bleach 122, 123, 124

Bleach Episode 122 Summary

Even with everything Grimmjow did, Aizen says that he’s actually not angry because of Grimmjow’s loyalty. Nevertheless, Tousen still wants to punish Grimmjow because he doesn’t approve of people disturbing the order. He feels that justice without moral law is just slaughter, but slaughter in the name of moral law is justice, and as he says this, Tousen cuts off Grimmjow’s left arm and burns it with a spell. Grimmjow gets ready to fight, but Aizen stops him by saying that if he attacks Tousen, Aizen won’t forgive him. Afterwards, he leaves his throne room and runs into Ichimaru who comments that Aizen is playing with his subordinates again. Ichimaru also points that they lost 5 Arrancar, but Aizen isn’t concerned because they were only Gillians. With his Vasto lorde-based Espada, Aizen feels that there will be no enemies in their path. Back in the human world, Ishida is training with his father, but he has doubts about being able to regain his powers. Ryuuken, however, believes that Ishida wills as long as this training doesn’t kill him.

The next morning, Yuzu goes to wake up her brother, but finds him gone from his room. Rukia also doesn’t know where Ichigo is, though she does remember the conversation with him after she had gotten completely healed by Inoue the previous night. At the time, she had taken responsibility for getting hurt and didn’t want him burdening himself. Rukia had also suggested that he go talk with Urahara about his inner Hollow, but Ichigo decides not to. He is instead, at this moment, revisiting the crater that Yammy and Ulquiorra left from their initial arrival. At school, Inoue notices that he’s absent, as are Sado, Rukia, and Ishida. Atop the school’s roof, Hitsugaya is sending a report to Soul Society about what happened when Matsumoto approaches him from behind. She’s quite happy with their victory, but Hitsugaya is disturbed about how much trouble they had fighting just Gillian-based Arrancar. Over at Urahara’s, Jinta is excited that Ururu is better. Urahara himself is surprised when Sado shows up and begs to be trained.

Ichigo meanwhile heads off to a warehouse district where he finds Shinji and the entire Vizard gang. Shinji thinks that Ichigo is ready to join them, but Ichigo says that he’s just here to use them - he wants them to teach him how to control his inner Hollow. Since Shinji isn’t going to teach him that easily, Ichigo brings on his Shinigami form and attacks. The two seem to engage in an intense fight, but Shinji’s Vizard allies notice that neither is trying very hard. They realize that Ichigo is afraid of his inner Hollow, so he’s holding back in order not to awaken it. Tired of watching the fight, Hiyori takes over by knocking Shinji out. She explains to Ichigo that they wanted him in their group, but it’s not actually his decision. They are the ones who get to decide, and so they have to see his strength first. When Ichigo refuses to show his Hollow side, Hiyori reiterates that it’s not his choice. With that, she brings out her Hollow mask and promises to drag out his inner Hollow. She then puts her mask on and appears in front of him with her hand on his chest, telling him to really die.


Bleach Episode 123 Summary

Although he survives the hit from Hiyori, Ichigo still gets hurt and his Hollow side slowly starts to take over. Hiyori urges him to go ahead and initiate ban kai, and she knows that he’s afraid he’ll lose control. Claiming not to care if he uses his ban kai or not, she attacks him with her mask on again. As Ichigo is getting beat up, he wonders how Hiyori is able to put on the mask and retain control. He tells himself that that he won’t surrender his soul to his Hollow side, but the darkness soon covers his eyes and that side emerges. It immediately grabs Hiyori’s throat, breaking part of her mask, and starts choking her. Things aren’t looking so good for Hiyori until all of the other Vizards spring into action and pin Ichigo to the ground in order to save her. Shinji breaks off Ichigo’s mask and tells Ichigo, who has turned back to normal, that he can’t control his Hollow side with just his body and willpower alone. In any case, he decides that Ichigo passes and promises to teach Ichigo how to control the Hollow. Back at the Kurosaki house, Yuzu is crying because of her brother’s disappearance, so her father tries to cheer her up. When Rukia gets home, she reports that she wasn’t able to find Ichigo either, and later that night, she wonders where he went since she can’t sense his spiritual pressure.

