Many of Bleach's most powerful fighters are the high-ranked Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13. Among them is Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, the commander of squad 6, and Captain Kaname Tosen, who's in charge of squad 9. Both of them have fancy zanpakuto with myriad abilities, but what if they were to battle each other?
Byakuya and Tosen were on opposite sides of battle as the Gotei 13 tried to take down the villainous Sosuke Aizen and halt his grand plan. Byakuya and Tosen never crossed swords as mortal enemies, but if they did, who would win the battle and how would they triumph?
Byakuya Kuchiki's Skills & Powers
Captain Kuchiki's fighting style isn't as narrow as that of Ichigo Kurosaki or Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, who rely almost entirely on melee attacks (or in Ichigo's case, the straightforward Getsuga Tensho as a ranged attack). Byakuya uses his advanced maneuverability to his advantage in battle, catching his enemies by surprise with his highly developed flash step, which is second only to that of Yoruichi Shihoin. Byakuya can easily evade enemy attacks and approach his enemies from their blind spot, and anyone below the rank of Captain never even sees him coming.
Byakuya is also an expert in all things kido, casting spells without their lengthy incantation. His favorites include Danku (an upright barrier), Byakuyrai (a powerful, thin lightning strike) and Ruku Jokoro (binds the enemy in place with six light rods). In fact, Rukia once used Riku Jokoro to restrain Aaroniero Arurruerie, showing how effective it can be.
Then there's Byakuya's zanpakuto, Senbonzakura. Its shikai forms a thousand petal-like blades that can swarm around and hit the enemy from all directions, and the bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, is a larger version. Millions of petal-blades swarm the battlefield, and Byakuya can also focus all that power into a circular arena called Senkei to boost his attack power even more. The enemy is trapped in there with him, limiting their options.
Kaname Tosen's Skills & Powers
Captain Kaname Tosen has a particular philosophy about combat and honor. To him, justice means resolving a problem without bloodshed, and senseless violence is the ultimate disgrace. He has pacifistic ideas, but he's not toothless in battle. Tosen is blind and uses his other senses to carefully assess where the enemy is and avoid them, complementing those senses with his flash step. He's not as fast as Byakuya, but he can certainly move. He is also a specialist in kido spells, such as that time he severed Grimmjow Jaegerjaque's arm and vaporized it with a kido spell.
Kaname's shikai is Suzumushi, which can either release hundreds of blades to strike the enemy or release a tone when it vibrates just the right way. This tone can cripple an enemy and knock them out if they are not strong enough to endure it, and that's not all. Kaname's bankai is also sensory-based, creating a big black balloon that traps Kaname's enemy inside with him, similar to Byakuya's Senkei. Inside that area, the enemy is robbed of most senses, perceiving nothing but touch and pain while Kaname is unaffected. In this space, Kaname can strike his enemy with his zanpakuto with impunity, with little risk of getting hit by return fire. He can still "see" because he's holding his zanpakuto, but if his enemy grabs it, then they can see too.
Byakuya Vs. Kaname Tosen - Who Would Win?
While these two Captains have their zanpakuto sealed, Byakuya will enjoy a distinct advantage over Kaname Tosen, having a quicker flash step and slightly superior sword-fighting skills. He will gradually deal damage to Tosen, especially if kido is used, so Tosen will use shikai, Suzumushi, to even the odds. The shikai's giant blades are too slow and clumsy to hit Byakuya, but the piercing tone will stop Byakuya in his tracks, at least at first. Byakuya will have to fight his way through the pain, and retaliate with his own shikai, swarming the battlefield with petals. Since these petals go all over the place, Byakuya doesn't need to clearly see Kaname to hit him.
Kaname is falling behind again, so he will use bankai, and create a one-sided battlefield where only he can see and hear. Inside his bankai, Kaname can strike Byakuya with the element of surprise, but Byakuya can surround himself with his shikai's petals, to prevent the worst of it. Then Byakuya will perform his own bankai, without using the Senkai aspect of its power. Now, millions of petal-blades are swarming the battlefield, and even if Byakuya cannot see or hear his enemy, he can swirl these petals around the battlefield, and they are bound to hit their target. Kaname will continue to suffer damage, and his grip on his bankai may loosen and become undone. And even if that doesn't happen, Byakuya can keep filling the darkness with his petals until Kaname is willing to admit defeat.