Everything But the Rain (episode)

For the volume of the same name, see EVERYTHING BUT THE RAIN.

Everything But the Rain is the eleventh episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War and the three hundred and seventy-seventh episode of the Bleach anime overall.

Isshin Kurosaki recounts his history with Masaki Kurosaki to Ichigo Kurosaki.

Summary
Outside the Hōōden in the Soul King Palace, Ōetsu Nimaiya infers that 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai also noticed it would be pointless for Ichigo Kurosaki to continue battling the Asauchi. With Renji looking away, Nimaiya reveals that he knows the location of every Asauchi he has ever forged and details how Shinigami transform them into personalized Zanpakutō through continuous training, which is the foundation of the relationship between the two and an absolute truth.

After musing that this is true for the Royal Guard in addition to the Gotei 13 and that even a stray outlaw like Kenpachi Zaraki gained an Asauchi by retrieving it from the corpse of a Shinigami, Nimaiya asserts that not a single Shinigami has awakened their own Zanpakutō without an Asauchi that he forged since the beginning of Soul Society and admits that this method was obviously never going to work for Ichigo, which both he and Renji knew while Ichigo did not, before concluding that this is why Ichigo needs to know the whereabouts of his soul. Meanwhile, Ichigo stands before the Kurosaki Clinic in the rain.

When Isshin Kurosaki comes out to greet Ichigo, he finds the front porch of the house empty and observes that Ichigo has disappeared again while the latter runs through the pouring rain. Some time later, at her apartment, Ikumi Unagiya dries out Ichigo's coat and expresses disbelief at him coming to her so shaken after not visiting her in months and compares him to a high-school girl who has had a fight with her parents. Standing in the closed shower behind Ikumi, Ichigo simply apologizes, to her concern, and ruminates on getting kicked out of the Soul King Palace without even getting his Zanpakutō repaired, which has left him unable to face his friends.

However, when Ichigo turns off the shower and exits the bathroom while thanking her, Ikumi throws him a hot dumpling and tells him to eat it so he can warm up. Once he gets dressed, Ichigo apologizes for not showing up for work and for coming to Ikumi like this, only for the latter to slam her hand into the locker next to Ichigo and headbutt him, causing Ichigo to fall to the ground as Ikumi claims that she would rather he come to work than apologize to her and explains that she has felt like an older sister to Ichigo ever since she hired him, which is why he can come to her at any time since children should be able to rely on adults for help.

Suddenly, after the doorbell rings and a confused Ikumi discovers that no one is outside her front door, a relieved Ichigo is stunned to find Isshin standing before him in his Shinigami form, and with Ikumi assuming that this was a prank, Ichigo tells her that he is going home and assures Ikumi that he is fine while leaving. Frowning at this, Ikumi notices Ichigo's Substitute Shinigami Badge lying underneath the towel he was using and leans out of the door to call after him about it, but sees that he has left and decides to deliver it to him tomorrow after recalling Ichigo's tired expression. Back at the Kurosaki Clinic, Isshin looks out the window at the rain.

With Ichigo deducing that he knows what is going on because he appeared in this form, Isshin confirms that Kisuke Urahara told him about what happened in Soul Society, including Ichigo's Zanpakutō being broken and the Royal Guard coming down, prior to assuming that the latter kicked Ichigo out and confirming that Ichigo has no chance of fixing his broken Bankai in his current state because he does not know anything about himself. When Ichigo angrily grabs him by the collar, Isshin stares solemnly at him and reminds Ichigo of his promise to wait until Isshin was ready to explain his past to him before concluding that the time has come.

Telling Ichigo to listen closely, Isshin clarifies that while he is not a Shinigami, he is also not an ordinary Human and begins to tell Ichigo what his mother was. In the past, a young Masaki Kurosaki runs over to a younger and wounded Isshin, who is wearing a captain's haori, in the rain and informs him that she is a Quincy. Further in the past, at the Tenth Division barracks, Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto searches for her captain, and when the leaves of the tree behind her rustle loudly, Rangiku announces that she has found him and kicks the tree, causing Isshin to fall out of the tree and claim that he has broken his tailbone upon hitting the ground.

