User blog comment:Tekkphreke/Question on Zanpakuto Rebellion/@comment-1332195-20130828062418/@comment-1904799-20130830200630

Actually, Kubo himself talked to the studio about the designs and powers of the various zanpakuto spirits, so their appearances and abilities were written in by Kubo himself. So even though the arc itself is non-canon, a few things, such as Gonryoumaru having lightning-based abilities, are canonical.