Considered one of the OG Big 3, the highly debatable topic of which anime reigns the anime world will never cease among new anime lovers and otakus alike, but one thing that stands true is that Bleach is among them, contesting against Naruto and One Piece for the throne, but that debate is for another day. In this article, we will be discussing Ichigo Kurosaki, the protagonist of Bleach, and exploring his different power forms, primarily his Bankai forms.
Initially aired in the year 2004, Bleach is a shonen anime written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. The anime was produced by Studio Pierrot (the same studio that produced the Naruto series, Boruto series, Tokyo Ghoul, and many other famous and underrated anime). The first part of the anime, consisting of 366 episodes, completed airing in 2012; the final part, Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War was only released a decade later, with its last episodes set to air in the month of September 2026.
Similar to the majority of shonen anime, the story follows a 15-year-old teenager, Ichigo Kurosaki, who is a tad bit different from his peers—only this teenager can see ghosts. On a particular night, he sees a Shinigami, Rukia, in his room. Technically, a human isn’t supposed to notice a Shinigami, but it’s the protagonist of a shonen anime we’re talking about here, so you know how the story goes.
Table of Contents
ICHIGO’S AWAKENING AS A SHINIGAMI
Rukia, the Shinigami sent to protect the protagonist’s city, gets into combat with a Hollow that tries to attack Ichigo’s sisters. Unfortunately, the Hollow was too powerful, leaving Rukia seriously injured in the fight. With no other option, Rukia decides to temporarily impart some of her powers into Ichigo, but during the transfer, Ichigo absorbed almost all of Rukia’s power. This marks the appearance of Ichigo’s first Shinigami form; his appearance changes into the characteristic black robes worn by Shinigami, and he wields a Zanpakuto of his own.
A Zanpakuto is a Shinigami’s soul-linked weapon; it’s the first/base form. The weapon goes on to evolve into a Shikai and then finally to bankai—for a normal Shinigami. Ichigo is not a normal Shinigami. Major spoiler alert: Ichigo has a rich heritage; he is a human, a Shinigami, a Quincy, and has Hollow power. This has led to both fans and Ichigo himself being confused about where his power originates from and where his identity belongs.
TENSA ZANGETSU – ICHIGO’S FIRST BANKAI 
Ichigo releases his Tensa Zangetsu (天鎖斬月) on his mission to rescue Rukia from being executed by the Soul Society. After failing to temporarily impart her Shinigami powers to Ichigo, the Soul Society ordered her execution because she broke the law by imparting her power to a human and further failed to inform the higher-ups. Ichigo, of course, wasn’t going to sit still, but his Shikai form, which he released from training under Kisuke Urahara, was no match for Byakuka, the captain of the Sixth Division and also Rukia’s brother. Bankai takes years to master for a Shinigami but with the help of Urahara, he was able to achieve it in just 2.5 days!
We all have seen the huge sword that Ichigo carried during the time he became a Shinigami; his Shikai form also donned a sturdy sword, but contrary to that his Bankai form enarmored him with a long black katana. Ichigo’s Bankai, as opposed to becoming any bigger became sharp, concentrating all his spiritual power into a small area, helping him win against Byakuka’s speed in the final battle.
Does Ichigo showcase any other Bankai forms?
Yes, but Ichigo’s True Bankai form is only featured in the last cour. Due to Ichigo’s heritage, he draws power from different sources, and one of the most prominent one is his Hollow power, which he rejects initially until he finally learns to embrace it in the latter seasons. In the Soul Society Arc, his inner Hollow begins to take over him when he faces near defeat against Byakuka. Although Ichigo manages to suppress it, the experience leaves him distrustful of his Hollow powers.
Later in his battle against Ulquiorra in the Arrancar arc, Ichigo’s Hollow powers take complete control after Ulquiorra leaves him fatally wounded and unconscious, transforming him into a full Hollow. Although the power saved him from death, he was mortified by the damage he had caused when he was unconscious. He eventually trains
with the Visored, a group of Shinigami who have gained Hollow powers, and learns to control his Hollowfication rather than allowing it to control him. It is not until the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc that Ichigo learns the full truth about his Hollow powers and discovers that they are an integral part of his Zanpakuto.
FINAL GETSUGA TENSHOU
Getsuga Tensho is a technique used by Ichigo; it is an attack style rather than a completely new Bankai, as some may assume. Ichigo uses its ultimate form, Mugetsu, to defeat Aizen (The same Aizen featured in our Top 10 Manipulators in Anime History article). Upon activating the technique, Ichigo’s hair grows long and turns black, while his body becomes covered in dark, bandage-like markings that extend up to his nose. However, after defeating Aizen, Ichigo loses his Shinigami powers as a consequence of using Mugetsu. Nevertheless, after a series of incidents in Bleach’s Lost Agent arc, he went on to develop his Fullbring abilities before eventually regaining his Shinigami powers.
SECOND TENSAI ZENGETSU – REFORGED BANKAI
After Ichigo’s Fullbring powers were stolen by Ginjo, several Shinigami came together to restore his lost Shinigami power; this helped him regain his Shinigami powers, marking the return of his Zanpakuto and eventually his Bankai. Ichigo’s restored Bankai wasn’t much different from his initial Bankai form, but with his Fullbring growth, Ichigo was considerably stronger. Visually, though, the only change seen was that the hilt of the sword now had three spikes at its end, giving him a slightly different appearance from his original Bankai form.
TRUE SHIKAI FORM
The TYBW showcases Ichigo’s final Tensai Zengetsu true form. During this arc, Ichigo realizes his heritage as a whole, learning about his parents’ origin. He also learns that his Hollow self is an essential part of his Zanpakuto and that the old man who materialized in the earlier arcs was the manifestation of his Quincy powers. Although it took him time to accept his Hollow powers, he eventually embraces both sides of his nature, giving birth to his True Shikai. His True Shikai form consists of two swords—a short full one and a long hollow one representing the intertwined aspects of his power.
HORN OF SALVATION
Ichigo’s evolution does not stop with his True Shikai. During his battle against Yhwach, he further draws upon his Hollow powers, giving rise to a new transformation commonly known as the Horn of Salvation. In this form, a single horn grows from the side of Ichigo’s head, accompanied by Hollow-like markings across his face and body. Rather than allowing his Hollow powers to take control of him as they did in the past, Ichigo consciously draws upon them as a part of his own strength.
FINAL TENSAI ZENGATSU – TRUE BANKAI FORM
The final Bankai form is the combined form of the two separate Shikai swords. Although Ichigo’s first Bankai and reforged Bankai were sleek and thin, his current Zanpakuto largely mirrors his first Shikai form, where he wields a thick sword with a chain attached to it. The outer layer reflects his Quincy self, represented by the white part while the inner blade reflects his inner Hollow side. Many, including me, like to interpret this as a symbolic representation as he finally embraces all his sides, hence the single sword.
In the manga, during the final battle against Yhwach, an incident took the manga readers by surprise. After Yhwach breaks Ichigo’s Bankai using The Almighty, Ichigo jumps at him to slash him with his restored Bankai. When Yhwach tries to break it again, the True Bankai disintegrates, but beneath it, the original Zanpakuto was revealed. Ichigo then uses the original blade to deliver the final blow to Yhwach.
Many fans commend the panel for its symbolic reference; personally, I like to interpret it as a reminder that no matter how much we change or how far we grow, we can always return to where we began. And the person we were at the beginning was never weak; they were simply the foundation of everything we would eventually become.
Although this scene is yet to be animated, I believe it will be a celebrated scene among Bleach fans once the episode airs. The final season, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, is still airing till the end of September 2026. If you have yet to watch Bleach, then take this article as a sign to watch (or read) the life of a teenager as he’s thrust into an unknown world, uncovering his own self all the while protecting his loved ones.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is Ichigo Kurosaki’s Bankai called?
Ichigo’s Bankai is called Tensa Zangetsu. He first releases it during his mission to save Rukia from execution, achieving it in just 2.5 days with Urahara’s help, something that normally takes Shinigami years to master.
2. How many Bankai forms does Ichigo have?
Ichigo goes through several distinct versions of his Bankai across the series: his original Tensa Zangetsu, the reforged Bankai after regaining his Shinigami powers through Fullbring, and his final True Bankai form unlocked during the Thousand Year Blood War arc.
3. What is Ichigo’s True Bankai?
Ichigo’s True Bankai appears in the final arc after he fully accepts both his Hollow and Quincy heritage. It fuses his True Shikai’s twin swords into a single blade, with a white outer layer representing his Quincy side and a black inner blade representing his Hollow side.
4. What is the Horn of Salvation?
The Horn of Salvation is a transformation Ichigo undergoes during his battle against Yhwach. A single horn grows from the side of his head along with Hollow like markings, marking a stage where he consciously draws on his Hollow power instead of being overtaken by it.
5. Is Getsuga Tensho a Bankai form?
No. Getsuga Tensho is an attack technique, not a separate Bankai. Its most powerful version, Mugetsu, was used to defeat Aizen, though using it cost Ichigo his Shinigami powers for a time.
6. What are Ichigo’s Fullbring abilities?
Fullbring is a power Ichigo develops after losing his Shinigami abilities from using Mugetsu against Aizen. It lets a human draw out the soul residing in objects they own or are attached to, and Ichigo trains under Ginjo to master it during the Lost Agent arc. His Fullbring powers are eventually stolen by Ginjo, and it’s the effort to restore what was lost that leads several Shinigami to help return his Shinigami powers and Bankai instead.
7. Why does Ichigo have so many different powers?
Ichigo’s power comes from four sources: human, Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow. This mixed heritage is why his abilities evolve differently from a typical Shinigami and why his journey involves learning to accept parts of himself he initially rejected, especially his Hollow side.
8. When does Ichigo unlock his final Bankai form?
His final Bankai appears in the Thousand Year Blood War arc, during the climactic fight against Yhwach, after he learns the full truth about his Zanpakuto and embraces his combined heritage.
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