Bleach 41 / 2.21

Reunion, Ichigo and Rukia

Ichigo wakes up and finds Yoruichi sitting near him. Yoruichi tells Ichigo to rest but Ichigo doesn't. He freaks out when Yoruichi transforms into her human form and is revealed to be a naked woman. He takes a magic rod she shows him, against her protestations, and uses it to fly to the Senzaikyū.

Ichigo doesn't arrive until after Ganju has attempted to deal with Sixth Squad Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. Captain Kuchiki knows that Ganju is hopelessly outclassed. He goes easy on Ganju until he learns that his opponent is of the Shiba Clan. He then unleashes the full power of his Zanpakutō. which disperses the blade into a thousand pieces that fly at Ganju and cut him up. Ganju collapses, unconscious or dead.

Ichigo shows up. Rukia is stunned to see him and then they start arguing. Byakuya expects Ichigo will be easy to kill but quickly discovers that is not the case. The two men exchange blows. Byakuya is about to unleash the full power of his Zanpakutō on Ichigo when Yoruichi shows up, still in human form but dressed. She lands on the bridge, between the two men, and binds Byakya's Zanpakutō with a piece of cloth.

Thoughts

Rukia, Hanatarō, and 13th Squad Captain Jūshirō Ukitake are also present at the fight on the bridge. Ichigo's other friends (Sado, Orihime, Ishida) are not.

This is the final episode of the second season of the show. I do not remember what comes next. I do recall that the Soul Society story will be wrapped up by the end of the third season but that's about it. According to my records I only watched the first six episodes of the third season. After that I only read the manga. I didn't return to the anime until 2024.

I'm enjoying this show. I read the manga up through the end of the Soul Society story (Volume 25) a long time ago. I finished started with Vol. 1, probably in 2005 (my records are incomplete). I finished reading Vol. 25 in 2009. I've also read Vol. 26 but that was a couple years later, in 2011.

I'm still enjoying this story. I will continue to watch but I am going to take a break of a few weeks to a few months.