User blog comment:Godisme/relics/@comment-4126675-20121108002608

I personally didn't think Byakuya was going to die. Kubo often does dramatic scenes like Byakuya's "death", so it seems less surprising than most are making it out to be that Byakuya's alive. Many people in Bleach have seemed to be all but destroyed and have bounced back. But note that either way, Byakuya's still in a coma, which doeesn't mean he's up and at it again. As for Kenpachi, there was never really any doubt that he was alive. He wouldn't just die without any epic flashbacks or something. Plus, I'm fairly certain he still had his eyepatch on. Also, didn't Kubo or someone say that one cannot kill Captain-level shinigami unless their head is cut off or something? This is why Juhabach annihilated Yamamoto, instead of merely cleaving him in two. It was the Quincy's fault that they didn't continue attacking their respective opponents after they fell.