| ShortSummary | - 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 defeats him.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Believing that he murdered Aizen, Hinamori attacks Ichimaru, 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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