Oath! Back Here Alive Again

'''Oath! Back Here Alive Again''' is the one-hundred-fiftieth episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: November 28, 2007
 * English Airdate: September 19, 2009
 * Opening Song: After Dark
 * Ending Song: Tane wo Maku Hibi
 * Manga Chapters: Chapter 248, Chapter 249.
 * Kanji: 誓い！再び生きてこの場所へ
 * Romaji: "Chikai! Futatabi ikite kono basho e"
 * Arc: The Hueco Mundo arc Part 1

Summary
Ichigo and Renji successfully break through the walls of Las Noches, but Nel informs them that they could have entered through the front if they walked for three days. Ichigo tells her that they can't just simply walk into the front of the enemies' base, and Renji adds on that they can't waste three days either. Ichigo then thanks Nel for bringing them there, but if she goes with them any further she'll be branded a traitor. Ichigo then says goodbye to her and the others begin running into Las Noches. However, Nel quickly begins following them and explains that she was already branded a traitor as soon as Runuganga saw her, and that she'll die if she stays away from them because neither Aizen nor the Espada will forgive her. Ichigo is eventually convinced to let her go, but before she can reach them she falls down a hole and Ichigo goes after her, but is quickly tackled by both Pesche and Dondochakka. Ichigo asks them where Nel went, but they inform him that they have no idea. Sado suddenly notices the hole and Uryū speculates that the hole was probably supposed to be a vent in the walls before. Ichigo decides that they're going to have to help out Nel and the others, and Ichigo jumps down the hole. Nel begins yelling at Ichigo until she suddenly see's him come down the hole, and Nel pretends to not care about him and says that she doesn't want to come along anyway. Ichigo gets mad at this and decides that he's really going to ditch her this time, but Nel begins crying and runs up to Ichigo, telling him not to go away. Back at the top, the ceiling suddenly collapses on the group and they're forced to jump down the hole. The group quickly runs away and they tell Ichigo to do the same, but before he can both Pesche and Dondochakka fall on him. Ichigo angrily kicks them off, but before he can move out of the way, the rocks from the ceiling collapse on him. Ichigo angrily gets rid of the rocks, and the group decides to progress further into Las Noches.

Ichigo remarks that the area they're in is too dark, and Renji decides to fix this by casting a weakened version of Shakkahō, but only a small light is illuminated in the area. The others mock Renji for this, but he continues to use it anyway while walking through the palace. As they continue to walk, Ichigo wonders if this building was around before Aizen came here, and Nel informs him that Aizen built the upper layers of Las Noches, but she isn't sure about the basement. Dondochakka suddenly notices something shiny in the distance and he runs towards it along with Nel and Pesche, and the others are forced to follow as well. They end up reaching a door, and Uryū points out that the door is made of a different material then the rest of the area, allowing him to come to the conclusion that past this door must be where the newer areas are. Uryū tells the others that they should begin thinking of a plan before entering this door, but Ichigo tells him to move aside and he immediately destroys the door. A staircase is revealed to them, as well as another door, and Ichigo decides that he's going to smash through all of these doors. Eventually, they reach an area that isn't falling apart, and Uryū notices that they're many different paths for them to take. The group suddenly feels an immense reiatsu, and Ichigo apologizes to Nel, explaining that this really will be goodbye for them now, as even he has no idea what's going to happen from here on out. Sado notices that there are five different paths, and Uryū decides that they're going to have to check them all out one-by-one, but Rukia tells them that they should all go a different path.

Ichigo tries to explain to Rukia that they're up against the Espada, and that it would be much safer for them to stick together, but Renji stops him, explaining that "It's insulting to a soldier when you worry about protecting them on the battlefield". Rukia tells Ichigo that she can handle fighting herself, and that she didn't come here to be protected by him. Ichigo is eventually convinced to do things Rukia's way, and Renji tells everyone that he has something that will bring them good luck. Renji explains that the Gotei 13 used to have a ceremony before a big battle, and that while nobody really does it nowadays, it would be a perfect time to do it for this moment. Renji then puts his hand out and tells the others to put their hands on top of him, and Ichigo reluctantly does so. Renji then shouts out "We at this moment head into the decisive battle. Have faith that our blades will not shatter. Have faith that our hearts will not waiver. And even if our paths should diverge, we all share a heart of iron. Swear that even if the ground beneath us should be rent asunder we will live and return to his place again." After the ceremony is completed, the group splits up but Nel decides to go after Ichigo. Pesche and Dondochakka decide to do the same, but they end up forgetting which door Nel went through.

