What could Yoruichi's zanpakuto be? Do you like any of my ideas? How do you design a zanpakuto that's right for a character...but also wrong? Let me know in the comments!

As a fan of Yoruichi, I would like to note that the main reason for dissatisfaction with her cat form is not her appearance, as everyone might think, because she is not embarrassed even to walk naked. But it is her lack of freedom, Urahara can manipulate her LITERALLY with the help of a cat toy. Her escape from the clan is similarly caused by the “chains”, “manipulations”, the shackles of the fate that she had to live at the behest of someone. She MUST be the head of the clan. She SHOULD dress decently like a princess. She MUST wear a Zanpakuto since she is a Shinigami. She MUST act as directed (Urahara Moment). Her nature, on the contrary, strives for freedom, for inconstancy and expression of will. From which I made a small conclusion that her zanpakutō has a similar principle of influence directly on Yoruichi’s soul, which is why she does not even carry an ordinary asauchi (ordinary katana). At least that's how I see the current situation.

The fact Yoruichi is this powerful without a zanpakuto is a testament of just how powerful she is. Anyway her zanpakuto definitely has to be related to why she is the captain of the 2nd division. And her Bankai is probably somewhere on the line of being quick but devastating

I quite like that we never saw Yoruichi's Zanpakuto to be honest. It is one of the things that helps makes her very memorable, being the only Soul Reaper to focus pretty much exclusively on hand-to-hand fighting. As for the actual reason, I like to think her Zanpakuto is something that focuses exclusively on killing or controlling others. Both of which are things that Yoruichi was raised to be a master of, yet she always held a strong distaste for. Therefor, her refusing to use her sword, would be symbolic of her abandoning her duties as a Soul Reaper and instead living a life of freedom and being a mentor rather then a Assassin/Noble.

She's also a very staunch defender, so her Zanpakuto could be something very bulky like an AOE shield or suit of armor. Essentially, she would absorb blows/attacks and after absorbing enough energy, create a shock wave. It makes a lot of sense. You most often see her coming to the rescue of others/defending them. It would also explain her appreciating her Zanpakuto and constantly showing it love, but not using it. I feel as tho the heavy gauntlets and boots are Kubo hinting to this.

My bet is it’s a support type not meant for combat. Something similar to Unohana’s shikai. Her shikai isn’t really meant to be used for fighting and her bankai might be similar to Soi Fon’s in that it’s too loud for stealth. Think about it, Yoruichi isn’t shy at all. Hell she will walk around naked in front of others and laugh about it. So her bankai might be related to that side of her.

Think about it, she was SO STRONG when Yuhabah disabled the "fast travel" skills inside his rebuilt soul king castle

I feel like Yorurichi's case is like Nanao's, in which she uses a noble family house zanpaktou instead of her own. Because noble house swords are passed down, there's a chance that Yorurichi simply doesnt want to bother with or use a sword thats not her own. A theory that lends to this is that her Beyond Bankai form uses the Noble House zanpaktou that has her family crest on it.

I think it's most likely that her bankai and shikai are ones that transform her. Think about it, Yoruichi is often portrayed cat like in her attitude as well, so what if she doesn't use it for the same reasons she doesn't like using her cat form, maybe the energy required to use it messes with her sanity and she can't control how she acts. Idk what the actual ability would be, but that might be a reason as to why it's impractical, because she has to literally be like a cat every time she needs to fight.

I was always under the impression of, She never used her Zanpaktou because of it's power. Whether it was dangerous to use or conflicting with herself similar to Soi Fon but then once the small detail of her Zanpaktou got revealed in Cfyow I got the idea of maybe her Zanpaktou was a hinderance to her when fighting. Not necessarily weak but more of she has to use a fighting style that is blatantly different to hand to hand combat and with this idea I thought that maybe her Zanpaktou reflects the lazy part of her personality. Not a bad part of her personality but something that directly counteracts how she would normally fight, Again similar to Soi Fon but still a good bit different. I feel like no matter what a hand to hand combat specialist shinigami would probably always have a part of thier Zanpaktou that they didn't like. So perhaps her Shikai and Bankai deal with being patient in some way, Whether it's waiting for a dot effect to fully activate or maybe even a really powerful single blast. This would make it so she'd have to occupy a hand with her Zanpaktou and have to take damage or run from a oppponent instead of fighting them head on kind of like a lazy cat

I've always thought Yourichi's zanpakuto release is some kind of ranged attack. It makes sense then that as someone who much prefers to get up close and personal, she would not like having to stay back to fire off attacks.

I always thought her zanpakuto would be a support type. She is either a front line combatant or a trainer, coatch, support, etc. She has trained herself to be axcelent combatent, but her nature is to bring up or amplify others. Her zanpakuto would reflect her nature.

I'd like to think that her zanpakuto has a degree of sentience. A creature type, probably a cat like entity, that has the capacity to disregard commands. As it can't be relied on it makes her weaker.

It's an interesting design challenge to make a zanpakutou that doesn't compliment its wielder and still make sense. In Yoruichi's case, I think it's more thematic. She could've ultimately directed her genius towards using her zanpakutou if she really wanted to, I'd imagine. However, her most prominent trait is her independent nature -- she left being a Captain, head of the secret police, and a very high-ranking noblewoman to be a literal cat in the Human World after all. That she'd want to be independent from her very zanpakutou - and master a complicated form of martial art to do so - is pretty on brand.

