Release the Death Blow!

 is the twenty-seventh episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo Kurosaki completes his battle with 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame while his friends continue to progress through the Seireitei.

Summary
In the Seireitei in Soul Society, the Shinigami race to find the the Ryoka by splitting up into groups and searching in different sectors. Perched on a rooftop, Yoruichi Shihōin watches four Shinigami run into an alleyway in hopes of finding one of the Ryoka first, only to discover it is a dead and run back the way they came while bickering among themselves over the behavioral shift of their peers, before walking away down the side of the roof.

Meanwhile, in the Sixth Division barracks, as he walks past the rushing Shinigami while carrying a tray of food and wearing a confused expression on his face, 4th Division 7th Seat Hanatarō Yamada finds himself being confronted by other Shinigami who berate him for getting in the way as a member of the Fourth Division while they swarm past him and hurl insults, leaving Hanatarō to be spun around repeatedly while holding the tray above his head in order to let them pass. Left dizzy by this encounter, Hanatarō slowly comes to a stop and carefully continues walking despite his lack of balance.

Eventually, Hanatarō reaches the Sixth Division prison ward with the intention of delivering the food he is carrying to Rukia Kuchiki, only to find the cell empty. As Hanatarō calls out for Rukia, a female Shinigami enters the room and inquires who is there, prompting Hanatarō to introduce himself as the caretaker for Rukia before asking the Shinigami where he is. Realizing that Hanatarō is from the Fourth Division, the Shinigami reveals that Rukia has already been transferred to Senzaikyū. Visibly shocked by this, Hanatarō begins trembling, and when the Shinigami expresses concern for him, he merely admits that he did not know about this.

After ordering Hanatarō to return to his division at once in order to aid in the search for the Ryoka who have infiltrated the Seireitei, the Shinigami walks out of the room, leaving Hanatarō to drop the tray of food to the ground as he expresses fear over Rukia's situation. From within the Shishinrō, Rukia stares out at the Sōkyoku on Sōkyoku Hill and questions what the light she saw this morning was, due to being unable to sense Reiatsu from within her cell, before solemnly wondering if Ichigo Kurosaki really came for her. Elsewhere, Ichigo stands in front of and faces away from 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame after having destroyed part of a nearby wall.

With Ikkaku unnerved by the power displayed in his last attack, Ichigo warns him to not speak as though their fight is already over because he has not displayed his true strength yet and turns to face Ikkaku while asserting that the latter will be the one unable to hold his sword this time. Ikkaku expresses amusement at Ichigo's confident words and holds the sansetsukon form of his Shikai, Hōzukimaru, over his shoulder as he questions where this confidence comes from before whipping the bladed end of Hōzukimaru toward Ichigo, who narrowly blocks it with his own Shikai, Zangetsu, only to see that Ikkaku has disappeared from his sight.

As he runs toward Ichigo from the side, Ikkaku criticizes him as being slow and at him with the tasseled end of Hōzukimaru, which Ichigo knocks aside with his free hand while Ikkaku passes by him. Landing behind Ichigo, Ikkaku turns and rushes at Ichigo, who responds in kind before slashing downward at Ikkaku with Zangetsu as the latter blocks with the chain links connecting two segments of Hōzukimaru. With Ichigo pressing down on him, Ikkaku reconnects the two segments of Hōzukimaru connected by the chain links blocking Zangetsu, allowing him to force Zangetsu aside and swing the tasseled end of Hōzukimaru at Ichigo.

Having pushed Ichigo back, Ikkaku fully reconnects Hōzukimaru and begins repeatedly jabbing and slashing at Ichigo, whom he mocks for claiming that Ikkaku will soon no longer be able to hold his sword because it is in fact Ichigo who will never be able to hold his sword again. After separating the bladed end of Hōzukimaru from the rest of the spear and binding Zangetsu with the chain links, Ikkaku pulls Zangetsu downward and jumps before kicking Ichigo in the face. As Ichigo staggers back and stabs Zangetsu into the ground to support himself, Ikkaku leaps into the air and comes down onto Ichigo while slashing with Hōzukimaru, which Ichigo narrowly evades.

