User blog comment:Xilinoc/Ch. 665 - The Princess Dissection/@comment-5551986-20160312012619

Doubt Askin's dead. If Lille can just revive after a beheading I wouldn't be massively shocked if another of the Schutzstaffel can come back after a behearting. Each one has proven stupidly difficult to kill pushing everyone of their opponents to their limit and proving too much for a single captain to deal with. Examples:

Pernida; Mayuri ran out of gadgets, bankai failed to defeat his opponent, needed his lieutenant to deal a tactical blow and finishing blow. Pernida regenerated and created several clones and can come revive after being exploded by a punch.

Lille; Shunsui ran out of moves and options, bankai failed to defeat his opponent, needed his lieutenant to deal a tactical blow and finishing blow. Lille survived a beheading.

Gerard; easily "defeated" a bunch of lieutenants and captains, survived a blasting of petals from Senbonzakura and a beating and dehelmeting. Came back as a giant man.

See the pattern? Not a single Schutzstaffel is normal or easily defeated by common means like other opponents in bleach, completely OP. Even though Askin isn't exactly "special" Like Lille being the first to get a schrift, or the heart or left hand of the soul king. But I think he was chosen for a reason besides his schrift and undying tenacity or his love for coffee au lait. Hes a Schutzstaffel he obviously has a powerful secondary trait.

On a side note there isn't a clear explanation of how Urahara's shikai works in relation to his bankai, I would assume his shikai can restructure his reiatsu to suit purposes, razor blades, negation rings, shields, powerful blasts, nets, bombs, etc. He just restructures his reiatsu instead of something physical, would explain how the bankai is a step up.