User blog comment:Xilinoc/Ch. 611 - The Soul King Dies (edgy as ever, Kubo)/@comment-6904925-20141226172022/@comment-5693502-20141226181155

Rendered unable to fight, but able to fight another day. Better than being dead.

I can concede that 3000+ red shirts dying would be pretty detrimental to the Gotei's function but for the abilities and strengths that the Sternritter possessed, it makes me wonder how more confirmed high-level deaths weren't present on the Gotei side (especially with how much more of them there were, allies included).