The Shinigami Enter Battle! Seireitei Also Has a New Year Special!

Shūhei Hisagi hands a reluctant Izuru Kira the job of running a New Year feature for the Seireitei Communication built around divisions setting aside their rivalries. Nudged by Momo Hinamori, Izuru agrees and gathers captains and lieutenants for kite-flying. When Hisagi's kite tangles with Ikkaku Madarame's and snaps its string, Ikkaku and Yumichika challenge him to see whose kite climbs highest, and the rest soon pile in, each set on winning for their division or captain. The contest escalates as competitors attack one another's kites, the Eleventh Division straps Ikkaku to a giant kite, and Suì-Fēng answers in kind. Momo ends up dangling from a string, and a whirlwind stirred by Nanao and Rangiku hurls her and Hitsugaya skyward. Izuru launches himself to intervene and crashes into the First Division offices, enraging Yamamoto.

Elsewhere, Rukia tells Renji she has been asked to perform a celebration dance once danced by Hisana, and Byakuya has warned her not to embarrass the Kuchiki Clan. Renji bluntly calls the dance odd, then drags her to train with Kenpachi and to learn charm from Rangiku before turning to calligraphy, insisting that calming her mind will steady the dance. When Rukia tries to throw him out, spilled ink ruins the costly kimono meant for the performance, and she furiously sends him away.

The next morning, after a muddled dream about Kaien Shiba, Rukia finds the kimono replaced. Byakuya reveals it is the very one Hisana wore and tells her that her attitude toward the dance matters more than the garment, which finally helps her understand what Renji had intended. Hanatarō later visits the Sixth Division, and since Renji has shut himself away, he passes Rikichi Yuki a note from Rukia inviting Renji to watch her dance.

Izuru is placed in charge of a New Year unity feature and organizes a kite-flying event that spirals into competitive chaos. A whirlwind sends Hitsugaya and Momo flying, and Izuru's crash into the First Division draws Yamamoto's fury. Rukia is tasked with a celebration dance tied to Hisana, and spilled ink strains her friendship with Renji. Byakuya gives her Hisana's own kimono and reframes the dance's meaning, and Rukia sends Renji an invitation to attend.

An anime-original holiday special with no tie to a specific arc, the episode stages no fights. A Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book segment shows Ichigo pestered by Keigo, Chad, and a glum Ishida fretting over an upcoming Quincy Dance ritual. Featured releases include Wabisuke and, in Rukia's dream, Kaien's Nejibana, along with the Kidō spells Shakkahō and Tenran.