Why Genryusai Yamamoto's death was always on the cards in Bleach, explored

Modified Jan 16, 2025 01:30 GMT

Why Genryusai Yamamoto — Yamamoto Genryusai as seen in Bleach (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War saw Gotei 13 Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai lose his life fighting against Father of the Quincy Yhwach. As much as fans must have hated the moment due to Yhwach's trickery using Royd Lloyd, evidence suggests that the Division 1 Captain's death was always on the cards.

With the anime in its final story arc, it is clear that the series wanted to introduce some developments allowing the next generation of Shinigami to take center stage as the pillars of the Gotei 13. But, why was Genryusai Yamamoto's death always on the cards in Bleach?

Yamamoto's hubris in Bleach suggested that his death was always on the cards

Yamamoto Genryusai as seen in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (Image via Studio Pierrot)

As evident from when Yamamoto Genryusai died, his approach toward his enemies had changed drastically from when he was feared as a criminal. Unlike how ruthlessly he used to fight his enemies in the past, evident from his first fight against Yhwach, he now had people to protect. His newfound emotions made him vulnerable, and subsequently weaker.

However, even though the Gotei 13 Captain-Commander had become more emotionally motivated, he was still hubris. His excessive pride and self-confidence saw him deny Orihime Inoue's offer to heal his harm. As a Shinigami, he did not want to involve a mortal in the affairs of the Soul Society.

Yhwach as seen in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Additionally, Yamamoto Genryusai may have also viewed the loss of his left arm as a punishment for his negligence. He was the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. But despite that he never identified Sosuke Aizen as an enemy, allowing him to operate against the Shinigami, all while working under him. Thus, having his arm cut off may have been something he deemed right for his negligence.

Unfortunately, this self-imposed punishment was the biggest contributor to his death. As revealed by the series, Yamamoto Genryusai had defeated Yhwach in the past. Hence, if he had both arms during the second fight, he could have at least pushed him to the limits. However, instead, he was not only tricked by the Father of the Quincy but also slashed into two.

Royd Lloyd as seen in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (Image via Studio Pierrot)

He was at a disadvantage from the beginning. This effectively saw him fail to keep his calm and analyze his enemy. This is why he may have charged at Yhwach head-on, not even considering the possibility of any traps.

Also read: 10 Powerful Sternritter in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War ranked by strength

Had that not been the case, there is a chance that Yamamoto might have identified Yhwach's trick using Royd Lloyd much earlier. If Yamamoto had known that he was not fighting the real Yhwach, he could have given the responsibility to someone else, allowing him to keep his strength to fight the real enemy leader when he showed himself.