Bleach Creator Explains the Difference Between Shikai and Bankai

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has put Ichigo Kurosaki back on the map. It has been a couple years since the revival went live, and the shonen series has kept fans on edge. After all, Ichigo and his Soul Reaper comrades are fighting for the very future of reality. The tense war has left fans surprised time and again, so of course, netizens were going to listen up when creator Tite Kubo dropped a bit of Bankai knowledge.

Recently, the creator of Bleach took to his blog to answer a round of questions from fans. It was their Kubo dove into the nuance of Soul Reaper techniques. Specifically, he broke down the difference between Shikai and Bankai, and the two techniques are all about a reaper’s bond to their Zanpakuto.

“Shikai is the state in which the wielder’s power is reflected into the sword,” Kubo explained. “Bankai is the state in which the ego of the sword that was subsequently born has been developed and manifested.”

As you can see, Kubo’s official explanation makes a lot of sense. Shikai is a technique that even lower rank reapers can use, but Bankai is not quite the same. Shikai has more to do with a reaper imposing their own ego on their Zanpakuto while Bankai lets the two entities resonate. As such, the Zanpakuto’s spirit is able to fully manifest, and that presence is what allows a Bankai to unfold. This delineation explains why characters like Kenpachi Zaraki has not been able to bring out their Bankai. For the power to work, a reaper must be able to harmonize with their Zanpakuto spirit, and the 11th Division Captain hasn’t mastered that skill… yet.

Not caught up on Bleach? No worries! You can read up on the hit series below before checking out its anime on Hulu and/or Disney+:

“Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, but this ability doesn’t change his life nearly as much as his close encounter with Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul Society. While fighting a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise, Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits and, along with Rukia–who is slowly regaining her powers–it’s Ichigo’s job to protect the innocent from Hollows and help the spirits themselves find peace.”

What do you make of this latest Bleach breakdown? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!