Rangiku asserts that they will be getting back to the office now and addresses Isshin as Captain Shiba. Shortly afterward, a younger 10th Division 3rd Seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya reveals that he has finished all the paperwork, prompting Isshin to lift him into the air and praise him as the future captain of the division. When Rangiku protests that she should be next in line for the captaincy due to her rank, an unimpressed Isshin counters that the division would be ruined if she took that office and Hitsugaya states that he should do just fine in the position since he is making progress on his Bankai training.

With Hitsugaya and Rangiku pulling on each other's lips in irritation, a chuckling Isshin tells them to take it easy and opens a nearby cabinet, only to discover that the manjū he left inside is missing and inquire about what happened to it. Alarmed by this, Hitsugaya quickly brings up a report about an incident in Naruki City that caught his attention, though Isshin insists that they discuss his manjū first, and claims that it does not matter even though it was delicious, leaving Isshin to express disbelief at him trying to brush the topic aside in addition to being the culprit and angrily call him a dirty thief while a resigned Rangiku watches.

Despite this, Hitsugaya asks Isshin if he remembers the report from two months ago and details how one of the Shinigami stationed in Naruki City died, which prompts Isshin to confirm that he does remember and muse on the cause of death still being under investigation. Suddenly, Hitsugaya holds up the report from last month and reveals that two more Shinigami died in Naruki City during this time, leading a startled Isshin to rush outside and inform a bewildered Rangiku that he is leaving to investigate. As Isshin tells her to cover for him until he returns in two days and disappears with Shunpo, Rangiku protests this.

Bringing up how they should at least inform Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto first, Rangiku tells Hitsugaya that they should go after Isshin, but Hitsugaya declines and elaborates that Isshin chose to leave alone because he believes this investigation will be dangerous prior to concluding that they should wait here because they will only get in his way at their current level. Meanwhile, in a hidden laboratory, 5th Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen enters a room filled with gestating masses floating in capsules and asks about their progress, only for 3rd Division Captain Gin Ichimaru to deny any being made.

In turn, 9th Division Captain Kaname Tōsen details how Gotei 13 members have been unable to withstand Hollowfication induced by the Hollows they have altered, but Aizen asserts that they are close to narrowing down the location of Shinji Hirako and the others while conducting Hollowfication experiments in the meantime and concludes that they do not need to worry because everything is in the palm of their hand. That night, in Naruki City, two Shinigami move through the air as one comments on the sky growing cloudy and the other ruminates on the previous two Shinigami stationed here both dying on a rainy day.

However, with the first Shinigami complaining that they should not talk about this, Isshin notes that it is good to know rainy days are dangerous and appears behind the two Shinigami, who express shock at his arrival and wonder why he is here. Claiming to have gotten lost while looking for the bathroom, which the Shinigami immediately realize is a lie, Isshin assures them that they can go home if it starts raining because he prefers to pee alone. Elsewhere, White stands on a rooftop while the clouds gather above. Simultaneously, at the Ishida residence, Izumi Ishida eats dinner with Masaki and inquires about the latter's progress at school.

When Masaki cheerily claims that she goes there every day, Izumi wonders how her Seiren is progressing, and when Masaki nervously asserts it is going okay, an angered Izumi slams her hand down on the table and demands to know what Masaki means by this, prompting the latter to apologize. Izumi berates Masaki for not understanding the situation and reminds her that she is the last of the Kurosaki clan with her predecessors dead and with no siblings before claiming they only took her in because she is a fellow Quincy. Suddenly, Ryūken Ishida opens the door to the dining hall and asks Izumi to calm down since he can hear her from outside.

Annoyed by this, Izumi decides to return to her room and informs a curious Ryūken that Sōken Ishida is training at Fünft Feld, though she does not know when he will return. With Izumi departing, Ryūken requests forgiveness on her behalf from Masaki and explains that she is taking her loneliness out on the latter, but Masaki claims that there is nothing to forgive since she is not mad and declares that she will retire as well, though she stops to mockingly tell Ryūken that tonight's dinner was excellent before running off. Shortly afterward, Kanae Katagiri sets up Ryūken's dinner for him in the dining hall while he stands next to the window.

Drawing Katagiri's attention, Ryūken brings up Masaki knowing that she was only brought into the family because Izumi wants to protect the Echt blood of the Ishida clan, and when Katagiri inquires about whether this is what Izumi told her, Ryūken counters that Masaki is smart enough to know this without being told outright and questions if she would be happy marrying him. In response, Katagiri muses that Ryūken believes happiness is crucial for a marriage between Quincy and asserts that his kindness would be enough to make Masaki happy, only for Ryūken to wonder what is so kind about him when he only wants Masaki happy so they can look to the future.

