The Gate of The End

With his tongue torn out, Shrieker is pinned by Ichigo's blade through the leg and left as helpless as his own victims once were. When the Hollow severs the limb and tries to flee, Ichigo condemns the fear he spread and slashes his mask, expecting purification. Instead, energy erupts from the wound, and towering gates marked with skeletons appear. Rukia identifies them as the Gates of Hell, explaining that while a Zanpakutō cleanses a Hollow's sins as a Hollow, it cannot absolve crimes committed in life, so the truly wicked are dragged below.

The gates swing wide, and a tattooed, laughing executioner impales Shrieker on a massive blade and hauls him inside before the doors slam shut and shatter. That night, Ichigo, Rukia, and Sado gather around Yūichi, whose Chain of Fate has vanished, meaning his soul can no longer return to his body.

Rukia gently promises the boy that Soul Society is kinder than the living world, and Ichigo assures him his mother truly waits there this time. Grateful, Yūichi thanks Sado, who humbly downplays the rescue but asks that Yūichi let him carry the parakeet once more when Sado himself eventually passes on. With that promise made, Ichigo performs Konsō and sends Yūichi onward. In her bed at the clinic, a dreaming Karin senses the boy has crossed over and quietly thanks her brother.

Ichigo learns that Hollows guilty of human crimes are taken by the Gates of Hell rather than purified to Soul Society. Shrieker is dragged into Hell, and Yūichi is peacefully sent on with the promise of reuniting with his mother.

Closing the Yūichi storyline in the second volume and the Agent of the Shinigami arc, this chapter introduces the Gates of Hell and the fate awaiting the worst Hollows. It was adapted into the anime's fifth episode, Beat the Invisible Enemy!. The Viz edition retains the original title.