However, when Ikkaku follows up by slashing at him from the side, Ichigo turns and deflects Hōzukimaru, which is separated into its sansetsukon form from the impact, leaving Ikkaku stunned. Upon being reminded by Ichigo of his assertion that the former was slow, Ikkaku leaps back and reconnects Hōzukimaru as he affirms this statement and claims that what Ichigo just did was a fluke, leading Ichigo to promise that he will show Ikkaku this was not a fluke before leveling Zangetsu at Ikkaku and charging forward. As he leaps out of the way and onto the roof of the wall next to them, Ikkaku reiterates that Ichigo is too slow to catch him like this.

Suddenly, Ichigo tears Zangetsu horizontally through the section of the wall underneath Ikkaku, causing the roof he is standing on to begin crumbling and forcing him to jump back down to the ground. With the portion of the wall having crumbled completely, Ichigo turns and charges at Ikkaku once more while proclaiming that he is lucky, and as Ichigo jumps forward and slashes at him, Ikkaku hops back, leaving Zangetsu to crash into the ground, and hurtles the tasseled end of Hōzukimaru at Ichigo, who raises his hand in front of his face before being sent flying back by the impact. Watching as Ichigo slides to a halt, Ikkaku begins spinning the bladed segment of Hōzukimaru.

Ikkaku questions if talking is the best Ichigo can do and assumes that the latter cannot keep up with the movements of a transforming weapon like Hōzukimaru, only for Ichigo to deny this and stand up as he reveals he has finally gotten used to Ikkaku's fighting style. No longer spinning Hōzukimaru, Ikkaku is shocked to see Ichigo drop the severed tassels of Hōzukimaru from his free hand and realizes that the tasseled end of his spear has been damaged, which he concludes Ichigo did with his bare hand as Ichigo grins. Meanwhile, 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki runs through an alley with his lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi, on his shoulder.

Though Yachiru insists that the Ryoka are up ahead, Kenpachi notes that they have not found anyone despite running around for a considerable amount of time. Claiming to have keen intuition, Yachiru tells Kenpachi to turn right, where they find themselves at a dead end. With Yachiru deciding that they should keep running along the alley, Kenpachi questions whether he can trust her intuition. Elsewhere in the Seireitei, as he peaks around the corner, Uryū Ishida cautions Orihime Inoue to remain hidden in the alcove they are standing in and moves into the shadows with her while several Shinigami gather at the intersection several meters away.

Observing that they have caused a commotion and that it will be difficult to meet up with their friends before they go after Rukia, Uryū states that they would likely find one of the Ryoka at the center of such a commotion and wonders if they should simply confront the Shinigami before inquiring what Orihime thinks they should do. However, Uryū finds Orihime missing from where he last saw her, and as he nervously wonders where she is, Orihime frantically calls out to Uryū and runs back into the alley while being chased by several more Shinigami. Stunned by this, Uryū joins Orihime in running away and demands to know what happened.

Orihime apologizes and explains how the Shinigami spotted her when she went scouting, which prompts Uryū to decide that they will have to fight. When Uryū stops in the middle of an intersection and turns around to face the pursuing Shinigami, Orihime declares that she will fight as well and prepares to summon her Shun Shun Rikka, but Uryū insists that she leave it to him and tells Orihime to stand back while the Shinigami continue to charge at them. However, upon seeing more Shinigami rushing toward them from two other alleys connected to the intersection, Uryū is left shocked as Orihime questions if he can really take on all of them.

With Uryū deciding that they should run, he and Orihime frantically flee down the remaining empty alley, causing the three hordes of Shinigami to collide in the intersection behind them, and continue running as Yasutora Sado sees the commotion from afar while sitting on a tree branch. Wondering what this is, Sado leaps down and begins running down an alley toward the source of the commotion as he wonders if this is Ichigo's doing. Meanwhile, while Ikkaku stares in disbelief at the broken tassel of Hōzukimaru, Ichigo steps on the shredded tassels on the ground and tells him to not look so stunned before questioning if he has lost his nerve from this.

