Desperate Effort vs. Desperate Effort! The Hollowfied Ichigo

 is the one hundred and sixty-sixth episode of the Bleach anime.

As Ichigo Kurosaki continues his climactic battle against Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Orihime Inoue struggles with seeing his Hollow mask-covered face.

Summary
Having been protected from Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's Gran Rey Cero by Ichigo Kurosaki, who has donned his Hollow mask in addition to activating his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, a confused and intimidated Orihime Inoue addresses Ichigo, who looks back at her. Upon seeing Orihime terrified by his appearance, Ichigo apologizes for scaring her.

After acknowledging how creepy he must look to her right now, Ichigo promises to end this quickly. Down in the sands below, a maniacally laughing Grimmjow declares that this is what he has been waiting for and puts his hand against the flat side of his Zanpakutō, causing it to glow blue, before pulling his fingers along the blade in a clawing motion and activating his Resurrección, Pantera, in a massive surge of energy, prompting Ichigo to instruct Orihime to put up Santen Kesshun in front of herself and Nel Tu without lowering it for even a second, with him urgently reiterating this upon seeing Orihime hesitating out of fear.

The dust clears to reveal Grimmjow having gained an armored, panther-like body with a long tail, a large mane of hair, talons, blades on his forearms, lengthened ears, and an overall feral appearance. With an unnerved Ichigo raising his sword at this, Grimmjow roars loudly, creating a shockwave that slams into Ichigo and forces him to brace himself, prior to leaping up to Ichigo in seconds and hitting him with a powerful strike that knocks Ichigo out of the air, causing him to crash through three nearby towers in a row. After catching up to Ichigo mid-flight, Grimmjow delivers two brutal upward kicks that send Ichigo flying upward above another tower.

Moving above Ichigo while Orihime and Nel watch in shock, Grimmjow swipes his hand down with a feral grin, resulting in Ichigo smashing vertically through the tower. Despite this, Grimmjow tells Ichigo to come out of the resulting dust cloud since he knows the latter cannot be done yet, prompting Ichigo to appear behind him and fire a massive Getsuga Tenshō that engulfs Grimmjow, who simply cuts through it with his hand and remains unharmed while cackling and declaring that he cannot stand Ichigo's eyes. Meanwhile, from Tier Harribel's palace, Emilou Apacci notes the space around Ichigo and Grimmjow is still warped.

In response to Franceska Mila Rose criticizing Grimmjow for using Gran Rey Cero within the dome while they, Harribel, and Cyan Sung-Sun stand on an outer balcony to observe the battle, a scoffing Apacci wonders if Mila Rose is scared, and as Mila Rose claims that she can hear Apacci trembling, Sung-Sun tells them to stop bickering since it only makes them look weak, which leads both Apacci and Mila Rose to demand to know what a dismissive Sung-Sun said. Suddenly, a shockwave washes over the three Fracción, who brace themselves against it and are left sweating while Mila Rose observes that Grimmjow is getting carried away.

However, Harribel assures them it is understandable to be frightened since Grimmjow is using his Resurrección and they are feeling a primordial fear they should relish, which Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun accept after bracing themselves against another shockwave, leaving Harribel to question if Ichigo is really Human because the volume, intensity, and sinister quality of his Reiatsu makes this battle feel like two Espada fighting each other. Meanwhile, after a clash between the two that releases a powerful burst of energy, Grimmjow tackles Ichigo into the side of a tower and notes he can maintain his Hollow mask longer than he could before.

Wondering if this is due to Ichigo training after their last battle or growing stronger from the battles he has fought since, Grimmjow dismisses it as irrelevant since he is mainly glad that the battle has not been made boring by Ichigo's mask cracking and attempts to stab his hand at Ichigo. In response, Ichigo grabs Grimmjow's hand mid-strike and ridicules the idea of this battle becoming boring if his mask cracks prior to slashing a startled Grimmjow horizontally across the chest, causing a large amount of blood to spurt out, and asserting that this would be truly boring if Grimmjow were not in his Resurrección.

After ordering Grimmjow to stay that way, Ichigo lunges toward him in a burst of Reiatsu and brings his sword down in a powerful strike, forcing Grimmjow to block it with the blades on his left forearm. Pressured by the attack, Grimmjow kicks Ichigo in the side, leading Ichigo to elbow his foot away, and springs back to begin rapidly spinning in order to build up a strong downward kick. Though Ichigo dodges this and prepares to counterattack, Grimmjow uses the same momentum to bring his right hand down onto Ichigo, striking him hard in the head and sending him crashing down into the sands below, prior to rushing down toward him with a feral grin.

Suddenly, Ichigo swings his sword up out of the dust cloud and catches Grimmjow's left shoulder, causing the blade to grind along the latter's arm and eventually cut into it. Once Grimmjow lands, he and Ichigo clash once more, creating a radial explosion of force that kicks up the sand around them. With Orihime and Nel watching this from afar with concern, Grimmjow reaches out of the sand toward Ichigo, who pushes away his hand and slashes at Grimmjow, causing the latter to evade out of the air and land with a spinning kick that Ichigo blocks with his sword. Following up with a leg drop that Ichigo sidesteps, Grimmjow backs up out of the resulting sand cloud.

Upon seeing Grimmjow run toward Ichigo from the side and match the latter's Reiatsu-infused strike with one of his own to create a small explosion of force, an aghast Orihime wonders if this is really Ichigo fighting Grimmjow. Shortly afterward, a clash between the two causes a radial wave of force to kick up a large wave of sand around them as Ichigo finds Grimmjow within the clearing sand cloud and performs another Reiatsu-infused strike that Grimmjow matches in kind, merging their Reiatsu together to form a purple energy wave that expands outward to completely clear the sand from the air around them.

Ichigo moves several meters away with Shunpo and Grimmjow follows him with Sonído, where the latter is briefly pushed back when he blocks another slash from Ichigo with his arm, performs a spinning kick that Ichigo ducks to evade, and hits Ichigo squarely in the chest with a second kick to push him back several more meters. With Ichigo responding to Grimmjow subsequently rushing toward him by performing a running slash that the latter fully blocks, Grimmjow lands behind him to perform a side kick that Ichigo blocks and dodge two more strikes from Ichigo before flipping backward with an upward kick that leaves Ichigo briefly stunned.

Once Grimmjow lunges toward him, Ichigo is engulfed in a large explosion of force and sent flying up the side of the tower that Orihime and Nel are located on, prompting Grimmjow to fire five Garra de la Pantera at Ichigo, and as the latter dodges, he realizes that they are headed directly toward Orihime, forcing him to move in front of her and intercept the projectiles with his back, which makes him cough up blood. While Nel calls out to him in concern and Orihime nervously addresses him, Ichigo assures them that he is fine and looks up, startling Orihime once more with his masked appearance and leading her to see Acidwire in his place.

Staring sorrowfully at Orihime upon noticing this, Ichigo turns around and leaps back down to Grimmjow, leaving Orihime to watch him with trepidation. With Ichigo landing before him, Grimmjow mockingly calls his desire to protect Orihime sweet and notices Ichigo panting, which he attributes to having withstood five Garra de la Pantera as he demonstrates their power by firing one at a tower behind him, which is blown apart by the impact, after Ichigo tells him to worry about himself instead of talk. Upon noticing Ichigo's Hollow mask beginning to crack on its left side, Grimmjow deduces that it is at its limit.

However, Ichigo repairs the mask by swiping his hand over the cracks and denies this. In turn, an impressed Grimmjow commends Ichigo's toughness and assumes a battle stance, and when Ichigo notes that he seems to be hurting as well after seeing a portion of the bone segment on Grimmjow's brow cracking, Grimmjow refutes this and leaps forward to clash fiercely with Ichigo once more, creating a large explosion of force. Watching Ichigo and Grimmjow rapidly trade blows and move across the desert from the tower above, Orihime tells herself that she cannot be afraid, only to remember seeing Acidwire's face in place of Ichigo's and wince in fear.

Orihime ruminates on how thinking of Ichigo's blackened eyes when he is wearing his Hollow mask makes her feel like he is turning into someone or something that she does not know because she cannot see herself when she looks into them, which makes her think of Sora Inoue following his transformation into Acidwire. Simultaneously, the side of Ichigo's head is wounded, taking off a chunk of his mask in the process, and Grimmjow's cheek is cut before the two engage in another blade lock. Having blocked Ichigo's sword with the blade on his left forearm, Grimmjow kicks Ichigo hard with his right leg, sending Ichigo flying back.

With Grimmjow following up with a spinning dropkick just as Ichigo regains his footing, the tower behind Ichigo is destroyed when it connects. Upon seeing this and even more of Ichigo's mask being shattered, Nel realizes Ichigo is losing even with his mask on despite it allowing him to overpower Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio and Ulquiorra Cifer like he was invincible, with Ichigo being battered by a flurry of blows from Grimmjow during this. Noticing Orihime clutching herself and shutting her eyes, Nel cheers on Ichigo and tells Orihime she has to do the same because he is fighting for her, only to deduce that she is afraid of Ichigo as well.

After reminding Orihime that she said Ichigo is a good guy, Nel agrees with this because of how he tore into Ulquiorra when he heard Orihime's name before declaring that Ichigo is just a Human who is experiencing great pain even though he became a Shinigami and put on his mask to fight for Orihime's sake. With Nel demanding to know who will cheer for Ichigo if she does not, a shocked Orihime looks back to Ichigo, who continues trading fierce blows with Grimmjow despite half his mask being gone, and reflects on how she came to Hueco Mundo to protect her friends, yet was relieved to learn that they had come to save her.

Though she was left uncertain if Ichigo had come here for her when she saw him wearing the mask due to being reminded of Acidwire, Orihime decides that this should not matter anyway and prepares to speak because she is afraid of something other than Ichigo himself. Back on the ground below, Ichigo is kicked hard by a spinning Grimmjow and crashes into the side of the tower that Orihime is standing on with the entire jaw and left half of his mask gone, where an approaching Grimmjow observes that he really is at his limit and proclaims that it is over. Suddenly, Orihime calls out to Ichigo from atop the tower and tells him to not die.

When a stunned Ichigo looks up at her, Orihime assures him that he does not have to win or try so hard and tearfully begs him to not get hurt anymore, causing Ichigo to casually grab Grimmjow's jab aimed at his head and apologetically announce that he is not allowed to sustain another injury before slashing Grimmjow down his chest, which results in a huge amount of blood spurting into the air.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
At a meeting of the Shinigami Women's Association, 8th Division Lieutenant Nanao Ise laments that they ended up using what little funds they had left as she looks at the photos taken by the other members, but 11th Division Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi pops up and reveals that she managed to photograph their remaining targets, to Nanao's surprise. However, upon looking at the photographs, Nanao sees that every single one of their subjects is obscured by 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki's hair save for Kenpachi himself, leaving her despondent while Yachiru declares that this was a huge success.

Fights

 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez: Final Fight

Powers and Techniques Used
Zanpakutō Techniques:

Arrancar Techniques:

Other Techniques:

Zanpakutō released:

Bankai:

Resurrección used:
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Other Powers:

Anime Notes
Added/Expanded Content= Censorship= Changes=
 * Ichigo Kurosaki urging Orihime Inoue to erect her Santen Kesshun immediately, which she complies with.
 * Orihime and Nel Tu watching in shock as Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez overwhelms Ichigo after activating Pantera.
 * Cyan Sung-Sun calling Emilou Apacci and Franceska Mila Rose vulgar, to their further irritation.
 * Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun bracing themselves against another shockwave as Tier Harribel tells them to embrace their fear.
 * Ichigo and Grimmjow clashing multiple times in midair, resulting in Ichigo being blown back by an explosion of force before Grimmjow lunges after him.
 * Grimmjow demanding to know if this is the best Ichigo can do after kicking him into the sands below.
 * Nel expressing concern for Ichigo after seeing a fierce exchange between him and Grimmjow.
 * Ichigo and Grimmjow trading blows and dodging each other's attacks at high speeds while Orihime wonders if this is really Ichigo fighting.
 * Grimmjow evenly trading blows with or overwhelming Ichigo with speed and precision until he briefly stuns the latter and sends him flying up the side of the tower that Orihime and Nel are located on.
 * Ichigo assuring Orihime and Nel that he is fine after protecting them from Garra de la Pantera.
 * Orihime seeing Acidwire's face as soon as Ichigo looks up at her after withstanding Garra de la Pantera.
 * Ichigo telling Grimmjow to worry about himself instead of idly chatting.
 * The bone segment on Grimmjow's cracking slightly after he praises Ichigo's resilience.
 * Ichigo and Grimmjow fiercely rushing toward each other and battling across the sands while Orihime watches.
 * An extended flashback to Acidwire coming to Karakura Town and attacking Orihime.
 * Extended flashbacks to Ichigo's battles against Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio and Ulquiorra Cifer.
 * Ichigo struggling to fend off Grimmjow's barrage of attacks in midair as Nel realizes that he is losing.
 * Nel cheering Ichigo on a second time after Orihime looks at her.
 * Ichigo continuing to battle Grimmjow with only half of his mask remaining while Orihime recalls the events leading up to this moment.
 * An extended flashback to Ulquiorra informing Orihime of her friends entering Hueco Mundo to rescue her.
 * Grimmjow performing a rapid spinning maneuver that launches Ichigo into the side of the tower Orihime and Nel are located on when his kick connects.
 * Grimmjow yelling Ichigo's name as he attempts to deliver the finishing blow.
 * Mila Rose's skirt does not fold in between her thighs to expose her upper legs and remains as such in all future appearances.
 * Grimmjow's chest wound does not drip blood down his body.
 * The remnants of Ichigo's Hollow mask are not spattered with blood.
 * In the manga, when knocking Ichigo upward after sending him crashing through multiple towers, Grimmjow does so with one kick; here, he instead kicks Ichigo diagonally upward first, then reappears next to him to knock him directly upward with a second kick.
 * In the manga, the tower that Grimmjow smashes Ichigo through vertically is leaning at a heavy angle, causing its hanging side to break off and collapse from the damage inflicted on it; here, it is instead completely straight, causing it to remain standing and largely intact after Ichigo crashes through it.
 * In the manga, after Ichigo dodges his spinning kick in midair, Grimmjow strikes the former with his tail; here, he instead strikes Ichigo with a powerful strike using his right hand.
 * In the manga, upon seeing Ichigo slashing up at him while rushing downward, Grimmjow meets the slash with a swipe of his left arm, causing the blade to grind along his arm from his wrist toward his shoulder; here, he instead attempts to dodge to the side, causing the blade to grind along his arm from his shoulder toward his wrist.
 * In the manga, after Ichigo and Grimmjow separate from the former's sword grinding across the latter's arm, they immediately clash once more; here, they instead stand apart from each other from a few seconds before rushing toward each other to clash.