Rukia and Kaien, the Sorrowful Reunion

 is the one hundred and fifty-fourth episode of the Bleach anime.

Rukia Kuchiki reunites with her deceased mentor, Kaien Shiba.

Summary
Within his area in Las Noches, Gantenbainne Mosqueda runs forward and throws an energy-infused punch at Yasutora Sado, who blocks it with his Fullbring, Brazo Derecha de Gigante, as energy surges out from Gantenbainne, who smirks before overpowering Sado's defense and sending him flying backward across the room. After landing on his feet, Sado looks back to see a pit behind him, to his surprise, prior to Gantenbainne questioning where he is looking and rushing toward him and hitting Sado hard in the midsection with another energy-infused punch.

With Sado coughing up fluid from this, Gantenbainne delivers a powerful blow to Sado's face that sends him crashing through the far wall and declares that this was not even a good warm-up exercise, but when he turns away, Sado fires two energy blasts from within the resulting cloud of dust that force Gantenbainne to evade by leaping away, leaving Sado to stand up with a determined expression. Rukia frantically asks Kaien if this is really him and begins to tell herself that it cannot possibly be true since she killed Kaien years ago, but a smiling Kaien notes that it has been a long time and tells Rukia that she looks well.

Jumping down from the pillar he was standing on, Kaien complains about how hard his clothes making moving around and becomes annoyed as he tells Rukia to stop staring at him since she should be happy to see everyone's favorite lieutenant alive and well. With Kaien requesting that she say something so he is not left standing here like a buffoon, a tearful Rukia realizes it really is him and recognizes the warmth he exudes like she has just put her hand into sunlight without realizing it. Suddenly, Kaien pulls out a sword, and though Rukia reflexively prepares to draw her own Zanpakutō, she realizes that Kaien is actually holding a wooden sword in each hand.

After tossing one of the swords to Rukia, Kaien alters their surroundings to resemble the Thirteenth Division training grounds, to Rukia's confusion, and tells her to assume a battle stance rather than look so dumbfounded while now dressed in his lieutenant's uniform. Upon deciding that he will make a move if Rukia does not, Kaien runs forward and begins fiercely sparring with Rukia, who moves back as she frantically defends herself from his blows and mentally details how familiar the weight of his strikes and his rapid footwork are. Kaien proceeds to send Rukia crashing against the far wall with a strike to her side and questions if this is where she gives up.

Recognizing Kaien's unreserved and blunt way of speaking as well, Rukia gets to her feet and recalls her first meeting with Kaien where he spoke to her in the same way, leading her to smile and rush forward to resume sparring. However, Kaien quickly disarms her and levels his wooden sword at a startled Rukia's throat while informing her that she would be dead if this were a real battle. With Kaien concluding that she has gotten stronger and ruffling her hair with his free hand, a pleased Rukia observes that he has not changed at all and recalls her past days spent with Kaien, who points out how she always looks like she is going to cry when he defeats her.

Glad that Rukia finally believes him, Kaien pulls out two sitting pads and tosses Rukia one so he can sit down with her and explain the situation. Shortly afterward, Kaien details how his body that had begun decaying soon after Rukia killed him disintegrated in the Shiba Clan residence, which transported him to Hueco Mundo because Metastacia had been designed by Sōsuke Aizen to reconstitute there whenever it was killed, and that merging with Kaien caused it to take his form upon reconstituting as expected by Aizen, only for Kaien's mind to end up controlling the body instead because his iron will had not been factored in.

Startled by this, Rukia demands to know why Kaien is joking around on such a serious topic, and when Kaien claims that he thought Rukia looked sad and wanted to lighten the mood, Rukia clarifies that this is her serious face, which he accepts as he concludes that he took a position as an Espada and waited for a chance at Aizen following this. Bringing up how it was sunny outside, Kaien reveals that Aizen created a blue sky inside the dome of Las Noches and can see everything the light touches, to Rukia's shock, prior to noting that he is glad Rukia is the one who found him since she is the only one who can execute the plan that he is about to reveal to her.

