Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-25360536-20140916202609/@comment-26226516-20150322123155

Starrks Shirt, Boots and gloves (the part on his hands) were white equaling 50-ish% of his apparel was white and Shunsuis was wearing his white robe at the time of him receiving the slash across his back and spine. Now if colours that are mixes of two colours contribute that would boost it to a higher percentage, but lets say it doesn't then Starrks cream coloured skin would not count as white. The issue here is if Iro Oni gives a drastic boost too attacking power to the point that it can negate Starkks Heirro whilst in his release state, then if their is no favoritism with Iro Oni Shunsui should of died when he was slashed across the back.

If the attack power of the people involved is irrelevant to Iro Oni then this would further support the contention Starrk was killed off for plot convenience. Now for the issue of Starrks Hollow hole being "black". Holes can not and do not have colours, that would be like saying the empty space between peoples teeth have colour. Voids don't have colour and the only reason people say that space (outer space) is black is because their is no light hitting any objects within a certain distance of another source of light. So since holes like any other void do not possess any colours then Iro Oni can not be applied to holes. Now if you want to ignore what colour is (the perceived reflection of light from a surface or a light source) then you still can't count the cut to the hole when Kenpachi did something identical to Shunsui (http://www.mangapanda.com/94-762-21/bleach/chapter-308.html) yet Nnoitra was not affected as if he had been slashed across the eye.

So the only LOGICAL CONCLUSION is Starrk dying is nothing short of BSPD (Bull Shit Plot Device) in order to have the Shinigami win the war with no fatalities, much like most of the fights in the final third of that arc. No matter what damage boost there is for Iro Oni or if it inflicts wounds with severities varying based on the colour of apparel Shunsui should of died from the slash to the back and his spine. Bleach like all Shounen Manga follows the same pattern bad guys are stronger but due to friendship or BSPDS they loose or you go back to DBZ then it comes down to borrowing Ki from everything, Zenkais (Saiyan Ability) or training.