With Masaki curled up in a ball on her bed, Ryūken concludes that he is referring to the future of the Quincy rather than their own, leaving Katagiri to look down solemnly. Meanwhile, near the south gate of Naruki City, Isshin stands on a rooftop and observes that it is starting to rain harder as he internally theorizes that the enemy is either targeting Shinigami or just reacting to high Reiatsu, leading him to decide to lure them out by exerting his own Reiatsu in a powerful orange glow. Upon seeing this on the ground below, the two Shinigami are awed by Isshin's Reiatsu, but one of them has his head cut horizontally in half from behind.

Alarmed by the cries of pain from below, Isshin stops exerting his Reiatsu, realizes that the size of the Reiatsu is not what the enemy is attracted to, and sees two bloodstains on the ground just before White crashes into the rooftop behind him. When the dust clears, Isshin is astonished to see a black Hollow standing before him while White looks back at him and growls prior to roaring loudly. Examining White, Isshin mentally notes that while his body is black and the hole in the center of his chest is filled with a red mass, his Reiatsu is unmistakably that of a Hollow, causing Isshin to ready himself for battle while White rushes toward him to attack.

Upon sensing two massive Reiatsu on the move and identifying one of them as a Hollow's at the Ishida residence, a shocked Masaki runs out of her room and down the hall, only to be stopped by Ryūken, who reminds her that they are supposed to head out after the Shinigami are dead and let the Gemischt Quincy like Katagiri handle the situation. With Ryūken asserting that Masaki should think of her situation and concluding that she needs to take care of herself because Echt Quincy like them should not shed their blood so easily, Isshin flips back through the air and clashes with White, whom he notes fights like a Shinigami despite his appearance.

Mentally admitting that this is making it difficult to fight, Isshin is pushed back through the air by White, and when a Shinigami approaches to inform him that Karakura Town is under the Thirteenth Division's protection, Isshin warns him to run, only for White to rush toward the Shinigami and obliterate him with a purple Cero fired from between his horns. As she senses this alongside Ryūken at the Ishida residence, Masaki admits that she admires Ryūken's tendency to consider factors like his mother, Quincy, and the future before he acts, but insists that taking care of herself means doing what she can as soon as she can do it.

After concluding that she would never be able to forgive herself if she let someone die today while she had the chance to act, Masaki runs off, leaving Ryūken to inform Katagiri through a communication device that they are heading out. Back in the air, Isshin expresses disbelief at White being able to fire a Cero like a Menos and deduces that he is growing stronger and smarter every time he consumes a Shinigami before clashing with White once more, where he muses that White could not possibly rampage like this without Soul Society noticing him and questions who is covering up the incidents for him, though White remains silent.

Unsurprised by White not answering, Isshin moves back and releases his Shikai, Engetsu, coating his sword in blazing flame-like energy. However, before Isshin can attack White, he is slashed across the back by a cloaked Aizen and falls to a rooftop below, where he realizes that he was cut by a Zanpakutō and that there is a traitor planning this within the Gotei 13. With White attacking Isshin once more, Aizen muses on White gaining his name from the whiteness within him contrasting with his black armor and expresses appreciation for the irony while Isshin stomps on White's free arm to prevent him from attacking with it.

Despite this, White manages to fling Isshin into the air with brute strength and leaps after him, prompting Isshin to warn White not to underestimate him and spit blood from his back wound onto Engetsu, creating a horizontal pillar of energy that detonates in a large explosion upon making contact with White. With Masaki reaching the site of the battle below and seeing White's severed left arm embedding itself in the ground near her, Isshin is impressed to find White continuing to clash with him using only one arm. Suddenly, White begins charging another Cero between his horns and aims it directly at a startled Isshin.

Before White can fire the Cero, he is struck by a Heilig Pfeil fired by Masaki, who stands on the pavement below with a Heilig Bogen formed. Though Tōsen promises to eliminate Masaki since a Quincy getting involved was not part of the plan, Aizen stops him and expresses interest in seeing what happens before White rushes down to attack Masaki, with Isshin unable to follow due to his ankle being injured. Masaki fires dozens of Heilig Pfeil at White, and with the latter evading all of them with ease, she decides to change tactics and disperses her Heilig Bogen, leaving Isshin confused and Aizen startled.

