In Bleach’s universe, there are particular objects and individuals that not even a captain-level shinigami could withstand. Apart from their five-point cross and Seele Schneider, what makes Quincy even more frightening is their Medallion, which can steal a shinigami’s Bankai. Quincy can further utilize the stolen Bankai as their own ability.
In the first episode of Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War arc, lieutenant of the 1st division, Chojiro Sasakibe, uses his Bankai for the first time, but an unnamed Quincy manages to steal it. However, in Ichigo’s case, it is still a mystery how he negated the effects of the medallion by simply attacking Asguiaro Ebern.
Disclaimer: This article contains heavy anime and manga spoilers from Bleach.
Ichigo Kurosaki’s Bankai in Bleach is not what it appears to be
Despite being a substitute shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki’s spiritual energy reserve surpasses most of the dominant individuals in Bleach. Renji Abarai once claimed that Ichigo’s power is heavy and often gives off Riatsu (spiritual energy) at the level of a 13 Court Guard Squad captain. Ichigo is the ultimate powerhouse in the series, possessing fullbring, soul reaper, and hollow’s abilities.
Apart from the earlier stated power sources, Ichigo also possesses Quincy’s powers through his mother, Masaki Kurosaki, which he will learn about as the story progresses. Housing and all these different power sources, Ichigo has become a divergent entity, making his existence harder to comprehend through objects like the Quincy medallion.
Ichigo’s sword is simply a spirit weapon manifested by old man Zangetsu, the embodiment of his Quincy powers acting as a shinigami’s Zanpakuto. So, in a nutshell, Ichigo’s Shikai and Bankai are Quincy abilities masquerading as shinigami powers.
Unbeknownst to Ebern, the Tensa Zangetsu he was trying to steal was a Quincy ability. Moreover, as the medallion wasn’t designed to steal Quincy’s powers, it was quickly broken by a base-level Getsuga Tensho technique.
The only way a shinigami could awaken both Shikai and Bankai in the Bleach universe is by merging their spiritual essence with the Asauchi, a nameless Zanpakuto spirit also called the Shallow Hit. Ichigo never got an Asauchi because his other power sources make things even more complicated.
Confronting Genryusai Yamamoto Shigekuni, the Captain-Commander of the whole Gotei 13, Yhwach made it clear that despite possessing the medallion, one must be strong enough to steal a shinigami’s Bankai. Unlike Ebern, Quilge Opie is one of the most powerful pure-blooded Quincy in the Wandenreich army, who has the potential to weaken a captain-level shinigami by using his medallion.
However, despite entering his Vollständig state, the most dominant form of a Quincy, he couldn’t steal Ichigo’s Bankai because its spiritual signature wasn’t of the purest shinigami. Ichigo will eventually get his Zanpakuto reforged to its purest form by Ōetsu Nimaiya, the third seated officer of Royal Guard’s Zero Division.
While Ichigo is unaware of his dormant abilities, he and the others beside him presume his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, to be his absolute feat. However, unaware of his true potential, all this time, Ichigo was using just a fraction of his true power that not even the likes of captain-commander Genryusai had managed to discern.
As the story progresses, fans will finally see Ichigo’s enthralling character development in the upcoming Bleach: A Thousand-year Blood War arc episodes.