User blog comment:Godisme/The Closing Chapter Part 1/@comment-1351982-20120530210151

Things don't look good for Kira. Usually having your intestines and arm blown off and having your eyes roll back is not a good sign. Plus Hiyori was still alert when she was bifurcated. Even though it looked very bad, she was still alert and able to talk. Kira, however, I believe is a different case, plus the riatsu is almost the nail on the coffin for me. Also, when Hiyori was bifurcated, none of her vital organs were slashed (directly), pretty much all that was cut was bone and muscle. If Kira is indeed dead(er) by the next few chapters, I believe his death will have a deeper impact than Sasikibe's. Izuru was a much more developed character and he contributed a lot to the main story line (at least in the SS arc). Although in hindsight Kira getting the potential ax was obvious considering how much emotional development he had in Fake Karakura Town and the increased leadership role in this arc. Izuru would potentially be one of the first major characters (not saying Gin isn't) to die in Bleach. Long story short, good chapter.