I don't know why,When people get to ask Kubo questions and he answers,Why noone hasn't asked what's her swords name,What does it do,And why doesn't she use it?

I feel like the only thing that she would perfer not to use at all is a "creature" type Zanpaktou like Mayuri's.

I like 3 different ideas for her zanpakuto: 1. During her younger years she was very playful and with the cat nature it could be that her zanpakuto is just too playful to deliver the killing blow effectively and inherently prolongs the fight 2. She's very much about speed so what if her zanpakuto is like Sloth from FMA:B? It's too fast to control and thus unreliable. 3. What if her zanpakuto is again, very unpredictable, going also with your idea, and thus it would be similar to Kite from HxH. There's no knowing what power up or weapon she receives and so it's impossible to rely on a power like that when trying to actually finish a fight fast and efficiently

I could see her shikai being a Fūma Shuriken or a blow darts. Then her bankai be something large and destructive weapon that will slow her down for a short period of time and use a lot of her power to use it.

This may be redundant, but I'm hoping her zanpakto is lightning based .if its not the I assume the zanpakto's power is something that yoruichi would consider useless . And that's why she has never used it.

The difficulty with determining her zanpakuto is the fact that I feel like if it was actually powerful or useful in any way, she would have almost no excuse to not utilize it at some point in the series. The ideas and concepts you made are intriguing, but it's so hard to pinpoint a truly concrete concept since we have no inclination to what it could actually be. Hopefully in the Hell Arc we get some answers about it, even if just in reference and not actual showing. Personally I'd put this as my number 1 mystery of the series, its always confounded me

Running with the randomness idea - I could see her zanpakto being something similar to Kite's from HxH. A bunch of powerful and useful weapon/ability options but random which she gets and maybe even changes at random too. As amazing as the abilities & power can be, most of them just conflict with her preferences too much and are difficult to be proficient in all, thus she can be a stronger fighter by focusing on her preferred fighting style instead.

I could also see Yoruichi not wanting to use it for other reasons than she lets on. It is Yoruichi after all, and she tends to plays things off, despite normally being straight forward.

bro speaking facts indeed (i havent even finished the video)

I really hope that if we do get a Hell arc Yoruichi will be allowed/forced to use her zanpakuto. Really the only way she would ever use it imo is if she was forced into a life or death situation where her hand to hand & speed don't offer anything and the abilities of her zanpakuto are a direct counter to whoever she's up against. I also feel like she would have to be in a position like Ikkau with his Bankai or Yumichika with his true shikai to really be pressed into breaking it out. If she has Kisuke with her, it always seems like she leaves things in his hands or in the hands of his inventons. It's always been a bit weird to me that she never brought it out against Aizen or Nakk Le Vaar where it couldn't hurt to try catching the enemy off guard with an unknown ability. With that in mind I really think she'd have to be all by herself with no one and nothing else around to offer potential backup to be forced into unleashing it.

She operates far better at hand to hand combat and it fits with her personality doing so. She'd much rather leave someone tripped over with a bruised ego, only going for hard hits when things get serious. It's humorous and worrying how Soifon was immensely jealous at Yoruichi soothing her Zanpakuto in CFYOW. It shows how unhinged her obsession has made her. Over a Zanpakuto. Ah Soifon.

Her bankai probably doesn't slow her or immobilize her.. instead I'd like to think her bankai gives her a rage buff like a beast berserker same with Kenpachi a demon berserker, when she activates her bankai she gets stronger, faster and increase stamina but her mind wont be working while she's in rage mode.. she'll lose her focus and she'll just be just swinging wildly in a battle which makes her easy to anticipate if the opponents are smart. which would probably explain why she didn't use her bankai against askin because she knows askin is a tricky opponent and if she uses her bankai, she's surely be easily fallen from askin's poison traps..

I think it would be funny if her zanpakto is totally unsuited to her like soi fons and it's just a curse of the stealth corps 😂

The lack of info of her Zanpakto continues to drive me crazy and I beg Kubo will eventually give us SOMETHING

I had the idea that Yorichi's shika could be a whip, but a very fickle one that could be somewhat controlled by the zanpakto spirit with the temperament of a cat. And her Bankai could be an enormous, Kaiju-sized Panther-monster with no capability for stealth.

I always wondered if her lightning cat form was similar to what he zanpakuto would do for her

For idea 5, maybe the bankai plays off of the stealth, shadows, and even flash. With the ability to instantly move between shadows, amd even bring people into these shadows where she could kill or seal them, in my opinion could be cool. I don't know of a reason why she wouldn't use this tho, maybe everytime she does the sword chips abit.

I subscribe to the idea that in her Bankai, Yoruichi becomes a Shrine Maiden. This idea comes from her royal lineage, while also being the head of the familly. She summons a shrine, where she must make an intricate dance and ritual, and that essentially summons a god like figure (which would be her Zanpaktou spirit). The problem is, that the ritual takes so incredibly long to cast, the fight might as well had been over before the creature even shows up, causing it to sulk, because Yoruichi preffers to go in and rush down her opponent's, rather than to go through the pain in the ass ritual to summon a giant Kaiju.

