So, How POWERFUL Did Renji & Rukia Become in TYBW? Who is STRONGER? | Bleach Discussion

[@MrTommo2304]

So, this is kind of a sequel to my three-year old video looking at the Renji vs Mask fight - just how incredibly strong have Renji and Rukia become? I try to come to a verdict in this video, but let me know your thoughts down in the comments! Plus, how does Mask's Schrift work, and could Rose have actually won that fight? There's a lot to talk about!

[@Ando1428]

The answer to your title is byuakuya. He kills 5 sternritter off screen. I hope they show it this time.

[@DenizenoftheAges]

Rukia was done beautifully. Top-tier. I wasn't as impressed by Renji. Now Byakuya -- my boy got a KILLER powerup.

[@elmossavworld3543]

Honestly I like your ranking of captains... your completely right though shinji such a wild card... but we all know it's because in a 1v1 fight we will never see his "full" power aka bankai, but only reiatsu

[@nerdragon2649]

Hey Tommo! There's a matter about the nature of Rukia's power, and also Tōshirō's, that is kinda a hot topic for the fandom here where I live. Even polemic, you might say. I have a KZbin channel focused on Bleach as well, though it just started, and I think this topic should be covered and spread as quickly as possible! Your vast knowledge of Bleach is a beacon for us all, and an inspiration for me and my homies to start our own channel. So I'd like to ask if is there any way to get in contact with you and explain our theories and interpretations on the matter and then you would judge if such a topic is worthy of a dedicated video. I know it's a unusual request... but I await your answer

[@joshuasantiago8643]

​@@Ando1428Meninas and Liltotto were not killed by Byakuya but.. Yes.. Be stopped 5 offscreen!

[@dan240393]

I love that Renji and Rukia got their due. But man, I'm still sore that Ikkaku didn't get to have his Bankai reforged and have his day in the sun.

[@StrawRabbi]

I don't think Ikkaku would have gotten it if given the chance without Kenpachi doing so as well. Dude was quite strong already but chose to follow Kenpachi in his squad even if it meant not being recognized

[@superelite5133]

These two got insane power ups i feel like physically renji is stronger than most captains but in terms of abilities rukia is absolutely insane.

[@EdensukoV]

Pretty much agree. Clearly zabimaru is a physical zanpakuto, and renji is a very physical fighter, that can only take you so far, unless you are Ichigo or kenpachi . Rukia and shirayuki are more kiddo based, hence the higher power ceiling, but she is les durable

[@albuspercivalwulfricbriand5363]

@@EdensukoVyou are right. But Rukia is still a fighter who can affect the material world mostly. The most powerful characters are the ones, who manipulate reishi and have some conceptual powers. Look at Yamamoto, Ichibei, Kyoraku. Toshiro can freeze even reishi and abilities, Kenpachi can cut through anything, Uryu can swap between anything and Ichigo is just Ichigo. Rukia and Renji don’t have that much potential and I’m pretty sure what they showed us are as close to their peak as they can get.

[@Manusia.satu1]

​​@@EdensukoV How she not durable when she can survive absolute zero? That universe level feat that most Bleach fan doesn't even know. Nothing cooler than absolute zero in universe

[@iReiGNxx]

@@Manusia.satu1If anything, her power quite literally makes her less durable

[@Manusia.satu1]

@@iReiGNxx durable for what lol. Her opponent will be dead already after using that power. Only top tier characters can survive her attack.

[@zenraloc]

I think they were chosen solely based on the fact that they were preparing ichigo to be eligible for becoming the soul king. Who better to grant power to protect the new soul king than his closest shinigami friends/allies

[@DmDaPDm]

ooo good theory

[@madnawi]

oh shit bro...thats is actually a pretty good theory.

[@angeladavidson7840]

I can only say that Renji has always been my favorite character in Bleach, and I've consistently wished he received more respect. He has finally gotten his due, in my opinion. Captain level, for sure. Thank you for highlighting his strength and progression.

[@august6281]

me too. I thought against the scientist espada or yammy, he would get some action, then respect eventually. But no, he got mopped twice.

[@rubies200]

My fan fantasy, is that Renji is an offspring of one (or more) of the five great noble families who created the Soul King. He gained a bankai--even though he is from one of the poorest sections of the Rukongai. Ikkaku had one before him, so I'm not sure where the Vice-Captains got theirs.

[@Taiga-16]

He's my favorite character alongside Rukia and Byakuya.

[@bleachedshadow9981]

Rukia didn’t even seem to have much training with her Bankai. Imagine the possibilities.

[@ralpharambe163]

In terms of potential, I think Rukia edges out Renji. She kills As Nodt by simply *activating* her Bankai; we've only seen the literal tip of the iceberg in terms of Hakka no Togame. I think Renji is still overall a smidge stronger, though, as he's been in the front lines much more and he's been using his Bankai, even half baked, a lot longer than Rukia.

[@sulu51gaming]

I think it wouldve been interesting if as a result of mask busting his eardrums he wouldnt be able to hear james' cheers putting a hard cap on how many times he would be able to powerup, it wouldve given some lasting contribution from roses fight/defeat and the rest of the fight could just play out the same way just this time with a hard power ceiling that renji can overcome to still show off his training

[@rwbyab7423]

That’s actually a better concept than what happens in canon. Nice idea.

[@nicolaemihai3581]

Interesting, but I think the theme was the crazyness of wrestling so the logic part is limited here

[@thestroke435]

Completely agree with your rankings. It was so nice to see Rukia and Renji finally have their crowning moments

[@zuko1331]

I am beginning to wonder if Rukia didn't have the needed reiatsu control over her bankai that the training in the Royal Palace gave her, which allowed her to finally FULLY unlock her bankai. It might have been the final key to it all..

[@austinwright4445]

Considering how Renji has trouble controlling Kido relative to other officers of his level and above I’d argue that the logic here might apply to him better. I think it would be a good explanation as to why his zanpakuto wouldn’t consider him “worthy” despite how disrespectful it seems Kubo was being from a “the blade is me” perspective.

[@purerage7963]

@@austinwright4445 I've always headcanoned that Zabimaru withheld its true self because Renji was too cowardly to save Rukia on his own until the climax of the SS Arc. He finally comes into his own in the Fullbring Arc as he was training during the timeskip with Aizen as his goal, and grew considerably since the SS Arc. He still showed courage back then, but the fact that he was hesitant at first is probably why Zabimaru didn't trust him despite his turnaround.

[@sladew9788]

I look at it in manner that rukia, previously, had been using her zanpakto like how toshiro uses. Because she considered her zanpakto to be similar to toshiro's hyorinmaru in function. Her first statement about her zanpakto was "this is the true power of sode no shirayuki" showing that she just learnt the real usage of her zanpakto. Considering that rukia's zanpakto functions completely opposite to toshiro's. You can infer that she was blinding herself from getting her bankai because she misunderstood her shikai powers to begin with.

