How STRONG is Rukia's BANKAI? | Bleach TYBW Discussion

[@MrTommo2304]

This was a pretty last minute idea that came to me, so I hope you enjoy my rambling on it. Really I want to ask you the question - how strong is Rukia's Bankai? Let me know what you think!

[@dominquebanton9758]

It was a great discussion.

[@lorddukfoxyzeppeli7921]

Why is Oetsu absent from this fight?

[@lorddukfoxyzeppeli7921]

tybw SHOULD HAVE BEEN " MOVIES FOR !ST INVASION and 2nd

[@lunarohmus]

I think it's pretty strong. If it's based on cold, and she can reach absolute zero (i think she did when she killed Äs) then even the light of Sternritter Z stands little chance. Cold would slow down the light particles. Equally, i think Rukia's true power is the opposite of Ichigo's, in the fact that Ichigo's main buff is to go extremely fast, while Rukia slows down everything around her to a complete halt even at molecular level. So she can fight slow, gracefully, and even from a distance. Now, it's true her bankai also changes her appearence. Meaning "armor bankai". Technically that means more defense, and also a reverse Yamamoto ability. He had the sun as an armor, Rukia has the absolute zero. Didn't play Brave Souls, but i can believe that.

[@lunarohmus]

I also think Hitsugaya is as much of a noob of his mature form bankai than Rukia is with hers. If he could use it at will, the Aizen arc would've been way shorter xD Let's remember Hitsugaya used to have a timer on his bankai. Probably he only reached the mastery of it to force him into a mature form very recently. And then, about abilities, yes, ice doesn't get quite as low temperatures as simple "cold" can. I think the difference between both is not the power in itself, but the learning curve difficulty: Rukia could probably do the same as Hitsugaya, but she has to generate the ice from the cold, and then give it shape, whereas Hitsugaya directly generates the ice. Though his reiatsu is also "cold element". I think they go toe to toe.

[@josedeleon3931]

Her bankai is legit the ice counterpart of yamamoto since both zanpakutos are focused on manipulating temperature. Once it's fully mastered she would be a BEAST!

[@bwill887]

I thought the same. Yamamoto had fire and outside of his raising the dead ability, her bankai is the cold opposite of it. She can surround herself with a shield of cold, lower her blades temperature to freeze anything solid. I also wonder about her old ice attacks, were they really ice or was she flash freezing everything in front of her. I don't know if she could ever get there, but her bankai really seems like a cold version of the head captains, with the same possible destructive capabilities.

[@sageoverheaven]

I see Toshiro as moreso the Ice Yamamoto. Yama doesn't control temperature, he just spams nuke-tier fire in shikai while erasing shit in bankai.

[@bolts8152]

What would happen if they would fight together

[@wolfieboi5996]

@@bolts8152 it would be cold then hot, what else?

[@mjm3091]

Considering that Rukia is still a weaker shinigami and that her sword only can go down to areas of absolute zero - Yamamoto's bankai, would fully cancel effect of her sword. Its barely possible for us to keep the lowest temperatures in best lab conditions - when you have literal Sun next to you, it would be pretty much impossible.

[@Chikararyoku]

when I saw Rukia's bankai and learned what her zanpaktou's cooling ability was, cooling herself and the area to absolute 0 I thought she was the opposite to old man Yama, who's bankai's heat was absolute she's clad in a dress of ice, he's clad in a robe of flames

[@coreypharveyable]

Meeee tooooo

[@Leo-nw8bh]

Me three

[@jeremycaps]

I think that Toshiro's matured bankai is a better counterpart to Yamamoto's bankai.

[@Chikararyoku]

@@jeremycaps more powerful, yes. but I was talking about the nature of the two bankai. Rukia's causes instant absolute 0 where Yama's evaporates all the water with absolute heat

[@jeremycaps]

@@Chikararyoku I understood that but Rukia's abilities are based on temperature whereas Yamamoto's does not only heat things up he also manipulate flames. I was not talking about how powerful they are. When I made that remark, I was more focused on how they used their bankais. Yamamoto can burn anything that touches him, burn anything that he slice with his blade and do big fire based attacks. Toshiro bankai basically do all of that but with ice. Rukia just unleashes a big wave that freezes anything in its way and can swing her blade at the beginning.

[@8bitbreadbox]

Here's something people often forget regarding Sode no Shirayuki: In the aftermath of the fight with Aaronierro, we see Hanataro running through a series of icy hallways, presumably for a very long time. That means that Rukia froze the entire floor of the building she was in. Yeah. Scary.

[@ZolaRenard_01]

Exactly... And I still somewhat bewildered she hadn't been a vice-captain at that time. Granted she became one later on, and a captain 10 years later... but come on...

[@xeithar9236]

Its explained pretty well… Byakuya doesnt want her to have a seated position, she is obviously atleast vice-captain level but wont be promoted because politics.

[@lsdraw14]

I can't believe i missed that, Rukia's potential is crazy!

[@mr_coffee9917]

Her third dance actually not just extends blade but freezes everything around her. Kubo should have just went with it and make her use that multiple times

[@CelVini]

Rukia is a badass, Hakka no Togame has a deadly potencial, an absolute zero nuke

[@StoicLoneWolf380]

Rukia's and Toshiro are only similar in one aspect: ice. However, it's how they use their ice which separates the two. Rukia is more focused on temperature control where Toshiro is more about materializing the ice itself. 10 years later or just even after she has her daughter, I'm sure she's matured in using her bankai. Still not to the level of Toshiro but she would be able to hold her own if need be even without the guidance of Byakuya

[@usamahBlackLove]

I sincerely think once she masters her bankai that hers surpasses Toshiro’s albeit not by much

[@StoicLoneWolf380]

@@usamahBlackLove Yeah, I mean it's really interesting to scale their bankai because Toshiro only has access to it's full power when he's grown or matured which makes me wonder...if Toshiro is an adult by aging naturally, what would his bankai be then? I love both though

[@xtalia_z6691]

@@StoicLoneWolf380 Agree, a lot of people hate on Toshiro but for me personally his bankai is my favorite. And tbh if Toshiro completely masters his banaki it could be the most powerful ice type zanpakto, it could have some of the aspects as Rukia's where it's controlling the temperature but still has that aspect of materializing ice, now THAT is devastating

[@dewitt4724]

@@usamahBlackLove toshrio is younger and got more potential

[@usamahBlackLove]

@@dewitt4724 noted. I don’t think it’s more powerful by much. But Toshiro’s bankai is DEFINITELY more versatile

[@doriancraig909]

The anime is gonna be so lit when all this gets animated 😭🔥🔥

[@vitoraugustoqmauad2852]

By the end of the Gerald fight, he does get frozen to the level that his body falls apart only legs remaining, only to be remade from light (?) because... its Gerald

[@jnx4803]

Her Shikai only flash freezes the target to a low temperature like nitrogen would, but you can survive that. Her Bankai brings the temperature of everything in an area to an absolute zero, which will kill EVERYTHING pretty much instantly. Tbh her bankai is actually totally IMBA because unless the target has some sort of energy source which can fight back the absolute zero state, or ability to deflect one's power then you can't survive it. Probably 99.99% of enemies would instantly die from her absolute zero powers.

[@supernoodles908]

Tbf, the quicker the freezer irl the less damage happened to cells as the ice crystals are smaller :) so a quicker freezing means less damage

[@jnx4803]

@@supernoodles908 Damage to cells matter only when you want to preserve cells and their function. If you want to kill someone in a fight, you want to freeze them as fast as it is possible to stop their cells to function, and cause death.

[@jembozaba4864]

I personally like the idea that her bankai takes all the heat from her surrounding area into herself, at least after some training. So while everything around her is at absolute zero, her body is still functioning. Her shikai makes her body absolute zero, her bankai makes everything else absolute zero. Thermal Dynamics and all that.

[@LancetFencing]

your interpretation of bleach is the most considered approach i’ve encountered

[@dagdamor1]

Ten Years Later Captain Rukia in Brave Souls got me wondering how absurd it is NOW. She was running around with her Bankai spreading AoE megafreeze wherever she went and throwing around actual attacks. If a Vollstandig Sternritter couldn’t survive exposure to an inexperienced Rukia just standing there, I’d expect her to simply solo most of the Wandenreich as a Captain today.

[@dominquebanton9758]

Facts🔥

[@crosis2]

Well you must also see that the Wandenreich had informations on the bankais of most of the shinigamis but not Rukias bankai or even Zarakis Shikai. So it could indeed be a surprise and most wouldn't be able to withstand the unknown.

[@josedeleon3931]

Facts

[@clydu91]

Relax. Not only is it just a game but people like Bazz-B could most likely deal with her as they dealt with other Captains and stronger Bankais.

[@ericm5315]

Also, with how Absolute Zero works; she literally has to exert an infinite amount of energy to maintain it for the duration because ANY passive heat will make Absolute Zero not Absolute Zero. In theory she could freeze Yama's bankai solid because the energy requirements for her to maintain it are much more crazy than what it would take to maintain temperatures as hot as the sun.

[@dragonfist4875]

I love to see videos in your channel like: 1-Aizen's Bankai. 2-Things we want to change in the TYBW arc like Gromojow's 2nd release,True Bankai Ichigo,Great Final Battle. 3-Unanswered Questions in Bleach.

[@k2basior]

See how it's handled in Brave souls 20 Years later Rukia. She can swiftly move while in Bankai.

[@GraveEnd]

It's become similar to ichigos old ones

[@arielbrown5225]

Actually it’s 10 Years Later

[@megalictis9002]

A " last minute idea?" Your Bleach analyses are always so comprehensive and honest, they are consistently delightful! I don't play Brave Souls (or video games - I'm almost 58) so I don't know how that non-canon source treats her matured bankai, and absent any canon information I won't speculate on the extent to which she has learned to mitigate her vulnerability. But the ability to reduce an opponent to absolute zero in an instant is utterly devastating! There aren't very many characters who can survive that (like Kenpachi in the "galaxy room), so most opponents would fall to it immediately. I'm not even sure Toshiro would be able to withstand her bankai attack. I think it places her in the upper tier among Captains.

[@-0m3rcy0-8]

Her Bankai has a lot of Potential, but currently it is, as you said, a glass cannon of a bankai. She really just needs more training

[@sephikong8323]

You could say that it's an ..... Ice Cannon *wink*

[@-0m3rcy0-8]

@@sephikong8323 get out. /j LMFAO take my like and leave haha

[@shadenox8164]

Well that's not too surprising they always said it took at least 10 years to master it.

[@thedrunkronin4550]

Rukia is my second favorite character after Grimmjow and I'm glad we got to see her Bankai.

[@thecowgoesvroom672]

I NEEDED THIS, TY FOR DOING THIS FOR BEST GIRL

[@PrinceAli628]

Her bankai is absolutely terrifying, both for an opponent and at first herself. I cannot WAIT to see it in all it's ANIMATION GLORY!!!

[@Optclzr]

Unironically one of the few things jump force was good for. Seeing that bankai in motion is amazing.

[@thewarrior8497]

COOL video as always

[@KamID2580]

Of course it is it was a part of your plan.

[@ArmageddonAngel]

Ba dum tsh

[@dinamara4975]

Never thought That Aizen would say something like that

[@sayles7858]

I love your style! Sometimes even if I don’t know what you are talking about, I still enjoy listening haha. Of course your analysis is always full of amazing insights

[@GeatsZero]

Actually Kira did die. They literally cadavered him and brought him back to life like a Frankenstein

[@terryjohnson5579]

I feel like it was more sode no shiraiyuki deciding byakuya was not a threat and calming itself down so he could get close enough for her to relax . As all the weapons have souls and minds and personality of they own it's my take anyway

[@luccissimp7758]

I love that concept

[@khadz1705]

It's reiatsu. Byakuya didn't get frozen because his reiatsu is higher than Rukia so he negs her powers on him. The only time it worked a bit was when he touched her hand directly to stop it from breaking apart.

[@terryjohnson5579]

@@khadz1705 that makes sense. I accept I could have read how that happened in a wrong way or like not how it was intended.

[@Chiwi2004]

In the translation I read, why her Bankai is so powerful as it drops the temperature to absolute zero. - 273 degrees Celsius. The coldest that temperature can get. So she basically can flash freeze everything.

[@corruptangel6793]

I always thought of Rukia's Bankai as being similar to Soi-Fon's Bankai in that it takes the full power of a Bankai and unleashes it all in one devastating attack. And my idea for her mastered Bankai would be that she could use multiple "pulses" so to speak the same way Soi-Fon can fire multiple missles if she really pushes herself. So if the first pulse didn't work the second or third should. Whether for defense or offense. Essentially making her Bankai a ice fusion of Soi-Fon's and Shunsui's.

[@AgrestisAnima]

I always had this cool thought that Rukia can use her bankai form to freeze the missile from Soi Fon before it reaches her. Or have techniques to control her cells to "melt" into surrouding ice and "move" and reappear freely as long as there is ice around or something. Or something with her ribbons..being able to summon her sword out of ice without needing to hold it. Yeah. I hope we see a little bit more of her in the anime

[@HFTVChannel]

Alot of people have already contributed in the conversation about Rukia's bankai here so im going to mention something different, I always wondered what bleach would be like if Gin remained a villain and we got a big "sike" moment of him stealing the hogyoku and succeeding in merging with it, perhaps with similar written end goal's like Aizens , maybe retreating and taking the fight in some time later or just final getsuga vs gin leaving Ichigo victorious , Aizen alive and imprisoned with similar effects of gaining power overtime , with everyone being super suspicious whilst being in need of him with TYBW arc. I think it'd make for an interesting video , but at the same time I dont know if the reception would be positive or people would care at all

[@Uberdude6666]

I always read it like Rukia was maybe close to achieving bankai before fighting As Nodt. But she didn't actually discover that she could use it before right then at that very moment. Like Byakuya's support was what finally pushed her to aknowledge that she could really activate it. Rukia has always had this complex about not being worthy. She always try to be worthy of the Kuchiki name and worry about not being good enough etc. Her activating her bankai I always took as the conclusion to that character development. She finally has the confidence to accept she is worthy of that strongest Shinigami-ability.

[@matthewpetrela6262]

Mr.Tommo, you didn’t have to do Kira so dirty when you show his infamous panel saying “well they thought he was gunna die” 😂

[@TheSlammurai]

Kira is one of my favorite characters. He was done so dirty. XD

[@MahiMahi-yu5jo]

There is a Tumblr post that explains how dangerous Rukia's Bankai can be. By bringing the temperature to absolute zero, Rukia becomes an anti-entropial anomaly. This means, she is far more efficient at absorbing reiatsu (energy) than both the Quincy and the Hollows. That itself is mind breaking. That isn't even getting into her forcing matter around her into the Bose-Einstein Condensate state, that completely eliminates friction and can actually overcome her limitations with mobility by giving her a path to travel at ludicrous speeds. And then that's not even getting into the effect anti-entropial phenomena have on the Space Time Continuum. If Kubo had researched a bit, he would have found a hard counter to the Almighty with Hakka no Togame. Cause if he ever decides to consider the full implications of Rukia having such a world shattering power, that little Shinigami can destroy entire timelines.

[@Raphael25ify]

Very nice video and I think you managed to convince me of the "SST" (Sword Swing Theory). I think the upper limit of Rukia's Bankai would be achieving absolute or near absolute 0 Kelvin, which is technically impossible but this is a fiction manga (Zero K is impossible, near zero K is not). If she does this she would literally be able to lower entropy to near zero. There is no way anyone could survive near zero entropy.

[@darknesswave100]

Have you ever done a video on what you think the bankai we never saw would look like or what they do? I know you can draw stuff so it would be interesting to see your take on what they could be. Really enjoying all the videos. This channel has gotten me back into bleach again

[@Arcitan]

Until this her sword was classified as a snow type, putting it in the same elemental family as Toshiro's (which is stated as the strongest Ice/Snow type); however I think thats no longer the case for her sword. Instead of a snow type, the description of her sword's power's actually being "cold" implies its thermal and not elemental. So yes it creates Ice/Snow, but thats just a byproduct of whats actually happening. What's actually happening is she's making everything rapidly lose its thermal energy, "freezing" it. So Toshiro could still have the strongest Ice/Snow elemental type and Rukia could have the strongest thermal type (Cold/Entropic?). Just an idea (shrug) However I think the argument over comparing power between Rukia and Toshiro is a bit irrelevant. Multiple times, in both the Manga and Anime, Toshiro's sword was stated as being the most powerful Ice/Snow elemental type sword....essentially implying its the Ice/snow equivalent to Yama's Fire. Additionally Shunsui states that in another 100 years Toshiro will likely be more powerful than him, putting him a bit older than Rukia is by the TYBW arc. All these things have always indicated to me that Toshiro is basically the eventual equal to Yama, in both power and potential. Rukia is no slouch, achieving Lieutenant/Captain and Bankai by the Shinigami equivalent to 18-20, but she only got bankai after her royal training. Toshiro was a 3rd seat and then made Ishin's replacement at the equivalent age of 10, meaning he was already Captain level and had his bankai by then. (Edited it to switch the paragraphs. So the first is more on topic to the vid, for people skimming comments. Then just minor edits to them to make more sense with the switch)

[@corruptangel6793]

It's weird because the first databook refers to Toshiro's Zanpakuto as the ultimate "cryo" type Zanpakuto. But they never actually call it that in the anime/Manga I don't think.

[@Arcitan]

@@corruptangel6793 Yeah thats a good point. Which makes me wonder if its all around translation errors somewhere along the line or if Kubo changed it.

[@corruptangel6793]

@@Arcitan I think it's more a mistake on the character's part, like they don't understand Toshiro's Zanpakuto. If you really think about it, from the beginning Toshiro has been freezing the water in the atmosphere and uses that to freeze his targets. Then he says he can freeze the 4 elements in his mature form, meaning fire, earth, air and water, freezing literally everything in the world around his enemy. So it does kinda fit the Cryo description better than ice. Or maybe I'm giving Kubo and the translators too much credit and there was a mistake or retcon somewhere along the line.

[@Arcitan]

@@corruptangel6793 Yeah I mean I could see the databook being the actual, technical, way Kubo thought it works when designing it. Whereas everyone in universe misidentify's its powers. Then later he brings that up specifically with Rukia, as kinda a nod to that misidentification. So a better way to describe my Hot/Negetropic and Cold/Entropic idea above would actually be as Pyro and Cryo. So I can agree to that haha

[@Arcitan]

@@maciekwucow3989 Yeah I think if the Cryo description Corrupt mentions is accurate to Kubo's intent, we ultimately end up back to what you said as the distinction. His is the most "powerful", while her's is the most "beautiful" of the cryo types (shrug)

[@JerzyLasica]

I agree, it was retconned. It was said that "hers...", I am paraphrasing, "...ice zanpakuto is 2nd strongest, behind Toshiro's", and now suddenly it's not ice but cold. Similar but not the same.

[@TecTitan]

I appreciate and enjoy all of your bleach content, Mrtommo. Please do continue and I hope you can let us know how you feel about the return of the anime when it comes.

[@siriuslyorion2975]

_insert ice pun here_

[@johanandersson8252]

Rukia used Sheer Cold 🥶

[@nightowl6393]

She's as cold as ice.

[@KingSammzy]

Colder than my balls when I visited Canada 🥶

[@masterprick1]

Ice to see you.

[@tyfan1000]

I got "Chills" when she finally got and used her bankai

[@JVersic]

It'll make sense her Bankai is similar to Tensa Zangetsu. When Ichigo gained his powers from Rukia, his zanpakuto seal Tsuba was the same exact one as Rukia's. So I'm guessing his Zanpakuto Appearance took after hers since it wasn't his true zanpakuto.

[@jerod5636]

I really would like another arc. After all these years I feel like there could be more story.

[@crimsonragna2813]

Your wish came true man

[@jerod5636]

@@crimsonragna2813 I know right! I’m stoked! I know it’s only supposed to be a short run but I really wasn’t expecting anything so I’m counting it as an absolute win!

[@ayakid921]

The power difference between Toshiro and Rukia isn't night and day but it's pretty big, regardless of their both being captain class. Gerard Valkyrie would've been able to survive her bankai as he did Toshiro's. That being said, in my opinion her bankai's potential is greater than Toshiro's based on ability alone since it's similar to Yama's Ryujinn Jakka that immediately scorches his surroundings. Hyorinmaru's abilities are more of a touch and effect type where Hitsugaya himself has to direct his powers onto his target, whereas Rukia can literally just stand there and you could get one shot. IN short, Rukia has the more deadly bankai, but as to whether she can be as deadly a wielder of it is completely up to her. Toshiro on the other hand, we have seen how fast he grows stronger on each passing arc and know for a fact he is the more skilled wielder of his power of the two and probably will remain that way since he's just a natural prodigy and crazy enough, hasn't reached his full potential yet

[@damaniherrington4170]

Toshiro bankai wasnt full potential either. And how does it have more potential when toshiro bankai can freeze all elements AND it can shut off the it can shut down the power of who he has frozen. 🤡🤡🤡🤓🤓🤓

[@ayakid921]

@@damaniherrington4170 Because Rukia's power is the ability to manipulate temperature itself. Toshiro's power is to flash freeze and immobilized enemies, like Tommo said, that is if you watched the video attentively. 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@Davidmaldonado9173]

Toshiro encases his enemies in Ice as for Rukia she completely freezes the enemies from the inside out with her absolute zero or flash freeze.

[@amyrose9889nenasonic]

@@Davidmaldonado9173 by that logic than rukia has the more dire/Deadly ablity

[@ThePeacefulSamurai379]

@@Davidmaldonado9173 happened the same with zombie toshiro

[@skatetim777]

I think you underestimate Rukia’s bankai. Doesn’t her Bankai go to absolute zero? That stops movement of atoms and is essentially a one hit kill.

[@polygon2745]

You have to remember though in Bleach, higher spiritual pressure nulls hax and abilties. Dropping things to absolute zeroes and one-shotting things sounds cool in theory but it's not going to work if her opponent has the more powerful spiritual pressure

[@luccissimp7758]

@Paul Fimiano She is definitely Top 5 Captain

[@jocoolshow]

@Paul Fimiano As Nodt survived her absolute zero initial attacks when he was relative to her, and Byakuya legit touched Rukia while she was in absolute zero and was fine due to him being immensely stronger than him

[@jocoolshow]

@Paul Fimiano If Rukia's AZ was killing As Nodt on a molecular level, he would've been killed by her Shikai. Yet he was able to use Vollstandig to break out. If he was 'killed' or even damaged via AZ on a molecular level, then he wouldn't be able to use Vollstandig aka increase his reistsu level which canonically negs hax and been able to fight and beat her. If it wasn't about Reiatsu levels, Rukia could've just frozen him again in Shikai, but she needed the Bankai amp to overcome him As for Byakuya you answered your own question. She didn't begin melting until Byakuya told her to. What happened is that she began moving in her AZ state, began cracking, Byakuya grabbed her and stopped her from moving, then told her to undo her temperature slowly before moving as one mistep and she's dead. And Byakuya scales to the likes of Gerard, Toshiro and Kenpachi, so her hax isn't effective. And we see that it's possible to move in Bleach without molecular motion since Rukia does it. Her Zan doesn't allow her to move without molecular motion, it allows her to survive bringing her own temp down to below to absolute zero and still survive. Very convenient that you call As Nodt escaping/surviving plot when it's established on Bleach that higher reistsu counters hax. And Rukia's AZ would be dura negation to those on the same level as or weaker than her Just like Toshiro can freeze people relative than or weaker than him to the bone, but people stronger than him, the ice freezes surface level. And saying that As Nodt escaped just because of plot is ignoring the Reiatsu rule. Or that Blut can protect from things like even the Sun's temp in the form of Yama's Bankai.

