Bankai with the biggest weaknesses

Key points

• Byakuya's Bankai can leave him exposed due to a hidden safe area that enemies can exploit.
• Kyoraku's Bankai risks damaging allies due to its area of ​​effect, limiting its use.
• Kenpachi's Bankai tears apart his body to gain immense power, risking harm to himself and others.

In the world of Bleacha Bankai is a Soul Reaper's ultimate trump card that he will only use when absolutely necessary. While these special abilities tend to be absurdly powerful and often manage to eliminate opponents, as they are all unique in how they work, some possess some major weaknesses and drawbacks that limit their overall usability.

For this reason, some captains chose to only use their Bankai once or twice during the series so as not to leave them exposed in the middle of a fight. However, when considering the most glaring weaknesses that can severely limit the user's ability in battle, these Bankai take the cake for having the biggest holes in their reliability.

8 Senbonzakura Kageyoshi (Byakuya Kuchiki)

Byakuya's safe area can be exposed by his enemy while in Bankai

• First appearance: episode 58

Zenbonsakura Kageyoshi, arguably the most popular Bankai in the series, sees Byakuya surround his opponent in a swarm of razor-sharp petals before slashing them with an infinite number of blades. Considering the number of times Byakuya has used this technique, the risk level is not as high as others, but it still has one major flaw that Tsukishima reveals during the Fullbring Arc: the safe area.

It turns out that Byakuya's enemy can be attacked from any direction at any time, but Byakuya, meanwhile, remains protected as he can stand in a small, safe circle in the center of the Bankai. If a fighter manages to get close to Byakuya so that he also stays inside the circle, it can become a real problem for the captain as it essentially renders the ability useless.

7 Katen Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinju (Kyoraku Shusui)

This Bankai's area of ​​effect can make it risky to use with teammates around

• First appearance: TYBW episode 35

Kyoraku's Bankai is made up of four different acts, each involving dissecting his opponent's strength and willpower a little at a time, even chopping them into pieces as he goes. Kyoraku has only unleashed his Bankai once in the entire series, as while it works wonders on a single target, as Ukitake states, it also puts Kyoraku's allies at risk.

Kyoraku's Bankai has an area of ​​effect, meaning that if an ally were to jump into the same battle as he is using it, things could get ugly very quickly and easily lead to someone's death. After Kyoraku used the Bankai against Lille Barro, he was also shown to be severely injured due to the amount of strain it puts on his body, which is yet another disadvantage of this flashy technique.

6 Ryumon Hozukimaru (Ikkaku Madarame)

A Bankai with a slow startup limits its overall usability

• First appearance: episode 118

The moment when Ikkaku unleashes his Bankai against the Arrancar is often cited by fans as one of the most epic and emotional Bankai activation scenes in the entire show. Despite not even being a captain, Ikkaku has managed to achieve a truly impressive Bankai that transforms his Zanpakutō into two enormous cleavers more than large enough to tear even the toughest of opponents to pieces.

As he admits upfront, however, Ryumon Hozukimaru is a “slow starter” as his Zanpakutō's spirit will only begin to awaken as the fight progresses. As explained later in the series during Fake Karakura Town, Ikaku's Bankai also weakens every time it breaks. Therefore, while still very strong and certainly an intimidating sight, the time it takes to get the maximum effect from this Bankai is a time that most Soul Reapers cannot afford during an intense fight.

5 Zanka No Tachi (Genryusai Yamamoto)

Yamamoto's devastating Bankai can only be used for a limited time

• First appearance: TYBW Episode 6

Zanka no Tachi, the Bankai of none other than Captain Yamamoto, is by far one of the most destructive and powerful in all of Soul Society. When Yamamoto unleashes the power of his Zanpakutō, he goes through four different attack phases that all involve burning his enemies to crumbs and obliterating them from existence, but with such power comes a rather steep price.

As Yamamoto makes clear during his battle with Yhwach, using Zanka no Tachi for too long will destroy not only his enemy, but himself and even the entire Soul Society. Even when Yamamoto first revealed his Bankai, the air within Soul Society became heavy almost immediately, which seemingly only got worse the longer the sword remained active.

4 Suzumushi Tsuishiki Enma Korogi (Kaname Tosen)

Tosen's Bankai is immediately canceled if the opponent gets too close to his sword

• First appearance: episode 51

Since Tosen was only a captain for a short period of time in the series, fans only get to see him use his Bankai once, against another captain no less. Within that skirmish with Kenpachi, however, it is fully explained how Tosen's Bankai works, being able to completely turn off the opponent's senses, allowing Tosen to hit him from multiple angles without him hearing, seeing or hearing anything.

Fortunately, Zaraki managed to find the Bankai's main weakness when he grabbed Tosen's blade, disabling his power entirely and leaving him completely exposed. Since Kenpachi is a fighter who loves close contact with his enemies, he was able to figure this out pretty quickly, so Tosen's Bankai is probably better suited to ranged opponents, which limits his versatility.

3 Kokujo Tengen Myo (Komamura Sajin)

Komamura will receive all damage dealt to his Bankai

• First appearance: episode 51

This specifically focuses on Komamura's Bankai before he received the updated version later in the story. Kokujo Tengen Myo is essentially a giant version of Komamura in every sense, meaning it will follow his every physical move and attack exactly as he executes them. However, it also means that since the two are intrinsically linked, any damage Kokujo Tengen Myo receives will also be dealt to Komamura.

It also doesn't help that this Bankai, while fast for its size, is still slower than many others and can be easily exploited if the opponent has abilities that make it too agile for the eye to see. Once again, Komamura improves this Bankai in the Thousand Year Bloody War arc, but it has always had flaws that still make it a bit risky to use.

2 Nozarashi (Zaraki Kenpachi)

Zaraki's Bankai tears apart his body to gain a massive energy surge

• First appearance: chapter 669

Kenpachi's immensely powerful Bankai is truly a last resort that probably does as much damage to the user as it inflicts on his opponents. When unleashing Nozarashi, Zaraki takes on an oni-like appearance with bright red skin and black markings covering his skin. He also receives a shocking increase in power and is much more ruthless than before, although Kenpachi will also lose all sense of reason in this form.

This means he essentially becomes a one-man killing machine who will strike down both friend and foe if his mindless gaze fixates on them. Furthermore, the Bankai possesses so much power that it tears Kenpachi's body apart while using it, leaving him paralyzed after using it. There is always the possibility that Kenpachi could get himself, or others, killed while using Bankai, which is why limiting its use as much as possible is strongly advised by other captains.

1 Hakka No Togame (Rukia Kuchiki)

One wrong move with this frozen Bankai could lead to Rukia losing a limb, or even her life

• First appearance: TYBW Episode 19

Rukia's Bankai, which she first uses against Sternritter As Nodt during the Thousand Year Blood War arc, sees her freeze everything nearby, including herself. While Rukia's opponents involved in the attack will immediately collapse, Rukia will survive, although moving her body too quickly will cause severe damage to her body and could even lead to her own death if she is too hasty.

It is also implied that Rukia does not possess too much experience using her Bankai, and while it is not a weakness in and of itself, it can still be risky when paired with a Bankai that requires so much care to use properly without getting hurt. . Luckily, Byakuya is present during the battle of As Nodt to remind Rukia that performing the Bankai slowly is crucial to using it safely.