‘Bleach’ Reveals Hisagi’s Deadly Bankai

Bleach came to an end some years ago, but the series has yet to die out. Thanks to spin-offs like Can’t Fear Your Own World, the Soul Society is still alive, and the sequel just revealed one character’s mysterious Bankai.

Recently, the latest volume of Can’t Fear Your Own World went live in Japan, and the collection includes several bonus sketches. One of the drawings depicted Shuhei Hisagi’s Bankai, and the technique is as ominous as you might have guessed.

After all, the power-up seems to put Hisagi in a noose, and that is perhaps the most tame part of the Bankai.

As you can see above to the right, Hisagi’s Bankai is a foreboding one. The Soul Reaper is seen donning a tattered uniform, and its ripped sleeves give a good look at Hisagi’s toned arms. To his left, the fighter is seen holding a sword with blades facing towards and away from him. A chain can be seen leading from his belt forward until he fades from frame, and another cord can be seen extending from Hisagi’s neck upwards as if it were a noose. Finally, the Soul Reaper has a second double-bladed sword in his right hand, and Hisagi’s shadowed face makes him look like a stereotypical reaper.

So far, Can’t Fear Your Own World has yet to put the Bankai into play, but fans have learned more about it. The sketch came with a blurb describing the technique, and fan-translators relayed its information. It turns out the technique chains Hisagi to his opponent, forcing the two to share wounds, but their spiritual pressure is used to heal them continuously. This forced regeneration puts both fighters on a race to see who will exhaust their power first or die. As such, Hisagi is forced to put himself on the line to take out his opponents, and it gives fans an understanding as to why the Soul Reaper has avoided using the technique so far.

So, what do you make of this self-sacrificing technique? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Bleach was first created by Tite Kubo for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, running from 2001 to 2016. The series follows the young delinquent Ichigo Kurosaki, who has the ability to see spirits. He soon obtains the power of a Soul Reaper – one meant to usher lost souls to the afterlife – and now has the duty to defend the living world from monstrous dark spirits known as Hollows.