Urgent Report! Aizen's Terrifying Plan!

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

As Ichigo Kurosaki finally overcomes his inner Hollow, Sōsuke Aizen's goal is revealed.

Summary
Having been impaled by the sword of Hollow Ichigo, who asserted that he was going to become the king instead of the horse in their relationship, Ichigo Kurosaki suddenly wakes up unharmed, wielding his Shikai, Zangetsu, and lying on a platform surrounded by floating versions of the buildings from the Senzaikyū pavilion, causing him to wonder where he is prior to a hallucination of 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki embedding his Zanpakutō into the ground next to Ichigo's head.

Once Ichigo bolts up in fright, Kenpachi comments on him finally being awake, and when Ichigo addresses him as Kenpachi and notes that he is next, Kenpachi inquires about who Kenpachi is since he is just here to kill Ichigo before bringing his Zanpakutō down in a powerful slash. Managing to block this with Zangetsu, Ichigo struggles to hold back Kenpachi as the latter licks his lips. Meanwhile, in the real world, Love Aikawa narrowly evades a horizontal slash from Hollow Ichigo by leaning backward and moving back with a backflip, but is shocked to see blood spurt from a wound on his shoulder following this.

Love looks at Hollow Ichigo, who has gained completely white skin with markings, elongated hair and fur covering his wrists and ankles, taloned feet with an additional back toe on each ankle, a near-complete Hollow mask covering all but his right eye, and a long, thick tail protruding from his lower back, which leads Love to observe that he looks completely Hollowfied. Outside the barrier boxing them in, Lisa Yadōmaru muses that Ichigo had been Hollowfied for sixty minutes when Love went in and that it is almost her turn before turning to Kensei Muguruma and inquiring about how long the longest internal battle of any of the Visored was.

In turn, Kensei reveals this was sixty-nine minutes and two seconds with Hiyori Sarugaki prior to clarifying that Ichigo's battle has lasted sixty-eight minutes and forty-four seconds, which Hiyori grimaces at. Back inside his mind, Ichigo leaps back, leaving Kenpachi to slam his Zanpakutō into the ground, and asserts that this does not make sense because his battle with Kenpachi is over, only for Kenpachi to counter that nothing is over since a battle with swords is not a fistfight and does not end till one of the combatants is dead. When Ichigo declares that he has no reason to fight Kenpachi, the latter questions if Ichigo really needs a reason to fight.

With Ichigo stunned by this, Kenpachi tells him that he seeks battle and elaborates that all who seek power also seek battle, though he does not know whether they seek battle to gain power or power to aid in battle. Proclaiming that they were born with the desire to fight, Kenpachi states that he and Ichigo were born to seek battle forever because it is the only way to gain power, and with Kenpachi concluding that the only way for him to conquer is for him to take his sword and slay his enemy with no other path available to him, Ichigo's consciousness returns to his inner world as he pulls the sword of Hollow Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu out of his abdomen.

Glaring at a shocked Hollow Ichigo with focused eyes glowing with blue Reiatsu and twirling the sword around in his hand to grasp it by the handle instead of the blade, Ichigo leaps forward and rushes toward Hollow Ichigo with it. Simultaneously, in the real world, Hollow Ichigo points two fingers on his left hand at Love, who is startled alongside Lisa, and begins charging a red Cero, causing Lisa to call out to Love in concern as the latter prepares to summon his own Hollow mask. Though Mashiro Kuna is astonished at him being willing to Hollowfy as well, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi reminds her that even Love would have to Hollowfy to repel such a powerful attack.

Suddenly, Hollow Ichigo's left shoulder begins cracking and spilling large amounts of blood into the air, with his right shoulder quickly following suit, and a startled Hiyori has Hachigen Ushōda let Love move out of the barrier with Shunpo as Hollow Ichigo screams at his entire body cracking. During this, within his inner world, Ichigo impales Hollow Ichigo with the black blade. After a brief pause, the red-black coat of Zangetsu begins surging out of the stab wound on Hollow Ichigo's back and spreading across his coat to turn it black, leading the latter to curse and reluctantly admit that Ichigo had some instinct to kill after all.

