Season 1-
Episode 1 - The Day I Became A Shinigami
Ichigo Kurosaki is a 15 year high school student with orange hair, brown eyes, and can see spirits. As he tries to protect the spirit of a little girl from a hollow he witnesses a clash between the malevolent spirit and a Soul Reaper. Later, Ichigo is met by the woman again in his room. She introduces herself as Rukia Kuchiki, and explains the basic goal of the Soul Reapers i.e. soul cleansing to Ichigo. The hollow returns, attacking Ichigo's home, and Rukia is wounded. In order to save his family, Ichigo desperately takes Rukia’s power into himself and becomes a Soul Reaper and successfully defeats the hollow.
Episode 2 - The Shinigami's work
After discovering Rukia has enrolled in his class, Ichigo learns that she has lost her power and that he must pose as her substitute, until her powers can recover. Although he refuses this responsibility at first, Ichigo eventually accepts after realizing he cannot just turn a blind eye if he encounters a hollow again.
Episode 3 - The Older Brother's Wish, The Younger Sister's Wish
Ichigo discovers that one of his classmates, Orihime Inoue, is stalked by her older brother's spirit turned hollow which makes him hesitate to fulfill his duty. As he is forced to use his power again, his qualms of killing hollows are rested and he finally submits to his purpose as a substitute Soul Reaper.
Episode 4 - Cursed Parakeet
Ichigo’s friend Yasutaro Chad Sado comes into possession of a cursed cockatiel that is inhabited by the soul of a small boy. The curse, which brings misfortune to anyone who possesses it, is really due to the acts of a hollow that has been stalking the boy's soul. Chad is attacked by the hollow, but with Rukia's help, they face off against the hollow.
Episode 5 - Beat The Invisible Enemy!
With Rukia's help, Chad fights the hollow despite not being able to see it. Ichigo eventually arrives and defeats the hollow, but unlike the previous hollows that simply dissolved and went to Soul Society, the gates of Hell appear and capture the hollow. The spirit that inhabited the cockatiel is released to move on to Soul Society.
Episode 6 - Fight To The Death! Ichigo vs Ichigo
In order for Ichigo to transform into a Soul Reaper when Rukia is not around, she purchases some soul candy from the Urahara Shop for him. However, the candy is actually a modified soul, an artificial warrior from Soul Society created to destroy hollows. Once inside Ichigo's body the modified soul goes on a rampage, ruining Ichigo's social image.
Episode 7 - Greetings from a stuffed lion
Ichigo confronts the modified soul possessing his body, but is then distracted by an emerging hollow. Together, they defeat the hollow. When Kisuke Urahara (the merchant who sold Rukia her gigai) comes for the "defective" merchandise, Ichigo takes the modified soul back. He places the modified soul into a stuffed lion plushie and names it "Kon". Meanwhile in Soul Society, another Soul Reaper is sent to track down Rukia, who has spent too much time in the living world and needs retrieving.
Episode 8 - June 17, memories in the rain
Ichigo confronts the hollow, who is revealed as the Grand Fisher, the hollow who killed Ichigo's mother. In a fit of rage, Ichigo defeats the hollow, but does not manage to kill it. The Soul Reaper sent after Rukia leaves with a warning when he witnesses Ichigo's strength.
Episode 9 - Unbeatable Enemy
Ichigo confronts the hollow, who is revealed as the Grand Fisher, the hollow who killed Ichigo's mother. In a fit of rage, Ichigo defeats the hollow, but does not manage to kill it. The Soul Reaper sent after Rukia leaves with a warning when he witnesses Ichigo's strength.
Episode 10 - Assault on Trip, at Sacred Ground!
When popular TV star/spirit medium Don Kanonji transforms a spirit into a hollow during an exorcism, Ichigo is forced to clean up the mess. Upon the hollow's defeat, Don Kanonji is shocked to realize what he has done. With a little cheer-up from Ichigo, Don Kanonji is back to his old self again, and calls Ichigo, despite Ichigo's objections, his new apprentice.
Episode 11 - The Legendary Quincy
While on another hollow fighting mission, Ichigo encounters Uryu Ishida, a fellow classmate belonging to a clan known as the Quincy, humans that can use spiritual power to manifest a bow to fight hollows. Uryū declares himself an enemy of all Soul Reapers and challenges Ichigo to a hollow-hunting competition.
