Following his defeat by Inaba, Ichigo has lost his Soul Reaper powers. Still determined to save Nozomi, Ichigo and his friends gather at the Urahara Shop to come up with a rescue plan. Urahara comes up with a risky plan that involves Ichigo going in the Dangai and being swallowed by the Kōtotsu to retrieve a sample of his Soul Reaper powers, since he was swallowed before. The plan works and Ichigo gets out of the Kōtotsu. When he meets up with everyone, he states that he saw another one of himself when he was inside the Kōtotsu, leading Urahara to conclude that Ichigo saved himself when he was first swallowed, since there is no time in the Kōtotsu.