Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5218928-20140305213023/@comment-5218928-20140305233143

Xilinoc wrote: Additionally, I doubt Renji can purposely release his Bankai as Hihiou Zabimaru instead of Souou Zabimaru now, especially given that he didn't lose the ability to engage in melee/ranged combat and his true Bankai is much more usable and powerful. Cool, except that's your presumption. And while I have nothing against it, it's not the same as Kubo saying Renji will never, ever display Hihio Zabimaru again. Just hoping I'm being clear here, and you understand the difference.

But nonetheless, in both cases, we have the sword spirit being released in an incomplete (and arguably weaker) form because the wrong name was used regardless of whether it was or wasn't a deliberate act. Personally, I think this is an interesting aspect of Bleach because --- and this is as far back as the Agent of the Shinigami arc goes --- Kubo was trying to establish the Shinigami as some sort of "spirit samurai": the Zanpakuto being spirits sealed in the swords and the wielders having to commune with them in order to learn their names as well as the release commands.

Yeah, yeah, I've been following the story and I know all the different and various changes that this aspect of the Bleachverse went through, but it's interesting to see that there is now a connection between Yumichika's situation and Renji's new bankai. This could be particularly useful for people writing fanfics, although that isn't my case.

Can Renji activate the Hihio Zabimaru old bankai? It's too soon to say, but there's nothing explicitly stating that he can't. And since everyone has to basically play by the same rules, if Yumichika can hold back by chanting Fuji Kujaku instead of Ruri'iro, Renji could do the same ...