Bankai: What 卍解 Means and How It Differs from Shikai

What "bankai" means

The full spelling is 卍解, read ばんかい (bankai): the second and final form of releasing the zanpakutō (斬魄刀), the sword wielded by every shinigami in "Bleach" (2001, Kubo Taito). The character 卍 in this word is "manji," a Buddhist symbol, and 解 means "to untie, to release": together it comes out as "release of the manji," that is, the removal of the sword's final seal.

Why 卍 is read "ban" here

The character 卍 has two on'yomi readings — マン (man) and バン (ban), both found in dictionaries, not invented for anime. 卍 is considered a variant of the more common character 万, "ten thousand," which has the same two readings: the character itself is usually called まんじ (manji), and "bankai" is a rare case of the second, less common reading.

Shikai and bankai: two stages of release

始解 (shikai), "initial release," and 卍解 (bankai) are two stages of the same zanpakutō sword. Shikai changes the weapon's form and grants one ability; bankai amplifies it many times over and usually changes the sword's appearance once more, entirely. Few reach bankai in the canon: training takes years.

How the sword names are read

Kurosaki Ichigo's shikai is called 斬月 (zangetsu) — "moon cutter": 斬 "to cut" plus 月 "moon." His bankai is 天鎖斬月 (tensa zangetsu): 天鎖, "heavenly chains," was added to the former name, as if the sword had finally freed itself from invisible shackles.

始解 and the character 始: "first release"

始 — значение: beginning, to begin, first — онъёми: シ — кунъёми: はじ.める、-はじ.める、はじ.まる — 8 штрих(ов). 始 — "beginning, to begin": in 始解 (shikai) this same character names the first, lesser stage of releasing the sword, which every shinigami reaches before bankai.

始 is read はじめる (hajimeru, kun'yomi) or シ (shi, on'yomi). In the word 始解 the character works as "initial, first": it plays the same role in 始まり (hajimari, "beginning"), 開始 (kaishi, "start, opening") and 年始 (nenshi, "beginning of the year").

The pair 始 and 解: to begin and to untie

始 and 解 stand side by side not by chance: the first names the beginning of an action, the second the removal of a restriction. The same character 解 appears in the ordinary word 解放 (kaihō, "release"): in "shikai" and "bankai" it works literally, without metaphor, simply in the language of combat terms.

Write 始 along the guides — the character of "beginning," from which the first stage of releasing the sword, shikai, unfolds.

卍 outside "Bleach": the temple sign on a map

The character 卍 is far older than anime: it is the manji, a Buddhist symbol that came to Japan along with Buddhism. On topographic maps of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, it is still used to mark Buddhist temples. The manji is confused with the swastika of Nazi Germany because of the similar shape, but they are different symbols with different histories: the direction of the rays and the meaning do not match. In 2016 the Geospatial Information Authority discussed replacing this symbol on maps for foreign tourists — with a three-tiered pagoda icon — but in the end decided to leave 卍 unchanged.

Why "bankai" is shouted in memes

The word "bankai" has gone far beyond "Bleach": in internet jokes it captions the moment when someone goes all out. There is no exact data on when the joke first appeared.

FAQ

What does "bankai" mean?

卍解 (bankai) literally means "release of the manji": 卍 is the manji symbol itself, 解 is "to untie, to remove shackles." The term was coined for "Bleach" and denotes the second, final seal of the zanpakutō sword, which is removed after shikai. Few shinigami reach this stage in the canon — training takes years.

How is bankai written in Japanese?

卍解, read ばんかい (bankai). The second character, 解, means "to untie, to release" — the same one as in 始解 (shikai), "initial release." The first character, 卍, is the Buddhist manji symbol, which existed long before anime and was not invented specifically for "Bleach."

How does bankai differ from shikai?

始解 (shikai) is the first, initial stage of releasing the zanpakutō sword: it gives the weapon a form and one ability. 卍解 (bankai) is the second stage: it amplifies that ability many times over and usually changes the sword's appearance once more, entirely. Training for bankai in the canon takes years.

What is Kurosaki Ichigo's bankai?

Kurosaki Ichigo's bankai is called 天鎖斬月 (tensa zangetsu): 天鎖, "heavenly chains," was added to the name of his shikai 斬月 (zangetsu, "moon cutter") — as if the sword had finally freed itself from invisible shackles.

Where did the character 卍 in 卍解 come from?

卍 is the Buddhist manji symbol, and in this word it conveys the idea of the highest, final stage. The character has two dictionary on'yomi readings — "man" and "ban," both attested in sources, not invented for anime. In ordinary words 卍 is almost always read "man," and "bankai" is a rare case where the second, less common reading of the same character is used.

Why is 卍 placed on Japanese maps?

On topographic maps of Japan the character 卍 marks a Buddhist temple — a custom that goes back long before anime. In 2016 the country's Geospatial Information Authority discussed replacing the symbol on maps for foreign tourists, but decided to leave 卍 unchanged.

Sources

• Kotobank: 卍 (manji)
• Geospatial Information Authority of Japan: topographic symbols
• Japanese Wikipedia: BLEACH