A New Appearance! Meet the Gotei 13!

 is the three hundred and sixty-first episode of the Bleach anime.

Stripped of his Fullbring, the powerless Ichigo Kurosaki is stabbed by Rukia Kuchiki and has his Shinigami powers returned to him.

Summary
Following the revelation that Kūgo Ginjō has been the enemy all along, he stabs Ichigo and declares that his Fullbring belongs to him. An injured Uryū Ishida looks up from the ground towards the stabbed Ichigo, and thinks back to the time that Kūgo had attacked him using Shūkurō Tsukishima as a decoy. When Uryū had been chasing Tsukishima, Kūgo attacked him from behind before he had time to react. Once their target had been cut down, both enemies stood over Uryū's injured form and discussed their plans.

Tsukishima reflects that he should have cut Uryū with his Fullbring instead of Kūgo taking the risk and attacking him with his. Kūgo disagrees with this sentiment, highlighting that Uryū is the key to their plan. Tsukishima looks surprised at this, so Kūgo further elaborates that Ichigo's fate and the outcome of their plan will depend on whether he can notice the difference between the injuries sustained by Uryū and the attacks that will be carried out on their future victims. He insists that their plan would be no fun if it was certain that they were going to pull it off. He then raises his arms and asks that Tsukishima cut him, requesting that they now become apparent enemies who had betrayed one another. Tsukishima seems surprised that he's actually going to attack Kūgo.

Meanwhile, Kūgo finishes telling Ichigo the story of how they had planned the entire thing from the start. Tsukishima comes forward and explains that by cutting a person, he can slip himself into their past. He further elaborates by stating that when he cuts them a second time, he can allow their past to return to normal. Kūgo affirms that since he was the one to work closely with Ichigo, he had Tsukishima stab him and rearrange their past, so that he believed them to be enemies while training Ichigo. Tsukishima rebuffs this, declaring that he cut him because Kūgo had the worse acting ability out of them. Kūgo denies this and reminds Tsukishima of his acting after being cut the second time; however, Tsukishima maintains that instead of calling Ichigo by his first name, he used his surname instead, which should have been a dead give away.

From the ground, an injured Uryū guesses that Tsukishima had cut Kūgo before he had cut the rest of the members of Xcution. Looking down at him, Tsukishima confirms this assessment and compliments Uryū's ability of deduction. However, he states that he didn't make the other members of Xcution hate him as much as Kūgo apparently did, as he didn't have to worry about their acting abilities quite as much. Kūgo appears annoyed by this and tells Tsukishima to shut up.

Below them, still inside the damaged mansion, the rest of the members of Xcution are seen waiting patiently, no longer fighting. Jackie Tristan comments that Kūgo has finally succeeded. Giriko Kutsuzawa agrees with this summation, stating that with everything they have done to achieve this moment, he can safely assume things have gone their way. Sitting in a chair, Moe Shishigawara impatiently demands to know what they should do now and Yukio Hans Vorarlberna tells him that they have to wait until Kūgo makes the final touches for their mission to be complete. Riruka Dokugamine seems worried by this and impatiently turns the other way.

On the roof, Uryū confirms that they planned all this from the beginning, changing not only their own memories, but those of their friends and Ichigo's sisters, just so they could corner him like they had now. Kūgo wonders how much he had figured out and Uryū reveals that he had not known the extent of Tsukishima's power. He knew that there was a lingering Reiatsu all around his friends that made him sure something wasn't right, and that they had been planning on taking down Ichigo from the start. Impressed, Kūgo declares that this was only the end result to their plan.

Kūgo reveals that from the very beginning, they had been following the same plan. Moe and Tsukishima manipulated the thief to steal from and attack Ichigo's friends. When that wasn't enough to drive Ichigo into working with Xcution, he manipulated the Demi Hollow into attacking Yuzu Kurosaki just so Kūgo could earn Ichigo's trust in order to get him to follow their plan. Finally, when Ichigo did begin to work with Xcution, Tsukishima moved onto the next stage of his plans, attacking Orihime Inoue, then Yasutora Sado, along with the rest of his friends and finally, his sisters, manipulating all of their pasts to work towards their goal.

Kūgo states that he is not interested in how Tsukishima forced Ichigo to work with Xcution, he only cared that they had set up the situation so that Ichigo would work with them from the beginning. He then begins to drive his sword deeper into the shocked Ichigo's chest. This causes a chain of reactions that results in Kūgo's sword flashing green. After, Ichigo's Fullbring begins to peel off his skin, leaving him only in his clothes before being absorbed into Kūgo's sword and disappearing.

His objective complete, Kūgo removes his sword from Ichigo's chest. Ichigo drops his Substitute Shinigami Combat Pass to the ground as, still in shock, he realizes that Kūgo has stolen his Fullbring powers. Ichigo thinks back to when he had been powerless and had desperately wanted to be powerful again. He had thought he had found the answer with the help of Xcution, thought that he had finally had the ability to protect his friends after enduring seventeen months without any way to do so. Ichigo falls forward in the heavy rain, devastated that he has lost his powers again, crying as Uryū watches him hopelessly.

Tsukishima asks whether Ichigo is really crying, sympathizing with his unfortunate state. Kūgo tells him to let Ichigo cry before turning and walking away, declaring that they will never see him again anyway. Ichigo falls into mental despair, where he is chained by his own inability to do anything, landing in a world much like that of Zangetsu's inner world that has been flooded with water. Ichigo wonders if it is all over now. He then sees a light in the distance and reflects on the past events of his life that led him to gain Shinigami powers in the first place and how without them, he felt he could never face his mother again. Suddenly, he achieves a new resolve and breaks away the chains in his minds.

