The Undead 2 [Rise & Craze]

Inside the inner world the Hollow watches Ichigo depart and lets the broken Asauchi fall, confirming with the old spirit that this outcome was intended. Untroubled, he calls it necessary since their king has to win, and promises his aid before fading back into the sword, warning the spirit to raise Ichigo well because that strength will one day be his own. Left alone with his sleeping wielder, Zangetsu confesses his hatred of rain, the gloom that falls whenever Ichigo grows sad, and swears that so long as Ichigo trusts him no storm will ever break over this lonely place. He will not let the boy fight alone.

In the waking world Ichigo blazes with restored power, his chest wound sealed. Before Kenpachi can react, he opens the captain's shoulder, turns aside the counterstroke, and drags his blade across both the earlier wound and the opposite shoulder, driving Kenpachi back into a wall. Ichigo apologizes and presses to finish quickly, but the captain is delighted rather than deterred, letting Zangetsu graze his nose and cheek so he can close in and score Ichigo's face in return. Kenpachi laughs off his own injuries, uninterested in how his foe recovered and eager only to savor the clash, urging Ichigo to treasure the pain and death that battle brings.

Not far off, Third Seat Ikkaku Madarame sits on the Fourth Division veranda, his hair blasted into an afro by a stray firework, roaring with laughter while an annoyed Yumichika Ayasegawa dons a wig shaped like his usual style. Ikkaku assures him their captain cannot lose, since they follow him precisely because they believe in him, and reminds Yumichika that Kenpachi still holds something back. Back at the ruined compound, a winded Kenpachi gazes skyward, praising Ichigo as truly the stronger of the two, and at last strips off his eyepatch to reveal an undamaged right eye, ready to fight without restraint.

The Hollow withdraws and Zangetsu vows to shield Ichigo from despair, sealing their partnership. Newly revived, Ichigo overwhelms Kenpachi with a rapid series of cuts, but the captain welcomes the punishment and refuses to fall. Watching from the Fourth Division, Ikkaku and Yumichika trust their captain will prevail. The chapter closes as Kenpachi removes the power-draining eyepatch, exposing an intact eye and unleashing his full strength.

Part of the thirteenth volume, the chapter was adapted into the anime episode The Immortal Man. Viz Media translated the subtitle as Rise & Rage for its English printing. The comic relief of Ikkaku's ruined hair sits alongside the escalating duel of the Soul Society arc.