I like the "erratic cat"-idea since even though cats want to help,that doesn't make them any less erratic/unpredictable :D (I've lived with 7 different cats in my time,I have some experience). Another idea I got was that the Zanpakuto is a traditional lazy/grumpy cat (think Ryumon Houzukimaru but much worse :D)

I'd like to see a Part 2 where you instead focus on her royal image instead of stealth. I think the reason she doesn't use her zanpakuto is that it deals with her royal side that she is embarrassed about. If you did here are some ideas... Funny Idea: Her zanpakuto is a healing weapon that does no damage. Her speed and stealth can still play a role but her job would be to quickly heal rather than damage. She is always saving people in the series so this also plays to her personality but not her fighting style. Her Bankai could be a huge gold Maneki-neko that heals and gives boons to all comrades, but also does no damage :D Princess Idea: Her Zanpakuto would be a flute. This flute allows her to summon electric cats to do her bidding similar to Stark. She had to learn the flute as a royal activity which is why she hates it. She takes care of her zanpakuto by practicing on it everyday to cull its anger. The flute goes against her style of fighting because it is loud and hands off. Her Bankai would summon "The Five Wisdom Cats", a set of powerful cats. This is limit of her bloodline and is what is passed down through generations and is as strong as Zanka no Tachi NESW when summoned as each cat is a literal god. They can be annoying though. I took inspiration from this but changed them to cats: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_King#:~:text=The%20Five%20Wisdom%20Kings%5Bedit%5D

There is always another option for her Bankai... it is irreparably damaged so she cant use it or at least not without risk to herself And absent a way to repair it just found a different skill set to focus on rather than the finite resource

This challenge is.... I would say epic but that would fall short. Thank you Primal for entertaining us with these sorts of videos and I hope you had at least some fun with it ^^ You are amazing!!

I feel like I remember reading/hearing somewhere that her Zanpaktō was destroyed or confiscated, and it is not a case of her not wanting wield it. So maybe after when Uruhara went on the run, being labled a criminal with the Vizards after Aizen Hollowfied, she maybe tried vouching for him. But Yamato or Central 46 saw this as disrespectful, unruly and suspicious and placed her under arrest, thinking maybe she could be a collaborator. So her sword was taken from her. And as an act of rebellion she escaped the Soul Society to look for Uruhara leaving her Zanpaktō behind

In the anime we do get to see yourichi’s zanpakuto in the flashbacks soifon has, she used it to cut down a hollow saving soifon from the hollow about to attack her. Still it’s never seen again after that

I was just thinking about you making a video on Yoruichi this morning and Boom! Delivered!

Considering her clan lineage, maybe she has a zanpakuto is one passed down through the generations? And since she left the clan, maybe her brother has it as the new head of her clan.

Yoruichi seems to have an affinity for lightning so I'm guessing her zanpakuto is a lighting type, assuming she has one of course. If not then maybe she's like Nanao where they have heirloom zanpakutos.

I think her shikai and Bankai are a long distance ability, I’m thinking something like shikamaru’s shadow jutsu but more cat and noble like, I think the reason she doesn’t really use it is because it wouldn’t allow her to use shunko and that it reminds her of her noble status which she left to be free.

Mr. Tommo I think her Bankai and Shikai are so broken that if she were to use them regularly that they would take her to represent the soul king, and she doesn't want to do that, so she's afraid to use it, which might be part of the reason she left the soul society with Kiske and why they have such a bound since he helps her fight without her sword and knows why she prefers not to use it. Just a thought.

In Soi Fon’s flash back in the Soul Society arc, Yoruichi is seen in a golden robe that looks almost identical to what she wears in her Beyond Bankai form in Bleach Brave Souls. I know that BBS original forms aren’t canon, but maybe the sword she has in that form is what her Zanpakuto is supposed to be.

I'm so glad you made this video! I've been waiting for you to make this for a while. Love your ideas! I always thought it could be an illusion type or one that seduces people cause of her playful personality. Either that or a utility type one that is highly situational

