A breakout character in the Soul Society Arc of Tite Kubo's Bleach, Kenpachi Zaraki is a character whose unhinged thirst for battle has yet to be matched by any character throughout the series' lengthy run. Zaraki is the quintessential berserker, a force of nature, whose lust for fighting is only eclipsed by his awe inducing strength. For the longest time, he was also an anomaly among the Captains of the Gotei 13, as he was the only one among them to have attained the rank without even knowing the name of his Zanpakuto.

However, the Thousand Year Blood War Arc changed all of this, as Zaraki was forced to listen to his Zanpakuto's voice, as he sought more power to combat Yhwach and the Wandenreich, the most powerful foe the Gotei 13 had ever faced. This series of events led to him finally awakening both his Shikai and Bankai after defeating Retsu Unohana (formerly known as Yachiru Unohana, the first Kenpachi), finally living up to the title of the 11th Division Captain. A simple man at his core, Zaraki's aggressive, unfiltered, and larger than life persona has captivated Bleach fans as much as his fearsome strength. But just how strong is he?

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A Monstrous Swordsman

Growing up in the lawless Zaraki district of Rukongai, the future Kenpachi was forced to hone his fighting skills from an early age. He became a supreme swordsman after taking an Asauchi from the body of a dead Shinigami and imprinting his own soul onto it to make it his own Zanpakuto. At some point, the young Zaraki faced off against Yachiru Unohana, the first Kenpachi, and enjoyed fighting against her so much — as it was the first time that he felt fear — that he began to subconsciously impose mental restraints on his own power. On losing the fight, Zaraki grew to admire Unohana and decided that he wanted to fight like her.

Despite not attending the Shino'o Academy like most Shinigami, Zaraki's natural talent for swordplay far exceeded those of most Captain level combatants in the Gotei 13. His instincts, reflexes, and raw strength more than compensated for his lack of formal training when he first ascended to the rank of Captain. Zaraki is also gifted when it comes to analyzing his opponents and adapting his fighting style to gain an upper hand.

His perceptiveness and the versatility of his swordsmanship have also been noted to be off the charts. He constantly improves his prowess with each successive fight, and can take on extremely skilled opponents with his fairly direct and unembellished fighting style. For the most part, Zaraki fights with one hand, and only grips his blade with both hands when fighting against opponents he deems worthy. He does possess some degree of training in Shinigami Zanjutsu, as he was forced to learn it by Yamamoto before taking on the role of 11th Division Captain.

That being said, his training was halted by Central 46 after only a single day as they were terrified of how much of a threat he could turn into in case he went rogue. Additionally, Zaraki is also quite averse to using his formal training in a fight as he despises skills acquired from external sources. Nevertheless, as the Captain of the 11th Division which specializes in swordsmanship, Zaraki is one of the best swordsmen in the Gotei 13 without question, if not the best outright.

Heeding His Blade's Call

Another one of Zaraki's biggest assets is his truly monstrous Reiatsu. Far exceeding the normal level for a Shinigami Captain, Zaraki's Reiatsu made it difficult for weaker opponents to damage him. Zaraki also fights without any concern for his well-being, ignoring injuries and not displaying any hint of backing down even after sustaining massive amounts of damage. His resilience and endurance are also formidable, where he can take powerful attacks from Espada level opponents and emerge completely unfazed.

While his control over it is quite poor, which led to him using a Reiatsu suppressing eye patch, Zaraki gained greater mastery over his Reiatsu after defeating Yachiru Unohana. He also began to take more note of the traditional combat skills practiced by Shinigami, where he began to hone his abilities in Shunpo and concealing his Reiatsu after finally hearing the voice of his Zanpakuto. Prior to this, Zaraki's raw strength and speed were more than a match for most Gotei 13 Captains, as seen in how he could keep up with the likes of Byakuya Kuchiki, such that his lack of skill with Shunpo and Zanjutsu never affected his ability to hold his own in a fight.

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Zaraki was able to easily slice through buildings with a single strike even prior to learning his Zanpakuto's name — a feat that is truly terrifying of its own accord. Unfortunately, his disharmony with his Zanpakuto caused the blade to regularly chip and wear, until he finally heard its voice and released its Shikai, Nozarashi. In this form, his Zanpakuto transforms from its narrow nodachi-style appearance to a giant hybrid between a great axe and a war cleaver.

In this form, his raw physical strength and the blade's own ability to cut through opponents reaches even greater heights. During his fight against the Sternritter Gremmy Thoumeaux, Zaraki obliterated a giant meteorite with a single strike, after unleashing his Shikai in battle for the first time. Now finally in resonance with his blade, Zaraki's true power began to shine as he outclassed the Sternritter to emerge triumphant.

Unleashing His True Potential

Much like Ichigo Kurosaki, Zaraki also displayed an almost unreal growth rate, where he was able to rapidly acquire high levels of proficiency with various Shinigami combat skills in a relatively short amount of time. Even though his fighting style is far less refined and more direct than Ichigo, Zaraki's spiritual awakening on defeating Yachiru Unohana allowed him to tap into the vast reserves of strength that he had previously suppressed.

All this came to a head when he faced off against Gerard Valkyrie, one of the most powerful Quincy among the ranks of the Sternritter and the "heart" of the Soul King. Backed into a corner against the probability-altering properties of "The Miracle," Gerard's unique ability, Zaraki finally achieved the ultimate release of his Zanpakuto, unleashing his Bankai. This transformation saw him gain an altered version of his Shikai with a shorter blade featuring a more jagged edge. Additionally, it also turned his skin red and caused him to grow horns on his forehead, making his appearance resemble that of an oni from Japanese folklore.

This transformation is befitting of Zaraki's nature, as it seemingly released the wild beast within him. Where his Shikai was already capable of slicing through meteorites, Zaraki's Bankai enhanced his earth-shattering strength to ridiculous levels. He dominated a gigantic Gerard Valkyrie in their confrontation after releasing his Bankai, ripping off the Sternritter's arm and cleanly slicing him in two with a single strike.

A form whose power is nothing short of frightening, Zaraki's Bankai is the culmination of his brutal and wild fighting style, reflecting all the traits he has come to be known for. Elevating his strength, speed, and power to new heights, Zaraki resides in a class of his own when using this form. If he comes to truly master its usage with time, there may be no opponent who could stand to face him and live to tell the tale, as its limits are truly boundless.

BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.

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