Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 23 Recap and Ending Explained: How will Captain Kurotsuchi fight Zombie Captain Hitsugaya? What did Captain Kurotsuchi do with the Zombies?

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is back with another amazing and thrilling episode. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 23 was full of surprises and action-packed battles. In this episode, we get to see the genius-level intellect of Captain Kurotsuchi and how he is prepared for everything that comes his way. We also got to see just how powerful Captain Byakuya Kuchiki became after spending time and training in the Royal Palace. 

In this article, we will answer any questions that the fans might have after watching Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 23. How will Captain Kurotsuchi fight Zombie Captain Hitsugaya? What did Captain Kurotsuchi do with the Zombies? Name of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 23 is “Marching Out the Zombies – Part 2”.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 23 Recap: How will Captain Kurotsuchi fight Zombie Captain Hitsugaya?

The episode starts with Zombie Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya appearing on the battlefield where Captain Kurotsuchi was fighting along with his puppet Arrancars. Yumichika Ayasegawa tries to block Zombie Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s attack with a Kido but Ikkaku Madarame figures out that it won’t be enough to stop Zombie Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s attack and saves Yumichika Ayasegawa but injures his leg in the process.

Then Zombie Captain Hitsugaya slashes both of them, fatally injuring them. Captain Kurotsuchi figures out that despite being a corpse, Zombie Captain Hitsugaya can move as if he were still alive. Captain Kurotsuchi figures out that it could be that Zombie Captain Hitsugaya was turned into a zombie right before he died.

To this, Stern Ritter “Z” The Zombie, Giselle Gewelle says that Captain Kurotsuchi is right. If she turns people into zombies before they die, the cells are still fresh, so they’re more nimble. Plus their mind perishes, so it’s easier to control them too. There is nothing but pros for her. Captain Kurotsuchi asks Giselle where’s the fun in controlling those without a mind of their own, to which Giselle replies that she wouldn’t know as she is not a sadist. 

One of the Arrancars appears in front of Zombie Captain Hitsugaya and tries to fight him but gets easily defeated. Before Zombie Captain Hitsugaya can kill that Arrancar, Captain Kurotsuchi stops Zombie Captain Hitsugaya and claims that he can’t have Zombie Captain Hitsugaya go around killing his test subjects.

Then Captain Kurotsuchi claims that trying to converse with Zombie Captain Hitsugaya is useless. Captain Kurotsuchi tells Zombie Captain Hitsugaya that there are several drugs that he wants to test on Zombie Captain Hitsugaya. Captain Kurotsuchi claims that it is all for the sake of the Seireitei. Both Captain Kurotsuchi and Zombie Captain Hitsugaya start fighting.

Captain Kurotsuchi asks Zombie Captain Hitsugaya if he is puzzled by how someone who’s holed up in his lab all the time can predict his strikes. Then Captain Kurotsuchi explains that he planted a sensor in Ashisogijizo (his Zanpakutō). It’s been set to make contact with any blade that comes within two shaku of Captain Kurotsuchi at an angle of 60 degrees or more.

In other words, it will automatically block all of Zombie Captain Hitsugaya’s strikes. Zombie Captain Hitsugaya then tries to attack Captain Kurotsuchi with a kick but Captain Kurotsuchi blocks it and further explains from what he just said, he was sure Zombie Captain Hitsugaya thought of striking him with something other than a blade.

Captain Kurotsuchi further explains that he was baithing Zombie Captain Hitsugaya into striking him with something other than a sword. But, then Zombie Captain Hitsugaya uses his Bankai “Daiguren Hyorinmaru” and kills Captain Kurotsuchi. Or did he?

Suddenly time gets reversed and Zombie Captain Hitsugaya returns to the point where Captain Kurotsuchi expresses his desire to test some of his drugs on Zombie Captain Hitsugaya. Zombie Captain Hitsugaya kills Captain Kurotsuchi with his Bankai “Daiguren Hyorinmaru” again and finds himself again back to the same time when Captain Kurotsuchi wants to use his drugs on Zombie Captain Hitsugaya.

But, during this time Captain Kurotsuchi discovers that Zombie Captain Hitsugaya can hold a conversation. Zombie Captain Hitsugaya asks Captain Kurotsuchi what is going on. Captain Kurotsuchi asks Zombie Captain Hitsugaya how many “nows” has it been. Captain Kurotsuchi further explains that every time Zombie Captain Hitsugaya cross a certain point of the battle, he returns to a moment in the past and that point is when Zombie Captain Hitsugaya kill Captain Kurotsuchi.

In other words, if Zombie Captain Hitsugaya does not kill Captain Kurotsuchi, then his future will continue forever. But if Zombie Captain Hitsugaya does kill Captain Kurotsuchi, then his future ceases at that moment. However, the imperfection of this drug is that it only works on the hippocampus of the brain, which controls short-term memory.

Because of that, its users are unable to remember the number of times they returned to the past and once they journey back to the past over ten times they experience a serious side effect. The part of the brain that controls their equilibrium becomes completely paralyzed for 30 seconds. Suddenly Zombie Captain Hitsugaya falls on the ground, unable to move.

After that, Captain Kurotsuchi injects Zombie Captain Hitsugaya with another drug. Suddenly, Captain Kensei Muguruma, Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, who have also turned into zombies appear behind Captain Kurotsuchi. Captain Kurotsuchi asks his Arrancars to fight those three while he is doing his follow-up observation. 

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 23 Ending Explained: What did Captain Kurotsuchi do with the Zombies?

In some other parts of the battlefield, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki is fighting three Stern Ritters at once and takes all three of them out with ease. After that, Shūhei Hisagi, lieutenant of the 9th Division appears in front of Captain Byakuya at starts attacking him claiming that he is simply doing what Master PePe want. After that Ster Ritter “L” PePe “The Love” appears on the battlefield.

PePe hits one of the Stern Ritters with his love beam which causes her to attack another Stern Ritter near her. Captain Byakuya then knocks Hisagi and determines that PePe can control people at will. This also means cutting down the puppeteer will sever the strings from the puppet. PePe then starts attacking Captain Byakuya with his love beam while Captain Byakuya dodges them.

Captain Byakuya then slashes one of those beams with his Zanpakutō because of which the love beam hits some stones. Captain Byakuya determines that PePe’s so-called love cannot control things without souls. PePe then asks if Captain Byakuya have figured it all out then why did he block it with his Zanpakutō?

Then Captain Byakuya’s Zanpakutō starts attacking him as Zanpakutōs have souls too. That’s why PePe didn’t take a Bankai from anyone during the last battle. Stealing Zanpakutō with souls is something he can do anytime. Captain Byakuya then let go of his Zanpakutō. Hisagi then wakes up and takes Captain Byakuya’s Zanpakutō and starts attacking Captain Byakuya.

PePe also hits Captain Byakuya with his Love Kiss but it does not have any effect on Captain Byakuya as there is no love in his heart. PePe then activates his Gudoero and hits Captain Byakuya with his Love Rope. PePe tells Hisagi not to kill Captain Byakuya as he will do it himself. As PePe is about to attack Captain Byakuya, he is suddenly punched by someone.

We see that Captain Kensei Muguruma and Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi who were turned into zombies by Giselle are now helping the Soul Reapers again, although they are still Zombies. Captain Byakuya then receives his Zanpakutō back.

Then Captain Kurotsuchi appears there. Captain Byakuya asks Captain Kurotsuchi what he did with Captain Kensei Muguruma and Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi. Captain Kurotsuchi then explains everything to Captain Byakuya. 

We then see what happened with Giselle. Captain Kurotsuchi used his Time Travel drug on Captain Kensei Muguruma, Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto and then injected them with the same drug he used on Zombie Captain Hitsugaya. Captain Kurotsuchi tells Giselle that the amount of blood needed to turn someone into her zombie depends on their Spiritual Pressure.

If their Spiritual Pressure is low, a single drop of blood reaching their brain will most likely turn them into a zombie. However, if their Spiritual Pressure is high the intruding blood must multiply in their heart before travelling to the rest of the body to turn them into a zombie. This is why the captains and lieutenants have a dark red tinge on their skin.

Captain Kurotsuchi further explains that his drug alters the composition of that blood. His drug replaces any foreign blood with a blood-like substance that Captain Kurotsuchi have created. In other words, by injecting this drug Giselle’s zombies become Captain Kurotsuchi’s zombies. With that, Giselle loses and is killed by Captain Kurotsuchi. 

Back to the present, PePe tries to control Captain Kurotsuchi’s zombies with his Love Kiss, but it does not work on them as Captain Kurotsuchi’s zombies do not know love. After that, the battle becomes one-sided with PePe losing and killed by one of the Stern Ritters he tried to kill at the start of the battle. 

In the post-credit scene on Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 23, we see Yhwach reaching the Royal Palace along with Uryū Ishida and Jugram Haschwalth.