Overcome Your Limits!

 is the forty-fifth episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo Kurosaki begins his Bankai Training.

Summary
Having confronted a wounded Uryū Ishida in the pavilion of the Senzaikyū compound, 9th Division Captain Kaname Tōsen assures Uryū that he bears him no ill will, but asserts that he must eliminate Uryū for the sake of their peace and releases his Shikai, Suzumushi, releasing a piercing chime that knocks out Uryū on contact, causing him to collapse as Tōsen resheathes his Zanpakutō and declares that Uryū's senseless struggle is over.

While Tōsen concludes by telling Uryū to sleep, within the Study Chamber inside Sōkyoku Hill, Ichigo Kurosaki holds his Shikai, Zangetsu, in a battle stance as he stands across from Yoruichi Shihōin, who explains that advancing from Shikai to Bankai usually requires over ten years of training even for those with talent, only to note that Ichigo must attain Bankai within three days instead. With a stunned Ichigo nodding at this, Yoruichi brings out the Tenshintai and holds it in front of her.

Upon being asked by a confused Ichigo what this is, Yoruichi details how the Tenshintai is one of the most important spiritual tools of the Onmitsukidō because it draws out and forcibly materializes one's Zanpakutō Spirit. Though Ichigo is uncertain of why this would be necessary for Bankai training, Yoruichi clarifies that while Shikai is achieved by communication and synchronization with one's Zanpakutō Spirit, Bankai is achieved by materialization and submission of the Zanpakutō Spirit, with their master bringing them into the real world instead of entering their own inner world in a process known as Materialization.

Admitting that several years of training are normally required to achieve this, Yoruichi observes that Ichigo fighting on equal footing with 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and ending their battle in a draw means that he may have already reached the Materialization stage, leading Ichigo to recall Zangetsu appearing before him and inquiring if he wants to fight. As she notes with a smirk that Ichigo seems to know what she is referring to, Yoruichi concludes that Ichigo can forcibly manifest Zangetsu by stabbing the Tenshintai with Zangetsu, but warns Ichigo that the Materialization is limited to three days, during which he must force Zangetsu into submission.

However, while Yoruichi attempts to detail the consequences of not achieving this, Ichigo suddenly jabs Zangetsu into the Tenshintai, interrupting her, and asserts that it does not matter because he will do it if there really is no other way. Zangetsu and the Tenshintai burst apart in an explosion of darkness, and as Ichigo braces himself, Zangetsu appears behind him and observes that Ichigo has recovered somewhat while Ichigo turns to look at him. After confirming with Zangetsu that he heard everything they said, Yoruichi decides to leave the combat method to him and requests that he start immediately if possible, which Zangetsu affirms.

Kneeling and places his hand on the ground, Zangetsu generates dozens of Zangetsu-like swords around the Study Room, to Ichigo's astonishment, and explains that only one of these swords represents him and can thus defeat him before proclaiming that Ichigo must find it and slay Zangetsu before the latter kills him. After leaping back from each other, Ichigo and Zangetsu each grab one of the swords and clash fiercely while Yoruichi watches. During this, at the Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho within the Fourth Division barracks, 3rd Seat Yasochika Iemura repeatedly rubs an inkstick against an inkstone to prepare ink for his diary writings.

Iemura introduces himself and decides to disclose the contents of his medical journal which chronicle his division's strenuous activities. While 4th Division 8th Seat Harunobu Ogidō carries a Shinigami on a stretcher with the aid of another 4th Division member behind him, Iemura details how the Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho is in daily chaos due to the recent Ryoka disturbance and barely refrains from negatively describing the many members of the Eleventh Division who have been hospitalized as he recounts how both 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku and 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake each requested to have a Ryoka admitted for medical care.

After noting that this forced them to implement the three-shift emergency protocol as Yasutora Sado is wheeled down the hall nearby on a gurney, Iemura expresses annoyance at having to admit the Ryoka on top of their already-busy proceedings and questions why the Ryoka should be purposely hospitalized and treated in the first place. Though he admits to having no problem with Ukitake requesting this, Iemura claims that Shunsui is always goofing off, chasing after women, wearing gaudy clothing, and sleeping during important situations, leading Iemura to wonder how someone like Shunsui could possibly become a captain while he himself remains an 8th Seat.

Upon being approached by one of the nurses, Iemura asks her what she wants to tell him, and after stunning Iemura with the news that Tōsen has requested another Ryoka be admitted, the nurse informs Iemura that he was thinking out loud, prompting Iemura to sweat heavily and briefly scream in panic. Composing himself, Iemura returns to his diary and asserts that he has the deepest respect for Shunsui, to the nurse's embarrassment. Meanwhile, 13th Division 3rd Seats Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu stand before 4th Division Captain Retsu Unohana as Sentarō loudly relays Ukitake's opinion that 4th Division 7th Seat Hanatarō Yamada was held captive by the Ryoka.