From a writers point a view there is a very key piece of information we are missing here, that is exactly WHEN she first discovered her Shikai. Timing with this is everything. Obviously most top ranked shinigami in all their squads are expected to have that ability at the very least. We don't know that much about her rise through the ranks, plus her squad is fundamentally different from all the others in the first place. When she discovers that ability however is key because one of two situations could be true. Either she developed shunko BECAUSE she couldn't fight with her shikai properly, OR she developed shunko first and found her shikai undesirable when compared to what shunko gave her. It might seem like a very small difference but considering her part in the story of Aizen and how she left the shinigami world entirely in order to prepare and defeat him it shows that compared to the other captains her pursuit of strength had far more urgency to it than they did for a great many years. It would have had a much greater influence on all of her decisions, namely the decision to never use her zanpaktou. I don't think it makes any sense to suggest that she would shun the weapon entirely just because it didn't fit with her style, she is not so stubborn I feel that she would do that. Especially if she feels bad about not using her zanpaktou, going so far as to console it daily. I think she is far too practical a person to not use every weapon at her disposal. Given what kind of fighter she is I think the most likely scenario of what you brought up would be the weapon that randomly changes from lethal to harmless. Even though she is very strong that strength is not from raw muscle, it is her agility, speed, technique and her great skill with kidou that augments all of those things. The very fact that she didn't die when fighting Soi Fon (if you dismiss the idea that Soi Fon never would have or could have emotionally gone through with killing her mentor) emphasizes just how much everything about her fighting style is based on speed and precision, that is where all of her power comes from. If your entire methodology for fighting relies on such precision then the last thing you want thrown into the works is something you can't rely on to be consistent. Another thought is that she rose to Captain level and (forgive me if I'm wrong because I haven't followed bleach in nearly a decade now but unless she was one of the exceptions) that generally means she must have shown off her Bankai at some point to earn the qualification to be a Captain. That seems to indicate that despite the fact that she never used her zanpaktou in battle she continued training with it to the point that she eventually became capable of using Bankai. In which case she never abandoned her zanpaktou during that time period at least and didn't come to the conclusion to exclusively fight hand to hand and with kidou/shunko until after that point. So when she became a captain or when she became capable of Bankai is also a very crucial time for this situation, we don't know what was going on at that point in the story and what kind of decisions she was facing.

I always say , I still believe Yoruichi and a few other characters are still hiding their true powers. That’s probably why she doesn’t feel the need for her zanpakuto. Such a shame ❤ but my favorite bleach character for sure .

I really liked the 5th idea. It seems complex and super interesting and a fitting design and reason as to why she chooses not to use it. I really hope Kubo shows us what hers truly is

I don't know if it'll work but I could see Yoruichi's Bankai being similar to Sajin, where she summons a giant monster cat that she controls, and maybe the reason she won't use it is due to how big it is, and how it's impossible to not destroy the area around you.

Her Zanpaktou ability is being super fine. Or it has something to do with becoming a cat. I like the first one though

I actually really do like the last idea, very creative and fitting

Love your videos Mr tommo , keep it up love from Australia

This is a much needed video

I like the 5th Zanpakuto idea both in concept of what it does as well as reasoning why not to use it.

Odcinek idealnej długości

I really love these theory videos. Do more ❤!

Yoruichi's Zanpakuto could be situational like Shinji and Kyoraku's Bankai, and even Unohana's Shikai. it could be a hindrance like Soi Fon's Bankai. maybe it is a family Zanpakuto like Nanao's

I was thinking the sword she was shown using for Beyond Bankai could have possibly been her’s. Like one of those family zanpakuto that gets passed down. Buuut that might not be the case. That last one you came up with would be so amusing though XD Itty bitty deep voiced cat dashing around the battle field flinging lightling claws, it’s fantastic

I can see the last one with shadows, letting her attack multiple targets at once and surprising them. But the bankai draping the battlefield in draining shadow to slow her opponents. But with her blitzing fast attacks and bright shunko it would make hiding and slowly picking them off bad for her chosen style.

I always liked the idea of her zanpakuto being nobel related. Like her shikai being a knights two handed sword and then something along the lines of full knight armor infused with electricity as a bankai. It would make sense with her not wanting to use it, and her having to deal with it sulking as it wants to do what's right fight evil

i would think the biggest reason for her would be something like komomaru... summoning some kind of bulky avatar that shares damage and greatly reduces the agility and power she can deliver on her own... aside from that is some kind of super armor that makes her take greatly reduced damage but makes her super immobile... and the 3rd being something similar to momo where it turns into a long range casting type zanpakto...

I honestly think the first idea is the best, cept its like a rocket fist. Highly powerful but easy to dodge or avoid if the enemy is fast. Also the idea that the bankai is like s morter that can cover s battlefield feels right on point.

It’s crazy if you really think about it. Yoruchi is powerful AF without her zankapatou, definitely in the high tiered captain class. Literally just hand to hand and kido. I can imagine just how much stronger she is with a shikai and bankai.

