to remain unfocused for the duration of his fight with Grimmjow, and as a result of his hurt feelings regarding his friend's negative 'opinion' of him, is considerably weaker than his rival, at this point. Firmly satisfied at Kurosaki's decision to don his Vizard mask, Grimmjow eagerly releases his Zanpakutō, Pantera, and proceeds to fight Ichigo in ferocious one-on-one battle with his rival, while Nel and Orihime look on, both in horror and disbelief as Grimmjow eventually manages to gain the upper hand.
Elsewhere, Loly and Menoly silently observe the fight, commenting on the combatants overall power, and find themselves slightly rooting for Ichigo, now that Ulquiorra is out of commission, and calculating that Ichigo's "the only one capable of killing Grimmjow" in their place. Tia Harribel, as well as her Fraccion also observe the fight, equally-interested in the outcome, with Harribel commenting that the struggle between Grimmjow and Ichigo is "more of a fight between two Espada".
During the final minutes of their battle, Ichigo had most of his mask beaten off, and was on the verge of collapse as Grimmjow prepared his finishing blow. However, after noticing Orihime get over her fear of his Hollow self (thanks to Nel) and loudly cheer for him to win, now visibly saddened at his condition, Ichigo regains his resolve, no longer worried at Orihime's 'opinion' of her friend, and effortlessly catches Grimmjow's hand without looking, gripping it tight enough to prevent him from moving away. Ichigo then managed to make a clean slash into Grimmjow (despite the fact he had lost most of the benefits from his Hollow mask), whereas before most of the damage that he had inflicted that actually made Grimmjow bleed was from Getsuga Tenshō techniques. Grimmjow however, survives and attacks Ichigo, injuring him badly. Grimmjow, angry at Ichigo's look, attacks him. He declares that he hates Ichigo's look because it shows he has hope of winning. Ichigo taunts Grimmjow but Grimmjow stabs him again. Ichigo is knocked back and Grimmjow uses his Ultimate move,declaring he will kill anyone who looks down on him. Ichigo is unable to block his attack's at first, but through sheer determination, breaks the attack and attacks Grimmjow, badly injuring him. Grimmjow passes out and Ichigo grabs his hand and lowers him to the ground and turns to leave. However, Grimmjow gets backup, much to everyone's shock. Grimmjow, badly injured and reverted back to his unreleased state, tries one more attack, which Ichigo again blocks bare-handed and tried to convince him to "stand down". Grimmjow, however, refused to listen and was suddenly incapacitated by Nnoitra Jiruga, who reveals that he is the fifth Espada, and is thus more powerful than Grimmjow, whom Ichigo barely defeated.
The Fight for Sovereignty and the Gap Between Heaven and Earth: Captain Byakuya Kuchiki vs Zommari Leroux - The Septima Espada
Byakuya later appears in Hueco Mundo to save Rukia from the 7th Espada, Zommari Leroux. He clearly shows anger at Zommari's statement about preparing to kill Rukia. The two begin their battle shortly hereafter. Midway-through the sword fight, Byakuya, reluctantly using a technique learned from Yoruichi Shihōin, manages to evade Zommari, who claims to be the fastest Espada. Zommari states that Byakuya's pride and arrogance will be the reason for Byakuya's defeat, while Byakuya retorts that simply the difference in their power will result in Zommari's loss. Zommari maintains that, as captain and Espada, the two are equal, but Byakuya denies that any Arrancar could be equal to him. To crush his arrogance, Zommari releases his Zanpakutō. Using its power, Zommari takes control of Byakuya's left arm and leg, causing Byakuya to promptly sever the tendons in each to prevent their movement. Zommari implies that he will next take control of Rukia's unconscious form and, enraged, Byakuya shields her with his body.
Hanatarō Yamada follows Byakuya to the battlefield, but Byakuya orders Hanatarō back, warning him that in his rage, Byakuya's fighting may swallow up Hanatarō. Zommari succeeds in taking control of Rukia's head, thus taking control of her entire body, and after having her slash Hanatarō across the chest, warns Byakuya to drop his sword or Rukia will slit her own throat. Restraining Rukia with Binding Spell #61, Six Rods Prison of Light, Byakuya activates his Bankai and engulfs Zommari with the form Gōkei. Zommari (barely) survives the attack using his Defensive Sphere. Having finally lost his composure, Zommari unsuccessfully attempted to use his special ability once again on Byakuya, only to see his "Amor" fail when Byakuya summoned a powerful Kidō-negating barrier. Knowing that he is about to die, Zommari angrily states that the Shinigami are "arrogant" for believing they have a right to hunt and judge Hollows simply because they consider them evil. Byakuya, impassive, states that he was not fighting Zommari because he was a Hollow, but because he "raised his sword against" Byakuya's pride and threatened to kill Rukia, then kills Zommari with one slash from the shoulder down. As he dies, Zommari shouts desperate his praise for Aizen.
Byakuya then instructs Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, who silently observed his fight with Zommari, to heal Rukia and Hanatarō. After awakening from her virtual "coma", Rukia is told by Isane to rest as she "hasn't recovered yet". Undaunted, Rukia gets up anyway, expresses her concern over Byakuya, the latter of which was mildly injured during his 'fight' with Zommari. Impassive, Byakuya merely brushes off her concern and tells her to rest as "there is a much bigger fight forthcoming."
Science meets Perfection: Renji Abarai, Uryū Ishida, and Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi vs Szayel Aporro Granz - The Octava Espada
Renji and Dondochakka run into Szayel Aporro Granz. Renji learns of Rukia's spirit pressure disappearing through Szayel. He is initially disbelieving of Szayel when told that one of the Espada and one of his companions had killed each other off at the same time. However, when Szayel mentions that the Shinigami was called "Kuchiki", Renji, using his Shikai, immediately attacks Szayel. Despite Szayel saying that Renji would not be able to injure him with just his Shikai, Renji manages to do so. Regardless, Renji cannot manage to duplicate the feat, and is saved by Uryū, who quickly ends up in the same situation. The two join forces to deal with Szayel's minions. In order to give Uryū an opening, Renji uses Zabimaru to tie himself and Szayel together, and then uses a kidō spell which injures them both. Szayel retreats, falling into Uryū's trap, a massive gintō-triggered explosion. Szayel survives the explosion, albeit with major injuries, and heals himself completely by eating Lumina.
He then departs to replace his ruined outfit and formulate a new plan. Renji and Uryū try to find a way out of Las Noches because their main target was to retrieve Orihime, not fight an Espada. They should also plan to head to help Rukia and Chad. However, Szayel manipulates the corridors to make them come back to the same room. Szayel appears behind them, and releases his Zanpakutō. As soon as the liquid from Szayel's release makes contact with Renji and Uryū, multiple clones of them appear. Szayel then informs them that the device used to restrict their spirit energy has been deactivated, and that they can now fight against their clones at full power. After some time Renji activates his Bankai, causing all of his clones to activate their own. In doing so they destroy the room they are in and a now irritated Szayel disperses all of the clones of Renji and Uryū saying that he will show them the "true power" of his released Zanpakutō.
Szayel proceeds to use his wing to swallow Uryū, which spits out Uryū and making a miniature doll of him. He then hits the doll and reveals that he has control of all the five senses of Uryū. Despite Renji begging him to stop, Szayel rips the doll apart, but although Uryū didn't lose his legs, Szayel crushes the mini stomach organ inside the doll, injuring Uryū badly. When Renji attacks again, Szayel's Zanpakutō swallows Renji, spits him out and creates a miniature doll of Renji. Szayel rips the doll Renji in half and crushes his Achilles tendon, making him unable to walk. At this point, Pesche and Dondochakka begin to fight in earnest when Pesche uses him Infinite Slick ability on Szayel's hand, causing him to drop the dolls. Dondochakka then spits Bawabawa, who is revealed to be a "combat insect" that he keeps in his stomach. Pesche mounts Bawabawa and tells Szayel they are going to defeat him as they need to help Nel, who they realize has returned to her original form, in her current fight. Although Szayel-Aporro easily repels Bawabawa with his wings, remarking how insolent has become for a mere Fracción, Pesche leaps up and produces a glowing sword from his fundoshi, slashing the Espada across the arm. Szayel sends his two minions to crush Bawabawa, but they are easily knocked back by Dondochakka with a kanabo which he pulls out of his mouth. Pesche and Dondochakka then perform a new form of Cero, "Cero Sincrético" which Szayel looks on in astonishment. However, the Espada manages to nullify their attack, as he had already analyzed their reiatsu and experiences earlier in the fight, having recognized them as the Fracción of the former Espada, Nelliel Tu Oderschvank, from the moment he saw them. He tells them that the reason they have lost is because they didn't use their ability at the start of the battle, and moves to finish off all four.
Before he can, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi arrives to help, as astonishing as it may be. Szayel attempts to use his Zanpakutō's voodoo ability, but Mayuri negates it by using fake organs, having studied the technique beforehand using data from bacteria he implanted within Uryū during their last battle (much to Uryū's annoyance). Szayel takes Nemu captive, but Mayuri releases his Bankai and devours Szayel with it. Szayel uses the rebirth power of his Zanpakutō to recreate himself inside Nemu, but in doing so is affected by poisons contained in Nemu's body. Mayuri, disappointed at Szayel's lack of any further abilities, explains that by recreating himself inside Nemu, he is now dosed with a sense-enhancing poison. The poison increases Szayel's senses to the point that his body falls grossly behind and cannot move, and Mayuri stabs Szayel's heart with his Zanpakutō, breaking off the blade as the ultimate torture and also as punishment for his Zanpakutō going against him. He revives Nemu and has her dig out Szayel's laboratory, within which are a pair of bodies suspended from the ceiling.
Battle of the Barbarians: Ichigo Kurosaki, Nelliel Tu Oderschvank, and Captain Kenpachi Zaraki vs Nnoitra Jiruga - The Quinto Espada
Nnoitra appeared during Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow, silently watching the battle; studying Ichigo's attacks until they finished. He immediately "relieved" Grimmjow from the battle, opting to finish him off, but was saved by Ichigo. After berating Grimmjow from being saved by the enemy, Nnoitra turned his attention back to the weakened Ichigo and started fighting him. Attacks from Ichigo with his Bankai are easily fended off by Nnoitra. Orihime is warned not to interfere by Nnoitra's lone Fracción, who threatened to kill her should she interfere. Meanwhile, Tesla remembers that Ichigo's Arrancar companion, Nel, has gone missing. He locates the trembling Nel hiding behind a rock and exposes her. Nnoitra recognizes the terrified child immediately by her broken mask and facial mark and reveals that her real name is Nelliel Tu Oderschvank, a former Espada.
The fight between Nnoitra and Ichigo gets more desperate as Nnoitra is about to crush Nel's head. Ichigo saves her, but Nnoitra brutally throws Ichigo out of the way each time he attempts to stop him. Nnoitra's moves get more aggressive until he begins to break Ichigo's arm. The intensity of Nel's emotions unleash an unintentional transformation to her original adult form. Nel then reveals that she has the rank of the former 3rd Espada - Nelliel Tu Oderschvank - and overpowers him. Nnoitra, however, is not easily defeated, even surviving Nel's powerful Cero Doble technique, and reveals that while Nelliel once outranked him, the Espada have grown more powerful in her absence. Afterwards, Nnoitra is still losing to Nelliel, but they hesitate to deliver fatal blows midway-through the fight. Nnoitra notes that he has despised Nelliel even before her departure, then taunts Nelliel in regards to their past. Wanting to end the fight quicker, Nelliel then releases her Zanpakutō, shouting "Declare...!". She successfully releases her Zanpakutō (which Nnoitra attempts to thwart, knowing the tables will turn against him should she succeed) and overwhelms Nnoitra, but just before finishing him, reverts to her child form.
Nnoitra kicks Nel and an enraged Ichigo attacks again, only to be slammed into the ground. Bored and unwilling to continue this "piss-poor excuse of a fight", Nnoitra commands Tesla to finish him off and forces Orihime to watch him die. However at the last second, Captain Zaraki steps in to save them, killing Tesla in the process. Kenpachi tells Ichigo to stay out of his fight with Nnoitra. He informs Ichigo that Urahara was tasked with making the Garganta into Hueco Mundo stable enough for him, Mayuri, Byakuya, and Unohana to enter and lend their aid in the rescue attempt. Nnoitra's lust for battle returns and gladly fights Zaraki. Kenpachi's battle with Nnoitra continues, and Orihime heals Nel at Ichigo's request. Kenpachi has difficulty cutting through Nnoitra's Hierro, but believes that Nnoitra can be injured. Kenpachi manages to stab Nnoitra through his eye-patch, but Nnoitra counter-attacks, injuring Kenpachi, and reveals that he had stabbed him through his Hollow hole. Kenpachi, unfazed, merely grins.
Kenpachi manages to wound Nnoitra with the slash, and finds the right amount of force he needs to put into his blows in order to cut his opponent. He continues to attack Nnoitra, and after Nnoitra accidentally tears off his eye-patch while trying to attack him, the limits on his power are removed, and he delivers a devastating slash to Nnoitra. Nnoitra then releases his Zanpakutō, Santa Teresa, giving him an extra pair of arms and regenerative abilities. Nnoitra attacks Kenpachi and severely wounds him. Nnoitra then targets Yachiru only to told that such was a bad idea as Kenpachi would only get mad. As said Kenpachi suddenly rises and manages to cut off one of the arms. Seeing that he was not able to cut him with all those swords, Kenpachi announces that was going to cut of all of Nnoitra's arms, until Yachiru says that it would end the fight, as which Kenpachi realizes that he would have to leave his opponent with at least one arm to let them continue the fight. Nnoitra however laughs at the the statement, regenerates the arm and continues fighting, growing yet another pair of arms, giving him a total of six, and stabbing Kenpachi with one of his new arms.