[@HadesOfOlympus]

@@sladew9788 That.... that actually makes ALOT of sense. I like how you think.

[@xdragoonzero0]

​@@sladew9788Interestingly, both Rukia and Renji's Bankais are similar to Ichigo's, in that they're bankai they wear.

[@AgrestisAnima]

I believe Rukia didn't learn Sode no Shirayukis real ability with Ichibei's help, but with spending time within herself. Byakuya made sure she never got a position as a officer and she basicly needed to hold back and was unsure of her power. Even with Kaiens help in the beginning. I think that caused her to mishandle her Zanpakuto. She only was able to get all out when she fought enemies WAY stronger then her, but she couldn't really become comfortable fighting like that all the time. I think that's what happened. She didn't go all out with Meninas, felt her brother die and lost her shit, and had the opportunity to think about all that happened and how it would be different if she just stopped being insecure all the time. Thats what I think anyway. Sode no Shirayuki never "showed" her it's true power because she wasn't certain Rukia could handle it with confidence. Because tbh without it she would fu***** scatter into pieces. Imagine her using her true Zanpakuto and getting hit by Meninas pre Royal Palace Training. RIP

[@Marukanitel]

I wish we got to see others Inner worlds and talk to their Zanpuktoūs

[@babaG819]

Good point

[@MichaelFormoso]

I think you're forgetting to acknowledge the mental block that her relationship with her brother has on her potential. Remember in Season 1, Rukia did say that in the years since she was accepted into the Byakuya Household, her brother never once looked at her. So as the series progressed despite their relationship having improved somewhat, it actually came to a significant turning point, when Byakuya acknowledged that Rukia no longer had any fear, and do you know why? It's because her brother finally "sees" her, and acknowledges that she has become strong. That one phrase from her brother, not only made her incredibly happy, but empowered...literally.

[@frankehfightaz]

Really hope we get some more interactions between these two, a double battle later or helping fight Ywhach could be really cool.

[@gammafrost]

They really wouldn’t be much help against ywach but I do hope we see an extended battle against Bazz B

[@MiPerezosoHermoso]

Anyone below Ichigo and Aizen's power would get absolutely wrecked by Yhwach ☠️

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

​@@MiPerezosoHermoso Still I feel like they should at least be doing *something* during the final battle. We know that they actually went with Ichigo all the way to the palace and then... We got absolutely nothing out of it other than a single scene of Chad guarding the way against random soldats lol

[@fredriklind6727]

To me this was one of the biggest flaws of this arc, Kubo introduced god as the final villain, an almost omnipotent god. Without a deus ex machina how do you defeat god.

[@D3ltus]

​​@@fredriklind6727I think that's the main critique to the ending of Bleach tho, that it was a deus ex machina that defeated Ywach. There was little explanation given on how and why it was possible to get past the Almighty, it just happened like that, all the problems were solved. I think the extra content in the anime has started to give some kind of explanation as to why it was possible, Ichibei described Ichigo as more than a soul reaper already, we saw him struggle down the path and are given a hint he has gained understanding of the world alongside power, so hopefully it gets wrapped up nicely by the end of the anime and the deus ex machina of Bleach will be no more

[@scargmedia1861]

I think you raised something that's a common misconception in the fact that Renji is not actually weak, even before he sets foot in the Royal Palace. What he really suffers from is framing. A limited Renji plays with Ichigo on that first trip to the human world, then dominates him with ease immediately after activating Shikai, only to be overwhelmed when he's caught off guard when Ichigo gets a sudden reiatsu boost of ambiguous scale. He then fights Ichigo again in the Soul Society, with no limit and is pretty dominant until Ichigo yet again gets a sudden reiatsu boost. In those two cases, he fought the main character and essentially lost because the plot required him to lose. I really don't think Renji comes out too badly in his Byakuya fight. It's not surprising that he would lose, considering the strength of his opponent and his recently acquired, what we now know to be incomplete, Bankai. Let's not forget that Yoruichi scoffs at the suggestion from Ichigo (who has just thoroughly defeated Renji) that he fight Byakuya when he shows up at the Shrine of Penitence. Then Renji fights Yylfordt Granz, again with limit at the start of the fight and struggles at first but quickly turns the tide upon having his limit is removed. It's worth bearing in mind that even Hitsugaya in Bankai struggles against his opponent in this fight until his limit is released. So although this is another point where I feel Renji is perceived as weak, his struggles are comparable to those of that entire team. The fight against Szayelaporro Granz is a tricky one. First, although a low ranking one, he is an Espada and the significance of that shouldn't be understated (and he is only one rank lower than Zommari Rureaux, against whom Byakuya cannot be said to have had an easy fight). Additionally, even when defeated by Mayuri, he's never actually defeated by overwhelming strength, so it's difficult to make a judgement of power. Then in the fight with Jackie, it's made pretty clear (in my opinion) that the Fullbringers greatly overestimate their ability to fight on par with the Shinigami. They simply aren't as strong as they'd like to think. I'd say with their power ups, a fair assessment of their strength is they could probably take out some mid tier hollows. Renji totally outclasses Jackie barehanded but while this is arguably one of the most impressive looking displays of Renji's strength up to that point, the trouble is this is not the most impressive of feats. So I think the unfortunate thing about Renji is that up until his fight with James/Mask, he invariably gets set up in situations where has to lose for plot reasons, he can't show off his strength because he enters the fight with restrictions or simply doesn't need to exercise it, or he faces an opponent that he has no hope of defeating in the first place just because they are particularly strong.

[@ashcat9574]

Absolutely this!!!! People do not accurately analyze battles. Even during the Soul Society Arc in his second battle with Ichigo, he is dominating him. Not a single hit is made against Renji by Ichigo until that very last sword strike. The fact that Hannataro found the hollow mask on Ichigo after the battle signifies that his life was in danger and that Renji was no joke.

[@MarcSiqueira]

Plus these Sciency characters like Mayuri and Aporro are basicly a battle of shenanigans. Mayuri is basicly a plot carrier, he always has a trick up his sleeves, some strange miraculous drug / technology to solve a situation and win or at the very least survive. Even when he got Nuked by Ishida, got his bankai destroyed and gutted worse than a fish, he still not only survived but reforged his own bankai later on, when he himself says a broken bankai cant be fixed. Even Urahara's fights that are full of shenanigans in the end are better explainable than Mayuri's cheats lol. Definely would expect that someone like Aporro couldnt be defetead by brute force characters like Renji, would required the likes of mayuri / Urahara Kisuke

[@WaterKirby1994]

Byakuya defeated Espada 7 Zommari easily if you watch that fight. It was probably the most 1 sided slaying of an Espada in the series with Byakuya himself acknowledging how he is outclassing his opponent. Byakuya & Kenpachi were taking down Yammy offscreen while Deicide happened the same opponent effortlessly defeated Renji, Chad, & Rukia.

