A New Enemy! The True Nature of the Beast Swords

Something drops from the sky into a busy construction site, and a spear-wielding figure in a pink cloak emerges from the settling dust. Sensing it, Ichigo confronts the stranger in his Shinigami form and trades blows, only to realize the attacker is neither Hollow nor Shinigami. Tōshirō Hitsugaya arrives and identifies the fleeing intruder as a Zanpakutō Spirit, one that keeps demanding to know where its master has gone.

At Kisuke Urahara's shop, Hitsugaya explains the wider problem. He calls these ownerless blade spirits Tōjū, sword spirits stranded after their wielders died, and warns that many have already slipped into the Human World. Rangiku Matsumoto and Haineko turn up uninvited, treating the trip as sightseeing and needling Ririn, which leaves the captain fuming. Meanwhile in the Seireitei, Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake estimate there could be a Tōjū for every fallen division member, numbering in the hundreds, while their own spirits play cards and cause mischief.

Rukia Kuchiki reflects on how Mayuri Kurotsuchi's research revived Sode no Shirayuki after Senbonzakura shattered her. In the living world, the cloaked spirit is swallowed whole by a large Hollow. It resurfaces as a fused Hollow Tōjū, far stronger than before, firing a Cero at Ichigo. Hitsugaya releases Hyōrinmaru and encases the beast in ice, and the combined assault destroys it. Afterward, Hitsugaya cautions that any Tōjū merged with another spirit will be dangerous, telling Rangiku to stay alert.

The first Tōjū of the arc appears in the Human World and is named as a masterless Zanpakutō Spirit. Hitsugaya briefs Ichigo and Urahara on the Tōjū threat and confirms the crisis has spread beyond Soul Society. A flashback shows Nemu and Mayuri restoring Sode no Shirayuki through experimental research. The cloaked spirit is devoured by a Hollow and reborn as a fused Hollow Tōjū, which Ichigo and Hitsugaya defeat together.

This is an anime-original installment with no adapted manga chapters, launching the Beast Swords storyline. The opening theme is Anima Rossa and the closing theme is Tabidatsu Kimi e. It first aired in Japan on February 9, 2010, with the English broadcast following on June 10, 2012. The closing Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book segment has Haineko and Tobiume spying on Senbonzakura at a bathhouse, only to find he keeps his mask and helmet on even there.