Bleach will be coming back to screens with the second part of the long-awaited Thousand Year Blood War arc, and with it is coming new, never before seen Bankai for many fan-favorite characters. While fans already got to see the long-awaited reveals of powerful Bankai belonging to Unohana and even Captain General Yamamoto, the best is yet to come. Many of these have only shown their first release for their Zanpuk-to blades, known as Shikai, while others had yet to unlock the true form of theirs. So, who has the best Bankai yet to come in the Thousand Year Blood War?
Sajin Komamura
- Bankai: Kokyo Tengen Myo’o
- What it does: Summons a massive suit of armor that mimics his movements.
- What’s New? Kokyo Tengen Myo’o gets a major upgrade after Komamura’s human transformation
Komamura has always had one of the cooler Bankai in the series, all the way back to when he first revealed it in the Soul Society Arc and blew the minds of fans with what was, essentially, a remote-operated mecha. While the suit of armor is awesome as is, with the Thousand Year Blood War heating up and the Soul Society on the offensive Komamura has sought his ancestors to find an even greater power.
With his newly acquired Human Transformation Technique he comes into battle with an even more improved warrior at his side, with the massive suit of armor now taking on the appearance of a demon with glowing eyes. It’s terrifying enough before the hooked blade it wields begins slashing Sternritter in pieces, showing the Soul Society Wolfman’s true power.
Kenpachi Zaraki
- Bankai: Un-named.
- What it does: Essentially, turns Kenpachi into the demon he’s always been inside.
- What’s New? Everything. Kenpachi rapidly evolves his bankai during the Thousand Year Blood War.
The strongest in the Soul Society has been fighting with nothing but brute strength and power of will up to now, not unlocking his Shikai until the last moments of Thousand Year Blood War’s first part after his battle with former Kenpachi, Captain Unohana (who revealed her ridiculously overpowered Bankai at the same time). While Kenpachi’s first release state is a massive, imposing cleaver, his Bankai takes things further by turning him into the image of an Oni, a Japanese demon.
The Bankai is never named but makes Kenpachi’s already massive strength multiply by hundreds, allowing him to cut through anyone in his path as he goes on a berserk rampage. The big downside is that he completely disregards the surroundings and safety of allies while in Bankai, instead only focused on satisfying his insatiable bloodlust. This is just how Kenpachi is normally, but now with more destructive power.
Kyoraku Shunsui
- Bankai: Karametsu Shinju
- What it does: Forces Shunsui and his opponent into a four-act play, ending in the opponent’s death.
- What’s New? Shunsui has only used Shikai until now.
Lazy, flippant, and a chronic flirter, Shunsui has often been a more comedic character during his fights, with his first release turning his fights into a child’s game before fatally wounding his opponent. When Shunsui finally reveals his Bankai during the Quincy war though, it becomes a tragedy played out in four acts, each filled with despair and violence.
His first act causes any damage he or his opponent lands to bounce back on them while transitioning into the second act covers the enemy’s body in bloody sores. The third brings them to a scene where both characters are drowned, draining their energy as they fight and killing the first to run out. The fourth step takes things to a bloody finish if the enemy is still somehow alive, with a long thread wrapping around their neck before causing the opponent’s head to explode.
Toshiro Hitsugaya
- Bankai: Daiguren Hyorinmaru
- What it does: Freezes enemies and negates abilities, temporarily ages Hitsugaya.
- What’s New? Hitsugaya has only used a partial Bankai until now.
A fan favorite from his first introduction as the youngest captain in the Seretei, Hitsugaya has always used ice as his weapon, summoning Hyorinmaru to give him dragon wings of ice with his Bankai previously. His fight against the Quincies and subsequent loss of Hyorinmaru leads him to train like never before to unlock the full potential of his Bankai once he retakes it.
The true Bankai is such a massive step beyond the partial that it’s no wonder it needed some special limits to prevent being overpowered too much. The new capabilities for Hitsugaya to create massive glaciers, freeze enemies on contact, and even freeze reishi in the air could make any fight unfair if it didn’t require him to temporarily age up to achieve it, both getting older and acquiring some nifty ice armor in the process.
Shehei Hisagi
- Bankai: Fushi no Kojo
- What it does: Gives Hisagi power to use his opponent’s energy to heal himself, and neutralizes spirit energy in a field around him.
- What’s New? Hisagi’s bankai is never seen in the manga.
Hisagi is a special case, as we may not end up seeing his Bankai in the Thousand Year Blood War anime since it wasn’t revealed until a sequel novel after the main story ended. In the story Can’t Fear Your Own World, Hisagi manages to reveal his Bankai after training with Kensei for so long to unlock it. While he already gave a grim picture with the twin scythes of his first release, he takes on a much more dark and deathly appearance when Bankai activates.