Episode 12 - A Gentle Right Arm
The hollow-hunting contest between Ichigo and Uryū has lured hundreds of hollows to Karakura Town, endangering many of Ichigo's friends. Chad is forced to fight a hollow in order to save Karin. During the battle he is finally able to see the hollow clearly, and develops a new ability, an armored right arm capable of firing energy blasts.
Episode 13 - Flower and Hollow
The situation worsens as more hollows appear in the human world, attacking the school where Orihime and her friends are. While defending them, Orihime develops her own power, the Shun Shun Rikka, a group of fairy-like creatures coming from the hairpins given to her by her brother, and defeats the hollow. Afterward, Kisuke Urahara takes in Orihime and Chad to help them with their new powers while Rukia and Ichigo confront Uryu.
Episode 14 - Back to Back, a Fight to the Death!
The legion of hollows force Ichigo and Uryū to team up in combat while the others watch. A giant hollow called a Menos Grande arrives on the scene, and is driven away after Ichigo inflicts a wound assisted by power from Uryu. However, he releases too much spiritual power in the process. The strain of his powers causes Ichigo to lose consciousness, and Uryū saves him by releasing the excess energy through his bow.
Episode 15 - Kon's Great Plan
Tired of mistreatment from Ichigo, Kon runs away to find a better owner. But he finds his abuse continuing from girls due to his freaky nature. Ichigo makes an effort to befriend Uryū but is rebuffed. Rukia becomes conflicted with her attachment with humans. Rather than endanger Ichigo, she runs away to face the newly-arrived hunters from Soul Society.
Episode 16 - Encounter, Renji Abarai!
Ichigo faces off against the Soul Reaper Renji Abarai, who has come to capture Rukia. Renji triggers his initial release, gaining the advantage by releasing his zanpakuto, and Ichigo finds himself overwhelmed fighting a fully trained Soul Reaper.
Episode 17 - Ichigo Dies!
Ichigo makes a comeback against Renji, overwhelming him. Just when Renji is about to fall, Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's brother, steps in and defeats Ichigo with overwhelming pace. Rukia returns to Soul Society so that Ichigo can be spared death, and Ichigo is left dying, with his power stripped from him. He is then saved by Kisuke Urahara, who agrees to help him rescue Rukia, who faces the death penalty in Soul Society. Ichigo, however, must agree to train with Kisuke to regain his powers.
Episode 18 - Reclaim! The Power of the Shinigami!
As his last day of school ends, Ichigo is upset to discover that no one except for Orihime, Chad and Uryū seems to remember Rukia, due to a Soul Society-imposed mind wipe. He begins his training at the Urahara Shop, first battling the shop's girl assistant, Ururu Tsumugiya to regain control of his spirit body. As the training enters stage two, Ichigo's soul is cut from his body and thrown into a pit.He must regain his Soul Reaper powers in 72 hours, or risk becoming a hollow. Meanwhile, Yoruichi Shihōin, a talking cat, offers to train Chad and Orihime to control and enhance their powers so they can join Ichigo to go to soul society and rescue Rukia.
Episode 19 - Ichigo becomes a Hollow!
In Soul Society Rukia’s sentence is moved up and she only has 25 days left. In the pit Ichigo battles through the agony of the process of becoming a hollow. His transformation is almost complete as he enters his own mind, coming face to face with his inner spirit, Zangetsu, who helps him unleash the Soul Reaper powers he was born with. In a powerful display, Ichigo emerges from the pit with his Soul Reaper uniform on, wearing the mask of a hollow. Breaking the mask off, Ichigo enters the next stage of his training: fighting Urahara.
Episode 20 - Gin Ichimaru's Shadow
While fighting Urahara, Ichigo learns the name of his zanpakutō, Zangetsu. Upon learning the name, the sword transforms into a much more powerful version and he unleashes an energy blast which knocks off Urahara's hat, completing the third stage in his training. Orihime and Chad, meanwhile, finish their training with Yoruichi. The entire group, including Uryū, who has been training alone, set out for Soul Society using a gate Yoruichi and Urahara made.
