Nanao does not usually fight with a sword as we all know. The latest episode Bleach TYBW Episode 37 revealed her backstory and her real zanpakuto (sword).
Nanao is revealed to be the daughter of Shunsui’s late older brother and the previous head of the Ise family.
A long time ago, Nanao’s family (the Ise Clan) got stuck with this sword. It is super powerful against a God since it can deflect divine attacks, but practically useless against anyone else since it cannot be used to kill a man. That sword is called “Shinken Hakkyoken“.
As a child, Nanao’s mother entrusted Shinken Hakkyoken to Shunsui, swearing him to secrecy.
Lille Barro vs Shinsui
After entering the Royal Realm, Shunsui joins the other Shinigami to fight against the Quincy forces. At this point, Lille Barro shows up, and it’s clear right away that he’s no ordinary opponent. Lille is a Sternritter with a broken ability called The X-Axis.
Lille starts by sniping Shunsui and even appears to shoot him straight through the chest, but that’s when Shunsui’s tricky side comes out. He uses Daruma-san ga Koronda, this ability allows Shunsui to freeze in place and appear somewhere else if the opponent looks away.
“Daruma-san ga Koronda is a game where whoever’s “it” has to cover their eyes and recite a phrase then they turn around and capture anyone who moves. There are three main rules. 1) Whoever is “it” has to stay in a location where all the participants can see them. 2) The participants lose if the person who’s “it” sees them moving. 3) The participants win if they can touch the person who’s “it” before he sees them.”
As the fight goes on, Lille activates his Quincy Vollständig form called Jilliel, which makes him even more terrifying. His new form gives him angel-like wings and boosts his X-axis power, allowing him to shoot even faster and deadlier than before.
Shunsui realizes that he can’t win with just his usual tricks, so he decides to unleash his Bankai, Katen Kyokotsu: Karamatsu Shinjuu.
The Bankai plays out like a tragic play, and it has four acts, each one more deadly than the last. In the final act, Shinsui cut open Barro’s throat. At this point, it seems like Shunsui has won. Lille is defeated, and Shunsui collapses from exhaustion and injuries.
Lille’s Revival and Nanao’s Role
But it does not end there. Lille’s body starts moving again, even though Shunsui cut his throat. He gets back up in a terrifying form.
Shinsui, injured and out of options, is in serious trouble. This is where Nanao Ise comes into the picture.
Shunsui was with his Bankai, Katen, who kept telling him to run away because they couldn’t defeat Lille Barro.
Nanao Ise then wakes Shunsui up, and he gives Nanao back her Zanpakuto “Shinken Hakkyoken“. This was not easy for Shunsui because he knew about the curse and wanted to protect her
With the first attack, Nanao fails to defeat Lille because she doesn’t know how the blade works. But as soon as she figures it out, Shunsui steps in to help her hold the blade.
Lille Barro creates a massive blast of divine lightning “Trompete” and throws it at them. However, the Shinken Hakkyōken reflects the attack right back at him, destroying him for good (at least, according to the latest episode).
The Curse of the Shinken Hakkyoken
The Shinken Hakkyoken has a tragic backstory. It is a cursed weapon passed down through Nanao’s family, specifically meant to counter god-like enemies.
However, it comes at a cost the women who use it are often bound to its curse. Shunsui had been holding onto the weapon all this time to protect Nanao, but in the end, he had to give it back to her so they could defeat Lille together.
Final Words
Two of the Schutzstaffel members have been taken down, and now only two episodes of Part 3 of Bleach TYBW are left.
Nemu had to sacrifice herself to defeat one of them, and even Shunsui’s Bankai wasn’t enough to take down Lille Barro. This just shows how insanely strong the Schutzstaffel really are.
But it was nice to see Nanao was not completely useless in the end. Honestly, she had not done anything at all in this arc, and she’s never really fought anyone with a Zanpakuto like this before.
Even though she seemed pretty useless the entire time, it was her Zanpakuto that managed to defeat someone Shunsui’s Bankai couldn’t.
