Why DIDN'T Renji Become a Captain After TYBW? Has He SURPASSED Byakuya? | Bleach Discussion

[@MrTommo2304]

We're asking a lot of questions here in a short space of time - did Renji deserve to be a Captain, will he become one, and will he ever surpass Byakuya? Let me know your answers to each in the comments!

[@CaptainKotetsu]

Renji never becoming a captain preserves his parallel and rivalry with Ichigo. Ichigo will never be a captain but he can swing and slash with the strongest of all. Neither Renji or Ichigo care about status or authority, only protecting what they hold dear.

[@vbar964]

Can we get a video on how strong was ishiin compared to the other characters?

[@AJ-kt5zo]

​@@vbar964 Great 😮 video 💡 idea . Hope to his Bankai as well.

[@Saetanigera]

One thing you didn't mention: not a single new captain was promoted from outside their original division. It's quite possible that the question poised was is each vice captain ready for the position. Isane is the one captain overwhelmed with the responsibility, but Renji isn't suited to the healing division. Rukia was the last captain promoted, but it's likely Renji wouldn't have taken the position away from her considering they both achieved bankai within such a small time frame. I think it's less of an issue of Renji refusing the position and more that he didn't force himself into the captain position.

[@giantgains7777]

You said it all all i would add is that I don't think that Renji probably does not want to leave the sixth division until he is strong than his captain outright and what I mean by that is that he becomes so strong that there is no way that his his captain can win a fight against him on any given day

[@skyrogue1977]

It must make things awkward with his wife and now brother in law/boss being Captains. Renji: Good morning Byakuya. Byakuya: That’s Captain Kuchiki to you. Renji: 😕 Later Renji: Rukia I’m home. Rukia: That’s Captain Kuchiki to you. Renji: F&ck!

[@MaciejWucow]

That perfect sitcom scenerio.

[@jeepamir508]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@MahiMahi-yu5jo]

Oh, I can definitely see the Kuchiki siblings playing this prank on him!!

[@rf7182]

Renji: Captain Kuchiki Byakuya & Rukia: Yes? Renji: I mean Male Captain Kuchiki

[@carlosanderson4479]

Surprisingly they allow marriage between captains and lieutenants.

[@PrinceRevolver]

Renji out of all of the lieutenants fits the bill to be a captain the most. Renji respects his position as being a lieutenant. If anything out of all the squads in the Gotei 13 both Byakuya and Renji fulfill their positions to the fullest extent.

[@Chris-ks4sw]

Shuhei or Kira are actually better fits

[@babaG819]

​@@Chris-ks4sw why do you think they're better?

[@vwts]

He’s kinda dumb tho. I can imagine even Zaraki doing management work and paperwork and coordinating strategy and stuff, he’d hate it but he’d do it or delegate it to Yachiru. Renji would probably think he’s hot shit and mess up all the bureaucratic work

[@Chris-ks4sw]

@@babaG819 Hisagi is literally the perfect role model of a soul reaper. Izuru has grown into a much better soul reaper as well. All Renji cares about is getting stronger than Byakuya and his friends and family. He's not exactly lazy but he isn't what you would call an overachiever either. He's still a Squad 11 member at heart and that's really not going to change any time soon.

[@PrinceRevolver]

​@@vwtsZaraki is not doing paper work or planning strategies. A lot of the captains in Bleach don't even do that.

[@Crunchysopa52]

well Renji in Kubo's 13 Blades fanbook says he STILL wants to surpass Byakuya actually so while their relationship is great rn Renji's still a competitive dude ofc

[@SekushiiGyaru]

Renji's ultimate goal was NEVER to surpass Byakuya just because, his goal was to get Rukia back BY surpassing Byakuya. He believed the only way he could reach Rukia's noble status was by beating her brother, just a means to an end. It's appaling how many people don't get this about Renji. Why do you think he stopped talking about surpassing Byakuya after Soul Society arc? This was when he and Rukia mended their broken relationship that lead to them eventually getting married. At one point he even thanks Ichigo for making it happen. He doesn't need to nor cares about surpassing Byakuya anymore, because he already achieved his true goal.

[@gabrielrasilva]

Yes. This is way he said in the fulbring arc he is traning to surpass Aizen.

[@rainofkhandaq6678]

Furthermore, he now sees Byakuya as his partner, and brother-in-law. They have a newfound respect. Same reason he doesn't just become a captain of a new squad.

[@SekushiiGyaru]

@@rainofkhandaq6678 Agreed. Before becoming a lieutenant I don't think he ever predicted that he and Byakuya would come to care for and respect each other as much as they do now. He thought he'll need to get Rukia back by force, but turns out all he needed to do was to just be there for her and Byakuya "gave" her to him willingly lol.

[@fateunleashed9680]

Agreed. It seems more so that Renji's goal now is to earn some form of nobility. His wife was adopted in, but he seemingly wants to earn it by proving himself to Byakuya. That's also why I assumed he wanted to stay in squad 6 with all those captain spots opened up. No need to take a captain role to take him away from his ability to prove himself to his brother in-law. Or at least that's been my take on the characters developments.

[@SekushiiGyaru]

@@fateunleashed9680 nah, he doesn't care about status anymore. His goal now is to simply live a happy life with his family.

[@jrgenvellesen7800]

Renji absolutely deserved to be a Captain by the end of the series. I do not mind Isane or Lisa becoming Captains, but I think it would have been better to have Renji becoming the Captain of the 7th Division over Iba. That way he could have truly shown that he is now able to stand side by side with Byakuya as his equal. I really think the only reason he didn't become a Captain, was because Kubo felt it would be weird to have him in any other Division then the 6th. Of course, if Byakuya had actually died, Renji would have naturally become the next Captain. Still, it is great that Renji is now one of the strongest members of the current Gotei 13. On a sidenote, it is adorable that Kubo confirmed that Ichika thinks her dad's eyebrows are the coolest thing ever, haha!

[@conic2721]

We haven't even seen Tetsusaemon's shikai properly. HIS FUCKING SHIKAI. AND HE A CAPTAIN.

[@iiturbulencell8245]

I think Renji would rather stay as lieutenant, like chojiro was to Yama

[@crosis2]

The reason is because Byakuya survived. It would be just fitting that he gets the promotion after Byakuyas "death scene" and even a possibility to defeat Az Nöth with some kind of primal instincts of apes to attack more furiously when they fear something or so

[@walkedoverwater]

i wanted this so bad, i hate how this fandom treated kubo

[@walkedoverwater]

@Blank Blankerson i agree, a shame on both sides as it’s likely not on the fans like you said, but those kind of fans are still very prevalent in this community and really prevent mature discussions about the series.

[@walkedoverwater]

@Blank Blankerson yep they’re definitely out there. usually see the more wild stuff on reddit, but i just try to leave em be then waste energy on every single fan with a negative opinion.

[@sladew9788]

​@@walkedoverwater this is on neither side. Kubo himself had come out in an interview and said that he has always killed off any character he wished with the only exception being grimmjaw. He wanted to kill grimmjaw off, but he just couldn't find a way or means to do it, so he left grimmjaw's fate in the shadows (and since grimmjaw wasn't determined as dead, he could use him in TYBW arc again). He even said that the severity of injuries and damages plays very little to the actual outcome of death. For example: hiyori was ripped in half by gin but she gets to live, meanwhile yammy who only had 2 injuries on his entire body, ended up dead. Same case with tosen in SS arc being hit heavily by zaraki yet proceeded to live on meanwhile gin who was hit in the same fashion died in a short set of time. So, it really came down to his own decision on this regards. The scene acts as a way to picture the gruesome setting of war.

[@seriuslyB]

So glad Kubo didnt listen to fans like you. Imagine killing off a character like Byakuya to give Renji his comeuppance. Renji does not bring what Byakuya brings to the story. Sacrifice a character like that for Renji? Renji? Renji has a losing record right now atleast give him some more wins before we give him captain, MUCH LESS KILL BYAKUYA FOR HIM. please. Unnecessary way to ruin your story by killing characters that can live for centuries, for 'ape rage'. Imagine the storylines you can get from them.

[@turtlecrossing662]

If Byakuya died during the first invasion like he was supposed to, then there is no doubt that Renji would be captain by the end of the series

[@cephasdaka7279]

Why was he supposed to die?

[@turtlecrossing662]

@@cephasdaka7279 Byakuya was teased to be dead after he pleads to Ichigo to save the soul society. Because of fan backlash, Kubo kept him alive

[@cephasdaka7279]

@@turtlecrossing662 u haven't answered my question, why was he supposed to die? Kubo never said the original plan was to kill Byakuya. Ur saying "like he was suppose to die" like u knew what Kubo had planned in his story or u wrote bleach.

[@Mccwith]

@@cephasdaka7279good question most of them make it seem like they were in kubo’s mind by assuming byakuya was meant to die.

[@cephasdaka7279]

@@Mccwith yeah. It's so stupid what these guys think they were co-writers and in the original story byakuya was supposed to die then Kubo changed it like that's what he told them . It doesn't even make sense that a very important character like byakuya who is in line to be head captain after shunsui should die just so renji because a captain when ukitake,komamura,Yamamoto have all died and 3 captain position we're open and squad 13 was without a captain for 10 years before rukia took over, but byakuya according to these renji fanboys byakuya should die just for renji to be captain. It's so hilarious.

[@themercenary4682]

I'd imagine Byakuya had a discussion with Renji about his intentions towards Rukia at some point I'd imagine the discussion was held inside Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi And I'd imagine even a post war Renji could do nothing but assure a post war Byakuya that he had the best of intentions , not just out of respect but the gap in power still wasn't bridged

[@CameronkAK]

To be fair if Renji went all out I don’t think he’s that far off Byackuya. It wouldn’t be a one sided smash Byackuya would have to produce his bankai and put his life on the line to win.

[@Force-Multiplier]

@@CameronkAK no need for any life risking the Gerard fight proved it Renji was down from fighting the first gigantic Gerard ... and took ages to get up Byakuya on the other hand was the only (non Hitsugaya) fighter that didn't go down to Gerard and Byakuya was there from beginning to end *as Gerard scaled and scaled in power time and time again even two times after Bankai Zaraki went down and Byakuya was still standing plus only him and Hitsugaya actually fought Volstandig Gerard*

[@Traumerei59]

​@@CameronkAK I'm not sure what you're on about dude. As seen in the Gerard fight Renji and Rukia can't even follow Byakuya's speed and see him move. The gap between them is just as big as it was before.

[@xuananhcao8744]

​@@Traumerei59 ya theyre great and all but byakuya is just on a diffrent level

[@purerage7963]

I got a hearty laugh out of the second line. Brilliant.

[@udoodkenny1530]

Renji was ichigo’s first true rival in battle. I like how Kubo paid him a tribute in that regards in the final arc. Especially pairing him up with the likes of aizen and chigo in the final battle

[@lo4tr]

Renji's goal was never to really surpass Byakuya and become a Captain. He wanted to be worthy of Rukia, with becoming stronger than Byakuya being the stepping stone toward that goal. Renji got his strength and he got his girl. He didn't need or want to go any further than that. He's now focused on raising Ichika and taking more of the at-home-dad role, which is perfectly fine. It's the same thing as Naruto. His goal was never to become Hokage, it was to gain acceptance in his village. He believed that becoming Hokage was the best way to do that because he saw how respected the Hokage title was.

[@shoryuken5907]

I think Renji's aspirations have now changed. When he stated that his dream was to surpass Byakuya, this was back when he felt envious toward him. It was essentially like Byakuya was stealing Rukia away from him. She became a noble and he was a commoner, even the way Renji started acting toward Rukia changed after she joined the Kuchiki family and we saw that this made her sad as was seen in one of their flash backs. She found solace in the fact that Kaien was the only person who didn't treat her any differently because of her family name. Renji seemed to be of the belief that he couldn't stand beside her unless he gain the strength to be recognized by Byakuya. This all changed thanks to Ichigo, he revealed in the TYBW that Ichigo was the one who helped to close the gap between him and Rukia and that's why he would always stand with Ichigo. Once that gap disappeared, there was no longer any reason to aim for surpassing Byakuya, so he turned his attention to the biggest threat they had ever faced. Aizen Sousuke.

[@manuelacosta9463]

He has potential. His drive to be the best is his biggest strength as is him willing to lay everything down for both duty and friends. Regarding his origins that could likely not be an obstacle since Shunsui has reformed Gotei 13 from top to bottom, the nobility are hiding in their estates with Central 46 now filled with open minded reformers. Interestingly Byakuya and other aristocratic Captains are not exactly popular with the commoners for obvious reasons according to WDKALY.

[@muriok2474]

He's one of my favorite characters straight up he gets to much disrespect, he never backs down and keeps working towards getting stronger its very admirable

[@mattelwood980]

I'd imagine of all the lieutenants Renji would be the one that the other 12 defer to in a war time situation. Under Kyoraku's version of the Gotei 13 I could see him holding a position like Chojiro did in Yamamoto's Gotei 13. He has the respect of the position despite his refusal to be promoted from his current position .

[@daymianhogue1634]

Idk about that cause of Ikkaku also is in a similar spot, and arguably Shuhei too.

[@purerage7963]

You stole my thoughts at ~15:00 lol. Renji is very similar to both Ikkaku and Chojiro, although I would argue he also shares their strong sense of loyalty to their captains. At first, he wanted to surpass Byakuya to stick it to the pretentious aristocrat, but over time their relationship healed and it may have become much more about genuine admiration and humility. I strongly believe that he got a captainship offer post-TYBW (it's really a no-brainer by then), but rejected it because he wanted to remain under Byakuya's wing until he surpassed him properly. That would draw a direct parallel between him and Chojiro (though he never expected to surpass Yama), and is a very fulfilling callback to Chojiro's funeral, where Renji is visibly moved by hearing Byakuya's speech on his loyalty. So, ultimately, I wouldn't think of it as "does Renji *deserve* to be captain", as that may be interpreted as a question of fairness. Rather, I think it's whether he *should,* since the story implies he doesn't have his eyes on captainship for personal reasons. Maybe in the future (the arc which must not be named), he will feel the need to take the mantle. Great video as always.

[@umichii]

I think the answer was foreshadowed by Kubo in the “eulogy” Byakuya said during Sasakibe’s funeral that was cut out in the anime. It drew parallels between the Captain/Lieutenant pair of Byakuya-Renji and that of Yamamoto-Sasakibe. Both lieutenants have the means and power to be captains but chose to stay as lieutenants because of the captain they serve or the principle of it. Renji is also the best fit as a lieutenant to Byakuya’s captain, the perfect example of a middle manager because lbr Byakuya is likely to be out of touch and seems unapproachable with the regular shinigamis lol

[@pikeyMcBarkin]

Audio as always is spot on! thank you for your coverage of this topic. I'm excited to see Renji's TYBW Bankai in action.

[@thanatoskw8285]

I think Byakuya is a natural choice to be the next Captain Commander after Shunsui retires or dies, and if/when that happens, Renji would become the captain of the 6th division. It would be too repetitive of a narrative tool to have him follow Byakuya to be the 1st Div vice captain. As for surpassing Byakuya, I think it would have to be one of those things where it depends on how you define surpassing. I don’t think Renji will ever be able to beat Byakuya in a 1v1 fight. But I’d bet he’d make a better leader. I bet his subordinates would like and trust him more than Byakuya’s, who might feel like he doesn’t care if they live or die. So by extension, he’d be a better teacher and mentor, too. Maybe a story point about Rukia and Renji’s kid learning more and liking his training better with his dad instead of what he got from Uncle Byakuya. Maybe he gets chosen to be Byakuya’s vice captain when he takes over the 1st division and Renji takes over the 6th division, and it makes Byakuya realize Renji is a better captain even though he’s a weaker fighter because the kid didn’t give a shit about Byakuya’s stern corrections but Renji’s able to hit him with some tough-but-fair loving dad voodoo and set him straight. So 1v1, Byakuya wins. Squad v. squad, Renji’s squad wins. That’s the only narratively plausible way I could see him surpassing Byakuya. And I think it would be a cool route to go anyway even if there was a plausible way he could just outright dominate.

[@ektran4205]

6th division co captain renji and rukia if byakuya ever replaces shunshi

[@Force-Multiplier]

@@ektran4205 Rukia is already a Captain in Squad 13

[@pitoseavy4523]

Keep dreaming

[@MidnightDB]

Food for thought for a follow-up video: Say Byakuya had died and Renji were promoted to Captain after the TYBW. Who do you think wouldve become his vice captain? An existing known character (Rikichi maybe)? Or would we have gotten a new character in the Hell chapter, along side Atau and Yuyu?

[@alphawolf7417]

Honestly, Renji might not be as far off as expected. On her deathbed, Unohana implies that at this point Ichigo, Byakuya, and Renji are the only ones Kenpachi could spar with as equals now. Implying Renji, while maybe not as strong, is in the same ballpark of power as Byakuya, Ichigo, and even freaking Kenpachi.

[@scratch2086]

“Take this. The scarf of you-did-okay-but-not-great.”

[@ninjastorm540]

I was disappointed at first that he stayed Vice Captain as he was already beyond basic captain level but I started to understand the more i thought about it. First, he probably just wanted to be with his wife and Support her more than being a Captain. Being with Rukia meant more to him than being a Captain. And second to follow that point, hes never really shown any interest in being one really. He mostly got to his rank by wanting to Beat Byakuya and support Rukia. This is not to say hes not a great vice Captain but thinking more about it i can see that being a Captain was never really one of his goals. Not to mention he does respect Ikkaku a lot as his trainer and he probably agrees with his philosiphy of staying under someone you want to support more than being a captain. (This is my opinion before watching the video by the way).

[@pitoseavy4523]

Lmfaoooo that why renji will always be a lame character to ppl😂

[@micah459]

Renji probably could've been a Captain but like Ikkaku, he's loyal to Byakuya and probably wants to stay in his squad if possible. Also, him becoming Captain means demoting someone or someone dying because all of the Captain spots are filled

[@kevinbell5674]

Or he could have become the 7th or 8th Division Captain instead of Iba or Lisa, the two most contested for having their position.

[@Grayson030]

Ikkaku Isn't really a captain material, with broken Bankai and other flaws.

[@sladew9788]

​@@Grayson030 maybe not captain material, but he is "captain class" (and renji asked ikkaku before his bankai broke).

[@sladew9788]

​@@kevinbell5674 the 2 are contested because of not having much screen time. Iba was able to hold his own again ikkaku, and at least up until FKT arc, ikkaku as a 3rd seat was deemed to be stronger than all the other lieutenants (with exception of chōjirō… you could even add yachiru as exception in actual sense, but even ikkaku and yumichika thought she can't fight at all). As for Lisa, she had a little of showing compared to iba at least, Lisa with her mask and shikai was able to hold her own against both monster/lizard ichigo and against harribel (and she was the main meelee fighter against harribel, not to mention). Iba's contest is fine since in the entire 686 chapters he's had 1 off screen fight, though Lisa even before bankai had at least some semblance of being captain class (thanks to her mask).

[@kevinbell5674]

@@sladew9788 If Ikkaku in Shikai can't defeat a Fraccion then he is not Captain Class by any stretch of the imagination. Like, what are you even on? What people say don't matter if in action Ikkaku can't back it up. Based on his track record, he is one of the weakest Vice-Captains even with Bankai.

[@abdullaha7207]

This is the first time I think you have missed the mark on one of your videos.. but still one of the best channels out there 👍🏼

[@ssjdeadpool]

I've always loved his fight with Dirty Boots. "Do you think I'm not shit because I'm a woman?!" "No, I think you're not shit because you're not shit."

[@tompen94]

I think they're comparable by the end of TYBW. By that point tho, Renji probably didn't rly care about surpassing Byakuya specifically. What he wanted was to mend his relationship with Rukia, and he'd dine that by that point. Sure, it's probably still a goal of his, but not a necessity like it was before. As for being Captain, he never cared. If he ever felt like a vacant spot HAD to be filled by him, he would, but by the time positions open again at EoS it's peace time so he didn't feel like the position needed filling.

[@guyincognito7518]

I like how they greyed the line between lieutenant and captains. On paper captains are the strongest but having three or four lieutenants obviously on par with them makes the whole power scaling seem way more realistic. I wish they’d officially made Hisagi a captain in the soul society arc because they were low on manpower after Aizens defection and made a point he was demoted after the Vizards returned. Then in CFYOW he could have finally earned the title. Make it a point that the lines blur sometimes because the gotei aren’t always able to field 13 A listers and sometimes they have more than they need because people grow but there’s no vacancies available.

[@chainsofscarlet9054]

Honestly, if rukia can get the captain's promotion, so can renji. Both have bankai, they are at similar ages, and both of them have held officer's positions.

[@KINGDARKMALO]

If Byakuya becomes head captain in the future, and I heavily mean *IF*, Renji would gladly step up to be captain of the 6th division at that point. He is technically part of the royal family through marriage and fulfills the conditions to be captain of the 6th division. Sooooooo maybe?? He has the potential to meet those expectations for sure.

[@DerricsRevenge]

He's the most logical choice if something happened to kyoraku in the near term I think

[@rayden54]

Back when Renji first used Hihiō Zabimaru, Byakuya says something like "it takes over a decade of training to master a bankai" and that he's not ready to use it in battle. We see Ikkaku and Ichigo both get there's shattered (Renji too, but that's given a handwave) so he's probably not wrong. Even Rukia's post royal palace Bankai seemed like it still needed a lot of work before it was really battle ready (only really working in the moment because Byakuya was right there to kill anyone who went near her during her thawing period). Given that, it would make a lot of sense for Byakuya to still be ahead of him. He simply hasn't had enough time to master his power. Until the Hell arc that is.

[@ogreheadd4283]

Oh yes absolutely! Literally Renji being captain was supposed to happen!! Byakuya was intended to die in the fight with As Nodt, but the fans at the time went crazy and started sending death threats to Kubo, forcing him to change his mind about this😕

[@goshawk4340]

Thats cap. I doubt people would tell kubo how to write his story.

[@ayoa1173]

​@@goshawk4340Mate, every fandom has crazies who do exactly this.

[@corndog7813]

exactly. Byakuya's character progression has come full circle with him dying. Literally nothing in his arc changed since arancar arc

[@coyoted9251]

@@goshawk4340 it is not cap. As someone who was reading the manga as it was dropping I remember all the f****** drama. Poor guy did an interview about it, all the hate he was receiving for almost killing byakuya.

[@joshuakhaos4451]

@@goshawk4340 No, it was a thing at the time. Fans hated the fact that Byakuya died, so in a fit of rage. They forced a retcon in real time. This was also like a decade ago, so I think some have forgotten how poorly the fan base took it.

[@ca9404]

Before watching the video, I would just say that maybe he doesn't want to. Lots of characters in the story have the potential or ability to become a captain but choose not to.

[@tortoiseoverlord8241]

It would've been a good ending for Renji, everyone's supposed to go through some kind of journey and reach a substantial development but he's the only character that doesn't seem to. He just gets stronger and stays exactly as he was before

[@victorrojas6011]

I would love to see a video about which of the current 13 Court Guard Captains you would replace and with who and the reason.

[@gammafrost]

Although he hasn’t surpassed byakuya just yet, I do think he’s more than worthy enough to be captain and should have been after the thousand year blood war in my opinion. Isane, Lisa, and Sajin’s lieutenant just didn’t prove themselves enough for me to care.

[@attache675]

I honestly feel if Byakuya just straight up died after fighting As Nodt then why not. The story still could have had Renji train at the Soul Palace and gain his massive upgrade, while adjusting Renji's character to fit the more mature and level headed nature of a captain. Makes more sense for him to be one than Testuzaemon who we never even saw his Shikai abilities.

[@thesayes6231]

Yeah. I'm glad Byakuya survived. That would'Ve been a terrible way for him to go. But the fact that Iba is captain but Renji isn't annoys me so much.

[@camenma9748]

man, i haven't been able to watch most or any of your videos because of the spoilers. but i love your content. (haven't gone trough the manga)

[@thewarrior8497]

Awesome video! You should do Toshiro vs Rukia in the future

[@Jdelgrego1212]

Man imagine if Byakuya was killed in tybw, Rukia still fought and killed As Nodt but actually did it on her own and then in the hell arc we got a hell version of Byakuya vs captain Renji fight with Renji finally officially surpassing Byakuya. Idk about y’all but that sounds like a perfect way to satisfyingly grow all three characters

[@firstdegreesports5120]

If only. Renji and Rukia definitely got the short end of the stick in favor of the captains. Their upgrades should have definitely been bigger

[@MrShadow1995.]

​@@firstdegreesports5120 short end of the stick? Renji and rukia looked better than the vizards if anything in the tybw. Now THEY got the short end of the stick.

[@firstdegreesports5120]

@Shadow001995 don't get me wrong Renji and Rukia had some dope moments and I'm not gonna act like they were the worst for wear by any means. But admittedly as a Biased Renji fan I just wish he had one more fight against maybe Bazz B where he really had to dig down deep for a win against a tough opponent.

[@kewl6949]

Great analysis

[@flavius14]

About Renji becoming a captain at the end of bloowar.. well division 13 is Rukia's, 4th is the healers division.. only the 8th could been an option.. But i don't think Renji wants to become a captain anyway, very much like Ikaku and Chojiro, Renji became very loyal to his captain .. Regarding Byakyua.. him and Renji are family now so maybe Renji will not surpass Byakuya but he has his respect and trust.

[@stankolo1788]

Hey I love your content !! Would it be possible for you to discuss shinjis power level as in your “next head captain” video you nominated him as a possibility and I would love an in depth analysis on him

[@nadimwallani1713]

If byakuya had died like Kubo originally planned then renji would be the captain of squad Six and rukia would be captain of squad thirteen by the time the epilogue happened it would have given both rukia and renji a parallel character development

[@iliketowatchnfl3515]

Rukia is the captain of squad 13

[@maybenaught]

12:53 Doing all that cardio, running through Hueco Mundo to Las Noches, has dampened Renji's gains.

[@LeoLikesLamb]

Your videos butter my biscuits thank you

[@sytrostormlord3275]

Simpliest explanation lies in Ikkaku backstory -> Ikkaku always admired his captain and was hiding information about having a bankai, because he wanted to be in Team Zaraki and didn't want to get promoted to captain. I could guess that Renji followed same scheme - he didn't want to be a captain himself, instead he would prefere to be Byakuya's liutenant... maybe eventualy taking over Squad 6, once Byakuya retires...

[@amadhatter3280]

Yes he deserves the position. IMO the biggest mistake (besides the fan-girls death threats over Byakuya BS) is the Vizard captains surviving especially Rose & Kensei (plus Izuru Kira), they f'ing died & were confirmed dead by Isane (a master healer & future captain of the healing divison). You could've had a scene showing Renji didn't want to become the 3rd divison captain, but did so out of respect for Izuru (same for Shunhei with Kensei).

[@procow2274]

I always thought he would become a captain eventually even before the power up

[@aquawoelfly]

My head cannon... byakia sat down with renji and rukia (as you do with family and coworkers, as these 3 probably have forbatvleast a decade by this point ) and after a difficult beating around the bush and small talk. Basicly demanded renji ask rukia the question has has been wanting to sine they were kids in the rukangai. Renji gives the surprised face and grunt of "how did you know?" And rukia gives them both the clueless confused look (anime/Manga troupe for effect because we all know she knows and wants him to ask) Byakia stands up to leave the table/room, a box appears unfer byakias hand and before renji as byakia turns to leave. He retorts with ways renji has surpassed him (not all in ways renji immediately recognises) and before closing the door to give them privacy he reminds renji "you've had my blessing since [the soul society arch]" The door shuts renji touches the box knowing what's inside rukia knows who once owned the contents [personally] and looks to renji who has yet to find words. Rukia stands and touching renjis hand on the box says yes before sitting in his lap smiling a look of "what just happened here" appears on renjis face as he slowly comes tonterms with what is his life

[@hilyfeyogi]

Just left the supermarket heading to get the chicken Philly now

[@ronaldanderson3698]

I know it’s his choice however I’m surprised they haven’t forced him to be captain. Similar to the way they forced shunsui to be head captain

[@giovannigiorgio831]

I feel like Byakuya constantly gets stronger, along with protecting what he cares for, because Renji is always coming after him. So that if the day finally does come that Renji surpasses him, Renji will be one of the most powerful captains in Soul Society like him.

[@BlackChapters]

Renji is possibly stronger than at least half the Captains currently I put Renji 100% over Isane Iba Kensei Rose Rukia a possible debate with very little impressive work, hes probably over Shinji Soi Fon And hes still below Shunsei Toshiro Byakuya Zaraki Mayuri

[@damiang7542]

Shinji definitely has less strength than renji but his ability can pose a threat

[@BlackChapters]

@@damiang7542 You say as he is beaten by a bomb because he won't stop talking

[@damiang7542]

@@BlackChapters true, but renji doesn't have any AOE attacks

[@damiang7542]

@@BlackChapters true, but renji doesn't have any AOE attacks

[@altajirkodner1143]

I feel like byakuya was supposed to die during TYBW but Kubo saved him because of the fans and if that wasn’t the case it seemed like Renji would take over for Byakuya.

[@SemekiIzuio]

Renji wanted to surpass Byakuya to have Rukia back, to be and talk with her. After SS and Arrancar arc that gap had closed, Byakuya had given Renji some manner of respect and it grew from there. Renji himself did become stronger but his shift in focus of surpassing Byakuya was mostly view Byakuya as a role model, setting the bar high in strength. He no longer cared about status because he could talk to Rukia now and things were fixed and better with her. What he strives now is to become stronger and surpass Byakuya in strength not status.

[@SemekiIzuio]

Oh you got it right lol i posted before finishing the video 😂

[@grahf4215]

I would imagine that Tetsuzaemon and Isane also knew Bankai back when Renji was bothering Ikkaku. Lisa too for that matter but she wasn't around at that time. This is all beside the point though. I think that Rukia, Tetsuzaemon, Isane and Lisa becoming captains over Renji, Ikkaku and even Shuhei was due to the fact that there were openings in those four squads and there weren't in the other three. It would most likely be easier for someone within the squad already, or someone previously within the squad in the case of Lisa, to get the promotion over someone outside of the squad. At least when it comes to captain. The somewhat puzzling thing to me was that Kiyone become lieutenant under her sister Isane instead of becoming co-lieutenant of squad 13 with Sentaro and someone like Hanataro or Yasochika becoming lieutenant of squad 4. But I guess that's not unheard of as several "original" lieutenants had swapped squads when they were promoted. It just kind of makes more sense to me to have Rukia have both of them as backup since they were running things in that squad for a while as it was. So for captains, it's easier to promote from within but for lieutenants it doesn't matter as much.

[@huntertezz]

The squad they are from doesn't matter when filling in captain positions. Urahara was in squad 2 before becoming captain of squad 12 and even Shuhei was offered to become captain of one of the vacant squads before Lisa, Iba and Rukia. Its implied Isane didn't know bankai and didn't do the captains test when she was appointed. Yasochika became lieutenant of squad 7 and Hanataro was actually considered for a lieutenant position. Kiyone became lieutenant instead because both sisters wanted to support each other since they were both grieving their respective captains and in Kiyone's case she was mainly in squad 13 because Ukitake needed a skilled healer at his side.

[@ryukami404]

@@huntertezz I think in the case of Squad 4, when it became the medical focused squad, the way of naming their captain is more a showcase of someone's healing prowess among other standard captain duties while combat is seen more as a bonus and not a necessity.

[@JoshyC_Music]

awesome content, as always! 👏

[@knucklecracks2.0]

Speaking of post TYBW, Ukitake died after the events of TYBW and Rukia was officially appointed Captain 10 years later. Did Squad 13 really go a decade without a Captain?

[@tophfan]

Squad 10 also presumably gone few years without captain between Isshin and Toshiro

[@LoganWH8]

I found a lot of the lineup changes after the war a bit questionable to say the least. There were four Captain seats to fill; the 4th, 7th, 8th, and 13th. Rukia is the only one appointed who was the obvious choice, being the 13th division’s lieutenant and possessing her Bankai at the time of the previous captain’s death, which is why it’s so odd that she was the last to be appointed. As for the other three, there were probably better options. Most notably, the 7th. Of all the lieutenants, Tetsuzaimon isn’t quite the worst (that’s Omaeda), he’s far from the best. If Izuru, Momo, and Shuhei weren’t ready to be captains when their division’s seats were open, I have a hard time believing Tetsuzaimon is. Especially when, like the 3rd, 5th, and 9th, there’s already a Captain who could step back into the role- Love Aikawa. You know, the former captain of the seventh division? The 4th division is a bit different, since it has the distinction of being the medica division, and Isane is likely the Gotei’s best healer after Unohana’a death… unless Hachigen Ushōda returned. As for the 8th division, we don’t know what their role actually is, and Lisa is the only other character from the 8th, but we have no indication that she has her Bankai, while Renji and Shuhei do, and Shuhei currently has to share his Lieutenant position and did a great job as acting-captain of the 9th division, so, you know, maybe he deserved that promotion?

[@MegaCornucopia]

With his weird power scaling, I think he likely beats out a couple current seats.

[@bqw2094]

Hell yes , renji deserved to be captain , i understand why fans were mad , we spent time with renji and watched him grow , while iba becomes captain and we barely knew anything about the guy . However fans still unfairly took their anger out on iba , since we dont know much about iba we cant really say he doesnt deserve to be captain . I recall it being said somewhere that ikkaku was always defeated by iba when they spar . Its most likey that the original plot was byakuya dying and renji taking the place as captain of squad 6 .

[@Crunchysopa52]

yup Iba made a concerted effort to be well rounded in the 4 arts of combat, zankensouki, & Ikkaku in SS arc even says I'm not gifted that way like you, or something along those lines & Iba's older than him + he's been busting his ass as a training-o-holic of sorts currently, per WDKALY

[@pitoseavy4523]

Stop it iba is a horrible character & Kubo drop the ball

[@bqw2094]

@@pitoseavy4523 " horrible character " wow , did not realized the iba hate was that petty 😂.

[@lolsnez7542]

​@@bqw2094 because renji doesnt want to be captain hater

[@lolsnez7542]

Yoi are a hater you shouldnt be here

[@akumaking1]

Do you think Tite Kubi ever watches videos like these?

[@XadePsyconic]

Maybe Japanese ones.

[@MelvinDRosaria]

Renji got ripped off basicly. Byakuya at one point in the story was surposed to die (after fighting Äs Nödt), Renji then would had taken over the 6th division as it's captain.

[@joshuasimire1404]

If Byakuya dies before Renji by some chance ... probably trying to save Renji or Rukia, then Renji will most certainly take on the position of 6th Squad captain and would in no doubt, surpass Byakuya....i also feel like having Byakuya present as his captain may also have a limiting effect on Renji

[@gabrielrasilva]

Other thing, Rengi knows that Byakuya death will make Rukia extremely sad, there is no better way to guarante Byakuya will not die in battle than being his vice capitain.

[@anthonyjohnson8304]

Sure Renji probably wants to surpass Byakuya still but I feel it has changed over the years. At first it was a hard drive to surpass him for the sake of Rukia. Now I do feel there is a lot more loyalty and trust he has for his brother-in-law.

[@gamefantasticcuz]

Love that him and Byakuya are once again a powerhouse duo in the readers eyes. The relationship is different but hits harder now.

[@MaxIronsThird]

Byakuya being alive does more harm than good for TYBW.

[@Force-Multiplier]

Renji is probably the sixth or seventh strongest Shinigami within the Sereitei after TYBW but people don't realize what a monster post Royal Guard TYBW Byakuya is he took down 3 *Volstandig* Sternritters in a 5V1 and all 5 of them had Volstandig yet Byakuya was in *Shikai* and they were fighting him and only at the same time yet he took down 3 and they weren't fodder either Robert took out Kyoraku's eye in a 1V1 Nanana managed to freeze TYBW Aizen for 1 second after losing his Volstandig you might think it was just 1 second well im thinking further *since he didn't got Reiatsu negged* and Candice was blitzing Zaraki (admittedly a wounded Zaraki) at her base form yet she was using Volstandig against Byakuya while one of her 4 allys had the ability to stop people yet they still couldn't touch him and if that was not enough Byakuya was the only fighter to fight Gerard from beginning to end and observant readers know that only him and Hitsugaya fought Volstandig Gerard after Bankai Zaraki went down since Gerard evolved at least two more times after that ... Renji on the other hand went down to base Gigantic Gerard and took a long time to get back up again ... so yeah Renji is a monster after his Royal Guard Training same as Rukia but Byakuya is pretty close to the top tiers within SS by the end of TYBW and has pretty broken showings despite the little screen time he got

[@rkvlegacy9206]

Renji has potential for sure. But Byakuya was another breed altogether who also constantly grow stronger arguably at a quicker rate thanks to his noble lineage. The As Nodt fight wasn’t a true gauge of Byakuya’s power imo as his main weapon was stolen and used against him. The fight would have went differently if Byakuya had access to his full arsenal. He came back stronger and could have killed As Nodt with just his Shikai. So I don’t think Renji in the aspect of “surpassing” at least in battle was ever a possibility but there are more ways that make a good captain besides strength and that goes with leadership. Byakuya may be a natural leader but due to Renji’s experiences from pretty much the Bronx to a position of status will allow him to care for his subordinates easier than Byakuya who would often look down on the less fortunate. Which adds realism to Renji’s character as not every goal in life will be checked. Byakuya also seeks to get stronger every chance he gets and always comes back stronger than he was previously.

[@SceptiCynicism]

Renji surpassed Byakuya when he married Rukia.

[@jatintyagi896]

I can't believe even after such a detailed video you still said that renji is less likely to surpass byakuya. He is very highly likely to surpass him now. The power gap is there but i can say that it is less than half of what the power gap was between them in the soul society arc. And yes renji serves under byakuya not only coz he see his captain as a target to surpass but also due to his loyalty to him. He respects him and wants to support his captain and likes working under him just like ikaku and sasakibe. Ikaku also views zaraki as a target to surpass but also greatly respects him is loyal to him and likes working under him. Same is the case with renji as well. 😀✌️🙏

[@dannytarver4533]

Of course Renji can and deserves to be a captain, but will he? If necessary,yes but I don't think he wants to as long as he can learn under Byakuya. He may want to surpass Byakuya but he's still loyal to him. Plus Renji is a free spirit and being a captain would tie him down too much. He may come close to Byakuya one day but surpassing... not while he's still alive.

[@bungifish2227]

Well renji definitely has the strength of captains, even surpassing some existing captains right now. However sometimes its more than strength, and i dont think mentally hes captain level, with regards to aspects like wisdom, maturity, calmness etc. Also doesn't make sense since hes under byakuya, who is stronger as a captain and who he admires greatly

[@JackTheLotuz12]

His power was not granted to him by the royal palace. But they did have a hand in him becoming as strong as he is. His power comes from his zanpakuto not believing he was strong enough to know his true name until he went to the royal palace.

[@carlosanderson4479]

My boy Renji as a captain would be sick.

[@nicolaschaigneau2001]

Back in the Hueco Mundo invasion, I was afraid Renji would lose his place in the story as a kind of rival to Ichigo. Grimmjow seemend to be there to follow the same path and although he was a nice character I felt it was too soon to take the spot. Finally Grimmjow disappeared from the story but Renji stayed a sort of sidekick, with his rivalry with Ichigo present more as a comic relief than a true character trait. when I read th TYBW arc I was glad he got his time to shine again and show to eveyone how much he grew.

[@rmeddy]

yeah Renji always felt like the Will Riker of the Bleach Universe.

[@CaptainKotetsu]

I think he can surpass Byakuya without officially being a captain. Look at Ichigo lol.

[@MaciejWucow]

But Ichigo is hybrid.

[@CaptainKotetsu]

@@MaciejWucow Doesn’t really matter in this regard. Renji, just like Ichigo, has shown insane levels of growth in a very short time. He may not have god genetics like Ichigo, but he has the same potential to reach higher levels in his own way.

[@robertpomeroy9432]

Renji is alot like Ichigo, they're both powerful and they're both loveable knuckleheads but Captain material??? Not so sure lol. Byakuya is more than just powerful, he's wise, tactical, methodical, AND has some wettest drip in all of Bleach ;)

[@tromainesutton6226]

You could also go back over each squad an see which was the strongest version of the division throughout time

[@GaeaRage0798]

I still think that Renji should have become a Captain at the end of the series by either: 1. Letting Byakuya die after being defeated by As Nodt during the First Invasion. 2. Making him the 7th Squad Captain instead of Nobodymon Iba.

[@willr6026]

Absolutely deserved the captain rank and i dont think it really matters if he surpasses Byakuya at all 😂

[@SinHurr]

So, the nice thing about Byakuya keeping pace ahead of Renji is that now Renji and Rukia can chase after him together

[@ladrellhart2063]

Well, it is a bit off that Rinji can just use Bankai in front of everyone and not get promoted, but Ikkaku has to hide his to keep from being promoted. Tite Kubo can be inconsistent with his writing sometimes.

[@sveipr]

While I think Renji could definitely fit the bill of a captain, I could see why he still isn't one by the end of the story. Outside of emergency situations and wartime, being a captain is mainly an administrative desk job, and while I could see Renji doing fine in that role, I feel that he currently still wants to be more hands on and staying as a lieutenant allows him to do so. After Unohana, Isane is the best healer, Lisa was a lieutenant 100 years ago and has been training as a visored the entire time, and Iba probably has years of experience (emphasis on probably lol). While I think Renji fits to be a captain by strength standards, being a captain as a job I think he could still grow into. I feel like the original intention was for Byakuya to die in the thousand year blood war, and for Renji to take his position as captain at the end of the story, but that was changed. Unless Byakuya either takes up a new post, or retires, I don't see Renji leaving is lieutenant spot anytime soon.

[@LupineShadowOmega]

I mean Byakuya's grandfather eventually retired, so I don't see why he wouldn't. Probably not anytime soon, but it definitely isn't something their family is against.

[@mr.effigy3885]

Renji is like stronger than half of the current captains

[@ZzigZaG00NIN]

It's hard to see Renji passing Byakuya as long as long as he's alive

[@TheThezenith]

Honestly from what we saw in the 1000 year blood war arc I think Renjis feats are pretty up there with Byakuyas. I still think Byakuya would beat Renji I think Senbonzakura's abilities whilst not that much stronger than Renji would be hard for him to combat match up wise. Though despite that yeah, I actually think they are pretty much on the same level, I think the gap between them has never been smaller.

[@obara7366]

Renji would be a great captain because he's one of the most affable and amicable shinigami among the captains and lieutenants, along with his loyalty, bleeding heart and stubborness. I personally thinj that loyalty still is a huge part of why Renji stays by Byakuya's side. He no longer sees Byakuya solely as something to be surpassed, but as a rival he can grow alongside with in healthily fierce competition. I mean, as of now they're in-laws! I personally think theres a lot of trust there.

[@Espada_no_4]

Renji became strong enough to became a captain, that's is for sure, especially when Rukia was able to achieve a captain rank. But Byakuya Kuchiki have the power to become a head captain if necessary. So Renji became stronger but Byakuya too, Byakuya is a more complete warrior considering his kido and we know that Renji isn't good with kido...

[@NoESanity]

Another big point for renji, is many of his fights were just bad for him. His first bankai form was a giant snake that was best used as an artillery piece, but renji time and time again fought enemies who could out speed and maneuver his massive swings. That doesnt mean renji is weak. you would never use a sledge hammer to brush your teeth, so why are we using a snake canon as a sword? This is highlighted in the zommari fight. Zommari's power would have let him win against virtually every shinigami we know about, except 2. Byakuya and rangiku who have more swords than he had eyes. That wasn't a win for byakuya It was a wash. He would have lost if he didn't out number zommari.

[@clementkobinabonney8153]

Renji is the new Chojiro

[@macandcheeseofficial]

I feel like Renji had a much more significant boost to his overall power in TYBW Byakuya was basically healing the whole time then became closer to his Zanpakuto. Renji trained his body, along with growing closer to his Zanpakuto, AND completed his Bankai training. He started out weaker than the weakest Captain and became stronger then most IMO.

[@phogetta1]

Interesting. Im military and worked with a guy that was a dirt bag airman. He made rank very fast. The more rank he made, the better he bacame. The responsibility of being a leader forced him to do a 180.

[@jackmann4277]

Can we get a tier list of all captain class soul reapers?

[@DerricsRevenge]

I think people forget that Byakuya is not...old lmao. People act like he's some super established elite that's been around for centuries, but he was just a kid a hundred years ago. It's not outright stated but it seems to me that his own ceiling is higher than it seems.

[@hacchii_xx]

Please do a discussion on all lieutenants if they are deserving to be a captain someday

[@KP.a13]

I know renji gets made fun off a lot for losing a lot, but tybw made me love renji. And his fight with mask was sick

[@raht9578]

maturity is when people realise that rukia and toshiro got more Ls than him, considering they are equally important side characters

[@pitoseavy4523]

@@raht9578 actually they did not😂 you forgot he lost to ichigo 2 times(living world & soul society) byakuya ,aizen 8 espada (uryu saves him) , 10 espada (byakuya & zaraki), first invasion literally a walking L Toshiro only lost to aizen 2 times(so did everyone) & bazz b(btw he didn’t have his bankai) no other fight you could say he actually caught a L while renji lost to ichigo 2 times & espada while rukia & toshiro defeat they opponent (btw I’m not saying rukia is stronger) but she loses to ppl who are way stronger than her while renji gets humiliated