Collision! Black Bankai and White Bankai

'''Collision! Black bankai and white bankai''' is the one-hundred-twenty-fourth episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: May 2, 2007
 * English Airdate: June 13, 2009
 * Opening Song: Alones
 * Ending Song: Tsumasaki
 * Manga Chapters: Chapter 219, Chapter 220.
 * Kanji: 激突！黒い卍解と白い卍解
 * Romaji: "Gekitotsu! Kuroi bankai to shiroi bankai"
 * Arc: The Arrancar arc

Summary
Ichigo Kurosaki is surprised that his Hollow self can also initiate Bankai. Hollow Ichigo explains that he learnt it when Ichigo did. The two then envelope each other in Getsuga Tenshō, but when Ichigo opens his eyes again, he finds himself in Soul Society fighting against Byakuya Kuchiki. Confused by this, he has no choice except to defend himself against Byakuya’s Bankai. Byakuya comments on how Ichigo does not notice the unrest in his own heart and then continues the petal onslaught. Having been knocked down from the top of the Sōkyoku Hill, Ichigo tries to climb back up onto a ledge, but Byakuya appears above him and talks about Ichigo not attaining true Bankai. After letting go of the ledge because of Byakuya’s swords, Ichigo finds himself falling downward. Byakuya reaches the ground before him and says that a person who does not have the will to fight cannot defend against his sword. The captain then prepares to finish Ichigo off, but Ichigo suddenly finds himself back in his inner world fighting against his Hollow side. Although still confused about what just happened, Ichigo fires a Getsuga Tenshō. Hollow Ichigo easily deflects this attack and responds with one of his own at point blank range.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Lisa Yadōmaru has her hands full fighting the Ichigo that is gradually turning more and more into a Hollow. Once 10 minutes have passed, the Kensei Muguruma takes her place and continues the battle. Shinji Hirako and the Vizard use a seven person rotation of 10 minutes each, so each person can rest for 70 minutes between fights with Ichigo. During his turn, Kensei cuts Ichigo’s arm, but he soon realizes that Ichigo has high-speed regeneration. In response, he fires a huge energy blast. However it still does not manage to do any significant damage to the regenerating Hollow. As she watches the fight, Lisa thinks about how the struggle for Hollow control takes about an hour. Thus, it should be over by the time her turn comes again. Back inside Ichigo's inner world, Hollow Ichigo reminds Ichigo that it was his Hollow side that first used the Getsuga Tenshō in Bankai. He says that Ichigo is imitating it poorly. Hollow Ichigo then grabs Ichigo’s sword, turns it white, and makes it disappear. Before Ichigo has a chance to fully take in what is happening, he hears Jin Kariya saying that he is the worst.

Ichigo tries to tell himself that Kariya is an illusion, and although Kariya does not deny it, he does say that illusions are something that the mind sees. He explains that this was all created from Ichigo’s mind, and so his existence signifies Ichigo’s worries of having defeated him. After the end of a fight, Ichigo always looks back at the enemies he defeated and the comrades he could not protect. Kariya wonders if Ichigo is afraid of walking forward along the same path as him, but Ichigo denies it. The Bount then notices that Ichigo does not have Zangetsu and asks if Ichigo thinks it is possible to defeat him bare-handed. He throws Ichigo into the ground and questions if Ichigo understands the powerless feeling of losing Zangetsu. Thinking that Ichigo wants a weapon, Kariya attacks him with his wind power, and when Ichigo opens his eyes once again, he sees that he is now in cavern where he trained to achieve Bankai, complete with multiple swords. Kariya urges Ichigo to choose a weapon, but Ichigo knows that Zangetsu is not there. Instead, he remembers that Zangetsu is inside of himself, and that allows him to call forth the true blade. Ichigo, however, is still unable to hurt Kariya.

Explaining that fighting is something that goes on forever, Kariya says that strong people will continue to appear, and so if a person does not have the resolve for an eternal battle, he or she will eventually be defeated. However, even that is not the end because the fighting would just be repeated by someone else. This is the endless cycle of rebirth: not just life and death, but the endless cycle of fighting. Kariya goes on to say that a person who possesses power will eventually be dragged into a fight - that is how it was for the Bount. He then starts beating up Ichigo, and when Ichigo tries to strike back, Kariya catches Zangetsu with his hand. The Bount leader, however, soon disappears and Ichigo finds himself once again back in the sideways world with the now-white Zangetsu disappearing from his hand. Because Ichigo calls it Zangetsu, his Hollow side asserts again that he is Zangetsu before throwing Ichigo into a building.

Hollow Ichigo then asks if Ichigo knows the difference between a king and his horse. If there are two beings with the same appearance, ability, and power, one becomes the king and the other becomes the horse. The reason for this is simply instinct. The person who becomes king needs to want to fight, to want power, and to mercilessly crush his enemies. Ichigo’s Hollow side accuses him of using reason to fight and feels that Ichigo cannot hurt anyone if his sword is still in its sheath. Claiming that this is why Ichigo is weaker, the Hollow Ichigo throws his Zangetsu into Ichigo’s abdomen. Hollow Ichigo says that he will not let a king weaker than him ride on top of him, and since Ichigo is weaker, the Hollow is going to destroy him to become the king. As he seems to lose strength, Ichigo thinks about instinct, the desire for battle, and not handing over his sword. With this, he suddenly grabs the white Zangetsu that his Hollow side was pulling out of him and transforms it black again. Hollow Ichigo manages to get away in time, but his right hand has now turned Human. The word instinct once again permeates through Ichigo’s mind.