Life and Revenge! Ishida, the Ultimate Choice

 is the one hundred and sixth episode of the Bleach anime.

Uryū Ishida confronts Jin Kariya to avenge Yoshino Sōma's death at his hands.

Summary
As he prepares to attack Ran'Tao with a concentrated blast of wind, Jin Kariya pauses in shock upon remembering the amulet she gave him when he was a boy known as Eugene Currier. In the past, Eugene sees Ran'Tao speaking with several other Bount in the cave system she brought them all to and wonders who she is, prompting an older female Bount sitting on a rock behind him to identify her as a Shinigami and assure a surprised Eugene that she came from a place known as Soul Society in order to help protect and save the Bount.

Some time later, Eugene sits alone in front of a pool of water surrounded by stalagmites and stalactites, where he is approached from behind by Ran'Tao and asked about what he is doing. When Eugene is too nervous to respond, Ran'Tao smiles and observes that it is very rare for Bount powers to awaken in a young child like Eugene before revealing that everyone has hope in him and instructing Eugene to do his best while she and the others do everything they can to ensure he lives a life free of worries, leaving Eugene blushing.

Soon afterward, Ran'Tao and the other Shinigami return to Soul Society in order to plan the salvation of the Bount, leaving Eugene and the other Bount to continue building the city in the cave system while patiently waiting for them to return, with Eugene doing his best to help the adults despite his youth by carrying water. Smiling as he looks over his fellow Bount working hard to build their home, Eugene notes that the adults placed all their hopes in the Shinigami, only to have those hopes cruelly dashed when other Shinigami invaded the cave system and begin ruthlessly slaughtering the Bount and their Dolls under the pretense of them resisting arrest, forcing Eugene to run.

With the adults running away with him falling one by one, a frightened Eugene continues running and eventually hides behind a large pillar of stone in another cave, but hears the Shinigami searching for him and vowing to not let him get away. Upon seeing a shadow approaching him from the front, Eugene cowers in his cloak before looking up in astonishment when Ran'Tao peers out from the rock wall in front of him and inquires if he is alright. While Ran'Tao carries him on her back to a cave with a set of stairs leading to the outside, Eugene observes she is the Shinigami from before, and after giving Eugene an amulet to draw out his Bount power, Ran'Tao departs.

Noting this is the last time he ever saw Ran'Tao, Eugene manages to escape from the cave and begins a life of wandering once more with his fellow survivors, which leads them to a windy and sunny desert area. As he looks up at the sun, Eugene sees several roaring Hollows fall from the sky and land around the Bount, whose considerable Reiryoku made them ideal prey for Hollows and who could not protect themselves adequately. Eugene feels his despair and bitterness toward the Shinigami growing due to the relentless pursuit of the Bount by Hollows and has the left side of his chin scratched by one who attacks him, sending him tumbling down a dune.

Upon seeing the Hollow looming over him and preparing to strike, a terrified Eugene screams and clutches at the amulet around his neck, which glows with a bright green light in response, stunning the Hollow, and pulls apart in four triangular segments to reveal a Bount crest on a disc within. When the Hollow is swiftly killed in a large spray of blood, the other Hollows and Bount stop fighting and look toward the dune in shock, where Eugene rises into the air with a green aura enveloping him and has his hair turn white while his eyes turn red and the amulet shatters, causing a large Bount crest to appear on the front of his tunic prior to him settling on the ground and looking down.

With one of the Hollows demanding to know what he is, Eugene stares at his hands and observes he can feel power growing within himself before summoning a tendril of wind around himself while glaring at the startled Hollows. After detailing how this was his first experience of merging with a Doll, Eugene recalls there had always been Bount who could naturally summon the power to control Dolls and uses his newfound power to fight fiercely alongside them to his heart's content in order to destroy the Hollows. However, while approaching the other Bount with blood splattered across him, Eugene notes their attitude toward him slowly changed from this day.

