If you thought Byakuya was the only Kuchiki touting a Bankai, think again. While the anime may not have given Rukia her due credit, Bleach did bestow the heroine with her own Bankai, and fans can check out an animated first-look at the form now.
How? Well, you have Jump Force to thank for that.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Recently, Bandai Namco made fans do a double-take when the first trailer for Jump Force featuring Bleach went live. The reel, which can be seen above, shows the likes of Ichigo Kurosaki fighting with other anime heroes. The lead is joined by Rukia and Aizen, but fans only had eyes for the heroine by the trailer’s end.
As you trailer comes to a close, a series of shots are sequenced. Goku powers up before Monkey D. Luffy raises his Hakai. Next, it is Rukia who shows up, and she is seen in her Bankai state which Bleach wasn’t able to introduce before its anime ended.
The form is an elegant one, and its coloration perfectly suits Rukia’s wintry powers. The heroine is seen wielding her Zanpakuto which has a long, white ribbon attached to it. As for her usual Soul Reaper robes, they have been bleached white and given some ornamental padding near the collar. Finally, Rukia’s hair has turned white, and a large ice crystal can be seen clipped into her hair.
Unfortunately, this trailer doesn’t show Rukia in action, but her Bankai is impressive standing still. And, as manga readers know, the power-up is as deadly as it is beautiful.
When Rukia’s Bankai was first introduced in the manga, fans learned its name is White Haze Punishment. The power-up allows Rukia to extend the reach of her frosty powers and bring the surrounding temperature down to absolute zero. Anything near Rukia will immediately freeze and crumble — but the Bankai has a catch. Rukia’s body cannot withstand the cold produced by her Bankai for long, and she must release the attack slowly lest she send herself into shock.
Are you ready to see Rukia’s full power unleashed? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
For those unfamiliar with Tite Kubo‘s Bleach, the series follows the young delinquent Ichigo Kurosaki, who had 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.
The original manga was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 2001 to 2016, and was collected into 74 volumes. It has been adapted into English thanks to VIZ Media, and has sold over 900 million copies in Japan. The series was adapted into an anime by Studio Pierrot from 2004 to 2012, and has four feature-length animations, rock musicals, video games, and a ton of other merchandise. The English language broadcast premiered on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block in 2006, and you currently find the Japanese and English language versions now streaming on Hulu.
Related Posts
-
Image Credit: Disney+
