The Zanpakuto is the most important weapon in Bleach, and it has two main levels of combat: Shikai, which triggers the blade into revealing its powers; and Bankai, which requires the wielder to manifest his Zanpakuto spirit and is vastly more powerful than the previous form.
At the beginning of the story, it is mentioned that a Bankai is at least five to ten times more powerful than a Shikai, a rule of thumb that is more or less accurate. However, this power scaling is not universal, considering that the stronger Shinigami possess Shikai that are massively overwhelming, while there are a few Bankai that are quite... lackluster.
10 Shikai Stronger Than Bankai: Ryujin Jakka
The Captain-Commander's Shikai, Ryujin Jakka, is an overwhelming force of flame. Its temperature is such that it burns the earth below his feet as well as the skies above.
Very few people have the reiryoku to handle a battle against this Shikai, considering that Shunsui and Ukitake together fail to quell its inferno. In fact, Aizen's creation of Wonderweiss is meant for the sole purpose of preventing the old man from accessing Ryujin Jakka.
9 Bankai Weaker Than Shikai: Kinshara Butodan
Rojuro Otoribashi's Kinshara Butodan is impressive, for sure, as the Bankai turns into a gigantic metaphor for music. The Shi no Butodan, or "Dancers of Death," use sound in order to generate some truly spectacular effects, such as "Sea Drift," "Prometheus," and "Ein Heldenleben."
The only drawback, and it is a major one, is that anyone who cannot hear Kinshara Butodan will be completely immune to it. This Bankai really does border on pointless.
8 Shikai Stronger Than Bankai: Zangetsu
Zangetsu has proven capable of taking on highly trained combatants without much damage to either itself or its user, Ichigo Kurosaki. However, the double Zangetsus, incorporating the young Shinigami's inner Hollow and Quincy, form a far stronger Shikai than ever seen before.
In this state, Ichigo is able to utterly negate attacks that would floor an ordinary captain, and it doesn't take much effort for him to do so, either. Unfortunately, it has almost no effect on Yhwach.
7 Bankai Weaker Than Shikai: Tekken Tachikaze
Tekken Tachikaze looks super-cool, especially when worn as gigantic hand blades by its wielder, Kensei Muguruma. In theory, managing to concentrate the entirety of his power within such a small Bankai is impressive, because it means a single one of his punches could destroy half a city block.
Too bad that technique has no meaning in a world built on the magic of reiatsu, because Kensei loses miserably to the Arrancar, Wonderweiss Margela, who is subsequently shattered into fragments by Yamamoto Genryusai with his bare knuckles.
6 Shikai Stronger Than Bankai: Kyoka Suigetsu
Aizen's Shikai, Kyoka Suigetsu, is one to watch out for — except there's no way to do so if his opponent has already watched its release without being aware of it. It seems that every powerful Shinigami in Soul Society is under its spell, granting him immeasurable manipulative power during combat.
Kanzen Saimin, or Perfect Hypnosis, tricks anyone in the vicinity into believing that Aizen's illusions are, indeed, reality. Also, there's the fact that he cuts Kokujo Tengen Myo'o, Komamura's Bankai, in half.
5 Bankai Weaker Than Shikai: Ryumon Hozukimaru
To be fair, Ikkaku hasn't trained long enough to fully develop his Ryumon Hozukimaru, but as it presently stands, his Bankai is not noteworthy in the slightest. First of all, it's enormous, which makes wielding it a bit complicated if one is inexperienced. And second, Ryumon Hozukimaru's strength is enhanced the longer the battle continues.
If that's the case, then why did a mere Fraccion successfully break it into pieces? Sure, Edrad dies in the process, but Ikkaku can't use his Bankai properly anymore.
4 Shikai Stronger Than Bankai: Nozarashi
Zaraki Kenpachi's Nozarashi blew up a meteor directed at the Seireitei, and all he has to do is swing it in the direction he wants. Gremmy Thomeaux's The Visionary falters before its unmitigated might, and anything the "strongest" Sternritter throws at him is simply negated.
The best example to show Nozarashi off appears in the fight between him and Gerald Valkyrie, a Schutzstaffel member who is seemingly invincible in every respect of the word.
3 Bankai Weaker Than Shikai: Jakuho Raikoben
Soi Fon's minute Shikai morphs into the gargantuan Jakuho Raikoben, a shimmering gold rocket whose destructive power is off the charts. When it explodes in the fight against Baraggan Louisenbarn (at close range), it severely damages the Second Espada and also creates fractures a nigh-unbreakable seal, Shiju no Saimon.
The issue, however, is that Soi Fon can't use her Bankai multiple times, and, more importantly, it's unnecessarily cumbersome when employing. All an adept enemy has to do is dodge.
2 Shikai Stronger Than Bankai: Ichimonji
Ichimonji as used by Ichibei Hyosube of the Zero Squad has near-editorial powers: it can prevent attacks by merely removing the so-called name of the technique (or the one casting it). In addition to holding sway over all things "black," Ichimonji's unique ability lies in its loyalty to its master.
For instance, when Yhwach triggers Sankt Altar, whatever he takes from Ichibei is returned. Besides, how can any ordinary Bankai take on an ability such as Futen Daisatsuryo?
1 Bankai Weaker Than Shikai: Hihio Zabimaru
Abarai Renji's final Bankai, So'o Zabimaru is a force of nature, but his original version, Hihio Zabimaru is lukewarm, to say the least. It augments his reiatsu, but the actual power present in his offensive moves is minimal.
It is no match for Yammy Llargo, the Zeroth Espada, or Kuchiki Byakuya (although it must be noted that the latter requires his own Bankai to defeat Renji). Ultimately, Hihio Zabimaru is one of the most uninspired Bankai in the series.
0 Comments