Season 2-
Episode 21 - Enter! The world of Shinigami
Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryū Ishida, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora "Chad" Sado, and Yoruichi Shihōin cross over into Soul Society using the gate. They arrive in Rukongai, where normal spirits reside. Ichigo quickly finds himself in a battle with the gate watcher Jidanbō when he carelessly tries to enter Seireitei, where the Soul Reapers reside. Thanks to Urahara's training, Ichigo easily defeats Jidanbō, but when Jidanbō opens the gate, Ichigo encounters the third division captain, Gin Ichimaru.
Episode 22 - The man who hates Shinigami
Ichimaru uses his shikai and pushes Ichigo back through the gate. After being "shot" out of Seireitei by Ichimaru, Ichigo and his friends must find another way in. While searching for a friend of Yoruichi’s, Ichigo meets Ganju Shiba, a man who claims to be the "number one Soul Reaper-hater of West Rukongai." The two hate each other immediately and begin to fight, but their battle ends abruptly when the clock on the back of one of Ganju's friends goes off.
Episode 23 - 14 days before Rukia's execution
Yoruichi solicits the help of Ganju's sister, Kūkaku Shiba, who agrees to send them into Seireitei using her fireworks cannon. Meanwhile, Rukia's sentence has been moved to fourteen days, and she is transferred into a cell called the Shrine of Penitence. An emergency meeting is called among all the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Episode 24 - Assemble! The 13 divisions
In order to use the cannon to enter Seireitei, Ichigo and his friends must first learn how to focus their spiritual energies in order to use an item called a Spirit Orb, a task Ichigo finds especially difficult. He finally succeeds with the help of Ganju and creates the shell he will need to ride the cannon. Within Seireitei a meeting of all the captains in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads is held to discuss how to deal with the invaders. The meeting is interrupted by an alarm, indicating that someone has infiltrated Seireitei.
Episode 25 - Penetrate the Centre with an enormous Bomb Shell?
Before the group launches into Seireitei, Ganju reveals that the reason he hates Soul Reapers is because his brother was killed by one. In Seireitei, eleventh division captain Kenpachi Zaraki sets out to hunt Ichigo, believing him to be a worthy opponent. Captain Sōsuke Aizen confronts Ichimaru in front of the tenth division captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya about his flimsy excuse for allowing the invaders to escape. As the crew passes through the shield surrounding Sereitei, Ichigo’s inability to control his spiritual energy results in the shell exploding, separating the group.
Episode 26 - Formation! The worst tag
Ichigo lands with Ganju, and Uryū with Orihime, while Chad and Yoruichi are alone. Ichigo and Ganju encounter and fight two eleventh division members, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa respectively. Ikkaku gains an advantage by using the shikai of his zanpakutō. Ganju attempts to escape from Yumichika using a series of tricks.
Episode 27 - Release the death blow!
Ichigo eventually overpowers Ikkaku, although he is injured in the process. Ganju and Yumichika continue their fight, with Yumichika pursuing Ganju throughout Seireitei. The eleventh division captain, Kenpachi Zaraki continues to search for Ichigo, but is lost, thanks to the poor directions of his lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi.
Episode 28 - Orihime targeted
Ganju manages to defeat Yumichika by exploding fireworks on his face. Uryū and Orihime are confronted by Jirōbō Ikkanzaka, the fourth seat of the seventh division. Uryū is easily able to destroy the projectiles he sends at them, and destroys his ability to be a Soul Reaper when he threatens Orihime. Meanwhile, the twelfth division captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, dispatches squads to locate the intruders.
Episode 29 - Breakthrough! The Shinigami's encompassing net
Ichigo and Ganju attempt to escape the Soul Reapers following them by using Hanatarō Yamada, a fourth division officer, as a distraction. They fail, but the Soul Reapers are distracted by Sado's energy blasts elsewhere, enabling them to escape. Hanatarō promises to take Ichigo and Ganju to Rukia. Kenpachi is still attempting to find Ichigo, but Yachiru's directions are leading him in the opposite direction. He then heads to Ikkaku, and stops Mayuri from attacking Ikkaku when the latter refuses to answer any questions.
Episode 30 - Renji's confrontation
With Hanatarō's help, Ichigo and Ganju begin to move towards Rukia's location. However, Renji Abarai, the lieutenant of the sixth division, confronts them. Ichigo begins to fight him, and Renji reveals that he is five times more powerful than when they fought previously.
Episode 31 - The resolution to kill
Ichigo and Renji fight viciously, with Renji initially gaining the advantage. However, Ichigo reflects on his training with Urahara, and uses his "resolve" to fire a blast of spiritual energy at Renji, defeating him.
Episode 32 - Stars and the Stray
Renji reflects on his past with Rukia, remembering how they were childhood friends, and how they joined the Soul Reaper Academy together. However, they steadily grew more separated, and he stopped interfering with her after she was adopted by the Kuchiki clan. After reminiscing, he begs Ichigo to save her.
Episode 33 - Miracle! The mysterious new hero
This is a filler episode featuring Don Kanonji and the Karakura Superheroes. Karin successfully destroys a hollow with her soccer ball after it falls from the sky, along with a kitten's soul. Elsewhere, Ururu Tsumugiya and Jinta Hanakari see a hollow and destroy it. At the park, Don Kanonji informs the group that he intends to form a team of heroes, the Karakura Superheroes. Later, the kitten shields Yuzu as more hollows attack her, and the minor hollows around them meld into one larger hollow. With help from the kitten, the Karakura Superheroes defeat the hollow.
Episode 34 - Tragedy of Dawn
Hanatarō and Ganju carry Ichigo away as the Soul Reapers arrive. Hanatarō begins to heal Ichigo in the underground tunnels. Renji, despite being heavily injured, is incarcerated on the orders of his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki. Meanwhile, the Soul Reaper high command orders all-out war against the intruders. As fifth division lieutenant Momo Hinamori travels to a lieutenants' meeting the following day, she finds the corpse of her captain, Sōsuke Aizen, hanging from a tower.
Episode 35 - Aizen assassinated! The Darkness which approaches
Believing that Ichimaru murdered Aizen, Hinamori attacks him, but is stopped by Kira. Hitsugaya stops their fight, and orders both to be incarcerated. He then promises to kill Ichimaru if he harms Hinamori in any way. Chad continues through Seireitei, but the eighth division captain, Shunsui Kyōraku, decides to stop him. Ichigo, Ganju, and Hanatarō travel towards Rukia's prison, but are immobilized by Kenpachi's immense spiritual force.
Episode 36 - Kenpachi Zaraki Approaches!
The tenth division lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, gives Hinamori a letter from Aizen, which discloses the true identity of his murderer. Meanwhile, Ichigo begins to fight Kenpachi. However, Kenpachi's spiritual energy is so great that Ichigo cannot even attack him.
Episode 37 - Motive of the fist
As Chad continues through Soul Society, he encounters members of the eighth division. He manages to defeat them all until the eighth division captain, Shunsui Kyōraku, confronts him. Although Chad is determined to win to uphold his promise to Ichigo, Shunsui easily (albeit regretfully) defeats him.
Episode 38 - Desperation! The broken Zangetsu
Rather than kill him, Shunsui orders Chad to be incarcerated. Elsewhere, Ichigo is fleeing Kenpachi, terrified of Kenpachi's overwhelming power. After realizing the importance of his mission, however, Ichigo finds the resolve to face him. He manages to cut Kenpachi, but becomes overconfident after learning that Kenpachi has not mastered his zanpakutō. Kenpachi then stabs him in the chest, breaking Ichigo's zanpakutō in the process.
Episode 39 - The Immortal man
Zangetsu, the spirit of Ichigo's zanpakutō, brings Ichigo into his world. Through fighting a hollow version of himself, Ichigo realizes that zanpakutō are more than mere tools, and that simply knowing his zanpakutō's name does not make him more powerful. Ichigo is then able to fight Kenpachi on equal footing, and as the two clash in a massive strike, Ichigo collapses.
Episode 40 - The Shinigami whom Ganju met
Kenpachi falls down beside Ichigo in defeat, and Yachiru takes him away for medical treatment. Yoruichi also retrieves Ichigo. Ganju and Hanatarō arrive at Rukia's cell, but Ganju becomes infuriated because he believes Rukia was the killer of his brother, Kaien Shiba. Byakuya arrives, and Ganju decides to fight him.