With his body beginning to disintegrate in flames from the legs up, Hollow Ichigo decides to accept Ichigo as his king for now, but warns him to never forget that either of them can become the king or the horse and that he will throw Ichigo off and crush the latter's skull the moment he senses the slightest weakness in Ichigo. Hollow Ichigo smiles at a silent Ichigo and advises him to not get killed until the next time they meet if Ichigo really wants to control his powers prior to the remainder of his body swelling up and exploding in an enormous surge of energy. Back in the real world, Ichigo's Hollowfied body erupts in a powerful explosion, stunning the watching Visored.

In the aftermath, the Visored gather around the barrier while the dust clears to reveal the husk of the Hollow form falling off of Ichigo, who stands with a smaller version of the Hollow mask covering his face. With the remnants of the Hollow form crumbling on the ground, Shinji Hirako has Hachigen dispel the barrier and approaches Ichigo apprehensively, only for the latter to collapse, causing his mask to slide off his face and fall face-up on the ground. Despite Mashiro's uncertainty about him being alright, when Shinji asks Ichigo how he is feeling, a smiling Ichigo looks up and asserts that he is not bad, to Shinji's amusement.

Recalling Hollow Ichigo's warning about taking over his body if he shows the slightest weakness, Ichigo apologizes because he does not intend to let Hollow Ichigo do this. Elsewhere in Karakura Town, Orihime Inoue walks down the street and notes that Ichigo was not at Karakura High School again today before taking a moment to search for his Reiatsu, which she is able to sense and uses to confirm that he is alright. Assuming that Ichigo is in the middle of secret training and that she should not go looking for him, Orihime recalls that Rukia Kuchiki is worried about him as well and wonders if Ichigo left without telling her anything.

Upon remembering Ichigo's distraught face after the battle against Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Orihime realizes she is gloomy due to being lonely since Uryū Ishida and Yasutora Sado were not at school today either. As she decides to get Tatsuki Arisawa and go out to eat something interesting this weekend, Orihime recalls Tatsuki acting strangely as well and pauses somberly for a moment as she ponders the latter's recent change in behavior. However, Orihime is interrupted when Shinmura calls out to her, prompting Orihime to greet her, and inquires about the trustworthiness of the people staying with her, to Orihime's confusion.

Upon learning that they carried something odd into her apartment earlier, Orihime runs inside the living room to find 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya and his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, standing before a gigantic monitor filled with static that is attached to the walls and floor by fleshy, tendril-like growths. Initially considering this to be awesome, Orihime quickly changes her mind and demands to know what it is, which leads an exasperated Hitsugaya to note that her timing could not be worse. When the monitor displays Rin Tsubokura fiddling with a box of items and frantically identifying the communications lab, Hitsugaya identifies himself in turn.

After Rin switches the monitor's feed to Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, which Orihime stares in surprise at, Yamamoto commends Hitsugaya for his swift work in setting up this link and reveals that they have discovered Sōsuke Aizen's true objective, to the astonishment of those present. Orihime nervously observes that this sounds pretty serious and attempts to leave, but Yamamoto requests that she stay and listen because this concerns Humans as well, prompting Orihime to stop and agree to do so, prior to noting how it has been several months since Aizen betrayed and escaped from Soul Society.

Once Yamamoto explains that the Fifth Division captain's room, the Central Underground Assembly Hall, the Seijōtōkyorin, and the Daireishokairō are still being examined, he recounts how 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake made an unusual discovery while investigating the Daireishokairō the other day. In the past, Ukitake stands at the control panel of the Daireishokairō. From behind Ukitake, 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku approaches from the bridge connecting to the central platform behind him with his lieutenant, Nanao Ise, and observes that Ukitake seems to be working hard.

Upon being asked by a surprised Ukitake about why they are here, Nanao states that they had some free time and came to help, with Shunsui expressing hope that they will be of help, only for a grateful Ukitake to be interrupted when his 3rd Seats, Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu, alert him to having found traces of Aizen's Reiatsu on some documents, which they put up on his screen. Though Shunsui is unfazed by Aizen looking at literature related to the Hōgyoku, Nanao sees some documents that are not related. After tapping twice on the documents' section with his finger to open it, Ukitake is astonished at what he finds.

