Ichigo and Rukia, Thoughts in the Revolving Sky

Ichigo and Rukia, Thoughts in the Revolving Sky is the one-hundred-ninth episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: January 4, 2007
 * English Airdate: April 11, 2009
 * Opening Song: Rolling Star
 * Ending Song: Baby It's You
 * Manga Chapters: None
 * Kanji: 一護とルキア、廻天する想い
 * Romaji: "Ichigo to Rukia, kaiten suru omoi"
 * Arc: Bount Assault on Soul Society arc

Summary
In the aftermath of the battle against Kariya, Ichigo gets his wounds healed by Inoue. Rukia also got healed, but she’s sleeping since she needs some more time to recover. Renji confirms that Seireitei formally admitted to the existence of the Bount, which ends up being the opposite of Kariya’s goal of trying to erase that existence. He and Ichigo then start arguing, but they get interrupted by the arrival of Byakuya, who tells Ichigo to go back home to the real world. After Byakuya moves on, Rukia wakes up from the commotion and joins Ichigo and Renji. In his reflections about what happened, Ichigo remarks that Kariya couldn’t endure seeing the Bount history repeated and feels that living so long isn’t easy. For Kariya, history was not a line stretching forward, but rather a circle turning round and round. He was just trying to break off from that. Thinking about this, Rukia remembers when she first got assigned to Karakura Town in the real world before she met Ichigo. Renji is also reminiscing about the past to that very same day when he achieved his vice-captain status. Ikkaku had suggested he go tell Rukia, but Renji had decided to wait until Rukia came back from her new assignment.

During all this, Koga wakes up in Rantao’s underground home. He had apparently survived the attack from Captain Hitsugaya and had been brought there secretly by Yoruichi. Upon learning that Kariya is dead, Koga says that if it is the fate of the Bount to perish, then he can only accept it. Rantao then notes that she’d like to hear about the Bount from the last one still alive since she doesn’t want to go back to Seireitei. As Yoruichi leaves, Koga asks her to thank Ichigo for stopping Kariya. Meanwhile, Ichigo departs from the Sixth Division and finds Kon sneaking around outside. Ichigo tells Kon that they’re about ready to leave Soul Society and that Rukia is going to stay here to recover. When Kon wishes he had more power to impress Rukia, Ichigo thinks about how Kariya’s power only served to bury Kariya in the end. He realizes that Kariya wanted the power to change fate whereas he himself wanted a turn of fate. As he recalls his life before he got his Shinigami powers, he remembers how he felt that his powerlessness was the one thing that wouldn’t change. Ichigo now thinks that fate is like a set of gears, and they are the sand that gets crushed between them. He wonders if his power is to crush fate or if he’s going to get swallowed up by his powers like Kariya was. Feeling that it’s no use thinking about it, Ichigo decides to just use this power to protect everyone.

When Ukitake finds Ichigo standing there, Ichigo explains that he was thinking about why Kariya obtained power. Ukitake comes to the same conclusion about Kariya wanting to break free of the circle of history, but also he suggests that even if it is the repetition of the same thing… Ichigo proceeds to finish Ukitake’s sentence by saying that it’s not so bad if one has friends. Back at the Sixth Division, Rukia is wondering to herself if history turns round and round or if it extends forward. If history is the former, then should they break from it or be resigned to it? Although Rukia misses Ichigo, Sado, Inoue, and Ishida’s departure from Soul Society back to the real world, she’s still grateful to Ichigo for everything and hopes to see him again. Unbeknownst to all of them, a new figure has appeared in Karakura Town.