When Kaien asks her to come with him because they cannot talk here, Rukia immediately runs over to follow him, only to suddenly find a grinning Kaien's Zanpakutō pointed directly at her face and approaching her right eye. With a shocked Rukia barely managing to evade this at the last second and leaping back with a large cut on her cheek, Kaien turns to look at her and casually observes that she has improved. Meanwhile, as Gin Ichimaru traces a path through several intersecting lines on a screen in his control room in Las Noches, Ulquiorra Cifer asks him if any of the intruders have reached an Espada's palace yet.

In turn, Gin comments on how unusual Ulquiorra starting a conversation with him is since he believed the latter hated him. With Ulquiorra denying this, Gin requests that the former be kinder to him since he has been feeling depressed ever since Luppi Antenor died, due to the latter being someone he liked talking to. Upon noticing the screen that Gin was interacting with, Ulquiorra inquires if he has been manipulating the corridors, but Gin claims that he is not that cruel and simply likes happy endings. Meanwhile, in Aaroniero's palace, blood drips from a stunned Rukia's wounded cheek while Kaien notes that she looks confused.

Aaroniero admits to being impressed over Rukia surviving an attack that would have killed her when he last knew her, which he describes as a subordinate's progress being a superior officer's joy. With Rukia nervously wondering if this is all true, Kaien affirms that it is and refutes the idea that he is an impostor because he looks like himself and hopes that Rukia has not forgotten how she killed him. Recounting how he is the former lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division who merged with a Hollow and came to Hueco Mundo, Kaien describes Rukia as the woman who took his life, which leads Rukia to remembers impaling a possessed Kaien with her Zanpakutō.

As he assumes that Rukia now understands why he is trying to kill her, Kaien wonders if she has forgotten how it felt when she killed him, though Rukia denies ever being able to forget and mentally admits that this all really happened. When Kaien asks Rukia if she is ready to pay with her life in order to atone for her crime of killing him, Rukia confirms this, but clarifies that she cannot do so right now and describes how the guilt from her running away has not gone away no matter how many years pass before promising that Kaien can kill her if doing so will bring him peace. However, Rukia informs Kaien that she has come to Hueco Mundo to save her friend Orihime Inoue.

Rukia concludes that she will not let Kaien kill her until the latter is safe, no matter how bad she feels about his death. After a moment's pause, Kaien throws up his hands and apologizes for such a bad joke, leaving Rukia speechless while he elaborates that he kidding and does not actually want to kill Rukia even if he wants her to pay for what she has done. Walking over to a kneeling Rukia, Kaien gently places his hand on her head and reveals that there is something she can do for him if she truly wishes to atone for what she did. With Rukia picking up on him wanting her to do something, Kaien cheerfully asks her to bring him the heads of all her friends.

As Rukia stares down in numb disbelief, Kaien states it would be easy and points out how Rukia knowing all their strengths and weaknesses means she would simply have to take them by surprise, which would let him forgive Rukia for killing him. When Rukia remains silent, Kaien points out how easy it would be as a small price to pay for taking his life and wonders what is wrong, and in response to Rukia flatly observing that he is not joking, Kaien confirms this, leading Rukia to assert that asking her to kill her friends could never be a joke and grab Kaien's hand prior to angrily rebuking him for shaming Kaien's memory, to Kaien's surprise.

Pushing Kaien's hand away and repelling him, Rukia emphatically declares he is not Kaien because the real Kaien, as a man of honor whom everyone in the Thirteenth Division loved and respected, would never make jokes to test his subordinates or ask them to choose between them and their friends. After Rukia recalls how Kaien's last words were to assure her that he would leave his heart with her even as his lungs were filling with blood, Kaien attempts to claim to be himself again, but a furious Rukia demands that he never say his name again and releases her Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, which leads a grinning Kaien to hold out his own Zanpakutō as well.

With 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai stopping in surprised upon sensing this as he runs through a hallway with Dondochakka Birstanne, Rukia clashes fiercely with a grinning Kaien, causing energy to surge outward from them before Kaien pushes her back with a swing of his own Zanpakutō that sends Rukia flying across the room. After flipping over in midair and springing off the far wall, Rukia crosses blades with Kaien again, this time forcing the latter back, and lands on the ground to initiate Some no mai, Tsukishiro on a startled Kaien, who leaps away just before the ice pillar forms around the area where he was standing.

