Byakuya vs. Kenpachi?! The Melee Commences

Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki land a heavy strike on Yammy Llargo, but the Espada hauls himself up and swells even larger, explaining that his released form is named Ira because rage itself fuels his strength; the angrier he gets, the messier their deaths will be. From the sidelines Mayuri Kurotsuchi urges the captains to finish him fast, since a bigger corpse means a harder autopsy. In the fake Karakura Town, Sajin Komamura and Kaname Tosen fight to a standstill until Shuhei Hisagi joins in, and the two Shinigami press their former captain together.

Nearby, Shinji Hirako cradles a gravely hurt Hiyori Sarugaki and glares at Sousuke Aizen, who observes that Shinji has finally awakened after a hundred years. Their aerial confrontation becomes a debate: Aizen dismisses trust as a crutch of the weak and argues that every living thing bows to something superior, a chain that birthed kings and gods, and promises to show Shinji the power of such a god before asking for belief. Back below, Tosen declares he can now wield a strength greater than Bankai and brings a hand to his face; when the spiritual pressure clears, he stands wearing a Hollow mask.

Confirming he has embraced Hollowfication, Tosen cuts down Hisagi and kicks Komamura through the town, scorning the captain's charge of corruption and insisting a Shinigami has every right to grow closer to a Hollow. Komamura counters that Tosen betrayed his comrades for power. A recovered Hisagi drags Tosen down by the neck, revealing the half-step retreat Tosen himself once taught him let him survive the earlier blow. A flashback shows Tosen counseling a fearful young Hisagi that a soldier who dreads his own blade holds something priceless. In the present, Hisagi asks what Tosen now fears; Tosen answers that he fears dying as a mere Shinigami, then stabs Hisagi and lets him fall, just as Komamura activates his Bankai, Kokujo Tengen Myo'o, swearing to open Tosen's eyes.

Yammy grows stronger the more enraged he becomes, revealing his released form Ira draws power from anger. Tosen unveils his Hollowfication, donning a mask and overpowering both Hisagi and Komamura, and their exchange lays bare his betrayal for power. Shinji confronts Aizen over faith and trust as Aizen teases the coming display of a god's power. Komamura releases his Bankai, vowing to make Tosen see.

Adapted from manga chapters 382 through 384 of the Fake Karakura Town arc, the episode runs under the opening ChAngE and the ending Echoes. Its Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book has Mayuri hawking a fictional cosmetic clinic, using doctored ugly before images of Keigo, Shinji, and Hiyori as advertising until the three storm his broadcast in protest.