7 Strongest Zanpakuto That Could Have Stopped Yhwach

Yhwach is the son of the Soul King and the final villain of the Bleach anime. He can use every advanced Quincy technique and a variety of other overpowered abilities. Yhwach became a literal God after absorbing the Soul King, and The Almighty gives him the power to see every possible future at once. He can also alter the future to his benefit, even if it means reversing his death. Yhwach is pretty much unbeatable, but there are a few Zanpakuto that could have stopped him.

All of the Zanoakuto that could have stopped Yhwach belong to Captain-level Soul Reapers. One of these Zanpakuto has the power to destroy the entire Soul Society if its full power is unleashed for too long. Most of these Zanpakuto have abilities that should be able to neutralize Yhwach’s omnipotence, while others can do it with a little help.

7

Suzumushi Would Have Blinded Yhwach With Its Bankai

Image via Studio Pierrot

Suzumushi was Tosen’s Zanpakuto, and had the ability to target a person’s senses. Its Shikai produces a high-pitched tone that overloads the target’s hearing until they are knocked out, and it can impale someone with an aerial barrage of blades. Suzumushi’s Shikai cannot beat Yhwach, but its Bankai could. Yhwach named Kenpachi Zaraki one of the five Special War Powers, and Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi would have killed Kenpachi if Tosen had not toyed with him.

This Bankai would trap Yhwach in a large dome that would take away his ability to see, hear, and smell. He would also not be able to sense spiritual energy. This means Yhwach would not be able to dodge or block a fatal attack in time. Suzumushi’s Bankai would have neutralized Yhwach prior to The Almighty’s return, and it should still be able to block The Almighty’s future sight since all of Yhwach’s eyes would be effected. It would be hard for Yhwach to alter a future he cannot see.

6

Kyoka Suigetsu’s Complete Hynosis Can Override Yhwach’s Omnipotence

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Kyokya Suigetsu’s Bankai was never revealed, but that is alright because it possesses one of the few Shikai in Bleach that are as strong as Bankai. Its Shikai can take control of all five senses, thus placing its targets under a form of complete hypnosis. This hypnosis is so powerful that multiple Soul Reaper Captains can be tricked into attacking the wrong target because it also alters the target’s perception of mass and shapes.

Kyoka Suigetsu is effective because once someone has been exposed to its Shikai, they will automatically become hypnotized whenever it is released again. During the initial Sternritter invasion, Kyoka Suigetsu was used to alter Yhwach’s perception of time, which is why it was able to bypass The Almighty’s future sight in the final battle. Yhwach cannot properly alter the future if it is not a real future. With enough time, Kyoka Suigetsu can trick Yhwach until Aizen lands a finishing blow.

5

Shinso’s Bankai Could Have Destroyed Yhwach’s Body On A Cellular Level

Shinso was first used in Bleach‘s Soul Society Arc and its Shikai might be effective, but it is not strong enough to beat Yhwach. It can extend up to one hundred times its original length very quickly, but Yhwach is fast enough to dodge it. Shinso’s Bankai, Kamishini no Yari is almost impossible to dodge because its blade can extend up to 8 miles and retract at roughly 500 times the speed of sound.

Kamishini no Yari could have stabbed Yhwach in multiple critical spots in the blink of an eye. If Shinso stabs Yhwach at least once, it can leave a small shard inside his body. All Gin Ichimaru needs to do next is touch Yhwach and say the technique’s name and the shard will release a poison that will rapidly destroy Yhwach’s body on a cellular level. Kamishini no Yari would work on Yhwach before he regained The Almighty, and it could still stop an omnipotent Yhwach if The Almighty is temporarily neutralized or if he is too distracted.

4

Ashisogi Jizo’s Modified Bankai Would Eventually Come Up With A Way To Counter Yhwach’s Power

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Unlike most Zanpakuto, Ashisogi Jizo is constantly being modified to improve its performance. Prior to regaining The Almighty and absorbing the Soul King, Ashisogi Jizo’s Shikai would likely be able to paralyze Yhwach. In his current state however, Yhwach can prevent himself from being stabbed by its Shikai. Ashisogi Jizo’s Bankai summons a large caterpillar-like monster with a golden baby head, which Yhwach could easily destroy with an advanced Quincy technique.

Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo: Matai Fukuin Shotai is a modified Bankai that nearly defeated the Soul King’s Left Arm. As long as Mayuri Kurotsuchi gathers enough information about Yhwach’s omnipotence, the Bankai can give birth to a new Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo that can counter Yhwach’s power. It could be as simple as creating a monster who emits a special toxin that mimics the effects of the Still Silver Arrowhead, which has the ability to nullify Yhwach’s powers.

3

Ryujin Jakka Could Have Erased The Real Yhwach With Its Bankai

Ryujin Jakka was the oldest and most powerful fire-type Zanpakuto in Bleach, and its immense power makes it one of the strongest weapons in anime. Its Shikai releases intense flames that can burn almost anything to ash. Aizen possesses immeasurable spiritual energy to the point he was on par with Head Captain Yamamoto, but even he was afraid of Ryujin Jakka’s flames, which is why he created an Arrancar whose only purpose was to seal the flames.

Ryujin Jakka’s Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, killed Yhwach 1,000 years ago during the first Quincy war, and it can do it again. Upon release, all of Ryujin Jakka’s flames are condensed into its blade. If the blade simply scratches Yhwach, it will blow his body apart and erase him from existence. Yhwach could use The Almighty to set traps in the future, but Zanka no Tachi would melt and destroy them before they can go off. Even Yhwach’s darkness attacks will be incinerated if they come into contact with Zanka no Tachi’s blade and heat shield.

2

Nozarashi Could Have Destroyed Yhwach Since It Has The Power To Cut Through Godly Beings

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Yhwach named Kenpachi Zaraki one of the five Special War Powers because of his incredible fighting strength. Kenpachi has gotten even stronger now that he has learned his Zanpakuto’s name and gained access to its Shikai and Bankai. Nozarashi’s Shikai manifests as a massive war cleaver that can cut through virtually anything, including the fabric of space. It can even injure someone as strong as Gerard Valkyrie, who is the god-tier physical manifestation of the Soul King’s heart.

Nozarashi’s cleaver becomes much smaller when its Bankai is activated, but its cutting power significantly increases, and Kenpachi becomes a mindless berserker. In this state, Nozarashi can cut a god in half with a single slash. Nozarashi’s Shikai should be sharp enough to take Yhwach out, but its Bankai should be the better choice since Yhwach might not be able to read mindless Kenpachi’s movements accurately. If Ichigo’s Zanpakuto can cut through Yhwach’s body, then Nozarashi can too.

1

Hyorinmaru Could Have Nullified All Of Yhwach’s Abilities With Its Mature Bankai

Hyorinmaru may not be the oldest ice-type Zanpakuto, but it is considered the strongest, and it makes Captain Hitsugaya one of the most powerful ice users in Shonen anime. According to him, the only real difference between Hyorinmaru’s Shikai and Bankai is the amount of ice he can produce and control. This ice manipulation might be effective against other Captain-level fighters, but Yhwach can easily counter it. That said, Hyorinmaru’s fully matured Bankai is a completely different beast.

In its mature state, Daiguren Hyorinmaru can flash-freeze any person or object from a distance almost instantaneously with a simple hand gesture from Toshiro. What makes this ice so powerful is the fact that it completely negate’s the target’s motor functions and abilities. This means Daiguren Hyorinmaru can nullify all of Yhwach’s Quincy and Soul King abilities, as well as the omnipotence of The Almighty.

Release Date

2004 – 2012-00-00

Network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo

Showrunner

Tite Kubo

Directors

Mitsutaka Noshitani, Junya Koshida, Hodaka Kuramoto, Yasuto Nishikata, Hiroaki Nishimura, Kazunori Mizuno, Akira Shimizu, Rokou Ogiwara, Kazunobu Shimizu, Akane Inoue, Hikaru Murata, Tomoko Hiramuki, Kazuo Nogami, Taiji Kawanishi, Shigeki Hatakeyama, Eiko Nishi, Takushi Kimura, Koji Aritomi, Ogura Shirakawa, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yukio Okazaki, Mitsue Yamazaki, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Eitarou Ano

Writers

Masahiro Okubo, Masashi Sogo, Kenta Shimoyama, Genki Yoshimura, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Rika Nakase, Michiko Yokote, Natsuko Takahashi, Kento Shimoyama

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  Masakazu Morita

  Ichigo Kurosaki (voice)

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  Fumiko Orikasa

  Rukia Kuchiki