In the present, Hitsugaya inquires about what this body of literature referred to and is astonished to learn that it was about the Ōken, and when Orihime questions what this is, Rangiku explains how Soul Society has its own royal family that lets Central 46 oversee the realm and never interfere with the Gotei 13, to the point of none of the Shinigami having ever seen them. Affirming this, Yamamoto states that the monarch is called the Soul King, a symbolic yet revered figure in Soul Society, and that the Soul King Palace exists in a different dimension from the rest of Soul Society while being guarded by the Royal Guard.

With Orihime realizing what the Ōken opening the gate to that dimension means, Yamamoto theorizes that he indeed wishes to murder the Soul King, but dismisses this as not being the immediate threat, prompting Hitsugaya to deduce that the body of literate that Aizen accessed does not pertain to the location of the Ōken. Confirming this, Yamamoto notes that this secret has been passed down orally by the Captain-Commanders of the Gotei 13 for generations and cannot be found in any book. However, Yamamoto clarifies that Aizen accessed the literature documenting the creation of the Ōken and now knows how it was made.

In the past, an unnerved Ukitake explains to Shunsui and Nanao that Aizen needs 100,000 Souls and a Jūreichi that is two ri in diameter in order to create an Ōken, with the location of a Jūreichi changing over time and its nature as a spiritually-charged area making it the most likely area for Souls in the Human World to congregate. In response, Shunsui asks Nanao to find the current location of the Jūreichi, which she does by rapidly typing on the nearby keyboard and focusing on an area in Japan that visibly shocks her. In the present, Yamamoto concludes that the Jūreichi which Aizen is targeting is Karakura Town.

With Orihime stunned by this, Yamamoto admits that 100,000 Souls and a Jūreichi are too abstract as terms and bluntly asserts that Aizen creating the Ōken as indicated in the literature will carve Karakura Town and its residents out of this world and from existence, leaving Orihime mortified. However, when a trembling Orihime wonders if there is anything they can do to stop Aizen, Yamamoto promises her that they will find a way because that is why the Gotei 13 exists, leaving Orihime to stare in amazement at this and Rangiku to smile at her in turn, and observes that they also have some time to prepare for this.

Yamamoto reveals that the Hōgyoku remains in a dormant state for approximately four months after being removed from a Soul before it can completely awaken, which means that Aizen cannot assemble his army until then and that this is when he will make his move. After declaring that the battle will come in the winter, Yamamoto orders Hitsugaya and Rangiku to sharpen their skills and prepare themselves for battle until then before turning his attention to Orihime, whom he requests the help of alongside her other Human friends since the area that Aizen will be focusing on is too large for the Gotei 13 to handle by themselves.

Once Yamamoto finishes by asking her to inform Ichigo of the situation, Orihime firmly agrees to do so and runs out of the apartment. Following this, Rangiku leaves to inform 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame and the others of the situation, but when Hitsugaya attempts to join her, Yamamoto requests that he stay and listen since someone has been waiting to speak to him and moves out of the way to reveal 5th Division Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, whom Hitsugaya is startled by. Meanwhile, in the Study Chamber underneath the Urahara Shop, Sado is sent crashing into a rock formation by 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai's Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru.

When Renji questions if he has had enough since it is still too bright outside to be sleeping, Sado denies this and resume attacking with his Fullbring, Brazo Derecha de Gigante, as Renji asserts that he knew this would be the case and Kisuke Urahara watches intently nearby. Simultaneously, in the Karakura Hospital Study Chamber, Uryū dodges another Heilig Pfeil fired by Ryūken Ishida and slides across the ground with a determined expression. Elsewhere in Karakura Town, Orihime runs down the street and focuses on Rukia, Uryū, Sado, and Ichigo.

Arrancar Encyclopedia
Gin Ichimaru picks up a pointer and announces that he will kindly be revealing facts about the Arrancar from today onward. As he points to the screen behind him, which displays all the Arrancar whom Ichigo Kurosaki and his allies have confronted so far, Gin explains that Arrancar are Hollows who transformed when their mask was removed, only to clarify that no one knows what will be born when a Hollow's mask comes off, and when he compares this to gambling, Sōsuke Aizen appears on the screen and looks to Gin for affirmation that this is amusing, prompting an unnerved Gin to note that Aizen enjoys this type of thing.