Kenpachi continues fighting Nnoitra, and although he is able to keep up with his attacks, soon realizes that he is in danger of dying. He then resorts to using kendo and deals Nnoitra a powerful sword strike, severely wounding him. Kenpachi attempts to leave, but Nnoitra insists that he finish their battle.
Beaten, lying in a pool of blood and dying, Nnoitra begins to recall his time with Nelliel, in which Nelliel would frequently save him from his attempts to die in battle, and claims that he is angered by any display of pity from his opponent. He charges Kenpachi, but is struck down again and mortally wounded. Battered, bloodied, and beaten, Nnoitra apologizes to Tesla and locks eyes with the child like Nelliel one last time before he dies. Kenpachi then thanks Nnoitra for providing him with "a good fight".
The Battle of Karakura
Assemble The Army: Aizen Makes His Move
After Kenpachi defeats Nnoitra, he demands Orihime heal him so he can continue fighting the remaining Arrancar in Ichigo's place. Before Orihime reaches him, she is whisked away by one of the most powerful members of the Espada. After "thanking" Orihime for her "services", Aizen makes an announcement to all of Hueco Mundo, stating that Orihime is in the fifth tower, should anyone want to retrieve her, now that she is of no use to him, and that he has closed the Garganta that the Captains used for entry into Hueco Mundo. He informs them that he is leaving to destroy Karakura and leaves Ulquiorra to take charge of Las Noches. Aizen is then "greeted" by the remainder of the Gotei 13, who have temporarily replaced Karakura Town with a illusionary lookalike. Kenpachi tells Ichigo that Yamamoto was anticipating an attack from the Arrancar and planned on defending Karakura Town with the rest of the Gotei 13 from the start.
Although the Soul Society is able to substitute Karakura Town for an abandoned facsimile, in order for the Gotei 13 to fight at full strength without damaging the city and killing most of the inhabitants, Aizen only muses that he will have to travel to Soul Society to destroy the real town and summons the top three Espada and their Fracción to the fake Karakura Town to fight the Gotei 13 in his place. The spiritual pressure of Aizen and all his subordinates together is amazingly powerful, so much so that any Hollows within a distance of 22 kilometers are fearfully shaking and explode because of this heavy spirit pressure. Aizen is then trapped in Yamamoto's fire prison and is unable to fight. Nevertheless, he claims that such action is unnecessary, for that the power of the Espada alone will suffice to defeat the Gotei 13. Upon hearing Aizen's announcement regarding the Battle of Karakura, Kenpachi questions if Ichigo "has a problem" letting his home town be annihilated amidst the conflict, unaware that it was replaced by an illusionary lookalike. Undaunted, Ichigo informs Kenpachi that his duty isn't to defend his town, but to protect his friends, and flies to rescue Orihime as Ulquiorra declares his challenge to Ichigo.
Ants vs Dragons: Baraggan's Fracción vs. Yamamoto's Soldiers
Once Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tōsen are trapped in Yamamoto's Shikai, Baraggan Luisenbarn decides to give all orders and openly threatens the other Espada for the leadership. His comrade, Starrk, lazily agrees, which earns him a kick from his Fracción, Lilynette. Harribel and her Fracción could not care less. Baraggan's Fracción then pull out a throne for him to sit upon as he analyzes the situation. Yamamoto explains to his subordinates that he has set up four pillars that are keeping the real Karakura Town in the Soul Society. Should these four pillars be destroyed then the real Karakura Town would be exposed and open for an attack. Baraggan quickly realises this and has four gigantic Hollows sent to obliterate the towers. This plan however, is quickly halted by Izuru Kira, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Ikkaku Madarame and Shūhei Hisagi, who have been placed at the pillars to protect them and kill the Hollows. In response, Baraggan sends four members of his six Fracción (Choe Neng Poww, Findor Carias, Charlotte Cuuhlhourne, and Avirama Redder) to kill them. Charlotte, Avirama, Findor and Poww are sent to do battle with Yumichika, Izuru, Shūhei, and Ikkaku, respectively.
Initially, Charlotte's and Yumichika's somewhat similar personalities cause an argument in a comedic fashion, but the fight quickly turns serious, with Charlotte quickly overpowering Yumichika with his attacks. In response, Yumichika provokes Charlotte to release his sword by slicing part of his hair, greatly annoying the latter. After Charlotte uses his "Rosa Blanca" to conceal the fighters, Yumichika activates his sword's ability "Sakikurue" and drains his spiritual energy. He is then seen without his powers and most of the clothes, and says how hiding something this big was unfair, thinking it was a Bankai. Yumichika explains why he couldn't show this to anyone else, so as not to embarrass himself in front of his Eleventh Division comrades for having a Kidō-class Zanpakutō. Charlotte gained some respect for him and dies.
Before engaging in battle, Avirama performs a "battle ritual" which consists of him screaming all the things he is going to do to his opponent, while demanding Izuru to do the same as a way to psyche each other out. He became quite agitated when Izuru refused and angrily scolded him, stating that Izuru was "boring". After discovering that Izuru once served under Gin Ichimaru, Avirama taunts Izuru and says Ichimaru betrayed the Soul Society because of Izuru's cowardice, prompting Izuru to angrily slash his cheek. Avirama is satisfied with Kira's reaction and releases his Zanpakutō. In the ensuing battle, Redder held the upper hand due to his flying ability and being able to fight at a distance while Kira's attacks only work on close combat. Redder's overconfidence allowed him to fall into Izuru's trap by getting close enough to be caught by Wabisuke. With both his wings having become to heavy for him to even stand up, Izuru beheaded him, explaining that war is "depressing" and that there's "nothing exciting about it", whereas Avirama believed war to be "fun and honorable".
After a short time of fighting, Hisagi notices Carias is only fighting at the level of a fifth-seated officer. After making the statement, Findor becomes pleased that he "passed his test" and then starts breaking off pieces of his mask, becoming stronger every time, surprising Hisagi. Findor then decides to end the fight by releasing his resurrection. After a short fight with Findor gaining the upper hand, Shūhei releases his Zanpakutō, evening the odds greatly. As the fight goes on however, Findor breaks off another 40% of his mask (90% in total) which he claims to be the power of a captain. Despite this, Shūhei cuts his released form in half while criticizing his lack of fear for his power, a lesson that was taught by his former captain. Shūhei, now claiming Findor to be his equal, finishes him as he tries to run away.
Poww and Ikkaku briefly converse before beginning their battle, with Poww questioning Ikkaku if the Shinigami have a god. Ikkaku admits that he '"hasn't prayed much" and agreed to pray to Pō's god. Ikkaku's unexpected defeat isn't shown on-screen and Poww destroys one of the Karakura pillars. Poww wonders if Ikkaku has any more "special abilities" to show him, while thinking he's dead. Ikakku then rises to continue their battle, at which time Poww threatens him to show any further power he has. After Ikkaku denies having any further abilities, Poww prepares to finish him off but is prevented by the timely arrival of 7th Squad Captain Sajin Komamura, who catches Poww off-guard and punches him in to the side of a building. Poww immediately gets back on his feet unscathed and is also unfazed by the captain being an animal. He then shows a "real punch" back to Komamura, sending him flying several miles. He releases his Zanpakutō, calling it the "best punch". As he prepares to crush 7th Squad Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba (with Ikkaku on his back), Komamura returns and blocks his attack, followed by Komamura throwing the massive Arrancar over his head and in to the ground. Poww is unharmed and begins to "yawn", which is actually him building up a Cero inside his mouth. Komamura then releases his Bankai and crushes him under the massive sword of his Bankai, killing him in the process. After the fight, Iba punches Ikkaku and scolds him for not going all-out against his opponent.
Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda vs Nirgge Parduoc
When Aizen, along with his top three Espada, attacks the fake Karakura Town, Ōmaeda is seen along with his captain and the rest of the Gotei 13 captains not currently in Hueco Mundo awaiting for Aizen's arrival. He talks about how Sōsuke Aizen's army has incredible reiatsu and Soifon tells him that he can leave if he wants.
He panics when Baraggan Luisenbarn sees through the fake Karakura ruse before he finds out that Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Izuru Kira, and Shūhei Hisagi are guarding the pillars keeping the real Karakura Town in Soul Society. He then complains about how he thought they had been excluded from the mission. He asks if the others knew about this, in which they did and Soifon said she told him, but thinks that she may not have told him.
After the fight for the pillars are successfully defended, the fight between the captains and the remaining Fracción and Espada begin. He engages in battle with Nirgge Parduoc and is quickly pummelled, though his captain is less than concerned. While fighting, his opponent releases his Zanpakutō and begins to pummel Ōmaeda even further. Ōmaeda tries to outsmart Nirgge, but to no avail. Eventually Ōmaeda reveals that his weakness was a ruse and begins to use Flash Steps like an expert. He then declares his position in Soul Society and releases his Zanpakutō, proceeding to deliver a heavy blow to Nirgge. As Marechiyo taunts his apparently dead foe, the Arrancar rises, clearly annoyed. Suddenly, however, Soifon is thrown away by Ggio Vega's attacks and falls in the side of Nirgge's head, killing him. (In the anime adaptation, Nirgge survives being hit in the head by Ggio and continues to battle Ōmaeda. At one point, he almost kills him with a Cero, but Ōmeada is finally able to defeat him by smashing Nirgge on the head with his Zanpakutō's Shikai.)[1]
Marechiyo is surprised to see Soifon overpowered and reasons that she is too proud to fake losing. As Ggio prepares to "finish" Soifon, Marechiyo boldly grabs the Arrancar in a bear hug and tells his captain to attack. As Ggio prepares to blast Ōmaeda with a Cero, Soifon kicks him away, revealing she indeed had been feigning her loss in order to study the Arrancar's Resurrección. After knocking Ōmaeda back with a punch to the face, Soifon tells him if he sees an ally losing to attack the enemy from behind or stand aside if the foe is too strong instead of stepping between them. After Vega is defeated, Marechiyo and Soifon prepare to battle Ggio's master, Baraggan Luisenbarn.
Captain Soifon vs Ggio Vega
Baraggan, furious at having lost over half of his Fracción, prepares to take action himself but is persuaded by Ggio Vega, one of his two remaining Fracción, who pleads with him to leave the remaining Shinigami to him and Nirgge Parduoc. Baraggan agrees. Soifon overhears this and rushes to challenge Ggio, thus the two begin to battle.
Ggio's attitude somewhat mirrors that of his adversary, commenting on her lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda losing ground against his companion, to which Soifon responded that she doesn't mind, and that Ōmaeda should learn from his loss. After Soifon pins him down with a binding spell, she releases her Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, confident in victory and prepares to finish him off. Ggio, however, calmly creates a Cero, destroying the wall he was pinned to and uses Sonído to get behind her. Ggio criticizes her for not simply flash-stepping and finishing him off quickly, something he states that he would have done. He then delivers a powerful kick, sending her crashing into a building below and, after correctly identifying her as the captain of the second division and special forces, releases his Zanpakutō (inadvertently killing or stunning his unnamed partner). His released form initially seemed to be too much for Soifon to take, and her lieutenant, Marechiyo Ōmaeda, attempted to intervene. When Ōmaeda grabs him to give his captain a shot, Ggio prepares to fire a Cero but is stopped by Soifon, who states that she was simply examining an Arrancar's released form in preparation for the fights against the Espada.
After Soifon prepares to fight him "for real", Ggio releases what he calls the "battle form" of Tigre Estoque, Tigre Estoque El Sable, and transforms into a larger beast. However, before he can do anything, he is killed when Soifon used Suzumebachi's nigeki kessatsu (Death in Two Strikes) ability on him. Although it appears as if she struck two different areas of his body (his chest and his back), she had pierced the same spot on his right lung from both sides of his body. This shows that Suzumebachi's ability takes effect not through point of entry but rather point of actual surface contact, referring to the part touching the tip of Suzumebachi when it stops moving inside the target. Strangely enough, Soifon didn't seem too happy about killing Ggio. After the fight with Ggio is finished, Baraggan finally gets up from his throne and engages Soifon and Ōmaeda in battle.
Captain Jūshirō Ukitake vs Lilynette Gingerback
During the battle between the Soldiers and Baraggan's Fracción, Ukitake wonders if Yamamoto's swift, harsh actions were necessary. When the pillars are successfully defended, he quickly pairs himself up with Kyōraku and confronts Starrk and Lilynette. After an initial facedown, Kyōraku asks Starrk if Lilynette could be taken somewhere else during the battle, as he would have problems fighting with a young girl nearby. Lilynette responds with furious disbelief, but Starrk tells her to be quiet, accusing Kyōraku of using the statement as an excuse to try to avoid a fight. Ukitake is seen meditated atop one of the fake town's buildings, where Lilynette questions him on why he isn't fighting as well. Ukitake tells her that a two-on-one fight wouldn't be fair. Lilynette's response is that it doesn't matter and Kyoraku is "as good as dead", since Starrk's "quite powerful". Ukitake smiles and assures her that he appreciates her concern and that he's "pretty sure" that Kyoraku will win, since he's "fairly powerful in his own right".
Ukitake then tells her that she has no place in the battle given her child-like appearance. Seemingly insulted, Lilynette states that, unlike the Shinigami, the Arrancar "don't age", and now that they serve Aizen, they are all obligated to further their ambitions, which includes "protecting" them from their enemies, the Shinigami. Ukitake stoutly refuses to take her on, as fighting against a "little girl" is "against his principals". He even goes as far to tell her to "go home and play soccer". Enraged, Lilynette unsheathes her Zanpakutō, which is one of the horns on her helmet like mask, and tells him she will fight him. Ukitake appears somewhat annoyed at this. Despite her confidence, Ukitake barely needs to try to keep her at bay, even blocking her Cero with his bare hands. She is upset and stunned at how little she can do. Ukitake comments that Lilynette's powers (specifically, her Cero) are "immature" and lesser than that of a Meno, again begging her to "just go home" so he does not need to continue fighting her. Lilynette insists on battling Ukitake and attempts countless attacks, only to fail miserably. Ukitake has defeated Lilynette many times, but has never taken the approach of killing her, instead, "training" her by not allowing her to use her own sword. Lilynette's desperate struggles of defeating Ukitake is serious to an extend that she is crying while battling the man. It is later revealed that she and Starrk are in fact one. When they evolved from Hollows into Arrancar, instead of splitting their power between their body and sword, they had split into two bodies. That if they were to merge back to one, their full power would be released. With that she merges with Starrk, much to Ukitake's shock.
