Fastest Bankai In Bleach

Summary

• Bankai vary in operation, some finish opponents in seconds.
• Unohana’s Minazuki skewers weaker foes instantly with blood.
• Tosen’s immediate sensory lockdown Bankai ensures quick victories.

Bankai, the ultimate techniques that a Soul Reaper can use in Bleach, vary wildly in their operation. Some captains and lieutenants will possess Bankai that take a little while to set up and execute, forcing their enemies to watch on in horror as they gradually succumb to the power of their opponent’s Zanpakuto. On the other hand, numerous Bankai have been characterized by their speed, and more specifically, how quickly they can finish an opponent.

Certain Bankai are capable of obliterating the opponent in no more than a few seconds, making them utterly terrifying and a real lifesaver for when the user doesn’t have much time to spare in an intense fight. When looking at the entire catalog of Bankai that have been shown throughout Bleach‘s story, these are the fastest in terms of activation and effect.

8 Minazuki (Yachiru Unohana)

Weaker Opponents Will Be Skewered Instantly By Unohana’s Blood-Based Bankai

In the original manga, even though Unohana released her Bankai in her duel against Zaraki Kenpachi, it wasn’t all that clear what it actually did. The anime helped to clear things up by presenting Minazuki as a technique that allows the user to control blood, which Unohana uses to create both small and long blades to strike her opponent from every angle.

Kenpachi may not have gone down easily when Minazuki showed itself, but this is a Bankai that would make quick work of weaker opponents who would be skewered in mere seconds if they didn’t have a way to defend themselves. Considering the sheer amount of people Unohana has slaughtered in her time, it makes sense why she wouldn’t care to spend too much time taking down yet another unlucky victim, which explains why her Bankai is so quick and lethal.

7 Tensa Zangetsu (Ichigo Kurosaki)

Ichigo Received An Impressive Speed Boost With Tensa Zangetsu Unleashed

This specifically refers to the Bankai Ichigo uses throughout the majority of the series before achieving his true Bankai during the final arc. During the final battle of the Soul Society arc, Ichigo struggled to keep up with the speed and strength of Byakuya, that is, until he revealed his Bankai, which he had miraculously achieved after training for just a handful of days.

In this form, Ichigo becomes absurdly quick on his feet, even being able to outmaneuver Byakuya at certain points in their fight. However, while this does allow Ichigo to take down an opponent in record time, the speed at which he can achieve this depends on how strong his enemy is. Being the protagonist of the story means most of Ichigo’s opponents are among the strongest in the series, hence why he will use his Bankai for extended periods to try and wear them down, but it’s still more than fast enough to make quick work of anyone who isn’t a high-ranking Espada or Soul Reaper captain.

6 Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi (Kaname Tosen)

Tosen Immediately Cuts Off His Opponent’s Senses Upon Creating His Large Black Sphere

Tosen’s Bankai is an absurdly powerful technique that doesn’t require any extra steps or preparation time. Instead, moments after he calls out “Bankai”, a large black dome will surround him and his opponent, cutting off each of their senses and essentially making them a sitting duck for Tosen to aim at from the shadows.

Since the only time fans get to see him use it is against Zaraki Kenpachi, arguably the most durable Soul Reaper in the series, Tosen wasn’t able to finish the job all too quickly. However, if the opponent had been anyone even just a little weaker, this unique Bankai would have allowed him to cut them down without breaking a sweat.

5 Tekken Tachikaze (Kensei Muguruma)

A Bankai Which Allows The User To Unleash A Quick Flurry Of Explosive Punches

Kensei’s Bankai is pretty similar to Ikkaku’s, in the sense they both grant the user a surge of devastating power that can be used to quickly take down an unsuspecting enemy. The major difference however is that, while Ikkau’s takes a while to charge up, Kensei can pummel his opponents to smithereens right from the get-go, as shown during his battle with Mask de Masculine.

While Mask may have taken Kensei’s punches like a champ due to a little help from his friend James, this Bankai still allows Kensei to make quick work of those who are susceptible to his explosive attacks. It’s a Bankai that doesn’t appear too much through the series, but which has still shown to be more than capable of defeating anyone who gets on Kensei’s bad through a quick flurry of fast and aggressive strikes.

4 Unnamed (Zaraki Kenpachi)

Kenpach’s Bankai Allows Him To Get Straight Into The Thick Of The Action

Just like Kenpachi himself, this captain’s Bankai prefers to get straight into the thick of the action. As a result, it wastes no time powering Kenpachi up until his entire skin turns dark red as he acquires an absurd amount of strength, causing him to become a mindless brute who only cares about spilling as much blood as possible.

From what was seen in Kenpachi’s bout with Gerard in the manga, it also seems as though Kenpachi’s unnamed Bankai grants the captain a speed boost, allowing him to easily topple the giant Sternritter so he could get a clean strike with his blade. Kenpachi’s opponents will know all too well that, upon hearing him scream out the iconic phase, they’ll only have a few moments left to try and flee before being cut in two.

3 Jakuho Raikoben (Soi Fon)

One Giant Missile That Can Obliterate An Opponent In Mere Seconds

Soi Fon considers her missile-like Bankai to be somewhat of an embarrassment, considering such a gigantic weapon is not all that fitting for an assassin such as herself. Despite that, this Bankai is capable of dealing an immense amount of damage, though as Soi Fon herself states, it can only fire one missile every three days to avoid putting too much stress on her body.

As a result, the Bankai doesn’t stick around for very long, since Soi Fon simply needs to find her target, take aim, and pull the trigger to incinerate her opponent. As a result, it’s a fairly quick and snappy Bankai that doesn’t outstay its welcome and simply gets the job done as quickly as possible so Soi Fon can go back to being stealthy.

2 Hakka No Togame (Rukia Kuchiki)

Rukia’s Bankai Freezes Everything Within Close Proximity Almost Instantly

Throughout the story of Bleach, Rukia’s Zanpakuto has always been associated with the element of ice. However, while she had used her Shikai on numerous occasions, it wasn’t until her duel with Sternritter As Nodt that Rukia would finally unveil her long-awaited Bankai, Hakka no Togame. Upon activation, the Bankai covered the entire area in ice, including her opponent As Nodt, who crumbles away only seconds after Rukia unleashes the technique.

Despite being a risky Bankai that can cause severe harm to the user if they move too quickly, Hakka no Togame is capable of killing multiple opponents in virtually no time at all when used effectively. In fact, while the Bankai itself activates extremely quickly, it’s the recovery that is the longer part.

1 Kamishini No Yari (Gin Ichimaru)

A Bankai Which Is 500 Times Faster Than The Speed Of Sound

Gin provided viewers with a glimpse into his Bankai very early on in the series when he extended his blade to prevent Ichigo from entering the Soul Society. From that moment on, it was clear Gin’s Zanpakuto was capable of reaching insane lengths when activated, but nobody could have ever expected just how fast this extension could become when in Bankai.

According to Gin, Kamashini no Yari is capable of extending at 500 times the speed of sound and is the fastest Zanpakuto in all of the Soul Society. This staggering speed shouldn’t overshadow the Bankai’s strength though, which was seen to be capable of slicing apart entire buildings in the blink of an eye. Despite only using the Bankai once, Gin made it crystal clear his ultimate attack can finish off his opponents far too quickly for them to realize they’ve even been hit, and for that, it’s a truly terrifying ability.