There are many characters in Bleach. However, the length of the series has given many of them moments to shine. These moments and the power system naturally lend themselves to character growth and development. Even growth that happens off-screen can be shown in small scenes that have a big impact. One of the characters who benefited from this was Soi Fon, captain of the Second Division and leader of the Onmitsukido (Stealth Force).

Soi Fon was an antagonist during the Soul Society invasion, holding a grudge against Yoruichi Shihoin. Yoruichi was once her mentor and the person she dedicated herself to serving, and Soi Fon never forgave Yoruichi for leaving Soul Society. While Soi Fon became an excellent assassin and ruthless leader, she was deeply hurt by his abandonment. However, the confrontation she had with Yoruichi and her subsequent fights against Baraggan Luisenbairn gave her a chance to move past these feelings and improve.

Soi Fon is an assassin and a captain

Soi Fon fulfills two major roles for Soul Society. She is both a squad captain and lead assassin. Generally, these roles require the same things from her, but not always. At the start of the series, Soi Fon values ​​her abilities as an assassin more than anything, so she doesn’t like her bankai and is hesitant to use it. However, she was confronted with the limits of her shikai and assassination skills when she fought Barragan. They simply weren’t what was needed from a captain in a large scale battle.

When the Quincy invasion took place, Soi Fon first tried her shikai. Although she could have tried it more than once, she was willing to adapt after being rebuffed. When she struggled to land the necessary hits, she decided to try her bankai. Soi Fon knew the bankai were stolen, but she placed the need for information about how it worked and the lives of her subordinates above that fact. She lost her bankai because she was willing to work with others, even though it didn’t amount to much. Her willingness to use her bankai shows how much she has grown since the Arrancar arc.

What her Zanpakuto says about her

Soi Fon is not a fan of her bankai due to its lack of stealth, but her shikai and bankai operate on similar principles. They both center around the idea of ​​eliminating your opponent with as few moves as possible. His shikai requires speed and stealth to launch attacks, but his bankai is meant to guarantee victory in a single move. Both versions require precision and patience to be effective. Soi Fon needed to learn these traits to master her bankai and grow as a person. She had to overcome the impulsiveness of her anger to become the captain the court guard squads needed.

His stolen Bankai changed nothing

Ultimately, losing her bankai didn’t mean much to Soi Fon. Kisuke Urahara found the solution very well to recover the bankai. The Quincy that stole Soi Fon’s bankai doesn’t do much damage with it. It was a situation that worked out pretty well. Additionally, the damage caused by his bankai would have been difficult to use in Soul Society without causing an incredible amount of collateral damage to buildings and other Soul Reapers.

Additionally, Soi Fon’s use of her bankai was a calculated risk. She didn’t use it out of frustration with how her fight was going. Instead, she was contributing to the needs of Soul Society by collecting more data. She wanted to know if even her destructive bankai could be captured before it reached the attacker. Soi Fon takes this risk because she has other methods of fighting, and it helped Soul Society understand Quincy’s ability.

Soi Fon is not a main character in Bleach by all means, but his character has grown even more since his introduction. She became more of a captain over time. She moved past her anger and grudges to become the precision and patience her zanpakuto always implied. She continues to get stronger and trains to become more powerful over time. Soi Fon has fully bought into what Soul Society wants her to be.