BLEACH episodes

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 eyepatch while trying to attack him, the limits on his power are removed, and he delivers a devastating slash to Nnoitra. Nnoitra then releases his zanpakuto, Santa Teresa, giving him an extra pair of arms and regenerative abilities. Nnoitra attacks Kenpachi and severely wounds him, but Kenpachi manages to cut off the arm. Nnoitra regenerates the arm and continues on the assault, growing yet another pair of arms and stabbing Kenpachi with one of his new arms.

Kenpachi continues fighting Nnoitra, and although he is able to keep up with his attacks, he realizes that he is in danger of dying. He then resorts to using kendo, and severely injures Nnoitra with a two-handed strike. Kenpachi attempts to leave, but Nnoitra insists that he finish their battle. Nnoitra recalls his time with Neliel, in which Neliel 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, who kills him.

After Kenpachi defeats Nnoitra, he demands Orihime heal him. Before Orihime reaches him, the Espada Stark arrives and takes her away to a tower where Sōsuke Aizen greets her. He informs her that he, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tōsen are preparing to destroy Karakura Town. Aizen orders Tōsen to contact all of the Soul Reaper captains, Ichigo, and his friends with kidō, and reveals that he brought Orihime to Hueco Mundo to lure and trap them. As he travels through a garganta portal to Karakura Town, however, Aizen is confronted by Commander-General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, the leader of the Gotei 13, with five other captains. Aizen summons the Espada Stark, Barragan, and Halibel and orders Espada Ulquiorra Schiffer to protect Las Noches.

Back in the real world, Ichigo is in school when he happens upon Lurichiyo from the Kasumioji clan again, who it turns out has come back to the real world because she is angered that Kenryuu, her retainer, would not allow her to play soccer when she has other important duties to attend to. This leads to an outburst between Lurichiyo and Kenryuu, and the latter intends to end his life to make Lurichiyo "happy." After some persuasion from Ichigo and his friends, they manage to put on an act to fool Lurichiyo into forgiving him, but she ends up seeing through it. This leads to another argument about soccer and culminates in Lurichiyo challenging Kenryuu to a soccer game to see who is right once and for all.

The soccer game officially kicks off, with the referees being the proprietors from the Urahara Shop, Jinta and Ururu, with Urahara himself overseeing the proceedings, including setting up a gigantic barrier around the play field to designate the assigned area, which apparently is not legal in Soul Society's eyes. The two teams, each with varying characters, ranging from gigais to Kon, the modsoul, attempt to keep the ball away from each other using different and comical means. The action culminates in Ikkaku Madarame joining in the game, while actually sparring with Ichigo instead, under the impression that the latter was doing some intensive training, and a hollow which appears on the field, drawn by everyone's spiritual pressure. With the help of Ichigo, Chad and Uryu, the hollow is quickly dispatched and the game is over because the ball was dropped by Lurichiyo's team. Before she can lament about going back to her world, Shuu from the Kasumioji clan enters the human world via a Senkai Gate and shows Lurichiyo that her idea about a soccer tournament in Soul Society wasn't such a bad idea in the eyes of the commoners after all. Satisfied with this, Lurichiyo, Kenryuu and Enryuu all return to Soul Society.

This episode takes place in Soul Society 110 years ago. Most of the Captains have gathered to celebrate the promotion of the 12th Squad Captain to the Royal Guard, known as Zero Squad. Meanwhile, Yoruichi (currently the Captain of Second Squad) has recommended her Third Officer, Urahara Kisuke for the now vacant position. However, Soi Fon is not happy about this and follows Urahara in an attempt to prove he is unworthy of the position. Yoruichi hears of this and mistakenly thinks that Soi Fon has a crush on Urahara. Because of this Yoruichi arranges for her to attend the Captain's Qualification Exam to watch him in action. Although Urahara, is delayed in getting to the exam because of having to capture a group of deserters he makes it in time and manages to pass. As such Urahara Kisuke is appointed as the new Captain of the 12th squad, although vice-captain Aizen Sousuke is less than pleased.

