Kariya! Countdown to the Detonation

Returning from his victory over Go Koga, Hitsugaya orders his men to give the Bount a proper burial and finds his office occupied by Ichigo's group tending to a wounded Uryu. Ichigo recounts how they chased Kariya and ended up here, and Uryu insists on taking responsibility for bringing the Bount to Soul Society. Hitsugaya cautions the eager Quincy against rushing back into battle, noting that only one Bount now remains. Orihime soon arrives with Izuru Kira and begins healing Uryu, who asks only to be restored enough to stand.

In Yamamoto's office, Nanao relays that Ran'Tao's recovered research confirms the Jokaisho's destructive power and reveals it needs roughly a full day after activation to reach full strength, explaining Kariya's chosen delay. Yamamoto orders every division to hunt Kariya down. As the group shares a meal with the Shinigami, the episode shifts to a rooftop where Ran'Tao ambushes Kariya with her Kido-firing gun, damaging his body and forcing him to counter with blasts of wind.

Recognizing the crest on Kariya's chest, Ran'Tao recalls her mission to the Human World, where the newly created Bount were hunted for their strange powers. She gathered them, promised Soul Society's protection, and was instead arrested when the Central 46 ordered the Bount exterminated as a threat to the balance of souls. Her flashbacks show her defying orders to rescue the boy Eugene Currier, giving him an amulet to draw out his power. In the present she names Kariya as that same boy and vows to save him, but he coldly declares he will use the Jokaisho to annihilate the Shinigami and blasts her weapon from her hands.

Hitsugaya learns from Ichigo's group that Kariya wields the Jokaisho, and Yamamoto orders a full hunt after Nanao reports the weapon needs a day to reach full power. Ran'Tao confronts Kariya, and flashbacks reveal she once tried to save the persecuted Bount and gave the young Eugene the amulet that shaped his power. She identifies Kariya as that boy, but he rejects her and prepares to destroy the Seireitei.

This anime-only episode from the Bount assault arc has no manga source. It centers on the backstory of Ran'Tao and the Bount, recasting Kariya's rage as the product of Soul Society's betrayal. Rolling Star opens the episode and Baby It's You closes it. A picture-book segment features Rangiku's disastrous bean-paste cooking and Hisagi being roped into serving it.