True Identity of the Devil, the Secret which is Revealed

True Identity of the Devil, the Secret which is Revealed is the sixty-eighth episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: February 14, 2006
 * English Airdate: June 15, 2008
 * Opening Song: Ichirin no Hana
 * Ending Song: My Pace
 * Manga Chapters: None
 * Kanji: 悪魔の正体、明かされた秘密
 * Romaji: "Akuma no shōtai, akasareta himitsu"
 * Arc: The Bount arc

Summary
Initially unsure about what to do, Ichigo and company get a note that’s followed by an enormous gate floating down from the sky. The doors open and a wind starts to suck things in. Upon getting closer, Ichigo sees their three opponents, and Ririn is carrying Urahara’s hat. Kon, Ishida, and Inoue get pulled in, so Ichigo and Renji have no choice but to follow. Ichigo tries to destroy the gate by attempting ban kai, but for some reason is unable to finish the power up. The group wakes up in a barren landscape and find Ririn’s group holding Sado hostage. Ririn announces that they’re going to play a challenge stage that gives Ichigo five minutes to save Sado, who is slowly being buried in sand. The catch is that they have to get through Nova and Claude. To fight Ichigo, Claude copies Ichigo’s appearance while to fight Renji, Nova starts manipulating space.

With time running out, Ririn launches a final attack in the form of a vortex that pulls everything upward. Ichigo once again tries for ban kai and once again fails to complete the transformation. Fortunately for our heroes, Sado’s prison cracks open and the vortex in the sky suddenly disappears. Though initially puzzled, Ichigo spots Urahara’s hat, and realizes what’s been going on. Urahara appears and says that after observing Ichigo, he’s noticed that Ichigo is unable to use ban kai. So before Aizen comes back, Urahara wants Ichigo to be able to initiate ban kai again. Urahara then tells them about Ishida’s lost abilities. Because he never told them about it, Ichigo lectures Ishida about the importance of fighting together. Ririn also reveals that all of his classmates are safe in a place admiring the stars.

Meanwhile, Yoruichi and Soi Fong have been on the move. From the sandy remains of a person, they tracked down a singing woman who is in the act of attracting a man with her song. Yoruichi - in human form – intervenes, but the woman gets away. Yoruichi returns to Urahara’s and gathers everybody to tell them about the appearance of a new enemy: the Baunt. Urahara explains that the Baunt are like Quincy in that they are humans with special powers. However, the Baunt can live forever by consuming souls. The problem is that the Baunt Yoruichi encountered is taking the souls of still living humans. Urahara then assigns Ririn to Ichigo, Claude to Inoue, and Nova to Sado as support.