Ichigo Kurosaki is Bleach‘s main protagonist, which means he has fought many of the anime series’ strongest villains. To fight these villains, Ichigo constantly needed to get stronger, and in doing so, he acquired multiple forms. The Thousand-Year Blood War arc introduced Ichigo’s true Zanpakuto and a new form, and while the manga never showed his True Bankai, the last season of Bleach: TYBW has finally given fans Ichigo’s most powerful form.
Ichigo’s True Bankai outclasses all his previous forms in terms of power and speed. A similar version appeared earlier in the series, but Ichigo had no control over it. It even scared Soul King Yhwach so much he needed to set a trap in the future to pause the transformation. This was the right call because Ichigo’s new form has the power to cut a god-like being in half.
Ichigo Has Had Multiple Forms Throughout Bleach, & Most of Them Were Incomplete
Like most Shonen protagonists, Ichigo acquired multiple forms over the course of his story, and for the most part, each of those forms was stronger than the last. Ichigo’s original Soul Reaper form was clearly the weakest, which is not surprising since he was using Rukia’s borrowed power instead of his own. At that stage, he was barely able to keep up with a lieutenant like Renji, who had most of his power suppressed by the Soul Society. When he unlocked his real Soul Reaper powers, he was able to beat pre-Bankai Renji. Kenpachi Zaraki may be one of the strongest Soul Reapers of all time, but Ichigo still defeated him one-on-one using only his Shikai. This only happened because Yhwach’s spirit appeared before Ichigo and unlocked more of his innate power. When Ichigo first used Bankai, it was just a standard black katana and long black robe, and it was enough to beat Byakuya. While dealing with Espada like Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, Ichigo accessed more of his Hollow powers and added a Hollow mask to his Bankai.
Ichigo’s Vasto Lorde Full-Hollow transformation made a single appearance, and at the time, it was considered his most powerful form, even though he was an out-of-control killing machine. Not long after that, Ichigo acquired his Final Getsuga Tensho form, which turned him into a dark, bandaged, ninja-like warrior who could critically injure an immortal superbeing like Aizen. That was considered Ichigo’s strongest form because it came at the cost of his Soul Reaper powers, but that was not the case. A few months later, Ichigo gained a brief skeletal armor form when he unlocked his Fullbring, though it was quickly stolen by Ginjo. Minutes later, his Soul Reaper powers were restored, and he gained a new curved Shikai and an updated, edgier Bankai. This Bankai was then broken by Jugram during the first Sternritter invasion.
For the most part, Ichigo’s various forms have granted him power that surpasses most Soul Reaper Captains’ abilities, but prior to the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, only his Full-Hollow form could be considered a complete representation of his power. Even the Final Getsuga Tensho form is not a proper representation; Ichigo did not have access to his full Soul Reaper powers until he acquired his true Zanpakuto at the Soul King’s Palace, which was only possible after he came to terms with his Quincy heritage. The real Zangetsu manifests as two blades: a large khyber knife that represents his Hollow powers and a smaller trench knife that represents his Quincy powers. His True Bankai was never fully revealed in the manga because Yhwach stopped it mid-release, but it was finally revealed in the final season of Bleach: TYBW.
Ichigo’s Full Power Has Been Foreshadowed Throughout Bleach
Ichigo Kurosaki has been a Soul Reaper, Quincy, Hollow, and Fullbringer hybrid since birth, so it is not surprising that his full power is a combination of all four spiritual beings. Some Bleach fans may not have noticed, but author Tite Kubo began foreshadowing Ichigo’s true power as early as the Soul Society arc. His Hollow mask and powers first awakened while training with Kisuke Urahara, but at the time, most fans assumed this was a result of Ichigo almost failing his training. When Yhwach first appeared as Zangetsu, he released part of Ichigo’s real power, which is why his spiritual energy took the form of a Hollow mask. One of the reasons why Ichigo’s fight with Byakuya is considered one of Bleach‘s best fights is because it was the first time Ichigo lost control of his Hollow powers. When it came time for Ichigo to control his inner Hollow, he temporarily lost control and nearly transformed into a monster Hollow while training with the Visored.
The biggest foreshadowing came during Ichigo’s fight with Ulquiorra, where he lost control of his inner Hollow and transformed into a Vasto Lorde Hollow with the power of a Soul Reaper’s Bankai. Normally, Yhwach would have helped suppress this power, but Ichigo was technically dead at the time of this transformation. Ichigo’s Quincy powers had not awakened either, so there was no way to keep his Hollow power in check. This Full Hollow transformation represents the extent of Ichigo’s power when it is completely out of his control, so it is no surprise his True Bankai manifests a similar form. The key difference is that Ichigo is now in total control of his actions.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Some fans thought they got a glimpse of Ichigo’s real Bankai in the manga when he fought Yhwach in a Half-Hollowfication form, but the anime proved it was nothing more than a prelude to Ichigo’s most powerful form. Ichigo’s Quincy and Hollow powers may now be in balance with each other, but if his Inner Hollow gets awakened by large amounts of Quincy spiritual energy, he will enter his Half-Hollowfication form. If Ichigo activates his Bankai while in this form, he becomes a true hybrid. There was a crescent moon present when Ichigo entered his Full Hollow transformation, and when Ichigo releases his True Bankai, the sky darkens while a blood-red moon gradually becomes fully eclipsed. This symbolizes perfect unity, which is fitting because Ichigo’s True Bankai is a perfect union between Soul Reaper and Hollow.
Blood Chains Ichigo Is Powerful Enough To Overwhelm A God
This version of Tensa Zangetsu is called Blood Chains Ichigo, and like his Full Hollow form, Ichigo has two long horns on his head, but instead of a full Hollow mask, it is his normal face with red eyes and dark markings. He maintains his Soul Reaper clothing, and his Zanpakuto becomes a large silver sword. Full Hollow Ichigo had red fur around his neck, wrists, and ankles, while Blood Chains Ichigo replaces this fur with glowing blood-red chains of spiritual energy. While using this Bankai, Ichigo’s physical abilities, energy, and reaction speed reach unprecedented levels. He becomes fast enough to overwhelm Soul King Yhwach with attacks from multiple directions near-simultaneously. This is impressive because The Almighty grants Yhwach the ability to see all incoming attacks with omnipotence. Not only can Blood Chains Ichigo clash evenly with Yhwach, but his Zanpakuto can also slash through Yhwach’s body.
While this Bankai is active, Blood Chains Ichigo can create physical clones of himself made out of spiritual energy. They appear wherever he steps and move with the same speed and strength as the original. The chains on his body can be used to restrain his opponent, but they can also be used to block attacks. They are durable enough to block several of Yhwach’s energy beam attacks. Getsuga Tensho is Ichigo’s signature technique, and this Bankai significantly enhances its power. It generates a black and white blast that creates a large black crescent moon. As a literal God, Yhwach is one of the most overpowered anime villains of all time, yet Blood Chains Ichigo’s Getsuga Tensho is powerful enough to cut through Yhwach’s body. The only reason Yhwach survived this attack is because he possessed the Soul King’s power.
For years, Bleach fans wondered what Ichigo’s True Bankai looked like, and they questioned whether it granted him new abilities. The final season of Bleach: TYBW has finally given those fans the answers they were looking for, and the reveal did not disappoint. In the manga, Yhwach stopped Ichigo from releasing the full version of his True Bankai because he saw how dangerous it was. Blood Chains Ichigo is powerful enough to scare and even destroy a God like Yhwach, making it Ichigo’s most powerful form to date. The argument can even be made that it is the strongest Bankai in Bleach. Blood Chains Ichigo and Vasto Lorde Ichigo might be equal in terms of speed and spiritual energy, but when it comes to raw power and control, the overall edge goes to Blood Chains Ichigo.
- Release Date
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2004 – 2012-00-00
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
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Tite Kubo
- Directors
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Mitsutaka Noshitani, Junya Koshida, Hodaka Kuramoto, Yasuto Nishikata, Hiroaki Nishimura, Kazunori Mizuno, Akira Shimizu, Rokou Ogiwara, Kazunobu Shimizu, Akane Inoue, Hikaru Murata, Tomoko Hiramuki, Kazuo Nogami, Taiji Kawanishi, Shigeki Hatakeyama, Eiko Nishi, Takushi Kimura, Koji Aritomi, Ogura Shirakawa, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yukio Okazaki, Mitsue Yamazaki, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Eitarou Ano
- Writers
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Masahiro Okubo, Masashi Sogo, Kenta Shimoyama, Genki Yoshimura, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Rika Nakase, Michiko Yokote, Natsuko Takahashi, Kento Shimoyama
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Masakazu Morita
Ichigo Kurosaki (voice)
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Fumiko Orikasa
Rukia Kuchiki