I think it being big and slow is the simplest, best thing to explain hindering her abilities. Out of all the other attributes these other ideas have to limit her, the idea to slow her down, completely opposing or even negating her strongest trait is my favorite with the gauntlet. All other ideas are great and Kubo does like to go into his complex things sometimes but for this I do think the simplest answer is best here. I do love the idea though of her having a more traditional weapon. Something with a blade for it's Shikai, dull colors like a realistic weapon (or with like one stand out color like Hozukimaru's), something classic for a classic Captain that even back when she'd have been a wee Shinigami first learning her Shikai would have been like 'I literally can't use this' to where even at her youngest we ever see her she's already been practicing without her Zanpakuto for ages. To that end I'd suggest some kind of huge naginata. Huge pole weapon with like a third of it being a long, probably fun shaped but otherwise regular dark and silver blade, and huge pole. Maybe something with a grip in the middle, like a dumbbell with a hold and then sudden thick ends, one a huge monkey king staff-like pole on one end, huge ornately shaped blade on the other. Or even one with no middle grip and she has to just hold this huge sized grown monkey king staff-like weapon with the open palm of her hand (that could stick to it or what have you for what swinging it around she *can* do) making it cumbersome and hard to swing around. If not a regular (if not big for a person) sized naginata but one that's heavy. Which in either case could lead to this idea for it's ability - gravity. Something that perhaps can increase it's own mass or even her own (with it's lowest point still being big and heavy and cumbersome) in relation to others without increasing it for Yoruichi beyond it being initially heavy for her. Not something that can gravity onto others like Izuru or anything, but a self focused heavy hitter gravity powered oversized naginata. Even with this power that would completely cancel out her skill with Hakuda, Hoho, everything she can do would be rendered hindered despite this powerful Zanpakuto which doesn't have to be oh so special and impossibly heavy for her, but something just unwieldly. A Bankai could then present something huge that can strike - my idea being a battery ram. A huge, ancient style, more ornate battery ram. In any case the Bankai should be large and stationary, obvious and not sneaky at all. And I think taking that pole and making it a huge several tree sized battery ram on a hefty stand would be neat an again, more classic in style. It's ability could then be something as great as whatever it hits will be taken out. Whatever door or wall or opponent it hits, it auto hits with enough gravity to launch it forward to death/crumbling/wide open, it's gravity power manipulates to just going through whatever the target is - like an X-Axis type thing but blunt instead of a bullet. Which while OP, would be very specific and hard to even guide an enemy into when they see the battery ram rear back first and notice her trying to stay by it/fight them into it. Perfect thing to all of explain it completely negating her main skill, why even the Shikai is a problem so why even carry the sword at all if all she can do is basic swordplay? And anyone could be better at hand to hand combat than with a sword. This all while keeping it a more classic style weapon befitting a Captain of old. Imagine if the hell chapter comes around, the gates of hell are sealed and can't be opened... They can't get in or are stuck inside, oh no! Only for Yoruichi to finally reveal her Zanpakuto who's Bankai is the only thing that can bust open the gates of hell itself with a huge ass battery ram. How cool would that be? The spirit could also flat out be lazy, heavy in itself, in reflection of her own subtle cat-like trait of how we see her every time she's lounging out which in of itself is more than a couple times. I'd hate to have it be something so on the nose as a cat itself, but it could be a huge amalgam cat-like beast like the thing from The Last Guardian. Because lets think about this angle; of all the things Yoruichi has to console on the daily, what if it was this huge lounging cute feline-beast that gets all sad after it's owner hasn't come back from work in a while and is just the heart tugging-est thing you ever did see. Being why she's so willing to every day console the spirit of her Zanpakuto. We should ask, what would Yoruichi herself really put up with consoling ever day? Not a human I don't think, man or woman. Not something too humanoid either I don't think. Beast thing it might have to be and while trying to avoid entirely just being a cat, some weird cute big beasty thing with fur is one of the only options I can think of. As it's usual Shikai appearance of course. Maybe it's Bankai makes the Spirit small despite it's physical size? Cute as hell. Side note speaking of the scene from CFYOW drawn we saw on screen, I'd love to see a theory video of what the other noble family Zanpakuto were. Like Muramasa being cited in the novel as the Kuchiki family Zanpakuto that can subjugate other Zanpakuto, and Enrakyoten that can copy other Zanpakuto. Makes me think maybe the others also all effect other Zanpakuto, like if the Shiba Clan's *buffed* other Zanpakuto, and maybe another clan's *destroys* Zanpakuto, and the last of the 5 does some *other* thing to Zanpakuto lol.

There's a cartoon back then where the protagonist and his team are on a race against their enemy on hunting legendary martial art artifacts. There is an artifact that can be wore like a normal robe but, when activated it turns into a bulky cuirass. Your defense increases exponentially but it decreases your mobility cause of how bulky it is. Maybe that's similar with youriichi

your art is really good!

I also wonder if Tessai and Hachi have a zanpakuto and what it would be like. These 2 kido masters never have been seen using a blade🤔

I think the giant glove sounds most likely as for the bankai for that one, my idea would be; Yoruichi wearing a big bulky armor

Like always great video, I'll take a couple of the ideas brought here and suggest some alterations to evolve them a little. The shikai perhaps could tap on the feline side of her. This would mean that the more she use the shikai it overheats her like a cheetah overheats when it runs at tops speed and needs to stop at a certain moment in time to cool off. This would force a limited use of the shikai otherwise she would turn to ash. Like you mentioned about her shikai like claws appearing over her hands, also on pair with large felines protractile claws. The release would be something "painted like the grass, hidden from the prey's eyes. Lunge (or pounce) ''Kakushi tsume' (hidden claw)" Then her bankai would be like an armor too heavy and too draining to use but on par with her fighting up close, like a medieval knight. The release would be like: "Harden like a diamond" and this would evolve the name to "Sōkō tsume" (armored claw). Another flaw with this bankai could be that if the diamond armored version of her gets cracked could be fatal for her or the reflectiveness of the armor could tell her enemies where she is at any moment making her an easy target. Just a thought.

It was actually explained that Yoruichi has an inherited Zanpakuto of the Shihoin family, but when she left the Soul Society she gave it to her brother as it was supposed to only be used by the shihoin family head. The zampakuto messes with time, making time move slower around the user while the user himself, while affected, it is not nearly by as.much. that is also why the family practices shumpo so much as they need to be much faster to not be as hampered by the zampakuto and also be able to run away in case its ability becomes a liability.