With Masaki holding her left hand out to him, White reaches her and bites deep into her left shoulder, only for Masaki to calmly note that she has got him, form a handgun-sized Heilig Bogen in her right hand, and fire a powerful Heilig Pfeil at point-blank range through White's head, shocking those watching. While White's corpse falls to the side, the red mass in his chest suddenly swells up behind him, prompting Isshin to rush down and pull the corpse away from Masaki just before it detonates in a massive, one-sided explosion. In the aftermath, Masaki runs over to a prone Isshin and frantically asks him if he is okay, which he confirms.

When Isshin thanks her for saving him, Masaki counters that he would not have been so badly injured if he had not protected her from the explosion, which prompts a laughing Isshin to observe that they are even now as Masaki promises to heal him. However, with Isshin wondering who she is since she was able to defeat White, Masaki internally debates what she should do since she does not know how a Shinigami will react to learning she is a Quincy, but introduces herself as a Quincy to Isshin. Though initially stunned by this, a smiling Isshin admits that he has never seen a Quincy in person before and claims that he feels lucky to meet one like this.

Surprised by Isshin's reaction, Masaki wonders if this is what all Shinigami are like and laughs as well while expressing hope that this is the case for the sake of Izumi, Ryūken, and the other Quincy. In the air above Isshin and Masaki, Ryūken stands with Katagiri while holding solid Spirit Weapons with her and asserts that they can leave since Masaki is safe without any problems, which Katagiri acknowledges. Some time later, in the hidden laboratory, an aggravated Tōsen calls White an utter failure for passing on to a Quincy after surpassing the Hollowfication stage and reaching the metastasize stage and slams his hand onto a console.

However, Aizen enters the room and denies this since straying from the original goal is sometimes the superior outcome prior to detailing how he is fascinated by a Hollow created from a dead Shinigami choosing a Quincy despite that being the opposite of himself and wondering if Tōsen and Gin do not want to see what happens next. In the present, Uryū Ishida stands in the rain and looks down while Jugram Haschwalth stands several feet away from him.

Fights & Events

 * Royal Training
 * Isshin Shiba & Masaki Kurosaki vs. White (concluded)
 * The Rise & Fall of Masaki Kurosaki

Powers and Techniques Used
Hohō Techniques:

Hollow Techniques:

Quincy Techniques:

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:

Spirit Weapons:

Anime Notes
Removed Content= Added/Expanded Content= Changes= Trivia=
 * Ichigo Kurosaki realizing he is back in his Human body and wondering how it was brought here since he left it at the Urahara Shop and Kisuke Urahara is still in Hueco Mundo.
 * Ichigo ruminating that it may be good that Urahara, Orihime Inoue, and Yasutora Sado are not in Karakura Town and questioning how he is supposed to face Isshin Kurosaki.
 * Ikumi Unagiya revealing that she dried Ichigo's clothes and expressing relief at Kaoru Unagiya being asleep since he would have been upset about Ichigo taking a shower here.
 * Ikumi telling Ichigo to come to her if he is lonely, going through a hard time, or just in the neighborhood.
 * Ichigo pointing out the discrepancy of Ikumi calling herself his older sister when she is over ten years older than him, only for Ikumi to begin attacking him and berating Ichigo for not being moved to tears by her speech despite Ichigo assuming that she was setting up a joke.
 * Ikumi questioning if someone really performed a ding, dong, ditch all the way up the stairs to her apartment door.
 * Ichigo taking an umbrella at Ikumi's behest as he departs.
 * A flashback to Ichigo's conversation with Isshin about waiting until the latter is ready to explain himself being a Shinigami.
 * Isshin lamenting being helped out by a girl as a captain.
 * Ōetsu Nimaiya musing that Renji Abarai normally would have protested Ichigo being sent home due to how hard he was trying.
 * Two unseated Shinigami expressing sympathy for Rangiku Matsumoto having to pull Isshin out of hiding every day.
 * Isshin returning the tray to the Shinigami and apologizing for Rangiku cracking it as Rangiku berates him for risking disgrace to the main family of the Shiba Clan with his behavior, only for Isshin to deduce that she wants him to do more work so she has more free time and reveal that he has noticed her slowly increasing his workload before whirling her around to point out that her breasts are glistening with sweat from chasing him around, prompting an annoyed Rangiku to whack him several times and leave his face heavily bruised.
 * Izumi Ishida clarifying that she is asking about Masaki Kurosaki's progress at school and not the school itself, leading Masaki to recount how she recently learned that cabbage and pickles are free in the cafeteria.
 * Masaki meekly asserting that the meat she is eating is delicious.
 * Masaki promising to eat the rest of dinner if Ryūken Ishida does not.
 * Kanae Katagiri asking if she can begin serving dinner, which Ryūken permits.
 * The two Shinigami discussing whether they should actually return to Soul Society and deciding to stay hidden near Isshin since they will be punished if they return and trust him to handle this.
 * Sōsuke Aizen expressing surprise at Isshin's presence in Naruki City and responding to Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen deducing that it is an unauthorized visit by asserting that it is a great opportunity for them and expressing a desire to get closer to the fight.
 * Isshin mentally realizing that he left his jurisdiction during the fight.
 * Ryūken ordering Katagiri to prepare their armaments.
 * Isshin declaring that he will kill White right here and now regardless of whether or not the latter answers him.
 * Aizen musing that the cloaks he, Gin, and Tōsen are using were invented by Urahara and can make the wearer nearly invisible with some Kidō application in addition to completely insulating Reiatsu.
 * Isshin demanding that his attacker show himself, prompting Gin to realize Isshin knows it was not a Hollow as Aizen decides to leave since Isshin can no longer perform Bankai with his injury and White is a failure if he can be beaten by a captain using their Shikai, though Tōsen insists that Aizen refer to White by name because he is far superior to other Hollows they have created due to being based on a Shinigami's Soul, prompting Aizen to apologize.
 * Isshin mentally noting that he cannot focus his Reiatsu enough to use Bankai due to his wound being too deep.
 * Tōsen expressing disbelief at White self-destructing.
 * Aizen reminding Tōsen that an unexpected event is something they cannot predict.
 * The rain briefly slowing down while falling to mark the transition to the past.
 * Isshin deducing that White is growing stronger and smarter with every Shinigami he consumes.
 * Jugram Haschwalth meeting with Uryū Ishida in the rain.
 * In the manga, Ichigo responds to the doorbell ringing and announces that Ikumi will be right there, prompting Ikumi to admonish him for answering her door; here, Ikumi instead responds to the doorbell alone while Ichigo remains silent.
 * In the manga, after returning to the Kurosaki Clinic with Ichigo, Isshin cheerfully notes that Ichigo being out for two or three days is nothing unusual now and offers to make the latter something to eat; here, he instead stares silently out of the living room window at the rain.
 * In the manga, Isshin's first conversation with Masaki up until her identification as a Quincy is fully included in both the first flashback to their meeting and the end of the battle against White; here, only Masaki's identification as a Quincy is included in the first flashback.
 * In the manga, Nimaiya's conversation with Renji about every Shinigami needing an Asauchi takes place after Isshin begins detailing his history with Masaki to Ichigo; here, it instead takes place before Ichigo runs away from Isshin at the Kurosaki Clinic.
 * In the manga, Rangiku gets Isshin out of the tree he was hiding in by taking a tray being carried by a nearby Shinigami and throwing it into the branches, causing Isshin to fall out; here, she instead kicks the base of the tree, achieving the same result.
 * In the manga, Isshin catches the tray thrown at him and has it kicked into his face by Rangiku, causing him to claim that his nose has been broken; here, he instead falls on his back, causing him to claim that his tailbone has been broken.
 * In the manga, White first appears while standing in a raincloud; here, he instead stands on a rooftop.
 * In the manga, when apologizing to Izumi, Masaki is still smiling; here, she is instead solemn.
 * In the manga, the two Shinigami are killed under a small roof adjacent to the building that Isshin is standing on; here, they are instead killed at the base of the building itself.
 * In the manga, the first shinigami to be killed had light colored hair and was facing to the right when he was killed; in the anime, he has black hair and was facing to the left.
 * In the manga, Isshin commends White for continuing to fight with only one arm before the latter attacks him again; here, he instead does so while they are clashing.
 * In the manga, Aizen grabs Tōsen's shoulder from behind to stop him from dispatching Masaki; here, he instead holds his hand out in front of Tōsen.
 * Left unnamed in the manga, Izumi is named for the first time in this episode.