Detailing Ukitake's stance that Hanatarō had no choice but to obey the Ryoka after being physically and mentally subjugated by them, Sentarō concludes with Ukitake's request that Unohana show leniency in this matter while an annoyed Kiyone covers her ears. However, though she acknowledges this, Unohana points out that the damage caused by the Ryoka whom Hanatarō aided is substantial and declares that she cannot condone Hanatarō's actions in light of his rank and responsibilities, which she asks Hanatarō if he understands. Some time later, 4th Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu escorts Hanatarō along a walkway in view of the Senzaikyū compound.

When Hanatarō stops and looks at Senzaikyū, Isane inquires what is wrong as she places a hand on his shoulder, and with Hanatarō questioning if he made a mistake and ended up creating more trouble for Rukia Kuchiki instead, Isane states that she does not know, but admits that seeing Hanatarō act so true to his feelings makes her a bit envious of him, to Hanatarō's surprise. With Isane concluding that the rest is up to Unohana, she and Hanatarō continue walking. Elsewhere, in his cell, a shirtless 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai looks at the bars of the sole window in the room and recalls his childhood with Rukia, as well as her adoption by the Kuchiki Clan and retrieval from the Human World.

As he envisions his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, an angered Renji smashes through the bars of his cell, knocking out the guard outside, before stepping through the opening with his Zanpakutō while telling Zabimaru that they must go. In a different area, 3rd Division Lieutenant Izuru Kira sits in his scratched and damaged cell as he agonizes over having drawn his sword against 5th Division Lieutenant Momo Hinamori. Recalling their brief battle, Izuru is startled when the lights suddenly turn on and demands to know who is there, only to be shocked when his captain, Gin Ichimaru, approaches him while claiming that he cannot bear to look at this sad scene.

Telling Izuru that he looks haggard, Gin grasps one of the bars of his cell and offers to help Izuru get out. Back in the Study Room within Sōkyoku Hill, an explosion of force kicks up a large cloud of dust, which Ichigo is sent hurtling out of. Ichigo lands flat on the ground with a bleeding head wound, and as Yoruichi instructs him to get up because he does not have time to waste, Ichigo attempts to get to his feet, only to cough up blood and remain on his hands and knees. Though Yoruichi wonders if Ichigo is going to waste time, Zangetsu asserts that he will drag Ichigo to his feet if he will not stand up while wielding a sword with spines arcing off the back of the blade.

Meanwhile, at the Eleventh Division barracks, Makizō Aramaki expresses his surprise and gratitude at Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi having rescued him, only for Yachiru to bluntly state that she was not interested in him. In the past, Aramaki runs through an alley with Orihime Inoue over his shoulder, whom he knocks out with a chop to the neck for biting him in an attempt to break free, before stopping in astonishment upon finding Yachiru crouching at the top of the set of stairs he has just reached. When Yachiru asks him if he is holding a Ryoka, Aramaki frantically claims that he found her under certain circumstances, leading Yachiru to wonder what these circumstances were.

Aramaki asserts that Orihime spurted out of the nearby area, and as Yachiru expresses confusion at his description of her bubbling up, Aramaki elaborates that he wanted to show Yachiru because he thought it was unusual, which prompts a delighted Yachiru to declare that they should take Orihime back with them, to Aramaki's bewilderment. In the present, Yachiru expresses excitement at the thought of Orihime bubbling up and wonders if Ichigo can do it too as Aramaki attempts to clarify what he meant. With Yachiru struggling to remember his name, Aramaki assures her that she can call him Maki-Maki and marvels at how it has been ten years since he joined the division.

However, Yachiru merely laughs at how silly the name Maki-Maki is, leading a shocked Aramaki to remind her that it is the name which she gave him. As Orihime sits in a chair nearby, 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame asks her what is happening and if Ichigo is still alive while 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa obsessively chews his thumbnail over how beautiful she is. Upon being told by Orihime that she is certain Ichigo is alive, Ikkaku is slightly stunned by her conviction, only for his bandaged captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, to laugh and proclaim that he knows Ichigo is still alive and trying to get stronger as he sits on a bed in front of Orihime.

Agreeing to help Orihime, Kenpachi states that he feels like he will see Ichigo again if he sticks with her while his subordinates affirm his decision, though Aramaki is left confused. Back at the Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho, within one of the underground relief cells, Uryū opens his eyes and is surprised to find himself lying on a cot attached to a wall. As Uryū sits up and wonders where he is, as well as how he is still alive, a heavily bandaged Ganju Shiba leans over the side of the cot above him and chuckles while noting that Uryū is awake, leading a frightened Uryū to scream in terror and demand to know who or what Ganju is as he backs up against the wall.