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra leaves Orihime's room and thinks to himself that although Orihime showed dismay for a second, she didn't flinch at his questions, leading him to believe that she has a strong spirit. Ulquiorra's thoughts are suddenly interrupted by Nnoitra Jiruga, who asks how his handling of the girl is and explains how he knew all about how Aizen had entrusted her care to him. He then asks how far along he has gotten in "taming" her, but Ulquiorra ignores him and walks away, calling him a degenerate scum. Undeterred, Nnoitra immediately moves in front of Ulquiorra and asks him to not get so testy, as he is only asking if everything is going well. Ulquiorra can't comprehend why Nnoitra really cares about something so trivial, but tells him not to worry as Orihime has been under Aizen's spell even before she arrived in Hueco Mundo. Nnoitra then questions if Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu as usual, though Ulquiorra assures him that the situation was not that big of an issue to warrant its use. He further explains that the moment that she was invited here, multiple psychological cages were put in place. First off, by putting her friends in danger, she was forced into a situation where she couldn't refuse and was forced to surrender. Following that, he gave her a 12-hour period to say goodbye to one of her friends. Nnoitra still doesn't get the significance of the psychological cage that was spoken about, and Ulquiorra further explains that she is set to believe that they are not the enemy, and therefore she will follow them of her own free will. He also makes note that, by allowing her to say goodbye to a friend of her own choosing, it allowed her to leave evidence of her free will in the event so that she would be looked upon as a traitor. Finally understanding, Nnoitra states that the plan was well thought out and that he would expect nothing less of Aizen, though Ulquiorra corrects him, stating that such things to Aizen are nothing more than a game: if she is trapped then that is good, if she is not then that is okay as well, as either way she does not have the power to escape from Hueco Mundo, or even the will to turn against them.

As Orihime sits on the couch in her room, she remembers a recent event. Orihime is brought into Aizen's room by two Arrancar girls, Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia. Aizen apologizes to Orihime for bringing her in so late, and he dismisses Loly and Menoly, despite their reluctance to leave. Aizen then brings out the Hōgyoku for Orihime to look at, and explains that it's currently in a weakened state because he repeatedly forced it to fully awaken for one moment at a time, but despite that it's still on its way to fully awakening. He continues to explain that without the Hōgyoku, he cannot continue to make Arrancar, nor create the Ōken. He then asks Orihime to consider him showing her this as a symbol of his trust in her. Aizen then goes up to Orihime and asks her to use her power of rejecting events for him. In the present, Orihime thinks to herself that she doubts the Hōgyoku was shown to her because he trusts in her. She then decides that since she now knows where the Hōgyoku is, and that she now knows about her abilities, she will destroy the Hōgyoku herself. As Ichigo continues to run through Las Noches, a foot belonging to someone is shown right behind Ichigo.

Arrancar Encyclopedia
Dondochakka decides to explain secrets about himself, but as he does this, Gin releases his Zanpakutō, Shinsō, and hits Dondochakka. Gin tells him not to takeover his airtime, but decides that he was interesting and says that he should have more guest hosts on, and he thinks about Ulquiorra and Yammy.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 2) Renji Abarai
 * 3) Nel Tu
 * 4) Yasutora Sado
 * 5) Rukia Kuchiki
 * 6) Uryū Ishida
 * 7) Dondochakka Bilstin
 * 8) Pesche Guatiche
 * 9) Ulquiorra Cifer
 * 10) Orihime Inoue
 * 11) Nnoitra Jiruga
 * 12) Tōshirō Hitsugaya (flashback)
 * 13) Rangiku Matsumoto (flashback)
 * 14) Ikkaku Madarame (flashback)
 * 15) Yumichika Ayasegawa (flashback)
 * 16) Jūshirō Ukitake (flashback)
 * 17) Loly Aivirrne (flashback)
 * 18) Menoly Mallia (flashback)
 * 19) Sōsuke Aizen

Fights
None.

Powers and Techniques used
Kidō used:
 * Hadō #31