Yoruichi is a big-sisterly, almost motherly figure throughout the story. Despite her rough manners and playful attitude, she is responsible, caring and nurturing. My idea is that her zanpakutō isn't a weapon at all, but a support tool that forces her to stay out of the actual fighting and uses her energy to protect and empower her allies. It could be that she turns into a cat and her blade into a tiny temple, the size of a doghouse, and she falls asleep inside it and radiates an aura that increases her allies' strength, speed, perception and reflexes. Her Bankai could be a full-size temple with maneki neko figurines that shields others from harm and gives them good luck, but again, Yoruichi herself is asleep at the altar in cat form. The release command is "Nap!".

Building off the shadow shikai for her, a good Bankai would be her Zanpakuto taking the form of a single copy of herself capable of everything she is to double her overall threat. At the cost of it splitting her power in half. Even at half strength, facing 2 of her at once would be trouble for most opponents considering her sheer speed paired with shunko. These feel like they match her style while also being a significant hindrance to her in combat versus powerful opponents.

Since she love to use shunko i will say her sword is a per of wings or something that connect to her back and therefore weaken her since she cant use shunko on top of it. Because a mid range weapon wouldnt inconvenience her with her speed. Throw, run, punch, catch, repeat.

Not actually revealing your true abilities to others seems like something a stealth assassin would be likely to do, as well as Yoruichi being coy about herself so it wouldn't surprise me if her saying "I have to take it out once a day or it pouts" is just her joking about it because she doesn't actually want to disclose what it really is. I could see her zanpakto being something that is always out, something that is actually quite useful all the time for her so she never bothers to sheath it because it would then get in the way for someone who fights with her fists (no need to have a blade hanging on your waist if you aren't going to use it). This could be part of her clothing/armor, something like Haineco just floating around, or an invisible thing. It could be that we've seen her zanpakto all along but never knew it, and maybe turning into the lightning cat she doesn't like not only because she loses control but because it also limits her use of her zanpakto. Or maybe like other families she doesn't have one of her own but it is passed down and she just doesn't like it. We do see her brother bringing her weapons, it could be that not having her own she is able to use quite a few other special weapons if she wanted, but only her family can use.

I believe her Zanpakuto would be one that favors speed and close quarters combat. I also think it would release into a pair of short blades: Deer Horn Knives, Emei Peircers, Ring-Daggers, Huedaidao, etc. Mix a pair of blades with Shunko skills, she's a human blender. That would suit her character and fighting style.

Excellent video as usual. I do love your ideas and premises. In considering what Lady Yoruichi's Zanpakuto might be I actually look to Sui Feng's abilities for guidance, clarity, and inspiration. Given their close history and Sui Fengs idolisation of Lady Yoruichi I believe that Suzumebachi is as close an imitation of Lady Yoruichi's Zanpakuto as Sui Feng could manage. Specifically that Suzumebachi in Shikai imitates Yoruichi's Zapakuto, but that Jakuho Raikoben is the truer reflection of Sui Feng's self. How Sui Feng wants to be vs how she really is in a sense. Anyway, running with this premise and looping back to Lady Yoruichi's Zapakuto, I think it is: Mitsubachi (Honey bee) whose sealed form resembles a Wakizashi. We saw in a flashback that Lady Yoruichi used to carry her Zanpakuto on her right hip. This and other subtleties in the ways she uses her hands indicate that she is left handed. Mitsubachi is a Kido type Zanpakuto that heavily relies on the speed and strength of its user for its effective use. Shikiai: Triggerd by the command "Sting all enemies to death." With a raise of left her arm to the heavens and the utterance of her release command, she and the blade ooze an amber glow and the blade seems to melt down onto and into her arm. Glowing rivers of amber flow like veins down her arm to her chest and indeed into her heart. Upon completion of release Mitsubachi looks alot like Suzumebachi in shikai albeit with small barbs on the goden stinger extending from her left middle finger and the same amber glow to its design. Mitsubachi envelops more of Yoruichi's hand than Suzumebachi does. Shikai abailities: 1. Sting: Puncture wounds from Mitsubachi contain venom, much like Suzumebachi but rip flesh more due to the different stinger. It's venom is made from Lady Yoruichi's blood and Reiryoku, taken directly from her heart. It causes compounding almost paralyzing pain the more venom is injected. While a large number of stings can certainly kill, releasing large quantities of venom drains Lady Yoruichi and requires time for her to recooperate after battle. Sting thus is mostly used to incapacitate and immobilize. 2. Swarm: A technique heavily realiant on shunpo. While advanced shunpo practicioners may appear to be in many places at once but actually arent, swarm allows her abilities to take effect from multiple places at once, whether they be kido, hakuda, or Zanpakuto based, or some combination thereof. Seemingly like cloning of herself but more exactly brief scattering of her reiryoku mixed with shunpo. This of course when used with sting drains Lady Yoruichi even faster. 3. Honey: A healing technique that converts her blood and Reiryoku into a sweet honey. It is secreted from salivary glands. When consumed by an ally it heals and reviatalizes their strengh and Rieryoku. Of course, given the awkwardness and intimacy involved in using this ability, Lady Yoruichi would be very very very hesitant to use it at all and not many know of its existence in the first place. I headcanon that she gave Sui Feng some of her honey one time in during a particularly dangerous situation and poor Sui aint been the same since. Bankai: Sacrifice of the Honeybee Mitsubachi transforms again, this time from a worn gauntlet to small tanto with barbs, larger than in shikai, on the sides of the blade. No other phsyical change occurs and no range, speed or AOE ability is gained. This transformation allows her more versatility in zanjustu as she can hold Mitsubachi with either hand now and can cut again instead of only pierce with a stinger. Indeed Lady Yoruichi can cut and slice indefinitely with Mitsubachi, The Swarm and Honey abilities are even more powerful as well, but her Sting can only be used once. One final Sting, to one target. Bankai Special Ability: Final Sting. Upon a successful sting, the blade latches deep into the flesh of the opponent. The vast majority of Lady Yoruichi's blood and Rieryoku is forcefully ripped from her body to power one final killing sting causing an instant loss of consciousness to Lady Yoruichi. Mitsubachi remains lodged in the opponent, unable to be removed as it kills in a manner similar to Suzumebachi's Death in two steps and Shinso's Korose, Kamishini no Yari (the technique Ichimaru used to attempt to kill Aizen with.) This techinique while extrememly powerful takes days to awaken from using and longer to recover from. Analysis: This zanpakuto I think fits Lady Yoruichi appropriately. Mitsubachi, both in Shikai and in Bankai handle the same way Suzumebachi does. Both Zanpakuto offer a sort of tradeoff. Physically by being very close ranged in nature (and so almost useless against an opponent like Barragan) and biomechanically, by severely limiting the usage of the Zanpakuto weilding hand to just piercing by virtue of enveloping the hand and through the shape of the stinger itself which lack a cutting edge. While rewarding the weilder unique and powerful abilities if a sting can be achieved. As such by virtue of their size and and abilities both require a certain level of shunpo and to an extent hakuda proficiency to be used effectively in the first place. I envision Mitsubachi as an all in, super high risk vs reward implementation of this approach. A zanpakuto that is almost as dangerous to Lady Yoruichi as it is to her opponent. A zanpakuto that while it suits her and would be lethal in her hands, ultimately fails her in how limiting it is. Much like Jakuho Raikoben, which can only be fired once every three days, Mitsubachi can sting only so many times, in shikai and especially in bankai, thus limiting how many opponents Lady Yoruichi can fight and for how long. Overall it would make sense given her existing abilities, the risks, and the limitations of Mitsubachi, for her to simply forgo using Mitsubachi completely and instead rely on being fast and hitting real hard. It's simple but it works.

