Clash! The Person Who Protects vs. The Person Who Suffers

 is the one hundred and twenty-first episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo Kurosaki finds himself overpowered by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

Summary
With Shawlong Koufang and Yylfordt Granz questioning what Gentei Kaijo, the two of them are struck by their respective opponents' Reiatsu, resulting in a stunned Shawlong having his right forearm blown off and frozen at the sharp stump while Yylfordt sees that the tip of his left horn has been cleanly burned off.

Emerging from the swirling Reiatsu, 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai, and 10th Division Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto explain to the Arrancar that Gentei Kaijo is the result of Gotei 13 captains and lieutenants being required to wear a Gentei Reīn somewhere on their bodies when they enter the Human World in order to avoid inadvertently harming or altering Humans with their power, causing their powers to be reduced by up to 80%.

After concluding that their strength is consequently quintupled through Gentei Kaijo, Renji sends his Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru, hurtling toward Yylfordt, who attempts to stop it with his hands, but is overwhelmed by its power and sent flying back with his left side bleeding after Hihiō Zabimaru chomps down on him. Meanwhile, Rangiku blocks a punch from Nakeem Grindina with her forearm and criticizes him as being too slow. When Rangiku requests that he come at her using the speed he confronted her with and wonders what this move is called, Nakeem moves behind her with Sonído as she attempts to slash at him.

However, when he identifies the technique by name and throws another punch at her, Rangiku reappears behind a startled Nakeem with Shunpo, which she identifies to him in turn while slashing vertically through the right side of his torso, causing him to scream in pain. Rangiku releases her Shikai, Haineko, and Hitsugaya prepares to use Ryūsenka while Renji initiates Hikotsu Taihō, which causes the segments of Hihiō Zabimaru to separate and fill with red Reiatsu as it opens its maw and fires a powerful energy beam at Yylfordt, incinerating him in a large explosion while he screams in fear and agony.

Upon seeing this, a frightened Shawlong orders Nakeem to retreat for now, only to see him collapse and die after sustaining further injuries from Haineko. However, when Shawlong attempts to flee, Hitsugaya asserts that he are not going anywhere and leaps after Shawlong to pierce his throat, creating a massive cross of ice in midair that shatters in his wake and summons a large swirling cloud of water vapor, which forces Rangiku to brace herself on the rooftop below. In the aftermath, Hitsugaya's ice wings crack and shatter, resulting in a large amount of blood spurting from Hitsugaya's multiple injuries and causing him to collapse.

Running over to Hitsugaya in concern, Rangiku leans over the rooftop's edge to beg Orihime Inoue to come up to the rooftop and heal him. Meanwhile, Renji falls to his knees in the street below where he was fighting and deactivates Hihiō Zabimaru while cursing how close that battle was and admitting that he is not sure he could have won if Yylfordt had fought seriously from the beginning and not hesitated at the news of the Gentei Kaijo before realizing that they are in trouble if all the Arrancar are this strong. Elsewhere, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez leaps into the air to avoid a strike from Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu.

With this blow kicking up a huge amount of dust, Ichigo pursues Grimmjow into the air and slashes at him once more, but Grimmjow blocks this with his right forearm and sends Ichigo flying back with a kick. As Ichigo reels from this, a grinning Grimmjow moves in front of him with Sonído and throws a punch at his face, only for Ichigo to evade this with Shunpo and reappear behind Grimmjow before attempting to attack him once more, though he is startled when Grimmjow disappears with Sonído before he can even swing his blade. Meanwhile, at her apartment, Mizuho Asano wonders where Keigo Asano is.

While Mizuho notes how long it has taken him to come back and vows to punish him when he returns, Keigo opens the front door and meekly announces that he is home, and when Mizuho angrily turns around to demand to know where he has been and how much time it takes to buy a drink from a vending machine, she stops in shock upon seeing Keigo standing with a bloodied 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame and an uninjured 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa, who have returned to their Gigai. With Mizuho visibly shocked by this, Keigo explains that he found Ikkaku and Yumichika lying in the street when he went to get her drink.

Keigo claims that this is why he did not get it and that they are going to stay with her and Keigo for a while, though he promises to turn them away if she wants. However, Mizuho simply congratulates Keigo on having done a good deed and readily welcomes Ikkaku and Yumichika into her home, leaving Keigo flabbergasted and questioning why they are not asking their parents first. With Mizuho gushingly greeting Ikkaku and irritatedly pointing out how he brought them here when he calls her out on this, Keigo tearfully reveals that he was hoping she would politely decline so they would not have to let Ikkaku and Yumichika stay.

When Mizuho bluntly states she does not mind, an incredulous Keigo demands to know why she does not mind since they are complete strangers and could be dangerous, only for Mizuho to smack him in the face. Mizuho claims she wants to be the kind of sister who would welcome a couple of strangers her brother brought home without questioning it, but Keigo dismisses this as irrelevant, which leads Mizuho to cheekily admit she is attracted to men with shaved heads as well. As Keigo expresses shock at this being her reason and tells her Ikkaku is bald rather than shaven, an angered Ikkaku cuts off some of Keigo's hair with a slash of his wooden sword.

With Ikkaku leveling the tip of his wooden sword against Keigo's head and reminding him that he is not bald, Keigo timidly apologizes and beg for his life. Simultaneously, Grimmjow casually leaps to the side to avoid a downward stab from Ichigo responds to Ichigo slashing at him by grabbing his sword by the blade and throwing Ichigo into the air. Sent hurtling down the street and crashing through the road by this, Ichigo springs off the ground high into the air and finds Grimmjow throwing a punch at his face, but manages to evade this and slash at him. However, Grimmjow easily grabs the blade and grins as he holds Ichigo in place.

As a shocked Ichigo wonders what he is, Grimmjow delivers a powerful kick to Ichigo's abdomen that causes him to cough up blood and sends him careening down into the street below while rapidly flipping in midair, culminating in Ichigo smashing through a set of traffic lights and cratering the middle of an intersection beneath it on impact. After shifting his weight in a boxing stance, Grimmjow propels himself downward through the air toward Ichigo, creating a sonic boom while Ichigo struggles to his feet and raises his sword just in time to block Grimmjow's subsequent punch, though Grimmjow simply kicks him in the face instead.

Stunned by the force behind this blow, Ichigo flies back and skids along the ground several times prior to slamming into a guard rail at the far end of the street. With Grimmjow gleefully approaching him, a panting Ichigo attempts to get up, but Grimmjow instead pulls him to his feet and begins rapidly and repeatedly punching Ichigo in the face while he laughs and a dazed Ichigo remembers Orihime Inoue and Rukia Kuchiki being harmed by him and Yammy Llargo. After throwing Ichigo high into the air, Grimmjow moves up to him with Sonído and kicks him directly back down into the crater in the road, creating another explosion of force.

Unimpressed by Tensa Zangetsu for only granting Ichigo average speed, Grimmjow questions if this is all he has got, only to be shocked when the dust below clears to reveal Ichigo charging and firing a black Getsuga Tenshō that slams into Grimmjow as he holds his arms defensively in front of his face, creating a powerful explosion. In the aftermath, Grimmjow stands in midair with burns running diagonally from his left shoulder to his right hip, with his left wrist and forearm having been damaged as well, and expresses intrigue at Ichigo having used such a potent move that was not in Ulquiorra Cifer's report.

Though he cockily inquires if Grimmjow is still disappointed, which leads the latter to laugh in approval and assert that he is finally worth killing, Ichigo hears his inner Hollow questioning what he is laughing about, and as the sclera of his left eye begins to turn black, Hollow Ichigo observes that Ichigo is taking his time with this, prompting Ichigo to clutch his eye and urge the former to leave him be since the fight is almost over, though Hollow Ichigo disparages the idea that he can win alone. Internally, Ichigo expresses frustration at how even the full force of the Getsuga Tenshō only left shallow wounds on Grimmjow's body.

Ichigo ruminates on how the technique being his inner Hollow's means that he can only use it two or three more times while still remaining in control of his body, only to snap out of this when Grimmjow wonders how long Ichigo is going to keep him waiting. From behind a nearby wall, Tatsuki Arisawa watches with concern as Kaname Tōsen appears in a Garganta behind her. Suddenly, as Grimmjow notes that it is his turn and begins to draw his Zanpakutō, Tōsen appears behind him and places his hand on Grimmjow's shoulder, shocking both him and Ichigo, while sternly ordering Grimmjow to sheathe his sword.

