Release! The Black Blade, the Miraculous Power

'''Unseal! The Black Blade, the Miraculous Power''' is the fifty-eighth episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: November 15, 2005
 * English Airdate: April 6, 2008
 * Opening Song: Ichirin No Hana
 * Ending Song: Life
 * Manga Chapters: Chapter 161, Chapter 162, Chapter 163.
 * Kanji: 開放! 黒き刃、奇跡の力
 * Romaji: "Kaihō! Kuroki yaiba, kiseki no chikara"
 * Arc: Soul Society: The Rescue arc

Summary
Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of Division 6, is surprised by a sudden flash of white light coming from Ichigo Kurosaki's Zanpakutō. The attack tears off Kuchiki's captain's badge and leaves a gash in his arm. Kuchiki inquires into the meaning of the light. Kurosaki explains the mechanism behind Getsuga Tenshō, and demands Kuchiki release his Bankai. Kuchiki yields to the pressure and releases his Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, telling his adversary "[he] would turn to dust and disappear before another thought passes through [his] head". While Kuchiki speaks, two endless columns of giant blades emerge from the ground; the release sequence of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi strikes awe in Kurosaki's heart. Kuchiki calls his Bankai's name, and both rows of blades scatter into billions of tiny blades, all attacking Kurosaki from every angle. Kurosaki evades and makes a dash towards Kuchiki but is forced to jump in the air. He attempts a second and third Getsuga Tenshō which Kuchiki easily blocks. Kurosaki soon finds himself overpowered and is hit by a direct attack from Kuchiki. Kuchiki tells Kurosaki that his sword indeed has strong abilities but that his attacks are too clumsy to have an effect.

Lying in a crater formed by the attack that hit him, Kurosaki replies that he thought he could handle Kuchiki's Bankai while still in his Shikai. Kuchiki refuses to believe that Kurosaki indeed has Bankai, however, Kurosaki claims to have mastered it.

10th Division captain, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto are running throught the streets of Seireitei. Hitsugaya has placed a powerful protective shield, Kyōmon, on Momo Hinamori's hospital room, preventing any harmful effects from entering. Hitsugaya is determined to regain control of the situation. In order to do that, he and Matsumoto are making their way to the Central 46 Compound, to whom he intends to appeal directly and tell the real story, as he believes it, about the murder of Sōsuke Aizen.

Back at Sōkyoku Hill Kuchiki is still struggling to accept Kurosaki's claims about having achieved a Bankai. As Kurosaki begins the release sequence for his Bankai, the spiritual pressure released can be seen throughout Seireitei, including by Ichigo's friends. Kuchiki struggles with the persistent notion of Kurosaki achieving Bankai. In his thoughts he examines the history of the Bankai in Soul Society, how only the few and the brightest in every generation could achieve it and had their names remembered for posterity. While Kurosaki, a non noble, not even a Shinigami at birth, had achieved it so easily.

Kurosaki continues his preparations for a while longer, gathering his strength before releasing his Bankai for the first time since the end of his training. Eventualy, when he does call for his bankai, an enormous beam of energy shoots towards Kuchiki, enveloping him and going well beyond him. The effect of this outburst alarms everyone in the vicinity of the Sōkyoku. A huge dust cloud rises to the air and gets carried into the sky by what looks like a hurricane. As the effects begin to settle, Kuchiki is revealed to be alive and well, having shielded himself with his Bankai. He looks upon Kurosaki with amazement and disbelief as the latter is holding a weapon which appears to be nothing more than a regular katana, albeit entirely black in color. It is even smaller than Kurosaki's Shikai.

Believing again that the weapon cannot be a Bankai, Kuchiki gathers up his blades for an attack but is forced to stop when he finds Kurosaki holding the black blade to his throat. Kuroski says it was Kuchiki's so-called honor that demanded he kill his sister, Rukia Kuchiki, and that this honor of Kuchiki is the reason Kurosaki got the Bankai. Saying this he moves away from Kuchiki, removing the sword from his throat.