[@jocoolshow]

@Paul Fimiano Him breaking out before going Vollstandig further proves that dura neg is based on the difference in Reistsu. You have 2 ways of interpreting it. Either A.) The ice on him was surface level and breaks out of it due to Rukia in Shikai not being strong enough to freeze his molecules or B.) She freezes him on a molecular level and he resists it. Either way, he survived what was literally stated to be absolute zero ice Controlling your reishi isn't a zanpakuto ability. Like I said, Rukia moving with AZ frozen molecules isn't a result of her zanpakuto, but a generic skill that anybody can use. In fact, being able to control your reishi to move with AZ frozen molecules makes it so that anyone with better reishi control than her would be able to do the same. Like say...As Nodt and Byakuya? You keep saying Rukia is temperature based and that's true, but that doesn't mean Dura Neg. She definitely negged Grimmjow's durability when she froze him right? Same for Espada 9 huh? But if you say 'that's before squad 0 training', even when her temp was specifically stated to be absolute zero, she still didn't dura neg and kill As Nodt who physically broke out of it. How well the ability works depends on the difference between her and her opponent. She could one tap D Roy but couldn't do a thing to Grimmjow. She could freeze the Arrancar Execution Squad, but didn't do anything to Yammy at all. Its all reistsu based. Aizen literally said 'Battles between Shinigami are battles of Reiatsu'. That's why Toshiro could freeze and shatter Shawlong easily by freezing him to the bone, but when freezing Halibel she was able to physically break out at times before his final attack. Why immature Bankai froze Miracle Gerard only at surface level, but Adult Toshiro froze Vollstandig Bankai Kenpachi Miracle Amp Gerard to the bone so finely that he turned into powdered dust particles when Byakuya hit him. Reistsu based She would've bypassed Blut of she has dura neg, but on the Bleach verse she doesn't. You're looking at absolute zero like how it's looked at in other verses. In other series where hax isn't dependant on your strength, AZ is dura neg, but that's not how Bleach works. You say that Aizen level reistsu is needed, but you forgot that was pre timeskip base Aizen. There are many characters who surpassed Pre Timeskip base Aizen in the TYBW. Keep in mind, Isshin while sealed, Yoruichi and Urahara...the latter two who participated in the battle and we're pushed harder than they were against even Chrysalis Aizen...were able to fight a stronger version of Aizen than the one that took on the Gotei and did well before the Hogyoku used it's reactive evolution on them. TYBW characters far eclipsed base Aizen. And you don't even need Aizen level reiatsu to neg hax. It just depends on the difference between the user and the opponent. Kenpachi did something similar but with physical attacks to people more relative to him. Ichigo was weaker at first in canon, but there's novel stuff as well. Going passed that, techniques also circumvent that. Like how Jugram's Blut allowed him to survive Yama's heat, or how Ichigo survived a stab to the neck from Yhwach with Blut despite Yhwach being able to cut down Yama easily. So even if you wanna go as far as to say they can't neg or mitigate hax, Blut specifically has temperature resistance As for Rukia and Byakuya, Rukia didn't crack from defrosting, she started cracking from trying to move too early. In Shikai, she said she could only move for 4 seconds in absolute zero, and when she went over time, her finger bled even when she defrosted at a correct time. She was still white and iced over when Byakuya touched her. What he did was steady her hand to prevent her from moving and kept her still, then told her to defrost. That scene also proves that Rukia isn't dura neg, at least to people stronger than her, as Byakuya,s hand only gets some ice in the surface level. Either way in all my cases there's more than enough evidence and context behind that evidence as well

[@romankphillips1182]

The explanation of rukias bankai as well as her power as you said is that her whole thing is cooling rather than ice prowess like hitsugaya. Her bankai as I came to understand is that when she activates it everyone within the vicinity is brought to absolute zero aka the absolute freezing point. She herself is also placed at nearly absolute zero but is able to go a little above while maintaining that bankais power which is why she has to wait a second after activating it without injuring herself. As some people have said in the comment section it's almost a complete parallel to Yamas Bankai almost. Hitsugaya and rukia are similar but are very different in terms of the effects of their powers.

[@wolfgod6443]

14:15 That's arguable. Rukia was held back in status but she was always powerful. While Renji had a bankai, Rukia is much better with kido and generally has a better zanpakto. Their fights/feats are comparable too. Rukia, supposedly with a limiter placed on her powers, defeated an arrancar with ease. Renji had to remove his limiter to win a similar fight with bankai. Yes Ylfordt was in his release state, but if Renji had bankai then just speaking in terms of 5x multipliers he's even with Rukia. In other words her ability to kill Di Roy with her limiter on means she should be able to kill a released Di Roy with her limiter off. If Renji was as strong (edit: as in his shikai was as strong, then with bankai is stronger) then his bankai should've finished Ylfordt even with a limiter. Even if Rukia wasn't limited, this carries into the Heuco Mundo invasion anyways. Rukia deals with the gatekeeper no problem, then ties with an espada. She did get lucky, but Renji also got lucky and had multiple allies helping him fight an espada only one number higher than Aaronierro but still couldn't win. It's the difference between a Rukia who alone had a chance against a slightly weaker espada, and a Renji with extra help having zero chance against a slightly stronger espada. To me that implies they're of similar strength. On top of this Rukia defeats Rudbornn, a high level arrancar. The only reason I imagine she struggled with Riruka more than Renji did with Jackie was because Rukia likes cute things too much. Now, it is totally possible that by TYBW, Renji's new bankai is truly as broken as it seems, and he's multiple tiers above the Visored captains. In that case...Well maybe he is stronger than Rukia lol. However it wouldn't surprise me if Rukia is still keeping up. I agree that it's a stretch to place her right on par with Toshiro at that time. However, I think her upper limit is as the cold version of Yamamoto's bankai. In the simplest way, his was heat itself and hers is cold itself. A 10 year time skip likely solved her critical weaknesses, but give her 100 years, and I think she'll be to Yama what Toshiro is to Shunsui (who said Toshiro would surpass him in 100 years). Maybe I'm overselling it, maybe I should say 1000 years, but my point is she'll get there.

[@johnjohnson2286]

I view Rukia and renji as equal why wouldn’t they be? The only think RENJI really has on Rukia is mastery over his powers and physical strength I view it as this Physical strength = Renji >>>> Rukia [obvious] Kido= Rukia >>>> RENJI [obvious] Speed= Rukia = Renji [Rukia un “recovered” from her fight with as nodt according to byakuya kept up easily with true bankai renji and holy form bazz b.] Swordsmanship = Renji > Rukia [could be >=] Hax = Rukia >>>> RENJI. [Rukia has much more hax and the hax she has are broken.] And finally Potential = Rukia > Renji. [Rukia still has to master her true shikai which is also very broken and obviously her bankai. Plus she has the potential to learn very high level kido even in Huceo mundo she was able to use hado 73] That is my view on it. You can argue renji >= Rukia or Rukia >= renji or just straight up equal. But that’s just my opinion

[@luccissimp7758]

@@johnjohnson2286 glad someone explained it bc these are my exact thoughts! Definitely Rukia would be top five captains and Renji on that same level

[@Flightkid90]

Blunt is always active om As Nodt. The explanation given what to explain how he is able to move after meeting Ywach. He didn't explain it directly but is easy to see once you read over a few times

[@Rellbot]

The fact we only saw rukia using her bankai and true shikai once, completly without any mastery over it but still insanely op makes me wonder how terrifying she can actually be years later, she's by far one of the strongest characters at this point, she WAS supposed to be ichigo's fellow main character, but if you say anything along these lines there will be at least 10 (insert character here) stans that will say she's "not even close" do any of these people understand what "absolute zero" even means????? The meaning of it?????

[@kadesweeney134]

You also have to take into consideration that Byakuya also hampered Rukia's training since the academy. Adopting her into the Kuchiki family, and then pigeon holing her in the 13th division, placing influence in her missions and her ranking. Only until the start of the Bleach did she truly had to fight for her life.

[@lloydecleo4232]

In my opinion, her bankai hakka no togame would be a highlight in defeating the late captain commander yamamoto in hell arc. Good job Kubo for making her bankai so crazy and powerful, we need to see more and her improvements after 10 years!!!! I am ready for hell arc!!!

[@RisinLee]

Honestly looking at the way she holds her sword and how As-Nodt head was cut it looks like a large scaled Tsukishiro. Also I feel like the main difference between her Zanpakuto and Hitsugaya's as always been different. Yes they both froze things but Rukia's ability were always domain/extension based. Where Hitsugaya's is straight up create ice. An example would be Hakuren stabbing the ground and then producing freezing blast effect, where as though Hitsugaya's moves are more physical as in using literal ice to cut down his foes. Even Tsukishiro only freezes the domain in which Rukia subjugate and freezes anything within the swords domain; and her fourth dance is literally recreating her blade by lowering the temperature around her and reforming the sword like she did against Espada #9

[@flamefyr]

Hey Tommo, can you do a discussion on the AoE nature of many of the later revealed Bankai's? Ones like Rukia's, Kyorakus, even like Yammatos. It seems that many more Zanpakto later on have this army of one feel.