Aerial Blitz: Fracción vs. Lieutenant
Rangiku faces off against all three of Harribel's Fracción by herself while her captain takes on their leader, Harribel. Matsumoto gets into verbal warfare with Apache and Mila-Rose (as Sun-Sun criticizes them for taking her bait) before releasing. After cutting Apache's arm using Haineko's Shikai, Matsumoto attempts an ash twister to surround the Fracción trio, but they all use Cero to drive it away. She is then quickly pummelled down by Apache alone as she is too tired, though she tries to make Haineko attack from all angles, but she blocks it. However, the fight is interrupted when Apache is blasted by Momo Hinamori. Rangiku is surprised by her appearance and wonders if Momo is well, but Momo states that she wears her armband as the current leader of the 5th Division, not as Captain Aizen's subordinate. Rangiku and Momo decide to team up together to fight against Harribel's Fracción, but Rangiku is still worried about Momo, pointing out (in her thoughts) that she still referred to Aizen as "Captain". Aizen also appears to have a somewhat intrigued look in his eyes upon sensing that his former Lieutenant, whom he assumed he killed, was alive. When Gin asks him if anything is wrong, Aizen calmly states that Momo's presence won't make any difference.
For all her warnings to Apache and Mila-Rose about keeping their cool, Sun-Sun opts for Apache's idea of rushing the two Lieutenants. Upon disclosing her method of sneaking up on Apache to Harribel's Fracción, namely through using her mastery of kidō to conceal her presence, Momo engulfs the three in an explosion caused by her applying Tobiume to a 'kidō net', however, Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun survived by releasing their Zanpakutō and healed themselves. They then activate their Quimera Parca ability, which creates a new, chimera-like creature (which they named "Allon"). Looking into its eyes, Rangiku remarks that it is like staring down a bottomless hole. Seconds later, "Allon" charges at Rangiku, and she tries to use her Zanpakutō to defend herself, but the creature is quick enough to strike Rangiku before she can defend herself, tearing off the right side of her abdomen. The blow is serious enough to incapacitate Rangiku, which Momo notes that it's a life-threatening injury. Momo tries to rescue Rangiku, but is also incapacitated. Before Allon can finish her off, she is saved by the timely arrival of Lieutenants Izuru Kira and Shūhei Hisagi.
At the shock of their arrival, Apache questions who they are. Mila-Rose states that they're "just more bugs for us to squash" and Apache rhetorically asks her why she did not stop them. Apache then orders Allon to defeat the new arrivals. However, Allon does not respond, angering Apache. Sun-Sun then comments that "[she has] never seen it respond to anything [they] say". Apache even states that they should have never released it since "it's so gross". Shūhei orders Izuru to go heal Momo and Rangiku, since Izuru was a former member of the Fourth Division, which he reluctantly agrees. First he uses Bakudō 73, Tozansho, to safely take them away from the fight, then tries to heal Rangiku, who is in a near-death state, first. He asks Momo to "be patient and hang on for as long as you can". Momo gladly agrees. Shūhei, unaware of Allon's weaknesses or strengths, carefully attempts a Kidō spell, at which Allon collapses, seemingly incapacitated. Hisagi then proceeds to finish it off, but is shocked to see that Allon was "only faking it" and is grabbed by it.
Allon successfully takes hold of Hisagi and, for no apparent reason, reveals its enormous mouth positioned directly under its mask, intending to devour Hisagi. Allon was then interrupted by Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba, who charges at it from behind. Seemingly oblivious, Allon fails to notice Iba and continues its attempt to eat Hisagi. Iba then calculates that since Allon didn't notice him, he would have a clear slash. Allon then stops and closes its mouth, revealing a cero-firing eye under its manes and blasts Iba with a cero. Allon, not wanting to waste time devouring its opponent and leaving itself open to another attack in case another lieutenant arrives, quickly squeezes Hisagi until he is limp. With both Shūhei and Tetsuzaemon defeated, and Momo and Rangiku in critical condition, Allon slowly walks toward Izuru, visibly scaring the latter. It is interrupted by a large hole forming on its chest, inflicted by none other than General Yamamoto, who complains about "having to do everything [himself]", while referring to his subordinates as "pathetic children".
Blaming himself for what happened to his comrades, Izuru apologizes to Yamamoto, stating that if he hadn't acted "the way that he did", then things "would've turned out differently". Yamamoto then tells him to "shut up" and continue watching, for Allon was in a state of panic. Seemingly surprised by the wound or shocked at the presence of blood, Allon briefly pauses and attempts to regenerate the wound by smacking it with his hand, causing the wound to close and its hand to swell to large proportions, leading its whole body to grow in size. After being demeaned by Yamamoto, it is cut in half by the General's Zanpakutō ability, "Nadegiri". Allon's left half then rises and lunges towards Yamamoto, only to be incinerated by Yamamoto's Shikai. During this "fight", Yamamoto consistently referred to Allon as a "childish pet", whose only apparent purpose is to kill, fight, and ultimately die "as a dog". Shocked and furious at having lost their "favorite pet", Apache, Sun-Sun, and Mila-Rose simultaneously attacked Yamamoto immediately after Allon's "unfortunate departure", only to be effortlessly defeated by him, but it remains to be seen if he actually killed them.
Clash of the Titans: Captain vs Espada
The Ice Dragon vs. The Shark: Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya vs Tia Harribel - Espada Tres
After the pillars were successfully defended, Rangiku challenged Harribel's Fracción while Tōshirō attacked Harribel. After Momo arrived, Hitsugaya subtly wonders if Momo has fully accepted the fact that Aizen is the enemy, or if she still has some doubts. Harribel catches on to this and asked why his reiatsu fluctuated. He response was that he "doesn’t know even why [he's] worried about [Momo]", though not exactly in those words. After Apache, Sun-Sun, and Mila-Rose were defeated and incapacitated by Yamamoto, Harribel falsely assumed that they were killed and angrily attacks Tōshirō, physically driving him back. Wanting to vent out her anger by ending the fight faster, she then unzips her jacket, revealing her rank as the 3rd Espada to Hitsugaya. When Harribel taunts Hitsugaya by claiming that she has "yet to fully demonstrate her amount of power", Hitsugaya activates his Bankai, now knowing her true rank and power-level, and Harribel charges at him, but not before quietly complimenting her fallen Fracción on their loyalty and combat prowess, commenting on how well they fought against their enemies. She then uses a attack called "Projectile Azure" which shoots energy from her sword, the attack knocks Hitsugaya down, Harribel then comments if this is all a captain can do.
Harribel then releases her Zanpakutō "Tiburón", which causes a heart shaped wave to appear behind her and change into a cyclone, she comes out in her Resurrección, in this form her hand is replaced with a type of sword and the mask on her face is now gone. she swings the blade once which sends a shock-wave that slices the right side of Hitsugaya's body from his shoulder, she then states "One Blow from the shark, and the Ice dragon sinks into the sea". Yamamoto then appears at the site of the battle. Seeing Yamamoto, Harribel then says she'll make him pay for taking her Fracción's lives. Suddenly, Hitsugaya attacks her but she is able to dodge and switch her sword to her other hand. However, the Hitsugaya she attacked was just an ice clone. He then tells Harribel to not underestimate the power of the Captains. As their fight ensues, he tells her that he can use any water around him, telling Harribel that she will never reach him. Hitsugaya then attacks Harribel. She reciprocates the situation by melting his ice and stating the iron law of battle. She finally attacks him with his melted ice. Their exchange of attacks continues and Hitsugaya tells her another law of battle. They continue their fight until Hitsugaya grows tired of it and stating that their fight isn't going anywhere.
He then reveals his never before seen power, Hyoten Hyakkaso. Hitsugaya then asks her name, which she replies; Tia Harribel and Hitsugaya himself properly introduces himself. As the sky darkens,snow begins to fall from the sky. Harribel attempts to melt the snow with her Hirviendo ability, but the moment her sword touches the snow, ice flowers begin to bloom on her body. Hitsugaya then calmly explains that once all one hundred flowers have bloomed, she will die. He then states that she won't be able to avenge her underlings after all. It is then revealed that the one hundred ice flowers has encased Harribel in a gigantic ice-flower obelisk.[2] Harribel's is later freed from the ice prison by the timely arrival of Wonderweiss, who's battle cry shattered the ice. Harribel looks to be completely unharmed by her stay in the ice.
The King and the Hornet: Captain Soifon vs Baraggan Luisenbarn - The Segunda Espada
After the fight with Ggio is finished, Baraggan finally rises from his throne and engages Soifon and Ōmaeda in battle. It appears that even the two of them combined are not strong enough to even move Baraggan. Tired of them from attempting to harm him, Baraggan removes a giant tomahawk from his throne and asks which one (Soifon or Ōmaeda) should he cut in two first. Ōmaeda then asks the captain if they should release their limits to which Baraggan also seems excited about as well, this is halted when Soifon states that their limits are already released upon coming here, since it was a case of emergency and they have been fighting at full power the entire time. Ōmaeda looks shocked at this news but the two of them still attacked Baraggan. But as Soifon kicks Baraggan, he then slows down Soifon's kick and counters this by grabbing her foot and throwing her away. As Soifon recovers from the throw, she then analyzes what Baraggan's power is. Seeing the look on Soifon, Baraggan then tells her the power of the Espadas, the aspects of death. He then demonstrates his powers by "aging" Soifon's bones, breaking them in the process.
He then releases his Zanpakutō to finish the battle. Soifon then discovers just how terrifying Baraggan's power really is as the building he stood on aged and rusted into nothingness. The Espada then unleashes his horrifying Death Breath, which inflicts her even as she is running away, her arm quickly rotting away to the bone. In a panic, she demands Ōmaeda to cut her arm off to stop the affliction from spreading further. After Ōmaeda severs her arm, Baraggan taunts her, saying how comical it is that a Shinigami, a god over death, can also fear death.
As Ōmaeda is still at a shock at how powerful Baraggan is, Soifon suddenly gets his attention by telling him that she will need him to act as decoy. Coward as he is, he tells his captain that it's impossible but Baraggan then rushes at him. Ōmaeda then runs for his life as Soifon waits for her plan to be executed. As the pursuit continues, Ōmaeda dodges yet another Respira, albeit a slow one, and starts to scream. Soifon hears this and she activates her Bankai after coiling a building with cloth. Just as Baraggan seems to be closing in on Ōmaeda to finish him off with his technique "Gran Caída", Baraggan notices the surge of energy from Soifon's Bankai being released and turns around to face her.
Soifon emerges and explains her reluctance to use her bankai, Jahkuho Raikoben, due to it being too large and heavy to function as an assassin's weapon. She then states that Jahkuho Raikoben's attack is "too flashy for assassination" but nevertheless fires a projectile attack at Baraggan resulting in a huge explosion. The explosion is powerful enough to not only push Soifon back, but also her lieutenant. Soifon's sash rips apart, but she's caught by Ōmaeda. Baraggan's has appeared from the smoke without any harm.
The Carefree Combatant vs. The Lone Wolf: Captain Shunsui Kyōraku vs Coyote Starrk - The Primera Espada
During the battle between the Soldiers and Baraggan's Fracción, Ukitake wonders if Yamamoto's swift, harsh actions were necessary. When the pillars are successfully defended, he quickly pairs himself up with Kyōraku and confronts Starrk and Lilynette. After an initial facedown, Kyōraku asks Starrk if Lilynette could be taken somewhere else during the battle, as he would have problems fighting with a young girl nearby. Lilynette responds with furious disbelief, but Starrk tells her to be quiet, accusing Kyōraku of using the statement as an excuse to try to avoid a fight. Captain Kyōraku takes notice of the fight between Rangiku, Momo and Harribel's Fracción, asking Starrk if they should "put on a show" as well. Starrk, unamused at Kyōraku's attempt at humor, flatly declines and states that neither one of them is fighting at full strength, as the others did. Starrk then makes note of how Kyōraku's short sword was still sheathed. When Kyōraku explains why, Starrk further notes that Kyōraku is obviously ambidextrous and that he's stronger with his left hand then his right, therefore Starrk doesn't quite believe his excuse for his supposed lack of using his short sword. Amused at Starrk's observations, Kyōraku comments on how he assumed that he had already corrected his strength difference. Kyōraku then proceeds to attack Starrk, which the latter dodges. Kyōraku suddenly switches hands mid-attack and corrects his swing, making the speed and skill of his right hand match his left.
After Starrk comments on the change, Kyōraku asks him whether he will "take the fight seriously" if he were to unsheathe his short sword. Starrk states that since Kyōraku is already "powerful enough", he wouldn't want him using another sword. Wanting to provoke Starrk into releasing his Zanpakutō in an effort to end the fight quicker, Kyōraku unsheathes it anyway. After several more sword clashes, two slightly bored combatants momentarily stop fighting and 'entertain' themselves by watching the outcome of the aforementioned Aerial Blitz; out of boredom, Starrk and Kyōraku observe Allon's creation, rampage across the battlefield, and subsequent death at the hands of General Yamamoto, the latter of whom subsequently incapacitates Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun. Starrk then notices Harribel's "change in tactics" (which forces Tōshirō Hitsugaya to activate his Bankai) shortly after her Fracción's defeat, and looks on with a slightly concerned facial expression.
