Hitsugaya Scatters! The Broken Hyōrinmaru

 is the one-hundred and twentieth episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo Kurosaki and his allies continue to battle the Arrancar.

Summary
In the air above Karakura Town, a fatigued 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai pants as he wields his Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru, and faces off against a smirking Yylfordt Granz, whose Zanpakutō is dripping with Renji's blood. Simultaneously, an exhausted 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya bleeds from a wound on his forehead and faces down an impassive Shawlong Koufang with his own Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru.

With Orihime Inoue watching in concern alongside the Gikon inhabiting Rangiku's Gigai, Hitsugaya looks down to see Nakeem Grindina standing over an incapacitated Rangiku and mentally curses as Shawlong expresses disappointment at this being all a captain's Bankai can do and calls Hitsugaya pathetic. Meanwhile, Renji yells as he sends Hihiō Zabimaru hurtling toward Yylfordt, who repeatedly maneuvers out of its path in midair with little effort and mocks Renji's speed.

Angered by this, Renji has Hihiō Zabimaru slam into Yylfordt, who who blocks it with his Zanpakutō and is pushed back through the air while surging with Reiatsu, only to push Hihiō Zabimaru away from himself with a swipe of his sword and grin before moving to an astonished Renji with Sonído and slashing him diagonally across the chest. After leaping back to avoid Renji's subsequent attempt to grab him, Yylfordt laughs maniacally and mocks Renji's Bankai while proclaiming that the Gotei 13 has lost its credibility if a loser like him can become a lieutenant, leaving a stunned Renji to curse at him.

Simultaneously, in the Seireitei in Soul Society, 12th Division 3rd Seat Akon is informed by a technician monitoring the battles that Renji, Hitsugaya, and Rangiku are all struggling against their opponents, leading Akon to admit that the Arrancar are stronger than they had anticipated, and when the technician begins to worry about what will happen at this rate, Akon asserts that he knows what will happen and questions if they have not received permission yet. Back in Karakura Town, Ururu Tsumugiya sweats profusely as she lies in bed and envisions Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Renji, Hitsugaya, and Rangiku being injured.

With Ururu realizing this means danger is present and slowly sitting up, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba watch Renji's battle against Yylfordt from a nearby window and express concern for his safety, with Ririn wondering what they can do and Kurōdo questioning if there is anything they can do at all. Outside, on the rooftop, Jinta Hanakari expresses irritation at Renji losing as Yylfordt inquires about what Renji plans to do next. When Renji does not respond, Yylfordt decides to attack instead, but is shocked and bewildered when the air between them shimmers and distorts while Renji slowly vanishes from his sight.

Suddenly, Kurōdo proclaims that this is an opening, and as Yylfordt turns to face him under the assumption that he did this, Kurōdo grins while copying Renji's appearance and skill in the air behind Yylfordt, whom he begins moving around at high speeds with feinted attacks while Yylfordt frantically slashes at him in several directions in turn. As Renji stares in bewilderment at this and wonders what is going on, Ririn stands on a nearby rooftop and alerts him to her plan of hiding him with her Illusions while Kurōdo distracts Yylfordt with the aid of Noba's Teleportation. During this, Kurōdo locks blades with Yylfordt.

After Yylfordt forces him back and stabs at him, Kurōdo is teleported out of the way by Noba and reappears behind Yylfordt to come down on him with a slash that Yylfordt blocks prior to pressing Kurōdo back with another clash. Upon seeing Kurōdo teleported far behind Yylfordt and alerting the latter to his location, Renji warns the Mod-Souls that this sort of attack will not work on Yylfordt, but Ririn insists that it will work and concentrates while Yylfordt clutches his head and finds himself standing in a red-black dimension surrounded by a dozen of copies of Renji. With Yylfordt seemingly incapacitated, Noba tells Kurōdo to attack.

However, an angered Yylfordt tells them to not underestimate him and exerts his yellow Reiatsu in a surge that dispels Ririn's illusions and forces the others to shield their eyes. Moving down to Noba with Sonído, Yylfordt sends him flying off the telephone pole he was standing on with a slash across the chest prior to finding a startled Ririn on the rooftop, berating her, and cutting her down with another slash. As Kurōdo calls out to Ririn in concern, Yylfordt reappears behind him and swings his Zanpakutō down, resulting in Kurōdo crashing into the ground below and his disguise as Renji fading to reveal his real body.