Despite feeling more and more alone as he grows older, Eugene chooses to stay with his people until the day they decide to use the power of the Quincy to enter Soul Society, which he vehemently protests since it means that they are still clinging to the Shinigami. Restrained by two of his fellow Bount, Eugene insists that they can create their own paradise using their own strength in the Human World, but one of the Bount asserts that the presence of the Bount in this world is abnormal and dooms any place they build for themselves to eventually fail, with another Bount claiming that Soul Society is paradise for the Bount and none of them listening to Eugene's please.

Shortly afterward, the Bount begin fighting the Quincy with their Dolls, only for the Shinigami to intervene and massacre both sides while Eugene, who refused to participate, is incapacitated by an injury until the battle is over, which leads him to both give up on the weaker Bount and refuse to forgive the Shinigami from Soul Society. After gathering the stronger Bount and vowing to destroy Soul Society, Kariya goes into hiding with them and begins researching the summoning of Dolls alongside Ugaki in order to perfect its use and begin empowering the Bount, though many Bount like Cain lost their lives in the process of refining and spreading this.

However, Eugene observes the remaining Bount were fully committed to attaining strength and he himself rose to destroy Soul Society. In the present, Kariya stands before an incapacitated Ran'Tao next to a damaged wall and muses on having forgotten about her even though she gave the Bount false hope and eternal suffering before wondering if this is due to the power of the Jōkaishō. Concluding it is over for the weak Bount who listened to Ran'Tao and for Soul Society who mercilessly used the Bount, Kariya declares he will destroy everything Ran'Tao holds dear and summons wind around both arms as he fires a powerful gust from his right hand at Ran'Tao.

Suddenly, Ran'Tao is whisked away right before the wind gust slams into the area where she was lying, leaving a stunned Kariya to look around and see Uryū Ishida standing behind him with Ran'Tao in his arms. As Uryū and Kariya stare at each other, Ran'Tao recognizes Uryū as the Quincy, and after setting Ran'Tao on her feet, Uryū asserts that he is Kariya's opponent, which prompts a chuckling Kariya to question what Uryū can do at this point. In response, Uryū fires a Heilig Pfeil at Kariya, who shifts his posture to evade it and is shocked to see that Uryū has disappeared from his sight with Hirenkyaku while the latter reappears in the air above and behind him.

With Kariya astonished by this, Uryū fires another Heilig Pfeil directly at him, creating a large explosion of energy on impact, and moves back down to the ground with Hirenkyaku as Kariya reappears on the wall damaged by his last attack. Watching Uryū while he nocks another Heilig Pfeil in his Heilig Bogen, Kojaku, Ran'Tao mentally expresses amazement at him having completely mastered the Quincy Bangle. When Kariya demands to know how this is possible if Uryū reached the limit of the Quincy Bangle during his battle with Yoshi, Uryū explains that it quickly amasses and multiplies Reishi in order to assist Quincy with weak spiritual powers.

Uryū elaborates that this means the Quincy Bangle accumulates power even if its wielder does nothing and observes that all he did until now was attack and adjust the outgoing power of his Heilig Pfeil, a method guaranteed to make the Quincy Bangle reach its limit and eventually discharge spontaneously due to being unable to handle the amount of Reishi. However, Uryū reveals that the Quincy Bangle can be used solely as an amplifier if he uses his own power to adjust and control the Reishi, lessening the stress on the Quincy Bangle and allowing him to fight even in this state, which he only realized from the extreme battle conditions he fought in.

Hearing this, Ran'Tao is left impressed by Uryū deducing this and using the Quincy Bangle so efficiently in his condition even though he only began using it because of the loss of his own spiritual powers. Despite this, Kariya merely laughs, and when Uryū asks him why he is doing so, Kariya inquires about why Uryū sides with the Shinigami when he has so much power as someone who should be their enemy. In response, Uryū insists he is not an ally of the Shinigami and is simply here to stop this senseless fight, which Kariya sarcastically calls noble, before reminding Kariya that Yoshino lost her life in order to defeat him because he hates Bount in addition to Shinigami.