Ichigo spends most of the next day on a special exercise walker while the Vizards lounge around going about their normal lives. He finally gets so pissed that they’re making him do this that he kicks the machine at Hiyori, though she grabs Shinji in time to take the hit. Ichigo and Hiyori start fighting about what she’s making him do until she throws the machine at him and tells him to paddling until he passes out. Shinji steps in to diffuse the situation by explaining that the Hiyori Walker is the foundation for the training. How many days Ichigo can continue paddling decides the level of training - for Shinji to teach him how to control the Hollow, Ichigo has to do it for at least 3 days. In anger, Ichigo reveals that he’s figured out that the machine drains his spiritual power so that the Vizards can see what his maximum is. He thinks that he can go five days on it, but there’s no point to it, and he’s running out of time. Shinji, however, feels that Ichigo shouldn’t be talking about time when he doesn’t even know the Hougyoku’s awakening period. Ichigo is shocked that Shinji has known for many years about the Hougyoku, the Arrancar, and Aizen, and the next surprise comes when Shinji decides to go ahead and let Ichigo proceed to the next step. As he knocks Ichigo out with a power from his hand, Shinji tells him not to regret this.

Shinji then instructs the Vizard Hacchi to put up a barrier around the building and opens up a passageway to an underground training area. Telepathically, Shinji tells the unconscious Ichigo that he’s going to become completely Hollow, so he should eat instead of be eaten. Once underground, Shinji has Hacchi put up another barrier and also seal off Ichigo’s body. Ichigo meanwhile finds himself once again in the sideways world facing his white Hollow self. When Ichigo asks where the old man Zangetsu is, the Hollow replies that he is Zangetsu as he pulls out a blade that mirrors Ichigo’s zanpaktou and attacks with it. With the inner fight started, Ichigo’s body - still in the training area with the Vizards - takes on its Hollow form and breaks through the seal that Hacchi placed. Because of this, the Vizard who introduces herself as Yadoumaru Risa squares off against the fully Hollow Ichigo. Back inside the sideways world, the Hollow Ichigo has to reiterate that he really is Zangetsu. He and Zangetsu have always been one and the same, and both are Ichigo’s strength. The Hollow Ichigo used to be a part of Zangetsu, but it’s a matter of dominance. As the Hollow side got stronger, it got control and Zangetsu thus became part of it. Thus, the more Ichigo tries to draw out the Zangetsu’s power, the easier it is for his Hollow side to control his soul.

Having heard this, Ichigo concludes that if he defeats his Hollow side here, then the old Zangetsu would return as the core of his power. His Hollow side thinks that it’s impossible for Ichigo to do this, so Ichigo goes into his ban kai stance. In response, the Hollow Ichigo takes on the same stance, and the two initiate ban kai at the same time.


Bleach Episode 124 Summary

Since Ichigo is surprised that his Hollow self can also initiate ban kai, Hollow Ichigo explains that he could do it when Ichigo could. The two then envelope each other in energy blasts, but when Ichigo opens his eyes again, he finds himself in Soul Society fighting against Byakuya. Ichigo doesn’t know what’s going on, but he has no choice except to defend himself against Byakuya’s ban kai. Byakuya comments on how Ichigo doesn’t notice the unrest in his own heart and then continues the petal onslaught. Having gotten knocked down, Ichigo tries to climb back up onto a ledge, but Byakuya appears above him and talks about Ichigo not attaining true ban kai. After letting go of the ledge because of Byakuya’s swords, Ichigo finds himself falling downward. Byakuya reaches the ground before him and says that a person who doesn’t have the will to fight can’t defend against his sword. The captain then prepares to finish Ichigo off, but Ichigo suddenly finds himself back in the sideways world fighting against his Hollow side. Although he’s still confused about what just happened, Ichigo fires off a Getsuga Tenshou. Hollow Ichigo easily deflects this attack and responds with one of his own at point blank range.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Lisa has her hands full fighting the Ichigo that is gradually turning more and more Hollow. Once 10 minutes have passed, the Vizard named Muguruma Kensei takes her place and continues the battle. Shinji and the Vizards are using a 7-man rotation of 10 minutes each, so each person can rest for 70 minutes between fights with Ichigo. During his turn, Kensei cuts Ichigo’s arm, but he soon realizes that Ichigo has hyper-speed regeneration. In response, he fires a huge energy blast, however it still doesn’t manage to do any significant damage to the regenerating Hollow Ichigo. As she watches the fight, Lisa thinks about how the struggle for Hollow control takes about an hour. Thus, it should be over by the time her turn comes again. Back inside the sideways world, Hollow Ichigo reminds Ichigo that it was his Hollow side that first used the Getsuga Tenshou in ban kai form - Ichigo is only imitating it and not doing a good job at that. Hollow Ichigo then grabs Ichigo’s sword, turns it white, and makes it disappear. Before Ichigo has a chance to fully take in what’s going on, he hears Kariya saying that he’s the worst.

