Mystery! The Sword-Consuming Assassin

Rukia Kuchiki refuses Jinnai Doko's demand to surrender Rurichiyo Kasumioji and attacks, but he breaks free of her ice with ease. Jinnai reveals that the assassins carry Bakkoto, swords that consume a user's spiritual energy to amplify their strength, and bites into his own to overwhelm her. Kenryu steps in and releases his Zanpakuto to stall the assailant, ordering Enryu to flee with Rurichiyo, yet Jinnai slips the trap and pursues them. A recovered Rukia blocks his strike, delighting Jinnai, who devours more of his Bakkoto and pushes her onto the defensive.

Meanwhile, Uryu Ishida trades blows with Kuzuryu, who is surprised to find a swordsman using Shunpo from inside a Gigai until Uryu corrects him: he is a Quincy. Kuzuryu shares secrets about the Bakkoto, then conjures a concealing mist that Uryu cannot strike, leaving him to puzzle out the technique. Elsewhere, Sado has lured Genga into a park to keep bystanders clear and asks him to abandon the mission. Genga laughs him off and raises a rock wall with his own Bakkoto. The two trade heavy hits, and though Sado unleashes more of his true power, Genga feeds his weapon further and swings the battle back in his favor.

The nature of the Bakkoto is revealed: they grow stronger by consuming their wielders' spiritual energy. Rukia is forced onto the back foot after Jinnai empowers himself, while Kenryu buys time for Rurichiyo to escape.

Uryu is trapped in Kuzuryu's mist and begins analyzing it, and Sado's clash with Genga tilts against him as Genga taps deeper into his weapon's power.

This is an anime-original episode in the New Captain Shusuke Amagai arc, adapting no manga chapters. The three simultaneous duels showcase the Bakkoto as escalating threats.

An Arrancar Encyclopedia segment has Gin Ichimaru describe Sado's arms, noting the right is mainly defensive and the left offensive, before joking that he cannot read the on-screen captions, with Pesche and Dondochakka standing in as example Hollows.