The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, “Kill The Shadow,” now streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
In the most recent episode of Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, the Captains of the Gotei 13 intercept and face off against the invading Wandenreich. As the Sternritter have been slaughtering the lower-ranked Soul Reapers throughout Soul Society, it is only the Captain-Class Soul Reapers who stand a chance against such overwhelming power. Even then, their Zanpakuto struggle to pierce the skin of the Sternritter due to their Blut Vene, making the use of Bankai vital in the battle. Though the risk of the Bankai being sealed is high, four of the Captains decide to take the risk to identify the enemy’s power and find a way to overcome it.
Four Captains decided to take the leap and test the Sternritter’s power — Byakuya Kuchiki, Komamura Sajin, Suì-Feng and Toshiro Hitsugaya, each considering the risk but also the chance to overcome the power of sealing. However, each Captain decided to do so without connecting the Tenteikura before making the attempt, leading to all four releasing their Bankai at the same time. Whilst this intention appears strategic on the surface, the overconfidence of the Captain-Class Soul Reapers has always been a vital part of their personalities, and this lack of communication may have been the Captains’ first big blunder.
The Lack of Communication Between Captains
With the recent death of the Vice-Captain of the 1st Division, Chojiro Sasakibe, emotions were high and the anger toward the Sternritter was palpable. In the ideology of the Soul Reapers, for the most part, the death of one of their officers was a grave insult and disrespect toward their organization. While some may have been emotionally distraught by the event, such as Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, others would likely wish to show the Sternritter the foolishness of their arrogance in invading Soul Society. However, by not preparing beforehand on who to wisely test the Bankai-affecting technique the Sternritter possess, they were left vulnerable by acting individually — as the Captains tend to do.
These factors would have pushed the Captains, especially Byakuya and Suì-Feng, into aggressive action to reclaim their superior stance. As the invasion happened earlier than expected due to Ichigo Kurosaki being distracted in Hueco Mundo, the importance of preparation, plotting who would take the fall concerning Bankai and analyzing the true potential of the Quincy powers all fell through. It is not until all four have individually released their Bankai and had it stolen that they begin contacting other squads in a panic — early enough to stop the other Captains from committing the same blunder but too late to stop them all.
How This Blunder May Have Been Unavoidable
Shunsui Kyoraku comments on the need for sacrifices to progress their position in the war and explains how Mayuri Kurotsuchi is able to decipher situations to come up with an answer in a singular day. However, it is heavily implied that Mayuri lacked enough information to figure out how the seal worked and required more data through the stealing of Bankai. With the release of four Bankai, that data should greatly assist Mayuri with his investigation into the powers of the Sternritter — much to the frustration of the 12th Division Captain.
Even so, Akon receiving the information of Ichigo’s Bankai not being able to be stolen is more detailing of the powers that could help Mayuri conceive a solution to their handicap. As the enemy is too powerful to be defeated without Bankai, the Captains were given little option but to try and see the outcome. While it is a blunder, there were few options that could have avoided it.
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