Promising to attack if Ikkaku does not, Ichigo grips Zangetsu with both hands and leaps high into the air above Ikkaku, who reattaches the remaining segments of Hōzukimaru and holds it up horizontally to block. As he reminds Ikkaku of his assertion that the former will be the one no longer able to hold his sword, Ichigo comes down on Ikkaku and unleashes a Getsuga Tenshō, releasing a surge of blue energy around the two of them. Blood spurts into the air and splatters on the ground as a stunned Ikkaku stands with a large cut running down his chest, the tassel segment of Hōzukimaru having been cut cleanly in two by Ichigo's attack.

Upon seeing Ichigo standing calmly before him, Ikkaku demands to know if he thinks the fight is over and throws away the severed section of Hōzukimaru before proclaiming that he can still hold his sword. After gripping the central segment of Hōzukimaru and raises the bladed segment above his head, Ikkaku begins spinning it horizontally and grips the remaining chain with his other hand while asserting that Ichigo will need to cut off his arm if he wants to stop him. Ichigo tells Ikkaku to put down his sword, and when Ikkaku refuses, Ichigo angrily warns him to not do this because the fight is over, but Ikkaku claims that a fight is only over when one of them is dead.

Screaming maniacally, Ikkaku leans forward, causing his wound to bleed further from the strain, and begins rushing toward Ichigo while continuing to whip Hōzukimaru around his head. Reminded of his training with Kisuke Urahara by Ikkaku's approach, Ichigo declares that Ikkaku is slow by comparison and releases another Getsuga Tenshō upward, cutting Ikkaku's arm all the way up to his shoulder and shattering Hōzukimaru. As his blood spurts into the air, Ikkaku praises Ichigo's strength and falls to his knees while bemoaning his poor luck. With Ikkaku collapsing with a smile on his face, Ichigo states that neither of them were lucky as his arm bleeds.

Elsewhere, Ganju Shiba runs through an alley and slowly comes to a stop upon realizing that 11th Division 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa is no longer chasing him. As Ganju wonders where he went, Yumichika runs along the roof behind him and leaps off before slashing at Ikkaku with his Shikai, Fuji Kujaku, which Ganju narrowly evades by rolling away. Noting how close this was, Ganju dodges another slash from Yumichika and draws his short sword. When Yumichika inquires how long he will keep running away for, Ganju promises to keep doing so until Yumichika gives up, prompting Yumichika to claim that he will end it with his Fuji Kujaku as it splits into four blades.

However, Ganju merely chuckles at Yumichika claiming he will end it and takes out a bomb before asserting that Yumichika should not be so hasty as he scrapes the fuse down the length of his gauntlet and throws the bomb to the ground, releasing a cloud of red smoke that engulfs the two of them. When Yumichika expresses discomfort at how the smoke stings his eyes, a laughing Ganju explains that this is a chili pepper smoke bomb called "Tears of Blood" developed by Kūkaku Shiba, only to realize that his own eyes sting as well and begin coughing profusely along with Yumichika, who berates Ganju for harming himself with his own strategy.

As the two of them wander out of the smoke cloud, Yumichika asks Ganju where he is while Ganju refuses to be caught by him. Suddenly, Ganju and Yumichika slip off the edge of a nearby pit, and when Ganju grabs onto the edge, Yumichika grabs the bomb pouch on his back, leading Ganju to demand he let go while Yumichika inquires how he could do this. Meanwhile, Ikkaku opens his eyes and wonders how he is still alive, and when Ichigo observes he is awake, Ikkaku sees him sitting on a chunk of rubble nearby and questions why he is still here. Ichigo holds up Ikkaku's sealed Zanpakutō and notes he did not know it would return to this form when Ikkaku lost consciousness.

Though Ikkaku angrily demands that he give it back, Ichigo assures him that he is not going to steal Ikkaku's Zanpakutō and explains that he just wanted to use the styptic substance contained within the handle to stop the bleeding before admitting that he seems to have used up all of it, leading Ikkaku to realize that his chest wound has been completely sealed up with the substance. While Ichigo praises the effectiveness of the styptic, Ikkaku asserts that this was a dirty move on his part and clarifies that he is angered by surviving what should have been a fatal injury when Ichigo assumes that this is due to him using up all of the substance to cover their wounds.

