162 : Szayel Aporro Laughs, The Net Trapping Re... -

: Ichigo desperately claims that defeating Ulquiorra will effectively end the war, assuming Ulquiorra must be the strongest Espada because of his overwhelming power. Ulquiorra calmly pulls aside his jacket to reveal the number 4 tattooed on his chest.

: To Ichigo's absolute horror, Ulquiorra walks out of the debris with only light scratches, admitting he was surprised he couldn't stop the blast with both hands. 162 : Szayel Aporro Laughs, The Net Trapping Re...

: Ichigo exerts every ounce of his power, donning his Hollow mask and unleashing a massive Getsuga Tenshō that engulfs Ulquiorra. : Ichigo desperately claims that defeating Ulquiorra will

: Bored by the exercise, Szayelaporro unleashes a massive horde of modified Hollows that he turned into Arrancar. Renji is quickly overwhelmed by a massive brute named Medazeppi. : Ichigo exerts every ounce of his power,

While Renji fights for survival, the most iconic and devastating sequence of the episode happens elsewhere in Las Noches between and Ulquiorra Cifer .

: Having already disabled Renji's Bankai in previous episodes by mapping his spiritual energy, Szayelaporro treats the battle as a controlled laboratory experiment. Renji attempts to use the physical unpredictability of Zabimaru's whip-like Shikai to outmaneuver the scientist, but Szayelaporro easily dodges using Sonído .

: The realization that there are three Espada even stronger than this terrifying monster completely shatters Ichigo's morale. Ulquiorra plunges his hand directly into Ichigo’s chest and leaves him for dead, delivering the ultimate psychological and physical defeat. 💔 The Torment of Orihime Inoue