Zanpakuto Bleach Sword Replica

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. To send off 2008 with a bang, here's a lengthy post on Kuchiki Byakuya. Byakuya is the 28th head of the Kuchiki clan, one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. As captain of the 6th Division, Byakuya wears the standard captain uniform along with a white headpiece called a kenseikan, symbolizing his noble rank as the head of the Kuchiki family. He also wears a white scarf made by the master weaver, Tsujishiro Kuroemon III. The scarf is made from silver-white windflower light silk (ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu) and is a family heirloom handed down through the generations to the head of the Kuchiki family. It is said that the cost of just one such scarf can build ten houses. In the anime, the scarf is shown to be light green.

Byakuya's zanpakuto is called Senbonzakura which literally means 'thousand cherry blossoms'. How aristocrat is that? Senbonzakura's shikai form is released by the command chire or scatter. The zanpakuto's blade disperse into thousands of tiny blades. The release has one weakness - it can be negated before it's completed. This was shown when Yoruichi Shihouin wrapped the blade with a cloth during Byakuya's short battle with Ichigo. After release, Senbonzakura's tiny blades are invisible to the naked eye. However they reflect light in such a way that they appear as cherry blossom petals. This is how the zanpakuto got its name. Byakuya can control the blades at will, allowing him to shred opponents at a distance and break through almost any defense. While Byakuya can control the blades with his mind alone, using his hands allows him to do so more effectively and making the blades move twice as fast.

Byakuya's bankai, named Senbonzakura Kageyoshi or 'Vibrant Display of a Thousand Cherry Blossoms', is essentially a much larger version of Senbonzakura's shikai. To activate it, Byakuya drops his sword. The sword passes through the ground and two rows of giant blades rise up from the ground. These then scatter into millions of tiny blades. The number of blades is so great that Byakuya can use them for defense and offense at the same time. He commonly forms them into large masses of blades to crush opponents.

Byakuya's bankai has several attack techniques, achieved by arranging the blades in different patterns. They are activated by saying the name of the technique followed by the name of his bankai. Each form has its own distinct advantage. One of them is senkei or 'massacre scene', which unites the scattered petals into countless zanpakuto swords that surround Byakuya and his opponent. In this form, Byakuya has no defense and concentrates his bankai on killing the enemy. While Byakuya can control these swords as he does his regular blades, he usually attacks with just one in hand. He remarks in his battle with Ichigo that he normally only shows senkei to those he has sworn to kill by his own hand, Ichigo being the second to see this. After immobilizing an opponent, he can summon other blades to hit them while they're trapped. He can also use all the blades at once for an immensely powerful strike. In Bleach Movie 2 : Diamond Dust Rebellion, Byakuya surprisingly used Senkei as a barrier which only protects those inside it from an external barrage of Ceros blasts. He also displayed the ability to activate Kageyoshi from inside Senkei, shattering all rows of swords at once.

Another attack technique Byakuya used is gokei or 'pivotal scene' during the battle with Espada number 8, Zommari Leroux. This technique aligns every blade in a spherical formation around an opponent, which then collapses from every possible angle, leaving no blind spots and preventing any chance of escape. As a final attack Byakuya can use shukei or 'final scene'. This technique condenses all of tiny blades into a single sword, drastically increasing its cutting power. The blade appears bright white and its aura takes the form of a bird, earning it the name hakuteiken or 'white imperial sword'. Byakuya also grows white wings and a halo-like circle in the back, both made of spiritual power.

There are only a handful of Senbonzakura sword replicas, one of them is from Grey Eagles. The Kuchiki Byakuya Zanpakuto Senbonzakura sword replica from Grey Eagles has an overall length of 42" and blade length 26". The blade is made of carbon steel with a false edge. The signature guard is exactly as seen in the anime, with the shape of a double '8'. The sword replica has a simple blue-nylon wrapped handle and comes with a wooden scabbard. The scabbard has a black finish and tied to it is a blue nylon sageo (cord). Overall the Senbonzakura sword replica is simple in design, which is why the price is pretty affordable.