The Strongest Shinigami! Ultimate Confrontation Between Teacher and Students

 is the fifty-fifth episode of the Bleach anime.

After the interruption of Rukia Kuchiki's execution, battles commence all across the Seireitei.

Summary
As Ichigo Kurosaki blocks his Zanpakutō strike with his Shikai, Zangetsu, 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki inquires why Ichigo keeps trying to rescue Rukia Kuchiki, only for Ichigo to point out that Byakuya is Rukia's brother and question why he does not try to save her in response. Closing his eyes, Byakuya asserts that this is a foolish question and that someone like Ichigo would not understand even if he revealed the answer.

After deciding that talking serves no purpose, Byakuya begins exerting his Reiatsu along the length of his Zanpakutō and begins forcing Zangetsu downward with his increased force. However, a grinning Ichigo pushes Byakuya's Zanpakutō aside and into the ground, cratering it, before they clash once more, kicking up a large cloud of dust with the resulting impact as Ichigo and Byakuya are sent skidding several meters out of the dust cloud in opposite directions.

While the dust settles, Byakuya states that there is only one path left for him now and declares that he will kill Ichigo and execute Rukia himself after capturing her once more, prompting Ichigo to refuse to let him do this and remove his Tentōken before confidently concluding that this is why he is here. After staring at each other, Ichigo and Byakuya rush forward with Shunpo. Meanwhile, in the copse of barren trees further down Sōkyoku Hill, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai runs along while carrying Rukia, who begs him to let her go so she can help Ichigo, only for an annoyed Renji to demand that she shut up because they need to be quiet.

With Renji reminding her that someone could hear them, a disgruntled Rukia observes that his voice is louder than hers is. As he continues to run, Renji notes that Ichigo said he wanted to repay Rukia, and when the latter expresses confusion at this, Renji recalls Ichigo explaining how she saved his life and changed his fate, allowing him to become a Shinigami and protect everyone, which prompts Rukia to remember telling 4th Division 7th Seat Hanatarō Yamada how she believed that she could never atone for what she had done to Ichigo by twisting his fate and hurting him terribly. Upon seeing Rukia ruminating on this, Renji tells her that she thinks too much.

Noting that Rukia has always been like this, Renji assures her that she is not as bad as she believes herself to be and begins descending the steps leading up to Sōkyoku Hill as he requests that Rukia stop blaming herself for everything since she is not strong enough to carry it all on her shoulders. When Renji asks her to share it, Rukia looks up at him in surprise, prompting Renji to elaborate that she should place some of her burden on his and Ichigo's shoulders so she can stand up slowly, as this is why they became stronger, before instructing a stunned Rukia to put her faith in Ichigo, leading her to grasp the collar of his shihakushō and thank him.

After Renji asserts that she does not need to apologize, Rukia thanks him, which prompts a smiling Renji to claim that she does not need to do this either. Back at the execution grounds, 13th Division 3rd Seat Kiyone Kotetsu sees her sister, 4th Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, lying unconscious on the ground alongside 1st Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe and 2nd Division Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda while the battle between Ichigo and Byakuya rages in the distance. When Kiyone begins running to Isane's side in concern, her fellow 3rd Seat, Sentarō Kotsubaki, attempts to run after and stop her from doing this, but is suddenly sent flying into the air.

As she turns around in shock, Kiyone sees 2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng standing behind her, having defeated Sentarō in a single blow. Upon attempting to stop Suì-Fēng, 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake finds himself confronted by Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who orders him to not move. With Ukitake, 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, and Lieutenant Nanao Ise shocked by his intervention, Yamamoto observes that Renji running off with Rukia is easily remedied by finding a new lieutenant for the Sixth Division and that they can take their time capturing him, only to proclaim that Shunsui and Ukitake are a more serious matter.

Yamamoto elaborates that Shunsui and Ukitake have disgraced their rank of captains, which they should know the consequences of, and when Kiyone attempts to run back to Ukitake past Suì-Fēng out of concern for his safety, Ukitake orders her to stay back and shakes his head as she stops in astonishment. Suddenly, Shunsui grasps Ukitake's shoulder and claims that they have no choice but to run before pulling a surprised Ukitake away with Shunpo, leading Nanao to follow suit while Yamamoto watches. After reappearing on the side of the cliff, where they begin falling to the ground below, Ukitake reminds Shunsui that his subordinates still need help.