Taking advantage, Kyōraku takes the time to deduce the ranks of the top three Espada by sensing their reiatsu from their battles. He correctly assumes that Harribel is the Tercera (3rd) Espada, hopes that Starrk is the Segunda (2nd), and that Baraggan is the Primera (1st). Slightly amused, Starrk reveals that he himself is the Primera. Although slightly disappointed at the revelation, Kyōraku quickly accepts the fact that he's currently fighting the most powerful Arrancar in Aizen's army, and remarks that "this fight won't be too easy after all". As the fight progresses Starrk manages to slice off part of Kyoraku's hat and then comments that it's impressive that Kyōraku hasn't lost his hat or kimono in the battle yet. Blood is seen trickling down from where Starrk sliced Kyōraku's hat off, the last successful attack seen. Then Starrk casually fires a cero coming out of in front of his chest having Kyōraku comment on the lack of pose. Starrk starts complaining about Kyōraku evading the attacks but is then highly surprised by Hitsugaya's technique. He is then seen after watching Hitsugaya's and Soifon's Bankai, and questions Kyōraku whether all their Bankais were that powerful. He asks Shunsui if his own Bankai was more powerful than Hitsugaya's. He replies that Hitsugaya is a genius and that maybe in 100 years, Hitsugaya might surpass him. With that, Starrk calls Lilynette and reveals that they are in fact one. While every other Arrancar splits into one body and a sword, they split into two bodies. He then releases his Resurrección form and is shown to have merged with Lilynette. Starrk uses his guns (Lilynette) to shoot a Cero at Shunsui and tells him that he wants to see the latter's Bankai. When the Captain tells him that if all he is going to do is shoot a Cero at him, he won't use his Bankai. In response to this, Starrk fires Cero Metralleta from his pistol. As he nearly hits his opponent, Ukitake negates his attack with a technique that Starrk questions if it was a Cero.
Shunsui begins to speak but Ukitake cuts him off explaining that he shouldn't complain because the Arrancar are double teaming him and his coming to his aid is only fair. Ukitake then comments that besides that Shunsui doesn't seem to want to use his Bankai. Shunsui assures him that he will eventually. Ukitake that he shouldn't use it out in the open where anyone could see.
Ukitake continues by saying that in any case his powers are better suited for this sort of fight. Starrk interprets by asking Ukitake how did he fire a cero. Ukitake plainly says who knows maybe he'll figure out if he does it again. Determined to figure out Ukitake's power Starrk fires again much to Lillynette's protest that its most likely a trap. No sooner does he fire a large cero that moments later comes right back at him, to which Starrk dodges. He fires again and notices the same result. He uses Sonído to get closer to Ukitake and then explains what he has learned of his ability. Ukitake is surprised that he figured it out after only three attacks. Starrk then expresses that he is glad that Ukitake's power isn't to reflect any and all attacks back at his opponent. Starrk surmises that if Ukitake has to absorb the attack first, there has to be a limit to what can be absorbed. He then tells Ukitake that he doesn't think he'll be able to absorb the attack if he fires 1,000 shots at once.
Before Starrk can fire Shunsui appears behind him and tries to cut of his head, but Starrk dodges and fires a large cero which Shunsui also dodges. Then seemingly out of nowhere a Garaganta begins to open surprising the the three combatants. Ukitake asks Shunsui if its someone new. Shunsui asks in response if Ukitake thinks its someone who could back up the top three Espada, because he hopes it isn't. When the Garganta is fully open Wonderweiss walks through. Ukitake and Shunsui both question who he is, while Starrk says his name just as surprised to see him there being accompanied by a huge Hollow, Fūrā.
As Ukitake stares at the Hollow, Wonderweiss uses Sonído to get behind him and pierces Ukitake's back with his hand. As Ukitake falls, Shunsui prepares to fight back only to be shot in the back by a point blank cero from Starrk He is then seen falling.
War in Hueco Mundo
Rukia Kuchiki vs Commander Rudobōn
Wanting to stop Ichigo from reaching Ulquiorra and Orihime, Commander Rudobōn and the Exequias appear and attack Ichigo, but are soon "greeted" by Chad, Renji, and Rukia, who engaged the Exequias in order to allow Ichigo safe passage. Rudobōn, unfazed and determined to stop Ichigo, ignored his friends and made his way to his target before being halted by Rukia, who froze both his sword and hand, as well as around seven members of the Exequias. Soon after, he effortlessly breaks the ice and, no longer concerned with an already out-of-range Ichigo, engages the Rukia instead. After Rukia uses Hakuren and swiftly eliminates the remainder of the Exequias, Rudobōn sends a fairly large number of Hollows to attack Chad and Renji, while he fights their apparent ringleader. Wanting Rudobōn to fight her at full-strength by releasing his Zanpakutō, so that she could quickly freeze him to death, in an effort to join up with Ichigo and assist him during his fight with Ulquiorra, Rukia notes that all of Rudobōn's subordinates have been defeated, and that Rudobōn should be "easy pickings", now that he's alone. Annoyed, Rudobōn releases his Zanpakutō, Arbol, and comments that "simply defeating a commander's subordinates doesn't mean that you can defeat him". At that moment, an explosion originating from a tower distracted both combatants from the battle. By pure instinct, both Rukia and Rudobōn immediately turned to the tower's direction. There was a large hole directly in the middle of the tower with smoke coming through it. Realizing that it is where Ichigo's fight with Ulquiorra takes place, Rukia looks on with a worried expression and quietly says Ichigo's name, noting her concern.
The majority of the fight between Rukia and Rudobōn was not shown on-screen, although it appears that more Exequias have arrived to aid Rudobōn, nearly overwhelming Rukia through their seemingly-endless amount of troops. Confident that he would win the match without having to actually fight his opponent, Rudobōn reveals to Rukia that the special ability of his Zanpakutō allows him to generate an unlimited amount of identical soldiers from the skulls on his Ressurrección's "tree-branches", and refers to them as "Calaveras" (Spanish for skulls), otherwise known as the Exequias, revealing that they are nothing more than mindless drones bred not only for war, but to serve their master, namely himself, faithfully and obediently. Since Arbol is a Zanpakutō that can generate new beings, Rudobōn sees it as the 'godly power of creation', implying that he could also be a megalomaniac. As his fight with Rukia continues, he taunts her at her apparent difficulty to defeat his numerous Calaberas. Arrogantly believing his victory to be near, and wanting to "bask in the moment" and "rub it in" his enemy's face, Rudobōn goes on to explain that, despite his unique ability to spawn more 'pseudo-Arrancar', such as the Exequias, he could not make the level of an Espada (much to his disappointment), and lamented that Rukia and her allies could never match neither him nor the Espada, for they are just 'flies against a shield'. The battle between them is momentarily halted once again, as Rudobōn notices that Ulquiorra has gone through the dome of Las Noches, much to Rudobōn's shock. Taking advantage of the fact that her enemy's now momentarily distracted, Rukia freezes and disables the soldier-generating branches, leaving the defeated Exequias commander vulnerable to an attack, much to his annoyance. In the midst of this stand-off, an angered and injured Yammy suddenly attacks Rudobōn and ends his and Rukia's fight, much to the surprise of both combatants, and 'crashes' down to Renji and Chad's level of the battle, taking Rukia with him as well. Remembering Hitsugaya's mentioning of Yammy, Chad notices that Yammy's "grown" much larger since his last appearance in the real world. Enraged at his defeat against the Quincy, Yammy declares that he'll kill Ishida for beating him. A large amount of reiatsu emulating from the above the Las Noches dome is then felt by all four participants.
Hope, Defiance, and Despair: Uryū Ishida and Ichigo Kurosaki vs Ulquiorra Cifer - Espada Cuatro - Round Two
As Ichigo flies toward Orihime's tower, he is suddenly attacked by Commander Rudobōn and the Exequias, but is assisted by Renji, Chad, and Rukia, who take out a large portion of the Exequias. While waiting, Ulquiorra questions Orihime if she feels any fear in knowing that her friends "will soon die". She boldly answers no, and states she's confident in her friends abilities. Ulquiorra then ridicules Orihime for having such feelings, asks how she can stand there unafraid even though she is alone, to which she replies that her heart is with her friends, so she's not alone. He then cryptically asks her what a heart is, and reaches out to touch the area above her heart, asking where he can find it. But before he can further interrogate her, Ichigo breaks in, ready to battle. After Ulquiorra brandishes his sword, Ichigo questions if Ulquiorra now considers him a "worthy opponent". Ulquiorra states that Ichigo is a threat to Las Noches and must be destroyed. Satisfied, Ichigo charges at his opponent and begins his final fight with Ulquiorra.
They appear to be on even ground so far, with Ulquiorra (mildly) injuring Ichigo by cutting his right shoulder off-screen. As their fight continues, Ulquiorra air-kicks Ichigo, attempting to throw him off-balance and open for an attack, but Ichigo, seeing through his tactic, quickly dodges the air-kick and swings his sword at Ulquiorra, wanting to wound him in retaliation for cutting his right shoulder. Ulquiorra quickly leaps over the sword and attempts to attack Ichigo in mid-air, but the latter, still wanting to injure Ulquiorra in retaliation for his earlier injury, uses Getsuga Tenshō, but Ulquiorra effortlessly slashes through it, much to Ichigo's surprise. Taking advantage, Ulquiorra suddenly vanishes for a brief moment and attacks Ichigo from behind, though the latter instinctively blocks his sword and continues the fight, with Ichigo slightly gaining the upper hand, much to Ulquiorra's surprise. Wanting to end the fight as quickly as possible without having to release his Zanpakutō, Ulquiorra fires his Cero at Ichigo, leaving a large hole in the tower's structure (as mentioned earlier), although he manages to withstand it, despite not having to don his Hollow mask. Ulquiorra then notes that Ichigo has gotten stronger, and asks him if it is because he has defeated Grimmjow, because he's trying to save Orihime, or because his friends are fighting down below them. Ichigo, however, doesn't respond. Claiming that "it won't matter, either way", and that Orihime is "already one of us", Ulquiorra states that rescuing her is "meaningless", while simultaneously implying that Orihime has been "hurt on the inside", much like Grimmjow did beforehand. Ichigo, in denial, states that "it's not [his] decision". Agreeing with Ichigo's statement, Ulquiorra tightly grips his sword, claims that it's "Aizen's decision", charges at his opponent, and resumes his fight with Ichigo.
Meanwhile, Loly is seen climbing a set of stairs, alongside Menoly, who states that, due to their mistaken belief that Orihime is a 'monster', she "doesn't want anything more to do with her", and believes that they should leave while they still have the chance. Despite her determination, Loly herself appears almost frightened at this, and claims that "this is [their] only chance to drag [Orihime] down".
Ulquiorra, apparently losing his patience, drives Ichigo into a wall and lunges his sword at Ichigo's head, the latter of whom barely dodges, severely damaging the wall as a result. In retaliation, Ichigo swings his sword at Ulquiorra's head, but the latter quickly blocks the attack with his own sword and side-swings it at Ichigo's head once more. Ichigo then instinctively ducks his head as Ulquiorra attacked, drove him to another piece of the wall (as the latter had done beforehand), and swung his sword at Ulquiorra's head yet again, only to have him swiftly dodge the attack by ducking. Ulquiorra again lunged his sword at Ichigo's eye, calculating that he would be easier to kill should he succeed. Predictably, Ichigo dodged the attack once again, only to have Ulquiorra quickly lunge his sword at Ichigo's eye three more times before destroying a piece of the wall Ichigo had drove Ulquiorra into earlier. As the fight continued, Ichigo eventually notices that he can keep up with Ulquiorra and understand his movements much better than during their first encounter. He even goes so far as to calculate that the only difference between their fighting styles is that Ulquiorra's reach is longer than his own, and calmly dodges Ulquiorra's barrage of sword-swings.
After dodging another one of his attacks, Ichigo notices an opening in Ulquiorra's stance and quickly catches Ulquiorra's wrist, much to surprise of the latter. Taking advantage, Ichigo opportunistically slashes Ulquiorra across the chest, ripping his jacket's front-half of the shirt and leaving a large cut across his chest, though the damage was minimal. Ichigo takes notice of this and comments on how tough Ulqiorra's Hierro is. As both combatants take the time to (briefly) pause, rest, catch their breathe, and regain their composure, Ichigo decides to inform Ulquiorra that he can "read [his] movements a lot better than last time". Ulquiorra confusedly asks his meaning behind that statement. Ichigo then explains that he "felt like he was fighting a machine or statue" during their last fight as he "could not read [Ulquiorra's] defense, offense, speed, direction, or reactions", but now he can, either by experience, because Ichigo has become more of a Hollow, or because Ulquiorra has become more of a human within the period between their two battles. Inwardly offended at the possibility of becoming more human, Ulquiorra angrily destroys a large piece of the ground with his sword. He then subtly reveals that, up until this point, he had been "holding back" his true potential, and flash-steps directly in front of Ichigo, his speed greatly increased. After failing to analyze Ulquiorra's movements, Ichigo, now with a bloodied right eye, barely dodges Ulquiorra's next attack and dashes across the room, hoping to regain his composure. Ichigo then notices Ulquiorra chasing him across the room soon after he attacked him, and side-swings his sword at Ulquiorra, only to have him temporarily vanish. Ulquiorra suddenly appears behind Ichigo and swings his sword at Ichigo once again, only to have his attack stopped by Orihime, with determination in her eyes, much to the surprise of both combatants. As Santen Kesshun disintegrates, Ulquiorra simply glares at Orihime, now indecisive as to what his reaction, as well as his response, should be.
