Clash! Rukia vs. Rukia!

Nozomi Kujō wanders Karakura Town chasing a destination she can sense but cannot name, trailed by an exasperated Kon. As the scattered battles in town fall quiet, Orihime detects shifting spiritual pressure and warns Ichigo. A Reigai copy of Izuru Kira ambushes Rangiku Matsumoto at a construction site, releasing Wabisuke to multiply the weight of her sword. Rangiku baits him into pinning his own blade under a fallen girder, then unleashes Haineko to reduce the imposter to dust.

Rukia Kuchiki is soon cornered by her own Reigai double, joined by a Reigai of Nemu. The real Nemu intervenes, and using a passing train as cover Rukia freezes her counterpart with Some no mai, Tsukishiro while Nemu destroys the false version of herself. Meanwhile, in Soul Society, Ukitake pleads Kyōraku's innocence before an unyielding Central 46, then confides to Unohana his suspicion that the whole crisis was engineered by a hidden mastermind.

The apparent victory unravels. Kon finally guides Nozomi toward the mountain gates she was seeking. Ukitake frees Kyōraku from his cell, only for a purple spark to flash in Kyōraku's eyes as he cuts the real captain down, revealing himself as a Reigai. In Karakura, the Rukia who reports the enemy defeated is exposed as a Reigai as well, and she strikes down Rangiku, Nemu, and the true Rukia, leaving them to sink into the lake.

The Reigai are shown to be amplified beyond their originals, with Kagerōza Inaba boosting their abilities past the genuine Shinigami. Rangiku defeats the Reigai-Izuru, and Rukia and Nemu team up to destroy the false Rukia and false Nemu. Ukitake and Unohana independently conclude the incident was premeditated by a concealed schemer. The episode ends with a double reversal: a Reigai-Kyōraku fells the real Ukitake, and a Reigai-Rukia cuts down Rangiku, Nemu, and the authentic Rukia, exposing how deeply the copies have infiltrated both worlds.

The episode belongs to the anime-exclusive Gotei 13 Invading Army arc and adapts no manga chapter. It leans on the unsettling premise of heroes fighting perfect duplicates of themselves, with the purple spark in a Reigai's eyes serving as the visual tell. A brief Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book segment offers comic relief, with a semi-conscious Hisagi mistaking the white-clad Uryū for an angel while Uryū tends his wounds.