Arrancar: Battle in Karakura Arc

The season aired from March 31 2009 to July 21, 2009 with a total of  17 episodes – ep. 213-229.

The fight between Aizen’s Arrancar and the Shinigamis has moved to Karakura Town. Captain Yamamoto moves the actual Karakura Town into Soul Society, but Aizen already knows this. He plans to use this opportunity to finally invade and destroy Soul Society. Kenpachi’s boys finally get to see a little action. It’s boys vs. boys and female shinigamis against Harribel’s girls. The season starts (2) and ends (3) with fillers.

One opening and ending theme:

1. Scandal’s “Shoujo S” (ep. 230-242)
2. Sambomaster’s “Kimi wo Mamotte, Kimi wo Aishite”
(君を守って 君を愛して “I will protect you, I love you”) (ep. 243-250)

Bleach

• Season 1 (Oct. 2004 – Feb. 22, 2005)

• Season 2 (March – July 2005)

• Season 3 (July 2005 – Jan. 2006)

• Season 4 (Jan. – Aug. 2006)

• Season 5 (Aug. 2006 – Jan. 2007)

• Season 6 (Jan. – June 2007)

• Season 7 (July – Dec. 2007)

• Season 8 (Dec. 2007 – Apr. 2008)

• Season 9 (Apr. – Oct. 2008)

• Season 10 (Oct. 2008 – Feb. 2009)

• Season 11 (Feb. – March 2009)

ESPADA

Coyote Starrk • Barragan Luisenbarn • Tia Harribel

Aizen Sousuke (ex-5), Tousen Kaname (ex-9) and Ichimaru Gin (ex-3) reach Karakura Town but are met with the remaining captains of Gotei 13 with their lieutenants. Captain commander Yamamoto-Genryuusai, knowing Aizen’s designs for the Town, shifts the real town to Soul Society. What is left is just an illusion of the Town. Knowing this fact, Aizen still insists that he will slaughter all that were present and then make the King’s Key in Soul Society.

With that, the battle lines are drawn and Captain-commander Yamamoto unleashes his shikai to trap Aizen, Tousen and Gin in hell’s fire.

Since the “captains” are trapped, Barragan Luisenbarn (2) issues his first command as former king of Hueco Mundo. Barragan commands the destruction of the four pillars protecting the real Karakura Town. Barragan was the king of Hueco Mundo before Aizen attacked his kingdom and killed his followers. He unwillingly follows Aizen, vowing only to kill Aizen off one day.

Madarame Ikkaku (11), Ayasegawa Yumichika (11), Izuru Kira (3) and Shuuhei Hisagi (9) all take up position at each pillar. After easily defeating the hollows, they are then matched up against Barragan’s Fraccióne: Choe Neng Poww, Charlotte Cuulhourne, Avirama Redder and Findor Carias.

Kira faces Avirama Redder, who releases his zanpakutou Águila after Kira draws blood. Avirama then releases his Resurreción, which turns him to a bird that enables him to attack Kira with his heavy steel feathers. Kira, in turn, unleashes Wabisuke’s powers, making Avirama’s wings too heavy to fly and proceeds to decapitate Avirama.

Yumika faces Charlotte Cuulhourne who declares each other ugly. Charlotte seems to have an edge over Yumichika, until Yumichika cuts off a lock of Charlotte’s hair, which enrages Charlotte and causes him to release his zanpakutou Reina de Rosas. Even stronger now, Charlotte traps Yumichika in a prison of black thorns, hiding the person’s reiatsu from the rest. Realizing that his reiatsu is hidden from the rest, Yumichika is free to releases his zanpakutou’s bankai. He then drains Charlotte’s reiatsu, thus winning the match and is able to defend his post.

Hisagi is matched up against Findor Carias and as the fight progresses, Findor chips of pieces of his mask to increase his power. Findor then releases Pinza Aguda and corners the powerless Hisagi with blasts of water. Reluctantly, Hisagi releases Kazeshini and quickly overpowers Findor. Findor then reacts by breaking off 90% of his mask, technically making him stronger. Yet, Hisagi easily breaks him down, and leaves Findor paralyzed in fear. Hisagi then explains that Findor is inferior to him because Findor does not fear his own power.

