What is Shunsui Kyoraku's Bankai in Bleach? Abilities explored

The anticipation surrounding Shunsui Kyoraku's Bankai is fever-pitch, following the release of Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War part 3's trailer at Anime Expo 2024. According to the short clip, the new captain commander of Gotei 13 will finally showcase his Bankai in the upcoming installment of the series.

Fans who have already read the manga know about Shunsui Kyoraku's Bankai and how overpowered it is. However, those who have yet to read Tite Kubo's manga are in for a treat. As soon as the trailer dropped, some fans took to X to enquire about Shunsui's Bankai.

According to the manga, Shunsui's Bankai is called Katen Kyokotsu: Karamatsu Shinju, and it centers around the theme of theatre. His Bankai is split into four acts or Dan, where each act has different effects on his foes based on shared fate. Shunsui demonstrates his Bankai against Lille Barro in Bleach TYBW as his last resort.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Bleach manga.

Shunsui's Bankai in Bleach, Katen Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinju, centers around the concept of a melancholic theatre

Expand Tweet

In chapter 647 of Bleach, Shunsui Kyoraku activates his Bankai against the Schutzstaffel, Lille Barro, after ensuring that there's no one within a specific distance. The Captain Commander holds the Katen Kyokotsu in front of him, with the dual blades pointing down. He chants Katen Kyokotsu: Karamatsu Shinju, which happens to be the name of his Bankai.

Black, root-like tendrils begin to spread from the blades and Shunsui, as the Zanpakuto's Spirit, Katen Kyokotsu, appears behind the Commander. Interestingly, Shunsui only uses his Bankai ability when his allies are far away, otherwise, they get ensnared in its effects.

Shunsui activates his Bankai (Image via Pierrot FILMS)

Shunsui's Bankai changes the entire atmosphere and the perception surrounding the environment following its activation. Ichigo, Ganju, Orihime, Chad, and even Askin Nakk Le Vaar get chills. They feel a cold and melancholic sensation from the atmosphere, despite not being in the Bankai's range.

Shunsui asks Lille Barro in Bleach chapter 648 whether the world appears murky to him. It is soon revealed that Shunsui Kyoraku's Bankai, Katen Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinju, is based on the theme of theatre. It is further implied by the chapter name, The Theatre Suicide.

Abilities of Shunsui Kyoraku's Bankai

Expand Tweet

As stated earlier, Shunsui Kyoraku's Bankai follows the concept of theatre, with different acts. Bleach chapter 648 reveals that Katen Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinju has four acts in total, and every act is based on the shared relationship between Shunsui and his foes.

After creating an environment filled with despair, Shunsui begins to orchestrate fearsome acts. The first act is called Tameraikizu no Wakachiai (Sharing of Hesitation Wounds or Hesitance and Apportionment of Wounds).

The first act of Shunsui's Bankai (Image via Tite Kubo/Shueisha)

Under this act, any wound that the Captain Commander or his opponents inflict on each other's bodies appears on the other's body as well. The Bankai's first act tells the tale of a man who suffers the same wound as his partner but cannot die from it.

The next act (Act II) is Zanki no Shitone or The Pillow of Shame. In this act, dark spots appear on Shunsui's opponents, causing them to bleed profusely. The Captain Commander likens the act to a story of a man, who regrets the wounds he inflicted upon his partner.

The second act's effect on Lille Barro in chapter 648 (Image via Tite Kubo/Shueisha)

As such, he lies face down in bed, with a deep sense of shame, and gets stricken by an incurable disease. The third act is Dangyo no Fuchi (The Severing Abyss), where Shunsui and his opponent are engulfed by water. They remain in the water until one of them runs out of their Spiritual Pressure and drowns in the abyss.

Also read: Bleach TYBW Part 3 trailer breakdown

Similar to the first two acts, the third act of Shunsui's Bankai in Bleach tells the tale of two characters, who jump into gushing waters. The melancholic tale concludes in the fourth and final act, Itokiribasami Chizome no Nodobue (Thread-Cutting Scissors Upon a Blood-Streaked Throat).

The final act of the Bankai (Image via Tite Kubo/Shueisha)

Shunsui's Zanpakuto spirit, Katen Kyokotsu, nicknamed Ohana, appears in this final act and embraces the Commander from behind. In the fourth act, Shunsui narrates the story of a violent and wild man, who has no ear to listen to a woman's affection.

As such, the man's ears are cut off, and his throat is mercilessly sheared by a white thread. The same fate befalls Shunsui's opponent in the final act. The Captain Commander uses a white thread to cut off his foe's throat in the grand finale.

Conclusion

Shunsui, as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Much like his Shikai abilities, Shunsui's Bankai in Bleach has shared properties. In other words, Shunsui puts life at stake, whenever he demonstrates his Bankai. While he utilized its abilities to good effect against Lille Barro, the Schutzstaffel's immortality prevented him from dying.

That said, the Bankai: Katen Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinju shows why Shunsui was chosen as the Captain Commander. Had it been anyone without the immortality status, it would have probably eliminated them.