During its heyday, Bleach was easily one of the biggest shonen series around. Its popularity was so immense that the series was considered to be part of the esteemed big three, along with One Piece and Naruto. The story of Ichigo as he turned into a Shinigami and ended up gaining an immense level of power is easily one of the best power fantasies ever illustrated, and it's a shame that the series completely lost steam during its second half.
The Bankai transformations in Bleach were especially brilliant to behold, allowing us to witness the true extent of every Shinigami's power. While most of the Bankai present in the series are quite awe-inspiring, there are quite a few that are just downright nonsensical. Here are 10 such Bankai from Bleach that should've been explained further.
10 Sajin Komamura — Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō: Dangai Jōe
We kickstart this list with a character who most people find to be quite forgettable. Sajin Komamura doesn't really do anything of much importance throughout the entirety of Bleach. His forgettable Bankai is a great way to illustrate just how boring this character actually is.
Sajin's Bankai lets him summon a giant Iron Samurai that mimics his movements. If you think this Bankai is uninspired, then guess what — you're completely right in assuming this to be the case.
9 Shūsuke Amagai — Raika Gōen Kaku
A captain from a filler arc is bound to have a forgettable Bankai, and while we would've liked Shūsuke Amagai to exceed expectations and actually sport a decent Bankai, the fact of the matter is that his Raika Gōen Kaku is just a powerful version of his blade.
His power to conjure up fiery attacks like fireballs and the like might've been somewhat interesting... had someone more iconic named Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai — the captain-commander of the entire Gotei 13 himself — not have the same kind of powers on a whole another level.
8 Kensei Muguruma — Tekken Tachikaze
Kensei Muguruma is a boring character with one of the most unremarkable Bankai of all time, converting his sword into a bladed knuckle-duster along with a coat of armor that covers both his arms.
While the Bankai might have some serious explosive damage, the entire image of this ability is just completely forgettable. There's nothing more we can possibly say about this Bankai, so we'll just move on.
7 Kaname Tōsen — Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi
Kaname Tōsen is certainly an interesting character, with his role as a partner in Aizen's betrayal being quite a shock. However, for a character with so much potential, his Bankai is woefully inadequate.
We say this because Tōsen's Bankai is just a bunch of rings that float around and create domes that negate a person's senses. While the concept of the Bankai might be somewhat promising, it falls woefully short of its potential when it comes to execution.
6 Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi — Kinshara Butōdan
When it comes to some of the most unique Bankai in the entire series, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi definitely takes the cake — and then some. However, while this Bankai might be quite unique, it's also somewhat nonsensical as well.
Upon activating the Kinshara Butōdan, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi becomes a music conductor as a bunch of deadly puppets dance and move as per his orders. These puppets can deliver some serious damage... but one must wonder just how inconvenient this Bankai ability actually is in a battle situation.
5 Soifon — Jakuhō Raikōben
The last thing you'd expect in a universe populated with massive swords to suddenly sport modern weaponry out of nowhere... but one look at Soifon's Jakuhō Raikōben will completely dispel this notion altogether.
Upon activating her Bankai, Soifon's Zanpakutō turns into a full-blown missile launcher that homes in on her targets to deal catastrophic damage. It makes absolutely no sense a weapon like this in a society where most people probably aren't even aware of the fact that modern weapons exist.
4 Mayuri Kurotsuchi — Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō
Mayuri is one of the creepiest characters in Bleach, and yet somehow the most interesting ones as well. His Bankai is also a great personification of his character, summoning a giant poisonous caterpillar that looks as eerie as you might expect.
While the design behind Mayuri's Bankai is certainly quite novel, one has to admit that it is somewhat nonsensical... which, in a way, is a great reflection of Mayuri's odd personality. So, in this case, it seems that Kubo's wild imagination was actually somewhat on point.
3 Ikkaku Madarame — Ryūmon Hōzukimaru
Ikkaku is one of the few Shinigami in the series who has the dishonor of having a weak Shikai and Bankai, with both of these transformations prone to breaking at a moment's notice.
His Bankai looks incredibly imposing and showcases just how powerful he actually is, but the fact that these swords are so brittle leads to a situation where Ikkaku is unable to maintain his power for an extended period of time.
2 Tōshirō Hitsugaya — Daiguren Hyōrinmaru
Hitsugaya is a prodigy who becomes one of the captains of the Gotei 13 at a very young age. However, while the other captains only use their Bankai in times of extreme duress, Hitsugaya has no problem whipping out his Bankai for every fight imaginable.
This leads to a situation where his Daiguren Hyōrinmaru becomes stale way too soon, especially since he is unable to deal with a ton of threats later on in the series even after fighting at full power.
1 Ichigo Kurosaki — Tensa Zangetsu
Out of all the people on this list, Ichigo is perhaps the most powerful of them all... and also the one who was done the most injustice by Kubo.
While his old Bankai was certainly quite interesting, his new Bankai was what most people were waiting for with bated breath. Fans couldn't wait to see the powers that Ichigo could possibly wield... only for his Zanpakutō to be cleaved in half by Yhwach. It's one of the biggest cop-outs in manga history, convincing most people once and for all that Bleach isn't the great series that it used to be anymore.