Gradually losing his temporarily restored powers, Ichigo struggles against a hollow, but is saved by Rukia. The shinigami in charge of Karakura town, Kuramadani Zennosuke interrupts their conversation, yelling at them to stop doing his job. The next day, Rukia is instructed a mission by Ukitake to prevent Ichigo from fighting because of the fast rate of his disappearing spiritual powers. That night, Ishida and Rukia save Ichigo from a hollow and tell him to rest, much to his dismay. The next day, Ichigo takes Rukia and his friends to an ice skating rink, since he saw Rukia staring at the place a lot. Fireworks from a nearby amusement park begin to shoot up in the sky, ending the day on a happy note. While walking home, Ichigo senses a giant hollow and goes to his shinigami form, before being stopped by Rukia. Ichigo once again struggles against the giant hollow as his powers begin to fail him. Rukia saves him, leaving Ichigo to question if he was getting in her way. Rukia replies with a heartwarming speech about their friendship. Ichigo requests for Rukia to freeze the hollows legs, and he fires his "last getsuga tenshou," destroying the hollow. Ichigo, exhausted, has a brief conversation with Rukia before he is told to rest. Ichigo wakes up in his human body, in his room, with his friends surrounding him. Ichigo takes note of his disappearing powers, and asks to go outside. Outside, Ichigo notices that he can barely sense spirits anymore and even Rukia's presence is disappearing. The two say goodbye and have a brief conversation before Rukia begins to disappear from Ichigo's sight. After Rukia fully disappears, Ichigo thanks her.
Avendo ormai perso quasi completamente i suoi poteri, Ichigo si trova in difficoltà durante uno scontro con un Hollow e viene salvato da Rukia. Lo stesso si verifica anche la notte successiva e questa volta anche Ishida interviene per salvare Ichigo. Il giorno successivo, Kurosaki passa un giornata di svago con Rukia e coi suoi amici, alla fine della quale affronta un Hollow. Durante lo scontro, il ragazzo ha molte difficoltà e riesce a sconfiggere l'avversario solo grazie all'aiuto di Rukia. Ichigo si risveglia nella sua stanza con tutti i suoi amici attorno e si rende conto che i suoi poteri sono quasi completamente svaniti. Davanti a casa Kurosaki, Ichigo ringrazia e dice addio a Rukia che svanisce davanti ai suoi occhi.
Al volver al mundo de los vivos, Ichigo pasa sus días cazando pequeños Hollos con la poca energía espiritual que le queda. Sin embargo, sabiendo que Ichigo no podrá estar así mucho tiempo más, Rukia piensa que la hora de su despedida se acerca rápidamente.
一護は現世に戻って残り少ない霊圧で虚退治を始めるが、ルキアや雨竜の力なしでは、整=プラスと呼ばれる普通の霊魂を守ることさえ危うい。そんな一護を見たルキアは、別れが近づいていることを感じていた。
