The Bankai was once touted as a highly selective ability. Several Bleach characters described how difficult it was to obtain this technique, and that very few Shinigami were even capable of manifesting their own Bankai. As the series progressed, however, characters began acquiring more and more power.
Until the final arc, Bleach had only revealed ten Bankai to viewers, but the Thousand-Year Blood War brought several more into the picture. Some of these abilities were expansions of preexisting Bankai, whereas others had never been seen before. That said, even with their Bankai, the Shinigami of Soul Society barely managed to defeat their Sternritter enemies.
Updated on May 7th, 2024 by Louis Kemner: With the third cour of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War arc coming soon, anime fans are encouraged to review all the best powers and abilities being used in this story arc, including new and returning bankai that the Soul Reapers will use to defeat the Quincy empire. The best new bankai, in particular, are exciting additions to the story to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
15 So'o Zabimaru Burned Mask de Masculine to Ashes
Renji's first Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru, is an extremely efficient example of Soul Reaper spiritual engineering. It concentrates the bulk of his spirit energy into his Zanpakuto, allowing him to perform some truly mind-bending feats. According to Nimaiya Oetsu, however, Renji's relationship with his Bankai has been incomplete for a long time. Bleach fans thought they saw Renji's true bankai in the fondly-remembered Soul Society arc, but Zabimaru still had more to give.
After a rigorous training protocol in the Royal Realm, Renji's true Bankai can finally be manifested: the devastatingly powerful So'o Zabimaru. This ability exponentially enhances its wielder's power, as shown when Renji's new Bankai annihilates the formidable Sternritter Mask de Masculine.
14 Tensa Zangetsu is the Only Weapon That Can Stop Yhwach
Ichigo Kurosaki has been using the same Shikai and Bankai for so long that it almost seemed like he wasn't getting an upgrade. Luckily, this changes after his Tensa Zangetsu is destroyed by Jugram Haschwalth in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Ichigo travels to the Royal Realm along with the Zero Squad, where he improves his various abilities and even reforges his Zanpakuto.
Ichigo gets a Shikai with two swords, which can be fused into a single gigantic Bankai. Audiences don't get to see what this new Tensa Zangetsu is capable of — however, the fact that Yhwach uses his Almighty to destroy it immediately proves that Ichigo's new Bankai is extremely overpowered. Only with that weapon does Ichigo stand a chance of defeating Yhwach and saving the entire world, and the final Tensa Zangetsu is so strong, Ichigo doesn't even need his original Hollow mask to boost its power.
13 Kinshara Butodan Is a Lethal Musical Performance
Although not a very memorable Bleach character, Captain Rose Otoribashi remains one of the strongest combatants in the Soul Society. His Shikai, Kinshara, relies on the physics of sound waves to deal damage. It doesn't work very well against opponents like Sosuke Aizen, but it's certainly good enough for mid-level enemies.
Rose manifests his Bankai during his battle with Mask de Masculine. Known as Kinshara Butodan, it employs the same concept as the Shikai except in a much more refined way. This Bankai generates illusions based on music, and has three separate arcs. Unfortunately, Kinshara Butodan is effectively useless against someone unable to hear it. For example, Mask ruptures his own eardrums to avoid Rose's bankai, giving him a chance to strike back with near-lethal results.
12 Sakashima Yokoshima Happofusagari Scramble the Senses
Shinji Hirako has been a fan-favorite character ever since he appeared in the early stages of the Arrancar arc as a major member of the Visored group in Karakura Town. Despite looking like a high school student, Shinji's spirit energy and abilities are top-notch, explaining his position as a Gotei 13 Captain. Shinji's Sakanade works on the sense of smell.
Anyone can fall prey to the Shikai's inversion effects, but Sakanade is not nearly as dangerous as Sakashima Yokoshima Happofusagari. Shinji's Bankai has no mention in the manga, and the anime version also doesn't explain it properly. Suffice it to say, Sakashima Yokoshima Happofusagari inverts the sense of allyship in everyone's minds — in other words, it turns people against each other. Shinji demonstrates this in the second battle of the TYBW arc, when he forces a platoon of foot soldiers from the Wandenreich to slaughter one another.
