User blog comment:Godisme/Double Feature: Bond Behind Blast and March of the StarCross/@comment-1747976-20120424072349/@comment-4957813-20120425010121

I think that they are afraid of Ichigo because he can somehow resist their bankai blocking device, not because Ichigo is the strongest. Him breaking through the device could be a result of some other force, such as the possiblity of him regaining his hollowfication or residual fullbring reiatsu. This makes me believe that the Vandenreich don't believe they can beat the captains without the device, since they would not have had any use for it if they could defeat a captain without the device itself.