Summary

  • Squad Zero's Bankai is so powerful that it had to be sealed away to avoid accidentally destroying what they're trying to protect.
  • Senjumaru's Bankai creates a pocket dimension for each enemy, trapping them in eternal suffering as punishment for invading the Soul King's Palace.
  • Senjumaru's Bankai showcases the true power of Squad Zero, proving that they are stronger than the entire 13 Court Guard Squads, including Head Captain Yamamoto.

Warning: Spoilers for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Episodes 25 & 26Bleach's most elite Soul Reapers have lived up to their reputation in the Thousand-Year Blood War finale, with the debut of a new Bankai so powerful that it literally shakes the earth--even when its wasn't in the World of the Living. The Bankai was so powerful, in fact, that it had previously been sealed away with one of the most ridiculously strict seals in the series.

Faced with Yhwach's own elite guard, plus Uryu and Haschwalth, Squad Zero definitely had their hands full, as all were difficult opponents. However, as their battle went on, viewers couldn't help but wonder why Squad Zero had yet to pull out any of their Bankai. The finale answered that question soon enough, however, by having the other of Squad Zero tell Senjumaru Shutara that it was up to her to handle the intruders before shockingly killing themselves. That's when it was revealed that their Bankai were so powerful, they had to be sealed away, lest all of them using Bankai at once accidentally destroy what they're trying to protect.

Squad Zero Are Undoubtedly Bleach's Strongest Soul Reapers

Bleach: Senjumaru uses her Bankai on Askin.

Now the lone survivor, Senjumaru deployed her Bankai, which appeared to be a massive loom, with which she created bespoke punishments for each of the Quincy who had so foolishly entered their domain. The Bankai appeared to create some sort of pocket dimension for each of its victims, and it was indeed so powerful that it caused low-grade earthquakes in the World of the Living and the Soul Society. Senjumaru's Bankai was able to handle all six of the enemy Quincy with ease, seemingly trapping each of them in some form of eternal suffering as payment for their crime of invading the Soul King's Palace.

While the nature of the seal on Squad Zero's Bankai meant that only one could be shown, Senjumaru's Bankai was definitely impressive enough for all of them. This content was not present in the manga, and was created, by Bleach's manga author Tite Kubo, with the express purpose of showing Squad Zero's true power in a way that the manga was never able to. In fact, as a result of Senjumaru's Bankai and Ichibe's own Bankai, the first ever, the finale ended with the villains seemingly in total defeat. With another part of Thousand-Year Blood War already confirmed to be on the way, however, it seems like things can't have been resolved quite as easily as it appears.

Regardless of whether the Quincy are finished, Senjumaru's Bankai was an incredible new reveal, and the sheer power on display is certainly beyond questioning. In the episode, Squad Zero bragged that they were stronger than the entire 13 Court Guard Squads, and if Senjumaru's Bankai is any indication, then each of their power absolutely dwarfs that of Head Captain Yamamoto, who was undoubtedly the strongest of the 13 Squads. Any debate about who is the strongest Soul Reaper has been definitively settled: Bleach's strongest Soul Reaper is, if not Senjumaru, absolutely a member of Squad Zero.