User blog comment:Dtrugrave/Questions and Speculations/@comment-44061-20100214123659

1.) There are a couple things here. Yamamoto is the captain-commander. He has a whole army of people to fight why should he have to. He is over 2,000 years old, he is entitled to pretty much not have to get directly involved. The other problems with you assessment are simple. Im not sure what your watching but he is he only guiding force for the Gotei 13 and is always holding the line in a situation. There is nothing shady about his actions. He is japanese, a warrior and also a wise old sage. His type of character is common throughout japanese culture, when it comes to similar roles of an ancient old man. He founded the Gotei 13 and the Shinigami Academy, he is the only one who knows where the actual royal key is. If he was working with Aizen then Aizen wouldnt have to try so hard in fact there would be no story to speak of. Also it really doesn't make sense to attack Aizen first. You don't use your nuclear bomb first in a war. He was along with the other captains was subject to the same affects of Aizen's zanpakuto. Even if he had attacked could he have been sure that it was Aizen he was attacking, He maybe the most powerful or the best but he didn't live 2,000+ years because he is reckless or stupid. The days of the general on the front lines is a old concept, nowadays its unheard of for them to take direct part in a battle and even back then it wasn't certain that they would either. It is a position earned so they dont have to be directly involved if they dont choose to. The role they have is greater then being a grunt on the battlefield. There's really just nothing to support that claim that your making. It seems more paranoia cause you dont seem to understand the role he is playing or because you just want to see a fight happen.

2.) It's common knowledge Urahara rarely plays a fighting role in the series. He commonly acts as a mentor and guide for the other Characters such as Ichigo, Chad, Ishida and Orihime. Though equal his knowledge among other things even has Yoruichi and Tessai following him. Once again you seem to misinterpret his role on the grounds that he doesn't just come out and tell you his mind and jump into a fight. Thats just not the role that he plays. Sure he may know more then he lets on or that he may have a plan or something in the works, but thats his character, he only tells you what he feels you need to know at the time. There are other things then simply fighting. He like the others was subject to Aizen's zanpakuto. Urahara definitely isnt foolish enough to just go in without a plan. If he wasn't on the good side there would be no Vizards they would have become hollows, there would be no Ichigo period he would have died that night against Byakuya, Orihime and Chad would have never been trained, they would have never got to SS to save Rukia. Yammy would have killed Ichigo, Orihime and Chad. Ichigo, Chad and Ishida would have never gotten to Hueco Mundo to save Orihime and as you state yourself the Real Karakura would have been as good as destroyed by now the moment Aizen stepped through the Garganta.

3.) While I agree that the whole situation with his fight currently has taken a make no sense turn. Im not really sure where you get the notion that a lesser city barely featured in the story could be his targets. Aizen besides being just crazy is a sociopath. He doesn't care for others and doesn't eve n pretend to (well anymore). Everyone is beneath him, he could care less if the Espada where all wiped out. Notice he fooled them enough into believing that their power was enough to the destroy the Gotei 13. Slow them down sure but someone as calculating as Aizen knows thats that the people he has been around for + 110 years are capable of, he knew full well what would happen. He acts as though he is playing chess, simply moving pieces on a board. He has a god complex, yes he could have done many things but he doesn't, why should he? he truly believes he is a god due to his power. I personally find his know it all concept to be unbelievable. No matter how intelligent or strategic you are there is no way you can know everything about everything. He's overconfident in this regard cause I do believe he is missing some points, that will mess him up in the end, but he basically states when he gets the the FKT that his intention is to wipe them out got to SS and make the key there where the real town is if he has to. Its doubtful he already has the key, that process is to unique and rare to have done it without them knowing. If he already had it the Gotei 13 are anyone else would have been pointless to engage and its the process materials he needs its not about the ability we know he knows the process.

4.) Yammy is my least liked Arrancar in general. He is a characters player and probably should have been dead. His im not really 10 but 0 and i get bigger and stronger when I get angry thing is kinda weak and makes no sense to whats been established. But hey we all know he's as good as dead. How it happens should be interesting considering it maybe be disappointing, more so in the fact that its taken so long to get to that point.

As for captain ranks. Captains are supposed to be the Elites of the series, though it seems that its a pointless concept in the last couple of chapters. While they are all different in skill set the only thing really determining their rank seems to be age, experience, preference of battle, mindset and what their zanpakuto is capable of in shikai and bankai and how they utilize it in a situation. There really doesn't seem to be a discernible way to determine it other then that. Happily this isn't DBZ and there is no such thing as power levels are stuff like that.