Upon being asked by Uryū if he is a burglar, Ganju questions why anyone would try to steal from an injured man in prison and leaps down onto the floor before parting the bandages covering his mouth and eyes to show Uryū who he is. Relieved that Ganju is alive, Uryū admits that he did not consider him to be very strong, only for an annoyed Ganju to claim that he felt the same way about Uryū. Uryū ponders their situation and questions why the Shinigami treated their injuries despite the Ryoka being intruders and their enemies, leading Sado to reveal that the situation has changed due to a captain being assassinated within the Seireitei as he sits nearby with bandages covering his chest.

After noting that the culprit of this murder remains unknown, Sado concludes that the Ryoka are prime suspects in the case, and as Uryū realizes that they are being kept alive for the investigation, Ganju affirms this and bemoans the Sekkiseki handcuffs on his wrists sealing his Reiatsu, which is preventing him from breaking them out with Seppa. Looking at his own set of handcuffs, Uryū recalls activating the Quincy: Letzt Stil despite Sōken Ishida's warning that it would cause him to lose all his Quincy powers and somberly observes that his Reiryoku is already severely drained even without the handcuffs while Ganju sums up the unfortunate situation they are in.

Despite this, Ganju points out that the other Ryoka must still be alive if the Shinigami have no intention of killing them, to Uryū's surprise, and Sado deduces that Orihime must also be detained somewhere due to her lack of combat abilities before asserting that this leaves Ichigo and Yoruichi, the former of whom he decides to wait for because he is certain Ichigo will come for them. As he declares that all they can do until then is heal their wounds and prepare for the next battle, Sado encourages Ganju and Uryū to wait for Ichigo alongside him. Back in the Study Chamber inside Sōkyoku Hill, Ichigo has another sword shattered by Zangetsu and is send skidding back.

With Zangetsu observing that this is his eighteenth shattered sword and chasing after him, Ichigo runs through the field of swords in search of another one and finds a sword that looks identical to Zangetsu, which he assumes must be the real one. However, when Ichigo pulls the sword out of the ground and swings it at him, Zangetsu casually shatters it with his forearm and proclaims that this is weak before slashing Ichigo's chest and sending him skidding back once more, where he falls to one knee and pants heavily. Zangetsu reminds Ichigo that each sword represents a piece of his soul and that the purpose of this trial is to find the one which was forged for combat.

While Zangetsu describes the sword he just broke as representing a frail piece of Ichigo's soul that relies on his power, Ichigo processes his words as Zangetsu orders him to not even think about Bankai if he cannot even discern this. As he looks over the Study Chamber and sees how many swords there are, Ichigo realizes that Zangetsu is saying these are all his weakness and curses. Stepping forward, Zangetsu orders Ichigo to stand up because he does not have time to be kneeling, which Ichigo affirms as he grabs another sword nearby. Meanwhile, in her cell, a kneeling Hinamori puts the letter from her captain, Sōsuke Aizen, into her shihakushō and looks up with determination.

Next Episode Preview
As 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai complains about the bad food served to him in his cell, 3rd Division Lieutenant Izuru Kira bemoans the lack of sunlight in his cell and 5th Division Lieutenant Momo Hinamori reveals that her cell had cockroaches. With Renji asserting that there is room for improvement, an annoyed 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya observes that they do not seem to understand why they were imprisoned, and when Hinamori suggests that he try it, Hitsugaya angrily refuses to do so.

Events

 * Bankai Training

Powers and Techniques Used
Quincy Techniques:
 * (flashback)

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Bankai:
 * (flashback)