[@scargmedia1861]

@@WaterKirby1994 He does also have to sacrifice two of his limbs before he figures out how to counter Espada 7’s ability with Kido. It’s only then that he turns the tables and overwhelms him, so I stand by my assessment that it wasn’t an easy fight (even if it wasn’t a particularly difficult one either). As for Yammy, obviously two of the most powerful captains in the Gotei 13 are stronger than Renji, Rukia and Chad in the Arrancar arc. That’s not an argument for Renji being weak.

[@WaterKirby1994]

@@scargmedia1861 I wasn't saying Renji, Chad, & Rukia were weak, I was saying that Zommari was nowhere close to a challenge for Byakuya. I have to rewatch that fight although Byakuya seemed like he was holding back. Ichigo vs Grimmjow would have been a better argument for supporting Renji at that time.

[@effarig4017]

I really appreciate the extra time taken to explore Kensei and Rose. I know it's a running joke at this point how embarrassing that fight was for them, but they both do decent things in that fight. Kensei is able to pretty easily "defeat" a once cheered Mask who took out 3 lieutenants on his own, and Rose was able to snare and possibly kill a Mask whod been cheered a few times atp.

[@drointhewind480]

Mask didnt figure out Rose, he straight up told him his weakness

[@Titansdeath]

@@drointhewind480 Yeh, but if you didn't have the regeneration (cuz I doubt that eardrums do regenerate if you completely destroy them, same as chopped of arm - it just doesn't grow back), would you do the same thing Mask did? I doubt that.

[@Titansdeath]

@@drointhewind480 And also if destroying your eardrums so you'd go deaf for your entire life is the only counter for Rose...wouldn't you think it still kinda sucks to not be able to hear anymore? I'll remind you - just covering ears won't help.

[@DeBean970]

​@@TitansdeathYes. Bleach universe is crazy. We've seen characters survive lethal injuries and suffer no effects in the long term. No surprise if a character could get his ear drums completely fixed by a healer in a few hours. His choice was to temporarily sacrifice his hearing or his life.

[@Titansdeath]

@@DeBean970aight, then who of all the Stern Ritter have power to restore damage? It’s not something you can “grow back”. Yamajii after all didn’t ask for help to restore his hand, even though, Mayuri probably could patch him up. But as for the Sternritter? Giselle? Others don’t have the power to restore damaged organs, as far as I recall. So it’s still crazy to think that someone would lose their hearing permanently to win.

[@yukimurasanada5209]

Rukia's Bankai is a great character development but her hearing Byakuya saying she has become strong made her go further, that acknowledgement was a long time desire of hers and now she stands as an equal colleague as a fellow captain, I love it, also if you are a soul reaper AND a close bro of Ichigo your going to be a higher tier captain level guy, mostly because where ever Ichigo is, Chaos and War is there to help them all grow, and one of the reasons captains keep losing is, they know nothing of their enemies weakness, yet at the same time going on about, My Zanpaktou's ability's to do this and that so long as you do NOT exploit this and that

[@umbradomini]

Definitely wouldn't say a messy video. Informative, insightful, and passionate are better descriptions. Thanks for another awesome analysis!

[@pnumekin3642]

I think Mask power is kind of similar to Stark with Lilynette. His fan contain most of his power and transfer more of it with each cheer and the last step is the full absorption like Stark resurrection.

[@gammafrost]

That’s an interesting way of looking at it

[@matthewlang737]

SO HYPE! Once Rukia masters her bankai she'll be a female version of Yamamoto's bankai. So powerful. Renji's power scaling is a bit weird as Mr. Tommo has mentioned in his Mask Du Masculine video, but he's still really strong.

[@elmossavworld3543]

I mean maybe... I always thought everyone held toshiro in high regards cause he would be the ice version of Yamamoto since his zanpakuto is considered strongest ice zanpakuto... rukia is simply "cold" as she likes to put it🤔

[@Marukanitel]

Rukia could do her dances in Bankai, like how Yammamoto does the four coordinates

[@elmossavworld3543]

@@Marukanitel toshiro is a far cry from his full power up he is a prodigy who needs to force and adult form to use his "full" power. Yamamoto developed those 4 forms over the years.... he explains this in fight with ywach

[@RFDN0]

​@Just_A_Typical_Person Rukia's Bankai at this time seems to be a nuke ice AOE attack that will, with training, allow her to move and fight normally with freezing blows. While yes Yamomoto sounds similar as his north is an AOE and his east and west function similarto her bankai's mer presence that isn't uncommon with bankais. Most Bankai's have AOE techniques, if they have any close range vaule then again the user can use their core ability in shielding and offensive close range combat.

[@sanddry738]

I don’t think Rukia’s would reach the sheer power and detestation of Yamamoto’s but her having more control and not being at risk of shattering so easily would be huge

[@BladeBloodreaver]

I think you are correct on the list. As for the swords scene, remember that both Ichigo and Renji had to reforge their swords in their own way. In the end, they both ended up with their "true" forms. Rukia didn't know the true form of her shikai form. So I think Rukia was mostly a knowing her ability, starting to learn her bankai and stat up. Where as Ichigo and Renji went higher levels of bankai and stat up, resulting in them coming out stronger than Rukia.

[@terrellinc22]

Dropping everything down to absolute zero on Kelvin scale where there is no kinetic energy is huge. With practice and if they somewhat follow physics slightly similar to DC/Marvels versions of Ice characters, Rukia should easily surpass DC Killer Frost power range and be more similar to Marvels Ice Man - whom is considered like "Omega 2" in the comics. Once she trains the power of mobility in Ice form.

[@clemenx]

Absolute Zero powers are always mega op broken in fiction lol its kinda the same issue Speedsters have.

[@ark_knight]

I have been saying it. If it follows physics, then absolute zero is broken. She can transform stuff, create electro magnets, contain explosions and all manner of shit. But I guess she will need a PhD degree for that lol. Which isn't exactly diificult for her since she excelled in her education too.

[@trapking2009]

Emilia from rezero has an ability called absolute zero as well she basically freeze everything even the atmosphere and time

[@ark_knight]

@@trapking2009 Emilia-tan!

[@rubies200]

Yet she bled when she was slowly warming up, from Byakuya's touch. How long will it take her to master her bankai? Her bankai might be beautiful--but deadly for her to try to control. Even Byakuya told her that.

[@randallellison6421]

This is what I love about Bleach, they're not afraid to let other characters besides the MC have their moments, and seeing Rukia's bankai animated was well worth the wait, hopefully, we'll see more of it down the road!

[@doginababyseat5127]

Oh I hard disagree. The Vizards and Soi Fon would too 😂. They get gassed up by Kubo only to fall hard on their face every time. You would think since this is the final arc he would give them a well deserved solid W, but no. Byakuka needs a power boost and to show off by defeating multiple sternritters at once. Oh, and he gets a cool team up fight! Cause we all know he never got enough time to shine in the manga.