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto arrive at the entrance to the Central 46 Compound and are alarmed to find no guards at the front gate. Laying his hand on the gate, Hitsugaya finds that it opens to his touch. As they enter the compound it appears that the place is deserted, but when they reach the door that leads to the underground assembly hall, they find it locked. Matsumoto steps back and Hitsugaya calls for the person behind the door, asking them formally to open it. Instead of opening, the emergency defense lock is activated.

Orihime Inoue, Uryū Ishida, Yasutora Sado, Ganju Shiba and Makizō Aramaki reach the foot of Sōkyoku Hill. They believe they'll find both Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki at the top. Aramaki though tells them they'd be out of their minds to climb into a battle such as the one taking place at the top. Inoue thanks him for his concern but says since they had come all this way, there's no point in turning back. Ishida adds that they are Kurosaki's friends no matter what. Shiba and Sado express their agreement. They all bid him farewell, saying he does not have to continue with them, and thanking him for his help. As the others begin their climb, Aramaki is left behind. Suddenly he remembers that as a member of the 11th Division he's meant not to know the meaning of the word fear and hurries after them.

At the top Kuchiki asks Kurosaki why he withdrew his sword from his throat, saying his arrogance would be his demise. Kuchiki maintains that the technique Kurosaki used was not Bankai. Gathering his blades again, Kuchiki says with the next attack he will teach Kurosaki a lesson, since miracles don't happen twice.

The attack commences but Kurosaki is now far more equipped to handle it, to the point that Kuchiki wonders how he is able to move so quickly. Realizing he cannot connect with Kurosaki by using his Bankai normally, Kuchiki begins to control it with hand gestures, thus doubling Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's speed. Kuchiki maneuvers Kurosaki into a trap, surrounding him with blades, but when the trap closes and Kurosaki is eveloped by the blades he swings his blade around and within a few seconds cuts through every last one of the blades around him. He then flash steps, appearing behind Kuchiki's back saying, "A miracle only happens once huh? So what do you call this" and with this he stabs at Kuchiki. The attack is blocked by Kuchiki's bare hand, but not without a price, as his hand is now visibly bloody.

Kuchiki says he now realizes the wisdom behind the compression of such great power into such a compact weapon, which allows Kurosaki to fight at unimaginable speeds. He then says, "Even I have to admit the true power of your Bankai is impressive. Very well then, there's nothing left for me to do but to completely crush that power!"

Characters in order of appearance

 * Byakuya Kuchiki
 * Ichigo Kurosaki
 * Zangetsu (flashback)
 * Tōshirō Hitsugaya
 * Rangiku Matsumoto
 * Momo Hinamori (flashback)
 * Orihime Inoue
 * Uryū Ishida
 * Yasutora Sado
 * Ganju Shiba
 * Makizō Aramaki
 * Kon (flashback)
 * Mayuri Kurotsuchi (flashback)
 * Kaname Tōsen (flashback)
 * Sajin Komamura (flashback)
 * Rukia Kuchiki (flashback)
 * Renji Abarai (flashback)

Powers and Techniques used
Kidō Used:
 * Kyōmon (鏡門, Mirror Door)

Techniques Used:
 * Getsuga Tenshō (月牙天衝, Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer)
 * Senka (閃花, Flash Blossom) (flashback)

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:
 * Zabimaru (蛇尾丸, Snake Tail) (flashback)

Bankai:
 * Senbonzakura Kageyoshi (千本桜景厳, Vibrant Display of a Thousand Cherry Blossoms)
 * Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō (金色疋殺地蔵, Golden Leg-Cutting Jizō) (flashback)
 * Enma Kōrogi (閻魔蟋蟀, Devil Cricket) (flashback)
 * Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō (黒縄天譴明王, Heavenly Punishment of Kokujō's King) (flashback)
 * Tensa Zangetsu (天鎖斬月, Heavenly Chain Moon Cutter/Cutting Moon)