User blog comment:Lia Schiffer/417: Deicide 19/@comment-1248963-20100826033836/@comment-1454424-20100826044029

I am going to say just this about Gin's status, it is not unprecedented for characters to get one last chapters. Ulquiorra got Chapter 354, Tosen got Chapter 387 and it seems Gin got chapter 417. At this point, its pretty clear that Gin's only hope for survival is Orihime and if Kubo has plans for Gin in the coming Arcs then he will save Gin one way or another. However, what I said before still stands.

Gin's no longer an antagonist and he can't rejoin the protagonists because he still has crimes to which he has to answer for to the Gotei 13 and even the Vizards. So if a character is no longer an antagonist and can't be a protagonists then what else is there? He has to leave the manga. Whether it is through death or some other means hardly matter. You are still not going to see him any more.

So really, it's not really a matter of what's happened any more but what's going to happen. If Kubo has a role for Gin in future arcs. He is near death right now. If Kubo does not, he's dead.