THE VULGARIAN NOISE

Shielded from the Gran Rey Cero by a masked Ichigo Kurosaki in Bankai, a shaken Orihime Inoue calls out to him. Seeing her frightened by his appearance, Ichigo apologizes for the scare, admits how unsettling he must look, and vows to finish quickly. Down in the sand, a howling Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez presses a hand flat to his blade, drags his fingers along it in a clawing sweep, and triggers his Resurreccion, Pantera, in a vast surge of energy. Ichigo warns Orihime to raise Santen Kesshun before herself and Nel Tu and never drop it, and as the dust clears Grimmjow stands transformed, an armored, panther-like body with a lashing tail, a heavy mane, talons, forearm blades, drawn-out ears, and an utterly feral look.

When Ichigo lifts his sword, Grimmjow lets loose a roar whose shockwave slams into him, then closes the gap in an instant and strikes him clean out of the air, punching him through two towers in a row. Catching up mid-fall, Grimmjow drives a kick upward that flings Ichigo above another spire, swings above him, and sweeps a hand down that smashes Ichigo straight through the structure. Certain he is not finished, Grimmjow calls him out of the settling dust, and Ichigo answers by appearing behind him and unloading an enormous Getsuga Tensho. Grimmjow simply carves through it with his hand, unscathed, cackling that he cannot bear the look in Ichigo's eyes.

Grimmjow releases his Resurreccion, Pantera, gaining a beast-like body and a dramatic surge in power. His roar alone generates a shockwave, and he batters Ichigo through several towers. Ichigo's full Getsuga Tensho fails to leave a mark, establishing the released Espada's dominance over the masked Bankai Ichigo.

This is the third chapter of the thirty-second volume, HOWLING. It debuts Grimmjow's released form, Pantera, a centerpiece of the volume named for his surging spiritual pressure. The material was adapted into Episode 166 of the anime, Desperate Effort vs. Desperate Effort! The Hollowfied Ichigo.