Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-4976518-20140808063123/@comment-24769684-20160305034206

Aizen only needs to activate Shikai in front of his target to be able to hypnotize them, and his illusions do affect the sense of smell. Ichigo didn't see these illusions because he had never seen Aizen's Shikai. Nowhere was it hinted that Bankai was ever involved