Bleach (Dubbed)

A mysterious man who calls himself "Muramasa" appears in the Seireitei to declare war against the Soul Reapers. Using his powers, Muramasa gives physical form to the Zanpakuto and liberates them from the captains and lieutenants of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Without the use of their weapons, the Soul Reapers now find themselves in a tough battle against the Zanpakuto who have turned against their former masters.

Having sustained severe injuries in battle, Rukia escapes to the World of the Living and is saved by Ichigo. A mysterious woman then arrives through the Senkaimon and proceeds to attack the two using the same Zanpakuto as Rukia. Rukia tells a confused Ichigo that the woman is in fact the manifested form of her Zanpakuto, Sodenoshirayuki, and that the other Zanpakuto have also gone rogue to cause destruction in the Seireitei.

After hearing that Byakuya has gone missing, Rukia returns to the Seireitei to search for her brother and in the process comes across Sodenoshirayuki. Having no desire to fight, Rukia tries to persuade her Zanpakuto to stand down. But Sodenoshirayuki, who is out for revenge, refuses and goes on to attack Rukia.

Muramasa appears before Ichigo and explains how he freed the Zanpakuto from the Soul Reapers, as well as gave them a physical form to exist. Muramasa then attacks, and during the course of the battle, Zangetsu is freed from Ichigo. Unable to use his Zanpakuto, Ichigo falls before Zangetsu's Getsugatensho.

The Zanpakuto rebellion has left the Seireitei in a state of destruction with many Soul Reapers still missing, including Squad Six captain Byakuya Kuchiki. Hoping to find some clues, Renji returns to the place where Byakuya was last seen, when the manifested Zabimaru appears to challenge him.

Inside Ichigo's mind, Muramasa meets Hollow Ichigo. Taking an interest in him, Muramasa attempts to manifest Hollow Ichigo like he did with Zangetsu, only to discover that his spell does not work on Hollow Ichigo. Meanwhile, Shuhei and Renji find themselves confronted by Kazeshini and Zabimaru. Still unable to use their Shikai, the two Soul Reapers are thrown into a difficult battle against their own Zanpakuto.

Ichigo has regained his Shikai and battles Muramasa. But Zangetsu, who has sided with Muramasa, steps in to fight Ichigo. Elsewhere, Renji has also regained his Shikai and battles Zabimaru. However, both Ichigo and Renji must come up with another plan when their Zanpakuto release their Bankai.

Ichigo's and Renji's victories against their own Zanpakuto has proven that a Soul Reaper can reclaim his Zanpakuto by defeating it in battle. However, the Zanpakuto still remain in their manifested state even after being freed from Muramasa's mind control. While Renji struggles to deal with Zabimaru's mischief, Ichigo goes to visit Rukia, who is still recovering from her battle with Sodenoshirayuki.

Haineko and Tobiume, two Zanpakuto who do not get along, are walking through the woods when they spot Ichigo, who is in pursuit of Senbonzakura and Byakuya. Hoping to have some fun, the two attack Ichigo to see which one of them can defeat him first, but are stopped by lieutenants Rangiku Matsumoto and Momo Hinamori.

The battle of Rangiku and Momo versus Haineko and Tobiume heats up, as both sides try to outsmart their opponents. Elsewhere, captain Toshiro Hitsugaya has located his Zanpakuto Hyorinmaru. But to Toshiro's surprise, Hyorinmaru has lost all trace of his memory following his release by Muramasa. In order to help regain Hyorinmaru's lost memories and prove that he is its true master, Toshiro challenges his Zanpakuto to battle.

Results from Mayuri Kurotsuchi's experiment using Marechiyo Omaeda's Gegetsuburi show that a manifested Zanpakuto cannot revert to its original sword state when defeated by someone other than its master. Meanwhile, Ichigo is gaining the upper hand in his re-match against Muramasa, when the battle is suddenly interrupted by the appearance of Byakuya's Zanpakuto Senbonzakura.

The Thirteen Court Guard Squads, particularly Renji and Rukia, are shocked by the news of Byakuya now supposedly working with Muramasa. Meanwhile, inside Muramasa's hideout, the Zanpakuto cannot hide their discomfort over having Byakuya join them. Senbonzakura is especially distrustful, and demands his former master to prove his loyalty to Muramasa by cutting down Rukia's Zanpakuto Sodenoshirayuki.

At the Squad Six Barracks, Renji and Rukia are determined to know why Byakuya has betrayed the Soul Society to work with Muramasa. Their conversation is cut short by the arrival of the manifested Zanpakuto, followed by Ichigo and the other Soul Reapers, and battle soon breaks out between the two sides.