Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-10786787-20130613005503/@comment-5417900-20140608185010

If it didn't offer any ability, then it wouldn't be a shikai. Although Houzukimaru doesn't offer an ability, the sword still transforms. Although I don't know what Kenpachi's zanpakuto looks like in it's regular form, I don't think a shikai would transform his sword into something that looks like a regular sword, which most likely means that he does have an ability that he probably just doesn't know how to use yet. Or he's been using it the whole time, and he and the fans haven't been aware of it.