After relaying Yoshino's warning that Kariya's all-consuming hatred would end up destroying the Bount as well, Uryū concludes Yoshino understood the complete lack of meaning for the Bount in what Kariya was doing and bitterly notes no one was able to stop him regardless, but vows to defeat Kariya despite this. As he mockingly questions if Uryū can do so, Kariya summons wind around his left arm and blasts it at Uryū, who pierces and disperses it with his subsequently-fired Heilig Pfeil that hurtles toward a startled Kariya. Upon leaping into the air to dodge the Heilig Pfeil, which slams into the rooftop where he was standing, Kariya sees another Heilig Pfeil rocketing toward him.

While blocking the Heilig Pfeil with a disc of wind formed in front of his braced arm, Kariya sees that Uryū has disappeared once more, and with Kariya moving through the air toward the center of the pavilion, Uryū begins creating afterimages by rapidly moving around him with Hirenkyaku and firing dozens of Heilig Pfeil, forcing Kariya to protect himself with a Wind Barrier that is unable to block all of them, which results in several Heilig Pfeil punching through Kariya's chest, shoulders, and legs. With Kariya crashing into the ground below in a large cloud of dust, Uryū readies another Heilig Pfeil and proclaims that it is over, only for Kariya to deny this.

Kariya fires a Wind Licht Schneide at Uryū from within the dust cloud, prompting Uryū to evade to the side, and reappears behind him while glowing with absorbed Reishi to unleash a concentrated wind blast from his right hand. As Uryū falls down to the ground below and slides back to dodge this, Kariya lands on the opposite wall's rooftop and finishes healing the holes in his body with Reishi, which he observes is of much higher quality in the Seireitei than it is in the Rukongai prior to asserting that Uryū's attacks are useless as long as he has this power. Suddenly, a sweating Uryū sees a slight crack form in the Quincy Bangle as a small piece falls off.

While a shocked Ran'Tao sees this, Kariya notes that the stress placed on the Quincy Bangle has not been completely erased by Uryū's new usage of it, but Uryū states that this is not a problem since he simply has to defeat Kariya before the Quincy Bangle breaks. When Kariya wonders if Uryū can do this while he has access to all the Reishi in the Seireitei, Uryū reminds him that he does as well and infuses the Quincy Bangle with a dense amount of Reishi that crackles like electricity prior to firing a powerful Heilig Pfeil that destroys the portion of the wall Kariya is standing on as he leans to the side to evade it, sending him flying through the air into the pavilion.

Upon seeing Uryū firing four more Heilig Pfeil at him from midair while he slides across the ground, Kariya dodges four and unleashes a small tornado to intercept and disperse two more. Once Uryū lands before him, Kariya observes he needs to aim properly in order to release a powerful Heilig Pfeil, with other attacks not having much power at all, and mockingly notes he does not have much time left when more cracks form in the Quincy Bangle. Behind Kariya, Ran'Tao internally expresses concern for what will happen at this rate and looks at the amulet in her hand before Uryū leaps away to avoid three more Wind Licht Schneide from Kariya.

In midair, Uryū begins firing several more Heilig Pfeil at Kariya, who runs along the ground below and comments on the increasing crudeness of Uryū's attacks as he unleashes a tendril of wind toward Uryū. With three more of his Heilig Pfeil slamming into the ground several meters away from where Kariya was located, Uryū is shocked to find Kariya behind him prior to the latter enveloping his left leg in wind and sending Uryū flying back, where he hits Uryū with a wind-infused punch in midair, resulting in the latter crashing down near the wall portion he destroyed. Though Kariya proclaims that this is it for Uryū, Ran'Tao calls out to him and holds up the talisman, which opens.

Ran'Tao is engulfed in a powerful surge of Reiatsu and leaps forward to tackle Kariya, who is stunned by her newfound power and struggles to stop their movement by digging his heel into the ground, which is torn open by the force of this. When Kariya angrily attempts to punch her, Ran'Tao pops open the retractable blade in her hairpin and embeds it in Kariya's side, causing him to grunt in pain and preventing him from attacking her. As the two of them come to a halt, Ran'Tao urges a concerned Uryū to shoot Kariya through her now and details how she is temporarily intercepting the power of the Jōkaishō in order to increase her own Reiatsu, which she cannot maintain.