However, Shunsui points out how fighting Yamamoto back there will result in everyone dying and reveals that it will be okay with just the two of them because someone on their side is approaching the execution site, to Ukitake's confusion, as they prepare to land on the ground below. Back at the execution site, with Kiyone expressing concern for Ukitake, Suì-Fēng admonishes her for being a bystander and kicks Kiyone in the face, knocking her to the ground, where Suì-Fēng steps on her chest and berates her shameless act of betrayal as a member of the Gotei 13. Grinding the heel of her shoe into Kiyone's chest, Suì-Fēng promises to kill Kiyone so she does not shame herself further.

Suddenly, as Kiyone cries out in pain from Suì-Fēng applying more pressure with her foot, a masked Yoruichi Shihōin hurtles toward Sōkyoku Hill from the side and tackles Suì-Fēng off of Kiyone before leaping off the other side of the cliff with her, leaving Kiyone to slow sit up in shock. With Suì-Fēng demanding that she let go and reveal her identity, Yoruichi observes that her poor temperament has not changed at all since they last met and reveals her face before generating an orb of Kidō in her hand while she and Suì-Fēng crash into the forest below. Elsewhere, Isane wakes up on the back of 4th Division Captain Retsu Unohana's Shikai, Minazuki.

Upon being asked by Unohana if she has regained consciousness as the former sits beside her on the flying, manta ray-like Minazuki, a surprised Isane attempts to get up and apologize, prompting Unohana to instruct her to be quiet and not move too much despite receiving the lightest blow from Ichigo. Unohana orders Minazuki to bring them down, and after flying over a pavilion, Minazuki grows a pair of spindly legs and sets itself down in the center, damaging the tiles with its talons in the process. While Unohana and Isane slide off the back of Minazuki, several members of the Fourth Division run out of a nearby building and inquire if they are hurt.

Assuring her subordinates that they are uninjured, Unohana commands Minazuki to release those within its stomach and return to her, prompting Minazuki to rear back and spit out Chōjirō, Marechiyo, Sentarō, Kiyone, and the members of the Kidō Corps whom it had been healing within its stomach, and as her subordinates begin tending to the wounded, Unohana holds up her Zanpakutō's sheath, which Minazuki returns to by dissipating into a gaseous state that flows into the sheath and assumes the form of Unohana's sealed Zanpakutō. After noting that the wounds of those healed by Minazuki should not be serious, Unohana requests that they be brought to a relief station.

Isane notices the fierce Reiatsu atop Sōkyoku Hill and questions if someone is still fighting there, only to learn that Byakuya is still fighting Ichigo and the other captains have gone elsewhere to battle. As she concludes that they will not be able to stop the fighting themselves, Unohana begins walking away and asks Isane to come with her because there is somewhere she wishes to go. Meanwhile, in the Third Old City, Shunsui lands alongside Ukitake and observes that they have come quite far, leading Ukitake to affirm this and assert that this will be far enough to put everyone else out of harm's way. When Nanao lands behind him, Shunsui teases her for being last.

Suddenly, while retorting that Shunsui and Ukitake are too fast for her to keep up with them, Nanao is shocked to see Yamamoto sitting on a piece of rubble in front of Shunsui and Ukitake, who turn to face him. With Shunsui expressing surprise at how quickly he got here, Yamamoto declares that no brats have ever successfully escaped him and proclaims that a mere thrashing will not suffice for the two of them as he glows with fiery Reiatsu and begins approaching the three Shinigami. Watching this, Nanao mentally notes his colossal Reiatsu and admits that even two captains may not be enough to defeat Yamamoto before reaching into her shihakushō to assist them.

However, before Nanao can do anything, Yamamoto concentrates his Reiatsu on her, resulting in Nanao falling to her knees and finding herself unable to breathe under the sheer pressure. With Yamamoto ordering a paralyzed Nanao to leave because he does not have the time to teach an infant like her how to breathe, Shunsui kneels in front of her and instructs her to calm down while apologizing for bringing her with him. After Shunsui performs a massive Shunpo leap to bring her to a grassy area far away and lays her down, a heavily sweating Nanao internally expresses her disbelief at Yamamoto crushing her entire being just by looking at her.

