Clash! Kenpachi Zaraki vs. Maki Ichinose

is the ninety-eighth episode of the Bleach anime.

Captain Kenpachi Zaraki arrives to stop Maki Ichinose.

Summary
Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya asks Ichinose how he can be so confident against so many people, and then tells Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto to head back to Seireitei, and Rangiku agrees, and tells Lieutenant Renji Abarai to come with her as well. However, Ichinose doesn't allow them to leave and he releases his Zanpakutō, Nijigasumi, causing a bright light to form around him. Hitsugaya goes to attack Ichinose, but the person he attacks is revealed to be an illusion, and soon everyone around him disappears from his sight. Hitsugaya suddenly notices Ichinose again, and the two of them clash swords, but Ichinose suddenly turns into Renji, and the both of them are confused. Hitsugaya suddenly yells for everyone to stop moving as they might end up attacking each other, and Hitsugaya wonders if this is Ichinose's power. Ichinose suddenly speaks to them, and explains his Zanpakutō's abilities letting him create an illusion with the light. The group realizes that despite Ichinose being a Shinigami, they can't sense his reiatsu, and they wonder the reason why.

Rangiku is suddenly attacked by Ichinose, and Renji tells Hitsugaya that if they don't do something soon they'll all be defeated. Ichinose then goes to attack Yasutora Sado, but his Zanpakutō is blocked by Kenpachi, causing the illusion from the light to break. Uryū Ishida remarks that Kenpachi was able to break Ichinose's reiatsu with just his own reiatsu, and he states that Kenpachi is incredible. Renji tells Kenpachi that the Bounts are heading towards Seireitei, but that Ichinose has been getting in their way. However, Kenpachi tells Ichinose that if he wants to stop everyone from reaching Seireitei, then he won't stop him. Hitsugaya is shocked from this, but Kenpachi goes on to say that he'll fight Ichinose personally if he lets everyone go through, and he asks Ichinose what he's going to do. Ichinose thinks to himself that if he wants to support Jin Kariya, he must stop the larger group of Shinigami, but in the end he decides to fight against Kenpachi and he apologizes to Kariya.

As the others head out towards Seireitei, Ichinose begins battling Kenpachi, but he is unable to gain the upper hand against the captain. Ichinose then envelops Kenpachi in light and uses the shadows to attack him. However, Kenpachi appears from the attack unharmed, and he tells Ichinose that he's going to finish this battle. However, Ichinose decides to get serious and he uses Saigyoku Nijigasumi, which causes his blade to become a different color. Ichinose begins attacking more fiercely now, and he is able to injure Kenpachi, but Kenpachi simply smiles at this. Ichinose begins to get angered and he asks Kenpachi how he was able to become a captain of the Gotei 13, despite his personality going against their ideals, and he begins questioning Kenpachi as to why he fights. As the two clash swords again, Kenpachi simply says that he fights because it's interesting, and that he needs no other reason. Ichinose tells Kenpachi that he has doubts about how Soul Society runs, and that he is putting everything on the line for Kariya who shares his ideals, but Kenpachi tells him that if he wants to change how things are run then he should do it with his own power.

A multitude of twinkling lights suddenly surround Kenpachi, and Ichinose tells Kenpachi that this is his Zanpakutō's true power, called Saigyoku Nijigasumi. Ichinose then tells Kenpachi to die, and the twinkling lights form together around Kenpachi, causing a huge sphere to form that engulfs Kenpachi and the surrounding area. As this happens, Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi escapes from the light and Ichinose informs her that Kenpachi has been killed. Yachiru tells him that he's wrong, but Ichinose states that he'll die when the light begins shrinking in on Kenpachi. As the light shrinks, Ichinose decides to head back towards Kariya, but he is suddenly stopped when the light breaks away due to Kenpachi taking off his eye patch and using his true power.

Kenpachi appears directly in front of Ichinose and notices that his Zanpakutō is Kidō based, and he congratulates Ichinose for making him go all out, even if it was only for a second. Ichinose begins to get angered at the fact that Kenpachi has so much power, yet he doesn't even have a greater goal, and he begins attacking Kenpachi again. As he claims that Kenpachi is standing in the way of justice, Kenpachi is able to make a deep cut across Ichinose's chest. Kenpachi decides to quit on his fight, claiming that it isn't interesting to fight someone who is only fighting for someone else's goals and not his own. Ichinose asks Kenpachi why he fought with him in the first place, and Kenpachi tells him that if he really wanted to help Kariya out, then he would have stopped all of the other Shinigami, and that Ichinose really gained all of his power in order to defeat him.

Ichinose apologizes to Kariya, believing that he won't be able to see his goals accomplished in the end, and the two fighters gather up all their strength before attacking each other again. Ichinose's Zanpakutō breaks in the clash, and Kenpachi lands a devastating blow on the Shinigami. Ichinose falls to the ground while calling out to his former captain, and Kenpachi remarks that Ichinose wasn't ready yet. Kenpachi and Yachiru then head back to Seireitei.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
Hanatarō Yamada hands Yasochika Iemura the employment papers from when he worked at the convenience store in the Human World, and Iemura begins to get angered that this was what Hanatarō did in the Human World. Iemura asks Captain Retsu Unohana to say something to him, but she simply asks for Hanatarō to get her make-up.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Maki Ichinose
 * 2) Tōshirō Hitsugaya
 * 3) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 4) Ririn
 * 5) Uryū Ishida
 * 6) Rangiku Matsumoto
 * 7) Renji Abarai
 * 8) Orihime Inoue
 * 9) Kurōdo
 * 10) Yasutora Sado
 * 11) Noba
 * 12) Kenpachi Zaraki
 * 13) Yachiru Kusajishi
 * 14) Jin Kariya (flashback)

Fights

 * Kenpachi Zaraki vs. Maki Ichinose (concluded)

Powers and Techniques Used
Shinigami techniques:

Techniques used:

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:

Other powers: