One of the strongest Lieutenants in the Gotei 13, Renji is a an elite Shinigami whose fierce determination and power have made him a fan favorite.
Highlights
- Renji Abarai is a fiercely loyal and determined character in Bleach who has undergone massive development and increased power throughout the series.
- Renji is an elite-level Shinigami with exceptional combat skills, strong Reiatsu, and impressive physical strength and durability.
- Renji’s Zanpakuto, Zabimaru, is a versatile weapon that can function as a sword or a whip-like weapon, and he has achieved two variations of his Bankai, displaying immense power.
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Fiercely loyal, bold, and determined to push his abilities to their absolute limit, Renji Abarai has been a standout character in Bleach since the series’ inception. From his battle against Ichigo Kurosaki at the start of the Sou Society Arc to his more recent exploits when taking on the Wandenreich’s elite forces during the Quincy Blood War, Renji has undergone massive development as a character. In tandem with this, his power level has also increased immensely, as he grew to be more in tune with his Zanpakuto, as it, in turn, began to acknowledge his blossoming power.
As the Lieutenant of the 6th Division, serving under his Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Renji is following in the footsteps of one of the Gotei 13’s most distinguished Shinigami. He was formerly affiliated with the 11th Division under Kenpachi Zaraki, and even trained under its current Lieutenant, Ikkaku Madarame before being promoted. Even among the Lieutenants of the Gotei 13, Renji is an elite level Shinigami, whose strength could easily see him rise to the rank of Captain, especially considering how he is one of the few of this rank to have achieved Bankai. There are a lot of questions surrounding the full extent of Renji’s powers and how he has honed them throughout Bleach, which demand some degree of analysis.
An Elite Lieutenant
Renji Returns – BLEACH Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Episode 5
There is no doubt that Renji would definitely be among the first considered to fill any vacancy among the ranks of Shinigami Captains in the Gotei 13. His Reiatsu, swordplay, raw strength, speed, and durability are all off the charts for someone of his rank, and this is without accounting for his incredibly powerful Zanpakuto. Aside from Kido, Renji excels in virtually every area when it comes to the combat skills practiced by Shinigami, and he more than compensates for this weakness when facing most opponents.
He possessed fairly potent levels of Reiatsu from when he was first introduced, which skyrocketed when he initially achieved Bankai, with Rukia Kuchiki commenting that it was difficult for her to even recognize it as his until he eventually lowered it. Once he traveled to the Soul King Palace and consumed Kirio Hikifune’s Reiatsu-infused food, his energy grew to even higher levels, where he was able to confront and overpower Mask de Masculine, one of the Sternritter who had previously defeated him.
Renji is a very skilled practitioner of Shunpo, as it helps him compensate for the openings in his guard that are present when he activates his Zanpakuto’s whip-like Shikai. Hence, through the enhanced speed he gains with his mastery of this movement technique, he can easily evade attacks that would have otherwise been deadly. His physical strength is also quite impressive, where he can block direct attacks from powerful opponents with only his bare hands. Lastly, he is also quite durable and can continue figting even after sustaining major injuries, as seen in his fight against Byakuya, where he was able to continue fighting even after being attacked by Byakuya’s Bankai Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
More Than Just A Swordsman
One of Renji’s best qualities is how versatile he is when it comes to using his Zanpakuto. In its sealed state, his blade, Zabimaru, is a normal katana. However, on releasing its Shikai, the Zanpakuto lengthens into a serrated blade made up of six segments, with jagged protrusions at the ends of each segment which resemble. What is unique about this blade is the ability of its segments to extend almost infinitely while being connected by a stretchable thread. As such, Zabimaru can behave more like a whip than an actual sword, although Renji is able to use it in both ways due to his swordsmanship skills.
This makes it an ideal weapon for short to mid-range combat, as Renji can compensate for any distance between him and his opponent through this ability and take them by surprise. He managed to do this in his first fight against Ichigo, forcing him backwards with Zabimaru’s segments. When activating its Shikai, the command Renji gives is “Howl.” Renji himself has stated that Zabimaru is one of the most difficult Zanpakuto to master among the Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 and his incredible skill in wielding the blade as an extension of his arm is a testament to his ability.
Lastly, Renji can also disconnect all of Zabimaru’s segments, having them levitate in the air for a single all out attack from all directions. Unfortunately, doing so renders him unable to reactivate his Shikai for an indefinite amount of time, leaving him vulnerable to attack. Ideally, he can only use this as a last ditch move when all else has failed, as he will not be able to use his sword for quite some time after activating this technique.
Unleashing His True Power
Among the few Lieutenants in the Gotei 13 to have achieved Bankai, Renji has displayed two variations of his Zanpakuto’s ultimate release in the series. Initially, after training with Ichigo during the Soul Society Arc, Renji achieved an incomplete version of his Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru, which simply expanded upon his Shikai ability to create a whip of even larger scale, made up of skeletal fragments ending in a snake-like skull. With this version, he could capture his opponents and smash them into the ground, release bursts of energy from the skull, or use its mouth to inflict damage through biting attacks. This version of his Bankai manifested due to his Zanpakuto refusing to acknowledge or recognize Renji’s strength.
Later, after his incomplete Bankai was stolen by the Wandenreich, Renji learned the true name of his Bankai, Souou Zabimaru, after training at the Soul King Palace. In this form, his Bankai is far more compact, although there are a number of similarities it shares with its predecessor. He gains a cowl of green fur from his left shoulded which extends into a massive skeletal arm that mimics Renji’s movements to grab, crush, and throw opponents. Alternatively, his other arm is adorned with a gauntlet featuring a snake skull whose mouth bears a blade which he can extend at will. The power of his true Bankai completely eclipses its earlier version, and as such, it would not be a stretch to say that Renji is now on par with most Captain level Shinigami, save for a few elites in the Gotei 13.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
