Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio

 is a battle taking place during the Invasion of Hueco Mundo between Ichigo Kurosaki and Arrancar #103. Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, a Privaron Espada, acting as the first conflict to take place within Las Noches.

Prelude
After Ichigo Kurosaki enters Las Noches alongside his friends, they reach a crossroads with five different exits and strong Reiatsu emanating from the paths ahead. At Rukia Kuchiki's behest, the five of them split up and each take a different exit. Soon afterward, in a long corridor filled with arches, a running Ichigo hears footsteps approaching him from behind and turns to see Nel Tu tearfully running after him, to his shock. With Nel not listening to him urging her to turn back, Ichigo prepares to forcibly send her back, only for Nel to initiate Chōkasoku and slam into his midsection, knocking a stunned Ichigo on his back and causing him to cough up blood as Nel claims that she missed him so much.

Grudgingly accepting this, Ichigo questions where the others are, and when Nel explains that she left Bawabawa outside because he needs to constantly eat sand to live, Ichigo clarifies that he is referring to Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne, though he cannot remember the latter's name and mixes him up with Don Kanonji, whom Nel does not recognize. Upon attempting to point out Pesche and Dondochakka behind her, Nel realizes that they are not there and begins crying as she assumes that they got lost, with an unimpressed Ichigo observing that she seems to be the one who is lost.

Suddenly, Ichigo is alerted and looks up at the ceiling, and when Nel questions what is wrong, Ichigo tells her to be quiet and demands that whoever is hiding in the arches above show himself. In response, Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio breaks the top of one of the arches by leaping off of it and begins running along the others, prompting Ichigo to proclaim that the former cannot get away from him. However, Dordoni's attempt to deny running away is cut short when his foot slips off one of the arches upon landing, causing him to crash into the ground in front of Ichigo and Nel in an undignified manner.

When Ichigo asks him if he is okay, Dordoni dramatically points at him from within the resulting dust cloud, startling Ichigo and Nel, and begins chanting in a rhythm to announce his arrival, but is reduced to coughing by the dust and leaves Ichigo and Nel completely unimpressed when he finally exits the cloud to reveal himself. After a moment of silence, an aghast Dordoni berates Ichigo's bored expression as him feigning composure after witnessing this grand entrance, though Ichigo bluntly states that he is actually composed, and points out how Nel is not even looking at him due to her eyes being rolled up, only to conclude that this simply shows Ichigo has no appreciation for the finer things and does not matter because the latter is about to be demolished anyway. With Dordoni declaring that Arrancar #103. will crush him, Ichigo notes how high the number is and confirms with Nel that Arrancar usually have a two-digit number while the latter admits she has never heard of one with three digits.

Battle
Looking at Dordoni with pity, to the latter's indignation, Ichigo unsheathes his Shikai, Zangetsu, and informs Dordoni that he seems weak, leading the latter to furiously promise to show Ichigo weak and warn him to not cry about it later. Suddenly, Ichigo is slashed across his left shoulder by a passing Dordoni, whom he stares at in bewilderment while Nel calls out to him in concern. With Ichigo firing a Getsuga Tenshō at Dordoni, Dordoni splits the Getsuga Tenshō in two with Barón Puntapiés Alto, remaining undamaged by the blast in the process, and smugly tells Ichigo to not judge people by their appearances.

With Ichigo staring at him in disbelief, Dordoni informs him that Arrancar with three-digit numbers are former Espada, known as Privaron Espada, before immediately attacking Ichigo with a downward kick, forcing the latter to block with Zangetsu, while the ground ruptures beneath his feet, and springing backward off the blade. As he asks Ichigo what is wrong and leaps into the air, Dordoni swings his foot up to tear through several more arches before slamming into Ichigo with enough force to send him crashing through the nearby wall into an adjoining room. Catching up to a stunned Ichigo in midair while the latter notices an exit at the end of the room beneath them, Dordoni asserts that Ichigo should not have to look to know where he is going to land and kicks him into one of the pillars lining the room with enough force to crater it.

Upon landing, Dordoni lambasts Ichigo's slow reflexes, porous defense, and pathetic spatial awareness as he questions why he is bothering to fight the latter. Suggesting Ichigo use his Bankai, Dordoni bluntly states he cannot win without it, but Ichigo refuses and confirms with a quizzical Dordoni that Privaron Espada are not really Espada prior to declaring he cannot be wasting his Bankai on someone who is not even an Espada when he has to defeat every Espada in Hueco Mundo and rushing down toward Dordoni. However, while blocking Ichigo's subsequent slash of Zangetsu with his leg without injury, Dordoni expresses understanding of Ichigo's reasoning, only to grab Zangetsu by the blade and warn Ichigo to not underestimate him prior to activating his Resurrección, Giralda, with his still-sheathed Zanpakutō.

