Kenpachi and Unohana are two of the well-liked characters in Bleach. The two have been part of the story ever since the soul society arc. The two as a pair even stand out as they are opposites of each other, making them one of the weirdest get-togethers in the series.
However, when you go forward in the story and read about it, you learn that these two opposing forces have a deep connection. When things were rough for souls society, Unohana was called on by Shunsui, the first Kenpachi. This led to a history nobody expected and the reason why Kenpachi couldn’t use Bankai.
The History Of Kenpachi
Kenpachi is the name given to the strongest soul reaper in soul society regarding strength. This title was first taken by Unohana Retsu, who had a brutal and twisted nature. She only cared for a fight first and nothing else, doing acts that would name her worse than hollows. She seeks the fight for pleasure and nothing else, and each one is harder than the last one.
+However, that bloodlust led her to feel empty as she came to the point where no enemy could defeat her. She started wandering the battlefield to find someone who would give her the pleasure of fight and came across a boy who later became Kenpachi Zaraki.
The young boy was barbaric and gave a scar on her chest that gave her the pleasure of battle that she hadn’t felt in ages. However, due to a lack of any technique or prior experience, he lost as Unohana came out victorious in the end. She reflected on the fight and decided to forsake the Kenpachi as the boy was more worthy of the title. This was followed by her abandoning her post as the 11th division captain and taking on the role of 4th division.
And we have seen in the very beginning how the members of the 11th division, despite being rowdy, were always afraid of Unohana. This adds a little subtext as to why they felt obedient to her. It was also a surprise to learn that she was part of the original Gotei 13 and was the longest-serving member of the team. And when we saw her talk to one of the members of Squad zero about the techniques he taught her. It is further revealed she never knew healing from the beginning and only learned about them to further her fighting style.
Unohana’s Lust and Sacrifice
Unohana, in a bid to save soul society by doing this one last, did awaken Kenpachi from his fear and admiration of her. This led to a fight that won’t be recorded as one of the top 10’s if it were to be animated. But, Bleach is known to have many psychological battles that have characters go through characters’ minds. Ichigo’s fight with his hollow counterpart is one of the best examples of this. He has gone through his battle with his Zanpakto as well to assert dominance and power.
And in the case of Kenpachi, he doesn’t even know his Zanpakto’s name to call it out. This is why he remains the only person among Gotei’s 13 captains not to wield Bankai. Unohana being the twisted individual she was, decided to end his slack and have him overcome his fear and admiration of her.
This was also the first time in the series we saw Unohana fight, and it showed her capabilities as Kenpachi quite well. Though Kenpachi is a guy who holds back when fighting someone, he goes in full force against her, for which she commends him. However, the result of the fight was Unohana’s death which led to Kenpachi unlocking his true potential as a Shinigami.
Now, while there are people who were happy with Kenpachi’s Bankai, many lament the loss of Unohana, her complicated character made her one of the favorites among the fans, and they wanted to learn more about her. But this was where her story ended, or did it? As we see in Bleach: No Breath From Hell, one shot. She has been cast to hell along with Yamamoto and Ukitaka, and she is bound to come back in the future, but that depends on when Tite Kubo decides to work on the manga again.
Also Read: Who Will Become The Captain Commander In Bleach After Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto’s Death?
