Formation! The Worst Tag

The exploding cannonball hurls the intruders in every direction. Orihime cushions herself and Uryu with a shield, Sado blasts his own landing, and Ganju's stone technique saves him and Ichigo, who tumble into a sand pit together. Their bickering is cut short when Ikkaku and Yumichika drop down, delighted to have skipped guard duty and found prey. Ganju bolts, drawing Yumichika into a chase, while Ichigo chooses to stand and fight the man he cannot outrun.

Ichigo trades blows with Ikkaku, who fights with both blade and scabbard and impresses easily. The two wound each other above opposite eyes, and Ikkaku, charmed by Ichigo's name and skill, offers friendship before learning that Kisuke Urahara trained him. Deciding not to hold back, Ikkaku releases his spear, which he reveals is truly a three-section staff that splits and rakes Ichigo's arm. Undaunted, Ichigo binds the wound and levels a wall with one swing, declaring the real fight has only begun.

Elsewhere, Ganju keeps blasting through walls to escape Yumichika until he stumbles onto an old execution pit. Yumichika corners him, but Ganju blinds him with sand and drops into the chasm, only to rise back up shielded by a spare Reishukaku cannonball. When Yumichika's released blade lodges in the barrier, it detonates and flings Ganju clear, letting him carve another hole and keep running as the frustrated Shinigami gives chase again.

The Ryoka are separated across the Seireitei on landing. Ichigo begins his duel with Ikkaku, who unveils his Shikai Hozukimaru and its hidden three-section-staff form, wounding Ichigo before Ichigo shows his own untapped power.

Ganju and Yumichika fight near an execution pit, where Ganju survives by using a spare Reishukaku barrier that forces Yumichika to release Fuji Kujaku. The Seireitei infiltration event concludes as the scattered fights ignite.

The episode adapts chapters 85, 86, and 87 during the Sneak Entry portion of the Soul Society arc. The anime expands several beats, including Orihime's shield forming, Ikkaku's exaggerated lucky dance, and the extended alley chase, while trimming small manga moments and toning down the blood from Ichigo's arm wound.

The next episode preview has Ikkaku declaring the true bout underway before comically trying to settle it with a round of rock-paper-scissors, to Ichigo's exasperation.