User blog comment:Gon10/Kuchiki Byakuya´s Bankai/@comment-5551986-20130623085502

Ichigo and Renji didnt have their bankai stolen, its simply being repaired. I think he will either: a) get a new zanpakuto b) Ouestu will somehow recover his old one c) Mayuri is studying the medallion for him (besides we dont know how durable a medallion is) d) We are not 100% sure if Äs is dead or not, so Byakuya might have a showdown with him and we will see him developing as a character trying to overcome his fear of Äs.

At the end of the day, I personally think that the shinigami will be able to interact with the medallion somehow. I've always had this feeling if they fight the stern ritter and wrestle for control of the medallion and retrieve it, they can get the bankai back. So theres a bit of conflict and rivalry/revenge going on there.

Besides. We have to think the Bankai is now a physical object, not a sword or someones power anymore. Its like a "flashlight" (I use that description quite loosely though) but a long while ago, we saw light and never imagined capturing it so easily that we can always use it whenever we want, for any situation. We "captured energy" that we was otherwise unable to capture.

That's my opinion on the matter anyway.