Highlights
- Aizen’s power and skill make him a formidable anime villain without even needing to use his Bankai.
- Every Soul Reaper captain in Bleach has shown their Bankai except for a few, like Juushiro Ukitake and Kenpachi Zaraki.
- Aizen’s Zanpakutou, Kyoka Suigetsu, can trap his enemies in complete hypnosis, making his true power beyond comprehension.
There are few anime villains more famous and iconic than Sosuke Aizen, the main villain of Bleach. With extraordinary intellect, insurmountable power, and elite skill, Aizen is one of the series’ most powerful and dangerous characters. Aizen often effortlessly defeats his enemies, sometimes even multiple high-level warriors simultaneously, all this with his raw power and skill, without ever using the Soul Reapers’ unique power: Bankai.
Bankai is the highest form of a Soul Reaper’s power in Bleach. Through rigorous training and a deep connection to their zanpakutou, Soul Reapers attain their power’s final form, which grants them incredibly powerful and unique abilities. Every single captain of the Gotei 13 has shown their Bankai, and even some non-captains, like Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, Ikkaku Madarame, and Ichigo Kurosaki. And still, for such a powerful character, Aizen’s Bankai has never been shown, making fans ask if he even has one in the first place.
Soul Reaper Captains All Share One Thing
The Gotei 13 is led by thirteen captains, each commanding a different squad. Sosuke Aizen was previously the captain of Squad 5, after his former captain, Shinji Hirako, was exiled from Soul Society. To become captain, any Soul Reaper must fulfill several requisites, one of which is having attained Bankai and showing it to the other captains. This is why every captain in the Gotei has shown their Bankai at least once in the series, except for a few.
Juushiro Ukitake has never shown his because he never had the opportunity to, considering his illness prevents him from fighting often. Kenpachi Zaraki became a captain without not only not having a Bankai, but also not even knowing the name of his Zanpakutou. This was because of the Kenpachi tradition. Zaraki killed the previous holder of the title, therefore taking his place as captain of Squad 11. Finally, Sosuke Aizen was believed by the other captains to have shown his Bankai to them, which was all a trick.
Aizen’s Zanpakutou and his abilities.
Aizen’s Zanpakutou is named Kyoka Suigetsu. Before he betrayed the Gotei 13, it was believed to possess water-based powers, but the true ability is completely different. Kyoka Suigetsu can trap anyone who sees him in complete hypnosis. Sight, hearing, smell, touch, everything is affected by Aizen’s complete hypnosis. He can make his enemies perceive anything he desires, and the only way to escape the illusion is to touch Kyoka Suigetsu’s blade, which is easier said than done.
During his captain application, Aizen used Kyoka Suigetsu’s hypnosis to make the captains see a fake Bankai, one with water-based abilities. Hence, it is unclear whether Aizen truly possesses Bankai or if the illusion was used to make himself captain, fulfilling the requisites.
Aizen’s Goal of Ultimate Power
Aizen is a being beyond comprehension. When he was born, the balance of souls was disturbed, as such a powerful individual shouldn’t exist in the first place. Aizen is completely unable to be killed by the time of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, since, beyond his ridiculous power, he successfully fused with the Hogyouku, thus granting him true immortality. But Aizen is someone who seeks to transcend the rules of the world, to go beyond the limitations of Soul Reapers and Hollows, and for this reason, it is reasonable to believe he would tune his power to make sure to achieve this.
Since Bankai is the ultimate form of a Soul Reaper power, someone like Aizen would certainly be able to achieve such strength. While Aizen has never shown his own Bankai, it’s fair to believe it’s simply because he hasn’t ever needed it, as his regular power in Shikai form is more than enough to be completely out of reach of his enemies.
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