The Wailing Bount! The Last Clash

'''The Wailing Bount! The Last Clash''' is the one-hundred-eighth episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: December 20, 2006
 * English Airdate: April 4, 2009
 * Opening Song: Rolling Star
 * Ending Song: Baby It's You
 * Manga Chapters: None
 * Kanji: 慟哭のバウント！最後の激突
 * Romaji: "Dōkoku no baunto! Saigo no gekitotsu"
 * Arc: Bount Assault on Soul Society arc

Summary
Even against Jin Kariya’s new weapon, Ichigo Kurosaki is still able to use his speed to his advantage and go on the offensive. Despite Kariya’s efforts to use his spirit power for defense, his coat still gets shredded by Ichigo’s attack. Kariya then decides to show his doll Messer’s true form, which uses the friction of the wind to cause static electricity. This allows him to direct lightning blasts successfully towards Ichigo, sending Ichigo crashing into the ground. When Kariya reveals that there is more than one Joukaishō and explains his plan to explode them all, Ichigo responds by questioning the meaning of doing this. Kariya explains that he finds both Bount and Shinigami to be rotten, so he plans to destroy everyone.

Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai arrive on the scene, but Renji keeps Rukia from getting in Ichigo’s way. Since Ichigo gets back up, Kariya feels that he has no choice but to finish Ichigo before the world ends. Ichigo, however, cannot seem to find the strength to move until his Hollow side briefly flares up and fires off a black Getsuga Tenshō at Kariya. But since Ichigo briefly struggles with himself and reverts back to normal, it is apparent to Kariya that Ichigo’s power has withered. And unlike Ichigo, Kariya can rely on using the spirit particles to heal himself. Or so, that is what he thinks until he tries to patch up the wound he just got and finds that he cannot absorb spirit particles any more. Since he also still has the stab wound from Ran'Tao, Kariya realizes that her action might be the cause of this.

Regardless of that, Kariya is almost ready to unleash the Joukaishō, so Ichigo makes another charge at him. Kariya decides to demonstrate what he can do by exploding one of the other Joukaishō in Seireitei, but what he does not know is that the Shinigami are rushing to seal them all off. After knocking down Ichigo again, Kariya proceeds to send a lightning attack from his sword to blow up one of the Joukaishō. A cloud of sakura petals suddenly appears to block the attack, and that same cloud comes after Kariya. This is Byakuya Kuchiki’s Bankai, but he is not the only one helping. Yoruichi Shihōin appears too. Hearing from her that the other captains are working to seal the multitude of Joukaishō, Kariya knows that he is going to have to defeat everyone here to fulfill his goals. Ichigo, however, still has plenty of fight left in him and starts attacking Kariya again.

Yoruichi meanwhile keeps Byakuya out of the fight in case the two of them have to contain the Joukaishō if Kariya unleashes it. As the fight goes on, she realizes that Kariya has used up all his own power and is now relying on the Joukaishō’s power to fight. Kariya is well aware of this and explains that either his body will either hold the Joukaishō until its ready or he will be defeated by Ichigo. He attacks again, this time landing a kick that sends Ichigo flying back towards a rock. As it turns out, this rock has Ichinose’s Zanpakutō sticking out of it, and that acts as a lightning rod for Kariya’s lightning attack, preventing Ichigo from getting hurt by it.

By this time, Uryū Ishida, Sado Yasutora and Inoue have emerged from the woods next to Renji and Rukia. They want to go help, but Rukia feels that they should not. As she sees it, Ichigo is a Shinigami substitute, but not an actual Shinigami. He is also a Human, but not a normal Human. Ichigo wanted power to protect, but when he got them, he was burdened with both the Human World and Soul Society. And although he bears this weight that they cannot understand, he still moves forward. Rukia explains that the Bount are similar in that they are and are not Human, suffering between two worlds. She suggests that maybe Ichigo is the only one who can stop Kariya since they carry the same burden. If that is the case, then they can only believe in him and watch. Having heard all this, Inoue is looking a bit depressed, so Rukia tries to cheers her up by saying that Ichigo will definitely win.

Ichigo and Kariya have meanwhile powered up to their fullest for one final charge. As they are pushing their swords against each other, Ichigo asks what Kariya did to his Bount allies, suggesting that Kariya used them in order to win. In response, Kariya claims that people hate those who are better than themselves, regardless if they are your comrades. In a given long period of time, those comrades will sooner or later fear your power and leave you. Thus, there is no meaning in protecting such people. Ichigo, however, believes that there is indeed meaning and that he protects because he wants to.

From the sidelines, Yoruichi spots the crest on Kariya’s body glowing, indicating that the Joukaishō is about to be released. She tries to get Byakuya to help her seal it, but the captain does nothing and instead continues to watch as Ichigo and Kariya make their final swings at one other. When the dust clears, Ichigo is the one who falls to his knees. Kariya turns around and proclaims that it is over, noting that he finds it regrettable that he will not get to see if Ichigo walks the same path as him. He starts to say something about himself, but then disintegrates into a cloud of dust. Sado and the others come to help Ichigo back up on his feet. Looking up at the sky, Ichigo remarks that after everything, Kariya disappeared by himself. When Rukia wonders if that is what Kariya intended from the beginning, Ichigo is not sure, but he feels that Kariya wanted to put a stop to his endless time.