Confused as to why Orihime interfered so late during the fight, when she could have deflected his first blow, Ulquiorra subtly interrogates Orihime, trying to intimidate her into not interfering in their fight again. However, Ichigo quickly stops the "interrogation" from continuing. His pride slightly hurt due to his "savior complex", and the fact that he was protected instead, Ichigo thanks Orihime for defending him, but tells her not to interfere again for the remainder of the fight. To which, Orihime reluctantly complies, her self-esteem damaged even further from her friend's refusal to let her intervene. Wanting to disable Ulquiorra quicker, Ichigo attempts to provoke Ulquiorra into attacking him by insulting his "manner of speech" (saying that he 'talks too much'), thus leaving him open for another attack, Ichigo gathers up enough reiatsu to form a large "aura" of Getsuga Tenshō's energy on his sword. Impassive, Ulquiorra arrogantly states that Getsuga Tenshō won't hurt him a second time. To his surprise, Ichigo charges at him with Getsuga Tenshō still on his sword, wanting his blows to have a stronger effect and disable his opponent quicker, and blocks it as Ichigo swings it down on Ulquiorra's head again. Slightly impressed, but retaining his usual indifferent persona, Ulquiorra deflects Ichigo's sword taunts Ichigo by reminding him that, even with his mask, Ichigo still wasn't able to injure Ulquiorra, let alone defeat, and claims that Ichigo's "new move" won't work on him. Annoyed, and with Getsuga Tenshō still in-hand, Ichigo angrily side-swings his sword at Ulquiorra again, only to have the latter effortlessly block his attack. Fearing her friend's safety, as well as her own, Orihime backs off to a wall and watches the fight rage on in front of her, only to have the aforementioned "wall" slowly slide open, enabling Loly and Menoly to grab her, and Loly proceeds to rip Orihime's clothes off in retribution for the 'incident' earlier, no longer bound by Aizen's orders not to harm Orihime.
Taking notice, Ichigo and Ulquiorra momentarily halt their fight as Loly attacks Orihime. Ichigo angrily charges at them, while Ulquiorra watches with an ambiguous expression in his eyes. Loly notices this and threatens to rip out Orihime's left eye should he continue his charge and "orders" him to back down. After charging Getsuga Tenshō and holding it in his sword again, Ichigo ignores Loly's threat and prepare to kill her, only to have Ulquiorra step in front of him and deflect his attack. Alarmed by his action, Loly looks at Ulquiorra with a surprised expression in her face. Ulquiorra, however, claims that he "isn't helping [her]" and effortlessly blocks Ichigo's next attack, still looking at Loly. Annoyed and impatient, Ichigo demands Ulquiorra to move. Ulquiorra provokes Ichigo into resuming his fight with him and momentarily forget about Orihime by telling Ichigo that he'll need to kill Ulquiorra first before rescuing Orihime, while Loly continues to torture Orihime. In the midst of all this, Yammy suddenly busts through a wall behind the participants, visibly surprising most of them and temporarily stopping the conflict within the throne room.
Realizing that Ichigo's improved over the past few months after their first encounter, Yammy informs Ulquiorra that he'll help him for the duration of the fight. Impassive, Ulquiorra simply tells not to interfere, and to either "go back to sleep" or to help the Espada fight against the Captains in Karakura. After being denied help by Ulquiorra, Yammy then notices Loly and Menoly with Orihime, and questions Ulquiorra as top why they were there in the first place, to which Ulquiorra simply tells him to "ask them" instead. Shocked at his sudden appearance, as well as his immense strength, Loly and Menoly stare at Yammy, knowing full-well that he'll kill them at any moment. Yammy then knocks Menoly into a wall, apparently incapacitating her. As he walks toward Loly, she tries to retaliate by releasing her Zanpakutō, yelling out that she'll kill both Yammy and Ulquiorra, and slightly cuts through Yammy's skin, mildly surprising him. Annoyed, Yammy pounds Loly into the ground and picks her up with his hand. Taking advantage of the fact that Loly released Orihime, Ichigo runs toward her, but is stopped by Ulquiorra, who reminds him that Ichigo will need to "get past [Ulquiorra] first. Yammy then coldly squeezes Loly's body and rams her through the wall, dropping her body below; the ultimate fate of both sisters remains uncertain. Remembering Aizen's statement that Orihime is "of no longer use" to him, Yammy asks Ulquiorra if he can kill Orihime, but Ishida suddenly arrives and knocks him down with one of his arrows, barely piercing Yammy's iron skin. Surprised by Uryū's unexpected appearance, Yammy tries to retaliate. However, Uryū secretly planted a Mayuri-developed landmine (specially designed for Arrancar) before appearing in the fight, and activates it, seemingly killing Yammy in the process.
Although greatly injured at the explosion, Yammy (barely) manages to survive and held on to the edge of the one of the holes created by the explosion, simultaneously yelling and cursing at Ishida for nearly killing him. Impassive, Ishida utilizes his bow's power and fires at Yammy's edge-holding hand, while explaining that he destroyed all of the lower pillars on his way up to the throne room, adding that Yammy would fall directly to the bottom, believing that at this height, Yammy would almost certainly die as a result. The mine's large explosion briefly interrupted the fight between Ichigo and Ulquiorra, both of which were curious as to how Ishida was able to plant the mine and why it took him this long to get to the tower's interior. Noticing their curiosity, Uryū explains that the mine, which was designed to weaken the strength of an Arrancar, was developed by Captain Kurotsuchi, and that Mayuri healed Renji first, which is why he took as long as he did to arrive. Satisfied with his 'excuse', Ichigo orders Uryū to protect Orihime for the duration of the battle, calculating that she wouldn't be injured during his fight with Ulquiorra, as a result. Inwardly grateful at this, Uryū gladly accepts, stating that he would've done so even without being ordered to by his comrades.
Fed up with the unnecessary amount of interruptions, Ichigo finally dons his Hollow mask, visibly surprising Ulquiorra, and charges at the latter, quickly gaining the upper hand against him and managing to drive Ulquiorra out of the tower's interior, pierce Ulquiorra's blade, and fully repulse a Cero blast. Realizing that Ichigo's strength has firmly surpassed his own, Ulquiorra heads to the top of the Las Noches, forcing Ichigo to chase after him.
After reaching the top himself, Ichigo realizes that they are above the dome of Las Noches and questions Ulquiorra as to why he decided to "change the scenery" of their battle. Once ready, Ulquiorra explains to him that within Las Noches, two actions are forbidden: the first is that the Espada must never use the Gran Rey Cero, while the second is that the top four Espada are forbidden to release their Zanpakutō, as both have the power to destroy much of the palace's structure, and subsequently proceeds to release his own Zanpakutō, with the call "Bind, Murciélago".
Murciélago unleashes with a burst of black reiatsu that falls around Ulquiorra as black rain. In his released state, Ulquiorra gains giant wings on his back, his hair becomes longer and wilder, his Hollow helmet centers atop his head, with two large horns extending outward to the sides towards the front, reminiscent of the silhouette of a Vasto Lorde's head. His Arrancar attire becomes more form-fitting and closed at the top, becoming more like a robe towards the bottom.
As Ichigo stares up at Ulquiorra, the latter warns him to not let his guard down and fight with all his might. He then attacks Ichigo with a powerful spiked weapon that breaks off the upper-right portion of Ichigo's mask. After Ichigo flash-steps away from Ulquiorra, the latter notes that Ichigo instinctively defended himself with a Getsuga Tenshō during the attack, claiming that had he not done so, the attack would have decapitated him. Battered and bloodied, Ichigo notes how powerful his opponent has become, stating that, even with his mask, he's still no match for Ulquiorra. As both combatants continue to stare at one another, apparently trying to their opponent's thoughts, Ulquiorra notices how Ichigo's able to maintain his Hollow mask much longer than before, but expresses his disappointment at how Ichigo's still weaker than him, and promptly charges at his opponent, hoping that Ichigo will 'put up a better fight' once he did.
Uryū and Orihime are next seen looking at a large hole in the fake sky of Hueco Mundo, presumably made Ulquiorra's release, with Uryū noting his surprise at the facade. Uryū notices Orihime visibly expressing grave concern towards Ichigo's safety, and reassures her that Ichigo will win, regardless of his enemy's power. Though this statement seems to slightly calm Orihime, Uryū inwardly states that he'll "only be able to say that for real" once Ichigo beats Ulquiorra, glares intently at the fake sky, and quietly states Ichigo's name, noting his concern over his friend.
As he's propelled across the room, Ichigo lunges his sword at the ground, hoping to regain his balance, uses the sword's position to flip backwards once the sword stopped moving across the room with him, and quickly repairs the damage done to his mask, only to have Ulquiorra attack him with his spike. Wanting to draw out his opponent's full power, just as Grimmjow had done beforehand (in regards to the mask), Ulquiorra 'orders' Ichigo to use his strongest attack, Getsuga Tenshō, against him, explaining that, since Ichigo's "at his strongest now", Ulquiorra wants to show his opponent just how outmatched he truly is against the Cuarta Espada. Taking advantage of the "opening" his opponent made for him, Ichigo promptly unleashes an oversized, black Getsuga Tenshō against Ulquiorra, only to have the latter effortlessly block it with his spike, visibly disappointed at how weak his opponent's (supposedly greatest) attack was. As Ichigo stares at his unharmed opponent, shock clearly visible in his eyes, Ulquiorra notes the similarity between Ichigo's black Getsuga and his Cero. Confused and insulted, Ichigo promptly disagrees. Realizing that Ichigo never had the chance to observe his fully-powered black Cero, and believing that fight to be over at this point, Ulquiorra unleashes "Cero Oscuras" directly at Ichigo, it's immense power engulfing the majority of the room and promptly consuming/incinerating everything in it's path.Ulquiorra's Cero Oscuras promptly engulfs Ichigo, critically injures him, and completely destroys his mask. It's worth noting that, once his mask was obliterated, Ichigo bore a shockingly identical resemblance to his inner Hollow for several seconds.
Elsewhere, the huge amount of reiatsu emulating from the battle is felt by both Uryū and Orihime, with the latter sensing that Ichigo was severely damaged by Ulquiorra. Orihime finally decides to take the initiative and asks Uryū to escort her above the dome in order to witness the battle between Cifer and Kurosaki first-hand. Uryū, knowing that she would eventually make such a request, and reluctantly accepts (a decision he immediately regrets after saying 'yes'). It's important to note that, after Orihime made her request, Uryū's retrospective narration about immediately regretting his decision indicates that something dire is about to happen to either Orihime, Ichigo, or himself.
Oscura propels a heavily-damaged Ichigo down from the sky, enabling Ulquiorra to flash-step in front of him and swing his sword at Ichigo, the force of the blade hitting him in the gut and sending him flying through two of the Las Noches towers, subsequently "landing" on one of said broken towers. A half-naked Ichigo is then shown kneeling down in front of a newly-arrived Ulquiorra, the latter of whom continues to taunt Ichigo by 'informing' him that, even though he looks like a Hollow and fights like a Hollow, he will never be a Hollow, and will never truly defeat his opponent, as a result. He even goes so far as to claim that it's "natural" for humans and Shinigami to "imitate" Hollows in order to get stronger, and finishes his monologue by stating that, despite the "imitations", humans and Hollows will never be equals.
Kurosaki is then shown kneeling like a supplicant in a church, light streaming down upon him, with Ulquiorra seeming rather beatific, descending from the light, as if he were an angel come to either answer the supplicant's plea, or to punish the apostate and return him to the fold. Despite his injuries, Ichigo, still refusing to surrender, tightly grips his sword, and somehow finds the strength to slowly stand up, while Ulquiorra simply watches. Ichigo's unwavering loyalty towards his friends and unbreakable determination earns him a peculiar look from Ulquiorra; as he watches Ichigo struggle to rise from the ground, despite the latter's sever injuries, Ulquiorra exhibits an emotionally-ambiguous expression on his face, it's look almost resembling pity or sympathy, as if he could somehow relate to Ichigo's situation. In defiance, Ichigo attempts to use Getsuga Tenshō once again. Kurosaki's persistence finally sets off an already-frustrated Ulquiorra, who desires to win this fight by breaking his opponent's resolve, thereby prompting him to uncharacteristically shout at Ichigo, ridiculing the latter's determination, while simultaneously ramming his spear into Ichigo's gut and propelling him into a wall inside one of Las Noches' towers. The force of the attack hurls Ichigo outside of said tower, nearly destroying it in the process. As Ichigo's flying across the air, Ulquiorra flash-steps next to him and slashes him with his spear, again hurling him into another tower and destroying half of its structure in the process. As Ichigo's body 'flies' above said tower, Ulquiorra flash-steps in front of him and grabs hold of Ichigo's clothes before he falls off, placing/holding the latter's body in front of him as he questions Ichigo's stubborn refusal to "give in" despite the immense difference in power between them. Undaunted, Ichigo states that he'll continue to fight Ulquiorra, regardless of both his injuries and Ulquiorra's greater status as a fighter, even going so far as to state that he will defeat Ulquiorra, in the long run. Annoyed, Ulquiorra then releases Ichigo from his choke-hold, dismisses his statement as "words of someone who does not know true despair", and proceeds to show him "true despair", by releasing a second time.
While he retains his black wings (which appear even more demonic), Ulquiorra's loses his long white coat, he becomes more muscular, his white eyes turn black (like a Hollow's), and his helmet is replaced with elongated horns. His arms turn completely black; from the mid-biceps to the finger tips, the latter of which grew claw-like extensions. There appears to be some kind of black-colored substance, possibly blood, dripping from his Hollow hole. The markings draping down from his eyes are now wider and more pronounced, he grows a long tail, and his legs are hidden behind what seems to be either a veil of shadow, or jet black fur, and his number appears non-existent.
As Ulquiorra releases a second time, Uryū and Orihime are shown elevating towards a tower, wanting to observe the fight first-hand, through the use of a recently-developed, Hueco Mundo-use-exclusive 'reiatsu circle', that acts as a sort of 'elevator', and subsequently feels enormous reiatsu emulating from Ulquiorra's second release; Uryū comments that it's "too dense and heavy to be called reiatsu", stating that it's "like there's an ocean above the sky", and uses his own reiatsu to get the aforementioned 'reiatsu circle' to 'pick up more speed' and get to the battle faster.