Renji expresses concern for Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba, who collapses from a kneeling stance on the ground, while Yylfordt moves back to him with Sonído and questions if Renji thought this would actually work against him as he grins. On the rooftop of the Urahara Shop below, Jinta is left frustrated by the Mod-Souls' failure, only to be surprised when Ururu walks up next to him. Though he reminds Ururu that he told her to stay in bed, Jinta notices her blank stare and realizes with shock that the strange Reiatsu of the Arrancar has caused her to enter Slaughter Mode prior to Ururu leaping high into the air despite his protests.

Above them, Yylfordt declares that he is going to end this fight, only to be caught off-guard when Ururu appears behind and delivers a powerful kick to the side of Yylfordt's face that sends him flying, to Renji's astonishment. Despite a bleeding Yylfordt demanding to know who she is, Ururu grabs him by the throat and begins choking Yylfordt while asserting that he is a danger to them and must be eradicated. With Ururu proceeding to deliver several strong blows to Yylfordt and Renji expressing shock at her actions, an angered Yylfordt slashes at her with his Zanpakutō, forcing Ururu to evade by letting go of his throat and jumping back.

Yylfordt proclaims that Ururu is dead and glows with yellow Reiatsu before activating his Resurrección, Del Toro, creating a huge amount of energy that engulfs himself and Ururu. The resulting smoke clears to reveal Yylfordt having taken the form of an armored, top-heavy bull and informing Renji that this is an Arrancar's Zanpakutō release prior to moving to Ururu with Sonído and swiftly impaling her on the tip of his left horn, to the shock of those present. When Yylfordt throws Ururu off of his horn, a furious Jinta catches her in midair and slams his Muteki Tekkon into Yylfordt's head, but Yylfordt remains unharmed.

As Yylfordt throws Jinta back with a swipe of his arm and attempts to spear Jinta with his left horn as well, Renji manages to intercept the horn with one of the segments of Hihiō Zabimaru and orders Jinta to run, which the latter complies with, before Yylfordt questions if Renji believes this stopped him and shoves his horn through the segment of Hihiō Zabimaru, gouging through Renji's chest in the process. After an agonized Renji is thrown back by this, Yylfordt briefly glows with yellow Reiatsu and laughs maniacally for several seconds while deciding to introduce himself as Arrancar #15. since the battle is now over.

Elsewhere, Shawlong notices Yylfordt having activated his Resurrección and muses that he must have gotten bored or been wounded by an unexpected attack, though he considers the latter to be extremely unlikely. Suddenly, Hitsugaya comes down on Shawlong from above with a downward stab of the blade of Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, leading Shawlong to block it with his Zanpakutō while ice explodes around them. Though Shawlong easily pushes Hitsugaya away and comments on how amusing this was, Hitsugaya reveals that he is not done yet as the tail of Daiguren Hyōrinmaru slams into an unperturbed Shawlong from behind.

However, Hitsugaya is left startled when the water vapor clears to reveal an uninjured Shawlong having blocked the strike with his Zanpakutō and only gotten it and his right arm covered in ice, which he breaks off by moving his hand. After noting that Hitsugaya whipping his tail seems like an act of desperation, which he considers unfortunate, Shawlong brings up how the ice flower floating behind Hitsugaya is coming apart, and when Hitsugaya questions why this matters, Shawlong theorizes that the flower represents the energy left in Daiguren Hyōrinmaru since Hitsugaya's young age means it is likely not fully developed yet.

Shawlong elaborates that the enormous amount of Reiryoku required to maintain a Bankai makes it difficult to sustain in a long fight, even for a captain and especially when it is imperfect. With the right petal of the ice flower shattering, Shawlong concludes that the flower will continue to disintegrate like this and cause Daiguren Hyōrinmaru to disappear when all the petals are gone. Shawlong notes that Hitsugaya is down to three petals from twelve and that he could easily wait for Daiguren Hyōrinmaru in order to win, only to decide against this due to Hitsugaya deserving respect as a captain.

After instead choosing to strike with everything he has while Hitsugaya still has some energy left and positioning his Zanpakutō between his hands, Shawlong glows with yellow Reiatsu and activates his Resurrección, Tijereta, creating a cocoon of Reiatsu that disperses to reveal him having gained long, sharp blade-like claws and an armored carapace ending in a pointed tail. Inspecting his claws, Shawlong slashes a stunned Hitsugaya faster than the latter can react and introduces himself as Arrancar #11. prior to asserting that it was nice to meet him as Rangiku clutches her communicator on the rooftop below next to an unaware Nakeem.

When Hitsugaya lunges toward him with a stab while Orihime watches fearfully from below, Shawlong slashes through the right wing of Daiguren Hyōrinmaru with the claws of his left hand and cleans the ice shards off those of his right as Hitsugaya begins regenerating his right wing with moisture from the atmosphere. Upon seeing this, Shawlong admits to being impressed by Hitsugaya proving himself a captain through standing his ground despite being hopelessly outclassed, only for an unfazed Hitsugaya to bring up Shawlong identifying himself as Arrancar #11. and questioning if this means that he is the eleventh-strongest Arrancar.

However, Shawlong denies this and clarifies that his number indicates his birth order rather than his strength, only to reveal that this only applies to numbers above ten. With Hitsugaya startled by this, Shawlong explains that while most Hollows reborn as Arrancar through the Hōgyoku are numbered descendingly according to the order of their birth, the strongest Arrancar are numbered one through ten in order of their Reiryoku, comprising the ten Espada whose numbers are inscribed somewhere on their bodies and who hold authority over the rest of the Arrancar, with their strength making his own pale in comparison.

Shawlong warns Hitsugaya that a member of the group of Arrancar who came to Karakura Town tonight is Espada #6. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Elsewhere, having been forced back by Grimmjow's surging blue Reiatsu, Ichigo rushes forward and slashes with his Shikai, Tensa Zangetsu, only for Grimmjow to block the blade with his bare hand and send Ichigo flying into the air with a flick of his wrist. Unimpressed by this, Grimmjow questions if Ichigo is mocking him and notes he is currently holding back prior to instructing Ichigo to activate his Bankai so he does not end up full of holes like Rukia Kuchiki currently is.

In response, an angered Ichigo activates his Bankai, pleasing Grimmjow. Back in the air, Hitsugaya is injured by Shawlong once more, with the latter smiling at the sight of Ichigo activating his Bankai from afar, and mentally urges Rangiku to hurry up since he cannot keep this up much longer. On the rooftop below, Rangiku stares at her communicator and is concerned by how delayed the response is, but as Nakeem realizes she is still alive and begins approaching her with a smirk, the communicator tells her Gentei Kaijo has been authorized, and when a startled Nakeem attempts to stomp on her, Rangiku easily holds his foot back with her wrist.

Rangiku thanks the member of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute who told her this as she informs Hitsugaya and Renji of the authorization and throws Nakeem back with a shove against his foot. Elated by this news, Renji, Hitsugaya, and Rangiku reveal their division insignias on their chest and perform Gentei Kaijo, resulting in large columns of Reiatsu surging out of their bodies into the sky.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
Having possessed 4th Division 7th Seat Hanatarō Yamada's body, Kon fearfully runs away from several Eleventh Division members in the Seireitei and questions what Hanatarō did to them as the Shinigami complain about Hanatarō's earlier treatment of their injuries. Upon realizing that he is in a Shinigami's body and can use his Zanpakutō, Kon stops and slashes at one of the Shinigami with Hanatarō's Zanpakutō, but is startled alongside the Shinigami when the blade does not injure the latter and instead begins healing a scar on his chest as Hanatarō reveals that the sealed form of his Zanpakutō, Hisagomaru, heals whoever it cuts. With Kon smiling nervously at this, the grinning Shinigami and his comrades begin beating him up.

Fights

 * Rangiku Matsumoto vs. Nakeem Grindina
 * Tōshirō Hitsugaya vs. Shawlong Koufang
 * Renji Abarai vs. Yylfordt Granz
 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez

Powers and Techniques Used
Arrancar Techniques:

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:



Bankai:

Resurrección released:

Other Weapons:

Other Powers:
 * Illusions
 * Shapeshifting
 * Teleportation
 * Slaughter Mode

Anime Notes
Added/Expanded Content= Censorship= Changes= Errors=
 * Yylfordt Granz dodging Renji Abarai's Hihiō Zabimaru three times and mocking its speed before blocking it with his Zanpakutō.
 * Blood splashing onto Yylfordt's face after he slashes Renji across the chest.
 * Akon learning of the difficult that Renji, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and Rangiku Matsumoto are having in their battles and lamenting how long it is taking to gain permission for Gentei Kaijō.
 * Ururu Tsumugiya envisioning Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Renji, Hitsugaya, and Rangiku being injured by their opponents as she wakes from her slumber.
 * Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba intervening in Renji's fight against Yylfordt by hiding Renji with illusions and having Kurōdo duplicate his appearance while Noba teleports him around, only for Yylfordt to break through this with his Reiatsu and cut them all down.
 * Jinta Hanakari pointing at Ururu as he admonishes her for getting up.
 * Yylfordt throwing Jinta back prior to attempting to impale him.
 * Jinta calling out to Renji in concern after Yylfordt injures him.
 * Yylfordt's right eye socket glowing red as he introduces himself to Renji.
 * Orihime Inoue watching fearfully as Shawlong Koufang activates Tijereta.
 * Hitsugaya angrily lunging toward Shawlong prior to the latter cutting through his right wing.
 * Ichigo leaping forward to slash at Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
 * Grimmjow maneuvering Zangetsu around with his bare hand to demonstrate how it cannot cut him.
 * Shawlong noticing and smiling at Ichigo's activation of Tensa Zangetsu.
 * Nakeem Grindina realizing that Rangiku is still alive and moving to finish her off with a smirk.
 * Rangiku pushing Nakeem back and onto the ground prior to performing Gentei Kaijō.
 * Renji does not have blood on his face and Yylfordt's Zanpakutō has less blood on it at the beginning of their confrontation.
 * Hitsugaya has less blood on the left side of his head at the beginning of his confrontation with Shawlong.
 * Ururu's kick to Yylfordt's face draws much less blood.
 * Yylfordt's horn barely punctures Ururu's body, is not covered in her blood, and draws minimal blood during both this and Yylfordt throwing her off of it.
 * Yylfordt's horn scratches Renji's chest instead of impaling him through the side of his torso.
 * After activating Tijereta, Shawlong only slashes Hitsugaya once along his body and the wound draws roughly half as much blood, with the scene being grayscaled as well.
 * Shawlong does not have any blood on the claws of his right hand when cleaning them off.
 * Rangiku does not have any blood on her face or neck.
 * When performing Gentei Kaijō, Renji only has two spatters of blood on his cheeks instead of blood running down either side of his face.
 * In the manga, when Ururu joins him on the rooftop and comes to a halt, Jinta is sitting in front of her; here, he is instead standing next to her.
 * In the manga, when watching Ururu pummeling Yylfordt, Renji wonders who she is; here, knowing her from the events of the Bount Invasion, Renji instead expresses shock at her being capable of this.
 * In the manga, when forcing Ururu back, Yylfordt slashes at her once; here, he instead slashes at her twice.
 * In the manga, Yylfordt's activation of Del Toro is accompanied by a burst of steam; here, it is instead accompanied by a surge of Reiatsu.
 * In the manga, after activating Del Toro, Yylfordt first impales Ururu on his horn, then tells Renji that this is the power of an Arrancar's Resurrección; here, the order of these two events is instead reversed.
 * In the manga, when catching Ururu and attacking Yylfordt, Jinta unwraps his Muteki Tekkon mid-attack; here, he instead has it unwrapped prior to catching Ururu.
 * In the manga, when Renji prevents Yylfordt's horn from impaling Jinta by blocking it with the segments of Hihiō Zabimaru, the horn drags halfway through one of the segments before coming to a stop, with the spine of the segment pointing toward Renji; here, the horn instead stops partially through the segment, the spine of which is pointing upward.
 * In the manga, Renji calls Jinta a child when telling him to run away; here, he instead addresses Jinta by name.
 * In the manga, when realizing that Shawlong survived his attack unscathed, Hitsugaya is annoyed; here, he is instead shocked.
 * In the manga, Shawlong frees his hand from the ice encasing it by uncurling his fingers; here, he instead rotates his wrist to accomplish this.
 * In the manga, Nakeem only attempts to attack Rangiku upon hearing the Shinigami Research and Development Institute inform her of the usage of Gentei Kaijō being approved; here, he instead prepares to do so prior to this occurring.
 * In the manga, the Eleventh Division attacks Kon while he is inhabiting Hanatarō Yamada because he accidentally stumbled upon them while they were changing clothes; here, they instead do so because they are dissatisfied with the medical treatment Hanatarō provided them.
 * During Shawlong's explanation of the Espada ranking system and their threat level, an additional silhouette is added between the rightmost silhouette and Yammy Llargo's, inadvertently depicting a total of eleven Espada when there should only be ten.