Choe Neng Poww, a large and religious Fraccióne, easily overthrows Ikkaku (11), who is unwilling to release his bankai for the rest to see. Choe Neng Poww then proceeds to destroy the pillar that Madara was left to guard. With one pillar gone, the real Karakura town starts to materialize, but Tetsuzaemon Iba (7) steps in to stop this while his captain Komamura Sajin faces Poww. Poww knocks Kamamura aside and releases his zanpakutou Calderón, which vastly increases his size and tries to finish off Ikkaku and Iba. Komamura then releases his bankai, standing head to head with Poww and defeats him. He then chastises Iba and more so Ikkaku for failing to protect the pillar in fear of revealing his own strength to the others. To fight, one must even risk giving up his life to protect those that are dear to him.

Seeing his Fraccióne taken down one by one, Barragan grows angry and orders his remaining members Ggio Vega and Nirgge Parduoc to deal with the rest. Soi Fon and her lieutenant Marechiyo Oomaeda (2) take on the duo. Soi Fon easily pins down Ggio, the smallest member of Barragan’s team, but doesn’t finish him off, thus allowing Ggio to escape. He chides her for her folly and releases his zanpakutou Tigre Estoque. Her lieutenant, Oomaeda, struggles to get one strike in against Nirgge, who relies on his enormous size and power to win battles. It is later revealed that Oomaeda only pretended to be slow, while outmaneuvering Nirggae and bashing Nirggae’s head against his zanpakutou Gegetsuburi. With Nirggae out of the way, Oomaeda tries to help Soi Fon. Ggio, however, tries to take out Oomaeda with his cero, which Soi Fon intercepts revealing her weakened pretense in order to study the arrancar’s Resurrecion form before facing the Espadas. With this, Ggio releases his zanpakutou Tigre Estoque El Sable, thus becoming stronger. Unfortunately for him, Soi Fon easily kills him with her Suzumebachi.

Kyouraku Shunui (8) and Ukitake Juushiro (13) take on Coyote Starrk (1), who is unwilling to fight and release his Fraccióne, Lilynette. Kyouraku and Starrk pretend to fight, but neither are willing to release their true powers. Starrk later reveals his top post with the Espada.  Ukitake effortlessly blocks off attacks by Lilyette, telling her to give up, which angers her even more.

Starrk has a sole Fraccióne, Lilynette Gingerback, who is actually another part of him. Together, their reiatsu is too deadly for others to be in the vicinity, humans and hollows alike. Aizen is the only person who can withstand this massive pressure. Starrk has a lazy and laid back personality, often reluctant to lift a finger to fight. Although slothful, he is very perceptive of his surroundings and people. Lilynette, on the flipside, is aggressive but is weak. Unlike the rest of the Espada, Starrk’s power is not harbored in his zanpakutou but is released with his combination with Lilynette. Their release is called Los Lobos (wolves) transforming him to a gunslinger wielding two ornamental guns capable of firing off ceros in rapid succession.

Hitsugaya Toushirou (10) is matched against Harribel (3), while his lieutenant Matsumoto Rangiku takes on Harribel’s three Fraccióne: Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-sun. Harribel (3) is a very calm and quiet Espada, speaking only when it becomes essential. Her zanpakutou is Tiburon (shark) and when released, her strength and speed are increased. Hitsugaya struggles against this high-ranking Espada and gets hit with a torrent of energy.

Matsumoto struggles against the three women until Hinamori Momo (5) arrives. She uses a combination kidou and seriously injures them, but they quickly heal their wounds with the release of their zanpakutou, and morphs all three parts of the Fraccióne’s bodies into a single giant Chimera-like creature, Allon. Allon severely wounds Matsumoto and Momo but Hisagi and Kira arrive at the nick of time. While Izuru heals the two girls, Hisagi tries to fight Allon, but fails miserably. Iba then steps in, and he too is thrown aside with a cero blast. Disappointed with his lieutenants’ inability to take down the Fraccióne, Captain-commander Yamamoto steps in and wounds Allon with his staff, and subsequently defeats it and the three Fraccióne.

Back in Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra is left in charge and he corners Inoue, while Ichigo tries to get to her with the help of Renji, Chad and Rukia. Ichigo finally reaches the 5th Tower, housing Ulquiorra and a trapped Inoue and the battle between the two begin.

• Season 13 (July 2009 – April 2010)

• Season 14 (April 2010 – March 2011)

• Season 15 (April 2011 – present)

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