Tite Kubo has been quite selective about which characters will have a Bankai in Bleach. So, every Bankai revelation feels like a celebration, whereas a missed opportunity to get a cool Bankai reveal feels like a huge loss. While Byakuya’s Bankai reveal was the former, Kubo never delved into the specifics of Rangiku’s powers.
Both these characters have similar abilities, although Rangiku wasn’t able to acquire a Bankai. There’s also a huge difference between their significance and role in the plot. A fan on Reddit suggested a possibility that could make Rangiku’s Bankai more menacing than Senbonzakura. So, let’s explore this idea to see how much stronger Rangiku could have been.
Rangiku’s Bankai could even beat Senbonzakura in lethality
Rangiku was different from the stronger female characters like Unohana or Yoruichi in Bleach. Throughout the story, her role was more light-hearted but she engaged in fierce battles as well. She fought alongside Hitsugaya in most fights and had some solo ones as well. Her main weapon in all these fights was her Zanpaku-to, Haineko, and its Shikai.
After the command ‘growl’, Haineko’s blade turns into ash and Rangiku can slash anything that comes in contact with the ash. This is similar to Byakuya’s Senbonzakura, where his blade turns into small pink petals. The pink petals are small blades and Byakuya can manipulate their direction and use them to conveniently defeat his opponents.
Byakuya’s Bankai significantly increases the range of his attack, making it more difficult for his opponents to defend themselves. Even though their abilities are similar, Tite Kubo missed a great opportunity to give Rangiku a great power-up. A Reddit comment explains how it would be an even more threatening ability than Senbonzakura.
Comment
byu/TheCosmicDeer from discussion
inbleach
Senbonzakura increases the range of Byakuya’s attacks. Kubo could have used the inhalation of Haineko’s ash to make its attacks more effective. If an opponent inhales the ash, it would allow Rangiku to hurt them and slash them from inside their body. It would be more difficult for the opponents to defend themselves as well.
The reason why Rangiku probably doesn’t have a Bankai could also be due to her personality. To achieve Bankai, a shinigami needs to be determined and have conviction. Rangiku is more lax and the same is true for Haineko.
The never-ending quest for more Bankai reveals
Rangiku’s characterization is a valid reason why she doesn’t have a Bankai. However, there are many characters whose Bankai we haven’t seen yet. Fans would like to see such characters with a Bankai by the end of Thousand-Year Blood War anime. On this long list of characters, there’s Sosuke Aizen, Kisuke Urahara, and Shuhei Hisagi.
Bleach is available to stream on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