Ichigo tries to tell himself that Kariya is an illusion, and although Kariya doesn’t deny it, he does say that illusions are something that the mind sees. He explains that this was all created from Ichigo’s mind, and so his existence signifies Ichigo’s worries of having defeated him. After the end of a fight, Ichigo always looks back at the enemies he defeated and the comrades he couldn’t protect. Kariya wonders if Ichigo is afraid of walking forward along the same path as him, but Ichigo denies it. The Bount then notices that Ichigo doesn’t have Zangetsu and asks if Ichigo thinks it’s possible to defeat him bare-handed. He throws Ichigo into the ground and questions if Ichigo understands the powerless feeling of losing Zangetsu. Thinking that Ichigo wants a weapon, Kariya attacks him with his wind power, and when Ichigo opens his eyes once again, he sees that he’s now in the multiple-sword world where he trained with Zangetsu. Unfortunately, the old man who represents Zangetsu isn’t around - only Kariya is. He urges Ichigo to choose a weapon, but Ichigo knows that Zangetsu isn’t around here. Instead, he remembers that Zangetsu is inside of himself, and that allows him to call forth the true blade. Ichigo, however, is still unable to hurt Kariya.

Explaining that fighting is something that goes on forever, Kariya says that strong people will continue to appear, and so if a person doesn’t have the resolve for an eternal battle, he or she will eventually be defeated. However, even that isn’t the end because the fighting would just be repeated by someone else. This is the endless cycle of rebirth: not just life and death, but the endless cycle of fighting. Kariya goes on to say that a person who possesses power will eventually be dragged into a fight - that’s how it was for the Bount. He then starts beating up Ichigo, and when Ichigo tries to strike back, Kariya catches the Zangetsu with his hand. The Bount leader, however, soon disappears and Ichigo finds himself once again back in the sideways world with the now-white Zangetsu disappearing from his hand. Because Ichigo calls it Zangetsu, his Hollow side asserts again that he’s Zangetsu before throwing Ichigo into a building.

Hollow Ichigo then asks if Ichigo knows the difference between a king and his horse. If there are two beings with the same appearance, ability, and power, one becomes the king and the other becomes the horse. The reason for this is simply instinct. The person who becomes king needs to want to fight, to want power, and to mercilessly crush his enemies. Ichigo’s Hollow side accuses him of using reason to fight and feels that Ichigo can’t hurt anyone if his sword is still in its sheath. Claiming that this is why Ichigo is weaker, the Hollow Ichigo throws his Zangetsu right into Ichigo’s abdomen. Hollow Ichigo follows this up by saying that he won’t let a king weaker than him ride on top of him, and since Ichigo is weaker, the Hollow is going to destroy him to become the king. As he seems to lose strength, Ichigo thinks about instinct, the desire for battle, and not handing over his sword. With this, he suddenly grabs the white Zangetsu that his Hollow side was pulling out of him and transforms it black again. Hollow Ichigo manages to get away in time, but his right hand has now turned human. The word instinct once again permeates through Ichigo’s mind.