After finishing his release, Ulquiorra refers to it as "Resurrección Segunda Etapa", and states that he's the only Espada capable of having a second release, going so far as to claim that even Aizen doesn't know of it's existence. Seemingly unfazed by Ulquiorra's devilish appearance, Ichigo rises from the ground yet again to resume the fight. Confused and frustrated at his opponents' defiance, Ulquiorra comments on this as Ichigo stands up, states that he'll "rip [Ichigo's] body to shreds and make [him] understand what true despair is", and charges at Ichigo, who holds his sword diagonally and defensively, ready to block his enemy's next attack, only to have Ulquiorra unexpectedly flash-step to Ichigo's side, grab a-hold of his head, and apparently throw him towards yet another tower. As Ichigo rises from the damaged Arrancar structure, Ulquiorra flash-steps in front Ichigo again and attacks, with Ichigo instinctively using his sword to block the one-hand attack (reminiscent of the third Grimmjow fight), only to have a slightly annoyed Ulquiorra whack Ichigo's face with his tail. Ichigo opportunistically revives his Hollow mask while he's in the air, hoping to fight Ulquiorra better, with the latter bemoaning the former's decision and grabbing Ichigo's sword again as they're flying across the air. Ulquiorra then admits that he doesn't understand why Ichigo continues to fight, even though he's obviously losing the battle, and throws him through two more towers, with Ichigo losing his mask again, quickly regaining his balance, stopping himself from going through another tower, and appears to 'float' while in the air. Ulquiorra then expresses his inability to understand Ichigo's resolve, believing it is a Human's "heart" which causes them pain and ultimately result in their deaths. Defiant to the end, Ichigo promptly disagrees, stating that he isn't fighting because he thinks he can win, but because he has to win. Ulquiorra dismisses his enemy's response as "nonsense", and attacks Ichigo once again.
Ishida and Inoue are now shown to have arrived at one of the still-intact towers, with the reiatsu-elevator-circle evaporating once they arrived. As they look for the two combatants, Orihime quickly notices Ulquiorra holding Ichigo's throat by his tail, atop one of the intact towers, with Ulquiorra commenting on this and stating that they've arrived "just in time" to see the man they've "placed their hope in" lose his life. As Orihime begs for Ulquiorra to stop, he then raises his right hand, utilizes Cero Oscuras's power, and blasts a hole in Ichigo's chest, instantaneously killing him in the process. As Orihime looks on in horror, Ulquiorra releases Ichigo's corpse from his choke-hold, causing it to fall several hundred stories from the tower, only to be stopped by Orihime's Santen Kesshun. Devastated, Orihime desperately runs to Kurosaki's corpse, attempting to use Sōten Kisshun to resurrect him once again, but her path is suddenly blocked by Cifer, claiming that Orihime's powers are not enough resurrect Ichigo. Before he could continue to interrogate Inoue once again, an angered Ishida suddenly flies behind Cifer, weapon in hand, and fires an arrow at Ulquiorra's shoulder. Undaunted, Ulquiorra deflects the arrow with his wing, enabling Inoue to continue running toward Kurosaki's corpse as Ulquiorra faces Uryū. Wanting top buy Orihime enough time to resurrect Ichigo, Uryū fires a wave of arrows toward Ulquiorra, the who easily deflects all of them. Uryū then utilizes Licht Regen's power and fires several thousand more arrows at Ulquiorra, dust and smoke seemingly engulfing the latter as the arrows either miss their target or are deflected by the wings. After Uryū swiftly flash-steps back to the ground, Ulquiorra expresses his surprise at witnessing "the calm one among Ichigo's friends" recklessly attack his opponent. Regaining his composure, Uryū states that he is calm, which is why he's able to fight Cifer. As Orihime runs up to Ichigo, she activates Sōten Kisshun and attempts to resurrect her fallen comrade, but to no avail. Overcome with sorrow, Orihime falls to her knees and breaks down crying, all the while mentally expressing her shock at Ichigo's death and desperately questioning herself on what her next move should be, now that the man she loved is dead. During the fight between Cifer and Ishida, the former suddenly severs the latter's left hand and sends him flying across the room, passing Orihime and Ichigo, but quickly regains his balance. Orihime looks on in surprise, as Uryū begins to breath heavily from his loss. Noticing her concern, Uryū quickly uses anaesthesia to stop the bleeding, and urges her to continue healing Kurosaki, as he activates a Seele Schneider and charges at Ulquiorra, all the while knowing that he wouldn't survive another attack from Ulquiorra, regardless of what he does. Not wanting to lose another friend, Orihime begs for Ishida to stop, and calls out out her shield to help Ishida, only to have Ulquiorra swing his tail at Uryū, effortlessly breaking the shield and apparently incapacitating Uryū in the process. As Ulquiorra prepares to kill an apparently unconscious Uryū, Orhime begins to lose hope, ultimately leading her to panic and frantically beg for Ichigo to help her, failing to notice that Ichigo's hair begins to grow longer, resembling a mane...
Hearing Orihime's desperate cry for help, Ichigo apparently resurrects himself once more (presumably because of his inner Hollow), ultimately transforming once more into a Hollow form that looks similar to an Arrancar, surprisingly unlike the one seen during his Vizard training. In this new form, he has a different Hollow mask, resembling more of a human/bull skull, complete with a jaw joint and rounded forehead. From the back of the mask, four spike-shaped marks stretch, two of them stopping by the forehead, and the other two stretching past the eyes and teeth, going past his chin and joining with the marks on his chest. There are also small marks resembling a heart, but with the top and bottom open, extending from the inner corners of his eyes. The mask features two long forward-pointing horns with black strips extending from their center towards the tips. He has long straight hair, and a Hollow hole even larger than his previous one, decorated with markings stretching from the hole, across his chest and shoulders. He also has small furry tufts on his ankles and wrists, as well as seemingly white skin. Stunned at Ichigo's unexpected revival and transformation into a Hollow, Uryū, and Orihime both stare on in disbelief, while Ulquiorra himself visibly/verbally expresses his shock at this, enabling Kurosaki to summon his Zanpakutō with just a wave of his hand, and uses it to destroy a large portion of the ground (whether to display his immense power and intimidate his opponent, or to force his friends not to interfere for the remainder of his fight with the Cuarta Espada), forcing Uryū to grab Orihime and flash-step away from the rubble seconds before it buried both of them. Regaining his composure, Ulquiorra then questions the newly-transformed Hollow Ichigo as to "what he really is", only to have Ichigo roar like an angered beast. Realizing that talk is useless, Ulquiorra utilizes Oscuro again, with Kurosaki charging his own cero from the tip of his horns, much to Cifer's surprise. He then charges his cero faster, wanting to stop Ichigo from firing his, which could potentially kill Ulquiorra himself in the long run, quickly leading to both combatants simultaneously firing their respective ceros at each other. The shockwave emanating from the immense "energy-clash" was powerful enough to destroy a large portion of the Las Noches dome. Realizing that Ichigo's cero is even more powerful than Oscuro, Ulquiorra quickly moves away from the blast using Sonído. Stunned by his enemy's power, and still in disbelief as a result, Ulquiorra states that "no matter the appearance, that cero was not a cero", as humans are incapable of using Hollow attacks. As he flies across the air, Ichigo suddenly flash-steps behind Ulquiorra and effortlessly rips off his arm before Ulquiorra could even react. Amid this, however, both Uryū and Orihime, who were able to take refuge somewhere near the rubble (caused by Kurosaki's ground sword-swing), express their concern regarding Ichigo's current state, for he does not react to anything that is said to him, nor does he speak.
Ulquiorra is then shown standing on the ground, bleeding from his left arm while Kurosaki slowly elevates high in the air, his menacing 'eyes' fixated on his injured opponent. Taking advantage of the temporary cease in the fighting, Ulquiorra quickly regenerates his arm, explaining that his greatest power isn't offense, but rapid regeneration, also explaining that he can regenerate every part of his body, excluding his internal organs. He then expresses his uncertainty regarding the reason behind the earlier Hollow transformation, but arrogantly claims that since he stopped and glared at his opponent after tearing an arm off, Kurosaki will never win. He then utilizes "Lanza del Relampago", creating a mass of energy shaped like a javelin and raises it high in the air. Ulquiorra then admits that he's never had to use any of his powers until now, since he's never fought anyone as powerful as Kurosaki before, and not knowing how big of an explosion Relampago could cause, as well as not wanting to needlessly kill himself in the process, warns Kurosaki "not to come any closer" to him, and throws it at Kurosaki, narrowly missing him and sending it flying throw a broken wall, and out several miles into the Hueco Mundo desert, instantaneously destroying a large part of the ground with it. An enormous shockwave is felt by the combatants, nearly propelling Orihime and Uryū out of the room. Bemoaning his miss, and claiming Relampago to be "harder to control" than he thought, Cifer utilizes another Relampago and prepares to throw it at Kurosaki, intending to kill him should be succeed, only to have his opponent swiftly flash-step behind him swing his sword at him, with Ulquiorra barely dodging it in time. Kurosaki then coldly throws his enemy's severed arm right back at him, prompting Ulquiorra to destroy it with an energy-blast from Relampago, and criticize his opponent for underestimating his reflexes, as he raises Relampago up in the air again and lunges it at his opponent, only to have Kurosaki flash-step in front of him and block Relampago barehanded, much to Ulquiorra's shock. Using his immense strength to repel the attack and flung it to the ground, Kurosaki utilizes Getsuga's power again, uses his reiatsu to keep it on the blade, and slash across his opponent's chest, the force of the attack not only breaks a horn, but also grazes Cifer's heart and other internal organs, mortally wounding him and leaving him open for attack. As Kurosaki stands above his downed opponent, Uryū expresses his surprise at the victory, his expression a mixture of shock and horror, almost as if he wished for Ulquiorra, the lesser of the two evils to win, rather than the mindless, bloodthirsty berserker that Kurosaki has become. Stunned at his relatively quick defeat, Ulquiorra expresses his disbelief that a "Human-turned-Hollow-hybrid" defeated him. Kurosaki then coldly steps on Ulquiorra's head and charges his cero, aiming it downwards at his opponent, apparently wanting to finish the fight, much to Uryū's shock and disapproval. Defeated and demoralized, Ulquiorra applauds Kurosaki's merciless tactic, stating that it's "rather Hollow-like", and expresses his disdain regarding death, claiming that he no longer has a purpose in life, now that Ichigo's beaten him, and encourages him to fire the cero, to which Kurosaki obliges, the smoke emulating from the large explosion apparently engulfing Uryū and Orihime, and the blast itself rattling the dome of Las Noches....
As the enormous shockwave destroys the dome, Orihime uses her Santen Kesshun shield to defend herself and Uryū from the blast, enabling Uryū to observe his friend hovering in the air, holding a defeated Ulquiorra by his right wing; the lower half of his body and left wing appear to have been destroyed by the cero. As Uryū looks on, Kurosaki coldly throws Ulquiorra's body to the ground, flash-steps back down to the ground himself, and prepares to finish off Ulquiorra, only to have Uryū stop him at the last minute. Hoping to put an end to this, Uryū tries to convince Kurosaki not to kill his opponent, as he already won the battle, and that there's no need to "carve up an injured man, enemy or not". However, Kurosaki doesn't respond, instead trying to break free of Uryū's grasp and finish Ulquiorra, to which Uryū angrily warns Kurosaki that, should he succeed in killing off his opponent, he not only validate Ulquiorra's belief that emotions are useless and will lead to the deaths of all humans, but will forever lose his humanity and become a full-fledged Hollow, only for Ichigo to cruelly throw Tensa Zangetsu at Uryū's stomach, propelling him into the ground, much to Orihime's shock. He then looks at her, no readable emotion on his 'expression', and ominously states her that he'll "help her", revealing that his true nature is mindlessly driven by the desire to protect Orihime, regardless of who he ends up killing in the end. Remembering that she begged for Kurosaki to "help her" prior to his transformation, a guilt-ridden Orihime not only blames herself for his condition, but also states her disappointment/frustration on how he ended up saving her in the end, not the other way around, as she wanted it. Kurosaki then turns his attention to Ishida, utilizes his cero's power, and aims it at Uryū, while Orihime desperately pleads for him to stop, not wanting to lose yet another friend because of her. In the midst of this, a regenerating Ulquiorra suddenly appears behind Kurosaki, a look of determination and slight desperation evident in his eyes, with his Lanza del Relampago in hand, and stops Kurosaki from killing Ishida by severing one of the former's horns, causing the cero to disperse skyward.
In the aftermath of the explosion, to everyone's shock, Ichigo's mask suddenly crumbles, as he falls to the ground in exhaustion. As Ulquiorra looks on in surprise, and as Orihime runs toward Kurosaki's body, the former states that while the remainder of his body are slowly regenerating, the rest of the organs in his body that were decimated from Ichigo's cero won't, and states that if he hadn't attacked him when he did, then he would've been "lying on the floor" instead. Immediately thereafter, using the same 'rapid regeneration' he used during his vizard training several days earlier, Ichigo's body instantly heals the hole made by Ulquiorra's Cero Oscuras, causing him to lose his longer hair and 'awaken' from his state, again to everyone's surprise, mainly his own. Out of concern for his friends' safety, Ichigo questions Orihime's condition, to which she slightly smiles. Ichigo then looks at Uryū, the sword still lodged in his stomach, and asks if he was the one that pierced his friend. Ulquiorra then flash-steps toward Uryū, removes Zangetsu from his chest, throws it to Ichigo, and demands that they finish their battle once and for all. As Ulquiorra utilizes another Relampago, Ichigo again asks if he pierced Uryū and dismembered Ulquiorra, to which the latter simply glares at him. Taking the glare as a confirmation, Ichigo then asks that Ulquiorra dismembers him as well, so they can finish the fight fairly, much to Orihime's surprise, Ishida's disapproval, and Ulquiorra's confusion. As his answer, Ichigo goes on to claim that it was the inner Hollow that defeated Ulquiorra, and that he had little to no control over it. Just before Ulquiorra accepts his enemy's "wish", his other wing, as well as his entire body begins disintegrating. Realizing that "it's the end of the road" for him, Ulquiorra demands that Ichigo kills him before he evaporates completely, and goes on to claim that if he doesn't, then "it will never be over", to which the latter selfishly proclaims that this "isn't what he wanted", both from the inner Hollow's slight interference and the end of this fight. Alarmed/shocked and slightly disappointed, Ulquiorra then states that even in the end, Ichigo never does anything that Ulquiorra wanted, and admits that he finally started finding humans "a little" interesting. Ulquiorra takes one final glance at Orihime, reaches out his hand to her, and asks her if she is frightened of him, to which she responds 'no' and slowly starts reaching out to his hand, sorrow now apparently displayed in her eyes. Ulquiorra contemplates what the heart is and reaches out to Orihime, only to disintegrate in the wind, in his final thoughts Ulquiorra realizes finally realizes what the heart is. Through Orihime's act of compassion, Ulquiorra is able to find his own heart.
Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, & Yasutora Sado VS. Cero Espada Yammy Rialgo
After Yammy is defeated by Uryū Ishida, he lands next to Renji, Sado, and Rukia. After interrupting the latter's fight with Rudobōn, seemingly killing him. Yammy is briefly surprised by Ichigo's sudden raise in spirit energy and later by the death of Ulquiorra. The three then comment that Yammy is the 10th and therefore weakest Espada and they could beat him with ease. Yammy goes into a rage and releases his Zanpakutō Ira, which transforms him into a massive giant and also changes his rank from 10 to 0. He then explains that the Espada ranks do not go from 1-10 but 0-9. The three then stand surprised at their new opponent.
Bringing Down The Behemoth: Ichigo Kurosaki, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Kenpachi Zaraki vs. Cero Espada Yammy Riyalgo - Round Two
Continuing from Rukia, Chad, and Renji's fight, it is shown later on that all three have been defeated, with Rukia the only one left standing. Yammy holds Rukia up in the air, and remarks how hard it is to hold someone of her size compared to his own. Rukia fires Sokatsui in Yammy's face, though it has no apparent effect on him, and then his hands "slip", causing her to fall. Just before Rukia falls to her death, Ichigo arrives and saves her. He greets Yammy and remarked on his incredible size compared to the last time he saw him, while the latter gets enraged upon noticing him. Yammy charges up with a Cero, but Ichigo counters with a quick Getsuga Tenshou to his face. During the fight, Rukia asks why Ichigo isn't with Orihime and thought he saved her, to which he answers that he indeed saved Orihime, and she is currently tending to Uryu's wounds. Yammy throws another punch while they are talking, but Ichigo dodges again, much to Yammy's annoyance. Yammy attacks a few more times, and finally hits Ichigo. Ichigo then states he wasn't dodging his attacks to run away, but to lure him away from the area where his comrades have fallen. Ichigo then puts on a new mask, and knocks Yammy down with a monstrous blow.
Having seemingly defeated Yammy, Ichigo's mask dissipates and he remarks on the feeling of putting the new mask on and asked himself if it had to do with the Hollow transformation during his fight with Ulquiorra. Not surprisingly, Rukia also wonders about the difference of his various masks, this new mask looking nothing like the previous ones. Suddenly, Yammy gets up and attacks Ichigo. Yammy comments on Ichigo's attack "nicking" his neck, much to Ichigo's surprise. He attempts to put on his mask again, but fails. He is then hit with a barrage of Bala coming from Yammy's fists. Just about to be finished off, Ichigo is saved with the timely arrival of captains Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki, the former distracting Yammy with Sokatsui and the latter cutting one of Yammy's legs off.
After the captains' arrival, Ichigo asks why they came here when he could take on Yammy by himself, to which Kenpachi answers by attacking Ichigo, much to his surprise. Mayuri Kurotsuchi then appears to inform everyone that he had found a way to open a Garganta so they could escape to Karakura Town. Ichigo wants to stay in Hueco Mundo to fight Yammy, but Mayuri makes Ichigo the first test subject for entering his Garganta, with Retsu Unohana accompanying him. Ichigo still refuses, to which Byakuya reminds him of what his duty is, which was to protect Karakura Town. Ichigo finally decides to go and help the Gotei 13 fight Aizen. After Mayrui opens the Garganta he explains to Ichigo and Unohana that if they get stuck between worlds then there would be no way of returning, Ichigo responds by saying that Mayuri and Urahara are similar in that they both gave similar instructions. Mayuri becomes outraged at this and as the 2 enter the garganta he states that he will devise a plan that will make Ichigo look back fondly on the war. Meanwhile, Kenpachi manages to deal even more damage to Yammy by cutting off his legs and fingers one by one, he finally announces that he is done for and asks Byakuya to finish him off, Byakuya refuses stating that finishing off a opponent is more suited to a barbarian like Kenpachi, the two argue a while before Yammy slams his fist down in between them and Byakuya releases his Bankai as the two head off to attack each other and strike Yammy directly in the face at the same time stating that "he is in there way". The two continue their argument before Yammy rises again and goes into an even larger and powerful form, he reveals that his Resurection is "Ira"- (ones anger) and the angrier he gets the stronger he becomes, Byakuya and Kenpachi look on with annoyance while Mayuri (who is waiting to study Yammy's corpse) states that if he gets any bigger it will interfere with the autopsy.
Discovery in the Garganta
While traveling through the garganta Unohana tells Ichigo that he is the only person who is capable of defeating Aizen since he as neither seen his Shikai and that he has captain-class level reiastu, Unohana states that it is most important that Ichigo NOT see Aizen's Shikai, otherwise the war would be considered over. Later noticing that the path Ichigo has created is very un-stable Unohana asks to run ahead of him, the new path she creates is smoother and much more stable and Ichigo comments that how Captain's can make such a better path, Unohana says that Ichigo's power is not much different but just that is very rough. Ichigo protests and says that if he were at FULL power then he could construct a much more better path, Unohana asks what gave him that idea, Ichigo responds by pointing out that the shihasko that his Bankai is a part of is also a physical means off telling how much power he has left and states that since he only has the right sleeve then his power is not even at half stregenth and although Orihime healed his wounds, his reiatsu hasn't been fully replenished yet. Unohana becomes shocked at this wondering that why she assumed that since Ichigo's power was already at Captain class, it must be at full power. She stops and asks Ichigo to run in front of her while she fully replenishishes his reiastu with healing Kido.
The Battle Between Bretheren: Vizards vs Espada
The Vizard vs Aizen's Army
When the Shinigami begin to lose their respective battles and the Arrancar begin to mount a comeback that culminates in Aizen's escape, the Vizard appear on the battlefield. Shinji briefly greets Aizen in a mocking manner, and then asks his fellow Vizard if there is anyone in the Gotei 13 they would like to speak to. He ends up in a short argument with Hiyori, followed by the others expressing their disinterest in speaking to their former comrades, with the exception of Lisa, who flash steps away.[3] She speaks briefly with Shunsui, her former captain, after stepping on his head and telling him to stop playing dead. Before she returns to the Vizard, she tells him to watch how strong she has become, and he in turn remarks that he is glad to see she is alright. She then joins the Vizard after this. At the same time, Shinji then approaches Yamamoto to greet him, to which the commander asks if he has come for revenge. Shinji plainly tells him against Aizen, yes, but that he holds no such ambitions against the Gotei 13. Yamamoto asks Shinji if he is right to assume they are then allies, to which Shinji replies that they aren't. However, he clarifies that although they are not on the Gotei 13's side, they are against Aizen and are allies of Ichigo.[4] He then returns to the other Vizard, who bring forth their masks when the Giant Unnamed Hollow creature spews forth a huge amount of Gillian-class Menos from its mouth.[5] They then attacked the Gillian, showing off each of their powers. Shinji, however, confronts Aizen and tells him it's time to finish this off.[6].
The Demon, The Bird and The Wolf: Love Aikawa and Rōjūrō Otoribashi VS. Coyote Starrk-The Primera Espada
After helping to defeat the Gillian, Love and Rose confront Starrk. Rose starts a long monologue about how humanity has a bad habit of banding together when faced by a common enemy but Love hits him on the back of the head and tells Rose that he should concentrate since their enemy is extremely powerful. Starrk asks why the two were removing their masks (as he is aware that they are stronger with them on), to which Love responds it's because they're superheroes and their masks only last 3 minutes.
Love then discusses with Rose about how death breeds revenge. He then releases his Zanpakutō's (Tengumaru) Shikai, and attempts to hit Starrk with his club. Starrk uses Cero with his gun, but Love blocks and says that won't work on him. Starrk dodges his club, and appears behind Love. Love explains how fast he is, and then he quickly hits Starrk with Tengumaru, send him to the ground. Love explains that Starrk has barely responded, and Starrk just simply lies on the ground. Lilynette yells at him to get up, and Starrk says he doesn't want revenge, and that they should just go home, as he believes that Aizen doesn't care about any of them. Lilynette shouts at Starrk, reminding him that he's number one, and that if he does nothing, his comrades will die. Starrk agrees, as Rose asks Love if he got him. Love says that he's just not moving, and that he may be plotting something. Starrk comes back and Love attacks again. Love then puts his mask on, and he uses an attack called Hifuki No Kozuchi, and Starrk gets sent to the ground in an explosion. Starrk suddenly appears above Love, with a pack of wolves behind him appearing out of his two bullet belts. Love and Rose stare and wonder what these new creatures are as Starrk commands them to attack. The two Vizard immediately dawn their masks and Love directly hits a few wolfs with his cudgel. However, they simply reform and attack again. Rose then uses his Shikai and his Zanpakutō Kinshara becomes a whip with a flower at the tip. Rose uses it to strike a few more wolves but once again they simply reform, Rose states he hates magical-type attacks and uses the flower at the end of his whip to strike another wolf and the uses Kinshara Sonet #11, Izayoi Barra. Rose then taps his whip like playing piano keys and a massive explosion occurs from where he struck the wolf. Love comments that they are like flames. One of the wolves then bites Love on the leg, tired of the seemingly endless mass of wolves he is ready to strike it, but the wolf then creates a massive explosion, which destroys all of the nearby buildings. Love jumps from the blast, with his mask now gone, and now comments that they are not like flames, but Ceros and they came from Starrk's gun. Another wolf appears and ignites behind Love causing another explosion. Starrk then reveals that they are not Ceros, since Ceros would not be able to critically injure Love as the wolves did. Instead, they are actually split pieces of Starrk's and Lilynette's soul, and therefore, are also the Primera Espada. Starrk then reveals his and Lilynette's full names, Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerback. Love emerges from this explosion now with his glasses gone and looking severally beaten. Starrk asks the two to run and that he will not follow them. Love declines and Starrk begins his decent to finish them, although he does not really want to. As soon as he lands, Starrk is stabbed through his body directly below his Hollow hole by Shunsui Kyōraku's blade.
The Carefree Combatant vs. The Lone Wolf: Captain Shunsui Kyōraku vs Coyote Starrk - The Primera Espada - Round Two
The wolves begin to overpower the two Vizard, and seeing this Starrk claims that if they run away, he would turn a blind eye and not chase them. Love refuses, and just as Starrk is about to finish off Love and Rose, Kyōraku stabs him from the shadows. Kyōraku was actually hiding in the shadows thanks to the ability of his Zanpakutō. He then proceeds to explain the abilities of his Zanpakutō, denying Starrk's charge that he was hiding his powers; stating that his Zanpakutō was not in the mood for that game before and that though he loves his sword, it is very selfish and he doesn't like playing with it because it jerks him around.
Starrk, surprised at the sudden recovery, states to Kyōraku saying that he was a tough opponent. Kyoraku then says the same about Starrk. Shunsui proceeds to attack Starrk, saying that his Zanpakutō had to awaken before he could use his true power. He explained that this was all a game. As he said this, he sliced down at Starrk's arm, while saying the color grey. Starrk inwardly commented on the power of the strike, feeling as if the captain had chopped his arm off, even though it was only a small cut. The captain then told Starrk to say a color and attack. Starrk then deals a devastating slash to Kyōraku, saying the color white. Kyoraku admits surprise at how fast Starrk guessed his worst color so quickly, but dispatches Starrk with a final strike, saying "black." As Starrk feels his life fading, he is happy at least to know he didn't die alone, having Lilynette with him. He also recalled the other Espada in his dying moments. He looks up at Aizen as he falls and tells him sorry for not being able to repay him. He then recalls the other Espada and Lilynette and his first meeting with her, when he finally realizes he wasn't alone.
The Clever Magician, the Stubborn Bee, and the Arrogant King: Hachigen Ushōda, Soifon, and Marechiyo Ōmaeda VS. Baraggan Luisenbarn-The Segunda Espada
After defeating several Gillian, Hachi appears before Soifon and her vice-captain. He agrees with Hiyori that he doesn't really want to help out the Shinigami, but then agrees that they don't need a reason for two sides to join forces. With that, he confronts Baraggan. Initially, he greets Soifon but the latter did not acknowledge him, saying she haven't seen him before in her life. Grew tired of waiting, Baraggan then confronts Hachigen. Hachi encases Baraggan before the latter can attack. Hachigen then states Baraggan's power as truly fearsome. Unfortunately, Baraggan uses his power to get out of the Kidō cage and states that age can touch Kidō, surprising Hachigen. Baraggan explains that since Humans and Shinigami die then everything that they create can die as well, even Kidō which can last for thousands of years can not last forever and that "forever" is just a meaningless word. Hachi the creates another barrier this one is several stories tall. Baraggan uses his Respira to start eroding the barrier, Hachi begins to enchant the spells incantation increasing its strength. He then asks Soifon that he needs her Bankai and that even though she doesn't like him, because he seems connected to Kisuke Urahara, this is not the time for that. Soifon asks if the two will make a deal. Baraggan simply concludes that they are just stalling, before three new barriers form behind him, a pinwheel shaped barrier appears to his left a honeycomb one appears to his right and a massive lampshade shaped barriers appears above him, creating a massive cube shaped barrier. Baraggan simply laughs at this foolish attempt to stop him, comparing it to spitting in the face of god. Hachi explains that the barriers are not meant to seal him, with that Soifon sticks her Bankai through an opening in the pinwheel barrier while she confirms that Hachi will seal Urahara in one of his barriers starting tomorrow. Hachi agrees and Soifon fires her Bankai into the barrier while Baraggan shows verbal fear by saying "You...bastards". A large crack then appears along the bottom of the barrier.