Meanwhile, Kūgo stops walking away, as Ichigo demands that he give him back his Fullbring. Kūgo asks him what he is whining about, since Kūgo was the person who helped Ichigo get Fullbring in the first place, there should be nothing wrong with him taking it from him as well. He states that Ichigo should be thanking him for only taking his powers and not killing him as well. Kūgo begins walking away again, only to stop when Ichigo repeats his demand for him to give him back his power. Kūgo asks what Ichigo thinks he can do to get his powers back, but while Ichigo doesn't know if he can do anything, he states that he cannot give up.

Kūgo appears shocked at Ichigo's determination as he repeatedly demands that Kūgo return his powers to him. Just then, Ichigo is stabbed from behind by a sword that is glowing with Reiatsu. Stunned, he slowly turns his head to see Isshin Kurosaki and Kisuke Urahara standing there with serious looks on their faces. Crying even more, Ichigo asks them if their memories have been changed as well, since they have apparently betrayed him. Isshin stares at him for a moment before deciding that his son is an idiot. He tells Ichigo that he isn't the one holding the sword and that he should take a good look to see who is.

Ichigo looks further over his shoulder to see that Reiatsu is flowing from the sword handle, though nobody appears to be holding it. Isshin advises him that he should now be able to see her. Ichigo's eyes widen in shock as, slowly, Rukia appears before him, being the person that had held the sword all along and had stabbed him. She smiles at him before more Reiatsu begins to explode from the sword. The sword glows even brighter and causes a powerful wave of Reiatsu and dust to strike the people close to them on the roof of the mansion.

When the dust settles, Ichigo appears before his opponents dressed as a Shinigami once more with a new Zanpakutō resting on his shoulders. Kūgo appears greatly surprised and alarmed by this development. Ichigo plants his Zanpakutō into the ground and turns to properly greet Rukia, who states that it's been a long while. She advises him that he has gotten so strong and mature, before taking back the statement, kicking him in the face for turning so pathetic and crying the moment she took her eyes off him.

Regaining her composure, she reveals that she knows of Tsukishima's frightening abilities to change people's past memories. However, she brushes that aside and declares that no matter how much he changes their past, he can never change their future. She insists that any broken or lost bonds can be forged again and demands that Ichigo agree with her. Ichigo stares at her for a moment before reminding her that Tsukishima hadn't changed his past. Annoyed, Rukia hits him with the glowing sword for making fun of her. Ichigo calls her reaction harsh and dangerous, but Rukia declares that the sword doesn't even have a blade.

Realizing that he hasn't seen the sword before, Ichigo asks her what it is. Rukia informs him that Urahara had made the sword specially for Ichigo and that the sword allows her to give him Shinigami powers again. Kūgo interrupts their conversation and rebuffs her claim, stating that although he may look like a Shinigami, it doesn't mean he has his abilities back. He reminds Rukia that the reason Ichigo was a Shinigami was because he had the powers to begin with and now, he no longer does because he had just stolen them. He declares that Rukia's Reiatsu alone was not enough to give Ichigo his powers back.

Suddenly, somebody calls Kūgo an idiot and everyone looks up to find out where the voice came from. In the sky, a Senkaimon appears and opens to reveal the arrival of 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, and Lieutenant Renji Abarai, who reveal that they had all put their Reiatsu into the sword and thus, restoring his powers would be easy. Rukia informs Kūgo that he had only stolen the top layer of Ichigo's powers, which was fused with his Fullbring and that the power from within Ichigo is not something he could ever steal.

Rukia calls to Ichigo, reminding him that his opponents did not know how to make him give up hope, and that they weren't aware of the many hopeless situations he had been caught in and still overcome. She tells Ichigo to show Kūgo and Tsukishima that despair is not enough to stop him. Kūgo chides Ichigo before attacking him, stating that things won't be as easy as that. The two of them begin to battle, taking it into the air. Kūgo realizes that Ichigo is very fast and that his Reiatsu has also increased while those below watch the scene.

Kūgo comments that Ichigo has gotten stronger, but he is hardly surprised by that. Ichigo doesn't reply, quietly swinging his sword and unleashing a massive wave of Reiatsu towards Kūgo and hitting him directly. Kūgo lands on the ground and states that Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō has gotten much stronger as well. Kūgo insists, however, that no matter how much stronger Ichigo has gotten, the attack still wasn't enough to kill or even defeat him.

Ichigo lands behind Kūgo then and calls him an idiot. He maintains that the attack he had just used then was not a Getsuga Tenshō, but had merely been the fall out of Ichigo swinging his Zanpakutō at Kūgo. Ichigo then points his Zanpakutō at Kūgo as dense Reiatsu begins to surround his body. As the Reiatsu intensifies, it shoots directly into the sky towards the rain clouds. A panicked Kūgo demands to know what is happening before finally, Ichigo releases an actual Getsuga Tenshō that is so powerful, that it clears the cloudy sky and cuts off the top part of the mansion, while a shocked Kūgo stands speechless.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
Rukia announces that she'll be giving a quiz just like last time, when suddenly Ichigo and Ishida appear in front of her. An infuriated Ichigo asks why Ishida had to shoot an arrow at his hat when he asked him to act like he never seen him before, to which Ishida says that he didn't ask Ichigo to make fun of him. Ishida then says he's going to shoot Ichigo, to which Ichigo implies that he already did. Rukia tries to intervene by saying that she'd like to ask her question, but Ichigo and Ishida keep on arguing. This makes Rukia launch her Hakuren ability towards the two in a fit of rage, freezing them. Rukia then asks them to answer her question, but Sado implies that they won't be able to since they have been frozen.

Fights
Death & Strawberry: Deathberry Returns

Powers and Techniques Used
Techniques used:
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Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:

Fullbring used:
 * Ichigo Kurosaki's unnamed Fullbring
 * (flashback)
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 * (flashback)