What are Nanao's powers in Bleach? Her abilities, explained

Modified Aug 07, 2024 03:22 GMT

Bleach and the answer to the question "What are Nanao's powers?" (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Bleach fans often ask themselves what Nanao's powers are, due to her role as one of the Gotei 13 lieutenants and the second in command at the Eight Division under the leadership of Kyoraku Shunsui. When compared to most lieutenants in the series, Nanao is not seen fighting during the vast majority of the series, which is why a lot of people don't know her abilities.

In reality, Nanao Ise is a peculiar case when it comes to the Shinigami in Bleach, since she has a Zanpakuto that has been in her family, Shinken Hakkyōken, which was instrumental during the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Her sole battle in the series was aiding Shuinsui during the latter's fight against Lille Barro, although her mastery of Kido is another element worth taking into account.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Nanao Ise's powers and abilities, explained

When Nanao Ise was first introduced in the 2004 anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Nanao's powers are her mastery of Kido and her family Zanpakuto, Shinken Hakkyōken, with the latter being introduced during her assistance of Kyoraku Shunsui against Lille Barro in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. She also has the distinction of being one of the few characters in the story who has a family Zanpakuto, which is passed down from one generation to another.

Her use of Kido is shown during her and Kyoraku's encounter with Jugram Haschwalth during the Quincy's second invasion in the aforementioned arc, with Nanao creating several barriers that separate them. She has proven time and time again to be a capable Kido expert, although is worth pointing out that she has little fighting experience because Kyoraku sheltered her too much.

When it comes to her Zanpakuto, Shinken Hakkyōken, it has the ability to reflect the attacks and powers of a god. This proved to be monumentally useful against Lille Barro because he reached a deity status, thanks to the powers bestowed upon him by Yhwach, which has been a divisive decision within the fandom because author Tite Kubo didn't foreshadow this weapon.

Nanao's role in Bleach

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Nanao is one of the most peculiar cases in Bleach because she is not a supporting character who stands out due to her fighting abilities or the many battles she was a part of. In many ways, her character is fairly minor until the Thousand-Year Blood War arc where Kyoraku Shunsui takes over as Captain Commander after Yamamoto's death and she becomes her second in command once again.

In that regard, her role was mostly as a support for Shuinsui as she is very diligent and serious, which is a direct contrast to her Captain's more lighthearted approach to things. However, she is also capable of organizing the Shinigami during the battle with the Quincy, even going as far as telling Zaraki Kenpachi to keep quiet when he doesn't want to obey orders.

Author Tite Kubo usually makes characters stand out because of their strength and even their abilities but Nanao is a peculiar example of her role not being based on power. She is a massive support for Kyoraku, fleshes him out through his backstory, and proves to be key as a leader and as a Kido expert, thus showing how a character's value is not always tied to strength and can be useful in other ways.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay