KENPACHI ZARAKI vs YACHIRU UNOHANA - Bleach Battle ANALYSIS | The Dance of Blood 

This is an awesome battle - thanks to everyone who voted for it! I'm really looking forward to tackling the Gremmy fight next - it should be fun!

It was a general display of how desperate things were for Gotei 13, sacrificing a healer to train a warrior with said healer being no different from her bloodthirsty opponent. We sure got to see Retsu's past in the struggle while Shunsui's practicality was on display as the main organizer. It is tragic that Retsu was sacrificed while redeeming herself from a life of mass murder but suffice to say she certainly saved more lives than she took by that point.

IMO Kubo shoulda used her in the first invasion, covering it up as “several sternritter reported heading towards fourth division!” Or smtn, And maybe “threat has been neutralized” after only to reveal or showcase what actually happened during this fight.

I am so thankful that you mentioned the “romantic” aspect of this battle! I always felt that there were overt romantic overtones throughout the whole fight, not necessarily between the two combatants, but in their shared lust for battle, manifested in each other and in their clashing of blades.

Kenpachi Zaraki is the only Character who unlocked his Bankai mid battle. He's also the only Character to unlock both Shikai and Bankai on the Same Freaking Day. Very Kenpachi like I must say.

Easily one of the best fights in the entire series. I love how raw it is. Hopefully we get to see Unohana again in the Hell arc.

Absolutely CANNOT wait to see those skeletons swinging those swords, gonna look so cool

For the record, I recently confirmed that Isane DID know about Retsu’s past. That helps explain why Isane tries to pursue and fight enemies way out of her league. She probably wants to impress her captain in a field other than healing. This is also why I think it’s a possibility that Isane is stronger than we’ve been led to believe. There’s no way she knowingly served under the first Kenpachi without learning some killer tricks.

Unohana's bankai will hopefully be explained later, because I had no clue what was going on.

One of the most iconic fights in the Quincy arc, it’s a fight between two shinigamis. Tite broke the mold!

Now that AOT is wrapping up, it’s time for me to begin my rewatch of Bleach! I just ordered the Blu ray sets 01-03. I’ve always wanted to own the whole series.. so now’s the time!

One of the most anticipated fight in the anime I think ! Imo my « dream » conclusion would be that Unohana is still alive but her Kenpachi name died after this fight and Zaraki will fully be the new Kenpachi. So we will see more fight involving Unohana and her Kido skill during the arc. The fact that she died is fine for me, we got a flashback etc…but she didn’t do anything before that and people like Byakuya should have died instead of her (because his character development was perfect and done at this point)

Zaraki enjoys the fight, the thrill battle, the challenge of pushing yourself with a dangerous opponent. Unohana is a killer who likes the idea of life or death and the thought that you might not come out of a situation alive if you don't put in everything. I think this is the biggest difference between them, why Zaraki uses that eye patch and the bells to begin with because he wants the fights to be fun and to give his opponents a chance to keep up because he knows his power is so much higher than almost anyone, whereas Unohana seems to want the thrill of danger more than just the act of fighting and why she not only will do anything in a real fight but also why she seems so removed most of the time in fighting because there isn't much of a chance for that for her even when fighting Zaraki until he gets better. Its a shame Unohana dies, but its also a good thing for her character and the growth she seems to have done over the centuries. If she had to change back into the person she was to help fight then she would lose everything else in her life likely. Maybe the shame is that we don't get to see the changes she made over time, we only know that once she was that horrible monster that then became a healer instead. EDIT: I just read through the released chapter from last year. We can almost certainly count on another fight between Zaraki and Unohana with her having been sent to hell and directly mentioned, that would only make sense with the theme of hell in the Bleach universe and the strongest getting stronger there. I certainly predict that happening with Zaraki finally learning to control his bankai better to fight at a higher level.

Trading Unohana for Zarakis Bankai was a hard deal, but ultimately made sense. Id just love a flashback of her slaughtering Quincy

Regarding Kenpahi's greater role, it's worth remembering that he was one of Ywhah's five threats, along with Ichigo, Aizen, Urahara, and Ichibei.

I’m in my final year in animation school, and when my 2nd year friend told me she animated on Bortuo and AOT, my dream to work on this fight turned into a legitimate goal. Wish me luck…

I loved the fight. Although it was disappointing to not get more from Unohana, I felt what we did get was perfect for the character. And that's always been Kubo's style, he puts character above all. The thing to remember with Shunsui's strategy is that they don't need healers. They got Isane and the 4th Division. Unohana is the best healer yes, but they need military power. Someone to replace Yamamoto as the Gotei 13's super weapon. Someone who can easily fight on the level of Bankai, without needing Bankai. Remember, the Bankai are still unusable at this point and the Sternritter cannot be defeated with just Shikai to almost everyone. Something else is that I don't think Shunsui knew Zaraki would win. His initial claim is he wants Unohana to teach him sword craft, but he later states that he knows 1 of them will die. This shows, to me, that the first claim was just an excuse to get Central to authorize the event. When in actuality, he just wanted the REAL Kenpachi back, whether that be Unohana or Zaraki.

i wish we could have gotten to see kenpachi and unohana 2v2 some sort of bad guy because that captain teamup is disgusting to me lol

This fight almost makes me want an "original Gotei 13" flashback arc more than a Hell arc.

The panel of Unohana's reveal is probably my second favorite panel of all Bleach, only surpassed by the panel of Ichigo arriving at the end of the First Invasion, being plead by Byakuya to save the Soul Society. It is so simplistic and eerie, that I feel that it would feel right at home in a horror manga.

So excited for this analysis. I really love how well you keep things as objective as possible while still keeping the same excitement as (I assume) most of us had while reading/watching this series. I loved this fight so much, and I’m so happy to hear that you’re giving us the gremmy fight analysis in the future 👍🏽 truly great work and staying away from just power scaling, who would win, and all the stuff so many other channels seem to rely on

Cant wait for kenpachis vs gremmy analysis🤩

I would like when the fight between them begins that they take a page from the HxH anime battle between Gon and Hisoka and opt to not have music at the beginning or at some point throughout to just emphasize the sounds of the fight.

Dude...these breakdowns are fantastic.

You do great breakdowns.

That "dance" part you were talking about, with all the panels you selected, literally gave me chills. That's such a good way to see it.

Wow, thanks for another amazing video MrTommo! This was such an incredibly detailed analysis and I enjoyed listening to every bit of it. I cant wait to see this legendary battle in the anime!

Hey thanks for continously putting out quality Bleach content! It's really impressive the depth you go in relating to the topic at hand I honestly forgot a lot more about this fight than I thought I did 😅 But yeah just very refreshing especially since the animes return is fast approaching!

Love this analysis! Gives me a lot of inspiration for my own content 🌊

This was great. And brought a tear to my eye. Two of my favorites having a dance

I love listening to your videos while I'm at work it helps my time fly by plus it helps me keep up with everything when I haven't read yet

Man I've been waiting for this video

Ah yes, another video about Kenpachis. Worth watching, thank you for this

You have my thanks for this one

Would be very interested in a What If? episode discussing Unohana surviving this fight, and what battles she would play a major part in later, and how her abilities would come into play. Her sacrifice was rather wasted, and if she survived, then the sting from this lack of payoff wouldn't be there.

you can talk about this battle whenever you want and i'll be here for it. if there was ranking for bleach battles, this one would be 100% on my top 3 (possible top 1, honestly)

Appreciate the video , Tommo! This fight is definitely in my top 5. I wonder when the anime comes back if we can get a filler arc that shows the original gotei 13

Great vid!

A beautiful thing also in volume 59 as you go through the chapters of their fight kubo sketches something and it gets more clear as zaraki grows until he reaches his zanpaku-to

Imagine how strong the children of Kenpachi Zaraki and Retsu Unohana would be though.

I love that Kubo did this honestly. The intimacy between these two was destined to end in death. For one only inherits the Kenpachi name through the death of an opponent and relinquishes it upon death. It adds an air of legend or mysticism to the 11th division title. Stagnation causes death and progress demands death. Kubo does such a good job in this battle, you can tell he held these characters close to himself.

This fight is so bittersweet, one of the best and yet so unsatisfactory in the outcome. I loved it for all of the reasons, MrTommo stated, but I hate that Unohana ultimately died and only served as a plot device to empower Zaraki.I had been looking forward to Unohana getting development so much only to lose her like this (albeit in a very beautiful, compelling way) left a very sour aftertaste. Zaraki's unleashed potential is never truly showcased in such a way that ever made me think "this was worth Unohana dying."

Fantastic video as always. I always assumed that the Second Kenpachi (the one right after Unohana) was given the title, maybe by Unohana when she retired. Something like Unohana going "I don't want to do this any more but you're the second strongest person in the Seireitei, you should take this up for me" in the hope that it would eventually draw out Zaraki some time down the line to want to claim that title.

Can't wait for this battle to be animated 😍

I think that Unahanna was trying to teach Kenpachi how to be a Kenpachi. And she helped him to become a monster. Literally.

It's awesome that you're gonna do the Gremmy fight due to high demand, too. I appreciate how much you read and pay attention to your commenters!

i'm just waiting this to be animated , and believe me when it's get animated the hype and craze gonna break the internet

I honestly believe this battle is Kubo's most poetic creation, if not one of the most.