Urahara Kisuke has now become Captain of 12th squad but his new Vice-Captain Hiyori Sarugaki refuses to accept him. He even goes so far as to let her win in a duel against him to try and gain her confidence. However, after a pep talk from Shinji he decides to just be himself and stop worrying about it.

Urahara and Hiyori head to the Maggot's Nest prison, which houses former members of the 13 Protection Squad's deemed dangerous to Soul Society. Once they arrive Urahara goes to see the most dangerous inmate, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. He asks Mayuri to join his new organization the Technological Research Bureau as his Lieutenant. Meanwhile, Byakuya meets with his grandfather and Yoruichi whilst Ukitake tries to persuade Shiba Kaien to become his vice-captain. Also Aizen meets Ichimaru Gin for the first time.

This episode is set nine years after the previous one. The 9th squad are sent to investigate after people begin to vanish from Rukongai. Whilst out on patrol Captain Kensei Mugurumathey saves a young boy from a hollow, his name is Shuhei Hisagi. He then discovers that 10 of his own men have also vanished and calls for the Technological Research Bureau to help in the investigation. As such Hiyori is dispatched.

An emergency is declared following the attack on the 9th Squad. Captains Shinji Hirako, Love Aikawa and Roujuurou Ootoribashi are dispatched to investigate along with vice-captain Lisa Yadomaru and Hachigen Ushoda from the Kidou Corps. When they arrive they discover Hiyori fighting with a 'hollowfied' Kensei and soon a 'hollowfied' Mashiro also appears. Meanwhile, Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi (Captain of the Kidou Corps) disregard their orders and also head out to investigate.

Shinji's group manages to restrain Kensei using a powerful Kidou spell but then Hiyori also undergoes 'hollowfication'. They are then attacked by Tousen and as the rest of the group undergo 'hollowfication' Shinji battles against Aizen and is almost killed when Urahara and Tsukabishi arrive to save him.

Urahara confronts Aizen about his hollowfication research but ultimately Tsukabishi is unable to capture him. Meanwhile, after being transported back to the 12th Squad headquarters Urahara decides to use Hougyoku to save Shinji and the others. Urahara and Tsukabishi are then arrested by Central 46 and blamed for the hollowfication experiments. However, before their sentences can be carried out Yoruichi appears and helps them escape to the real world.

Going back to the time when Ichigo, Uryu, and Chad left the real world for Hueco Mundo with Kisuke's help, the main focus is now directed to the events that took place in Karakura town during the previous arc. Kisuke feels that Karakura town needs protection against hollows now that Ichigo left. In one night, he came up with the idea to create a fun way to protect the town, which was to force Kon into a team of hollow fighting super heroes called "Soul Burial Detective, Karakura Riser". Once Kon gets used to his new hero suit, he meets the rest of the team which includes Don Kanonji, Tatsuki, Chizuru, Keigo, and Ururu. After a successful fight with hollows, the team encounters a woman who appears to be an arrancar.

This is a continuation of the previous episode. The team assembled in the previous episode are to infiltrate a gate that the Arrancar are using to travel between Hueco Mundo and the world of the living. At the "Hollow Fortress" numerous Hollows attacked the team. Don Kanonji and Ururu stayed behind to take care of the hollow and the others went inside the "Hollow Fortress". When they got inside the fortress, they met one of the many arrancar from Hueco Mundo. Chizuru used her "Hyper Erotic Powers" to distract the arrancar, and Tatsuki, Keigo, and Kurumatani take care of the Hollows inside. Kon travels to the center of the fortess, where he meets a hollow and kills it with his "Riser Beam", exploding and destroying the heart of the fortress, and the fortess itself. In the end, Urahara erects a barrier around Karakura town.