11 Matai Fukuin Shotai is Yet Another Biological Weapon From Captain Kurotsuchi
As Bleach's resident scientist, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi goes the extra mile to demonstrate his brutal approach to empiricism. He treats every living being as a potential experiment, a philosophy that also applies to himself and his zanpakuto. Mayuri's Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo is the first Bankai to be introduced in the story, where it's promptly torn apart by Uryu Ishida's Letz Stil.
Mayuri then decides to implement several new upgrades, thereby transforming Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo into a whole new beast. The name Matai Fukuin Shotai can be loosely translated to "Demonic Recumbent Womb," which should give viewers an idea of how monstrous this Bankai is. Reading the manga is currently the best way to understand how Mayuri's updated Bankai works, though anime fans will soon get to see this bizarre bankai in action in either the new anime's third or fourth cour.
10 Koko Gonryo Rikyu Harnesses the Power of Lightning
Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe is probably one of the least important characters in Bleach, but he does attempt to fight Ichigo in the Soul Society: Rescue arc. The hero casually neutralizes Sasakibe (and two other Soul Reaper officers) with a well-placed punch before challenging Byakuya to a one-on-one match.
However, spending a thousand years learning from Yamamoto would make anyone a powerhouse. Although Sasakibe is killed in the first episode of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, his stolen Bankai is later used by his killer: Driscoll Berci. Called Koko Gonryo Rikyu, Sasakibe's lighting-powered Bankai contains enough Reiatsu to wound someone as invulnerable as Yamamoto himself.
9 Minazuki is Captain Unohana's Secret Weapon
Retsu Unohana's nurturing nature is revealed to be an elaborate facade in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. As the original Kenpachi, she claims to be the strongest swordsperson in the Soul Society. Unohana's Shikai, Minazuki, takes the form of a floating green manta ray-esque being with a unique digestive tract. This creature can simultaneously heal multiple patients inside its abdomen, a reference to Unohana's medic status in the Gotei 13.
Unohana brings out her Bankai, also named Minazuki, during her battle with Zaraki. Unohana's steel blade melts into what looks like blood, which consequently floods the environment. Unohana nearly kills Kenpachi several times with this deadly bankai, but in the end, Kenpachi overcomes Minazuki, kills Unohana, and thus unlocks his shikai at long last.
8 Shirafude Ichimonji Changes People's Fate With Their Names
Although he looks far younger than Yamamoto, Ichibei Hyosube is probably one of the oldest characters in Bleach, if not the oldest. Given his name manipulation ability, he would have had to predate existence itself. Hyosube's Shikai Ichimonji is downright terrifying; not only does it eradicate the opponent's power, but it also prevents them from stealing Ichibei's powers.
Ichibei refers to his Bankai as a Shin'uchi, as it reaches this evolutionary stage long before any other zanpakuto in Soul Society. The Shin'uchi: Shirafude Ichimonji can effectively rewrite his target's fate by merely modifying their names. Yhwach only survives the fight because his Almighty activates at the right time.
7 Zanka No Tachi is the Bankai That Can Burn Down Worlds
Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai seldom fights, but all hell breaks loose when he decides to enter the battlefield. His Ryujin Jakka is universally considered the strongest Zanpakuto in existence. Aizen is justifiably intimidated by Yamamoto's immeasurable spiritual pressure, explaining why he creates Wonderweiss to seal Ryujin Jakka. Yama doesn't resort to his Bankai in the Fake Karakura Town arc, probably because he'd rather not burn the Human World to the ground.
However, Yama willingly discharges Zanka no Tachi in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, hoping to end Yhwach once and for all. This Bankai turns Yamamoto into the equivalent of the Sun and is allegedly capable of vaporizing the entire Soul Society, leading Yamamoto to call himself a monster. It's canonically the most powerful fire-based zanpakuto, and probably the strongest zanpakuto of any kind.
6 Karamatsu Shinju Creates a Story With Its Enemies
Despite his relatively prestigious status among the Gotei 13, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku remains a playful man with a penchant for childish humor. As such, his Katen Kyokotsu "brings children's games to life." Shunsui's Shikai alone is enough to finish most battles, but there are a few invulnerable opponents who can easily evade the effects of Katen Kyokotsu. He demonstrates this in the battle fo the fake Karakura Town when fighting the 1st Espada, Coyote Starrk.