Episode 41 - As Ichigo awakens, Yoruichi reveals that she is actually a woman. Afterwards, Yoruichi shows Ichigo a device that allowed her to fly, and Ichigo uses it to go save Ganju and Hanatarō. Meanwhile, Byakuya easily defeats Ganju with his shikai, but is then stopped by the thirteenth division captain, Jūshirō Ukitake. Ichigo arrives and fights Byakuya. Before Byakuya can activate his shikai, Yoruichi stops him.
Season 3-
Episode 42 - Yoruichi, Goddess of Flash, Dances!
As Renji Abarai recovers in his cell, the spirit of his zanpakutō, Zabimaru, says that he wishes to face Ichigo Kurosaki's zanpakutō, Zangetsu, again, but Renji tells him that Ichigo is no longer his enemy. Elsewhere, Yoruichi Shihōin manages to evade Byakuya Kuchiki and escape with Ichigo. After Ichigo regains consciousness, she begins to instruct him in the use of his bankai, the final stage of his zanpakutō that would vastly increase his power. Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue are attempting to travel to Rukia Kuchiki's cell by using Soul Reaper clothes, but they are closely watched by the twelfth division Soul Reaper captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Episode 43 - The Descipable Shinigami
Uryū and Orihime continue towards Rukia's location, but are accosted by Makizō Aramaki, a Soul Reaper of the eleventh division. Some twelfth division members arrive to help, but Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who has made them into human bombs, detonates them. Orihime uses her powers to protect Uryū and herself from the explosions, and Mayuri expresses his wish to experiment on Orihime. Uryū begins to fight Mayuri, but is quickly disabled by the paralzying abilities of Mayuri's zanpakutō when his lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi, uses her body to hold down Uryū. Mayuri then reveals that he has experimented on many other Quincy, including Uryū's grandfather, Sōken Ishida, and was responsible for his death.
Episode 44 - Ishida Ultimate Power!
Uryū uses the Quincy technique ransōtengai to overcome the paralysis of Mayuri's zanpakutō. However, he is outclassed by Mayuri, and is forced to take off his sanrei glove, an act that releases the limits on his powers. Uryū proceeds to completely overwhelm Mayuri, but Mayuri escapes by transforming into a liquid. Uryū continues on towards Rukia's cell, severely weakened, until he is confronted by another Soul Reaper captain, Kaname Tōsen.
Episode 45 - Overcome your Limits!
Tōsen disables Uryū instantly with his zanpakutō, and has him incarcerated. Yoruichi summons Zangetsu using a tenshintai, one of Kisuke Urahara's inventions. Zangetsu states that if Ichigo defeats him, he will be able to perform his bankai, and will be slain if he fails. Elsewhere, Hanatarō Yamada is admonished by his captain, Retsu Unohana, for helping Ichigo, Renji breaks out of his prison cell, third division captain Gin Ichimaru releases his lieutenant, Izuru Kira, from his imprisonment, and eleventh division captain Kenpachi Zaraki agrees to help Orihime find Ichigo in order to fight Ichigo again.
Episode 46 - Authentic Records! School of Shinigami!
While incarcerated, fifth division lieutenant Momo Hinamori recalls her experiences at the Soul Reaper Academy, where she befriended Renji and Izuru. On a field trip to hunt hollows, she and her comrades were saved by captain Sōsuke Aizen and then-lieutenant Gin Ichimaru when powerful hollows attacked. Back in the present, Hinamori knocks her guard unconscious and escapes from her cell, planning to confront the person who killed Aizen.
Episode 47 - The Avengers
Yoruichi notes that Ichigo's training for his bankai is going well and stops the training for the day. She reveals in their subsequent conversation that Kisuke Urahara used to be the twelfth division captain. Elsewhere, Tōshirō Hitsugaya confronts Ichimaru and Kira over Aizen's murder, but is interrupted by Hinamori, who believes that Hitsugaya killed Aizen. Hitsugaya knocks Hinamori unconscious and prepares to kill Ichimaru.
Episode 48 - Hitsugaya roars!
Hitsugaya and Ichimaru begin to fight, and Ichimaru initially takes the upper hand with his swordplay. Hitsugaya turns the tables by using the shikai of his zanpakutō to immobilize Ichimaru by freezing his arm, but this advantage is countered when Ichimaru uses his own shikai to threaten the unconscious Hinamori. Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto arrives to aid Hinamori and Hitsugaya, and Ichimaru withdraws rather than go against her. Meanwhile, Renji arrives at Ichigo's training spot, and reveals that Rukia's execution date has been moved to the next day.
