Fierce Fighting Conclusion! Release, the Final Getsuga Tenshō!

 is the three hundred ninth episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo Kurosaki uses the Final Getsuga Tenshō against Sōsuke Aizen.

Summary
Ichigo lands a strike across Aizen's torso, but Aizen instantly backs away in a flash of light from him to a nearby cliff. Ichigo tells him that it's a strange feeling: when he put distance between them Aizen asked him why and now it is Aizen who is creating the distance. Ichigo then asks Aizen the same question. Aizen's wound begins to heal as he asks Ichigo if he liked that he had stopped his sword or if he is happy that he destroyed his Kidō and if he is happy he injured his body. He then becomes enraged and yells at Ichigo to abandon his Human arrogance. The diamond shape on Aizen's forehead opens up and develops into something similar to a horizontal third eye, as Aizen transforms again into what looks like a Hybrid Arrancar creature with multiple wing-like appendages, which have Hollow skulls attached to the ends. After which, Aizen states that he now sees the Hōgyoku will not truly allow him to lag behind a Human. One of the Hollow skulls fires a small spiritual energy blast which has a devastating impact that can be felt all the way in Karakura Town, and creates a large crater where it hit. Ichigo survives the blast, but it destroys the upper half of his Shikakushō and singes his left arm he used to block the blast. Aizen says he sees that taking that attack only partially burned Ichigo, but that his left arm is most likely useless to him now.

He then moves to attack Ichigo, striking him and sending him flying into the newly-created crater. Aizen grabs Ichigo by the throat, surrounds him with his Hollow mask appendages and creates a circle of charged Spiritual energy around Ichigo. He asks Ichigo if he can hear him as he goes to theorize how at one point Ichigo destroyed the barrier between Shinigami and Hollow and became transcendental; yet, now Ichigo has lost the power he once possessed and has become a mere shadow of his former self. Furthermore, he says that in his current state, he isn't worthy of having Aizen absorb him and comprehend him; also, that Ichigo will meet death by a true transcendental being. Aizen notes that being obliterated by him will completely free him from his inferior existence as both Shinigami and Hollow. Ichigo looks up suddenly and frees himself by slashing at Aizen's chest; thus, forcing the latter to release him, and likewise destroying the circle of charged spiritual energy. Ichigo then tells him they should put a stop to this as he is sick and tired of Aizen's logic. Ichigo readies himself and tells Aizen he wants to show him the Final Getsuga Tenshō.

Ichigo initiates the technique causing Aizen to react in surprise to the new form he has taken. A flashback is shown next: that of the battle between Ichigo and Tensa Zangetsu. Tensa Zangetsu asks Ichigo if he can still stand, to which Ichigo replies that he told him earlier he would not fall until Tensa Zangetsu divulges the secret of the Final Getsuga Tenshō. Tensa Zangetsu retorts that he said he didn't feel like telling it. Tensa Zangetsu and Ichigo begin battling each other. However, Ichigo realizes Tensa Zangetsu doesn't want to kill him, if he does he would have done so at the beginning; if he was serious about not telling him anything he could have just avoided the fight entirely. Ichigo can only feel loneliness flowing from Zangetsu's sword. Ichigo repels a few more attacks, but when Tensa Zangetsu charges again, he lets go of his sword and allows himself to be stabbed. With his sword piercing through Ichigo's chest, Tensa Zangetsu tells Ichigo he has realized at last that in order to learn the Final Getsuga Tenshō, he has to accept Tensa Zangetsu's sword. Ichigo feels no pain from the strike. Tensa Zangetsu remarks that it's obvious since Zangetsu is a reflection of him; hence, being pierced by it will not be painful. Tensa Zangetsu begins to weep. When Ichigo asks him why he cries, Tensa Zangetsu reminds him of what he said at the beginning of the fight, about the both of them wanting to protect different things. Ichigo says he remembers and Tensa Zangetsu says what he wanted to protect was Ichigo. Ichigo asks him to explain, but Zangetsu utters that the sword would answer ' that ' and it will also reveal the secret of the technique.

