Ganju Shiba vs. Yumichika Ayasegawa

 is a fight taking place during the Ryoka Invasion between Ganju Shiba and 11th Division 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa, acting as one of the first conflicts between a Ryoka and a high-ranking member of the Gotei 13.

Prelude
To break into the Seireitei and rescue Rukia Kuchiki, the Ryoka infuse the Reishūkaku with their combined Reiryoku in order to create a cannonball that can penetrate the Shakonmaku; however, Ichigo Kurosaki is unable to lower his Reiryoku output to match that of his friends and distracts Ganju Shiba while the latter is reciting the second incantation for Kagizaki, the spell guiding their cannonball, at a crucial moment, resulting in the unstable cannonball exploding, which sends the Ryoka flying in four different directions across the Seireitei.

Having grabbed onto Ichigo prior to the explosion, Ganju pushes him back and uses Seppa, turning the ground they hit into sand as the impact creates a large explosion of energy. After a moment, Ichigo and Ganju pop up out of the sand pit and begin spitting out sand, leading Ichigo to note that Ganju's strange spell saved them. As he expresses gratitude for this, Ichigo sees Ganju still coughing up sand and kicks him in the back to help the process while questioning how long his spell is supposed to make him cough, and when Ganju accuses him of being ungrateful for doing this, Ichigo explains that this is his way of saying thanks, which surprises Ganju.

Suddenly, 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame appears beside 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa on the rooftop behind Ichigo and declares that he is lucky before jumping down alongside Yumichika. Landing in front of Ichigo and Ganju, Ikkaku explains that they were hiding out here because they did not feel like being deployed and observes how the intruders fell into their laps regardless as he declares it is not a lucky day for Ichigo, who expresses confusion. Shortly afterward, Ikkaku completes his Tsuki-Tsuki Dance as Yumichika watches, and with Ichigo and Ganju remaining silent while standing in the sand pit, Ikkaku demands to know what they are waiting for.

Pointing out how he was performing his dance in order to give them time to crawl out of there, Ikkaku questions if they do not recognize generosity of spirit when they see it while a perplexed Ichigo wonders who he is. After drawing Ichigo's attention, Ganju suggests they flee and responds to Ichigo's questioning of this plan by pointing out that Ikkaku and Yumichika have way more Reiryoku than most Shinigami. As he wonders what they are talking about, Ikkaku tells Ichigo and Ganju they can take as much time to argue as they like because it will not make them any luckier, but Yumichika observes waiting will force them to share credit with anyone else who shows up.

Ikkaku realizes this is true and declares that they have until he finishes his Tsuki-Tsuki Dance to get out of the sand pit. However, Ganju proclaims that Ichigo can fight on his own if he wants to stay and gets out of the pit before running away from them, leading Ikkaku to inquire if they had a quarrel. With Ichigo semi-confirming this as he begins to exit the pit as well, Ikkaku has Yumichika begin chasing after Ganju.

Battle
As he runs away from Yumichika through the alleys of the Seireitei, an unnerved Ganju questions how long Yumichika is going to keep pursuing him while the latter mocks his running form. Upon encountering a dead end, Ganju uses Seppa to create a hole in the wall, and while Yumichika realizes that this is what he used to create the sand pit he and Ichigo were found in, Ganju leaps through the hole and lands on the other side. However, Yumichika merely asserts that he should be careful as Ganju concludes that his strategy is not working before coming to an abrupt halt upon finding himself in front of a large and cavernous pit. With Ganju in shock over how close he came to falling in, Yumichika appears behind him and explains that this is an old execution area where criminals were forced to fight Hollows while the Shinigami watched.

When Ganju nervously claims the Shinigami have a twisted sense of fun, Yumichika agrees while comparing it to the ugliness of his face before revealing it is simply an ugly custom which is no longer practiced. Noting Ganju must be tired of running and chatting, Yumichika unsheathes his Zanpakutō and informs Ganju he must choose between being killed or falling to his death before requesting he turn around while considering his choice despite the ugliness of his face because Yumichika likes to observe the faces of those who are confronted with such a choice, leading Ganju to state this only reinforces his view of the Shinigami as being twisted.