Upon seeing Kaien running across the room, Rukia refuses to let him get away and chases after him until Kaien stops and turns around in front of a wall, where a panting Rukia catches up to him and asserts that there is nowhere left to escape to. However, Kaien counters that Rukia seems to have forgotten who taught her how to fight and expresses disappointment at how little she has improved since they last met. As Rukia counters that he can say that once he gets away and prepares to attack, a smiling Kaien runs forward and moves past her with Shunpo, to her surprise, prior to turning around and unleashing a slash that Rukia is forced to block.

Angered by this, Rukia rushes forward from the area she was pushed back to and begins rapidly attacking Kaien while screaming, which prompts the latter to sarcastically commend her for trying to kill the same man once again, though Rukia insists that there is no way he is Kaien and engages him in a blade lock. When Kaien calls her dense and assures her that she will understand once she gets the same feeling that she had upon stabbing him as they fight, an enraged Rukia surges with Reiatsu, to his astonishment, and sends Kaien flying into the air with a blast of ice before attacking him with Tsugi no mai, Hakuren from the ground. Despite this, Kaien simply runs down along the far wall to evade the blast of ice and snow, which hits an area above him, and lands in front of Rukia prior to commenting on this being her typical fighting style and laughing gleefully.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
In the Seireitei, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai expresses confusion at the concept of interim captains, prompting 3rd Division Lieutenant Izuru Kira to explain how lieutenants without captains like he and 9th Division Shūhei Hisagi have been given the same authority as captains. When Renji does not express much interest in this, Hisagi teasingly asks if he is jealous, only for Izuru to suddenly remind him that they need to go report to Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Bidding Renji farewell, Hisagi runs off excitedly with Izuru and makes plans to celebrate tonight as Renji notes that they do not seem to understand that this just means they will be getting more work.

Fights

 * Rukia Kuchiki vs. Aaroniero Arruruerie

Powers and Techniques Used
Zanpakutō Techniques:

Hohō Techniques:

Hollow Techniques:
 * Zanpakutō Destruction (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:



Fullbring:

Anime Notes
Added/Expanded Content= Censorship= Changes= Errors=
 * Yasutora Sado being overpowered by Gantenbainne Mosqueda's powerful blows, only to prove that he is not out of the fight by unleashing his own energy blasts when Gantenbainne attempts to leave.
 * An extended flashback to Kaien Shiba's battle against Metastacia.
 * A recollection of Rukia Kuchiki spending time with Kaien and the rest of the Thirteenth Division when she recalls his sunny presence.
 * Aaroniero Arruruerie initiating a spar between himself and Rukia with wooden swords after altering the environment to resemble the Thirteenth Division training area, where Rukia recognizes Kaien's fighting style and his blunt manner of speaking with a flashback to the first time they met.
 * Additional flashbacks to Rukia's memories of Kaien as she accepts that he is standing before her.
 * Rukia remembering how she killed Kaien upon being reminded of it by Aaroniero.
 * Aaroniero asserting that he has not forgotten how it felt when Rukia stabbed him, which leads Rukia to remember the aftermath of her impaling Kaien and mentally admit that this is the truth.
 * Aaroniero stating that Rukia killing her friends for him is a small price to pay for taking Kaien's life.
 * Rukia declaring that the real Kaien would never make horrible jokes to test his subordinates.
 * Rukia detailing how Kaien spoke kindly to her with his last words even as his lungs filled with blood and made it hard for him to speak.
 * Aaroniero clashing with Rukia using Kaien's sealed Zanpakutō, where he briefly overwhelms her until Rukia begins using her Shikai techniques, at which point Aaroniero reveals that he can easily dodge them.
 * Rukia does not leave a trail of blood in the air when leaping back from Aaroniero's attempted stab at her face.
 * The cut on Rukia's cheek does not continue dripping blood as she talks to and battles against Aaroniero.
 * In the manga, when commenting on how much Rukia has improved after attempting to kill her with a surprise attack, Aaroniero addresses her with both of his true voices at once; here, he instead continues to use Kaien's voice.
 * When Rukia dodges Aaroniero's stab at her face, her right cheek is immediately cut open by the blade, but the same wound is shown opening again without any blood already on her cheek seconds later once she comes to a halt from her backwards leap.