Bleach: Will Ichigo Arrive in Time to Help the Shinigami?

After being defeated by Yhwach and having Bankai broken by Jugram, Ichigo Kurosaki was taken to the Soul King’s Palace by the Royal Guard, where he started his recovery and training. He was first healed by Tenjiro Kirinji in his palace, after which he, Renji, and Kon went to Kirio Hikifune’s palace to eat and regain their energy. After that, Oetsu Nimaiya reforged his sword (although it was a complex procedure), after which he went to Ichibei’s palace to train (don’t worry, he will later visit Senjumaru as well). But, while Ichigo is training with Ichibei, Yhwach seemingly launched another attack on the Seireitei. Does the chronology fit? Will Ichigo make it in time to help his friends and allies? Keep reading to find out!

And while Ichigo’s training was not completed by the time Yhwach launched his second invasion of the Seiretei, he will still make it in time, along with Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya, to help the Gotei 13, fight their opponents. He will return after having surpassed the level of a regular Shinigami and will easily defeat his opponents before returning to the Soul King Palace to face Yhwach, who was going after the Soul King himself.

This article will be a short chronology surrounding the events related to Ichigo’s training in the Soul King Palace with the Royal Guard, especially in relation to the timeline of Yhwach’s second invasion of the Seireitei. This article is going to contain many spoilers for Bleach, both in terms of past and future events, so we had to prepare you for that aspect of this article. The article will tell you all you need to know about this issue, so you’ll know exactly what happened in that aspect.

Although Ichigo did make it to the Seireitei in time, his return wasn’t the best thing ever, as he would have to go back to the Palace quite soon

So, let’s get back in time a bit. Not long after Yhwach attacked Hueco Mundo and declared war on the Seireitei, Ichigo went with Nel and Pesche to Hueco Mundo, where he faced Quilge Opie, one of Yhwach’s Sternritter (Sternritter “J” – “The Jail”), who was charged with ruling ruthlessly over Hueco Mundo and eventually recruiting some powerful Arrancar willing to serve Yhwach.

And while Ichigo was there, Yhwach used this fact to launch his first invasion of the Seireitei before the declared date, as Ichigo would not be there to help the Shinigami.

Ichigo would eventually escape Hueco Mundo and face Yhwach, managing to activate his Quincy powers, but he still lost in their first fight, but to make things worse, he also ended up having his Bankai destroyed by Jugram; Mayuri would later explain that he cannot restore a Zanpakuto if it has been broken in Bankai state.

Not long after that, the Royal Guard came down to the Seireitei, and while promising to help rebuild it, they also took Ichigo, Renji, Rukia, and Byakuya with them to the Soul King Palace. There, Ichigo started his training too, as Ichibei said, surpassing the level of a Shinigami (there was a much darker subplot there from Ichibei’s perspective, but Ichigo never knew that).

First, he was taken to Tenjiro Kirinji’s palace, where he was healed in his hot springs alongside Byakuya Kuchiki. There, Ichigo demonstrated his power as he managed to heal quickly, surprising even Kirinji. After that, he and Renji went to Kirio Hikifune’s palace, where their training consisted of eating large amounts of specially prepared food that would restore their Reiatsu (Kon also joined them here). After finishing there, they went to Oetsu Nimaiya’s palace, having been warned that Nimaiya was strange and unpredictable.

And while Renji quickly recovered his Zanpakuto, Ichigo ultimately failed this test and was sent back home, where he learned the truth from his father. Isshin told him what happened to his mother and the truth about his nature and powers. Knowing the truth, Ichigo returned to Nimaiya’s palace and passed the test, with Nimaiya forging him a completely new Zanpakuto. Renji and Rukia had, in the meantime, proceeded to train with Ichibei, while Byakuya also completely recovered, much to Tenjiro’s satisfaction.

Upon finishing the training with Nimaiya, Ichigo proceeded to Ichibei Hyosube and began his training to surpass the level of a regular Shinigami. He was sent to a special place (and this is what Kubo decided to add to the anime), a road to a shrine seemingly, where the spiritual pressure was so dense that Ichigo had to give it his best to simply walk. His goal was to reach the shrine’s gates, but as soon as he faltered, the gates would move further away from him.

While Ichigo was training with Ichibei, Yhwach launched his second invasion of the Seireitei, replacing it with the Wandenreich. So, once again, Ichigo is not there to help on time, but will he make it in time now? The anime never provided us with a limit for the training session, so fans might wonder whether Ichigo will make it in time, especially since Ichibei suggested that Ichigo will perish if he fails the training.

But, as you might have guessed, Ichigo will pass the training with Ichibei, and while he will be late, he will still arrive in time to help his friends in the Seireitei.

But, when Ichigo arrives to help them will happen, his return from the Soul King Palace will not be as good as you think, as Yhwach will use that fact to actually gain access to the Soul King Palace himself, so Ichigo will, not long after arriving to the Seireitei, have to go back up there to try and protect the Soul King from Yhwach, who is intent on killing him.