Morning of the Sentence

The morning of Rukia's execution breaks over the Seireitei. She is led from her cell in the Senzaiku tower by the Kido Corps, while across the district various squads start moving toward Sokyoku Hill. Kenpachi barrels through the streets with Orihime and Yachiru clinging to his shoulders, his subordinates chasing behind, though Yachiru's dreadful sense of direction sends the group careening into one dead end after another.

They punch through into the underground cell holding Uryu, Ganju, and Sado and free them. Elsewhere, Byakuya pays a quiet visit to Hisana's shrine before departing, Komamura confides to Iba that his loyalty to Yamamoto leaves him no doubts about the execution, and Sui-Feng coldly reminds Omaeda where his duty lies. Shunsui, idle as ever, is fetched by an exasperated Nanao.

Kenpachi's group is finally cornered by Komamura, Tosen, Iba, and Hisagi. Grinning at the odds, he sends the rescuers off with Yachiru to keep searching for Ichigo and declares he will face all four captain-class fighters alone.

Ikkaku and Yumichika refuse to leave, insisting on taking Iba and Hisagi themselves. Kenpachi permits it on the condition they move their fight elsewhere, cutting his own opponents in half. That leaves him against Komamura and Tosen. Komamura releases his Shikai, Tenken, carving a fissure across the ground, and Tosen follows with Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihiko, raining hundreds of thin blades down on him.

When the dust clears, Kenpachi stands laughing with blades buried in his chest, barely wounded and thoroughly unimpressed. He pulls one free and tells the two captains their combined assault would not even rouse him from sleep.

Away from the chaos, Renji prepares to leave the Study Chamber as a bloodied Ichigo presses on with his Bankai training against Zangetsu's many clones. Yoruichi reassures a doubtful Renji that Ichigo will succeed, comparing his latent instinct for Bankai to the way people simply know how to walk.

This entry adapts chapters 137 through 139 during the Soul Society rescue arc. The next-episode preview notes the end of Kon's illustrated guide and the coming debut of the Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book segment.

The anime reorders and expands several moments: Rukia's walk across the bridge is shown, the two street-sweeping Soul Reapers get spun around by Kenpachi's charge, and Ichigo's final training day is repositioned to begin later. Censorship reduces the blades and blood on Kenpachi after Tosen's technique, and a continuity error leaves a background Soul Reaper missing his lip ring with hair that shifts from brown to blue.