In the present time, Ichigo is shown in a new from. He explains to Aizen that the Final Getsuga Tenshō means becoming The Getsuga itself. He further details if he uses this technique, then he loses all of his Shinigami power. That is the meaning of "Final". Aizen thinks to himself that he still can't sense Ichigo's Reiatsu and that he should be stronger than him because of how he has surpassed being a Shinigami and Hollow. Aizen then comes under the realization that Ichigo is actually at a higher level than him, which infuriates him. He screams at Ichigo that such a thing is impossible, as a mere Human cannot surpass him. Ichigo calls for his Mugetsu and darkness falls all over the land.

Aizen is surrounded by the darkness and then attacked causing him to plummet to the ground below. The darkness dissipates as Ichigo touches down on the ground and the blue bands covering his face begin to crack and peel off. He stands near where Aizen crashes into the ground; he watches as a large gash running from the back of Aizen's head and down his back begins to heal itself. Ichigo is surprised that he's still regenerating. He goes to where Aizen is, but suddenly Ichigo's hair turns back to normal and he returns back to his original form. Ichigo falls to the ground as he realizes his Shinigami powers are disappearing. Aizen stands up and tells Ichigo that he has lost, and asks him to look as his Zanpakutō begins to disintegrate. Aizen tells him that he should understand what that means. He screams ecstatically that the Hōgyoku has decided he doesn't need a Zanpakutō and likens it to Ichigo becoming one with his Zanpakutō and its powers. He then states that in fact he has risen even higher than Ichigo who has just lost that power. Ichigo then looks on as an unsuspecting Aizen is affected by a Kidō spell and Kisuke Urahara arrives on the scene.

Aizen realizes that Urahara must be behind this and asks him when he used Kidō on him. Urahara replies that it was right before Aizen's complete transformation, at his most vulnerable state. Urahara goes on to say that he knew it would be virtually impossible to kill Aizen when he was fused with the Hōgyoku, so he especially created that to seal him. Aizen nods his understanding, but yells the futility of it as he is reaching a new stage of evolution and will not be stopped by Kidō. Urahara looks on impassively as Aizen's Hōgyoku-enhanced form eventually begins to flake off of him, much to Aizen's shock.

Urahara explains that the seal he used was to activate at this moment: the moment when Aizen was weakening. He simply utters: "The Hōgyoku no longer sees you as its master". Aizen, at first in disbelief, then acceptance, furiously yells at Urahara and tells him that he despises him. Aizen hates that a man of Kisuke's intellect sits idly by and is controlled by "that thing!" Urahara realizes that Aizen is talking about the Soul King and comments on that Aizen saw "it". Urahara then says that the Soul King is the lynch pin holding Soul Society altogether and if said lynch pin was lost, Soul Society will split and crumble. A screaming Aizen counters with that being the logic of a loser; and, that he, a "winner" must think not how the world is, but how it should be. The seal starts to fully activate at last and Aizen tries to free himself, but he is too late as he is sealed into an odd, triple-sword device. After this happens, the Shinigami in the Fake Karakura Town and Ichigo's friends in Hueco Mundo realize that the battle is finally over.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
Kon continues to play dead, but the appearance of a purple haired beauty gets him to his feet. To his horror the woman's sizable breasts turn out to be her literal weapon, used to pound him in the face and pin him to the ground, rendering him the prisoner of the SR&DI. Kon wonders what will happen to him, but is informed the story shall be discontinued.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 2) Sōsuke Aizen
 * 3) Hollowfied Tensa Zangetsu (flashback)
 * 4) Don Kanonji
 * 5) Mizuiro Kojima
 * 6) Keigo Asano
 * 7) Chizuru Honshō
 * 8) Tatsuki Arisawa
 * 9) Kisuke Urahara
 * 10) Shunsui Kyōraku
 * 11) Suì-Fēng
 * 12) Tōshirō Hitsugaya
 * 13) Shinji Hirako
 * 14) Orihime Inoue
 * 15) Uryū Ishida
 * 16) Renji Abarai
 * 17) Rukia Kuchiki
 * 18) Yasutora Sado

Fights

 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Sōsuke Aizen (concluded)

Powers and Techniques Used
Kidō used
 * Hadō #91, (flashback)
 * Hadō #91, (flashback)

Techniques used

Zanpakutō released

Bankai: