Does Soifon have the weakest Bankai among Soul Reaper Captains in Bleach? Explored

The Bleach series is widely known for its immaculate portrayal of power and strength through various means, the most notable being the concept of Bankai. As the most significant and powerful attack in a Soul Reaper's arsenal, each Bankai differs from others in terms of strength, versatility, and mobility.

While every Bankai is unique in its own right, some may seem out of the ordinary and might present some inconvenience to the user rather than being an ace in their pocket. A notable example is Captain Soifon of the Gotei 13 and her Bankai—Jakuho Raikoben.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and contains potential spoilers from the Bleach anime and manga series.

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Soifon's Bankai in the Bleach series, explored

Soifon from the Bleach animanga series is the captain of the second division of the Gotei 13 and the commander-in-chief of the Stealth Force. To begin with, what sets her apart mostly from the others is her unique Zanpakuto—Suzumebachi. While most other captains and Soul Reapers wield a full-size melee katana as their primary Zanpakuto, Soifon's weapon represents a Japanese Wakizashi.

However, the main difference comes in the form of her Bankai, which separates her from all the other users in the series. While the others mostly have quick access and a melee form of attack, Soifon's Bankai—Jakuho Raikoben—is a bazooka that specializes in artillery attacks by shooting missiles at her opponents.

Though immensely powerful, this attack places a lot of physical strain on the user. Despite its deadly impact, as seen in the Bleach series, it comes with the drastic disadvantage of being a one-shot weapon. Once Soifon fires the missile, there is no second shot in the chamber for her to follow up, meaning while deadly, the user has to be very precise with their target.

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Why does Soifon's Bankai fall short compared to the others?

Every Bankai in the Bleach series is unique and has different effects on enemies once activated. However, the most common theme among every other Bankai is that they are required when situations get tough while facing strong adversaries. While Soifon's Bankai might be destructive and powerful, its glaring weakness is the one-shot feature.

Other Bankai, like Rukia's Hakka no Togame, Byakuya's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, or Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu, allow the user to keep fighting multiple enemies at the same time or even attack repeatedly. This is where Soifon's Bankai falls short, as it cannot be fired again after a single use. Unless all her enemies are gathered in a single area, Jakuho Raikoben is largely ineffective.

Furthermore, while Bankai can only be accessed by people who are already strong, no other Bankai techniques require an immense amount of physical toll to operate as Jakuho Raikoben does. While this is speculative and not confirmed in the series, it may be the reason for the use being limited to one, as maybe Soifon can only handle shooting one at a time with her physical capabilities.

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Final thoughts

While Soifon's Bankai might be the weakest of all in the Bleach series, it is undoubtedly very destructive in power and effective enough to help her bring down many strong adversaries. With a brief show of her Bankai in the ongoing Thousand-Year Blood War saga, the upcoming part should elaborate more on that.

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