What does Hakka no Togame mean? Rukia's Bankai in Bleach TYBW & its meaning

In Bleach TYBW, Rukia Kuchiki revealed her Bankai for the first time during her fight against Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt. While fans were hyped about the new form and were hoping to see more of it, not much was revealed about the state. Instead, only visuals allowed fans to learn about the form. Thus, here we shall take a look at Rukia's Bankai, Hakka no Togame, and what it means.

The previous episode of Bleach TYBW saw Rukia Kuchiki fighting Äs Nödt. While she managed to survive the Sternritter Schrift using her Shikai, she wasn't able to bypass her optical attacks. Hence, Rukia was forced to use her Bankai, using which she froze Äs Nödt to death.

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What does Hakka no Togame mean in Bleach TYBW? Sode no Shirayuki's Bankai state explained

Rukia Kuchiki as seen in Bleach TYBW (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Hakka no Togame, when directly translated into English, means Censure of the White Haze. VIZ Media, the official English publisher of the manga, translated the Bankai's name as White Haze Punishment. The manga itself hasn't ever explained how it derived that name.

Like several other Bankai, Rukia Kuchiki's Zanpakuto - Sode no Shirayuki, when used to activate the Bankai state, changes both her physical look and clothing. Most notably, it gave her white hair and turned her Zanpakuto into a transparent ice sword.

Rukia Kuchiki as seen in Bleach TYBW (Image via Studio Pierrot)

As for her clothes, her Shinigami uniform got replaced by an ankle-length kimono with lined patterns at its edges. The robe has several other details, including an ornate collar and a shoulder design with wide sleeves.

Additionally, the robe has several flowing ribbons at its back, which look similar to that of the ribbon that emerges from Sode no Shirayuki's hilt in its Shikai state. Lastly, a small ice flower emerges at the center of her chest and a half crown appears on her head, which extends to the back.

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What is Hakka no Togame's special ability?

Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt frozen to death by Rukia (Image via Studio Pierrot)

As explained by Rukia Kuchiki, Sode no Shirayuki's true nature is to drop the temperature of its user. Using this temperature drop, Rukia can achieve absolute zero temperature, which helps her freeze any person or object with contact.

While the Shikai ability seems very powerful in itself, her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, manages to increase the area of influence of the Shikai ability. Therefore, Rukia is able to freeze people and objects that are placed far away from her.

Byakuya Kuchiki holding Rukia Kuchiki's hand in Bleach TYBW (Image via Studio Pierrot)

When she released the ability against the Sternritter, a pillar of cold mist rose up into the air from where Rukia was standing. Following that, as the Shinigami pointed her blade toward her opponent, a massive wave of freezing cold wind blew toward Äs Nödt, freezing him to death.

Later in the episode, when Byakuya Kuchiki held Rukia's arm, it was revealed how her Bankai state caused other people to begin freezing solid due to how cold her body was. With this, it got confirmed that her ability would freeze anyone, be that an ally or an enemy.