This episode is an extended fight between Ichigo, Orihime, and Rukia verses Yhwach. In the manga, Yhwach largely overwhelms Ichigo, Orihime is useless, and Rukia doesn’t fight. This episode is far better than the manga that felt rushed. Yhwach shatters Ichigo’s Cero Creciente with his Reishi broadsword. Outside, Renji, Sado, Ganju Shiba, and Rukia fight the statues. Renji tell Rukia to head in to help Ichigo and creates an opening for her to escape the statues. Inside, Ichigo tries to land a hit on Yhwach but the darkness make him to illusive.
When Yhwach begins to overwhelm Ichigo with darkness, Orihime steps in to heal and shield him. Yhwach turns his attention to Orihime, impaling her several times with darkness tendrils. She’s able to heal herself each time. However, she’s exhausting herself, when she heals Ichigo one more time, she collapses. Yhwach tries one more time to kill Ichigo but this time Rukia uses her Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki to freeze Yhwach’s shadow. They bicker but decided that they will stop Yhwach together.
Orihime reaches for a new power
Yhwach fires a red energy beam at them. His power is still too destructive. He tells Ichigo “farewell,” assuming he defeated Ichigo. Suddenly, Ichigo activates his Bankai, revealing another horn, a new tattoo, redder skin, red Reiatsu that creates Blood Chains around Ichigo. With his new Bankai, Ichigo can now deflect Yhwach’s beams with his chains. Ichigo can now move faster and is able to create copies of himself. He reveals that he can generate his clones from his “dark Reiatsu.”
Ichigo unleashes an impressive Getsuga Tensho that takes the shape of a crescent moon. Yhwach isn’t phased and goes on the offensive. Rukia and Ichigo try one more attack together. Ichigo uses his clones to surround Yhwach with shadow. Meanwhile, Rukia activates her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, freezing Yhwach. Ichigo unleashes another Getsuga Tensho. Unfortunately, when the smoke clears, Rukia is impaled on Yhwach’s Reishi Broadsword, while Yhwach stands over a defeated Ichigo.
Orihime becomes frustrated with her own weakness. Her creates a new power for herself calling to her various hairpins, Tsubaki, Ayame, Hinagiku, Baigon, and Lily. She slams into Yhwach with a six of her Shun Shun Rikka, as the energy surrounding them, as Yhwach and Orihime vanish.
