The White Haze

In the Soul King Palace, the Royal Guard outfit Ichigo Kurosaki in heavy layered garb to breach the seventy-two barriers back to the Seireitei, then reveal he must descend on foot. Learning the second invasion began hours earlier, Ichigo plunges down the central gap and calls Urahara, asking the Gotei 13 to hold out until he arrives. In Silbern, Jugram Haschwalth executes the bound Cang Du and BG9 to show Uryu that Yhwach absorbs the soul, skills, and knowledge of every fallen Sternritter.

Rukia Kuchiki, sensing no allies, is ambushed by As Nodt, who spreads his fear-inducing liquid through her ice wall and up her arm. Unshaken, Rukia freezes one of his Reishi Thorns bare-handed and explains that Sode no Shirayuki works by lowering her own body temperature rather than emitting cold. Declaring herself effectively dead and immune to fear, she cuts and freezes As' shoulder, drives the ground into an ice quake, and briefly reaches absolute zero to freeze him solid.

As shatters free and activates his Vollstandig, Tatarforas, instilling fear through the optic nerve and trapping Rukia in a dome of eyes that show her loved ones rotting. Byakuya Kuchiki arrives, cuts the dome open, and reveals he has rediscovered the essence of his Shikai, Senbonzakura. Praising Rukia's growth and telling her the only fear left belongs to As, he steps aside so she can finish the enemy with her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, then steadies her cracking hand and warns her of the technique's peril.

The Royal Guard send Ichigo down toward the Seireitei on foot after equipping him. Haschwalth executes Cang Du and BG9, explaining Yhwach absorbs the dead Sternritter's souls and powers. Rukia reveals that Sode no Shirayuki lowers her own body temperature and that she can reach absolute zero. She freezes As solid, only for him to activate his Vollstandig, Tatarforas. Byakuya arrives, having rediscovered his Shikai, and Rukia finishes As with her Bankai, Hakka no Togame.

The episode adapts several chapters of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, airing as its nineteenth part and the three hundred eighty-fifth episode overall, with the opening STARS and the ending Endroll, the latter playing over the battle's conclusion in place of the usual ending animation. Its poem header quotes Gremmy Thoumeaux. The adaptation reorders As' hospice flashback and depicts Rukia's fear as her loved ones rotting and spewing flies, among other changes. A closing segment introduces Yachiru's clash with Guenael Lee.