Bleach Bankai That Were Never Fully Explored or Shown

Bleach has gifted fans with several iconic moments, most of which revolve around characters revealing or using their Zanpakuto. While the Shikai is a strong form of the Zanpukuto, people are more excited about the characters using their Bankai. The animation and the dialogues during Bankai remain a visual treat even to this day. However, there are several potent individuals in Bleach whose Bankai have not been explored to their full potential. While none were shown, but not entirely, others were completely omitted. Here is a list of all the Bankai that could have made Bleach even more exciting, but Tite Kubo kept them a mystery.

1. Ichigo Kurosaki

• Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu

Every Bleach and non-Bleach fan is acquainted with Ichigo Kurosaki’s Zanpakuto, Zangetsu. During his battle against Byakuya Kuchiki in Soul Society, fans were treated to Ichigo’s Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, for the first time. However, it was not the true form of Zangetsu. While the name remains the same, Tensa Zangetsu, the fourth Cour of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, will feature Ichigo’s true Bankai.

He is the only character in the franchise to have Hollow, Shinigami, and Quincy powers, and by combining all three, he would unlock the final form. His Zanpakuto would turn into a cleaver rather than a katana, with his appearance becoming more like a combined form of a human, Hollow, and Shinigami. He was able to go toe-to-toe with Yhwach in this form. While this form is yet to be animated, the excitement has already reached its peak.

2. Shinji Hirako

• Bankai: Sakashima Yokoshima Happoufusagari

Shinji Hirako was a Captain of Gotei 13, lost his position after becoming a Visored, and later regained his position again. His Shikai, Sakanade, has hypnotic abilities that can alter the perception of the enemies. Shinji’s Bankai also has the same ability, but the area of effect increases massively. While the Bankai has one of the most potent abilities, it bears a massive disadvantage.

Sakashima Yokoshima Happoufusagiri can indiscriminately target individuals irrespective of whether they are friends or foes. Fans were excited to experience this Bankai on a larger scale, but it only remained a wish for them. However, since it bears a massive disadvantage, it would have been interesting to see how the Gotei 13 got out of its hold or whether Shinji Hirako had something up his sleeve.

3. Love Aikawa

• Bankai: Not Revealed

Love Aikawa belongs to the same category as Shinji Hirako since he is a Visored. His Shikai is Tengumaru, and it takes the shape of a Kanobou with a white hilt. Tengumaru is twice the size of Love, and acts as an attack and defence mechanism as well. While it is a great Shikai, Tite Kubo never revealed his Bankai. In its Shikai, it was able to deflect Starrk’s Cero with ease. If his Bankai had been revealed, it could have portrayed even greater defensive abilities. Even though a powerful character, Love Aikawa, did not get the same screentime as other side characters, which could be a result of why his strongest form was never explored.

4. Isshin Kurosaki

• Bankai: Not Revealed

Isshin Kurosaki is the father of Ichigo Kurosaki and a former Captain of Gotei 13. His identity was kept a secret for a long time, until he trained Ichigo to attain Mugetsu. In the flashbacks, his Shikai, Engetsu, was shown, and it had the ability to cover itself in fire. Isshin could also use the Getsuga Tensho like Ichigo. However, his Bankai was never shown. One reason for his Bankai being kept a secret was that it put a lot of strain on his body, and with heavy injuries, he could not use it. It remains one of the biggest “What Ifs” in Bleach. Moreover, his Shikai had a fire-based ability, which is similar to Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto’s. It would have been fascinating to see to fire-based Bankai at the same time.

5. Yoruichi Shihouin

• Bankai: Not Revealed

Yoruichi Shihouin is one of the handful of characters in Bleach whose Shikai as well as Bankai were not revealed. Being one of the former Captains of Gotei 13, Yoruichi had reached Bankai, and the closest fans ever got to see her Bankai was Shunryuu Kokubyou Senki. While it is a physical ability, it is her technique, as shown in the anime.

Yoruichi was shown to have a sword by her side in the past, but currently she does not use it. Unlike Isshin Kurosaki, Yoruichi Shihouin has had plenty of screentime, but somehow, her most potent form was never explored. More than the Bankai, it is surprising to see Tite Kubo never bother to reveal her Shikai.

6. Unohana Retsu

• Bankai: Minazuki

For the most part, Bleach fans knew Unohana Retsu as a kind-hearted woman who preferred to heal people rather than fight. However, it was during the Thousand-Year Blood War that fans got a taste of her truest form. Unohana Retsu is the first Kenpachi of Gotei 13, and one of the captains who fought alongside Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto against the Quincies. She revealed her true self against Kenpachi Zaraki. To attain the title of Kenpachi, one must kill the former Kenpachi. So, Zaraki had to kill Unohana to become the true Kenpachi. The latter revealed her Bankai, Minazuki, against him and defeated him multiple times.

Every time she defeated him, she would heal him and fight him again until the latter finally managed to kill her. While there is no doubt that Zaraki is pretty strong, Bleach fans believe that Minazuki was not used to its full extent. The Bankai was powerful enough to keep Yamamoto’s powers at bay while he was under Minazuki’s barrier. So, the question remains: what if Unohana Retsu used the technique against the Quincies or brought out the Kenpachi? Unfortunately, no one will ever know.

7. Kenpachi Zaraki

• Bankai: Unnamed (Speculated to be Yachiru Nozarashi)

Kenpachi Zaraki is one of the fiercest characters in Bleach. He literally has an eye-patch that devours his energy to keep him in check. Even though his love for bloodshed is unmatched, he was never shown to use his Shikai. It was during the Thousand-Year Blood War that he used his Shikai, Nozarashi, for the first time. He even achieved Bankai, through which he transformed into a red beast and gained unmatched physical prowess.

Yachiru, his vice-captain, is the manifestation of his Zanpukuto, and upon joining forces, Kenpachi was able to truly reach his potential. Yachiru has been with him for ages, but he never understood that she was his Zanpakuto. If he did, he could have trained more and gained better control over his Bankai. For someone like Zaraki, his hunger for battles would let him go through several fights to become all-powerful. It could have set a standard for how strong the Bankai was.

8. Ukitake Juushirou

• Bankai: Not Revealed

Ukitake Juushirou possesses a powerful Shikai, named Sougyo no Kotowari, which absorbs an enemy attack and directs it towards them forcefully. The Zanpukuto transforms into a double-bladed weapon attached through a rope. The left sword absorbs the attack, while the right one attacks. Having such a powerful Shikai will automatically make fans think that his Bankai will be overpowered. Unfortunately, it was never revealed in the manga or in the anime.

The only time fans got close to seeing him unleash his Bankai, when he and Kyouraku teamed up against Yamamoto, but the fight was cut short due to Aizen’s betrayal. One of the reasons why he never used his Bankai was that he was physically weak. He was often seen in need of medical attention, since he was basically given life by Mimihagi.

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Also Read: Best Fights in Bleach TYBW – The Conflict, Ranked

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The Bleach anime series is available to stream on Crunchyroll.