It's a great fight, but for me it's held back by the fact that it was effectively rigged from the start to ensure that Zaraki would eventually win. That said, it's certainly one of the best Bleach fights in terms of fleshing out both of the combatants in terms of characterization and backstory, which is especially impressive considering how well-established Zaraki and Unohana are by this point.

10/10 Video👍

One of the fights I'm the most excited to see. Also, I think that we'll get more info on Unohana's Bankai

Taking letting your hair down to a whole new meaning

I just remember being so disappointed that we didn't get to see Unahana and Zaraki fighting Quincy together. The whole idea that we needed the best healer and a top fighter to die to make Zaraki stronger was always stupid to me, and like you said he doesn't win after. Having her teach him to fight by fighting alongside him and Zaraki realizing he has a long way to go before he can reach her again would have been so much better. He could still get shikai this way, and if for some reason Unahana really needs to die it could be either at the hands of Yhwach or at the hands of Zaraki AFTER the war.

Kenpachi's bankai is like the true adult version him. He fights like kid zaraki but with even more power

Such a great fight, from the moment she was ordered to the bitter end. Unohana had been waiting so many years for this moment, the moment the only person worthy of succeeding her was ready. She was ready to kill him countless times until all of his limits had been destroyed and he was the raw power she faced so many years ago. I like this in a context of after the first invasion, where she no doubt wanted to go out and slaughter her enemies but her duty as a healer and the orders of one of the few people that could beat her in a fight required her to stay put. And then having to endure no doubt hours of boring fighting, all for the brief period of pure ecstasy. She would get to join her friend and leader, and all of her old comrades from the og 13. She would be able to right what she considered a sin against Zaraki and herself. And when she could finally reach the end of her journey in the glorious battle she'd longed for.

Definetly my favourite fight in TYBW arc, though as many people i would have loved to see Unohana in several other fights and i don't think it was the smartest move on Kyoraku's part to let her die like that.

I already know that I am going to cry my eyes out when this fight gets animated.

By far the best fight in the entire arc. Man just incredible bloody thirsty warriors going At it. The crazy twist of her being the first kenpachi. After we all knew she was hiding something throughout the entire manga/anime. Teases she is one of the most powerful bleach characters. From aizen refusal of fighting her. To her scaring kyoaku and ukitaka just by forgetting she was a original captan. To ichigo being scared to let her take the lead. We all knew something was off. Amazing fight.

I like how The light novel Spirits Are Forever With You explain why Zaraki changed eye patches.

This is probably one of the most beautiful battles in all of anime.

U would still think tactically speaking that it would be better to have 2 fighters at like lvl 10 and lvl 7 then 1 fighter lvl 11 Esp one that can resurrect and heal people.

Now with the anime airing, and the quality of the anime in sight, this is the fight im most excited for in the tybw. Its a brutal, bloody, beautifully choreographed swordfight and im really digging it.

I was just rewatching this fight w my friend. And we discussed that Unohana's Bankai and the fight is an extreme act of love. Developing her Bankai, her healing abilities for this one fight. To essentially foster the next of kin. Breaking mental and physical barriers repeatedly like a monstrous mental workout. They are both troubled and vicious people, but it is an act of love nonetheless. She did this with foresight and the way she reacted at the end of her death w a look of adoration as Kenpachi earned his kill truly due to her work

Let’s keep in mind about the fact that unohana killed zaraki THOUSANDS of times. I can’t wait for this fight to be adapted in the anime.

The narrative at play with this fight and these characters is great, very interesting and powerful stuff. And the fight itself is well written and enjoyable, I agree. But I have always been disappointed with what still feels like a wasted sacrifice to me. Maybe it's driven by the fact that I've never been that big a fan of Zaraki, but for Unohana to be sacrificed so dramatically so that Zaraki can continue doing essentially what he's done the whole series, with unimpressive results at best in TYBW, still disappoints me. Zaraki's shikai & bankai don't really sell the trade-off for me either. And it does all make Kyoraku's decision feel a little silly which annoys me further. But all the same, great video as always!

Still wish Kyoraku had brought Orihime down to Muken too and she could’ve brought Yachiru back to life after Zaraki was at full power. Would’ve loved to see her fight some sternritter and her healing would’ve come in handy.

I'm hoping Unohana comes back in the new hell arc. Imagine her as a literal devil of an enemy with horns. Scary stuff....

I don't read the manga, but now I'm all caught up to it because of all the bleach content I've been chugging down lately. It kind of sucks that I've already spoiled myself? But then again, I am so in need for new content lol.

It just occured to me how mad of a fight between Unohana and Nimaiya Oetsu would've been. Nothing but straight up swordplay.

I think a lot of people don't truly realize how powerful Unohana and Zaraki are.

Cold Unohana? A Zaraki with feelings? Definitely a crazy fight.

Finally some love , Lol jk love your channel!

I personally can't wait for this one to get animated. It gives me the same vibe as Kakashi v Obito in the kamui dimension. Scaled back, not overly flashy, just excellent coriagraphy between 2 lone combatants at their peak, but with deep underlying connections that go way back that are finally going to be resolved with their actions. If handled right it can be such a breath of fresh air after all the flashy over the top powers on display all around.

Great analysis. I know it’s not what this video is about but I cannot wrap my head around why Unohana didn’t attack any quincies during the first invasion. You’d think if the chips were down for all of soul society she’d go on offense.

I really hope we get this fight before season one of the anime ends. Kenpachi is my favorite character. And I have been waiting for this battle since I read it a couple years ago. I really hope the anime does it justice!

hi tommo regarding the scene where zaraki looks like he's melting its because maybe its a representation of his "nerf" getting stripped away slowly unlike unohana shown all in skeleton it means that she was fighting at her fullest power and zaraki just isnt at his fullest power fighting her (sorry for my bad english)

One of the best fights in the entire series

In the anime I hope this is a fight and story in general with no music. I think the silence between the swings and reflection will make it so much more impactful

What a reveal! No one would ever think that Unohana would be the one to take Zaraki to the next level. Reading this chapter on release years ago gave me chills. Such a badass and pleasantly surprising confrontation 👏

one of the best fights in the the whole series

I’ve always wondered if for the Soul Society it was worth it to trade off the medical prowess of Unohana, as well as her swordsmanship, for the raw power on Kenpachi and his Bankai. Interesting video topic

Man am I excited for this man to see this fight animated 😂

As a gag you should analyze kenpachi vs Giriko sometime. 40 minutes just poking fun at him would be hilarious

It’s still hard to believe that one of the best Kenpachi fights is about to happen

I for one, loved the fight in all of its entirety. I, much like you MrTommo, had hopes that 'Yachiru Unohana' was dead, and that Retsu would go on. Personally I think that'd have been a more suitable end, to resume the Captain of the 4th until some later point. But of course, its not what we got. I feel a little cheated there, though that's just because I adored Unohana's character in general. I am very pleased with Zaraki's growth, it was something he greatly needed, though for all of his gains he never got a fight that was suitable for his skillset. Gerard came close to that, but as you stated so eloquently: it was an unwinnable scenario. Valkyrie is just designed to come back stronger than before, as he so showed after being killed throughout the battle against him. Ultimately it is a pity we never got to see Unohana retake the helm (mind you, I love Isane. I just feel she was cheated of any possible growth, before being tossed into a position of Captain without a chance to develop on screen at all).

I somewhat wish he did not gain a shikai or bankai. I liked that he was all just pure strength and force, it separated him from the other Captains. But at the same time it was cool to see his new designs.

I think it would be cool to make this a 3 part where after discussing Kenpachi vs Gremmy make the one after it discussing he Kenpachi, Byakuya, and Toshihiro vs Gerard Valkyrie.

This fight gives us one of the best bleach quotes. `I am strong, stronger than anyone, but you'

Please do a Don Kanonji Character analysis / powers explained vid next :)

At 17:15 I thought Shunsui had a Renji pop figure on his shelf 😆

I always loved this fight of course I wanted to see Unohana fight some Sternritter but it is what it is. This fight also has some of my favorite panels in the whole manga.

The skeleton in Kenpachi’s reiatsu could be synonymous to the skeleton panels

This battle is one of that I think makes a full Hell arc even more vital. If, for example, cast down captains are effectively running things in Hell and largely (but not entirely) keeping residents from escaping, then Unohana's sacrifice has a double benefit and is certainly worth it in the long run. But if cast down captains are becoming twisted creatures that the shinigami will one day have to put down a second time, maybe think twice about sending the last of the OGs down there, especially as your current lineup can't hope to match them and you just gave up your best healer. Assuming, of course, that Kazui is not ten times as gifted as his mother. Which he might be.

This is finally getting animated in a couple episodes 🔥

watching this right after i finished ep9 of the anime!

Kubos drawing got better and better through the years, seriously, I love the facial expressions without having dialogue it just shows itself

I fnished the manga today its nice very nice

If you look at it from the Quincy POV Zaraki was literally the Gotei’s only hope, he’s the only member of the court guard on the list of war potentials. Ichibei is apart of the royal guard, Aizen is for himself Ichigo and Kisuke even though they were on Gotei’s side aren’t even actual parts of the court. He is the main character of the soul society

I hope that we see her again Imagine Unohana Yachiru but hell version

It’d be cool if In the anime they made Unohana’s Bankai almost like a whip (or an Urumi) with the acidic attributes of her zampakuto. would fit both her fluid movements in battle but also into her willingness to do anything to win even extending her blade and corrose