While Nanao realizes that she was naive to believe two captains could even stand a chance against Yamamoto, Shunsui disappears with Shunpo, leaving Nanao to beg him to not do this. Back in the Third Old City, Shunsui reappears, and when Yamamoto praises his skill in Shunpo for allowing him to cover so much ground in a single step, Shunsui thanks him. Yamamoto observes that Shunsui and Ukitake were always in a class of their own even when they were young, with Shunsui being thoughtful and always seeing the truth of things despite his scandalous weakness for women and Ukitake being generous, well-respected, and always at the center of things despite his frailty.

Concluding that Shunsui and Ukitake were both transcendent in battle and could not be matched when fighting together, Yamamoto describes them as ambitious and training endlessly in order to become the first captains from the Shin'ō Academy that he founded. Though he asserts that Shunsui and Ukitake were like sons to him and that he hoped they would walk the same path even if they did so in different ways, Yamamoto expresses his disappointment in them as he sets his staff ablaze and holds it horizontally, causing the wood to burst off in strips and reveal his Zanpakutō within, which he grips by the handle as a stunned Ukitake begins to protest this.

As he instructs Ukitake to not say anything because they have no more use for words, Yamamoto demands that they draw their swords and begins unsheathing his Zanpakutō. However, when Shunsui and Ukitake draw their Zanpakutō and rush toward him, Yamamoto merely slashes at the air in front of him, creating a shockwave that forces Shunsui and Ukitake back. Upon noticing that they have not released their Zanpakutō, Yamamoto berates Shunsui and Ukitake for intending to fight him without doing so, and as Shunsui questions if they really have to fight, Yamamoto reminds them that he will not forgive anyone who defiles justice.

Shunsui counters that Yamamoto told them to carry out their own justice, which Ukitake affirms by observing that this is what they became strong for, but Yamamoto declares that they cannot defy the justice of the world to push through their own justice. With Ukitake demanding to know what the justice of the world is and Shunsui getting to his feet, Yamamoto reiterates that they have no more use for words now and embeds his Zanpakutō into the ground before tossing off his haori and exerting his fiery Reiatsu as he drops the top half of his shihakushō to reveal his muscular body, the numerous scars of which glow red with heat, to Shunsui and Ukitake's shock.

After stretching and cracking his joints, Yamamoto picks up his Zanpakutō, which bursts into flames as well, and sends a wave of fire at Shunsui and Ukitake with a slash. Withstanding the flame by bracing themselves, Shunsui and Ukitake look at Yamamoto as he releases his Shikai, Ryūjin Jakka, releasing even more fire in the process.

Shinigami Cup Golden
With a bipedal, star-masked Hollow approaching, Don Kanonji uses Golden Kan'onball to fire two small, spinning spheres of energy at it, only for the Hollow to casually bat through them with its hand. After Jinta Hanakari pops up behind the Hollow and sends it flying with Jinta Home Run, Karin Kurosaki turns a reluctant Kon into a ball and kicks him at the Hollow with Karin-Style Death Shot, leaving the Hollow to evaporate in a surge of energy after being hit by Kon. Don Kanonji and the other Karakura Superheroes celebrate their victories, and as Zennosuke Kurumadani peers at them from behind a nearby wall, Kon lands nearby and demands to know what he is looking at, prompting Ichigo Kurosaki to pop up and complain about this not focusing on Shinigami as he was told it would.

Fights

 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Byakuya Kuchiki: Rematch
 * Yoruichi Shihōin vs. Suì-Fēng
 * Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto vs. Shunsui Kyōraku & Jūshirō Ukitake

Powers and Techniques Used
Techniques Used:

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:

Music

 * 01:46 - Bleach 5th Anniversary Box CD 1 - 05 - BL_86
 * 04:22 - Bleach OST 1 - 09 - Enemy Unseen
 * 06:00 - Bleach OST 1 - 10 - Will of the Heart
 * 08:06 - Bleach 5th Anniversary Box CD 1 - 03 - BL_73
 * 10:52 - Bleach 5th Anniversary Box CD 1 - 06 - BL_21
 * 11:47 - Bleach 5th Anniversary Box CD 1 - 02 - BL_56
 * 14:51 - No Official Release
 * 15:42 - Bleach 5th Anniversary Box CD 1 - 15 - BL_35
 * 17:36 - No Official Release
 * 20:26 - Bleach OST 1 - 20 - Storm Center