[@maciekwucow3989]

​@@doginababyseat5127Also Renji and Rukia are Ichigo close Shinigami friends so they pretty much a main characters as well.

[@doginababyseat5127]

@@maciekwucow3989 Yup. Basically only fan favorites and close friends get to shine. Everyone else just gets abandoned.

[@TheiTrecz]

Ikkaku could probably have gotten his Ryomon Hozukimaru fixed if he went up to the palace, right? We never get to see it after that first fight he uses it, just told that "it will never be the same", so we don't know just how bad it really is, but you'd think if it were even usable he would have used it vs Mask before getting beaten into the ground. (Speaking of other characters going up to train with squad 0).

[@gammafrost]

Damn good point. In fact, Ikkaku is probably the only other lieutenant I would have said deserved to go up there. The guy got Bankai as a seated officer and only used it once. If Ichibei trained him, we would have gotten something brand new

[@LupercalRising]

He defo could have had it fully awakened like Renji did

[@gammafrost]

@@LupercalRising agreed 100 percent. Maybe in the hell arc, he’ll be done justice and awaken his true Bankai

[@SunlightGwyn]

Bankai cannot be fixed even in the Soul Palace. Mayuri and Komamura’s Bankai are the exceptions. Ichigo’s Bankai wasn’t fixed, Ichigo never had a real Bankai before the Soul Palace. Oetsu unlocked Ichigo’s True Bankai to replace his fake broken one.

[@SunlightGwyn]

@@LupercalRising No he couldn’t. Renji’s Bankai was incomplete. If we find out that Ikkaku’s Bankai is incomplete then he could unlock the full version. But as far as we know, Ikkaku’s Bankai is the full version. I realize Kubo can make any Bankai incomplete as an excuse to upgrade it but he hasn’t done that with Ikkaku.

[@CaptainKotetsu]

Totally unrelated to this video, but I just went to my second-ever Anime Convention today. I met Mirio Togata’s dub actor and got an autograph! I’m going back tomorrow in Kisuke Urahara cosplay. I’ve got the cane and everything.

[@TheBigExclusive]

"Captain" isn't a power level. It's a TITLE. The various Captains have varying degrees of power. Some are weaker. Some are stronger.

[@jeepdino7353]

Before watching the video, i will say that reiatsu wise, they became stronger than any captain except post shikai training kenpachi RR byakuya and maybe adult toshiro. Hikifune said they were brimming with reiatsu they had never even fathomed, even for ichigo. The only thing that ever gave them trouble after that was either hax abilities or someone even stronger like gerard As for between them, I think Renji has the brute force, literally destroying and vaporizing someone multiple times captain level, But if they were to fight, i think Rukia would finesse the hell out of him

[@tubefaze]

Thank you for mentioning the fact that Renji was always a powerhouse. He'd go against enemies that were stronger solo and his zanpakto was limiting him.

[@maxbigavelli6586]

LooooooL renji was and always will be ass dude is Yamcha with a sword stop it. Zero respect for that jobber

[@christianmino4073]

I think it would be cool as fuck if in the hell arc reji can shoot zabimaru out and retract it in an instant make it more like a shotgun than a sword when he uses it in that way. I mean if you think about it, it should be standard progression with a sword like that. I know the end is blunt when it's in shikai but still.

[@CaptainKotetsu]

Renji’s old Bankai looked cooler, but the new one is much more effective.

[@SunlightGwyn]

I miss Hikotsu Taiho. 😔

[@Marukanitel]

Fr 😭

[@danielisaacs3946]

The anime absolutely butchered Renji vs Mask. Where literally every fight so far has either been a shot for shot remake or better yet extended, Renji’s fight got cut in half. Not only that but Rukia vs As Nodt was an entire episode while Renji vs Mask was rushed in half an episode. As a Renji fan I was left feeling very disappointed that his biggest moment in the TYBW was essentially played on fast forward.

[@bepo1702]

I honestly agree with this. Everything after mask activated his holy form was amazing, it's just cutting out the beginning of the fight kind of ruined it for me, as someone who enjoyed seeing renji toying with mask and the dialougue that was exchanged between them. Just hoping they do kenpachi, ichigo, mayuri and squad 0 justice. The ichibei fight needs to remain the same length too

[@pepeelghetto1231]

Just a little thing worth noting, Renji actually goes on and does some impressive stuff later on the arc, first He spars with Bazz B offscreen, Bazz B being one of the strongest regular sternritter; and most importantly, He throws around Base Gerard with little difficulty. He is actually a beast lol, aside from Byakuya, Shunsui, Mayuri, Zaraki and ADULT toshiro, Renji and Rukia are easily way above everybody else in the Gotei. Ofc in any type of continuation Kubo won't capitalize on this; if the hell arc actually happens, Renji and Rukia won't be that much stronger than say Shinji or Soifon; same deal if for example, Unohana or Jushiro appear again, those guys will have whatever power the plot needs, not the power their showings in the manga actually suggest. So yes, unless some sequel to the hell chapter comes out and retcons the power creep from the TYBW, Renji and Rukia should be able to completely foderize any captain aside of the 5 mentioned ones. Edit: Oh, also another thing that is relevant here is that Byakuya quite literally claims He cannot defeat As Nodt in the first invasion without using bankai, and that's before being affected by the Fear, and ofc, as nodt not using vollstanding. Couple that with the fact that even before the timeskip Byakuya was able to easily humilliate Espada 0 Yammy without even using senkei or anything, you get to the conclusion that As Nodt's stats are actually ridiculous, even before considering his Schrift, therefore, IMO, Rukia easily should be above Shinji bc of defeating As Nodt being a bigger deal than most people think.

[@WaterKirby1994]

We never saw Yammy get defeated, how do you know Byakuya didn't use Senkei? As for F the Fear I agree that As Nodt was 1 of the Strongest Sternritters (Top 10) & likely stronger than both Bazz B (H the Heat) & Mask (S the Superstar), with what I noticed much of the power of the Sternritter is concentrated Closest to the Start & End of the Alphabet. A for Almighty & Antithesis, then we remember how overpowered B-D were, E the Explode & F the Fear are also likely close to that level of power. M the Miracle is a huge exception to this.

[@SunlightGwyn]

18:46 If we are judging pure strength and combat prowess: 1) Byakuya 2) Kenpachi 3) Renji 4) Toshiro 5) Shunsui 6) Shinji 7) Rukia 8) Soifon 9) Mayuri 10) Kensei 11) Rose Now who would win in a fight is different. Mayuri is capable of beating any Captain due to his inventions and prep time, but physically he’s not stronger than any of the previous Captains. Shinji and Rose could win against most of the cast as well do to the trickiness of their Zanpakuto.

