Highlights
- Hoho, or movement techniques, are crucial combat skills for Shinigami in Bleach, with Shunpo being the most powerful expression of this skill set.
- Shunpo allows Shinigami to move at incredible speeds, appearing almost invisible to the naked eye, making it perfect for stealth operations and gaining positional advantages in combat.
- Yoruichi Shihoin, known as the "Flash Goddess," is regarded as the fastest and most skilled user of Shunpo in all of Soul Society, making her a formidable force in the Gotei 13.
Of the various combat skills that Shinigami need to acquire in Tite Kubo's Bleach — which includes Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido — there are few as important as Hoho or movement techniques. This subset of defensive maneuvers governs footwork and other movements to gain positional advantages in combat, conferring heightened speed and agility when mastered to their fullest. Among them, the most potent expression of this skill set lies in the art of Shunpo, also known as "Flash Step."
With the aid of this technique, Shinigami can move at extremely high speeds, essentially faster than the eye can see, to confound opponents and prevent them from reacting to an attack. This type of movement is especially important for members of the Onmitsukido or the Stealth Force of the Gotei 13 under the 2nd Division in Bleach. In fact, some of the most proficient users of Shunpo in Soul Society come from the Onmitsukido, including the "Flash Goddess" herself, Yoruichi Shihoin.
What Is Shunpo?
Essentially, Shunpo is primarily focused on enhancing speed both over short distances for close quarters combat scenarios, and over longer stretches. The underlying concept behind this technique is moving from one point to another in the minimum number of steps. In this manner, taking more steps than necessary is considered inefficient and slow, which also consumes more of the user's energy. This can be refined through intense training to maintain a certain level of sharpness while using this technique.
Another important tenet of Shunpo is its ability to conceal movement, as viewers cannot actually see the user moving from one point to another. While this may appear to be a form of teleportation to those who cannot keep up, it is actually closer to a dash that is too fast to visually perceive. This allows users to slip through waves of opponents when they are surrounded, get in behind an adversary before they can react, or take out large numbers of opponents in less than an instant.
Hence, it is ideal for stealth operations where Shinigami have to get past adversaries undetected, since the technique can also be used over longer distances. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important for operatives in the Onimtsukido, with many among them excelling in the use of the technique. Additionally, the Arrancar have their own variant of the technique known as Sonido, whereas the Quincy's version of it is called Hirenkyaku.
Faster Than The Eye Can See
Even under the subcategory of Shunpo, there are different schools of thought on how to use it, as well as distinct maneuvers that have been developed by different Shinigami to complement their own fighting styles. For instance, the Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō, is a special class of advanced techniques used by both Yoruichi Shihoin and Byakuya Kuchiki. This includes techniques such as Utsusemi, where a user dodges an attack at an extremely high speed, leaving an after image that may appeared to have taken damage. Byakuya also uses another technique known as Senka, which sees him move behind an opponent to attack their Saketsu (Chain of Fate) and the Sakusui (Soul Sleep) in rapid succession, incapacitating them in no time.
Another notable application of Shunpo is in the creation of multiple after images known as Speed Clones. This technique was showcased by Sui-Feng, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Onimtsukido and the Captain of the 2nd Division in the Gotei 13. She used it in her fight against Sosuke Aizen during the battle of Fake Karakura Town, where she was able to create 15 such clones. Although the clones were able to replicate her movements perfectly, being indistinguishable from her true self, they did not last for very long.
Besides them, Tenjiro Kirinji, a member of the Royal Guard, was once known as "Lightning-Fast Tenjiro" during his days in Soul Society, due to his incredible skill at Shunpo. His speed is even greater than Sui-Feng's as he was able to move from standing directly in front of her to restraining her from behind without her even reacting to his movements. Kisuke Urahara is another adept user of Shunpo, having trained with Yoruichi throughout his youth. He was even able to keep up with her for short durations during their sparring sessions, which is quite impressive on its own.
Other masters of Shunpo include Sosuke Aizen, who was incredibly skilled at using the technique to approach enemies and neutralize threats before they could even react. In fact, many Shinigami have noted that Aizen was so fast that they did not even realize that they were being attacked when confronting him. The Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is also an immensely skilled practitioner of Shunpo, as he was able to outpace his students Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku in a test of speed, reaching their destination before either of them could even fathom how he got there.
The Power Of The Flash Goddess
However, few would argue that none of these Shunpo users, apart from Tenjiro Kirinji can really come close to Yoruichi in terms of their speed and proficiency at using this technique in all sorts of situations. Widely regarded as the fastest in Soul Society during her prime, as well as the fastest ever in history, Yoruichi Shihoin is in a class of her own. Her mastery of Shunpo is astounding to say the least, as she was able to wipe out an entire squadron of the Onmitsukido in mere seconds.
She can appear in several places at once and even completely outmatch the likes of Byakuya Kuchiki, an extremely skilled user in his own right. Having mastered all of the Onmitsukido's speed related techniques, she has also created some of her own variants that expand upon their scope. The full extent of Yoruichi's abilities has still not been shown in their fullest, but she was able to match and even slightly outdo her former student Sui-Feng's speed, despite being out of practice for nearly a century. Hence, there is no one more adept at Shunpo in Soul Society and Bleach as a whole than Yoruichi, which is why she commands such respect in the Gotei 13.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.