User blog comment:Xilinoc/Ch. 575 - THE KILLERS HIGH/@comment-24153155-20140404002617/@comment-24153155-20140408164706

Hahaha! I was like "what?!" Spiderman is tricky but by no means DC... until I read your comment again. In case of Superman you're absolutely right. He is DC. And therefore a solid get-it-out-of-my-sight by default =P I actually think we kinda think along the same lines, however, my perspective is different from yours, since I have an Asian take on things. Also, I still think Kenpachi is not the brightest out there ;)

There is this event in the second Vagabond volume (chapters 10/11/12) in which Takezo jumps out of an ofuro in order to successfully take down a small army which is after him. The soldiers call him a beast, as Takezo seems an immensely strong fighter due to him being reckless, merciless, his lack of assessment, his eyes etc (survival mode, even being commented on in the later volumes of Vagabond). Takezo knows that he is very strong, but he never gave his fears/feelings much thought, although those seemed to be quite obvious to outsiders. Vagabond is quite a complex story, based on both legends and history (as well as being ultra violent, but then again the era in which the story takes place was not exactly known to be full of fluffy unicorns and pink ponies;) I really came to think that Kenpachi is Kubo's take on a softened Musashi (interesting to note is that Musashi was the founder of Niten Ichi-Ryu, a 2-sword fighting style -> Ichigo?). The problem is not so much that Kenpachi doesn't know where to strike and like you say, he is able to "read" his opponent (that's why he often refers to the eyes), but I believe this is more of a primal act, an instinct. However, his problem is that he cannot actively access his Shinigami strength, as he is clueless about his resolve (other than his fighting for fun) or who he was (with a name that didn't belong to him, being just empty). I believe his fighting for fun/self-imposed limits is just a cover for him trying to find a worthy opponent, but by doing so he preoccupied his mind with anything else but a proper resolve and was not able to get beyond his own limits (his true limits, not his self-imposed limits) and get stronger. These all add up to him being a wanderer and made his fights kinda childish, unintelligent and weak. The Unohana fight was Kenpachi's true wake-up call. It was key to take place as she forced him to face his weaknesses. This is why he was able to hear his zanpakuto at the end of the fight. Another person dear to Kenpachi is Yachiru. She is key in his life. Not only because they share common grounds, but more so because Yachiru makes Kenpachi human: she is not afraid of him or his way of living and therefore they are each others home. He will always protect his little girl. I do agree with you that Kenpachi probably always will be some sort of Ronin, this is also something Unohana touched upon during the fight (the part about that there will still be friends to bicker with and formidable opponents to be had). Another thing which is a theme in Bleach and is a struggle for Kenpachi and his squad, is the definition of "Honor" (which is part of the Samurai code), which is something that is indirectly linked to his zanpakuto communication. What is the greater good? Why do you kill? And why do you deserve (an honorable) death while you rob others from their lives as if theirs didn't mean anything? Kenpachi really doesn't make my top fave character cut, but I really like the growth he displayed in this episode.