After the attack Soifon is left greatly exhausted, causing her to fall out of the air which prompts her lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda to go to her aid. Hachi remarks at how he is surprised that she cracked the "Gates of the Four Beasts" going further to note how unbelievable her power is. He then snaps his fingers causing the Barrier to fix itself. Hachi then calls down to Ōmaeda to ascertain captain Soifon's status. Ōmaeda yells that she is not alright and that his inclusion of her in his plans could have killed her. Soifon stands up and remarks that she can normally only use "Jakuho Raikoben" no more than once every three days and she has just done it twice in one day. She smirks and comments to Hachi that he better pay her back to which he agrees he will uphold his end of the bargain. Immediately after the exchange, the building under Soifon and Ōmaeda begins to crumble and fall apart. His opponents realizing it's the deteriorating powers of Baraggan's Respira. Baraggan screams from beyond the smoke screen that he will never forgive them. Hachi's eye widen in surprise stating that its impossible for him to be alive. Baraggan continues telling them he will not forgive them for injuring him. He finally appears with the left half of his face blown off. He tells them they will pay for turning their backs on him. He brings forth more Respira to engulf the area. Hachi puts up a barrier and dons his Hollow Mask in order to repel the Respira. Baraggan tells him he is clever but asks who he thinks he is playing Hollow with as he should know his place for he is the the Great Emperor, the God of Hueco Mundo. The Respira breaks through Hachi's barrier, and Soifon screams his name as Baraggan laughs. Baraggan goes into a speech about all who are beneath him, from Humans, Shinigami, Hollow and Arrancar, but regardless of their power and differences and dominions, only his power is absolute, as his Respira attacks Hachi shattering his Hollow Mask. As he continues to speak Hachi's right arm is enveloped in Baraggan's Respira causing it to begin deteriorating. Hachi covers what's left of his arm with a barrier, causing Baraggan to pause and question what Hachi has done to his right arm. Hachi then points at Baraggan to which the Espada asks what he is doing, Hachi plainly states that he gave it to him. Baraggan's chest glows to which he asks what is happening. Hachi explains that Baraggan stated that only his power is absolute. As the barrier placed in Baraggan's stomach is revealed it begins to dissipate unsealing Hachi's deteriorating right arm that was held inside it, causing Baraggan to deteriorate at a extremely fast rate. Baraggan realizes all too late that Hachi cut off his arm inside a barrier and transferred it to his stomach. Hachi continues stating that If Baraggan's power is truly absolute, then even he can't stand against it, Hachi notes that it was a a guess on his part though and he is glad he wasn't wrong. Baraggan becomes irate at this. Hachi continues stating that in Soul Society there are no gods other than the Shinigami, the Gods of Death. So, no one that isn't a Shinigami can understand the seriousness of his words. He asks Baraggan to forgive them for their lack of belief, calling him the "God of Hueco Mundo" with irony as Baraggan disintegrates due to his own power. In his last moments of life he remembers back to when he truly was the God of Hueco Mundo, when he first met Aizen. Up until Aizen's arrival, things have been extremely boring in Hueco Mundo and was going to pit his own army against one another to have excitement. Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen arrive after a few moments. Aizen asks if he is truly happy with his current position and asks him to look at his sword. Baraggan does so while explaining that he is a god and there is nothing else for him to conquer. Aizen then releases his spell and sees his entire army killed by Tōsen and Gin while he was under Kyoka Suigetsu's power. Baraggan then relents and makes a vow to always try and kill Aizen for all eternity. Back in the present, Baraggan (Now nothing more then a head with a partial torso and one arm) raises his Gran Caida, and throws it at Aizen in one final act to try complete his vow. Aizen glances at the weapon coming at him briefly but turns away once the weapon decays as well. Knowing that he could not fulfil his vow, Baraggan rots away completely, leaving nothing but his crown behind as the only reminder of the former "God" of Hueco Mundo. [7].
Hiyori Sarugaki, Lisa Yadomaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya VS. Tia Harribel- Espada Tres
After breaking free of Hitsugaya's ice obelisk, Harribel attacks him only to be blocked by Lisa and then Hiyori. Hitsugaya comments that it is not the time to wonder whether they're friend or foe, and Hiyori replies by saying that she doesn't want to help out the Shinigami but says there's no time for that either. Lisa also replies by pointing out that the enemy of her enemy is her friend. Before the fight begins, Tōshirō asks if the two can fight Harribel while he fights Aizen, Hiyori then scolds him saying the whole reason the Vizard came in the first place, was to fight Aizen. Tōshirō then Apologizes to Hiyori, despite this Hiyori continues to yell at him calling him shorty until he finally starts arguing with her as well. Lisa, tired of waiting for the two to finish, simply attacks Harribel herself. Harribel seems confused as to why the 3 didn't attack her at once. Lisa replies by saying that she thought they would too. After a brief scuffle, Lisa dawns her Hollow mask and activates her Shikai, Hagura Tonba, which turns it into a large spear like weapon with a blade at one end and a heavy ball on the other. Hiyori and Hitsugaya notice this and put there argument aside to go help Lisa,by putting on her Hollow mask as well and releasing her sword Kubikiri Orochi, a large cleaver like sword with a saw-like blade. Hitsugaya releases his sword in attempt to attack Harribel from all sides. Harribel manages to fend off there first attack as Aizen appears behind her. She is very shocked as to why he would interrupt her battle, but before she can ask, Aizen cuts her across the chest. She begins cringe from the fatal wound as Aizen announces that she is not strong enough to fight for him. With that she falls to the ground as the last of the top three Espada to be defeated in Karakura Town.
Mashiro Kuna and Kensei Muguruma VS. Wonderweiss Margera and Fūrā
After Kensei destroys the last Gillian, Mashiro gets mad at him saying that she wanted to kill it. Kensei then allows Mashiro to attack Fūrā, to which she responds with a "Mashiro Super Kick". The attack seemingly kills Fūrā, with a large amount of it being blown away and a great amount of blood. Wonderweiss stares shocked at its death. Gin then comments that Fūrā was in fact Wonderweiss's favorite pet, in anger he (Wonderweiss) then charges a Cero from his mouth but Mashiro drop kicks him before he can finish, she is seen later with a seemingly defeated Wonderweiss on the ground as she announces "Yes!, Victory!". Later she stands next to Wonderweiss as Harribel is defeated she states that the last espada is defeated, at that moment however Wonderweiss's fingers twitch and he immediatly revives to try and attack Mashiro again. Kensei calls out to her, but Mashiro is already aware and kicks Wonderweiss in the face again, the attack sends him flying again. Kensei then arrives and tells Mashiro to put away her mask to buy more time, but Mahiro refuses saying she can keep on her mask for 15 hours and can stay Hollowfied all night. Wonderweiss then still come back at Mashiro, seemingly unfazed by the attack. Mashiro states that he is stubborn and slams him face first back into the ground leaving a large hole. Wonderweiss still comes back and reaches for her head but only manages to tear her scarf before Mashiro leaps off into the sky again. She seems very annoyed that he managed to tear her scarf and fires her "Mashiro Super Cero" at him, but he manages to dispel it using only his warcry. Mashiro trys again to use another attack but half her mask shatters before she can finish. Wonderweiss smiles at this new development and punches her directly in the face, knocking her out and breaking the rest of her mask in the process. He goes in to punch her again, but Kensei stops him with his left hand and grabs Mahsiro with the other, he then states that he is not the kind of adult to go easy on little kids. Wonderweiss just simply smiles. After Kensei slams Wonderweiss to the ground, he sets Mashiro down. Mashiro asks him whether he will avenge her, and Kensei tells her not to sound too happy about it and says:" I'm just gonna give this brat a taste of my fist for getting above himself." He then activates his Bankai, Tekken Tachikaze.
Animosity, Fear, and Hypocrisy:Sajin Komamura and Shūhei Hisagi VS. Kaname Tōsen
After blocking Shinji's attack on Aizen, Tōsen is about to confront Shinji himself but is stopped by Komamura. He is surprised that he has to protect someone else from Tōsen, however Tōsen says he knew that it would eventually happen. With that, Shūhei Hisagi appears and releases his Zanpakutō and ensnare Tōsen's sword and asks Komamura if he can fight him too. Komamura notes that his wounds from Allon are not fully healed yet and that he is forcing himself. Shūhei then thanks Tōsen for his instruction and that he will use everything that he taught him to bring him back to the soul society. Tōsen comments that he hasn't changed at all and uses his sword Suzumushi to vibrate high enough to free itself from Shūhei's sword. He then states there wasn't a hint of fear in Shūhei's words. When Tosen see's that Aizen is about to join the battlefield, he tells Komamura that he now has permission to release his full power. Komamura at first thinks that he means his bankai and is about to use his own bankai, but Tosen corrects him saying that Aizen gave him a power far greater than bankai. He then puts his hand to his face.
There is a release of spiritual pressure that Hisagi and Komamura shield themselves from with Komamura yelling to Tōsen, asking him what made him fall so low. When the smoke clears Tōsen stands before them with a hollow mask, causing Hisagi to ask him if that is Hollowfication to which Tōsen confirms. When Hisagi asks why he is surprised as Tōsen appears in front of him and slashes him, this causes Komamura to release his shikai. Tōsen effortlessly blocks the attack much to Komamura's surprise, before he realizes it Tōsen kicks him in the side sending him crashing down into the town below. Tōsen then comments to Komamura that its ironic that the Gotei 13 ally Ichigo is a hybrid of Shinigami and Hollow just like him. He then asks Komamura explain why has this become a despicable power just because he has chosen to wield it? Komamura explains that Ichigo Kurosaki did not choose to undergo Hollowfication, he on the other hand as an elite Shinigami had no need for such a thing, chose it of his own free will. He then tells him that he has been corrupted by that power. Tōsen questions this explanation, and asks how flirting with his inner hollow would prove anything of the sort. He states that Komamura only speaks in that tone because of his antiquated sense of dualism regarding Shinigami and Hollows. Komamura yells at him stating that is not what he meant, in fact he was referring to the way hey threw away his friends and subordinates simply to gain forbidden power. Komamura makes note that is where his corruption has led him astray. Tosen goes to speak but he is cut off when a chain wraps around his neck pulling him back and slamming him into the roof a nearby building. As he lays upon the rubble Hisagi holds Tōsen by his throat and holds his Zanpakutō up to him, Tōsen comments that he is far to lenient on him, as old habits die hard.
Hisagi agrees stating that the attack was not filled with malicious intent, as even when his blade is drawn his style has always been never to use excessive force. He explains that is the path Tōsen taught him, he then recounts to his former captain how important the first time he was taught Tōsen's philosophy. He then asks how Tōsen can utter such words and then ignore them, he asks that Tōsen look at what he has become and what drives his fear. Tōsen impales Hisgai upon his Zanpakutō without saying a word and throws him off the side of the roof. Tōsen then simply states that his fear for the past 100 years is that he would assimilate with the rest of the Shinigami and die a pointless death. He then is interrupted as Komamura releases his bankai.[8]
Revisiting the Past: Vizard & Gotei 13 vs. Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru
After Aizen kills Harribel, the last Espada left in the battle, he challenges all the captains and Vizards to try and fight him. Most of the Vizard excluding Mashiro and Kensei (who are fighting Wonderweiss Margera), go to fight Aizen. Shortly before the fight Shinji warns them to not rush in, since Aizen can create illusions and it would be foolish to underestimate him. Aizen states that both fighting him or not fighting him would both result in the same outcome; their defeat. Aizen then scolds the Vizards more, stating that they have nothing to fear as they died the night they became Vizards, which finally results in Hiyori rushing towards him in a haste. She is then cut in half from the waist down by Gin Ichimaru's Shinso from behind. Hiyori is caught by Shinji. With her last few breaths she says to Shinji she was sorry for being impatient. Shinji yells for Hachi to try and heal her, but since he lost one of his arms during his fight with Baraggan he is unable to. Shinji then yells for Ichigo to return, remembering that Orihime's power could still heal Hiyori. Aizen notices that Shinji's eyes have changes upon seeing Hiyori dying and states that is "finally awake after a hundred years of sleep". Aizen then challenges Shinji, declaring that he will un-sheath his sword just for him, Shinji leaves Hiyori with Hachi and asks that he do what he can with his injury to help her until Ichigo returns. Upon hearing this, Aizen asks why he puts so much faith in Ichigo. Shinji says that Aizen wouldn't understand since he doesn't put trust in anyone and that he betrayed his follower. Aizen corrects him by revealing he never asked his followers to trust him. In actuality, he asked them to not trust anyone including himself, however all beings are to put their trust in a being of greater power that just how they are, and the ones that need to break away from that are the kings and the gods (refering to himself). He then asks Shinji not to believe in him yet but wait until he shows him his power then you can believe.
References
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 223
- ↑ Bleach anime; Chapter 359
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 2-5
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 9-12
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 16-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 366
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 368, pages 15-19
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 384
Navigation
| e · d · v | Bleach Plot | |
| Story Arcs: | The Shinigami Saga · Turn Back The Pendulum Mini-Series · The Arrancar Saga | |
| Anime Only | ||
| Filler arcs: | The Bount arc · The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc · Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc | |
| OVAs: | Memories in the Rain · The Sealed Sword Frenzy | |
| Movies: | Memories of Nobody · The DiamondDust Rebellion · Fade to Black | |
