User blog comment:GinIchimaru/Re-thinking Gin Ichimaru/@comment-452405-20100421012123

Sure Ichigo has fought on par with Gin so far, but we have yet to see the full effect of his bankai yet. So far he's just extended it a few times and swung it around, but we havn't seen him do anything after explaining how fast it actually is.

I can see him maybe barraging Ichigo with his sword eventually overwhelming the poor kid, and while I'd like to see Ichigo make it through this fight without relying on his mask, I can still see it happening.

Gin's got more to offer, and while he's not my favourite character I'd actually rather he survived this war. You know, keep his agenda a secret through further arcs, not come back as a major antagonist but maybe still in the shadows manipulating people to further his goals.