With Ichigo forced back by the ensuing whirlwind around Dordoni and alarmed that Dordoni can do this without even drawing his Zanpakutō, Dordoni tells him to raise his sword just before Ichigo is attacked by a large, piercing strike, leaving him shocked while the wind clears to reveal Dordoni having gained horn-like protrusions on his shoulders and coiling armor on his legs with spouts near his ankles that are creating two large Cyclones, each creating an additional bird-like wind protrusion with a large and pointed beak. After asking Giralda if it is ready, Dordoni aims a kick in the direction of Ichigo, who is flying through the air.

In turn, one of the bird protrusions slams Ichigo into the ground from above. As a bloodied Ichigo pants within the crater created by this attack, Nel watches through the hole in the wall and tearfully worries that Ichigo is going to die as the left eye of her mask glows with a strange light. Ichigo is sent flying by a strike from another bird protrusions, and with the bird protrusion slamming Ichigo into the ground and flinging him into the air, a maniacally laughing Dordoni directs it to jab at Ichigo several times with his kicks, which Ichigo blocks with Zangetsu, before encouraging Ichigo once again to use his Bankai unless he wants to die because conserving his strength against Dordoni is incredibly foolhardy. Pinning Ichigo in midair with El Uno Picotear, Dordoni instructs him once again to perform Bankai so he can fight at his best, only for Ichigo to instead fire a point-blank Getsuga Tenshō at the head of the bird protrusion restraining him, obliterating it as Dordoni watches in amusement.

Suddenly, Ichigo reappears behind Dordoni with Shunpo and slashes downward with Zangetsu, forcing Dordoni to block the strike with his right wrist, before attempting to fire another point-blank Getsuga Tenshō. In response, an irritated Dordoni swipes his right hand to the side, sending Ichigo flying back with the resulting force, and chastises the latter for underestimating him prior to proclaiming that naughty boys must be punished while readying his hands in front of him to fire a Cero from between his fingers. Before Ichigo can defend himself from the beam, Nel appears in front of him facing the Cero with her arms, leaving both Ichigo and Dordoni shocked at her blocking it, and begins drawing the entire Cero into her mouth as though eating it, which stuns Dordoni in complete disbelief, before finally firing it back at Dordoni from her mouth.

With Dordoni engulfed in the massive blast, a panting Nel defiantly tells him to not hurt Ichigo, only to be sent flying back when Dordoni blasts her with a Bala from within the resulting dust cloud, causing Ichigo to call out to her in concern. Dordoni notes that being able to redirect his Cero is no easy task, though he does not know who Nel is, and refuses to permit it while sending his other bird protrusion hurtling toward Nel with the intent of obliterating her. However, the bird protrusion is cut completely in two as Ichigo, now wielding his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, grabs Nel and slashes Dordoni's left shoulder in one swift movement.

As Dordoni's left shoulder horn falls to the ground, Ichigo declares that this is the Bankai which Dordoni wanted to see, pleasing the latter. Looking up at Ichigo, a tearful Nel coughs in pain, prompting Ichigo to apologize for letting her get hurt over his ego and explain that he had intended to reserve Tensa Zangetsu for the Espada since he did not believe that he could afford to use it on weaker Arrancar, only to call himself a fool as he stands up. Upon hearing this, Dordoni questions if Ichigo is sure about this and asserts that restraint in battle is required of those who seek great power, which he commends Ichigo for. When Ichigo counters that it is not worth letting a friend get hurt over, Dordoni deduces that he seeks power in order to protect his friends rather than for his own sake, which he considers to be saintly in its kindness.

However, Dordoni begins reforming one of the bird protrusions and brings up Ichigo possessing other abilities before revealing that he knows about the latter's ability to use Hollowfication, to Ichigo's shock, and detailing how the Arrancar have monitored and analyzed all of Ichigo's fights in the Human World to learn that he possesses a technique which grants him explosive strength through the power of a Hollow. Demanding that Ichigo show this to him, Dordoni sends the bird protrusion charging toward Ichigo, who casually blocks it with his sword, causing the protrusion's mask to begin cracking from the force, and split it in half with an upward Getsuga Tenshō.

Impressed by Ichigo's enormous Reiatsu, Dordoni reiterates his desire to see Ichigo's best and forces him to spin around to block another bird protrusion prior to leaping through the smoke and attempting to attack Nel directly in order to compel Ichigo to this end. Ichigo barely manages to repel Dordoni in time, leaving Nel with a graze on her cheek from Dordoni's hand, and curses Dordoni, who observes that there is no reason for Ichigo to be angry since his purpose is to protect his friends and Dordoni's is to defeat Ichigo at his best, which simply means that he must go after Nel to accomplish this goal. When Ichigo questions if he has any shame, Dordoni proclaims that he would suffer great shame if he were unable to fight Ichigo at the latter's best as he initiates Ave Mellizos to generate several bird protrusions from his Cyclones.

With Dordoni concluding that all other shame pales in comparison to this, Ichigo accepts this and sets down Nel, whom he tells to stand back and promises to not let even a trace of Dordoni's Reiatsu get past him. Turning to face Dordoni, Ichigo agrees to use his Hollowfication, but clarifies that he can only show it to Dordoni for a second, which Dordoni is content with. As Ichigo dons his Hollow mask, further strengthening his Reiatsu, an astonished Dordoni laughs in joy and describes Ichigo's Reiatsu as marvelous prior to declaring that he is deeply honored to be able to fight someone so powerful and offering a toast to an exhibition of spectacular destructive force. Suddenly, Dordoni finds himself slashed vertically down his left side from afar by Ichigo, and as he stares in bewilderment at the blood gushing from his wound, Ichigo dispels his Hollow mask and reminds Dordoni that it would only last for a second, leaving Dordoni to grin and comment on the humiliation he has suffered while falling to his knees and collapsing.

Aftermath
While unconscious, Dordoni recalls knowing for some time that the appearance of the Hōgyoku would make the Espada expendable and believed that he could accept this as a servant of Sōsuke Aizen, only to wake up to Nel dripping saliva onto his face with Nel Shower, causing him to scream in confusion and alarm. With Dordoni backing up and demanding to know what she is doing, Nel cheerfully states that she is drooling on him, which he is left aghast by, and Ichigo tells him to calm down while misspelling his name, to Dordoni's chagrin, prior to explaining that Nel's saliva has mild healing properties.

When Nel reaches into her mouth to trigger a cascade of fluid from her mouth by yanking her uvula, a disgusted Dordoni insists that this is vomit instead of drool and chastises Nel for casually doing this as a young lady, only for her to cover him in more of it despite his protests. Following this, Dordoni lies on the floor and admits that he is almost relieved despite being completely defeated. As he details how his body was filled with power and his mind was coursing with the will to win, which made him sure that he could absorb any attack and strike back, Dordoni notes that he could not have foreseen this even though his preparation was complete and calls Ichigo strong, only for the latter to deny this.

In turn, Dordoni reveals that he wanted to be a real Espada again and muses that, even though he knows Aizen only sees the Espada as weapons despite their loyalty to him, the view from the summit he reached within the group was one he could never forget and wanted to reclaim by defeating Ichigo at the latter's best, which he believed would please Aizen enough for him to rejoin the Espada. After concluding that this is why he kept urging Ichigo to don his Hollow mask, Dordoni suddenly leaps onto his feet while unsheathing his Zanpakutō and declares that his desire remains unchanged. Seeing Ichigo's surprise at this, Dordoni asserts that he must expect a counterattack when healing an enemy's wounds.

Despite Ichigo warning him against this due to his injuries, Dordoni declares that being wounded is a state of the spirit since physical injuries mean nothing when one's will to fight is strong before rushing forward with his Zanpakutō outstretched and calling Ichigo soft and sweet like chocolate. In response, Ichigo slashes through Dordoni's Zanpakutō, injuring him again in the process, and reappears behind him at the hallway leading out of the chamber with Nel in his arms before running off, leaving a chuckling Dordoni to observe that Rudbornn Chelute made it in time just as the latter appears before him with the Exequias.

With Dordoni welcoming them, Rudbornn states they have orders to eliminate the injured intruder and declines to tell Dordoni who gave this order, leading Dordoni to wonder if they wish to pass him. Though Rudbornn observes Dordoni's Zanpakutō being broken and his Resurrección being inaccessible would make it hopeless for him to attempt to resist them in his condition, Dordoni merely grins and demands to know if this is so as he assumes a combat stance to meet the charging Exequias.

In his mind, Dordoni thanks Ichigo for accepting Dordoni's request to Hollowfy despite knowing he could have won with just his Bankai and the act depleting his strength, which Dordoni has decided to repay him for with this. However, Dordoni mentally warns Ichigo that those he faces ahead will not be so kind and that he must kill them without hesitation because any wavering will cost him his life and healing those enemies will only give them an opportunity to kill Ichigo, whom Dordoni concludes must put all thoughts of mercy from his mind and leave his kindness behind in order to become powerful and ruthless like a demon because there is no other path to victory besides turning his heart to stone.