Bleach: Shuhei Hisagi’s Bankai Explained!

Bleach fans will certainly know the name of Lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi. His story has been chronicled from his early days, when Captain Kensei Muguruma saved him from being killed by a Hollow, to his Academy days, when he was considered to be one of the brightest pupils of his generations, to his struggles with Captain Tosen’s betrayal and the subsequent battles that the Shinigami fought. Combining his personal philosophy with his undoubtedly great potential, Shuhei Hisagi has become one of the most peculiar members of the Gotei 13, and his Zanpakuto, Kazeshini, was one of the more eerie ones. After Quincy’s first invasion of the Seireitei, his Captain, Kensei Muguruma, sent him to train with Mashiro to learn Bankai, and he managed to do it. In this article, we will tell you all about that mysterious Bankai.

And while Hisagi’s Bankai has never become as notorious as Shinji Hirako’s Bankai, although both of them debuted in the same work, this Bankai is nevertheless quite special, which is why we have decided to write an article explaining its powers and abilities to you. Hisagi’s Bankai is quite specific in the world of Bleach, and it was essential for us to explain how it works, how it was activated, and why it is so special ahead of the big reveal in the anime, which was confirmed in the trailer. There will be spoilers, so you have to be careful how you approach certain parts of the article.

Shuhei Hisagi’s Zanpakutō: Understanding Kazeshini

Shuhei Hisagi is best known as the Lieutenant of the 9th Division of the Gotei 13. He was initially saved from a Hollow by Captain Kensei Muguruma of the 9th Division about 110 years before the main timeline; Muguruma inspired him so much that he got a matching tattoo to show him respect. After Muguruma was betrayed and turned into a Hollow by Aizen, he was replaced by Kaname Tosen, who was – unbeknownst to the others – part of Aizen’s treacherous group.

Hisagi later became Tosen’s Lieutenant, and he grew to respect Tosen and his philosophy, not knowing that Tosen was working to destroy Soul Society the whole time. Eventually, he had to resort to using Kazeshini, his blade, to kill Tosen in Fake Karakura Town, but despite once again becoming Muguruma’s Lieutenant, he still harbored great respect for Tosen.

Now, as fans of the series will know, the Bankai is always simply an extension of the Shikai, so to fully understand the Bankai, we first have to explain the Shikai. In Hisagi’s case, we are going to talk about Kazeshini. In its unreleased state, Kazeshini has the usual appearance of a katana. The guard plate is an octagon that looks like a rectangle with the corners cut off. It is activated by the command “Reap,” which makes sense since it becomes like a scythe after the release.

In the Shikai form, it transforms into two Kusarigama, each with two blades. The sharp side of one blade points in the direction of the hilt, the other in the direction of the sword tip, so it is well suited for throwing at the opponent. However, not even Shuhei is able to figure out Kazeshini’s trajectories when attacking. Another ability of Kazeshini is that it can create a black wind and launch it at its opponent. This technique appears in the fight between Kazeshini and Kira during the Zanpakutō Revolution Arc.

Hisagi himself commented how it was quite difficult to fight with Kazeshini and how he did not like his Zanpakuto due to the fact that it looked a lot like something used to slaughter people. He activated it only when he had to and preferred to fight with the chains rather than the blades, which was a reflection of the philosophy taught to him by Tosen. Kazeshini’s Spirit appeared in the Zanpakutō Revolution Arc, a filler arc from the anime, where he was shown to be a volatile, homicidal creature with a demonic appearance. It is now known whether Kubo approved of this design or not.

Shuhei Hisagi’s Bankai, Fushi no Kojo, explained

Most Bankai of the Gotei 13 have been introduced at one point or another, some earlier (like Byakuya, Mayuri, and Renji), and some later (like Kenpachi, Kyoraku, and Hirako). Notable exceptions include the former 5th Division Captain, Sōsuke Aizen; former 2nd Division Captain, Yoruichi Shihōin; former 7th Division Captain, Love Aikawa, and Jūshirō Ukitake, the former 13th Division Captain.

But, aside from this group, there are also two Bankai that have not been introduced in the official manga but rather in one canon light novel, and they are Shinji’s and Hisagi’s Bankai. Of course, this article is going to be focused on Shuhei’s Bankai, since we’ve already talked about Shinji’s Bankai (which has also been shown in the anime!), so we are going to tell you about this.

As to why Kubo hasn’t shown us, or at least described, the Bankai of the characters we’ve listed above, it is now known why he never did it, but while Yoruichi and Love are somewhat understandable (the former never fought with her sword, while the latter had a small role in the story overall), Aizen and Ukitake remain a mystery, especially since there was space to introduce both, but that is a wholly different topic, as Hisagi’s Bankai has been shown.

Now, we have to state the following regarding the original manga. Although, as we’ve said, Hisagi’s Bankai premiered in the Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World light novel written by Ryōgo Narita, with Kubo providing illustrations and ideas, and being credited as the co-author of the light novel (the novel was subsequently confirmed to be part of the canon, which meant that Hisagi’s Bankai was also canon, even though we had not seen it in the manga.

This was additionally reinforced recently), and it has been confirmed in the original manga that he has achieved it. Namely, after the first invasion of the Seiretei, Muguruma had Hisagi train with Mashiro to achieve his Bankai, and from what has been said by both Hisagi and Muguruma, the former managed to do it. So, unlike Hirako’s Bankai, which had never been mentioned in the manga, Hisagi’s Bankai was at least mentioned at one point, although we haven’t seen him.

Whether the anime plans to add an extra scene as it did with Shinji is unknown. So, now that we’ve cleared this up let us talk a bit about the Bankai.

What you need to know beforehand is that, in most cases, the Bankai is an amplification of the Shikai’s basic powers and that it, in most cases, looks like an improved version of the original Shikai. There are numerous examples, such as Byakuya Kuchiki’s Bankai (which looks basically the same, with the number of petals increasing), Sajin Komamura’s Bankai (his blade now receives a body to go with it), Toshiro Hitsugaya’s Bankai (he produces more ice), Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s Bankai (the motif from the Shikai actually comes to life), and others. Hisagi’s Bankai is not an exception here.

As revealed in the light novel, Hisagi’s Bankai is called Fushi no Kōjō. The original chains of Kazeshini are multiplied and tied around Hisagi’s neck like a hangman’s noose, and they expand above him and connect to a large black orb. They also cannot be destroyed, as they will simply regenerate. The Reishi around the Bankai stays still and it has been said that the condition replicates the state of the old world that existed millions of years ago.

Shuhei actually confines both himself and his opponent in a chain cage when he uses his Bankai. Similar to Ayasegawa’s real Shikai, Ruri’iro Kujaku, Hisagi utilizes these chains to ensnare the adversary and suck out their Reiatsu. Hisagi and/or his opponent’s injuries are treated by Fushi no Kojo using both this stolen Reiatsu and his own Reiatsu. In other words, neither Hisagi nor the foe can die as long as they both have enough Reiatsu remaining, as sustaining harm will immediately heal them both.

This Bankai is supposed to be employed by Hisagi when he is facing off against a greater opponent while being aware of the presence of his teammates. The moment he traps his adversary in Fushi no Kojo, the battle can begin. Their Reiatsu is gradually depleted as they defeat each other repeatedly until they both pass out. The weakened foe can now be either captured or eliminated by Hisagi’s allies.

And this is the story of Hisagi’s Bankai. If you want to see it in action, we suggest you look up the Can’t Fear Your Own World light novel, or if you’re not a fan of that, you can hope that the Bankai is going to appear in the anime, much like Shinji’s Bankai appeared.