Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5398287-20130625202043/@comment-11051098-20130630123030

I understood it that way too, that Yumichika took him by surprise.

Momo appears to be among the best officers with Kido,, better than Shûhei, but he's most likely a better fighter, so they both have an advantage on the other. I think Shûhei could be fit for a promotion to captain, maybe for the vacant Squad 8, if he really has Bankai already. He could be among the weaker captains, but I still think he's the best suited for captain of the current vice-captains.

He did already basically run Squad 9 himself after Tôsen's defection, so he has some experience with the captain-role too.