Aizen begins his invasion of Krakura Town only to be confronted by the Captains and vice-captains of the 13 Protection Squads. In order to even the odds the Captain-Commander imprisons Aizen, Gin and Tousen in a fortress of fire and the group prepares to take on the Espada. Meanwhile, back in Los Noches, Ichigo rushes to save Orihime from Ulquiorra only to be attacked by the Exequias. He is then saved by the sudden appearance of Renji, Chad and Rukia.

Ichigo arrives in the 5th Tower to save Orihime and confronts Ulquiorra, who tells him that because Aizen has not ordered Orihime killed, he shall not do it unless ordered to. But because Ichigo is a threat to Hueco Mundo that must be destroyed, he will kill him. As a result, Ulquiorra finally unsheathes his sword and they begin their battle. Meanwhile, back at the fake Karakura, Barragan takes command since his boss is locked inside Yamamoto's fire prison, ordering both Halibel and Stark to not underestimate him. His first plan of action is to destroy the four pillars protecting Karakura, and he sends out four giant hollows to do the job, failing to realize that the Gotei 13 would not just leave those pillars completely unprotected on purpose. Ikkaku, Yumichika, Kira and Hisagi each take one pillar, and after defeating the hollows with ease, are matched up against four of Barragan's six Fraccion. Each is introduced to the other and the battle for Karakura begins.

In the fire prison that Yamamoto's zanpakuto created, Gin notices that Kira is pretty upset. Tosen asks him what is wrong, and if he misses Kira, because he used to be his captain. Gin states that he doesn't, he's just glad that Kira is doing well. At his fight, Kira manages to draw blood against his opponent, Avirama Redder, who proceeds to release his zanpakuto, Aguila. Meanwhile, Yumichika and his opponent, Charlotte Cuulhorne, the sadistic, erotic, strange, feminine arrancar, continue their fight, but eventually it turns out to be more of a "beauty contest" than an actual fight, because of the fact that the two spar for the sake of making the other look disgraced because of the other's ugliness. Charlotte uses an array of attacks, summoned up by a ridiculously long name each time. When Yumichika manages to cut some of Charlotte's hair off, that pushes him over the edge and releases his sword, "Reina de Rosas" which means "Queen of the Roses". Now on equal strength with Yumichika, the two fight more seriously, until Charlotte traps Yumichika in a prison of black thorns, which will completely encase him and his reiatsu, cutting him off from the world. But since he is in a spot where no one will know, Yumichika reveals a secret attack of his zanpakuto he doesn't want anyone to know about, and with it, he defeats Charlotte.

Yumichika reveals that he uses a "nickname" for his zanpakuto to avoid revealing its kido-based abilities so that he can fit in with the 11th Division, and Cuulhorne is impressed by his resolve to avoid revealing its true nature to others even if he would die. The other fights continue elsewhere, and Findol reveals to Hisagi that he can chip off his mask to regulate his power level. Izuru fights Avirama, whose Resurrecion turns him into a bird and enables him to attack Izuru with heavy steel feathers. Izuru uses Wabisuke to make Avirama's wings too heavy to fly, and reveals that it represents the 3rd Division's belief that war is full of despair. He then decapitates Avirama as he begs for his life, noting afterward that he does not want to be forgiven.

When Hisagi faces off against Findor Carias, his opponent proves to be much stronger than he first thought. As such Hisagi is forced to release his Shikai, Kazeshini in order to defeat him.

As a result of the pillar being destroyed, the real Karakura town starts to return, but Seventh Division lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba manages to stop it while his captain Saijin Komamura face Poww. Poww knocks Komamura aside with a single punch in his unreleased state, and releasing his zanpakuto, vastly increases his size and tries to finish off Ikkaku and Iba. Komamura, however, manages to overpower and defeat him easily with his bankai. Iba reprimands Ikkaku for failing to protect the pillar as a result of his desire to avoid revealing his own strength, and tells him that if he wishes to fight, he must carry out his orders even at the cost of his own life. Barragan grows visibly angry as a result of four of his Fraccions' defeat.