Episode 49 - Rukia's Nightmare
Rukia reminisces about her past as a member of the thirteenth division. As she was able to get into the Thirteen Court Guard Squads due to being part of the Kuchiki clan, she was disliked by the other members of her division, but she was able to construct a deep friendship with lieutenant Kaien Shiba. One night, however, a hollow merged with Kaien and attempted to kill Rukia. Kaien regained control of his body, and impaled himself on Rukia's zanpakutō. Rukia, believing that she is a coward who killed Kaien, is convinced that she should be executed.
Episode 50 - The Reviving Lion
In this filler episode, Kon tries to escape from Yuzu Kurosaki. While on the run, he is found by a desperate Don Kanonji, whose television ratings are starting to plummet. Together they reform the Karakura Superheroes, with Yuzu playing Karakura Yellow and Kon playing Karakura King.
Episode 51 - Morning of the Sentence
In this filler episode, Kon tries to escape from Yuzu Kurosaki. While on the run, he is found by a desperate Don Kanonji, whose television ratings are starting to plummet. Together they reform the Karakura Superheroes, with Yuzu playing Karakura Yellow and Kon playing Karakura King.
Episode 52 - Renji, Oath of the Soul! Death Match with Byakuya
Renji travels to Rukia's execution area, and meets his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, along the way. Renji ends up using his bankai to fight Byakuya, but his lack of experience with his bankai stymies his efforts. Byakuya uses his shikai to try and counterattack but fails and Renji reveals that his bankai is held together by his spiritual pressure. Byakuya uses his own bankai and attacks again, wounding Renji and causes his bankai to fade away. Finally Renji makes a last try and actually reaches his captain with his zanpakto, but it breaks and Renji's wounds cause him to fall as the captain congratulates him.
Episode 53 - Gin Ichimaru's Temptation, Resolution Shattered!
As Rukia travels to the execution area, Ichimaru shatters her resolve by offering to help her, but subsequently claiming that his offer was insincere to begin with. Kenpachi is easily battling both Komamura and Tōsen, forcing Tōsen to use his bankai, which removes all of Kenpachi's senses with the exception of his sense of touch. Despite being unable to see Tōsen, Kenpachi manages to locate and injure Tōsen, but is stopped from killing him by Komamura. Komamura activates his bankai and engages Kenpachi. Meanwhile, Rukia arrives at the execution grounds.
Episode 54 - An Accomplished Oath, get back Rukia!
Rukia has accepted her execution, and gives a request to first division captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai to send Ichigo and his friends home after her execution. The sōkyoku, a massive halberd that transforms into a phoenix, is the execution method. However, Ichigo steps forward and stops the sōkyoku with his sword, and sympathetic captains Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake destroy the sōkyoku. As Renji arrives to take away Rukia, Ichigo defeats three pursuing lieutenants with his bare hands, and turns to face Byakuya.
Episode 55 - The Strongest Shinigami! Ultimate Confrontation between Teacher and Students!
Byakuya begins to fight Ichigo, and promises to execute Rukia himself. Fourth division captain Retsu Unohana personally heals all of the injured present, then leaves to investigate another location. Shunsui and Ukitake also sprint from the execution grounds, and the pair confront Yamamoto in a secluded area. In an overwhelming display, Yamamoto activates his shikai and incinerates the surrounding area.
Episode 56 - Supersonic battle! Determine the Goddess of Battle
Yumichika returns to his captain after defeating Hisagi, and Kenpachi remarks that Komamura fled after Yamamoto began fighting. Shunsui and Ukitake decide to fight their teacher, and both use the shikai of their zanpakutō. Meanwhile, captain Soi Fon begins to fight Yoruichi, her former commander and teacher, and gains the advantage after she begins using her shikai. Believing she has the advantage, Soi Fon activates a nameless technique she recently discovered which greatly increases her power. However, Yoruichi activates the same technique, calling it "flash cry".