Events

 * Visored Training

Powers and Techniques Used
Hohō Techniques:

Hollow Techniques:

Fullbring:

Zanpakutō released:

Bankai:

Quincy Techniques:

Other Powers:

Anime Notes
Removed Content= Added/Expanded Content= Censorship= Changes=
 * Ichigo Kurosaki narrowly dodging a slash from the hallucination of Kenpachi Zaraki.
 * Shinji Hirako approaching Ichigo prior to to the latter collapsing.
 * Orihime Inoue resolving to go to Tatsuki Arisawa's house and find out why she has been acting strangely.
 * Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto noting that the Fifth Division captain's barracks, the Central Underground Assembly Hall, the Seijōtōkyorin, and the Daireishokairō are generally off-limits to the point of few captains knowing what is inside them, prompting Tōshirō Hitsugaya to question what is going on and what Yamamoto wants to tell them.
 * Rangiku Matsumoto assuming that Sōsuke Aizen could have already created his own Ōken, only for Yamamoto to reveal that the raw materials required for him to do so prevent it from being completed so easily.
 * Orihime expressing shock at the need for 100,000 Souls to create an Ōken.
 * Hiyori Sarugaki grimacing upon hearing how close Ichigo is to matching the time it took her to conquer her own inner Hollow.
 * Ichigo recalling his battles against Kenpachi, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Jin Kariya while the hallucination of Kenpachi tells him that he must fight to gain power.
 * Love Aikawa moving out of the barrier with Shunpo.
 * Ichigo's Reiatsu appearing as a small flame when Orihime concentrates to search for it.
 * Orihime thinking of skewered doughnuts and anko steak as additional interesting foods to try out.
 * Rin Tsubokura being the SRDI technician connecting Hitsugaya to Yamamoto and being caught fiddling with some items once the feed turns on.
 * Shunsui Kyōraku and Nanao Ise joining Jūshirō Ukitake in his investigation of the Daireishokairō before Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu alert Ukitake to documents with traces of Aizen's Reiatsu on them, which Ukitake brings up on the screen and searches through with Nanao's help.
 * Nanao finding the current location of the Jūreichi at Shunsui's request and being shocked by what she discovers.
 * Orihime running out of her apartment after agreeing to update Ichigo on Yamamoto's behalf.
 * Yasutora Sado trying and failing to stop the charge of Hihiō Zabimaru.
 * Renji Abarai sarcastically telling Sado that it is still too bright out to be sleeping after the latter is knocked down.
 * Uryū Ishida continuing to dodge attacks from Ryūken Ishida.
 * Ichigo pulling the sword out of his abdomen and spilling a large amount of blood is grayscaled without sound until the last two seconds.
 * Zangetsu's bones and organs are not visible as he disintegrates, instead being obscured by flames.
 * In the manga, after being confronted by the hallucination of Kenpachi, Ichigo wonders why he is here and where they are; here, he instead simply notes that Kenpachi is next.
 * In the manga, Love facing off against Zangetsu is shown after Ichigo conquers Zangetsu in his inner world; here, it is instead interspersed between Ichigo encountering the hallucination of Kenpachi and Ichigo concluding his fight with Zangetsu.
 * In the manga, when Zangetsu's Hollowfied body begins to crack open at the shoulder, it releases light-colored energy from the openings; here, it instead releases large amounts of blood.
 * In the manga, Yamamoto notes that one month has passed since Aizen's betrayal; here, he instead notes that several months have passed since this event.
 * In the manga, Ukitake discovering Aizen's research is relayed verbally by Yamamoto; here, it is instead presented as a flashback to the actual event.
 * In the manga, the nature of the Jūreichi is explained by Yamamoto to Hitsugaya, Rangiku, and Orihime; here, it is instead explained by Ukitake to Shunsui and Nanao.
 * In the manga, while Yamamoto is explaining the four-month delay before Aizen can fully awaken the Hōgyoku, it is accompanied by flashbacks to Mayuri Kurotsuchi relaying this information and Ulquiorra Cifer standing before his fellow Arrancar; here, it is instead accompanied by flashbacks to Aizen pulling the Hōgyoku out of Rukia Kuchiki and the silhouetted Espada standing together.
 * In the manga, when introduced by Yamamoto as wanting to speak to Hitsugaya, Momo Hinamori's face remains unseen; here, her face is instead visible on the monitor feed.