Soon afterward, upon hearing an explosive sound from the area behind him, Yumichika asks a battle-worn Ganju if he thinks the fight which was taking place there has ended, though Ganju merely points out that he has no way of knowing this. Claiming that this is a rude response, Yumichika decides that they should finish this and releases his Shikai, Fuji Kujaku, prompting Ganju to call him arrogant as he lights a smoke bomb by scraping it along the length of his left arm gauntlet before throwing it to the ground. Engulfed by a cloud of smoke, Yumichika wonders how it can be stinging his eyes like this as Ganju explains that it is a chili pepper smoke bomb called "Tears of Blood" developed by Kūkaku Shiba, only to begin coughing profusely while realizing that the bomb got him as well.

With a confused Yumichika preparing to resume his attack upon noting that Ganju's plan backfired, Ganju runs out of the smoke cloud and away from Yumichika, who is astonished by his response and curses him as unsightly. Some time later, Yumichika stands over a bloodied Ganju, who is sitting against a wall, and notes that he must be exhausted as he praises Ganju for evading running away for such a long time, which Yumichika considers doing well even though it was in an unsightly manner. When an irritated Ganju calls him annoying, Yumichika brushes this off as the natural response of the unsightly envying the beautiful before inquiring if it is Ichigo whom he can hear calling out to Ganju. Listening to Ichigo running away from Goteitaishi and several other Shinigami nearby, Yumichika asserts that he is as unsightly as Ganju.

However, as Yumichika clarifies that he views Ichigo this way because he is only attracting more Shinigami while looking for Ganju, whom he decides is a little slow, Ganju claims that Yumichika is the slow one and reaches behind his waist while pointing out how Ichigo being here means that he must have killed Ikkaku. Shocked by this, Yumichika declares that this is impossible due to Ikkaku being the 3rd Seat of the strongest division in the Gotei 13 as Ganju pulls out a series of wrapped tubes bound together by a fuse, the end of which he scrapes along the length of his right arm gauntlet before throwing the tubes at Yumichika. With the tubes detonating in minor explosions in front of Yumichika's face, Ganju begins running away once more.

An irritated Yumichika observes that Ganju's only skill seems to be running away as Ganju pulls several small bombs out of his vest and unleashes them on Yumichika in the form of Senpen Banka, only for Yumichika to slash Fuji Kujaku through them while calling this a childish trick. Upon reaching the edge of another execution pit, Ganju moves his hand across the ground in a circular motion before Yumichika kicks him in the chest, sending him flying across the ground to the wall at the other end of the pit's edge. Questioning if Ganju ever learns and if fleeing and scratching the ground are the extent of his abilities, Yumichika theorizes that he intends to use one of his spells to kill them both by causing the ground to crumble.

While asserting that killing himself to take out Yumichika would be a waste, Ganju moves his hand in a circular motion across the section of ground he is crouching on. When Ganju dodges his subsequent slash that cuts through the wall behind where he was standing, Yumichika commends him for having enough stamina to still move this well after spending so long dodging and responding to his attacks. However, as Ganju mentally notes that he only needs a little more preparation and will have to catch Yumichika off-guard for this to work, Yumichika angrily claims that Ganju would have been one of his favorites had he been born beautiful and appears behind Ganju before slashing him across his back, resulting in Ganju being sent hurtling over the edge of the pit. Upon seeing Ganju manage to stop his fall by grabbing onto the edge of the pit at the last second, Yumichika sarcastically states that his will to live is inspiring and walks up to him.

Yumichika explains how Ganju should at least die beautifully rather than continue to live an unsightly life, only for Ganju to assert that they have different concepts of beauty because he was taught to survive no matter what. With Yumichika shocked to see him making another circle with his hand, Ganju uses Seppa on the portion of the ground he is standing on, and when Yumichika grabs onto the edge of the pit as well after slipping down the sandy slope, Ganju leaps back up onto the ground by pushing himself off of Yumichika's head. As Ganju makes one more circle on the ground with his hand, Yumichika attempts to leap back up while berating Ganju for daring to place his unsightly hand on his head, but Ganju proclaims that it is over and slams his palm onto the ground as he unleashes Renkan Seppa Sen, causing a large chunk of the ground in front of him and below Yumichika to be severed from the rest of the ground and begin sliding down.

Though he manages to escape falling into the pit by leaping high into the air and criticizes Ganju for thinking this would end it, Yumichika is surprised to see Ganju standing beneath him with a large firework in his hand as the latter throws it at him, resulting in a screaming Yumichika being defeated as the firework explodes in his face.

Aftermath
Moments later, Ganju screams as he runs from several Shinigami and frantically questions why they always chase him. When the Shinigami call him ugly as they tell him to halt, Ganju admits that Yumichika was attractive before claiming that all the Shinigami chasing him are just as ugly as he is, only to begin crying and note that he is not going to win this argument as the angered Shinigami continue calling him ugly. Upon seeing Ichigo running out of an alley intersecting with the one he is running down and happily assuming that he has come to provide backup, Ganju is shocked to see several more Shinigami chasing after Ichigo, who nonchalantly waves to Ganju.