Anime Notes
Removed Content:
 * A pair of Shinigami commenting that they heard voices nearby and Renji Abarai pointing to this as proof that he was right about needing to stay quiet, only for Rukia Kuchiki to assert that they were hearing his voice.
 * Sentarō Kotsubaki warning Kiyone Kotetsu that she will get killed if she gets too close to Byakuya Kuchiki's fight.
 * Ururu Tsumugiya firing her Senren Bakusatsu Taihō at the Hollow.

Added/Expanded Content:
 * Ichigo Kurosaki pushing Byakuya's Zanpakutō aside and clashing with him an additional time prior to them separating.
 * Rukia pointing out that Renji's voice is louder than her own is.
 * A flashback to Rukia transferring her Shinigami powers to Ichigo.
 * Rukia looking at Renji in surprise after he offers to lighten her burden alongside Ichigo.
 * Nanao Ise reacting to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto confronting Jūshirō Ukitake.
 * Kiyone attempting to run to Ukitake's aid after Yamamoto confronts him and Ukitake ordering her to wait.
 * Shunsui Kyōraku instructing Ukitake to get ready as they approach the ground after leaping off Sōkyoku Hill.
 * Suì-Fēng berating Kiyone for being a bystander and kicking her in the face prior to pinning her to the ground.
 * Kiyone crying out in pain as Suì-Fēng begins crushing her rib cage.
 * Minazuki circling the pavilion and forming its legs prior to landing in it.
 * Isane Kotetsu following Retsu Unohana after the latter requests that she come with her.
 * Nanao panting after catching up to Shunsui and Ukitake.
 * Yamamoto glowing with fiery Reiatsu as he approaches Shunsui and Ukitake.
 * Nanao falling to her hands and knees before managing to sit up when Yamamoto focuses his Reiatsu on her, as well as Yamamoto looming menacingly over her during this process.
 * Yamamoto igniting his cane prior to stripping it away to access his Zanpakutō.
 * Yamamoto engulfing himself in flame, cracking his joints, and sending a wave of fire at Shunsui and Ukitake prior to releasing Ryūjin Jakka.

Censorship:
 * Ichigo and Renji are not bloodied during the flashback to their Bankai training.
 * When returning to its sealed Zanpakutō state, Minazuki enters a gaseous state rather than dissolving into a slurry of skin and meat that enters Unohana's sheath.
 * Nanao does not cry and foam at the mouth when exposed to the brunt of Yamamoto's Reiatsu.

Changes:
 * In the manga, Rukia and Renji's conversation occurs after Yamamoto begins fighting Shunsui and Ukitake while Renji is carrying Rukia through the Seireitei; here, it occurs after Ichigo and Byakuya begin fighting while Renji is carrying Rukia through the copse of trees on Sōkyoku Hill.
 * In the manga, it is unclear at what point Shunsui transports Nanao to a different part of the Seireitei; here, he is shown doing so after apologizing to her for getting her involved.
 * In the manga, Shunsui and Ukitake attack Yamamoto with their sealed Zanpakutō, and the latter blocks their simultaneous strikes with his own Zanpakutō before pushing them back; here, when Shunsui and Ukitake rush toward him, Yamamoto slashes at them, creating a shockwave that pushes them back on impact.
 * In the manga, Don Kanonji's Golden Kan'onball succeeds in hitting and damaging the Hollow; here, the Hollow instead swipes its hands through the two energy spheres, dispersing them without harm.
 * In the manga, Karin's Karin-Style Death Shot uses a soccer ball and hits the Hollow alongside the Golden Kan'onball, with a barrage from Ururu's Senren Bakusatsu Taihō finishing it off; here, she uses a balled-up Kon and the technique acts as the finishing blow against the Hollow, who disintegrates after being hit.
 * In the manga, while observing the Karakura Superheroes, Zennosuke encounters Tatsuki Arisawa, who shocks him with her ability to see him when she passes by; here, he instead encounters Kon after he falls from the sky, where he demands to know what Zennosuke is looking at.