Every Soul Reaper in Bleach wields a Zanpakutō, and they can unlock its Shikai ability by learning its name. Bankai is a secondary transformation that is typically associated with Captain and Lieutenant-level Soul Reapers. Each Bankai serves as a trump card that can turn the tide of battle in an instant. The Thousand-Year Blood War arc has featured many Bankai, all of which are powerful in their own way, but some of these Bankai stand out because of their incredible speed.

The fastest Bankai can take an enemy down in an instant, and some of them can cause a great deal of destruction as well. Some of these Bankai unleash high-speed attacks at close range, while others use fast moving projectiles. Many of these Bankai have instantaneous effects, making them incredibly hard to dodge, with some techniques being nearly impossible to evade.

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10

Tekken Tachikaze Allows Kensei To Unleash High-Speed Punches

First Used In Bleach, Season 14, Episode 20, “The Hundred-Year Grudge! Hiyori’s Revenge”

Tachikaze can produce devastating air blades with its Shikai, and each blade can produce powerful explosions. Its Bankai is completely different, as Tekken Tachikaze manifests as a pair of knuckle blades which Kensei holds in his hands. Kensei’s arms are wrapped in special segmented bands which look like armor and form an arch above his head. These knuckle blades can be swapped for brass knuckles and spiked gauntlets.

Tekken Tachikaze focuses its Shikai’s destructive power into its knuckle blades, which means all of Kensei’s punches produce explosive force upon impact. Tekken Tachikaze is a full melee Bankai, so Kensei needs to get right up to his opponent. Kensei can unleash a flurry of high-speed explosive punches into his opponent’s body, which cause instant pain and severe internal damage. This fast-acting Bankai would have destroyed a Sternritter like Mask De Masculine if his Schrift was not shockingly overpowered.

9

Sōō Zabimaru Is Incredibly Fast Despite Its Melee-Oriented Abilities

First Used In Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Part 2, Episode 18, “Rages At Ringside”

For the majority of Bleach, Renji’s Bankai manifested as a large skeletal snake-like creature that could attack enemies from a distance, but Zabimaru’s true Bankai is far more compact and melee-oriented. Sōō Zabimaru transforms into a snake-skull gauntlet around Renji’s right hand and is equipped with a retractable blade. A snake-like vertebrae coils around Renji’s body, and his left shoulder gains a large monkey arm that can block Quincy attacks.

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Sōō Zabimaru’s speed relies entirely on Renji’s, as its strongest technique requires him to attack an opponent head-on. Once he stabs his opponent, he twists his blade like a key and immediately blasts a hole through their body as a set of jaws made of spiritual energy closes around them. During his battle with Uryū, Renji demonstrated that Sōō Zabimaru can rapidly extend, much like it does in its Shikai form. This allows Sōō Zabimaru to keep up with fast-moving opponents who prefer to attack from afar.

8

Kinshara Butōdan’s Illusions Trigger Almost Instantaneously

First Used In Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Part 2, Episode 18, “Rages At Ringside”

It is hard to believe that Kinshara is an Illusion-type Zanpakutō, especially since its Shikai takes the form of a golden whip which produces sound-based explosive shockwaves. When Kinshara Butōdan is activated, a large pair of hands appear above Rōjūrō’s head, and one holds a large conducting baton. Rōjūrō swaps his whip for a conducting baton as well. Kinshara Butōdan generates over a dozen tall, doll-like figures who dance to Rōjūrō’s music and amplify his performance.

The target gets trapped within the illusion as soon as they hear the music. Kinshara Butōdan’s illusions cause real physical damage, to the point that an enemy will be severely burned by their Prometheus performance. The Sea Drift performance traps an opponent in a whirlpool of surging water which restricts their movement and makes them feel as though they are actually drowning.

First Used In Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Part 2, Episode 16, “The Fundamental Virulence”

When Shinji first used his Shikai against Aizen in the Fake Karakura Town Arc, most Bleach fans were curious what his Bankai could do. Sakanade creates an optical illusion after releasing a pink aromatic mist from its blade. This illusion reverses the target’s perception of the world, to the point that up is down, and left is right. Shinji’s speech is also reversed. His never-before-seen Bankai took this concept even further.

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Sakashima Yokoshima Happōfusagari encloses Shinji in a large golden flower construct while it spreads mist throughout the battlefield. Anyone who breathes in this mist is automatically affected. Sakashima Yokoshima Happōfusagari alters the perception of allies and enemies, meaning an army of 1,000 soldiers would wipe each other out in minutes before any of them attack Shinji. This Bankai’s speed and power is so great that Shinji cannot use it while allies are around.

6

Zanka No Tachi Can Erase Enemies From Existence In An Instant

First Used In Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Part 1, Episode 6, “The Fire”

Captain Commander Yamamoto was regarded as the strongest Soul Reaper in part because he wielded Ryūjin Jakka, the oldest and most powerful fire-type Zanpakutō. Ryūjin Jakka’s Shikai produces intense flames that can incinerate anything, turning it to ash. Its Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, instantly absorbs these flames into the blade, giving it a charred appearance. It would take time, but this Bankai can burn the entire Soul Society to the ground if it is left active for too long.

As soon as Zanka no Tachi is activated, Yamamoto’s body is encased in a heat shield that reaches temperatures up to 15 millions degrees, meaning anyone who attempts to attack him head-on will burn up within seconds. Zanka no Tachi can erase anything from existence with a single cut, and this ability is active upon release. Yamamoto is one of the fastest characters in Bleach, meaning Zanka no Tachi’s destructive capabilities can occur in the blink of an eye.

5

Hakka No Togame Instantly Freezes Everything In Its Path When Rukia Points Her Sword

First Used In Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Part 2, Episode 19, “The White Haze”

While training at the Soul King’s Palace, Rukia learned how to use her Zanpakutō’s true power, and in doing so, she finally achieved Bankai. Rukia can freeze an opponent with her blade by lowering her body temperature to absolute zero, and her Bankai amplifies this power to the point that a large area can be frozen in a mater of seconds. Hakka no Togame turns Rukia into an elegant ice princess, making it one of the most beautiful Bankai in Bleach.

A pillar of cold mist erupts from Rukia’s location as soon as Hakka no Togame is activated. When Rukia points her sword towards her opponent, the pillar immediately releases a massive wave of freezing cold towards them. Hakka no Togame’s wave freezes everything in its path the instant it makes physical contact. Living beings are frozen solid and break into pieces not long afterwards.

4

Minazuki Produces Blood-Like Slashes At Rapid Speeds

First Used In Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Part 1, Episode 10, “The Battle”

The Thousand-Year Blood War revealed that Captain Unohana was the original Kenpachi and the first Captain of Squad 11. Her Shikai generated a large manta ray-like creature that could heal others with its stomach acids. Minazuki’s Bankai also had healing properties, but the healing was only reserved for Unohana herself. Minazuki’s main power was more battle focused, as it was able to cut down someone as strong as Kenpachi Zaraki multiple times.

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Once it is activated, Minazuki’s blade liquifies into a thick blood-like substance, and this same substance fills the area until the blade solidifies again. Minazuki allows Unohana to manipulate the substance with extreme speed and precision. Unohana can unleash a flurry of high-speed slashes in order to attack her opponent from a distance. The speed of the slashes are directly linked to the speed of Unohana’s movements and are fast enough to form a protective dome around her.

3

Jakuhō Raikōben Fires A Homing Missile At Enemies

First Used In Bleach, Season 14, Episode 11, “One Hit Kill, Suì-Fēng, Bankai!”

Suzumebachi’s Shikai and Bankai both utilize speed, but in very different ways. Its Shikai manifests as a gauntlet with a stinger-like blade, and it relies entirely on Sui-Feng’s Shunpo mastery to kill an opponent in two hits. Suzumebachi’s Shikai is perfect for assassinations, but its Bankai is cumbersome, flashy, and extremely loud, which is why Sui-Feng is not a fan of it. Regardless of her feelings, Jakuhō Raikōben packs a lot of destructive power.

Jakuhō Raikōben is a gold armor missile launcher base which encases Suì-Fēng’s right arm and much of her shoulder. It also produces a golden missile which is twice the size of Sui-Feng’s body. Sui-Feng needs to physically lift and aim the missile before launching it, but when it is fired, it tracks her target down with speed comparable to that of a modern day missile. The resulting explosion was powerful enough to severely injure a Sternritter like BG9 and an Espada like Baraggan.

2

Senbonzakura Kageyoshi Controls Thousands Of Blades With Incredible Speed

First Used In Bleach, Season 3, Episode 11, “Renji, Oath Of The Soul! Death Match With Byakuya”

Senbonzakura’s Shikai causes its blade to separate into hundreds of tiny blades which Byakuya can control with his mind. They can pierce through most defenses and shred enemies from a distance. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi produces millions of blades that can be controlled telekinatically, but they are twice as fast when Byakuya controls them with his hands. These blades are typically used to surround an enemy and obliterate them. The blades are so fast that Senbonzakura Kageyoshi can also be used to protect Byakuya from most attacks.

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Byakuya is a Shunpo master, but he was torn to shreds by Senbonzakura Kageyoshi when it was stolen by Äs Nödt. When Senkei is activated, the blades are focused into spiritual swords which enclose Byakuya and his opponent inside an area. Ikka Senjinka is considered Senbonzakura Kageyoshi’s ultimate attack because all of Senkei’s blades can attack the opponent at once before they can even blink.

1

Tensa Zangetsu Boosts Ichigo’s Speed To Superhuman Levels

First Used In Bleach Season 3 Episode 17, “Release! The Black Blade, The Miraculous Power”

Tensa Zangestu was first revealed during the Souciety Arc, and it got a slight visual update when Ichigo regained his Soul Reaper powers. Both these versions included a black katana and a long black outfit which represented Ichigo’s Spiritual Pressure. Tensa Zangetsu boosts Ichigo’s power, but it also boosts his speed to superhuman levels, to the point that he can catch someone as fast as Byakuya by surprise.

Tensa Zangetsu allowed Ichigo to deflect Senbonzakura Kageyoshi’s blades, and it gave him enough speed to briefly keep up with Yhwach during the first Sternritter invasion. The true Tensa Zangetsu will be revealed in the final season of the Thousand-Year Blood War, but its true power will not be revealed. That said, is still boosts Ichigo’s speed to the point that a Soul King empowered Yhwach considered it a great threat.

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Release Date

October 10, 2022

Network

TV Tokyo

Stream

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