Episode 57 - Senbonzakura, Crushed! Zangetsu Thrusts Through the Sky
Soi Fon recalls her past with Yoruichi. She was Yoruichi's personal guard, and highly faithful to her. However, when Yoruichi left Soul Society, she felt betrayed, and carried a grudge against her mentor from that point forward. As Soi Fon attacks, Yoruichi uses her flash cry to block all of Soi Fon's attacks. Soi Fon breaks down in tears, asking Yoruichi why she did not take her along when she left Soul Society. Ikkaku and Iba are fighting, albeit casually for sake. Near the execution site, Ichigo uses his newly learned getsuga tenshō technique to defeat Byakuya's shikai, and requests that Byakuya use his bankai.
Episode 58 - Unseal! The black blade, the Miraculous Power
Byakuya uses his bankai and overwhelms Ichigo with millions of tiny blades. In response, Ichigo uses his own bankai, which makes him incredibly fast. Ichigo evades Byakuya's bankai and stabs him with his sword. Meanwhile, Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto head to the Central 46 Chambers, the highest authority in Soul Society.
Episode 59 - Conclusion of the Death Match! White Pride and Black Desire
Byakuya uses the second form of his bankai, summoning several rows of swords. As he and Ichigo continue to fight, Ichigo becomes progressively weaker as the strain from his bankai increases. His inner hollow takes over his body after Byakuya wounds him, and he starts to overwhelm Byakuya. However, Ichigo manages to suppress his inner hollow, and regains control over his body. Both Ichigo and Byakuya focus the remainder of their powers and clash in a final strike, with Ichigo the victor. Byakuya reveals that he wished to execute Rukia to fulfill an oath to his parents, and admits defeat, claiming that Ichigo has convinced him not to execute Rukia. Elsewhere, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto enter the Central 46 Chambers.
Episode 60 - Reality of the Despair, the Assassin's Dagger is Swung
Hitsugaya and Matsumoto enter the Central 46 Chambers to find all of its occupants slain. Kira arrives, and Hitsugaya and Matsumoto pursue him. Hitsugaya returns when Kira tells him that Hinamori has entered the Central 46 Chambers. Ichimaru meets Hinamori and takes her further into the chambers, where she is reunited with Sōsuke Aizen. Aizen impales Hinamori with his sword, and Aizen and Ichimaru leave the chamber. Hitsugaya arrives, and is enraged at Hinamori's state. He uses his bankai, but Aizen effortlessly defeats him. Retsu Unohana appears, denouncing Aizen after discovering that he is a traitor. Aizen then informs her that every Soul Reaper has been under the hypnosis of his zanpakutō, with the exception of the blind Kaname Tōsen, Aizen's other accomplice.
Episode 61 - Aizen Stands! Horrible Ambitions
At Unohana's command, Isane Kotetsu informs all high-ranking members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads of Aizen's duplicity. Aizen arrives at Rukia's execution site, where Tōsen has brought Rukia and Renji. When Aizen asks Renji to leave Rukia, he refuses and begins to fight Aizen. Ichigo also arrives, and the two fight in unison against Aizen. Aizen defeats both of them, and begins to explain his reasons for betraying Soul Society until he is interrupted by Komamura.
Episode 62 - Gather Together! Group of the Strongest "Shinigami''
Aizen defeats Komamura with an extremely powerful kidō spell and continues his explanation. He expresses his desire for the Orb of Distortion, an artifact that would allow him to gain hollow powers. He extracts the Orb of Distortion from Rukia, where Kisuke Urahara had hidden it. When he orders Ichimaru to kill Rukia, Byakuya saves her. The majority of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads then arrives to restrain Aizen. Aizen and his accomplices manage to escape when several hollows pull them into Hueco Mundo. Afterwards, as Byakuya recovers, he explains to Rukia that he married her sister, Hisana, and adopted Rukia into the Kuchiki clan due to Hisana's dying wish. However, he broke the clan's rules in doing so, and swore to his parents to uphold rules regardless of the circumstances from that point forward, and was torn between following the rules and allowing Rukia's execution or breaking them to save her.
Episode 63 - Rukia's Resolution, Ichigo's Feelings
After a clip show in which the events of the arc are recounted, Ichigo and his friends return to the human world. However, Rukia decides to remain in Soul Society rather than leave with Ichigo.
Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:41 pm