Shunsui releases his Bankai Karamatsu Shinju in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, consequently darkening the emotional atmosphere of the Royal Realm. Chad, Ichigo, Orihime, Shinji, Askin, and several other fighters could almost feel Shunsui's melancholy Reiatsu throbbing around them.
5 Completed Daiguren Hyorinmaru Has the Freezing Power Necessary to Fight the Schutzstaffel
To quote Ichimaru Gin, Toshiro Hitsugaya is an incarnation of the "heavenly white angel that blesses Soul Society once a century." Hitsugaya is appointed the youngest Captain in the Gotei 13's history, and nobody questions this decision. His Hyorinumaru is undoubtedly the most powerful ice-type Zanpakuto in Bleach. His weapon doesn't just freeze his opponents — it literally alters the weather.
Hitsugaya's Bankai is an augmented version of his Shikai, albeit with a special condition attached to it. When Daiguren Hyorinmaru's floating purple flowers vanish, he can unleash the complete might of his Bankai. In this form, Hitsugaya successfully deep-freezes both Gerard Valkyrie and Hoffnung, despite the Sternritter's quasi-divine abilities. It takes an incredible amount of power to defeat or even slow down any member of the Schutzstaffel, or Yhwach's elite guard, yet Toshiro manages it with hi final Bankai.
4 Kanonbiraki Benihime Atarame is Kisuke's Weapon of Last Resort
Kisuke Urahara admits that his Bankai isn't designed for training purposes, which is why he refuses to reach Ichigo with it. The fandom's curiosity was sated in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, where Urahara activates Kannonbiraki Benihime Atarame for the first time. This title loosely translates to "Dissection of the Crimson Princess at the Doors of Avalokiteśvara," a devastatingly badass name that doesn't disappoint.
Avalokiteśvara is the male counterpart to the Guanyin Bodhisattva, a deity invoked by Hunter x Hunter's Isaac Netero, another overpowered anime character. Kannonbiraki Benihime Atarame quickly overwhelms Askin Nakk Le Vaar, earning the Sternritter's grudging respect.
3 Nozarashi's Unnamed Bankai Kept Kenpachi in the Fight Against All Odds
Kenpachi Zaraki doesn't even know the name of his own Zanpakuto until after the First Wandenreich Invasion, during which he receives a sound beating from the Sternritter Royd Lloyd. He eventually learns to control Nozarashi and defeats Gremmy Thoumeaux after an earth-shattering battle.
Unfortunately, Nozarashi isn't strong enough to vanquish Gerard Valkyrie, so Yachiru Kusajishi triggers Kenpachi's Bankai. This event transforms him into a demonic entity while simultaneously magnifying his Reiatsu levels beyond concepts like logic and power scaling. Kenpachi consequently tears Gerard's arm off his shoulder blade and proceeds to slice him clean in half.
2 Dangai Joue Helped Sajin Turn the Tables on Bambietta
Sajin Komamura's Shikai is barely worth mentioning, but his Bankai takes him to the next level. Kokujo Tengen Myo'o materializes as a gigantic armor-clad warrior with incredible cutting strength. This Bankai flawlessly mimics Komamura's actions, delivering massive quantities of damage. However, Aizen manages to neutralize both Komamura and Kokujo Tengen Myo'o with a single strike, highlighting this Bankai's crucial weakness.
Komamura surpasses his limitations in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, when he "humanizes" his Bankai into Dangai Joue, an armorless monster of incomprehensible power. Dangai Joue effortlessly defeats Bambietta Basterbine, arguably one of the strongest Sternritters in Yhwach's army.
1 Hakka No Togame Froze Äs Nödt Down to the Bone
Rukia Kuchiki's Sode no Shirayuki has often been called "the most beautiful Zanpakuto in Soul Society," but it is also among the deadliest. Like Hyorinmaru, Sode no Shirayuki manipulates water and ice to great effect, even if it's ultimately weaker than Hitsugaya's Shikai. Rukia obtains her Bankai in the Royal Realm right before her decisive fight with the malicious Sternritter Äs Nödt.
Known as Hakka no Togame, or "Punishment of the White Haze," this Bankai reduces the ambient temperature to Absolute Zero, or −459.67 °F. Everything in the vicinity freezes solid at this temperature, including any allies in the area. Hakka no Togame has a few kinks to be worked out, but Rukia isn't someone to shy away from a self-improvement challenge.