I think it is one of those Zanpakuto that is always in its released state and it is something worn that enhances her physical abilities. In other words it could be hidden in plain sight but we have never seen it and she has never used her Bankai in the story as of yet.

I like the idea of her zanpakuto preventing movement and that's why she doesn't vibe with it. It could work like sandpaper, the faster you move within it's AOE the more damage it deals, herself included...

Honestly the simplest answer is probably the correct one. Raikō Neko (Lightning Cat) Is the name of her Zanpakutō. It's shikai command is likely 'Hiss'. Turning it into a lightning spewing ornate Naginata. And her Bankai would likely be a far more ornate yet unwilding version of her anti arancar armor she used vs Aizen. That basically fires EL Thors, on command but it's too heavy for Yoruichi's fighting style. Similer to in DnD when you put so much into dexterity in you character that anything more than a bikini armor slows you down.

Her Zanpakuto is so powerful that Kubo won’t let her use it.

Honestly I always thought the lightning cat form was akin to a Bankai to some degree considering how much she seemed to hate the idea of it. But these are all some pretty interesting ideas.

I’m guessing her Zanpakto is something really counter intuitive like a sword that turns into a pocket watch and her shikai just slows her and everything else down to a snails pace so she never uses it and focuses on extreme speed. It would be cool if her bankai turned into a stop watch or something and makes everything go super fast so it was banned.

I love the throwing blades idea. Forcing her to fight at a distance is something I could see her not wanting to do. Since her hands would be full all she could do is keep her distance and throw, not being able to fight how she wants to.

My idea for her zanpakto is that in shikai the blade vibrates to boost the cutting power, but she dislikes it due to the noise. Her bankai generates thunderclaps that double the impact of her attacks, but this puts alot of strain on her body, also VERY loud.

I could also see a zanpakuto that is slow to work, like a slow acting poison. Or something that needs to mature, like perhaps leaving little kido bombs that have to gestate before they can be ignited. Something that means yoruichi has to slow down the fight, antithetical to how she likes to play. Or, something tgat has to announced to the battle. Yoruichi likes to strike out of nowhere, so having something perhaps like shunsui that turns the fight into some kind of game might hamper her too much with rules and decency.

I loved this video I really want to see her Zanpakuto abilities myself That would be really cool It may have to do with something like dual-wielding or taking a weapon form that greatly reduces her unarmed skills (making her overall a weaker fighter as she would not be able to express her CQC with her armed Bankai to their fullest extent simultaneously)

I surmise that like Kisuke, her Bankai isn't something to train others with. Probably a last resort use when all else fails or an impossible do-or-die condition like all others are fallen and she's the last one standing? Somewhat opposite of Shinji Hirako's Bankai in that it requires others to not be conscious.

