Bleach 121

"Clash! The Person Who Protects vs. The Person Who Suffers"
* Btw, I love the new opening song.
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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. Grimmjow's battle style in this episode (long flurries of punches) is highly reminiscent of the battle style used by Dio Brando in the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. This is both acknowledged and parodied in the episode's Shinigami Cup short, where Kon's similar beating by nameless shinigami is accompanied by Dio's famous battle cry, "Muda muda!".

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Bleach 120

"Hitsugaya Scatters! The Broken Hyōrinmaru"
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With Ikkaku's battle over, the other fights are touched upon: Hitsugaya, using his final release, can't manage to land a hit on Shawlong; Renji, doing the same, is equally outmatched by Ilfort; Matsumoto has seemingly been defeated by Nakim; and Ichigo's initial release can't even scratch Grimmjow, forcing him to use his final release to keep up. Renji is granted a short reprieve by a sleep-walking Ururu, whose insane strength allows her to beat Ilfort to a pulp almost effortlessly. Ilfort 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.

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Bleach 119

"Team Zaraki's Secret Story! The Lucky Men"
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Ikkaku flashes back to his first encounter with Kenpachi Zaraki, which he lost miserably. Kenpachi advises him that when one loses a fight but doesn't get killed then the person is lucky. He tells Ikkaku to survive so he can kill the person that failed to kill him. When Kenpachi becomes the captain of the 11th division, Ikkaku and Yumichika join under him. Later, Ikkaku is shown teaching Renji how to fight. After their training is eventually finished, Renji asks to see Ikkaku's final release, but Ikkaku refuses. Ikkaku wishes to keep it a secret so he can continue fighting under Kenpachi's command. In the present, Ikkaku falls from the sky, his weapons shattered. However, Edorad is missing a fair portion of his chest and his entire right arm. Edorad falls to his death and Yumichika congratulates Ikkaku for winning.

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Bleach 118

"Ikkaku's Final Release! The Power that Breaks Everything"
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Ikkaku fights Edorad, who is forced to release his zanpakutō. Ikkaku is overwhelmed, even with his initial release, and is forced to reveal his final release. Meanwhile, Grimmjow easily dispatches Rukia as Ichigo prepares to face him. Ikkaku, now using his final release, begins to overpower Edorad. Edorad comes up with a strategy to defeat Ikkaku, and the two clash at full power as the episode ends.

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Bleach 117

"Rukia's Battle Commences! The Freezing White Blade"
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Grimmjow's five arrancar head off to fight their opponents: Shawlong Qufang and Nakim fight Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, respectively; D-Roy fights Chad; Edorad Leones fights Ikkaku; and Ilfort Grantz fights Renji. D-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 D-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 Edorad.

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Bleach 116

"The Evil Eye, Aizen Again"
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Ulquiorra and Yammy are debriefed by Aizen and the other arrancar. Grimmjow Jaggerjack questions their actions in regards to Ichigo, but Aizen trusts in Ulquiorra's judgement and does nothing. Annoyed, Grimmjow takes a group of five arrancar with him to the human world to eliminate anyone with even a trace of spiritual power. Meanwhile, Tōshirō's team separates to find places to stay while in the human world. There is character development, especially in Orihime and Matsumoto as there is an unveiling of Orihime's character and feelings for Ichigo and Rukia. Matsumoto is shown as a matronly type character, embracing Orihime and explaining to her that this type of feeling is always present, and necessary.

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Bleach 115

"Mission! The Shinigami Have Come"
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After a harsh reintroduction to Rukia, Ichigo is dragged off in shinigami form to fight a hollow. While Ichigo attempts to deal with the hollow, Rukia berates him over his inability to defend his friends, and reveals that she knows about his inner hollow, telling him not to fear it but to get stronger and crush it. Inspired, Ichigo easily defeats the hollow. Rukia then drags him to Orihime so he can apologize. At Ichigo's house, Hitsugaya goes over Aizen's plans and the different types of menos-class hollows. Finally, Ulquiorra and Yammy return to Hueco Mundo to report back to Aizen.

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Bleach 114

"Reunion, Ichigo and Rukia"
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Ichigo starts his battle with Yammy, 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. Before he can kill anyone present, however, Urahara and Yoruichi arrive to take over the battle. Yammy is no match for them, and is rescued by Ulquiorra, who then retreats in Hueco Mundo. Back at Ichigo's school, a team of shinigami is dispatched in response to the ever increasing arrancar threat. The team consists of Renji Abarai, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto, Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa and Rukia Kuchiki, all of whom are posing as new students at Ichigo's school.

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Bleach 113

"Prelude to the Apocalypse, The Arrancar's Attack"
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After his chat with Shinji, Ichigo realizes that his inner hollow is indeed becoming more than he can control. Meanwhile, two arrancar (Yammy and Ulquiorra) arrive in Karakura Town, 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 weakened 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 pulp merely by blocking it. Before he can kill either of them, however, Ichigo arrives to save them.

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Bleach 112

"The Commencement of War, Vizard and Arrancar"
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With the death of Grand Fisher, 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 Ichigo's inner hollow 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 Ryǔken for his own Quincy powers, swearing not to further affiliate with the shinigami.

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