A massive balloon covered in chains comes down and loops a noose around Hisagi, in turn making another around his opponent and tethering them together. The chains will heal both fighters from a combined pool of their spirit energy until it runs out, locking them into a constant fight of death and life as they’re brought back from the most fatal injuries. It’s a dark ability, and Hisagi utilizes it to the fullest extent when fighting alongside allies.
Abarai Renji
- Bankai:: Soo Zabimaru
- What it does: Gives Renji new armor, as well as a more versatile Zabimaru weapon.
- What’s new? This is his ‘true bankai’ as he rushed training the previous version.
Much like Hitsugaya, Renji rushed to learn his Bankai without truly listening to his Zanpuk-to spirit, leading to an incomplete Zabimaru that was shown as a massive, skeletal snake. While this version of Zabimaru made a terrifying visual to fight, it was incredibly slow and easily broken.
Now with Soo Zabimaru, Renji gets a snake head on his right hand, still wielding his first release now attached to an extending whip he controls. His left arm, meanwhile becomes a massive monkey’s arm with incredible brute strength, making Renji into a threat at close and long range for any enemy.
Kurosaki Ichigo
- Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu
- What it does: The same thing Ichigo’s bankai always does, makes him stronger.
- What’s new? Zangetsu gets a makeover and Ichigo gets new clothes.
Poor Ichigo can’t go more than a few dozen episodes before breaking Zangetsu again, whether it be in the original form destroyed like Byakuya or his most recent incident when Yhwach shattered Tensa Zangetsu to pieces. Now, with Ichigo forging a new Zangetsu that takes his powers of Soul Reaper, Quincy, and Hollow and combines them into something more powerful than any before.
With a new Zangetsu comes a new True Bankai, turning Ichigo’s massive sword into a black and white blade with a jagged blade. In addition, it gives Ichigo a somewhat Hollowfied appearance when tapping into the spirit of White, the experimental arrancar inside of him.
Hirako Shinji
- Bankai: Sakashima Yokoshima Happofusagari
- What it does: Switches the role of friend and foe in his immediate area.
- What’s new? Shinji’s Bankai was never in the manga but has been revealed in the latest trailer.
Shinji has a really cool first release that unfortunately has one of the dumbest weaknesses, with his power to rewrite opponent’s movements being thwarted by… thrashing around wildly. While Shinji never released his Bankai in the manga, creator Tite Kubo has said he plans to expand on things he didn’t have time for with the new anime adaptation and showed Shinji uttering Bankai in the most recent footage of the new season.
Shinji’s Bankai raises him above everyone on a pedestal before causing all still on the ground to perceive friends as enemies and begin attacking. In the trailer, Shinji is smiling as he activates this power amidst a crowd of Sternritter, no doubt ending in a bloodbath he oversees.
Kuchiki Rukia
- Bankai: Hakka no Tagame
- What it does: Freezes everything around, and gives Rukia a makeover.
- What’s new? Rukia has only used Shikai until now.
Our first Soul Reaper introduced in the story and Ichigo’s fierce friend throughout, Rukia has developed into a strong fighter throughout the story, especially after showing her first release during the Hueco Mundo arc and revealing she mastered Bankai during the Thousand Year Blood War. Her Bankai not only gives her control over the temperature around her but gives her a complete costume change and a new sword as well.
Now Rukia’s blade is an icy white, with her robes and hair matching. She can freeze everything around her to below absolute zero, making her enemies freeze and shatter from the cold. The only downside is that she can be affected by the cold as well, and has to regain body heat after a short time to keep fighting.
Ichibei
- Bankai: Shirafude Ichimonji
- What it does: Gives Ichibei power over words, allowing him to alter reality.
- What’s new: This character is still mysterious and hasn’t fought yet in the anime.
Ichibei is mysterious, being the captain of Squad Zero and ultimately the most powerful person both in and outside of the Seretei. Ichibei’s power over words, even to the point of erasing names from existence as he did to Yhwach’s sword, causing the Wandenreich leader to forget both its name and power.
Ichibei used the same technique on Yhwach, being unfortunately overpowered by Yhwach’s Schrift, The Almighty which allows him to see the future. Ichibei is unfortunately killed but reveals that his Bankai can even revive him from death by getting Ichigo to speak his name. Downside? He becomes a terrifying cloud-person for the rest of the battle and will give viewers nightmares.
With the newest season just around the corner, Bleach is sure to have some surprises in store for even the most versed manga fans as he’s promised to expand and extend the story past what he wrote already, with longer fights and more character exploration promised. Who knows, maybe a new, never before seen Bankai could surprise all fans this season!
