AFTER ALL THAT, ICHIGO STILL LOST?! - Bleach #39

Kenpachi is the only captain out of them all to earn his position through pure raw strength and power. The fact that every other Captain has a Bankai and Kenpachi can fight on equal terms with them. Is quite a scary thought. Ichigo got REALLY lucky there. Even with Zangetsu's aids it was basically a draw. One of the best fights in Bleach~!

Izanagi

Curtis I think you might have missed it, but the last thing the White Ichigo said to Zangetsu was "train him well, eventually that power will be mine".

Anthony Iacobucci

As many others have already said, Ichigo got unbelievably lucky here. Ichigo would have gotten his throat fucked by literally any other captain, including the women.

Your Mom

Yea, I can't imagine what kind of tank Spike would be if he'd actually talked to his Zanpaktou!

Spaz Boys Comedy

Ichigo should thank god Kenpachi doesn't have his Shikai (zanpaktou name) unlocked. He would've been absolutely destroyed.

Thomastheterminator

Yeah I knew she was badass but I think she might be a step above renji she just refused a message signed by 2 captain's because itd annoy her

Daniel Gonzalez

I love Pinkie's little display of power there. It's a good reminder that she's a lieutenant, the same as Renji.

CrossZ

Now's a good time to point something out so you can keep an eye out (no spoilers per usual). See, each person's zanpakuto (or other weapon/ability where applicable) gives a good idea what the character is like. It's a fairly common trope across pretty much all media, and honestly I love it. A couple good example would be Ichigo and Kenpachi Zaraki (spike). Ichigo's sword is quite large by zanpakuto standards, to represent his potential. You'll notice that both his original blade and the new one are fuckin' big. Yet at the same time they're simple in design because he's direct, which is also reflected in his usual tactic of "full strength beatdown." Additionally, Zangetsu lacks a guard of any sort paralleling his full-offense style. Likewise, Kenpachi's zanpakuto is plain compared to many of them that you'll see, pointing to his no-frills style of combat. Slice at the enemy until they die. His sword also lacks a proper guard because he gives little thought to defense, letting his impressive spiritual pressure to do what little defending he needs. Then there's perhaps the most striking feature of his blade, its jagged edge. He's a fight-sexual juggernaut who's been in more fights than either of us has eaten cheeseburgers and come out on top. He doesn't care about anything but a good fight (and Yachiru), imposing disadvantages on himself to drag out the fights for more fun. Pretty much every character who has a signature weapon or ability falls into this trope, giving a bit of additional insight into their personality. Essentially, the weapons fit the wielders.

Cetacean Needed

Kenny,after all these years in anime, maintains his goat status. Man will fight anything to death. He will fight death to death

Spookie Dookie

Well.. at least you know for a fact that Ichigo needs to pick his opponents better. Kenpachi don't fuck around. Ichigo basically picked a fight with Saitama, there. A rediculously strong fighter that holds back most of his power just to have a slim chance at having a fun fight.

Miasimon

😄

Spaz Boys Comedy

Kenpachi is the shinigami equivalent of the guy that never shows up to class and doesn't study but still somehow aces everything.

Mighty Snake

We are getting to the crazy parts of this arc Curtis!

Master Zed

Two small corrections, he's not on the level of every captain. And second is, it's not due to Kenpachi's immense spiritual pressure. He can't seal it because he doesn't know how to, he don't even know the name of his Zanpaktou. Otherwise stronger characters that shall remain unnamed, would not be able to seal theirs. And just in case someone wants to come along and complain that I'm giving something away, I'm not saying anything not obvious. For progression sake, obviously Kenpachi can't be the strongest character in the series. Curtis knows how shonen's work. It's the same as when Orochimaru in Naruto was introduced, he obviously can't be the strongest character in the series because of progression. But if you guys still feel like I should still edit something out, I'll do it. Just let me know.

Funny thing even after taking off the eye patch Kenpaci was still holding back. He still is only using one hand 😆

PKKite

The cliffhangers truly are cruel lol

Keep in mind that Ichigo isn't a 'regular' shinigami. As someone mentioned in another comment here, he's only been a soul reaper for a few months and just went toe to toe with a captain. A rank that takes a very long time to achieve for most people. There are some rare exceptions of people with extraordinary spirit energy or talent, Kenpachi (Spike) is one such example. It's why he's a captain even though he can't use his sword properly. He's just *that* powerful. People like him are extremely rare. Every other captain knows how to use their swords abilities and wouldn't make it as captains otherwise. Ichigo though has risen to their level in just a few months. Side note. If memory serves, Kenpachi is the only captain that can't seal his sword due to his immense spiritual energy..... When was the last time you saw Ichigo seal his sword?

Mr. Miles

Why do I remember it being mutual KO at the end of episode? or was that in the manga?

V_VMat

:-D

Spaz Boys Comedy

We've all been there, having to work on our relationship with our swords. That is how i spent most of my teens.

Miklar Sihn

Captain level

astherphoenixxx96

This episode actually foreshadows a lot of stuff.

GoldArthur

Brutal! :-D

Spaz Boys Comedy

Definitely!

Spaz Boys Comedy

Just watched it... DAMN, I love this series!! :-D

Spaz Boys Comedy

Bleach is really good with its cliff hangers, isn't it? :D

Mr. Miles

Keep in mind that Ichigo has been a Shinigami for like one, at most two months, and is able to stand toe to toe with the highest level enforcers in the spirit realm, his power growth is off the charts compared to just about anyone else.

J Johnson

Makes you think how strong would spike be if he was one with his zanpakuto like Ichigo 🤔

ispeckz--

Yeah.. same reaction but in the next episode we shall see what really went down 😃

Kevin Kovacs