[@darknesswave100]

Shinji's in CFYOW also effects a large area. So yeah until you mentioned it I didnt realize that so many have that aoe type bankai. That's definitely interesting

[@makimaki__4777]

The aoe ones are usually the old bankais too like shunsui and yama, might just be that the bankai starts out as a small extension of ones soul into the real world, then as it matures you draw out more of it making it aoe

[@allanroberts7129]

Imagine, if you will, Unohana zs As Nodt. I know it never happened, and it never will, but just think about someone who lives for battle, who has seen so much, who left everything behind.

[@ZzigZaG00NIN]

I like how brave souls showed she mastered it the game is cool for stuff like that

[@oddligames1592]

I feel like if Hitsugaya and Rukia were both Captains for the same length of time she would've been stronger than him off of their Bankai differences alone. He has more utilities but her bankai is outright much more deadly and straight to the point. Hitsugaya's shikai/bankai is like materializing an avalanche rolling over you and encasing you in ice. Often times some won't die immediately and it's like you're a popsicle. Whereas Rukia's shikai/bankai is lowering the temperature instantly and freezing everything out right. I feel like Rukia's is much more dangerous and has been. Generally when she froze her opponents from the beginning they broke down like dust or completely shattered with the exception of a few much stronger opponents. But Hitsugaya for some reason doesn't have an "instant killing blow." His opponents either generally break out of the ice or is freed via their ally. For those reasons I'd put my vote on Rukia had they been on the same circumstances.

[@dewitt4724]

If toshiro went to the zero squad he would neg diff rukia

[@amyrose9889nenasonic]

@Paul Fimiano idk I'd that's correct though as even un adult form rukias bankai is still naturally much more deadly than his is

[@Nerthos]

The problem with the Toshiro-Rukia "who's stronger" comparisons is that it doesn't depend only on zampakuto. Looking at most of the really strong shinigami like Yama, Unohana or Aizen, they were considered strong because they had several fields in which they were good. Rukia's zampakuto is amazing, she's good with kido and is a smart combatant. But she sucks at physical combat compared to most captain level shinigami and even some lieutenants, because physically she's a small and relatively frail person. She can't punch an enemy dead like Yama, Soi Fon or even zombie Toshiro could, and she can't take massive blows like Kenpachi, Ichigo or again Yama could. As soon as Toshiro grows a bit he'll have a huge physical advantage over Rukia, tipping the scales in his favour, as both have near-instakill zampakuto abilities. Toshiro's problem in turn is that he's way too nice, so he severely pulls his punches and that always gets him hurt or defeated. But that will probably go away with age. Rukia does have a chance of getting stronger though, and that's heavily training in physical combat to complement her zampakuto and kido with speed. Soi Fon isn't bulkier than her at all, which proves technique counts a lot, and I'm sure Shunsui would approve an order to have the 2nd squad train Rukia on the grounds that a captain has a glaring weakness that can be easily fixed by having another captain train her. If Rukia trains until she's in the top 20% of captains in speed, combined with the sheer offensive power of her zampakuto, she'll be one of the most dangerous captains and only have to worry about arc-villain tier opponents.

[@khadz1705]

It's like you are comparing a physics teacher (Rukia) with Einstein (Toshiro). Thing is Toshiro is a Genius. Similar to how someone with a higher iq has greater intelligence to someone with a lower iq, that's the same. Toshiro is younger than Rukia. He became a shinigami after Rukia but got a bankai before her even became a captain before her. Even if both awakened their bankai at the same time, Toshiro would surpass her in no time like how a Genius would calculate complex maths equations quicker and better than a normal person.

[@yusukeurameshi7744]

It was def her 1st or 2nd time using it because she started to panic after when she couldn't release it the right way causing her fingers to start to break until Byakuya steps in to assist her by risking his own hand freezing by grabbing hers... It was a beautiful moment and you can really tell how precious Rukia is to him.

[@ranzudezuLRTC]

It's so OP that it is so dangerous and I bet Rukia has already mastered this after 10 years ♥

[@dakotadoyle7573]

Byakuya did say that the 10 years to reach Bankai was referring to the training to master it and not unlocking the Bankai itself

[@JerzyLasica]

It's quite strong as it's aoe attack and it slows down movement to a stop. with her bankai she could defeat aizen or hirako some time in the future when she becomes stronger. it seems like a natural counter to ryujin jakka. she could probably withstand that heat, that is, heat generated by ryujin jakka would allow her to use bankai for a prolonged period of time. If you are frozen that's game over. I think when she is of yamamoto's age she will be his polar opposite.

[@kirayamato3181]

When Toshiro is facing Halibel in the second half of the arrancar arc Toshiro says his zanpukuto is the strongest ice and snow type.

[@workinprogress8978]

Before Rukia ever knew bankai. Keep that in mind. That being said, hitsugaya's bankai is also immature, so he could potentially still be superior to Rukia's in the future

[@patrickcollins111]

Uh it is

[@khadz1705]

​@@workinprogress8978zanpakutos are created by the zero division so they basically know it's full potential even before it is unleashed by the shinigami.

[@davidgreenespada9386]

Honestly, Toshiro and Rukia seem to have different powers with a bit of overlap. Toshiro is ice/water, and as such excels in ice constructs, using ice to do slash/pierce/blunt damage, trapping oponents, and surface freezing (maybe it is more or less deep freezing depending on the reiatsu of the opponent, who knows), as a consequence he is very versatile with his power but lacks a bit of lethality. His matured form increases his ability to freeze from what I understand, but it is still limited by surface level (I think). Rukia's power is cold, as such she can use ice powers but it is more of a side effect, and as such can't create the same scultures of ice as Toshiro, at least far less easily. However what she lacks in 'shaping/physical' power she more than makes up for raw lethality, ice/water has a limit for how cold it gets, she bypasses that limit and instantly flash-freezes you with her bankai. If there is ice, it's a side effect of being killed at absolute zero. Now (not canon I know) in Bleach Brave Souls she can move while clad in her Bankai outfit, and freeze oponents with blasts of cold. Honestly, just being able to move as normal, while being able to attack with absolute zero area of effect attacks or(and) sword strikes would be incredibly powerful. Kinda like Yamamoto but with range with her cold attacks and a less absurd defense.

[@johnjohnson2286]

Exactly their powers are similar but way different. And Rukia has good defense you can’t touch her due to how cold her body is, but ya it is nothing like Yamas

[@darknesswave100]

Its crazy how people look at both of their zanpakutos and say oh they're just the same thing. Toshiro deals with actual ice and rukia deals with the idea of cold itself. It's like how people say Kuzan/Aokiji in one piece uses ice. I'm like no his fruit is straight up cold. Him freezing stuff in ice is just a byproduct of lowering the temperature by an insane amount in a short amount of time

[@jocoolshow]

Immature Bankai Toshiro's Ice is stated to be able to freeze people even as strong a Gerard to the bone, but it takes prep. His normal ice freezes the surface level or at the very least enough to shatter you like what he did to Grimmjow's Fraccion

[@johnjohnson2286]

@@jocoolshow since when the fuck was that stated???

[@Gervaj79]

Did you just say toshiro lacks lethaliy lol.

[@wiwlt]

Rukia's, Zaraki's, Urahara's and Unohana's bankai. Can't wait to see those things animated.

[@number3665]

I think Rukia's bankai is stronger than Toshiro's because Toshiro's is based solely on ice. He was stronger but he did not have a better comprehension of his bankai than Rukia had of hers. All throughout the series Toshiro struggled with his bankai and in that fight it was like his very first time using it in it's true form just like Rukia. So in that regard they were both green. But you said it yourself Toshiro's flash freeze was surface level while Rukia's freeze is through and through. Like laying naked in snow vs going out side in -30F with no clothes on. The snow can kill you but water turns into ice a 32F which isn't very cold and will take a while for you to die. Just the air at -30F will kill you much sooner. The ability to drop the temperature of EVERYTHING is much more dangerous than freezing certain things in a layer of ice.

[@jeremycaps]

Toshiro freezing abilities are far greater than you give him credit. Remember when he was fighting Gerard with Kenpachi and Byakuya? He froze Gerard to his core and when Byakuya followed up with an attack you can see Gerard crumble to pieces as he is frozen solid. Toshiro can freeze people just as good as Rukia can, I might add that he is even better than her.

[@archere6833]

@@jeremycaps He also actually manipulate Ice unlike Rukia when for the description of her power ice i just a byproduct of the lowering temperature.

[@dewitt4724]

Toshiro's bankai is still stronger :) Negating all abilities >>> absolute zero

[@dewitt4724]

@Paul Fimiano rukia get neg diff by gerard's breath Kid tosh stopped gerard's punch mid air and saved the vizard

[@dewitt4724]

@Paul Fimiano rukia can use her reatsu to stand in the air like the other shinigami but she didn't have time to so it gerard was to fast But rukia is really strong after her training,she became captain level,but kis toshiro scale to hard he was againts one of the most powerfull quincy

[@CitroChannel]

With Toshiro's Zanpakuto having been said to be the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto in the Soul Society (if I remember correctly), I have also wondered quite a bit if that means that Rukia's Bankai will always be inferior to (adult) Hitsugaya's power. I prefer to think that her Bankai seemingly being more abstractly "cold" based than just an ice-type means that she could become just as strong or potentially stronger. Either that or maybe that statement was only relevant at the time it was stated when Rukia presumably only had Shikai and it may have changed. Anyway, I like that Kubo managed to make two cold/ice type Zanpakuto that don't feel like copies of each other and made them both visually very distinct and just pretty badass! There isn't really any other cases of Bankais that we see that are the same elemental type for comparison. I suppose Love's Zanpakuto's Bankai would probably be a fire-type, though we never see it, and Momo's Zanpakuto seems to be fire-based as well, but we only see the Shikai of either them and they're both more obviously weaker than Yamamoto's Zanpakuto in Shikai and Bankai.

[@corruptangel6793]

I see it as Toshiro technically being stronger depending on use and their respective potential growth. What I mean is that I think of FP Rukia as basically the ice equivalent of Shunsui (super deadly close range Shikai and sure-kill domain Bankai) while Toshiro is the Ice equivalent of Yamamoto, using much bigger, more explosive and generally more powerful attacks.

[@krissjames7276]

I've long ranked Rukia highly, as early as in the Arrancar Arc she was consistently keeping up with her Vice Captain-level allies like Renji and Chad, and even scored a bigger win than any of them by killing an Espada (as "lucky" as that win might have been). Sure, Renji was probably always stronger, but I don't think Rukia was that far behind him, and I think the same is still true after they both received Royal Training. And given just how strong Renji became, and considering how Rukia's bankai seems extremely focused on Offense and One-Hit-Kill power, I think its upper limit is extremely high. I think it'd one-shot the likes of Mask De Masculine and even Askin, as well as an unprepared Gremmy. It's only by the point where you get to extremely resilient, borderline immortal characters like Lille, Pernida and Gerard that I think the bankai would definitely fall short.

[@stellarumnocte9320]

i think Askin would tank the bankai. the dudes a cockroach, other than that though, I completely agree.

[@TheSlammurai]

Even since the beginning, before we barely knew anything about the Soul Society, Renji says something like the Soul Society put a lot of effort into making Rukia powerful, or something like that. So we're clearly supposed to assume Rukia has an insane amount of power and talent she needs to master.

[@johnjohnson2286]

@@stellarumnocte9320 how? It’s a one shot. Unless Rukia goes bankai off that bat he can’t counter, but if she doesn’t she gets stomped on

[@jocoolshow]

People with strong enough Reiatsu can power through her Absolute Zero. As Nodt did it by going Vollstandig, Byakuya was able to quite literally touch her and be unaffected due to being immensely stronger So you don't even have to be the immortal Sternritter level to survive

[@johnjohnson2286]

@@jocoolshow no Rukias power is temperature based not reaitsu so you need AZ resistance to withstand absolute zero.

[@lerona.martyr3811]

I was thinking about the way a bankai is supposed to be the true representation of a shinigamis full power right. Like how their shikai is a part of them like how ichigo learned. so since temperature or "cold" was her true nature, not just ice, then maybe thats why aizen put the hogyoku on rukia. Because we only really see the hogyoku being used at night in turn back the pendulum and everything but the rain if i remember correctly. Also it was said that he was acting at night plus the fact that he most likely made the espada in hueco mundo itself, which was perpetually dark until aizen made the fake sunlight. and aizen was warry of yamamoto, the strongest fire user even though with the hogyoku he should be able to heal and evolve from anything yamamoto throws at him, yet went through the effort to make an espada specifically for him. and this may just be a red herring but he kept the hogyoku in a dark room and lost to ichigo, whos father has fire based abilities. so its possible that rukias body which is intrinsically linked to the cold was jusr the best place to put it. Aizens a smart cookie and wity his ability could chooee anyone and he chose rukia. It fits to nicely to me to be a coincidence but it could just as easily be a crazy theory

[@CelVini]

Urahara was the one who put the Hogyoku on Rukia not Aizen

[@lerona.martyr3811]

@@CelVini damn. but same general idea applys. his intelligence rivals aizens and with something as important and potentially dangerous as the hogyoku hed be best to put it in a safe place that wouldnt be a detriment to it and be as stable as possible

[@deanoor9391]

My boi Toshiro gets recognition in this video but I still love rukia

[@raigami]

love your videos. they helped me understand the story much better after only reading it once. keep up the good work.

[@mamboking0134]

Would be nice to see more combination attacks from the good and bad guys. Everyone always fights one-on-one...

[@VergilSDT]

This is because the shinigami are based(loosely) on samurai as expected from a Japanese show. In the early days of Samurai and the peace time following Ieyasu's rule combat was more often 1v1 duels as opposed to the large scale battles between armies in Sengoku period. Ever noticed how often Bleach characters give each others names before battle and how important a name is? That was another tradition of the aforementioned duels. Even the concept of the Zanpakuto themselves refer to the saying that a samurai's soul resides in his sword.

[@robertgriner1439]

Nice job! I wonder with time if it will become on par with Captain Yama

[@OMGturtlesFTW]

Her bankai ability is literally the one hit KO pokemon move sheer cold

[@giovonemendoza6531]

5:27 that's why I like you. Of course as nodt isn't as strong as byakuya he just took advantage of the situation

[@johnjohnson2286]

Ehhh not really. He’s >= byakuya in reaitsu since he was able to steal his bankai. Plus as nodt also had his holy form. Obv post royal byakuya > as nodt, but I personally think as nodt > pre royal byakuya

[@giovonemendoza6531]

@Paul Fimiano byakuya says it himself he got lazy with his powers. He battle skills are insane. If he could outsmart someone who "taught him everything" then he for sure could have beat as nodt. As I said the quincies just got the drop on them. That's all

[@giovonemendoza6531]

@Paul Fimiano when he came back to the fight with as nodt and rukia. He didn't say lazy but along those lines. Read it again

[@giovonemendoza6531]

@Paul Fimiano "thanks to your theft of my bankai, I was able to come to terms with the true nature of senbon zakura All bonds are like a pointless painting only by distancing yourself from them can one observe their true form. Foolish as I was I had forgotten this fact" He got LAZY with out saying it outright

[@giovonemendoza6531]

@Paul Fimiano then he says thank you. Read it again so you can understand

[@zachmartin5876]

I know the Zanpakuto rebellion arc isnt canon outright, but i would love to see Rukia's Bankai effectively merge her with the Yukki-Onna figure of her Zanpakuto's Spirit. Mainly cause it turns her body into cold, giving her the ability to exhale snowy wind or engulg enemies in a blizzard that impedes them but enables her to move freely would be amazing.

[@TsarDragon]

The thing about Rukia's bankai that has the edge over Toshiro (when facing a fire opponent anyway), is because she's not actually using ice. Since it reduces temperature itself, flames cannot actually exist near her bankai. This is exactly how water douses fire - it doesn't block the oxygen supply or drown the flames, it absorbs heat, vaporizes and takes the heat away from the flames. You can find youtube videos explaining this too. Though, Toshiro's zanpaktou is supposed to be water and ice. So I guess technically he should have the ability to just use water instead? Overall, if Rukia's bankai remains a 1-hit style bankai I think Toshiro's would still be the stronger of the 2 for the versatility.