Though Ganju berates Ichigo for being chased as well and tells him to stop waving because he is angering the Shinigami behind him as they decide to kill Ganju as well for being Ichigo's friend, Ichigo continues running toward him and leaps into the air to kick a Shinigami behind Ganju in the face as Ganju punches another Shinigami approaching him in the face. Landing behind Ganju, Ichigo draws his Shikai, Zangetsu, and tells Ganju to duck before defeating several more Shinigami. Afterwards, Ganju stands with Ichigo in the middle of several incapacitated Shinigami and criticizes him for swinging Zangetsu around without warning like this. When an irritated Ichigo points out how he told him to duck, Ganju claims that he did not get enough time and could have been killed.

Questioning what they are going to do now, Ganju observes that the remaining Shinigami do not seem like the type to retreat and Ichigo only took out the others with the element of surprise. As he approaches the cluster of Shinigami from the outside, 4th Division 7th Seat Hanatarō Yamada looks around for the members of his division and bemoans having lost track of them after simply stopping to tie his sandal before deciding to ask the assembled Shinigami for directions, only to trip on a raised tile and crash headlong into two of the Shinigami, who begin berating and beating him up as he apologizes. With Ganju and Ichigo wondering what is going on, Hanatarō falls into the center with them, and as a grinning Ganju reveals that he has just though of a way out of this, Ichigo notes that he just had the same thought.

Hanatarō picks up on their mention of getting out of here and inquires if they are the Ryoka, only for Ganju and Ichigo to pick him up and hold Zangetsu to his neck while demanding that the other Shinigami get out of the way before they harm a screaming Hanatarō. However, the Shinigami merely stare in silence at this before two of them question what Ganju and Ichigo are doing, and as a confused Ichigo states that they have a hostage, one of the Shinigami observes that they are not Hanatarō's friends. As Hanatarō tells Ichigo that he is with the Fourth Division while they are with the Eleventh Division, another Shinigami details how the Eleventh Division is the ultimate combat unit of the Gotei 13 while the Fourth Division is only fit for relief work due to being weak, and the assembled Shinigami begin laughing hysterically while proclaiming that they hate the Fourth Division.

With the Shinigami urging him and Ichigo to kill Hanatarō because it will be a bonus for them, a shocked Ganju declares it would be totally heartless for them to kill Hanatarō, who screams in terror while Ichigo agrees. As the Shinigami rush toward them, an exasperated Ichigo asserts that they will just have to fight their way out. Suddenly, the Shinigami approaching them from the front are engulfed in a large explosion of force that knocks down part of the wall next to them. Though Ganju questions what this was as Hanatarō is left quivering in fright, Ichigo admits that he does not know before proclaiming that this is their chance because half of the enemies are gone as he begins attacking the Shinigami behind him with Ganju carrying Hanatarō behind him.

Some time later, as they all hide in a storage room, Hanatarō introduces himself to Ganju and Ichigo, who simultaneously declare that his name is so ordinary that it is hard to remember. Flustered by this, Hanatarō claims that those around him say his name is good and easy to remember, but Ichigo merely lists similar-sounding alternatives that would sound better while Ganju wonders why Hanatarō is introducing himself even though he is their enemy, which Hanatarō admits he does not know.

Ichigo questions why Ganju brought Hanatarō along, prompting Ganju to explain that he was distracted and dragged Hanatarō with them without thinking. As they look over a hand-drawn map of their location within the Seireitei, Ichigo inquires which road they should take to reach Senzaikyū if they know Rukia is in there, only for Ganju to admit that he does not know before asserting that they do not want to encounter any of the captains while Ichigo realizes the map does not have any roads and bemoans his own stupidity. With Hanatarō picking up on their mention of Rukia, Ichigo tells him to shut up because they are in the middle of a strategy meeting and Ganju assures him that he can leave because he is of no use to them anyway, but Ichigo whirls around in astonishment when Hanatarō asks them if they are referring to Rukia Kuchiki.

Identifying Rukia as the sister of 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and the prisoner in Senzaikyū, Hanatarō reveals that he knows a secret path to Senzaikyū. Though incapacitated by Ganju's firework, Yumichika survives with no injuries, only having his hair temporarily permed into an afro by the explosion.