The New Captain Appears! His Name is Shūsuke Amagai

Rangiku Matsumoto excitedly informs Hitsugaya that the Third Division is finally getting a captain, guessing it might be Izuru Kira, but her captain corrects her before ordering her back to work. At the following captains meeting, Yamamoto praises the returning expedition unit and reveals that its leader, Shūsuke Amagai, will fill the seat vacated by Gin Ichimaru. Amagai stutters through a humble self-introduction and requests guidance, drawing an offer of help from Ukitake, while Komamura spots two hilts beneath his haori and deduces he carries a pair of Zanpakutō. The identities of the two captains who assessed him are kept secret, and Yamamoto privately warns that two empty seats remain a dangerous weakness that an enemy could exploit.

The rank and file react poorly to a total stranger leading them, with Inose and Aida voicing open doubt even as Amagai arrives with Makoto Kibune, a former expedition member installed as Third Seat. Amagai wins a measure of respect by admitting he understands their unease and vowing to protect them. Acting on Rangiku's advice, Izuru throws a welcome party, but Amagai, who has zero alcohol tolerance, downs a single cup out of politeness and passes out cold, to Kibune's amusement.

The gathering is cut short when the Research Institute reports thirteen Menos Grande advancing through the Dangai toward Soul Society. With Amagai still unconscious, Kibune insists the Third Division must respond and assures Izuru that the cleaning current has been restrained for them. The Shinigami split into groups and purify several Menos, but the Kōtotsu suddenly returns despite the restriction request. Amagai leaps ahead of his fleeing squad, draws a tuning-fork weapon from his hip, and shatters the massive cleaner in a burst of green energy. He questions how his restraint order could have been overlooked, then collapses once more, still drunk from the party.

Shūsuke Amagai is formally appointed captain of the Third Division, replacing Gin Ichimaru, and brings Makoto Kibune along as its new Third Seat. Two unnamed captains are revealed to have secretly evaluated him. During the Dangai battle Amagai destroys the Kōtotsu with a mysterious tuning-fork device, an early glimpse of the Bakkōtō that will define the arc, and grows suspicious that his request to restrain the cleaning current was ignored. In the Arrancar Encyclopedia segment, Gin Ichimaru discusses Ichigo's Hollowfication and cautions Izuru to be careful of the new captain.

This anime-exclusive installment launches the Kasumiōji Conspiracy, presented on screen as the New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc, and adapts no manga chapters. It aired in Japan on April 23, 2008, and in English on August 28, 2010, pairing the opening Chu-Bura with the ending Orange. From this episode forward the series is produced in a 16:9 aspect ratio, and it is acknowledged immediately after the credits as the first arc that deliberately sits outside the main timeline.