Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24815992-20140503113909/@comment-44061-20140505155918

You put to much credit in Ichigo. Firstly he is hardly a pure Shinigami, he gets the advantage of being a hybrid (the fictional version of legitimate power increase) then the fact that he is the main character. To use him as a example is pretty disrespectful to actual shinigami that worked there way to their level instead of being handed to them quickly because of story requirements. As far as natural talent its wielding a sword and advancement. But back to the main point Yamamoto while not at his prime was unquestionably the most powerful of Shinigmai with his only decrease over time being his physical strength which must have been ridiculous considering the his hand-to-hand combat skill.