[@josedeleon3931]

Agree

[@darknesswave100]

Yeah if she always kept the one hit thing then hitsugaya is easily the stronger of the 2 of them. Now if she can skate around eventually like she does in brave souls and has like you said more versatility then that's a whole other thing

[@jocoolshow]

Mature Bankai Toshiro goes beyond the physical limits and weaknesses of ice, being able to freeze things like fire, it even raw energy itself. Then going beyond that, it can freeze concepts like miracles, hope, and the concept of powers and abilities

[@TsarDragon]

@@jocoolshow Source? It stopped Valyrie's abilities on his sword and shield. But it certainly didn't stop his miracle, hence why he's still alive. Lets keep the headcanon to a minimum...

[@jocoolshow]

@@TsarDragon The chapter where he fights Gerard. It's explained that he didn't just freeze the sword, he froze it's hope and miracles

[@jennifersmith-clark6418]

I think it would be a cool fight to see her and Toshiro fight an enemy together.

[@BladeZlayer]

It's just the most beautiful thing i in bleach.. IN THE ANIME.. IT JUST LOOKS SO FKN GOOD and gets me almost tear up

[@adamrodriguez31]

They seem to have put everything in the game after the end of the series. I'm actually impressed by the growth.

[@Limxuv]

After we discover that Rukia's zanpakuto ability is actually temperature-based instead of ice-based, it makes much more sense as to why all her attacks cover an area of space, and now that she has a proper understanding of it I think it has way more versatility than Hitsugaya's and is actually significantly more powerful on the level of Yamamoto's. If you consider the physics behind it, her abilities are quite terrifying. Being able to literally stop anything and erase the energy within a given space because nothing moves at absolute zero, not even electrons, is a godly amount of power. I wonder if even Ryuujin Jakka would be able to compete against it.

[@SN27671]

In theory yeah it sounds super broken. But you also have to factor in that in bleach it doesn’t matter how broken your ability actually is, if your opponent has more reiatsu than you they can cancel it out.

[@Limxuv]

@@SN27671 of course, only manga logic can overcome the effects of absolute zero

[@jeremycaps]

If Rukia and Yamamoto had the same amount of reatsu Ryuujin Jakka would still destroy Sode no Shirayuki.

[@darknesswave100]

Well we saw in the manga that Zanka no tachi can literally erase things from existence. So far as I can tell yeah her bankai drops the temperature an insane amount in an instant it doesnt straight up erase things. Then again when she uses it that could legit be only the 2nd time shes ever used it. Cause I'd assume she discovered it at the royal palace because even byakuya knew about it beforehand and told her to use it against As Nodt and knew she could handle it and also knew that she needed to slowly release it to not hurt herself. So that goes to a whole other thing where I guess byakuya after he healed told rukia hey you need to learn bankai

[@mcwaff8661]

@@SN27671 that's only been shown 2x

[@johnt2642]

Should be noted that we do see her look up at Byakuya after she activates her Bankai when she's still trying to deactivating her Bankai

[@neos5432]

Lets get one thing straight: rukias bankai is inferior to toshiros. Toshiro will have hes true bankai when he becomes an adult and thays when he will surpass shunsui and be the new captain comander.

[@khadz1705]

​@@widodoakrom3938Kenny won't want the responsibility. He only cares about 2 things. 1. Fighting strong opponents. 2. Fighting Ichigo who is the strongest man around him. If he becomes captain commander, there will be a massacre. Plus, he will always be late to meetings by at least a few hours. 😂

[@thenightmajestic1508]

Honestly, before Bleach got a long pause, i've spent literal hours, wondering what Rukia's bankai could be, then, one day, as i was watching random tiktoks, i saw a fan-made animation of Rukia, activating her Bankai (by that time i haven't read the manga and that was almost 2 years ago) and being called Hakka no Togame sounded really beautiful and judging by her tone amd pronounciation, i concluded that she is a playful lad, and her Shikai (Sode no Shirayuki) both in Zanpaktou Rebellion and in general, was/is/will ever be the most artisticaly created Shikai, thats all about killing with cold but soft movements. Kind of like a big sister to Rukia: Dead cold to whoever dares to touch her, but Soft towards her friends

[@josephbanatlao6289]

Her Bankai is basically an ice bomb

[@francoislatulippe7183]

Ive got to point out my appreciation to the fact that all ice related bankai of Bleach have been pretty powerful, but also quite slow to evolve. Very fitting

[@AubTome]

For me I think that her bankai is very strong and has to potential to be very OP kind of like the other side to Yamamoto's coin (if given the time he had to master his)..... Here are a couple of my thought 1 - I think its cool how her bankai mirrors her brother's in that if they lose concentration during it's use they could serious injure or even kill themselves. 2 - Correct me if I'm wrong but Ichigo starts is shinigami journey by receiving Rukia's power, and in his conversation with Oetsu we find out that he was never using his true power (i might be remembering wrong) but could it be possible that up till Ichigo receives his true zanpakuto from Oetsu, what he had been using was a fraction of Rukia's power amped by the Quincy/ Hollow/ Latent Shinigami Powers that his body houses. It would explain why his bankai on first release was speed based. Because Adding energy (heating) atoms and molecules increases their motion, and by removing cold her power could be used to essentially add heat and therefore motion. 3 - If Number 2 has validity then it stands to reason that speed could be in-cooperated into her full mastered bankai

[@pradeepram6741]

Nah, ichigo loses his power after his encounter with byakuya in the first arc. He later trains his own shinigami power with kisuke and bankai with yoruichi.

[@Nerthos]

What Pradeep said. Byakuya takes away Ichigo's Rukia power, soul society believing that'd be the end of it, that's why they're so surprised to see Ichigo infiltrate soul society later.

[@AgrestisAnima]

And I don't think she ever "hid" her true ability, her attacks are just ment to extend the reach that her zanpakuto ability can have.

[@dinolover]

This, her bankai is literally an AOE ice nuke. Its simple yet powerful.

[@Bodabodabroadcast]

Honestly, I think that Byakuya's presence during Rukia's bankai really diluted the reveal . If she had gone into bankai and defeated Äs Nodt without Byakuya's help that would have been a proper win.

[@clydu91]

Hard disagree. Byakuya being there to witness this is the full circle of their character arcs.

[@agni_oh]

Agreed, if As had actually killed Byakuya, this would've made for an interesting emotional moment, with so much more at stake. A flashback would be nice to see as well

[@DemBigOlEyes]

@@clydu91 Agreed. Its not like he helped her out directly or did anything substantial to beat As Nodt. I like him being there to see that his little sister ain't so little no more.

[@dsan17]

@@DemBigOlEyes Correct, Byakuya actually witnessing her bankai in combat is more important to her character and character development than the win itself.

[@polygon2745]

​@@DemBigOlEyes Byakuya DID help her directly. Rukia was about to lose until Byakuya stepped in and destroyed Tartar Foras' dome. I agree that the moment was nice either way, but I think the moment would have been better if she'd ACTUALLY gotten the W without any assistance from Byakuya, because she would truly have been able to step out of his shadow instead of being saved by "nii-sama" yet AGAIN. But like I said, the moments we got between them were still nice, just wish the execution had been different, and that Byakuya had stayed dead.

[@Snailiens]

Her bankai is really cool (pun intended)

[@wesleyvl8572]

A other good vidoe dude keep it up you rock

[@Leslie1984Adams]

her bankai to me is not just a single fash freeze, i believe, similar to how yamamoto's bankai is drying the air around him, i feel her bankai lowers the temp of everything in a radius to her whilst her bankai is active. buyakya manages to get close as i believe she is "deactivating" her bankai. Bleach BS also has a rukia with the oufit like the one she has vs As, and her Soul Bomb performs the bankai and after she has a small ice aoe around her that damages enemies n freezes them which i also helps proof my theory

[@The_Horse-leafs_Cabbage]

Rukia's bankai... I've always imagined it as the inverse of Yama's bankai. Absolute cold versus absolute incineration

[@ice-zero4389]

Technically Rukia bankai level of cold far higher level than yama bankai heat

[@The_Horse-leafs_Cabbage]

@@ice-zero4389 Not really. They're pretty equivalent, if not very similar in terms of attack power. Rukia's bankai can hit absolute zero temperature, capable of freezing all mid, and the vast majority of high level foes in an instant, down to their bones. An instant kill. Yama's bankai was as hot, if not hotter than the surface of the sun (literally 15 million degrees). Capable of not just incinerating, but completely annihilating any non-god-tier opponent (or in the case of fake Yhwach, erasing most of his torso). If Yama wasn't dragging out the fight, he would've probably killed fake Yhwach in an instant.

[@ice-zero4389]

@@The_Horse-leafs_Cabbage I hear u but if u see the opposite of absolute zero. The heat far higher than the heat of the Sun that yama admitted

[@jeremycaps]

@@ice-zero4389 I'm curious, what do you think would happen if you put an object with a temperature equal to the sun against another object with a temperature equal to 0 K?

[@ice-zero4389]

@@jeremycaps the Sun would most likely incinerated it and absolute zero would freeze it to the point that all the object atoms would lose all its binding energy and fall apart under their own weight, crumble to dust. I'm not saying Rukia is stronger than yama. I just saying her absolute zero is more lethal. That's why her bankai is a one-shot instant kill. Yama is a one-shot also but let's be honest royld was tanking his heat with his Quincy defense while asnodt instant died against Rukia bankai and crumble to dust

[@alricsmith6115]

my thoughts on the difference between her and toshiro's are that hyorinmaru's freezes from outside while hers freezes from inside

[@Dissonant-Clash]

Unmastered Bankai Rukia would probably be a bit above Captain class imo. I can see her one shotting all the Visoreds except for Shinji and Hachi

[@Gedi2211]

I personally think that someone with greater Reiatsu can survive Hakka no Togame. Reiatsu can be used to protect the user from attacks and even repel them. If one possesses a greater level of reiatsu then the other can be overcome completely. So if Rukia used her Bankai against an opponent who has far greater Reiatsu than her, then Hakka no Togame will not work. Edit: I wish we got to see it more than once, because it would be much easier to know what it’s limits are. Shinigami battles are battles of reiatsu. Don’t forget that.

[@kanoreese1253]

Agreed.

[@iheartfriday4887]

@Paul Fimiano Yes you can goofy. Shinigami are made out of Reishi.

[@Gedi2211]

@Paul Fimiano So does that mean Rukia can one shot anyone with her Bankai? Cause that to me sounds like you are overhyping her.

[@mcwaff8661]

@@Gedi2211 but who can survive absolute zero it stops ur molecules entirely.

[@Gedi2211]

@@mcwaff8661 It's a fictional world mate. Sometimes real life physics do not always apply to fiction. Plus, when Rukia was using the true abilities of her zanpakuto, against As Nodt, she went down to absolute zero, but As Nodt survived it. Plus, this was before she used her bankai.

[@MultiFandom8isFate]

IF a character with the Reiatsu and talent level of Byakuya OR AIZEN owns Sode no Shirayuki. CHILLS. Literally. Dancing and skating in the battlefield Freezing everything singing LET IT GO, LET IT GO!

[@khadz1705]

A bit like how toshiro used his adult form. It was op. Hope it gets animated well just like how well Rukia's bankai was animated.

[@TheArchfiendGuy]

I think Rukia's bankai has more potential to kill enemies than Hitsugaya's. Just as you said, Hyorinmaru freezes on a surface level but Sode no Shirayuki is all about the cold and can cause someone to effectively freeze from the inside out. Over time Rukia's bankai can possibly become one of the strongest because of this

[@sampalace358]

She’s literally the ice version of Yamamoto! Especially if she masters it and is able to create actual attacks while using it!

[@ice-zero4389]

I mean adult hitsugaya did freeze Gerard to the bone in the end but yeah I agree with u since she does have absolute zero. No argument from me with that

[@darknesswave100]

Even crazier is the fact that that was probably the at most 3rd or even 2nd time she's ever used it. I'd guess in the 10 year timeskip at the end of the series she has more control of it and that's probably why she was made a captain. Then again Tetsuzaimon was made a captain and we all know how much bs that was lol

[@ice-zero4389]

@@darknesswave100 I agree lol

[@Gervaj79]

No lol

[@MandatoryFruit]

My assumption is that it functions as a sort of domain expansion where everything within Rukia's "domain" reaches absolute zero. Rukia being the sole person with free reign to do whatever she wants in it. Though I do wonder how Toshiro would handle it. In his adult form I imagine he probably has a natural resistance to such temperatures given all the insane things he can freeze.

[@Hanitcal69]

Can’t wait to see this get animated

[@thedarkblitz]

Her bankai is basically her turning into the queen of winter. (?)

[@GraveEnd]

Seems that way also she looks like a reverse version of ichigo

[@mizenbarbarossa494]

Ice is just frozen water the coldest ice is 160 Celsius but rukia's Bankai is coldness itself so her Bankai is the absence of heat almost to a Sub-Zero level which some believe is impossible so their bankai may appear and look similar in a fashion but are actually different what would be devastating to an enemy if hitsugaya and Rukia were to use their Bankai in unison.

[@wayjay9701]

I actually think that, with further mastery, it could pair well with Yamamoto’s bankai. He could use it while she helped keep everyone around him cool and safe

[@iheartfriday4887]

No? Yammatos Bankai is too hot for any ice or water type Zanpakuto.

[@wayjay9701]

@@iheartfriday4887 Not overcoming the fire, but cooling his allies so that they wouldn’t be negatively affected by being near his bankai

[@Tyki𭙑]

@@iheartfriday4887 toshiro would like a word

[@iheartfriday4887]

@@Tyki𭙑 Toshitos bankai literally melted when Yamamoto activated his Bankai.....

[@catherinelim2341]

​@@iheartfriday4887 except that sode no shirayuki's power doesn't need any moisture to work. it is thermal in nature, not elemental. she's basically controlling temperature and "sucking out" heat energy from the area. the ice created is just a by-product of its power

[@junefred9593]

Toshiro and rukia looks similar but its already stated that hyourinmaru is the strongest ice type zanpakuto but sode no shirayuki is a snow type zanpakuto so there is still a difference.

[@iheartfriday4887]

It's only the strongest because Toshiro is stronger than Rukia.

[@D-Skotes]

Out of curiosity is her captain form in bbs considered cannon?

[@dominquebanton9758]

Well it was designed by kubo himself but i don't think it was explicitly stated.

[@ksmikari1045]

Yes it is technically cannon she did appear in her captain clothes 10year later in the manga the bbs version just displayed her power at that point.

[@clydu91]

Games aren't canon, no. Design is just that, design.

[@CelVini]

Yes

[@franodragneel1399]

Yea it’s basically canon

[@devinsmyname]

Her bankai, is in concept terrifying. Dropping something to absolute zero means ceasing all movement, even at a molecular level. Like, the easiest you're getting off by getting hit is 4th degree cryogenic burns and if you manage to survive that it would require amputation. Worst case scenario your body would turn as brittle as glass and as soon as it's exposed to higher temp air it would likely shatter.

[@calpalius8943]

I mean she can live for a loooong time i imagine her power ceiling is like one or two tiers below Yamamoto. Imagine the possibilities of her using ice but also using the cold aspects, like shooting ice javelins and summoning giant pillars of ice inside her AOE from her bankai and using cold slashes and being able to change the landscape with ice I feel like given time to fully learn to use and control her bankai, rukia would be pretty op

[@iheartfriday4887]

@Paul Fimiano No soul reaper ever will? So we forgetting Kenpachi exists? Who is imo the strongest shinigami?

[@iheartfriday4887]

​@Paul Fimiano you are misunderstanding what Yamamoto is saying.

[@iheartfriday4887]

@Paul Fimiano Yamamoto said nothing about potential. He said something like no one in the gotei 13 was stronger than him which was true up until the TYBW Arc.

[@iheartfriday4887]

@Paul Fimiano Goofy.

[@tolvajtamas8567]

Im just here wondering if Aizen sensed Rukia activating Bankai or not. I mean, the guy complimented her on becoming vice-captain, but didnt say anything else to her.

[@jamesdeboer6789]

I think her bankai would have a sword strike, in that the attack was directed at As Nodt while leaving Byakuya undamaged; so it wouldn't just be an area of effect skill as it didn't affect the whole area.