Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-13428818-20130827184904/@comment-4957813-20130827214511

That "Zangetsu" wasn't actually Zangetsu, it was just a physical representation of a younger Yhwach. It was never really his Shinigami powers, it was his Quincy powers, his Inner Hollow is his actual Shinigami powers. And both are separate entities.