Zanpakutō, Shikai, and Bankai are all common terms in the Bleach anime. The Bleach anime is filled with such jargon to the point that even fans get confused at times. Bleach is a pretty old anime that is pretty much filled with Japanese terms, which is confusing for the average non-Japanese speaker.
Zanpakutō is, in basic terms, the swords that grim reapers(Shinigami) use. Shikai and Bankai are the two forms that the swords take when their users engage in battle. This is when the question arises: What is the difference between these two forms? The answer to this has many specifics that will be dealt with in this blog.
What is a Zanpakutō?
A Zanpakutō is a weapon used by Shinigami, which usually appears to look like a Katana. There are different kinds of Zanpakutō, but all of them are made by one person: Ouetsu Nimaya. It is said that he made every Zanpakutō in existence.
The Zanpakutō given to a low-level Shinigami is called an Asauchi. These swords are said to be in a sealed state because their full potential is never used at that point. When Shinigami normally train at school, they are asked to spend all their time with their Asauchi since the bond between the Shinigami and their sword is really important for the Shinigami to get stronger.
Asauchi’s are said to have a soul within them, a soul that reflects the soul of its user, the Shinigami. Based on the user’s bond with their Asauchi, they can bring out a lot of the sword’s inner potential, which translates to strength in battle.
Unsealing of a Zanpakutō
After the Shinigami gets well acquainted with their Asauchi, there is a point where the Shinigami would able to enter the swords dimension and be able to interact with the soul present there.
Once the Shinigami learns the true name of their Zanpakutō, they become capable of tapping into the true potential of their Zanpakutō. At this point, the sword shows a kind of transformation and changes its form. This is the popular Shikai and Bankai that we have heard of.
What is Shikai?
When a Shinigami enters their Zanpakutō’s world and learns the true name of their Zanpakutō (the spirit within has its own name), they become capable of transforming their Zanpakutō into a Shikai.
When a Shinigami chants an incantation (called Kaigo), followed by the name of their Zanpakutō, Shikai is activated. It should be noted that if a different name and Kaigo are called out by the Shinigami, the form taken by the Zanpakutō is a weaker one. Such an act may seem unnecessary, but this is a norm for certain Shinigami like Yumichika Ayasegawa who wish to conceal their Zanpakutō.
Shinigami who are capable of achieving Shikai are deemed to have control over their Zanpakutō. This is the requirement that is sought for a typical lieutenant.
What is Bankai?
Bankai is the final form of a Zanpakutō, which can be obtained by an evolved Zanpakutō. The requirement for a Shinigami to be able to use Bankai is for them to make their Zanpakutō’s spirit materialize in the physical world onto their sword.
Such a feat can only be attained by a Shinigami after at least 10 years of training. Shinigami capable of using Bankai are said to be the strongest as even out of the 4 noble families, only one member out of every few generations is capable of using this technique.
Once a Shinigami attains bankai, they no longer need to chant the name of the Zanpakutō in order to activate its Shikai. Furthermore, the strength of a bankai is said to be at least 5-10 times more than its Shikai. This, however, may vary according to the strength of the Shinigami.
In the series, there were people who were capable of attaining bankai within just 3 days. This is quite the feat considering how the classical method takes over 10 years. Ichigo uses a device that forcibly materializes the Zanpakutō’s spirit onto the sword. He then started training with this form in order to use it properly.
What is the Difference Between Shikai and Bankai?
The simplest way to differentiate between the two is to describe how the strength of the Shingami and the spirit within the Zanpakutō is manifested.
Shikai is a form that is attained when the user of the Zanpakutō, the Shinigami’s own power, is reflected onto the sword. It should be noted that the spirit in the sword that developed along with the Shinigami also reflects the spirit of the user. This spirit undergoes continual development along with the Shinigami.
Bankai is the form in which the ego of the sword itself (that was formed along with the user) manifests onto the sword.
The biggest difference between the two is that Shikai involves the strength of the user being transferred to the sword, and for Bankai, it is quite the opposite: the sword’s soul is materialized on the sword.
Besides this, the differences between Shikai and Bankai are based on raw strength: on average, Bankai is 5-10 times stronger than the Shikai form.
To attain Bankai, the period for which a Shinigami has to train with their Zanpakutō and the level of familiarity that they have to reach with the spirit within is much greater than what is needed to attain a mere Shikai form.
About Bleach
Bleach is a Japanese anime television series based on Tite Kubo’s manga of the same name. The anime series adapts Kubo’s manga but also introduces some new, original, self-contained story arcs.
It is based in Karakura Town on a 15-year-old high school student Ichigo Kurosaki who becomes a substitute Soul Reaper when Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper, puts Soul Reaper powers in Ichigo. They barely manage to kill the hollow.
Although initially reluctant to accept the heavy responsibility, he begins eliminating some more hollows and also discovers that several of his friends and classmates are spiritually aware and have powers of their own.
No Comments on What is the Difference Between Shikai and Bankai in Bleach?