Awesome video as always. My own headcanon on the matter is that maybe her zanpaktuo has a cowardly nature with her outward demeanor being hardened and battle ready when in reality a part of her is fearful of losing kisuke or those close to her resulting in a zanpakuto with predominantly defensive or evasive abilities that caters to fleeing from battle or escaping an enemy which she doesn’t think or ever want to do. If her zanpakuto has the ability to relatively harmlessly and passively push enemies away in a non-lethal telekinesis sort of way then it’d make sense that she’d ditch it in most fights seen in the series in favor of rushing in to hit her enemies directly. A meek pacifist zanpakuto spirit seems to me like something she’d hate and avoid communing with at any opportunity. In many ways it’d be the inverse of Shuhei’s situation with Yoruichi being aggressive but her zanpakuto wanting to show restraint and a Bankai that’s at odds with both their desires in finishing a fight.

I would imagine that her zanpakuto would release into one of several different activations randomly upon release

I remember a very well written fanfic just gave her a cat themed Shikai and the Bankai only cat thee was SUNFLAME PANTHERS (TezCATlipoca) XD hilarious curveball, but an awesome read. And since I am awful at names I haven't remembered the title so far writing this...

I think the most obvious idea was staring you in the face the whole time, yoruichi is very similar to a Woman ninja also known as a kunoichi. One of the ways of assassinations carried out by kunoichi are luring in their marks with their allure. It could be that he zanpakto could work like this similar to Pepe or another form that would force her to use this type of appeal to bring out her zanpaktos strengths and she chooses not to use this route favoring physical combat.

From what i recalled, the only time she been seen carrying zanpakuto is when the flashback with uruhara, when gotei 13 meeting, shes never seen carying her zanpakuto while other captains carry theirs, and to be a captain, there is 3 criteria, i think she using the second method, being recomended by other captain(she is from one of the noble clan after all) and most likely not the 3rd one, killing previous captain to get the seat, i like the theory that she doesnt have a zanpakuto and hakuda is the only way she fight, because in rare case like nanao, she still can be a soul reaper even tho she cant have a zanpakuto because of her cursed clan,

I think it would interesting if Yourichi's Zanpakuto was the same deal as Nanao. Maybe she only can use her Zanpakuto when she is the head of her clan. That why we never see her using in first place during present timeline. Maybe her Zanpakuto forces her to play the princess angle that she often seems to hate.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a Kido-type, that's strongest with preparation/time that shunpo doesn't really work well with and/or kind of unweildy in hand-to-hand.

I think her zanpakuto would fit more her personality vice just her fighting style. I can see it being a Naginata or a Uchigatana. Long spear or sword that are beautiful, deadly and fiercely stands out

My personal theory is that her zanpakto is some kind of fist weapon that requires her to close her fist to use. Most of her hand to hand combat that we see is open handed so it’d make sense a closed fist weapon would completely go against all her muscle memory

Yoruichi strikes me as a very offensive fighter. One who values attack power and speed. With that in mind, I'd like to think her Zanpaktou is the antithesis of that. It's a defensive ability that limits her attacking range and mobility, like an armor of sorts that protects her from incoming damage. I think maybe that might fit. She soothes her Zanpaktou because it just wants to protect her, so it sulks when she doesn't use it, choosing instead to focus on attacking an enemy instead of defending herself against an enemy's attack.

This video gave me the idea that the reason yoruichi might not like her zanpakuto is the power of it is somewhat random like what games kyoraku has access to with his shikai. This could explain why she feels stronger without as then she isn't subject to chance and possibly ending up in a bad position due to getting unlucky.

My first thought is that maybe her Zanpakuto takes on a tanky and slow armor form. Which is alright for taking hits, but terrible for inflicting it or closing/making distance. Second idea; I saw a comment about her maybe having one that could've been passed to her from her clan/noble house. Perhaps she avoided inhereting her family's Zanpakuto? Third; Maybe the powers her Zanpakuto's Bankai gives is too support focused for her tastes? Fourth; It's outright deterimental to herself or allies. Maybe she can heal her allies by taking their wounds away and inflicting all their injuries onto herself? Or maybe once she activates her bankai, she may gain a massive power boost, but she also loses control of her body or mind, and then becomes a massive threat to her allies.

Yoruichi has always felt kinda like a Big Sister character to me, even before it was revealed that she had a younger brother she was always this enigmatic, experienced character that filled the role of a superior peer that was always on your side. I think this could be due to her relationship with her zanpakuto, it would make a lot of sense to me if her zanpakuto was essentially a young girl or younger sibling esque character, and she didnt want to use her zanpakuto to fight because it would put that child in the line of fire. This pushes her to go so far as to intentionally place herself in harms way, because shes not willing to put them forth after she has matured. This would also explain why she used to use it, but doesn't now, when she was younger it would be more like two friends fighting side by side, but as yoruichi gets older the zanpakuto spirit doesn't and therefore she has to grow up quickly to compensate, which mirrors her need to leave soul society with kisuke during the turn back the pendulum arc. There are other simpler explanations, but i think this really fits her character.