With Ikkaku agonizing over having to live in shame like this and claiming that he would beat Ichigo up if he could still move, an irritated Ichigo claims that he should not have saved Ikkaku if he is going to be this ungrateful and gets up before admitting that he does not care how grateful Ikkaku is because he just wants answers. Observing that this is just his luck and that he knew something like this was coming, Ikkaku sarcastically asks Ichigo if he wants to know when Ikkaku's birthday is, only to be shocked when Ichigo inquires where Rukia is being held. Back at the pit, Ganju tells Yumichika to let go because he is heavy and struggles to continue holding onto the edge with one hand.

As Yumichika begs him to not let go because no one who falls into the pit can ever get out, Ganju finds his grip loosening and ends up letting go, resulting in the two of them falling into the pit as they scream. However, Ganju quickly hits a pile of trash bags and emerges while declaring that he does not want to die, only to realize how bad the area smells and clamp his hands over his nose as he wonders what this place is. Turning to Yumichika when the latter emerges from the pile of trash bags, Ganju reminds him of his claim that no one who fell into the pit could ever get out, but Yumichika reveals that this is just an ordinary garbage dump.

After removing some refuse from his head, Yumichika admonishes Ganju for causing him to fall in here and promises to make him pay before resuming his attack with Fuji Kujaku, which Ganju narrowly dodges. Though Ganju points out that Yumichika made himself fall in here, Yumichika tells him to shut up and slashes at him once more, leading Ganju to evade and begin climbing up a nearby ladder to the surface, where he begins running away once more while Yumichika leaps out of the pit and continues to pursue him with irritation. Meanwhile, Ikkaku questions what the Ryoka want with a condemned prisoner like Rukia, Ichigo bluntly asserts that they have come to save her.

Stunned by this, Ikkaku inquires how many of Ichigo's team came here. While Uryū and Orihime move out after waiting for two Shinigami to leave the area they are hiding in, Sado runs down an alley, and Yoruichi looks out over the Seireitei, Ikkaku assumes that there are seven or eight Ryoka, only for Ichigo to reveal that his team consists of five people and a cat. When a bewildered Ikkaku picks up on the mention of a cat and questions if he really intends to save Rukia with so few people, Ichigo confidently affirms this, causing Ikkaku to begin laughing wildly as he claims that Ichigo will never pull off something like this and wonders if he is stupid.

Suddenly, Ikkaku grimaces and notes that his laughter caused his wound to open up again as blood spurts from his chest, leading Ichigo to question who is the stupid one between the two of them. After calming down, Ikkaku tells Ichigo that the barracks for the Gotei 13 are located directly south of here, and when a surprised Ichigo inquires if he is really going to tell him, an annoyed Ikkaku promises that he will not if Ichigo does not shut up before asserting that Rukia should be in a white tower west of the barracks. Though Ichigo is unsure about the validity of this information, Ikkaku informs him that he has no interested in what Ichigo does with Rukia.

Telling Ichigo to save Rukia if this is what he wants to do, Ikkaku instructs him to leave before any other Shinigami arrive to fight him. As he complies with this, Ichigo tells Ikkaku that he owes him, though Ikkaku brushes this off as annoying, and begins to walk away. However, Ikkaku stops him and asks Ichigo who the strongest member of his team is, and when Ichigo confirms that it is probably him, Ikkaku warns him to watch out for Kenpachi because the latter has no interest in weak fighters and will most likely come after Ichigo if he is the strongest. When an unnerved Ichigo wonders if Kenpachi is strong, Ikkaku promises he will find out how strong Kenpachi is if he survives their encounter.

Ichigo nervously asks Ikkaku for Kenpachi's name, which Ikkaku gives him. Elsewhere, Kenpachi finds himself at another dead end, which prompts Yachiru to claim it is his fault for being the first in pursuit despite having no sense of direction. Claiming that they are stuck because he trusted Yachiru's intuition, Kenpachi decides to keep moving and runs off as Yachiru cheers him on.

Next Episode Preview
Criticizing the lack of fashion sense among the Shinigami, Uryū Ishida wonders if they are truly happy with their appearance and asserts that this is why he has always hated the Shinigami, leading Orihime Inoue to realize that they are still his enemies while Ichigo Kurosaki expresses disbelief over this being his reason.

Fights

 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Ikkaku Madarame (concluded)
 * Ganju Shiba vs. Yumichika Ayasegawa

Powers and Techniques used
Techniques:

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai: