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Manga Bleach Theory- Ichigo's True Bankai???

Shinso Vampire Nagato

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Recently I was talking with a friend of mine about a theory I came up with some time ago and I came to the realization that I never posted it here to hear your guys thoughts on it! So it's no secret that has Bleach was gearing up for some big fights, the publisher cut Tite Kubo off making him end the series in a few chapters. One of the problems I had with the ending is Ichigo's Zanpakutou and more accurately his "Bankai".

Now in the 3 different forms we'd seen his Bankai take the last form was the most different and didn't make sense, changes which remained constant through out all of the forms suddenly thrown out the window! Then at the end where the sword broken and inside of it was his original Shikai made even less sense! Unless you remember the fact that Kubo had to rush the ending and consider... What if that "Bankai" was originally meant to be Ichigo' Shikai! What if Kubo didn't have the time to draw a new Bankai design and instead used panels he had already made but changed the dialogue/story that went with them. Here's my argument for this theory!

Ever since Tensa Zangetsu was revealed in Chapter 162 in the fight against Byakuya Kuchiki, it underwent a total of 3 changes through out the series and out of those 4 forms 3 of them had multiple aspects in common!
  1. Ichigo's Clothing changed
  2. It had a swastika guard
  3. It was a regular sized black sword
Chapter 162 Page 15.jpg Chapter 417 Page 2.png Chapter 475 Page 9.png

The clothing change was referenced to during the Fullbring Arc, when Ichigo's Fullbring turned into it's 2nd form.
Chapter 445 Page 3.png Chapter 445 Page 4.png
The true nature of Ichigo's Powers is being covered in them.

Another thing is that Ichigo was often compared to Kenpachi Zaraki due to the fact that originally it was thought that they both were in state of "constant release", that they were always in their Shikai state. But with the reveal of Kenpachi's Shikai Nozarashi this was deemed incorrect for Kenpachi and the Author added in Chapter 667 when Kenpachi activated Nozarashi in front of Byakuya, he said "that the constantly released form as we called it... Never even existed to begin with..."
Chapter 667 Page 15.jpg
So if this theory was incorrect with Kenpachi, then why would it not be for Ichigo as well? Shunsui Kyoraku has two sealed sword which release simultaneously so why wouldn't Ichigo?

Someone might argue that the sword had a chain something that is constant in Ichigo's Bankais and to that I say, that it isn't sole part of his Bankai anymore. With two first forms yes, but once Ichigo regained his powers in the Fullbring Arc his Shikai changed and isn't of just bandages wrapping the "Handle", his new Shikai had an actual handle with a chain at the end of it!
Chapter 459 Page 19.png Chapter 678 Page 5.png

Now finally to explain why at the end of the final battle when Ichigo's "Bankai" broke, his original Shikai was within. During Chapter 541 when Ichigo's Zanpakutou was being reforged after his Bankai was broken, Ichigo learned that his powers were not split Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy. But instead as Shinigami-Hollow & Quincy, his Shinigami Powers and Hollow Powers were one in the same, and that the Old Man he thought was Zangetsu was Yhwach, the manifestation of his Quincy Powers. When he surrendered all of Ichigo's powers over to him he explained that up until now he was only using a fraction of what he could not suppress. When Ichigo got his full powers and knew the truth behind everything, he accepted both powers as Zangetsu, giving him two blade to balance these powers, the long blade representing his Shinigami-Hollow powers and the short blade representing his Quincy Powers. When activating his "Bankai" or for the sake of the Theory his Shikai the two blade merged together to form one large one! But when Yhwach at the end stole both Ichigo's Quincy and Hollow powers (I will admit I got no explanation or theory as to why he took the Hollow too which is supposed to be poisonous to Quincy) all he was left with is pure 100% Shinigami, meaning his Zanpakutou had no reason to take on a dual form, to balance anything out, causing it to break into it's original form when Yhwagetsu was suppressing his hollow powers and hiding his Quincy nature.
Chapter 541 Page 17.jpg Chapter 684 Page 15.png

It was a bit long with all the explanations, but what do you think? Is it plausible? Does it explain when somethings were said and why his supposed Bankai broke into his original Shikai?
 

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who really cares?

I got 30 episodes into the bleach anime and dropped it completely. god it was boring, and I suspect the manga is no different.
 

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who really cares?
Well, you wrote on your profile that you are "pretty much done with anime & manga" so you can skip this thread if you don't want to talk about anime/manga :) we are always open if you want to talk/create a good conversation

I got 30 episodes into the bleach anime and dropped it completely. god it was boring, and I suspect the manga is no different.
Well, I watched only some episodes and after that read the manga... the manga is good but I really don't like the last arc...

@Shinso Vampire Nagato : later I'll read the thread and reply XD
 

Shinso Vampire Nagato

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who really cares?

I got 30 episodes into the bleach anime and dropped it completely. god it was boring, and I suspect the manga is no different.

30 Episodes? That's it? For a series that's over 300 episodes and a manga that's almost twice that amount, you didn't even give it a chance. Do you even know what a Bankai is? Cause if you stopped watching even before the fight again Kenpachi Zaraki, you're not going to understand anything that I talked about. Honestly if you stopped around the early 30s the fight was round 2 against Renji, and that fight isn't even in the top 10 iconic for series!
 

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Ok, ready to write my comment XD
First thing first, I don't remember really well everything that happened so there can be something that don't make sense XD

Then at the end where the sword broken and inside of it was his original Shikai made even less sense!
If I remember well, Yhwach gave Ichigo his powers (like you wrote) so we can say that Ichigo used Yhwach powers and not his (that's why the sword breaks and Ichigo has to find his own sword)

In the Fullbring Arc Ichigo lost his powers so I think he acquired new ones only for that arc and after that he somehow gets back his old powers (that are the ones Yhwach gave him) so... I think that only in the end Ichigo used his own power and true Bankai otherwise it would be impossibile for him to defeat Yhwach.
So, I think this is the real sword (where Ichigo powers is his own - and is a fusion of the Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy powers):
 

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Ok, ready to write my comment XD
First thing first, I don't remember really well everything that happened so there can be something that don't make sense XD


If I remember well, Yhwach gave Ichigo his powers (like you wrote) so we can say that Ichigo used Yhwach powers and not his (that's why the sword breaks and Ichigo has to find his own sword)

In the Fullbring Arc Ichigo lost his powers so I think he acquired new ones only for that arc and after that he somehow gets back his old powers (that are the ones Yhwach gave him) so... I think that only in the end Ichigo used his own power and true Bankai otherwise it would be impossibile for him to defeat Yhwach.
So, I think this is the real sword (where Ichigo powers is his own - and is a fusion of the Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy powers):

Yhwach never gave Ichigo any powers directly. Unless you're talking about the spirit version within Ichigo and the powers he gave Ichigo were Ichigo's FULL Shinigami & Hollow power which were the powers he was suppressing. From Soul Society through the Huego Mundo and all the fighting against the Espada and Aizen all Ichigo was using was just the powers the Quincy spirit could not suppress.

The core of Ichigo's power Shinigami Power came from his father Isshin, who was part of the Shiba Clan and the Captain of 10th Division until he met Ichigo's mother Masaki.
Quincy & Hollow Powers came from his mother. Quincy came directly from her, and the Hollow from the engineered Hollow created by Aizen which infected her.

At the end of the fight against Aizen, Ichigo lost his Shinigami powers and only those. He still had his Hollow and Quincy, which is what Ginjo Kugo used in awakening Ichigo's Fullbring. Fullbring is the manifestation of Hollow Powers in Human form, for Shinigami like Shinji Hirako and Kensei Mugurama it manifest in the form of Hollowfication. Ginjo knowing that Shinigami and Hollow powers can fuse together, helped Ichigo awaken his Fullbring to have his Shinigami begin to revive.

But then turns out Ginjo was only wanted to awaken his powers to steal them to empower himself and the rest of Xcution group. Then Rukia along with Renji, Byakuya, Kenpachi, Ikkaku, and Toshiro use a special sword created by Kisuke Urahara to revive Ichigo's Shinigami powers.

And before Ichigo Sword broke in that form, the real Yhwach claimed that he stole Ichigo's Hollow and Quincy powers, so the form that his sword took which was a fused form of his powers broke into his original Shikai the form his Zanpakutou took, when all Ichigo was relying were the Shinigami powers which the Quincy Spirit could not suppress.
 

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Yhwach never gave Ichigo any powers directly. Unless you're talking about the spirit version within Ichigo and the powers he gave Ichigo were Ichigo's FULL Shinigami & Hollow power which were the powers he was suppressing. From Soul Society through the Huego Mundo and all the fighting against the Espada and Aizen all Ichigo was using was just the powers the Quincy spirit could not suppress.

The core of Ichigo's power Shinigami Power came from his father Isshin, who was part of the Shiba Clan and the Captain of 10th Division until he met Ichigo's mother Masaki.
Quincy & Hollow Powers came from his mother. Quincy came directly from her, and the Hollow from the engineered Hollow created by Aizen which infected her.

At the end of the fight against Aizen, Ichigo lost his Shinigami powers and only those. He still had his Hollow and Quincy, which is what Ginjo Kugo used in awakening Ichigo's Fullbring. Fullbring is the manifestation of Hollow Powers in Human form, for Shinigami like Shinji Hirako and Kensei Mugurama it manifest in the form of Hollowfication. Ginjo knowing that Shinigami and Hollow powers can fuse together, helped Ichigo awaken his Fullbring to have his Shinigami begin to revive.

But then turns out Ginjo was only wanted to awaken his powers to steal them to empower himself and the rest of Xcution group. Then Rukia along with Renji, Byakuya, Kenpachi, Ikkaku, and Toshiro use a special sword created by Kisuke Urahara to revive Ichigo's Shinigami powers.

And before Ichigo Sword broke in that form, the real Yhwach claimed that he stole Ichigo's Hollow and Quincy powers, so the form that his sword took which was a fused form of his powers broke into his original Shikai the form his Zanpakutou took, when all Ichigo was relying were the Shinigami powers which the Quincy Spirit could not suppress.
I really don't remember anything from that last arc XD
I admit that the last arc was boring and confusing (rushed maybe?) so I don't like it :yeahyeah:
 

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I really don't remember anything from that last arc XD
I admit that the last arc was boring and confusing (rushed maybe?) so I don't like it :yeahyeah:
Unfortunately while Kubo had a lot planned, the publisher cut him off pretty badly...
 

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So the mobile game Bleach Brave Souls released this for the New Years/Global Anniversary Banner! This is I believe was what Kubo wanted to do originally for Ichigo's Bankai before he was cut short and had to use what he had planned to be a Shikai as a Bankai.
Resized.png


This is Ichigo using all his powers as one!
His right side contains the power of the Quincy which can be seen with the bow he holds and if you zoom in on his right eye you'll see Blut Vene running across his face.
His left side contain the powers of a Hollow! It can be seen with how his left hand has claws, what looks like a Getsuga Cero, and the fur from his Resurrection. Also on the in-game model you can see small spike protruding from his shoulder.

His ultimate attack/Special in the game is infusing all three powers into on attack which is a arrow infused with a Getsuga Cero.
 

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So the mobile game Bleach Brave Souls released this for the New Years/Global Anniversary Banner! This is I believe was what Kubo wanted to do originally for Ichigo's Bankai before he was cut short and had to use what he had planned to be a Shikai as a Bankai.
View attachment 4531

This is Ichigo using all his powers as one!
His right side contains the power of the Quincy which can be seen with the bow he holds and if you zoom in on his right eye you'll see Blut Vene running across his face.
His left side contain the powers of a Hollow! It can be seen with how his left hand has claws, what looks like a Getsuga Cero, and the fur from his Resurrection. Also on the in-game model you can see small spike protruding from his shoulder.

His ultimate attack/Special in the game is infusing all three powers into on attack which is a arrow infused with a Getsuga Cero.
Well... this can be an original thing for the mobile game but... I really like the idea that this is what Kubo originally wanted to do :yesyes2: :sisi2:
 

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Well... this can be an original thing for the mobile game but... I really like the idea that this is what Kubo originally wanted to do :yesyes2: :sisi2:
Yea it could just be something alone for the game, but I feel like so many things were said and introduced towards the end of the manga so it all not to apply towards the protagonist. One of the things with this form that people can say wouldn't work with how he looked towards the final fight and how he looks here. In this new form he's slightly older and he has the longer hair from when he fought Aizen.

This could be explained easily by looking at Toshiro Hitsugaya. During the fight against Valkyrie, Toshiro allowed the final Ice Petal to melt away and awaken his Full Power 100% Bankai. But his body is still immature and cannot handle the power so his Zanpakutou somehow causes a temporary accelerated growth, turning him into an adult while he's in his Bankai. It could be said that Zangetsu aged Ichigo slightly so he could handle this form.
 

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Yea it could just be something alone for the game, but I feel like so many things were said and introduced towards the end of the manga so it all not to apply towards the protagonist. One of the things with this form that people can say wouldn't work with how he looked towards the final fight and how he looks here. In this new form he's slightly older and he has the longer hair from when he fought Aizen.

This could be explained easily by looking at Toshiro Hitsugaya. During the fight against Valkyrie, Toshiro allowed the final Ice Petal to melt away and awaken his Full Power 100% Bankai. But his body is still immature and cannot handle the power so his Zanpakutou somehow causes a temporary accelerated growth, turning him into an adult while he's in his Bankai. It could be said that Zangetsu aged Ichigo slightly so he could handle this form.
I was thinking... wasn't this form in the novel? I have read that the novel Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World introduced 2 new characters so maybe this form of Ichigo will be canon in the manga...
 

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I was thinking... wasn't this form in the novel? I have read that the novel Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World introduced 2 new characters so maybe this form of Ichigo will be canon in the manga...
If I remember correctly Ichigo has a new Hollow form which is I think is stronger than the one at the end of the manga that he uses while fighting with Ginjo I believe. Don't quote me though I read this on twitter when the Novel was released in Japan. As for the Manga nothing has been said about it reviving or anything sadly... and the anime... who the heck knows what Shueisha is going to do...
 

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If I remember correctly Ichigo has a new Hollow form which is I think is stronger than the one at the end of the manga that he uses while fighting with Ginjo I believe. Don't quote me though I read this on twitter when the Novel was released in Japan. As for the Manga nothing has been said about it reviving or anything sadly... and the anime... who the heck knows what Shueisha is going to do...
Well, Kubo worked on a one-shot (Burn the Witch) but nothing more so for now there isn't any information about a Bleach sequel... only the novels :yeahyeah:
 

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If I remember correctly Ichigo has a new Hollow form which is I think is stronger than the one at the end of the manga that he uses while fighting with Ginjo I believe. Don't quote me though I read this on twitter when the Novel was released in Japan. As for the Manga nothing has been said about it reviving or anything sadly... and the anime... who the heck knows what Shueisha is going to do...
So the mobile game Bleach Brave Souls released this for the New Years/Global Anniversary Banner! This is I believe was what Kubo wanted to do originally for Ichigo's Bankai before he was cut short and had to use what he had planned to be a Shikai as a Bankai.
View attachment 4531

While I see where you going with it, I have to disagree. I think it's more likely that the bankai ichigo was supposed to have was a modified version of mugetsu. While we are lead to believe that it's a technique both ichigo and isshin are capable of learning we have no real proof of that beyond what isshin says. It could be just as likely that isshin realised ichigo was working with a restraint version of his full potential and planned on helping ichigo realise that potential. Plus, when it shows ichigo learning it we see his two zanpakuto spirits combined as one symbolising his powers coming together. That and it would explain a huge deus ex machina in the series.
 

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Welcome to the community @Noah mcclure !
In your previous message you simply quoted an old message so I don't understand if you agree with what the user you quoted wrote or if you simply forgot to wrote your answer...
 

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Sorry about that new to the site on my side it is showing both the quote and my actual reply. What I replied is that though I liked your theory I think it is more likely that ichigos true bankai was meant to be a modified version of mugetsu. If you dont mind would you double check my previous reply to see if it is just the quote?
 

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Sorry about that new to the site on my side it is showing both the quote and my actual reply. What I replied is that though I liked your theory I think it is more likely that ichigos true bankai was meant to be a modified version of mugetsu. If you dont mind would you double check my previous reply to see if it is just the quote?
Don't worry, that can happen :yesyes:
Oh! I think I know what happened... this is your message right?
While I see where you going with it, I have to disagree. I think it's more likely that the bankai ichigo was supposed to have was a modified version of mugetsu. While we are lead to believe that it's a technique both ichigo and isshin are capable of learning we have no real proof of that beyond what isshin says. It could be just as likely that isshin realised ichigo was working with a restraint version of his full potential and planned on helping ichigo realise that potential. Plus, when it shows ichigo learning it we see his two zanpakuto spirits combined as one symbolising his powers coming together. That and it would explain a huge deus ex machina in the series.
if yes, you simply wrote in the quote tag your reply and I haven't read the original message :facepalm3: my bad!
 

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No problem stuff happens. Happy to have found this thread glad I wasn't the only one thinking about this when bleach ended!
Well, I think that the series got axed so in the end the author finished the series with a lot of thing that need an explanation (and I think that the novel solves everything but I don't know if someone translated it or not...)
 
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