Ichigo's Resolution! The Price of the Fierce Battle

Mayuri prepares to haul the real Karakura Town back to the living world and gives the lingering Shinigami a mere ten seconds to open a Senkaimon, ignoring their pleas. Unohana finishes healing the Visored, though she cannot say whether Hiyori will choose to keep living, and Shinji thanks her in his heart. Byakuya and Kenpachi return from Hueco Mundo, where Yammy is shown dying alone, asking a Hollow dog why it came back before he expires; Kenpachi dismisses the whole battle as boring.

Ichigo talks with Urahara, learning his friends went home and that Aizen's sealed form now awaits the Central 46's ruling. Ichigo reflects that, having finally matched Aizen in battle, he found only solitude in his blade, and suspects Aizen, forever seeking someone who saw the world as he did, may have secretly wished to remain a mere Shinigami and been rejected by the Hōgyoku for it. When his healed friends appear to greet him, Ichigo collapses in sudden agony as they rush to his side.

The Central 46 sentences Aizen to eighteen thousand years in Muken, then raises it to twenty thousand for his arrogance, binding his eyes and mouth. Yamamoto scolds Byakuya, Kenpachi, and Shunsui for casually losing their captain's haori, and Ukitake marvels that the Captain-Commander regained his strength ten days on despite his lost arm. Hitsugaya trains to protect Hinamori, while Rangiku, thinking of Gin, admits she loved that he left her nothing to cling to. Waking ten days later at Rukia's home, Ichigo learns from her that his Shinigami powers will vanish in stages, the final one costing him everything, yet he steps outside at peace, smiling up at the sky.

Byakuya and Kenpachi return from Hueco Mundo as Yammy dies. Ichigo shares his theory that Aizen wished to remain an ordinary Shinigami and was rejected by the Hōgyoku, then collapses. The Central 46 sentences Aizen to twenty thousand years in Muken. Ichigo wakes ten days later and learns that losing the Final Getsuga Tenshō's power will strip away his Shinigami abilities entirely, a fate he accepts.

The 310th episode, set in the aftermath of the Fake Karakura Town arc, adapts chapters 422 and 423. Its Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book has Ichigo push to return to Karakura Town, only to learn each of his friends still has tasks in Soul Society, prompting him to grumble they should have finished everything first.