User blog comment:Godisme/The Closing Chapter Part 1/@comment-1268838-20120530174631

No holds barred, it seems. It would appear that unlike the Jagdarmee, the Stern Ritter is more of an elite force of warriors than an actual branch of the Vandenreich's military. It's no surprise that they're capable of taking out the rank-and-file Shinigami with such ease (heck, Sado was able to take on a hundred himself IIRC), but I was surprised to see Kira get knocked out so quickly, though I probably shouldn't. I doubt he's going to die, but that was one hell of a nasty shot.

If what Kubo says holds up, I'm guessing that the Stern Ritter is the "small" group of villains he referred to in his interview. Considering that the Royal Guard is supposed to take the spotlight eventually, I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one captain bite the dust in this fight.