[@fatman80000]

I like to think that Ikaku, Yukichika, and Hisagi were able to get their hits in , and maybe bring Mask to his knees. And then James' cheering suddenly powers up Mask in front of them.

[@jmacirish]

"I discussed this in a video made almost three years ago" Jesus has it been that long? I remember listening to it right when it came out on a long drive home from vacation.

[@uraharakisuke1329]

16:30 that would be so cool to see. It's probably best to wait for after the anime ended, since we might get new feats and infos on Sternritter in the upcoming cours

[@dungeonmaster3464]

I don't really have a plot basis for this, but I don't think Mask's/James's power should be treated as a linear ability. Considering James is supposed to be Stern Ritter "S" and Mask is his creation, I think James feeds reishi into Mask to increase his strength and patch up his wounds. He probably has a base level for Mask, but when Mask is in trouble, he dials up the reishi to put him above whoever he's facing. He then sink Mask down to his "base level" to preserve the spectacle of his hero overcoming powerful enemies. The reason why he can't overcome Renji is because Renji doesn't start the battle at his strongest point, which makes it difficult for James to judge how much power to give Mask. Once James is gone, that's Renji's opportunity to hit Mask with everything he has.

[@dawkins2101]

Why would mask tell James thats he would be reborn if mask was the creation?

[@zynergx6973]

​@@dawkins2101Because that's how their schrift works. Mask clearly stated that him and James are one, meaning that even if James were to perish, as long as Mask is around he can come back no matter how severe the damage and vice versa.

[@dungeonmaster3464]

@@dawkins2101 Kubo himself said that James was the real Stern Ritter, and that Mask is his ideal image of a hero. This is confirmed. It could be that James was bonded to his creation by the Superstar, so they would both exist as long as the other is alive. Like one of those videogame bosses where there are 2 enemies that revive each. You need to kill both simultaneously.

[@talos86]

@@dungeonmaster3464 Ywach confirmed it too in the post credit scene, when he re-absorbed James's power.

[@dawkins2101]

@@zynergx6973 thankyou for the clarification

[@SinHurr]

The thing I always think after seeing how buff Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya came back is "why the hell doesn't Zero Squad just do this for all/most Shinigami?" And then I realize: 1) Explicitly not their job 2) Their training would probably kill most shinigami in the first place, so, you know.

[@DerekKnop]

I think that Renji already having brute forced his way into Bankai, even a wrong or incomplete one, gave him an edge in being able to control and use his true bankai. But I think that the bigger truth about their power ups isn't who is stronger, it's that they totally and definitively prove that the elitist drivel about the superiority of the noble houses is nothing but lies. Remember when Byakuya is faced with both Renji and Ichigo back to back and he keeps narrating to himself about how special and rare Bankai is, and how it's super rare even for nobles, who are all super special, to have one and they only appear once or twice per generation? I think that 3/4 of all Bankai's we see are from "common" soul reapers. Rukia has noble status, but she was born in the slums with Renji, and now those two, while not the strongest for sure, would at least make anyone ranked higher than them work pretty hard for a win if they decided to 1v1. I've said it before, Renji's new bankai suits his fighting style way more than this incorrect bankai ever did, and Rukia's Bankai definitely suits her more elegant, tactical way of fighting. She controls the battle field with her bankai, where as Renji just owns the battle field.

[@PrimeTime__]

Can't forget that Ichigo is also from noble blood, the Shibas. Rukia's power up is an exception due to the royal guard training. Byakuya got it too and we saw how much further he progressed. But I think it's safe to say any of the Gotei 13 would benefit from time at the palace, but those with natural propensity for high reiatsu would excel even more.

[@ayoa1173]

I don't think Byakuya words are "elitist drivel." We follow only the most powerful shinigami in the story who have made it to the top. None of them are "common" and their journey to the top is defined in centuries, sometimes millennia. Each of the divisions of the Gotei 13 are approximately 200 members deep so the captains alone are the top 0.5%. At the time of the Soul Society Arc, bankai wielders included 12 captains, possibly 3 lieutenants and, 1 3rd seat. That's 0.6% all Gotei 13 personnel with an age range that could be over 2000 years or ~80 generations. The noble families however are the only families that we have seen produce multiple presumed bankai users. The original captain of the 2nd division was a Shihoin like Yoruichi. Byakuya succeeded his grandfather as captain of the 6th division even though his father was Grandpa's lieutenant. And with the Shiba's, Ichigo and Isshin have bankai but not Kaien and his siblings. A couple dozen bankai users amongst thousands of shinigami across thousands of years means it's rare regardless of background. As Byakuya said, "those who achieve bankai are forever etched into the history of Soul Society." It's going to be common amongst the main characters because they are the main characters. It's like the rarity of Super Saiyan in DBZ.

[@WaterKirby1994]

@@ayoa1173 Super Saiyan is complicated, it was a lost power that was forgotten & replaced by bloodthirst in Saiyans for nearly 1,000 years. Think of it more as an extinct technique that Goku Rediscovered, while Bankai requires a rare amount of self discipline that very few are able to unlock. While Byakuya's take was Elitist Drivel seeing as he served with Captains who weren't Nobility, the 4 Noble Families would have had the best resources for raising Shinigami to have Bankai. Plenty of Non Main Characters have Confirmed Bankai like Chojiro.

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

@@WaterKirby1994 I think that take is more accurate, it's not necessarily that the noble houses have something incredibly special but we've seen how brutal the rukongai district can be so for someone to achieve the level of discipline and self-underetanding necessary to achieve a Bankai would be really unlikely. And also, remember that only Shinigami's get zanpakuto in the first place so you need to enlist and pass the test which is already a huge bottle neck. It's not like any random soul can even have a zanpakuto, much less a Bankai. So the fact that mostly nobles get it is a natural consequence of how the soul society operated for thousands of years.

[@khadz1705]

The exceptions to the rule of "elitist drivel" are shinigamis that author called geniuses or monsters in the Manga. We've got Aizen, Gin, Zaraki and Toshiro. They're power ups really show. We never see Aizen even use bankai. Gin injured hogioku powered Aizen, Toshiro and Zaraki without zero division boost are at the same level as Byakuya. Zaraki ended learning shikai and bankai one after the other. Except for those, the "elitist drivel" still applies. I personally think that Ichigo could have been the one to change that but author had different plans.

[@manuelacosta9463]

They sure got to shine with their upgrades, but Rukia's has the self damaging Achilles heel, it's best reserved for very specific situations. Once and if the hell arc resumes they will certainly unleash it all upon the demons as a true battle couple. But it's horrific that said power may condemn them to the flaming pit in the end alongside many others.

[@gammafrost]

I agree. In the war, rukia seems like she has to kill you quickly in one blow because her body breaks down. In the hell arc, I definitely think she’ll be able to move around freely after mastering it over the 12 years

[@gammafrost]

I’m very curious just how much more powerful kenpachi and toshiro would have become after training with the zero division. Renji definitely had a big glow up post training. Rukia is nuts too but she definitely could not maintain that Bankai for long in the war let alone move without breaking apart

[@greyborg3846]

I don't know if I think that Kenpachi would take to the training very well. Hitsugaya, though. I've always felt like he managed to achieve Bankai waaaay to early and has just always used it as a crutch ever since. If Toshiro were to gain more power himself and not just the power of Hyorinmaru I think he'd be a serious force to be reckoned with, possibly putting him comfortably within the top three or four shinigami in the entire series.

[@Force-Multiplier]

Zaraki got the absolute best training possible for him *Unohana* who did a great job and i doubt the Zero Squad could have done better than her considering how well she knew him and how she's the only one that actually knew what was going on with Zaraki (meanwhile the rest of SS was asuming he was always in a released state) Toshiro would come out broken tho but his new Bankai is something he obtained before the first invasion in 2 years of Bankai training

[@Crunchysopa52]

@@Force-Multiplier 17months of bankai training actually

[@gammafrost]

@@greyborg3846 fair point and I do agree Kenpachi’s Bankai did come out of nowhere. I would have been fine if he unlocked it during the hell arc. I feel like he would learn a lot about his blade’s true power from Ichibei and oetsu

[@gammafrost]

@@Force-Multiplier here’s to hoping the beyond Bankai concepts become a thing in the near future

[@redsthetics1297]

Seeing someone rank soi fon way above some other captains warms my heart bc im sick of people saying shes the weakest captain simply out of hate for her

[@doginababyseat5127]

She get way too much of a bad rep. Honestly, she suffers from having terrible the worst match up when it comes to fights. Barragan was pure hax and had to kill himself. BG9 was a robot and immune to her shikai. Oh, can’t forget he already had data on her Shunko and just knew how to shut it down after being punched once… Kubo truly missed an opportunity to properly show her skills and abilities by having her fight Cang Du. Maybe she would be more popular if she wasn’t always facing hard counters.

[@redsthetics1297]

@@doginababyseat5127 Makes me happy to hear that bc not many people realize that. So many people call her weak and useless when its the complete opposite. Also off topic soi fon is the best looking and most attractive anime character of all time imo😂

[@doginababyseat5127]

@@redsthetics1297 maybe not in all of anime. But she’s definitely bad.

[@Pyromaniac_Akeks]

in the Kenpachi vs Unohana fight, they show Renji as someone who can fight on par with or atleast not get bodied by an Unsealed Kenpachi. The others being Ichigo and Byakuya. Wouldnt this mean he is on Par with them? I feel like that would be Kubo saying something like "Hey these are the Big 4 Soul Reapers; Ichigo, Renji, Kenpachi, and Byakuya" And later on we do see Renji team up with Ichigo to face down Yhwach. i'd personally place him 4th.

[@Zarlos01]

I think that Rukia's fight wasn't a full-out exchange of attacks because both participants: As Nott using fear as weapon VS the stoicism that Rukia shows, remembering me how her brother act when fight.

[@rjanssafttheiii4697]

The fact that both of them slaughtered their opponent after going Bankai, while other captains seriously struggled, I would put them both under Byakuya, but above Shinji. I don’t think that Shinji could take them out, especially after they have a few years to grow into their power.

[@Lucas-on9cm]

I hope the anime extends Renji x Bazz B fight, and give Rukia more fight scenes

[@jamesw2831]

I believe your theory about Renji/Mask was a moment where the power levels were suspended for a good old fashioned wrestling style brawl makes a lot of sense. I also do think Renji is the 6th strongest Gotei 13 member is fair and makes a lot of sense (though in the one shot, we saw a Renji who was taken off guard for obvious reasons).

[@SuperSilver316]

It’s also important to remember that not every Bankai improves a captains stats like Ichigo’s does

[@teddysama5745]

ichigo never had a bankai

[@kevuchiha3034]

True but they have to reach another level of reitsu for bankai.

[@SuperSilver316]

Ichigo never had a tue Bankai but he did have a fake Bankai which was good enough to be real for a while

[@TheSaigoon]

"Allowing his knuckles to do whatever that does..." What I take away from it, is it vibrates his fist very fast, and when making hard contact with an opponant acts as if he's hit them many many times in a row. It's a terrifying bankai, but Mask was also insanely broken. Another theory is that James is the confidence, he's the actual Quincy while Mask is a reishi created being that was created by the Superstar power. Mask is who James wishes he was, how he sees himself as a superstar. When the pair dies, Ywach even says "So, James died..." instead of "So, Mask died." Leading to me believing that James was the living quincy while Mask was a reishi creation, a living being created from James "S" power, and his Reishi. Somewhat like Yachiru or Zan Spirits. Their lives are also intertwined, since Mask is basically James's Reishi, if James dies but not Mask, James can come back, and vice versa. But when both die, all his reishi is destroyed or dispersed leading to permanent death.

[@HandsomeMushy]

I'm getting flashbacks to your how the power scaling in bleach broke because of this video

[@vileluca]

"When it comes to Bleach, the victor of a fight is based on everyone's unique abilities and not just how 'strong' they are." If this was true, Soi Fon would have killed Aizen. The mere fact that strong reiatsu can nullify the abilities of those with weaker reiatsu makes Bleach one of the MOST power-level dependent shonen out there.

[@doginababyseat5127]

It’s not that simple. It takes a massive reiastu difference to void another person’s ability. Very few characters have that. Her powers would work on all captains aside from Kenpachi who is basically a freak of nature.

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

If that was true than we wouldn't have any Bleach fight whatsoever, people would just run away when they realize they can't hurt their opponents. You need to have a *massive* difference in Reiatsu to nullify your opponents ability, so much so that we only saw AIZEN out of all people doing so. As long as you're somewhat comparable there is still a fight. Also you can concentrate your attacks or catch your enemy off guard. We saw Chojiro stabbing Yhwach from behind in the flashback so unless you assume that Chojiro was on Yhwach level, there is still a lot of room for strategy and ability in a fight.

[@animanco6833]

oh these two are definitely captain level during the tybw arc. Well to be more precise they would be at least say above average captain level but below advanced. I mean if you compare them with the rest of lieutenant level characters, they are the only ones who actually defeated a sternritters by themselves and they deserve that victory.

[@bloodbrother1251]

The royal guard said "sorry, only the main cast can have an upgrade"

[@maciekwucow3989]

And popular captain.

[@doginababyseat5127]

“The fans don’t care about you guys. Go fuck yourselves.”

[@pierosantoro2407]

I was about to go to sleep but MrTommo dropped a new video so now I have to go to sleep 30 mins later

[@TheRealThyzer]

I love your videos i was just wondering if you could make a video going more in depth on visoreds and their capability's im confused on how tosen can use resurrection but people like the visoreds shinji,kensi,and rose all cant? if you could make a video on this it would be amazing

[@whysemaster74]

This is a good ranking, can you also include ichigos father, yoruichi and urahara and if you can also include the vikings group with uraharas assistant as well. That would be superb.

[@Chicken_of_Bristol]

I like the interpretation of Mask's ability that Renji managed to get under his skin and got Mask to stop acting like the Superstar, so he was actually weaker at the end of his fight with Renji than he was when he fought Rose and Kensei.

[@SinHurr]

Best thing I could think of for Mask's powers being weird is that they have a soft-reset when entering a "new match," keeping with his wrestler theme.

[@fluffdafire157]

I like the fact that there outfits don't just look like Captain level shihakusho but also mixed in is the design style of the outfit Ichigo had when he finished his bankai training during the soul society arc

[@2KXMKR]

"Renji and Rukia have received quite the upgrade thanks to their time in the hyperbol... Errrr royal palace!"

[@dstout74]

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is a reference to Chad and Inoue. They were normal humans whose proximity and relationship with Ichigo resulted in them developing their soul powers. Now we know that Ichigo has powers similar to that of the Soul King, and presumably the Zero Squad also knows this. The selection of shinigami taken to the Soul Palace for training could have been them recognizing that Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya were developing new powers as a result of Ichigo. No other soul reapers would have had this sort of connection to be able to hone such a power.

[@splinter360]

They're stronger than the vizard captains without a doubt. Soi Fon too. Those captains are literally what Ichibe meant when he said "Soul reapers have become weak".

[@doginababyseat5127]

For most the the vizards I would agree, but for Soi Fon she just gets shitty match ups. Kubo goes out his way to make sure she can’t do anything but use her bankai against an opponent despite her being the only captain that shouldn’t have to. Barragan had an aura that slowed time around him before release, and after it accelerated time. Absolutely counters all her skills and abilities. But I guess someone had to fight Barragan and she was the sacrificial lamb. BG9 once again shutting down her Shikai and even her Shunko because he had data. For some reason you make the assassin fight a robot instead of Cang Du the martial artist…

[@LeoLikesLamb]

Your videos butter My biscuits thank you

[@artemix3944]

I think that by unlocking the true ability of Sode no Shirayuki, that is a zanpakutō that lowers her body temperature rather than emitting ice like she had assumed, she had finally grown out of Kaien Shiba’s shadows and thus unlock Bankai as a closer reflection of herself, as well as that mistaken assumption of its powers originating from his Nejibana iirc.

[@XLuxrayX]

I think the Royal guard picked who they did because of their ties to Ichigo. They want him to defeat Ywach. Losing Rukia and Renji, or seeing Rukia’s grief at losing Byakuya might weaken Ichigo’s resolve or cloud his judgement and make him more likely to lose to Ywach. Rukia and Byakuya being members of the 4 great noble houses that originally trapped the Soul King probably also helps.

[@DoesntMatter23]

Removing Kensei and Rose from Renji’s battle would’ve prevented all of this confusion and allowed Ikkaku and Yumichika some prominent screen time had they replaced the two. Kensei and Rose can appear in the Mayuri vs. Pernida battle in their place. It’s not like they did anything of note while zombified.

[@jrgenvellesen7800]

One thing to remember: In the Hueco Mundo arc, Renji ended up facing the strongest enemy out of the supporting cast. In addition to that, Szayel was completely prepared to fight Renji thanks to his intel and he made it so Renji could not use his Bankai during the first stage of the fight. It always seemed to me like Kubo wanted to make it clear that there was a very significant difference in power between the only Gillian Espada and the rest of them. It is kind of unfair to judge Renji for struggling in a fight that was so heavily skewed in his opponents favor.

[@manuelacosta9463]

Indeed, he was going up against opponents whom he was outmatched but at least he gave it his all. Regardless he and Rukia can now cut loose and hold their own. Can't wait to see them in action in the hell arc.

[@Atticus-Catnipp]

A battle between Renji and Rukia would be most interesting

[@chelosking985]

You want to see husband and wife fight? Lol

[@Marukanitel]

​@@chelosking985 well before that lol

[@tazyjump5377]

@chelosking985 that only makes it inevitable

[@Marukanitel]

@@tazyjump5377 lol

[@miyuedelfelt2676]

After Renji’s most recent fight he’s definitely got more going for him, at least at the moment given just how versatile his bankai was against Uryu.

[@livestreamgaming420]

Renji has perfected Zabimaru. Rukia hasn't perfected Shirayuki yet. Rukia could be stronger but renji technically is. All those who came back from the zero decision are definitely beyond normal captain level.

[@LegendofMafty]

This inspired me to go back through the Ichigo/Renji fight in Soul Society and I couldn’t be more happy that it did. I didn’t remember it well at all but it ends with a bloody broken Renji asking Ichigo to save Rukia and it’s very similar to Byakuya doing this same in TYBW to protect Soul Society. Power and abilities aside, Renji does actually close the gap and achieves his goal.🥹 maybe not surpassing but at least reaches the level.

[@djdrack4681]

If I recall, Zabimaru was broken like Zangetsu. The training with Nimaiya was part of the process for reforging the Zanpak. This would make sense: Zabimaru was 'similar to' what it was but different because it got reforged. The increase power of Renji was the training with Ichibe + Food member (forget her name). Rukia's ability in Shikai (new one) just seems to be a bleed-through effect from learning bankai: IE some abilities are able to be used between modes but basically learning bankai was needed to learn the ability in the 1st place. Or something like that

[@kanakino7110]

I still believe the vizards should’ve been able to use their hollow powers since they were going up against quinces and hollows are known to be poisonous towards them…

[@Envoy.2594]

The animation been god tier but I have only one request before end end a rematch ichigo vs kenpachi!

[@Xagzan]

I mean it would've been nice to see virtually any of the development that led to Bleach's heroine's big moment, besides just her and Renji staring at each other that one scene.

[@Civil206]

I think power scaling in regards to using fights, especially major and pivotal ones involving key characters and captains are always going to be a little muddy. There's actually a lot more nuance to Kensei defeat to Mask I would say. Yes, he did lose but he was also in firm command of the fight before James popped up and we learned his true nature. Kensei lost was largely do to the lack of information in regards to Mask power in relation to James, being able to buff to his power, endurance and heal him. Now obviously anyone can say a more seasoned or intelligent Captain level shinigami is going to be more cautious in that regard (see how Mayuri was able to call out Askin) but it's more understandable that he let his guard down slightly with two captain level ENHANCED shinigami against 1 captain level sternritter. Personally I also think Rose would've handily won that fight if he hadn't spilled the beans on the properties of his Bankai, mask doesn't seem like the type that could put 2-in-2 together in the very small amount of time he had to do so without explanation. The fact that he was also taken aback and then struck down while he was in awe over him destroying his ears is also kinda inconclusive in regards to how we should scale him, but that was definitely a rookie mistake no doubt. I will say, however, Renji is definitely at least a couple steps above those two. Whether or not he's Shinji level is another story, maybe raw power wise for sure but I think skill wise, hax-wise and just overall versatility, I'd prob still give it to Shinji. Shinji is still IMO in the running for the head captain seat despite his showing in the TYBW. It's just that some sacrifices had to be made for the fan favourites and the super stars to look good, lol.

[@t-god2439]

How about you just use your hallow mask and give yourself a distinct advantage over your opponent 🤷‍♂️

[@liamfeltis2127]

I wonder if it's possible that kirio's reiatsu food gives all the soul palace characters some sort of huge boost with the super reiatsu and as soon as they come down they're like ultra powered up along with just figuring out their true powers.

[@Kapt_Klaw]

Imagine Zaraki undergoing the same procedure Ichigo, Renji and Byakuya went through in Royal Palace.

[@anthonyigania8465]

Bruh, I just realized that Renji kinda had his own Vegeta phase lol.

[@thelifeofb8319]

I think rukia is more powerful, but renji came back more battle ready.

[@riko9911x]

Renji was always and I mean always stronger than Rukia.

[@minikame2272]

@@riko9911x historically? yeah, definitely. people act like his buffs were all bs plot reasons but he was actually already on the cusp of learning his bankai the normal way when we met him, he was byakuya's second in command and could materialise his zanpakutou spirit. but whether rukia has greater potential in the long run's something else

[@maktummasrooramyo6997]

​@@riko9911xRukia with fully mastered Bankai>> Any form of renji

[@Nanamis_wife_fr]

I think physically,it's renji but in terms of abilities,it's rukia

[@boonprasith1]

Rose just made me realize how strong Urahara is. Rather than piercing his ear drums, Urahara could use his bankai to restructure himself and win that fight without much of a problem. He could also probably restructure himself to be stronger and fight off Kensei as well (similar to what he did to Kensei).

[@papipepino.]

Okay

[@JayRocArt]

Toshiro with Royal palace training would've been WILD

[@_MintArcade]

Rukia go so cold that she can freeze logic with physics

[@riicky83]

I don't think Rukia had to fight the Asuchi as her Zanpakuto wasn't broken like Ichigo and Renji. Ichigo had a broken Bankai whilst Renji had the broken segments of Hiho Zabimaru removed so it wasn't at full power.

[@HUEMOB]

i think this is a well deserved powerup he did the soul palace training after all he should be well beyond standard captain level with that and is a much deserved W for renji i love seeing him kick masks ass

[@AzenHawke1995]

I think you should do top strongest sternritter after this cour ends, since next cour fights and the power lvls are pretty much set.

[@CameronkAK]

I was furious with the anime adaptation. This was supposed to be the moment where Renji truly showed that he was disgustingly powerful yet the anime completely gets rid of Renji smoking Mask in Shikia. I've already seen anime only watchers arguing that Renji needed bankai to surpass characters like Kensai and argue that Renji is a low cpatin level fighter.

[@splinter360]

The term "captain class" doesn't mean anything. We went way beyond that powerful long before the TYBW.

[@ultranoob9316]

This guy is Mr.Bleach himself!

[@minikame2272]

Rukia defeated the weakest Espada - but it *was* an Espada, an Espada capable of expressing a fraction of the power of Captain Shiba, an Espada who psychologically tormented her throughout the battle. She did that with nothing more than her Shikai. It's very easy to underrate that feat if you're not mindful about her state of mind and the fact she hadn't got the hang of her Bankai by that point. It's true that the Reiatsu buff bolstered her, but we have no idea by how much since we don't know what base Rukia with Bankai + no emotional damage fighting her old BFF looked like.

[@SerdarAkkilic]

26:40 I think Anime's choice makes more sense. They enter to battlefield late, a war is going on, people are dying so toying with an opponent wouldn't look so good.

[@dougdoug2469]

"after transforming his knuckles to do... whatever that does" 🤣

[@urameshitrev1851]

Yeah it's funny to think Byakuya technically has the Strongest Squad, when he has Renji as his Lieutenent. I love Ikkaku but Kenpachi is the heavy lifter in Squad 11 lol

[@michaelbarnes2126]

Renji looked so cool with his new Bankai and Rukia’s Shikai and Bankai are bonkers

[@LupercalRising]

Squad 6 is easily the strongest squad now with Byakuya and Renji leading them

[@SunlightGwyn]

Yep and it’s not even close. Only Yamamoto’s Squad 1 and Aizen’s Squad 5 is stronger and that’s because Yama is Yama and Aizen is Aizen. Their Lieutenants don’t matter at all.

[@Quitto05]

I can't see how Mayuri could be stronger than Toshiro, Toshiro has Hax too broken and is a minimum relative to Vollstandig Gerard before being decapitated by byakuya and becoming stronger, perhaps with prep time he could find a way to counteract his ability to be able to freeze anything. For the rest I pretty much agree, I would only change Soifon/Rukia and put them above Shinji and definitely if we're talking abt TYBW I would put both Toshiro and Byakuya above Zaraki Nice Vid btw🔥

[@maxkogan3785]

It's not a plot hole, but it is something that bothers me greatly, it's the fact there were technically multiple captains that could've kept their bankai, namely the vizards. Obviously, they didn't know, but the invasion would've likely been less successful if Kensei and Rojuro were amongst the captains to use their bankai the first time around.

[@sq147]

We'll we ever get a Sternritter vs Espada Power scaling or narrative analysis?🤔

[@thelightseeker94]

It really shows Renji before TYBW was weak asf. Despite having bankai. You can count on 1 hand how many impressive feats he had. Renji didn't truly become a force to be reckoned with on the battefield until now. Which is kind of sad. But also refreshing to see him dominate opponents that he would previously need at least 3 other strong fighter's help to beat. Rukia put in the most work during karakura town arc just using kido. Once she got her powers back. She didn't do much aside from her Espada #9 Fight. Which was good. but that was cleaely her 100% power because she was almost killed by 3 higher espada's with ease. Sad she still needed byakuya's help. but in her defense she just got her bankai and it takes years to master it. So I'm sure by the hell arc she's a lot stronger.

[@carljohan9265]

Zaraki had his own training to do and Kyouraku was the head captain and couldn't leave his post. Also there was no way to tell when the next attack was going to happen.

[@drewDastardly]

...i think the answer to the question of whether the Soul Society/Gotei 13 would have benefited from more officers going with Renji and Rukia comes down to the logistics and cost/benefit of sending them. Rukia and Renji were the correct choice because there currently weren't missed from the front lines or really even difference makers at their level and had the most to gain from the training.