Despite Uryū insisting he cannot do such a thing, Ran'Tao urges him to not let Kariya add to his crimes, and after several seconds of hesitation, Uryū begins gathering Reishi into Kojaku and draws back another Heilig Pfeil. While Ran'Tao encourages him and Kariya demands she let go, Uryū fire the Heilig Pfeil, which slams into a shocked Kariya, creating a massive explosion of energy that sends Ran'Tao flying. After Uryū frantically slides along the ground to catch her, Ran'Tao, with her hair having come down, inquires about the status of Kariya, whom Uryū notes is still alive, leading Ran'Tao to realize Uryū purposely lessened the power of his Heilig Pfeil.

Confirming this, Uryū promises Ran'Tao that he is going to inflict the final blow right now and sets her down to begin approaching Kariya upon noticing the latter healing his injuries by absorbing Reishi. However, Uryū turns around in surprise when an agonized Ran'Tao begins emitting orange Reiatsu and screaming in pain as it surges through the surrounding area, which prompts Uryū to deduce that her Reiatsu is going out of control as a reaction to her earlier power and that she her body will disintegrate if it is not brought under control. Suddenly, Uryū remembers that the Quincy Bangle controls Reishi and rushes to Ran'Tao's side while telling her to hang on.

Uryū informs Ran'Tao he can use the Quincy Bangle to siphon off the Reiryoku destroying her body, but Ran'Tao asserts he cannot do this because the Quincy Bangle is nearing its limit and he must use its remaining power to destroy Kariya. After assuring Uryū she was fully prepared for this to happen when she used the amulet, Ran'Tao concludes he must use the only chance he has before Kariya fully recovers. With Kariya getting to his feet and cursing at them, Ran'Tao grasps Uryū's arm and pleads with him, only for Uryū to see Yoshino's dying face in her place and decide he cannot let Ran'Tao die like this as he draws her power into the Quincy Bangle.

Upon shaping the power into a large, orange Heilig Pfeil, a yelling Uryū fires it high into the air, where it explodes harmlessly, and observes he has reached his limit while the Quincy Bangle crumbles into pieces, causing his outfit to disappear and leave him standing in his normal clothes. Suddenly, as Uryū extends his hand to Ran'Tao and urges her to go somewhere safe with him, which she begins to accept, Kariya questions if he really thinks he can run away, startling them both, and stands before them fully healed while glaring at Uryū. Pointing out how Uryū has lost the perfect chance to kill him, Kariya states Uryū has escaped death for the last time.

When he sees Kariya concentrating wind around his left hand, Uryū protectively moves in front of Ran'Tao, but as the tornado subsequently unleashed by Kariya rips through the ground toward them, a Getsuga Tenshō slams into it from above, cutting vertically through the pavilion and forcing Uryū and Ran'Tao to shield their faces from the bright light. As the dust clears, Uryū is shocked to see Ichigo Kurosaki standing before him with his Shikai, Zangetsu, over his shoulder. With Ichigo nonchalantly noting that Uryū seems to be in a bind, an irritated Kariya disperses the dust in front of him with a swipe of his hand and curses at Ichigo, who stares at him.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
Standing outside one of the gates of the Seireiheki with 9th Division Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi, 3rd Division Lieutenant Izuru Kira expresses disbelief at the Bount coming this far and asserts that they must reevaluate their security. When one of his subordinates approaches them and reveals that the Third Division has arrested a suspicious person, Izuru assumes that it is a Bount and rushes off with Hisagi, only to be shocked alongside him when they discover that the arrested individual is Kon, who announces his arrival as the ultimate helper while Izuru and Hisagi turn to each other in exasperation over him being here as well.

Fights

 * Uryū Ishida vs. Jin Kariya (concluded)

Powers and Techniques Used
Zanpakutō Techniques:

Quincy Techniques:
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Doll Techniques:
 * '''Wind Barrier

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:

Spirit Weapons:

Dolls summoned:
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Other powers: