Kenpachi Zaraki is the 11th Division’s captain of Gotei 13, and he has been considered nothing less than a monstrous character in Bleach since the beginning. Following Aizen’s mysterious death in Episode 35 of the anime, we see Kenpachi approaching Ichigo, whom he has been hunting for too long.
Zaraki stunned Ichigo and his allies with his spiritual pressure. Honestly, Kenpachi Zaraki is one such supporting character in the history of anime whose entry on the battlefield overshadowed every other entrance in the series, including Ichigo’s. If this character intrigues you and you want to learn more about him, be with us as we shed light on who exactly Kenpachy Zaraki is and what his powers and abilities are.
Who Is Kenpachi Zaraki in Bleach?
Zaraki was once a kid with no name and home before encountering the Soul Society. Once, he came across a Soul Reaper’s lifeless body and the sword lying on his side. After picking up the sword and making it his own, he honed his swordsmanship skills.
The boy killed many opponents who came his way and proved his worth. He started looking down on others as he didn’t have to make enormous efforts to kill anyone. However, his paths soon crossed with the fourth division’s former captain Retsu Unohana aka Yachiru. This time, he fought one of the most potent Shinigami, so he even rejoiced in his defeat and started admiring Yachiru.
Zaraki was unaware of Zenpakuto’s true potential before his entry into the Soul Society, so he didn’t realize that the girl who suddenly showed up in front of him one day was just a manifestation of his Zenpakuto that became a reality. However, he named her Yachiru and took her as his lieutenant.
Having several encounters with the Soul Reapers, Zaraki aspired to become one, but it was too early for him to achieve something like that. After some time, he finally got the chance to enter the Soul Reaper Society. Once there, he kills the former captain of the 11th Division and grabs the seat of the prominent figure. He also honed his skills and acquired the influential title — Kenpachi.
Zeraki is a bloodthirsty captain with a profound love for battles, but not the easy ones, though. He is always on the lookout for a worthy opponent. That’s why when he learned about Ichigo’s entry as an intruder in the Soul Society, he couldn’t wait for the confrontation after discovering his potential.
Kenpachi Zaraki: Powers and Abilities
Kenpachi is not seen as a lethal foe without reason. He boasts some abilities that make others fear him, and we discuss his powers and abilities here.
- Self-Learned Fighter: Unlike other Soul Reapers, he didn’t train with anyone. Instead, he learned everything by himself. After getting his hands on the dead Soul Reaper’s Zanpakuto for the first time, Zaraki practiced swordsmanship day and night. He didn’t even bother to find out how the Zanpakuto works and continued honing his swordsman skills. Without knowing the true potential, he learned to use it in a battle efficiently. Well, he was a masterful combatant before, but his combating skills even rose to their peak in Thousand Year Blood War, making him one of the toughest foes for the Quincies. If you remember, Zaraki killed three Sternritters with his bare hands before heading towards Yhwach.
- Impeccable Spiritual Pressure: The first time we get a glimpse of Zaraki’s Spiritual Pressure in the second season of the anime, we know that he is surely one of the strongest Bleach characters. When Ichigo, accompanied by Ganju and Hanataro, try to cross the Seireitei in the Soul Society Arc, they feel an incredible Spiritual Pressure. Ichigo tries to run fast as he doesn’t want to come across someone with such tremendous spiritual pressure. He has spiritual powers that make him superior even to the captains of Soul Society. Zaraki suppressed his powers for centuries, but his prowess was to the extent that even then, he could fight the strongest opponents without breaking a sweat. Despite having the most tremendous spiritual pressure, Zaraki believed he didn’t know how to keep it in control. However, despite this, he could use it against the enemies, paralyzing them for a couple of minutes.
- Great Instinctive Combatant: Zaraki highly relies on his instincts during the most challenging battles. As he hadn’t trained under someone, he doesn’t possess any signature fighting style, so his instincts help him knock down the opponents. His attacks change according to his instincts, making it harder for the enemies to study him during the conflict. Moreover, he reads the enemies as per his instincts and successfully dodges even the heavy attacks. Also, most of the time, he alters his fighting technique to overwhelm them with counterattacks.
- Shunpo Practitioner: Shunpo is a fighting technique that contributes heavily to the Shinigami’s victory in any battle. It gives the ability to move faster than sound and confuse the opponents. Zaraki was not very familiar with this technique until his confrontation with Yachiru Unohana. That was the first time Zaraki felt the urge to learn Shuno. However, his determination towards power and position pushed him to hone his skills and stun his fellow Soul Reapers with the ability.
- Bankai: Kenpachi’s Bankai was revealed quite late in the story. Apparently, Kenpachi received his Bankai from Yachiru. After being given this incredible power, Kenpachi could transform into a bloodthirsty beast during intense battles. In his Bankai form, Kenpachi’s eyes turn red, and his body takes on the shape of a beast. He becomes so incredibly powerful that he can slice off one of Gerald’s arms with ease, shocking everyone present on the battlefield.
So, you can see why Kenpachi is feared by other characters in the world of Bleach. It is also the main reason why the character ranks super high in our list of the strongest entities in Tite Kubo’s amazing world.