With Ichigo recognizing Tōsen as one of the captains who defected alongside Sōsuke Aizen, Grimmjow demands to know why Tōsen is here, only for Tōsen to counter that Grimmjow knows he invaded the Human World without permission and mobilized five Arrancar without permission, which are serious offenses that Aizen is not pleased by. With Tōsen concluding that they will leave so Grimmjow's punishment can be decided in Hueco Mundo, an annoyed Grimmjow complies with this, but Ichigo frantically questions where they are going. In response, while Tōsen opens another Garganta, Grimmjow tells Ichigo that they are returning to Hueco Mundo.

When an incredulous Ichigo refuses to let him simply leave after attacking him and his friends because they are not finished yet, Grimmjow asserts with irritation that Tōsen just saved his life and points out how the black Getsuga Tenshō obviously takes a toll on Ichigo to the point that he would be lucky if he could perform it three more times before claiming not even a hundred of them could defeat him while he is in his released state, stunning Ichigo. After warning Ichigo to not forget his name and to pray he never hears it again, Grimmjow introduces himself again and promises Ichigo will die the next time he hears it as the Garganta closes around him and Tōsen.

Following this, Renji approaches Ichigo, who stands up after falling on his hands and knees in the crater, and assumes that he won since the Arrancar returned to Hueco Mundo, only for Ichigo to bluntly state that he lost. When Renji observes that he won if he is alive, Ichigo reminds him that he would feel the same way if he were Ichigo and insists that he did not protect anyone and could not defeat their enemies while Rangiku carries Rukia through Karakura Town and Orihime heals Hitsugaya with Sōten Kisshun. With Ichigo concluding that this means he lost to Grimmjow, the latter returns to Las Noches with a grin.

Meanwhile, in the Urahara Shop, Tessai Tsukabishi heals Ururu Tsumugiya with Kaidō as Ururu weakly calls out to Kisuke Urahara, who kneels beside her and assures her that it is alright while holding her hand, with the Mod-Souls nearby and Jinta Hanakari sitting outside the room in shock. Soon afterward, on the rooftop of her apartment, Orihime heals Rukia with Sōten Kisshun as Ichigo, Renji, and a heavily bandaged Hitsugaya watch, where Orihime sees Ichigo's sorrowful expression and looks down solemnly. Simultaneously, Grimmjow and Tōsen return to Aizen's throne room in Las Noches, where Aizen welcomes Grimmjow back.

Kon-sama's Ultimate Shinigami Illustrated Guide
In 4th Division 7th Seat Hanatarō Yamada's body, Kon is repeatedly punched in the face by members of the Eleventh Division, who mock his attempts to harm them with Hanatarō's Zanpakutō, Hisagomaru since every strike simply heals their injuries instead, with each healing filling the gauge on the side of the blade. However, when the gauge is filled up and Kon takes a desperate swing, he accidentally releases Hanatarō's Shikai, Akeiro Hisagomaru, transforming the sword into a scalpel and unleashing a wave of red energy that sends the Shinigami in front of him flying, prompting Hanatarō to explain that this is the result of Hisagomaru absorbing injuries and releasing the accumulated damage all at once as Kon grins at this development.

Fights

 * Rangiku Matsumoto vs. Nakeem Grindina (concluded)
 * Tōshirō Hitsugaya vs. Shawlong Koufang (concluded)
 * Renji Abarai vs. Yylfordt Granz (concluded)
 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez (concluded)

Powers and Techniques Used
Zanpakutō Techniques:

Hohō Techniques:

Kidō Techniques:

Arrancar Techniques:

Other Techniques:

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:

Bankai:

Resurrección released:

Other Powers:

