Shunsui's character development is the hidden gem of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
The fight between Shunsui Kyoraku and Lille Barro is a milestone of Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War. Shunsui used his unpredictable Shikai techniques to corner Lille, but the leader of Yhwach’s Schutzstaffel retaliated by entering his Vollstandig form. Combined with the power of the X-Axis, which allowed Lille to pierce any target while phasing through enemy attacks as if he were intangible, Lille’s Vollstandig seemed unmatched.
Backed into a corner, Shunsui Kyoraku unleashed his Bankai, revealing reality-warping powers in front of which even the godlike Lille was helpless. That said, the fight was far from over, as Lille proved himself to be truly immortal by surviving being beheaded. He then transformed once more, turning into a grotesque yet incredibly powerful creature before declaring himself the heavenly herald of God.
However, Lille was destroyed by his own power as it was reflected back at him by the blade of Shinken Hakkyoken. This special Zanpakuto, which belonged to Shunsui’s assistant Nanao Ise, could take the power of a god and reflect it back. While Shinken Hakkyoken is often criticized for being a cheap and untimely deus ex machina, it’s hard not to appreciate how Shunsui helped Nanao to wield it, a touching moment that truly epitomized Shunsui’s character development.
Shunsui completes his maturation as he stands up for Nanao in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 37
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War showed a different Shunsui
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 episode 9, the 37th installment of the much-awaited anime adaptation, was aired on December 14, 2024. Titled Shadow Gone, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 37 ends the fight between Shunsui Kyoraku and Lille Barro in the most unexpected way.
Magnified by a stunning production that included Shiro Sagisu’s OST, the episode gave fans the chance to witness the power of Lille Barro’s final transformation in all its glory, as the leader of Yhwach’s Schutzstaffel vented his anger at Shunsui for what he had done to him with his Bankai.
More than anything else, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 37 captured the maturation of Shunsui Kyoraku, who finally left his existential drama behind to step up as a reliable pillar for his fellow Shinigami, and in particular his assistant as well as niece Nanao Ise.
Throughout the Bleach story, Shunsui mostly appears as a flamboyant man who dislikes fighting and tries to talk his way out of battles, believing them to be worthless bloodbaths regardless of their motives. Granted, if the situation really demands it, Shunsui will fight, but his approach will still be rather casual, as if he only wants to do the bare minimum.
Bleach has always portrayed Shunsui as a complex and unpredictable character, capable of chilling with his own opponents before threatening their lives without a second thought, but it never showed him putting much determination into combat.
During the conflict in Fake Karakura, Shunsui literally used one of Coyote Starrk’s attacks as an excuse to bail himself out of the battle by pretending to be dead. As soon as Starrk hit him in the back with a point-blank Cero, Shunsui seized the opportunity to flop down on the ground and remain there as if he were too injured to move.
Shunsui’s act was exposed by his former lieutenant Lisa Yadomaru. Well aware of Shunsui’s lazy behavior, Lisa immediately understood what he was doing. She then went to step on his head to reprimand him for playing dead when he was actually uninjured all along.
Another example of Shunsui’s poor attitude was shown in the fight against Robert Accutrone. At the end of the battle, Shunsui lowered his guard due to sensing Yamamoto’s death, which can hardly be criticized. Before that, however, he was quite careless, not taking his opponent seriously and having his mind elsewhere.
Considering the unexpected attack on the Soul Society, it makes sense that Shunsui was nervous, but his carelessness cost him dearly, as Robert used a sudden burst of speed to shoot him in the right eye. Shunsui was particularly down in the dumps during the entire confrontation, only lifting his spirits for a moment. Essentially, Shunsui was more interested in sensing what Yamamoto was doing rather than in fighting his own opponent.
Granted, Shunsui’s Zanpakuto spirit is extremely moody, meaning that the former can only use his full power if the Zanpakuto itself wants him to do so. Likewise, however, it was made apparent that, regardless of the actual outcome of these battles, Shunsui never really gave his all when he fought Starrk and Accutrone.
After the death of his mentor Yamamoto, however, Shunsui’s attitude changed. Chosen to replace Yamamoto and become the new Captain Commander, the lazy and laid-back Shinigami stepped up to fulfill the duty that had been entrusted to him, no longer running away from responsibility.
Becoming the Captain Commander changed Shunsui's attitude
Shunsui’s laziness is not without reason, as it’s part of an attitude towards life that oscillates between depression and the pursuit of serenity. Being playful and running away from responsibilities allowed Shunsui to cope with his inner melancholy over the loss of his loved ones. When Shunsui was a young boy, his brother Shunzan and his sister-in-law Isuzu Ise died tragically.
Shunsui did not get along with his brother Shuzan, but their relationship greatly improved after the latter married Isuzu. Sadly, Shuzan died as a result of the Ise Family’s curse, which caused any man who joined the clan to die prematurely. After Shuzan’s death, his wife Isuzu decided to entrust Shinken Hakkyoken, the clan’s most prized and sacred treasure, to Shunsui.
However, Isuzu was sentenced to die for casting away a sacred item. 110 years before the present Bleach narration, Shunsui’s lieutenant Lisa Yadomaru was forced to leave the Soul Society, and there wasn’t much he could do. While Lisa and the other members of the Visored group eventually returned to be part of the Gotei, Shunsui’s suffering was far from over as he lost both his mentor Yamamoto and his best friend Jushiro Ukitake in a brief timespan.
Shunsui’s spontaneous cry of pain when he sensed Yamamoto’s death was heartbreaking, and one can only imagine how he suffered when he said goodbye to Ukitake, knowing full well what destiny awaited his friend.
All of Shunsui’s dear ones died, leaving him their most precious possession as if to make him bear the burden for their passing even more. His brother left him his hairpin, his sister-in-law left him Shinken Hakkyoken, Ukitake left him with the Thirteenth Division’s haori to pass on to Rukia, and, of course, Yamamoto left him the seat of Captain Commander.
For his entire life, Shunsui has been lazy, alternating between playfulness and outright depression to avoid responsibility as he knew full well the suffering that comes with it. However, since becoming the Captain Commander, he has truly stepped up his game, demonstrating a physical and mental toughness that no one would have expected from him.
A testament to this, the same Shunsui who was knocked down by a single sword strike from Aizen during the Fake Karakura battle is now able to move and fight well even after Lille Barro has literally blown large holes in his torso with the power of his Vollstandig. This is extremely impressive, considering that even Royal Guard member Oetsu Nimaiya was quickly knocked down from a much weaker version of Lille than the one that Shunsui fought.
Mayuri took advantage of Zaraki and later needed Nemu’s help to keep up with Pernida, while Byakuya, Zaraki, and an adult Toshiro Hitsugaya had to join forces to corner Gerard Valkyrie. As for Askin, he faced Ichigo, Grimmjow, Yushiro, and Yoruichi before Kisuke Urahara eventually managed to defeat him with the help of Grimmjow and Nelliel.
Shunsui single-handedly pushed Lille Barro to his limits and beyond. As a matter of fact, the only thing stopping Shunsui from defeating Lille was the latter’s immortality, which required Shiken Hakkyoken to come into play as a much-needed deus ex machina. Taking into account Lille’s insane power, this cements Shunsui as a worthy Captain Commander as well as one of the strongest characters in Bleach.
Even with his torso riddled with holes, Shunsui didn’t give up, using his abilities to support Nanao as she wielded Shinken Hakkyoken to reflect Lille Barro’s power back at him. As the daughter of his late brother and sister-in-law, Nanao is Shunsui’s niece. Shunsui took Nanao as his lieutenant to protect her and has never stopped doing so.
While Shunsui is no longer the lazy captain of the Eighth Division and is now ready to take on himself the responsibilities of being the Gotei’s Captain Commander, he rightfully doesn’t want to bear any more suffering. Therefore, by giving Shiken Hakkyoken to Nanao, he also frees himself from his burden.
The power of Shinken Hakkyoken lies in its blade, which can withstand and reflect the attack of a deity, but holding it in the face of a godlike creature such as Lille Barro was too much for Nanao, who had never really participated in a fight before. As Nanao struggles, injuring herself with the reflected energy, Shunsui stands firmly behind her until Lille pays for his arrogance as he meets his deserved downfall.
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