Anime Notes
Removed Content= Added/Expanded Content= Censorship= Changes=
 * Yoruichi Shihōin affirming that they need the Tenshintai for Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai training after the latter questions this.
 * Yoruichi mentioning that the Tenshintai method can only be performed once.
 * Yoruichi telling Ichigo that he still has a long way to go after he is knocked down and injured.
 * Ichigo saying Zangetsu's name after the latter promises to drag him to his feet if he will not stand.
 * Yachiru Kusajishi mentioning that Orihime Inoue's Reiatsu is similar to Ichigo's and how she found Makizō Aramaki when she went to investigate this.
 * Kenpachi Zaraki telling Ikkaku Madarame to not ask stupid questions.
 * The identifier of the specific cell that Uryū Ishida, Ganju Shiba, and Yasutora Sado are in.
 * Yoruichi reiterating that achieving Bankai usually requires over ten years of training and that Ichigo must achieve it in three days, with Ichigo acknowledging this by nodding.
 * A flashback to Ichigo's fight with Kenpachi Zaraki.
 * Ichigo remembering Zangetsu inquiring if he wants to fight during his recollection of the latter's Manifestation.
 * Ichigo and Zangetsu separating after their first clash.
 * Yasochika Iemura writing and complaining about the workload of the Fourth Division during the Ryoka invasion, with Sado being wheeled in on a gurney while he is talking and a nurse informing him that Kaname Tōsen is having Uryū Ishida sent to them as well, followed by her revealing that he was thinking out loud the whole time; these scenes are adapted from the volume sketches in THE UNDEAD.
 * Isane Kotetsu escorting Hanatarō Yamada somewhere after Retsu Unohana lectures the latter for his assistance of the Ryoka, where Hanatarō wonders if he only caused Rukia Kuchiki and Isane admits that she is envious of him acting true to his feelings.
 * Renji Abarai recalling his history with Rukia and envisioning Byakuya Kuchiki prior to breaking out of his cell.
 * A flashback to the Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira's brief fight after the discovery of Sōsuke Aizen's body.
 * Ichigo being sent flying out of a cloud of dust during his battle against Zangetsu.
 * Ichigo coughing up blood while trying to get up.
 * A continuation of the scene of Aramaki carrying Orihime away from the battle in episode 43, where Aramaki was confronted by Yachiru and lied about Orihime appearing in a strange way in order to justify why he was carrying her around.
 * Yachiru stating that she wants to see Orihime perform her strange appearing act and wondering if Ichigo can do it as well.
 * Yachiru falling on her back laughing after making fun of the nickname she gave Aramaki.
 * Ikkaku, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Yachiru Kusajishi standing up and voicing their approval after Kenpachi decides to help Orihime while Aramaki is left confused.
 * A flashback to the climax of Uryū's battle against Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Sōken Ishida's warning about the power loss resulting from removing the Sanrei Glove.
 * Ichigo looking between dozens of swords prior to finding the one that looks like Zangetsu.
 * Ichigo mentally processing Zangetsu's explanation of what the swords represent about his soul and realizing that they embody his weaknesses, causing him to curse.
 * There is no blood on the ground behind Uryū when he collapses due to his arms not bleeding.
 * Izuru does not have cuts and blood on his face when Gin Ichimaru breaks him out of his cell.
 * Tōsen does not shed a single tear when telling Uryū that his senseless struggle is over.
 * In the manga, Ichigo battling Zangetsu to attain Bankai is initially introduced with Yoruichi and Zangetsu standing over a wounded Ichigo and demanding that he get up, followed by a flashback to Yoruichi explaining how the training will work and Zangetsu being manifested; here, the events are presented in chronological order.
 * In the manga, Yoruichi explains the two key concepts behind achieving Bankai, then explains the crucial difference between it and Shikai; here, the order of the two statements is reversed, and Yoruichi directly identifies Manifestation as the term for summoning one's Zanpakutō Spirit into the real world.
 * In the manga, after telling Ichigo to pierce the Tenshintai with Zangetsu, Yoruichi explains that she will be keeping Zangetsu manifested with her power; here, she instead reiterates that they will be bringing Zangetsu into this world.
 * In the manga, Zangetsu appears on Ichigo's left side when he manifests; here, he appears several feet behind Ichigo.
 * In the manga, Ichigo and Zangetsu are shown picking up swords and clashing for the first time after Ichigo has already received a head wound and had been lying on the ground prior; here, that same clash occurs directly after Zangetsu begins the training, with Ichigo remaining unharmed, and the later scene of Yoruichi and Zangetsu telling him to get up is not directly followed by anything.
 * Renji wears a different expression when breaking out of his cell here than he does in the manga.
 * Izuru only berates himself twice instead of three times.
 * In the manga, Orihime's conversation with Kenpachi occurs after her friends discuss their situation in the relief cell; here, it occurs beforehand.
 * In the manga, Yachiru picks up Aramaki simply because he was there when she found Orihime, whom she was searching for due to her Reiatsu feeling similar to Ichigo's; here, this is not mentioned and Yachiru instead brought them both back after running into Aramaki when the latter claimed that he wanted to show Orihime's weird nature to her.
 * In the manga, Orihime responded to Ikkaku inquiring if she thinks Ichigo is still alive by admitting that she was not sure; here, she states that she wants him to be alive, then firmly asserts that she is sure he is alive, to Ikkaku's slight surprise.
 * In the manga, when he appears before Uryū while heavily bandaged, Ganju greets him; here, he instead ominously chuckles.
 * In the manga, when responding to Uryū wondering if he is a burglar, Ganju repeatedly denies this; here, he instead insults Uryū for thinking this.
 * In the manga, the sword Zangetsu is wielding when chasing Ichigo has a serrated blade with curving teeth; here, the teeth are rectangular and flat.
 * In the manga, Zangetsu shatters the Zangetsu-like sword Ichigo swings at him with the palm of his hand; here, he shatters it with the side of his arm instead.
 * Zangetsu slashes Ichigo from his left shoulder to the right side of his torso instead of from the left-center of his torso to his right arm.