Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25265357-20140804183848/@comment-44061-20140805035358

I think whats not being taken into account is exactly what is said. Yamamoto says there hasnt been a Shinigami born in 1000 yrs thats more powerful then him. This would not include anyone predating 1000 yrs like himself. Secondly the Royal Guard are said to be more powerful then the entire Gotei 13. It would stand to reason that either together or separately they are more powerful then anyone. Why because they are powerful in their own right, they are further empowered by the Soul King. The most telling point is that Yamamoto's power lies entirely in combat. We know for a fact that what makes the majority of Royal Guard stand out is there advancement of the structure of what makes soul society work. A understanding of soul empowerment, names, zanpakuto, healing is possibly outshining raw power, you cant build with destruction but you can curtail it with all these skills. There individual and collective skills make them the most powerful. The fact that they are apart from the rest stands to point out that its easy to make claims about power when the buck stops with you in general. Yamamoto can make that true claim without lying cause they arent gonna be what anyone has to face. Also the point about stealing bankai is not viable unless we see it done, which it hasnt been since the death of Yamamoto. The only commonality is that the power of yamamoto's bankai is highly destructive even to soul society.