Bleach Finally Unleashes Rukia's Bankai

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation has been making major headway against the Quincies now that the second wave of fights against the Soul Reapers has come, and the newest episode of the series has shown off how much Rukia Kuchiki has grown by finally unleashing her full Bankai! After taking some huge losses against the Sternritter in the first part of the new anime taking on Tite Kubo's final Bleach manga arc, a few of the Soul Reapers has been undergoing some strenuous and strange training with the members of Squad Zero in the Soul King's territory. Now fans are finally getting to see the fruit of those efforts. 

After previously revealing Renji Abarai's new Bankai form as the results of this training in the previous episode, the newest episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War sees Rukia taking on the same Sternritter that once defeated her brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, As Nodt. After showing off the full power of her Zanpakuto, as Episode 19 comes to an end she fully unleashes the chilling power of her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, to end the fight in an instant before As Nodt could even finish his final thoughts. 

According to Sagisu "Never Meant to Belong" expressed Rukia's despair, and now it expresses her acceptance.
The circle is finally complete, the story is finally complete. Never doubt these great artists again. Pure Kino. pic.twitter.com/HImGkOKXPy

— ~𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙞~ (@FAAAAAAAAANI_) August 12, 2023

How to Watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 19

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 19 is titled "The White Haze," and you can currently find it streaming (along with the rest of the previous episodes) exclusively on Hulu in the United States with the simulcast in English and Latin American Spanish, and on Star+ and Disney+ with English, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, and Italian subtitles. They tease the episode as such, "A fearless Rukia swings her Sodenoshirayuki in battle as she takes on Äs Nödt." Now that we've seen Rukia's Bankai, the anime's kicking into high gear. 

Part of the reason fans were excited to see Bleach's final arc fully animated after all these years was seeing each of the final forms, Bankai, and power ups that were ultimately displayed at the peak of each of the fan favorite characters' powers. Rukia's was shown to also be a danger to her, but it seems like the wait to see this one has been worth it if the reaction to the Bankai is anything to go by. 

How did you like seeing Rukia's Bankai in action after all these years? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!