Zero Division vs. Yamamoto: Who Is More Powerful & Who Wins?

So far, we have compared mostly individual characters from the Bleach franchise and some groups, but in this article, while sticking with the lore, we are going to make a completely different comparison, as we are going to compare one character – Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, nonetheless – to a whole group, in this case, the notorious Zero Division. We’re not going to do our usual point-based comparison system as it would be impossible to compare them; we will compare Yamamoto, in short, to each of the individual members and determine whether he would win or not, and then give you an overall conclusion.

Yamamoto remains one of the most powerful Bleach characters

Before we compare him to the five Zero Division members, we will quickly go over Yamamoto’s powers and abilities.

Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, possesses a powerful reserve of Reiatsu, which can stun opponents like Nanao Ise, cause them to lose all hope of winning, and make breathing difficult. Yamamoto once claimed that he had served as Captain General for 1,000 years because no Shinigami stronger than him had appeared since he assumed office. He also claimed that this has been the case for over 2,000 years, and it appears that he was more than right in both claims.

Ryujin Jakka, Yamamoto’s Zanpakuto, is a regular katana that is kept concealed inside the elderly Shinigami’s walking stick in its sealed form. It is the oldest and most potent of its kind and the one with the strongest attack strength. It is an elemental-type Zanpakuto with a connection to fire. Only strong captains can withstand the flames that the Shikai releases when they surround the Captain.

Zanka no Tachi is the name of his Bankai. The instant the release is made, drought spreads throughout the area. In addition, one can tell from the commander’s thinking that if the release were to last for a long time, even his own body would be in danger. One of the strongest Bankai in the series, the Zanka no Tachi has four unique techniques, each linked to a cardinal direction.

And while Yamamoto has no special techniques he can use, like some of the Zero Divison members, his mastery of Kido is enormous, although he does not rely much on it. He can use the highest-level Kido spells without incantation, which is proof of his skills. He also manages to retain their powers despite not using an incantation. But, as we have said, he rarely relies on them.

Now that we have gone over Yamamoto’s basic powers and abilities, we can compare him to each member of the Zero Division, as promised.

Yamamoto vs. Kirio Hikifune

The first Zero Division member we will compare Yamamoto against is Kirio Hikifune. Hikifune’s abilities are related to nourishment, but she also has some very interesting skills related to the absorption of Reishi. She was able to create and maintain the Cage of Life during the Zero Divison’s fight against the Schutzstaffel, and she was also able to attack Pernida with her special seeds that created branches like those of the Cage of Life. Her Zanpakuto has been revealed, but we do not know anything about her Shikai or her Bankai.

As for whether she could beat Yamamoto, we don’t think she could. The main reason behind this opinion is that Kirio Hikifune was the Captain of the 12th Division when Yamamoto was Captain-Commander and in that aspect, we can confirm that she was not stronger than him, as Yamamoto remains the strongest member of the Gotei 13 in history, which means that Hikifune did not surpass him.

Yamamoto has several advantages over Hikifune, especially because Ryujin Jakka is based on fire, while Hikifune’s skills are plant/tree-based. So, as far as an individual match-up is concerned, we think that Yamamoto would win.

Outcome: Yamamoto wins

Yamamoto vs. Senjumaru Shutara

Senjumaru Shutara is the second female member of the Zero Division, and her specialty is sewing, as she has created some marvelous pieces of clothing. But she is also an exceptionally skilled inventor and controls some of the Soul King’s most powerful soldiers. She is said to possess a total of 1,000 arms, which makes her a more formidable opponent than her appearance suggests.

Her Zanpakuto is called Shigarami, an oversized sewing needle that can pierce and kill an opponent. Her Bankai, Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji, is similar to Yamamoto’s in that it consists of several different elements, and with it, she can trap and seal the fate of her opponents by weaving it into her clothes, thereby effectively killing them. Inside the space created by her Bankai, Senjumaru is the absolute ruler.

When compared to Yamamoto, Senjumaru definitely stands a chance. Her speed and swordsmanship skills are exceptional, and her Bankai is amazingly powerful. On the other hand, Zanka no Tachi’s destructive power is something that has to be reckoned with, and based on what we know, we think that Yamamoto would be able to surpass Senjumaru as well, as Zanka no Tachi would overpower her Bankai.

This is not a sure thing, but Yamamoto’s East and West techniques would probably be enough to destroy Senjumaru’s Bankai, albeit provisionally, so we’d give this one to Yamamoto.

Outcome: Yamamoto wins (probably)

Yamamoto vs. Tenjiro Kirinji

Tenjiro Kirinji is a healing expert and another skilled and powerful member of the Royal Guard. He is the best healer in Soul Society, as his hot springs can heal even the most fatal wounds; he is the one who taught Unohana how to be a healer. Aside from healing people in his hot springs, he can summon the water from his springs wherever he wants and then use them while batling.

His Zanpakuto, as revealed, is called Kinpika, and it is an exceptionally powerful blade. Its special ability is to produce such intense light that all of Tenjiro’s opponents would be temporarily blinded. He is also quite fast and skilled with Kinpika.

Would he beat Yamamoto? Probably not. We know that Zanka no Tachi drains all moisture and liquid in a large area when activated; we don’t know if it would work on Tenjiro’s springs, but if it did, Tenjiro would not stand a chance. Despite his boasting, he was probably not a better swordsman than Yamamoto, and with Zanka no Tachi, the Captain-Commander would probably win.

Outome: Yamamoto wins

Yamamoto vs. Oetsu Nimaiya

Oetsu Nimaiya is the creator of the Zanpakuto and definitely the most flamboyant member of the Zero Division. He knows everything about every Zanpakuto and is quite an eccentric guy. On the other hand, he is exceptionally skilled and dangerous despite looking like a fool.

Nimaiya’s Sayafushi is a very strange Zanpakuto – it doesn’t get broken or destroyed, its blade is always sharp, and all blood simply slides off of it. Nimaiya considered it a failure as it did not fulfill the main “duties” of a sword; it could also not be sheathed, as it would simply cut through the sheath, so he kept it in a tank containing a special, jelly-like liquid.

Sayafushi is said to be able to kill an opponent with just one slice, but that would probably not work on Yamamoto. Nimaiya also probably couldn’t land such a strike on Yamamoto. But, while this is a pretty inconclusive one, we must not forget that Nimaiya knows everything about Ryujin Jakka, which could prove decisive in this battle. Still, we’ll put it down as an inconclusive one as we’re not certain.

Outcome: Inconclusive (Nimaiya has a slightly better chance at winning this one)

Yamamoto vs. Ichibei Hyosube

And finally, we have Ichibei Hyosube, the leader of Zero Division. This article is not big enough to tell you everything that Ichibei can do, so we won’t try to do it. We’ll just say that he was well above Yhwach’s abilities at the time and that he is undoubtedly one of the most powerful Shinigami in the series.

His Zanpakuto is Ichimonji, and it can erase the name of a phenomenon or being and then assign another one to it (in his Shin’uchi form), making Ichibe able to easily manipulate his opponents.

We have already said that a fight between Ichibei and Yamamoto has no clear winner (we’ve done a separate, individual comparison of the two), as it would depend on who would get the upper hand first. People underestimate Old Man Yama, but the guy was a true monster on the battlefield, and that simply cannot be denied, not even against a powerhouse such as Ichibei.

Outcome: Inconclusive

How do you think Yamamoto would fare against Zero Divison? Let us know in the comments!