Anime Notes
Removed Content= Added/Expanded Content= Censorship= Changes=
 * The penultimate petal of Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Daiguren Hyōrinmaru shattering behind him prior to his collapse.
 * Kaname Tōsen stepping out of the Garganta he enters Karakura Town with and locating Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez nearby.
 * Grimmjow picking up on Ichigo Kurosaki claiming their battle is not finished.
 * Yumichika Ayasegawa helping an injured Ikkaku Madarame walk down the street.
 * Nakeem Grindina smirking prior to moving behind Rangiku Matsumoto with Sonído.
 * The segments of Hihiō Zabimaru separating and filling with Reiatsu as it prepares to fire Hikotsu Taihō.
 * Ichigo and Grimmjow evading each other's strikes as they move through the air.
 * Mizuho Asano staring in shock at Ikkaku while envisioning him as clean and cute.
 * Grimmjow kicking Ichigo hard enough to make him cough up blood and following him into the intersection Ichigo crashed into after shifting his weight.
 * Ichigo being sent flying several blocks back by Grimmjow's kick to the face and crashing into a guard rail, where Grimmjow begins punching him repeatedly in the face while Ichigo remembers his inability to protect Orihime Inoue or Rukia Kuchiki prior to Grimmjow throwing him into the air again.
 * Hollow Ichigo mocking Ichigo for taking so long in his battle against Grimmjow and questioning if he can really win alone.
 * Ichigo briefly falling to his hands and knees, then standing up when Renji arrives.
 * Shawlong Koufang's right hand is not shattered and destroyed by Hitsugaya's Gentei Kaijō.
 * Yylfordt Granz does not lose his left arm to Hihiō Zabimaru and his left side is badly burned instead of bloody.
 * The cut that Rangiku makes in Nakeem's side is roughly half as deep.
 * Nakeem's lethal injuries are unseen and do not produce any blood.
 * Yylfordt is obliterated without leaving a body behind.
 * Shawlong does not leave any frozen fragments of his body behind after shattering.
 * Hitsugaya does not begin bleeding from his facial injuries when collapsing after his battle.
 * Grimmjow is left with light burns across his left temple, arms, and torso instead of a deep cut spanning his left temple, arms, torso, and right leg after being hit by Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō.
 * Renji is covered in less blood when he meets up with Ichigo.
 * No blood rises from Hitsugaya's body while Orihime heals him.
 * Ikkaku has scuff marks and dirt on his body instead of blood.
 * In the manga, when injured by Hitsugaya and Renji's respective Gentei Kaijō, Shawlong and Yylfordt react verbally; here, they instead remain silent.
 * In the manga, Renji's face no longer has blood on it after he performs Gentei Kaijō; here, the blood instead remains present.
 * In the manga, Hitsugaya gains a thin layer of ice over the vertical cut on his face after performing Gentei Kaijō; here, he instead does not.
 * In the manga, Nakeem punches Rangiku with his left fist; here, he instead punches her with his right.
 * In the manga, Shawlong orders Yylfordt and Nakeem to retreat prior to Renji, Hitsugaya, and Rangiku making their final attacks, which results in him, Yylfordt, and Nakeem all leaving dying at the same time; here, he instead first sees Yylfordt vaporized by Hikotsu Taihō and orders Nakeem to retreat, only to realize the latter has already been killed by Rangiku without leaving the rooftop and consequently flee alone.
 * In the manga, Nakeem is killed by two vertical slashes down either side of his torso while in midair; here, his injuries are instead not seen and he collapses on the rooftop.
 * In the manga, Yylfordt has his Resurrección additions destroyed by Hikotsu Taihō, which produces a large energy beam, and his body remains intact with severe burns; here, he is instead completely obliterated by Hikotsu Taihō, which creates a spherical explosion, and leaves no remains.
 * In the manga, Hitsugaya is already on the rooftop and facing away from the ice created by Ryūsenka when it shatters; here, he is instead still in midair and lands on the rooftop afterward.
 * In the manga, Hitsugaya's ice wings remain intact as he succumbs to his injuries and collapses; here, they instead shatter first.
 * In the manga, after killing Yylfordt, Renji begins sealing Hihiō Zabimaru; here, he instead does not.
 * In the manga, Keigo Asano brings Ikkaku and Yumichika home after Grimmjow returns to Hueco Mundo; here, he instead brings them home while Grimmjow is still fighting Ichigo.
 * In the manga, when praising Keigo for doing a good deed, Mizuho claps her left hand on his right shoulder; here, she instead grabs both of his shoulders with her hands.
 * In the manga, Mizuho remains friendly and affable throughout her conversation with Keigo about letting Ikkaku and Yumichika stay; here, she instead briefly becomes irritated and aggressive when he questions her decision.
 * In the manga, when evading Grimmjow's punch with Shunpo, Ichigo moves behind him to attack and Grimmjow intercepts the subsequent slash with his forearm; here, he instead reappears in front of Grimmjow to attack and Grimmjow intercepts the subsequent slash by grabbing the blade with his hand to hold it in place.
 * In the manga, Tatsuki Arisawa peers out from behind a corner to express concern for Ichigo after he begins to struggle with his inner Hollow; here, she instead only does so after Grimmjow questions how long Ichigo is going to keep him waiting.
 * In the manga, Grimmjow only pulls a few inches of his Zanpakutō out of its sheath before being stopped by Tōsen; here, he instead almost fully unsheathes it before being stopped.