Ichigo, complete Hollowfication!?

In the Visored warehouse, Hiyori Sarugaki hammers a bloodied Ichigo, daring him to Hollowfy or use Bankai. When he refuses and loses consciousness, his inner Hollow seizes his body, cracks part of Hiyori's mask, and chokes her until the other Visored pin him down and free her. Shinji declares that Ichigo has passed their test, since the ordeal proves he cannot master his Hollow through willpower or muscle alone.

Back at the Kurosaki Clinic, a tearful Yuzu is convinced her brother has vanished for good, while Rukia searches the town and finds no trace of his spiritual pressure. The next day the training sours into bickering as Ichigo toils on the Super Trainer, a machine built to gauge his maximum output. He boasts he could last five days, but Shinji explodes at him, revealing that the Visored have long known about the Hōgyoku, the Arrancar, and even Aizen.

Shinji knocks Ichigo out and has Hachigen wall off the warehouse before the group descends into the Study Chamber, where Ichigo's body is bound and warned that he must devour his inner Hollow or die. Inside his soul, Ichigo confronts the white figure, who claims to be Zangetsu himself and explains that the two powers were always one, his growing dominance pushing Zangetsu into the background. As the clash spills into the real world, both Ichigo and his Hollow raise their blades and perform Bankai together.

Ichigo's inner Hollow briefly overpowers him and nearly kills Hiyori before the Visored subdue it. Shinji reveals the Visored have known about Aizen and the Hōgyoku for years. Ichigo begins formal training to consume his inner Hollow rather than be consumed. He is restrained with Gochūtekkan inside the Study Chamber. Within his inner world, the Hollow declares that he and Zangetsu are a single power, and the two figures activate Bankai in unison.

The episode draws on Chapter 216 through Chapter 218 and features Shunpo, the Kidō spells Gochūtekkan, Tanma Otoshi, and Hachigyō Sōgai, plus the released Zangetsu. The anime softens the manga's gore, tones down Hiyori's choking, and reorders several beats, including when Ichigo loses control and when he first faces the Hollow within. A closing Picture Book gag has Kon bouncing off Yachiru's head while chasing his plush body. The opening theme is Alones and the ending is Tsumasaki.