Bankai
Bankai name: Konjaku Hyakki Yagyō (今昔百鬼夜行, literally meaning "The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons from the Past and the Present")
Bankai appearance: Allen's appearance doesn't change except his eyes glowing.
Zanpakuto Spirit: The spirit stays the same beside her glowing eyes.
Spirit's Personality: Doesn't change.
Bankai appearance: Allen's appearance doesn't change except his eyes glowing.
Zanpakuto Spirit: The spirit stays the same beside her glowing eyes.
Spirit's Personality: Doesn't change.
Bankai:
"Our Bankai is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all of my past users. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In Bankai, you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable. If you are killed in Bankai, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and I will cease to exist."
-Midare Setsugekka to Allen
During Allen's training for his Bankai, Midare Setsugekka revealed that he wasn't her first and only master but in fact she had been a Zanpakutou to over hundreds of others before. Later it is also revealed that these people were all different reflections of the very same soul, in different bodies, different locations and different timespans. Whenever the user of Midare Setsugekka dies, his/her soul is reborn through a reincarnation cycle. As Midare Setsugekka is one with her user's soul, the essence of the soul that is projected to an Asauchi is also the same. This was actually caused by Midare Setsugekka's first user, Wan. When he realized the power his Zanpakutou possessed, he wanted it to be used after his death as well, in order to keep peace and balance in Soul Society. After Wan's death Midare Setsugekka merged with his soul, seconds before she was about to disappear like her master, and started a reincarnation cycle. But that didn't mean every single rebirth of Wan's soul in a new body would become the right person to wield Midare Setsugekka's powers. That's why if the reincarnation was evil, she wouldn't even interact with her user. This explains why Midare Setsugekka didn't reveal herself or communicated with Allen before, until he redeemed himself and decided to be a better person. Lastly, the name of the release is a reference to this reincarnation cycle, as the term "Hundred Demons from the Past and the Present" actually represents Midare Setsugekka's previous users as well as the current one.
The strongest and most powerful ability that Allen can invoke is his Bankai, or the State as he calls it. It channels vast cosmic energies and the knowledge of previous users, allowing for the ability to perform especially powerful and extraordinary manipulation feats. This allows Allen to manipulate all four elements at the same time, unlike Shikai where he could only manipulate one element at once. Allen may unconsciously enter the State in response to perception of mortal danger, utilizing the State as a defense mechanism, or emotional distress. However, after achieving full mastery over his Bankai, Allen now has conscious control over the State and can enter and exit it at will. While in Bankai, the user's eyes glow. The white glow is the combination of all the past lives of Midare Setsugekka's users, focusing their energy through a single body. When Allen speaks in Bankai, his voice echoes and encompasses a combination of several different voices at once.
"Our Bankai is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all of my past users. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In Bankai, you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable. If you are killed in Bankai, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and I will cease to exist."
-Midare Setsugekka to Allen
During Allen's training for his Bankai, Midare Setsugekka revealed that he wasn't her first and only master but in fact she had been a Zanpakutou to over hundreds of others before. Later it is also revealed that these people were all different reflections of the very same soul, in different bodies, different locations and different timespans. Whenever the user of Midare Setsugekka dies, his/her soul is reborn through a reincarnation cycle. As Midare Setsugekka is one with her user's soul, the essence of the soul that is projected to an Asauchi is also the same. This was actually caused by Midare Setsugekka's first user, Wan. When he realized the power his Zanpakutou possessed, he wanted it to be used after his death as well, in order to keep peace and balance in Soul Society. After Wan's death Midare Setsugekka merged with his soul, seconds before she was about to disappear like her master, and started a reincarnation cycle. But that didn't mean every single rebirth of Wan's soul in a new body would become the right person to wield Midare Setsugekka's powers. That's why if the reincarnation was evil, she wouldn't even interact with her user. This explains why Midare Setsugekka didn't reveal herself or communicated with Allen before, until he redeemed himself and decided to be a better person. Lastly, the name of the release is a reference to this reincarnation cycle, as the term "Hundred Demons from the Past and the Present" actually represents Midare Setsugekka's previous users as well as the current one.
The strongest and most powerful ability that Allen can invoke is his Bankai, or the State as he calls it. It channels vast cosmic energies and the knowledge of previous users, allowing for the ability to perform especially powerful and extraordinary manipulation feats. This allows Allen to manipulate all four elements at the same time, unlike Shikai where he could only manipulate one element at once. Allen may unconsciously enter the State in response to perception of mortal danger, utilizing the State as a defense mechanism, or emotional distress. However, after achieving full mastery over his Bankai, Allen now has conscious control over the State and can enter and exit it at will. While in Bankai, the user's eyes glow. The white glow is the combination of all the past lives of Midare Setsugekka's users, focusing their energy through a single body. When Allen speaks in Bankai, his voice echoes and encompasses a combination of several different voices at once.
There seems to be two distinct ways to how Midare Setsugekka's Bankai works:
Bankai Special Abilities: Midare Setsugekka's Bankai retains the use of Shikai powers and can be used in the same ways, but in an enhanced form. The main ability of Midare Setsugekka's Bankai is not just enhancing the manipulation abilities, but also lifting the limit of manipulating one element at a time, which means Allen can use all four elements at the same time in Bankai. Additionally it unlocks some new techniques, which are otherwise not usable in Shikai.
- Continuous: When the State works continuously, Allen's eyes, glow white constantly, and the spirits of the past users of Midare Setsugekka actively channel their energy, skills, and knowledge through the body of the current user, heavily augmenting the current incarnation's manipulation abilities. The State works this way almost exclusively when it is triggered as an instinctive, unconscious reaction, a 'defense mechanism' for when Allen's physical capabilities would be insufficient to confront the current threat, or in situations of extreme emotion, specifically rage and sorrow. So it may be more accurate to describe the State being used this way as 'reflexively' rather than 'continuously'. When the State is triggered this way, the combined spirits of the past lives of the current user may take control of Allen's body and voice, thus the current user has little to no control over the performed actions and may retain little to no memory of what happened, though this is rarely the case.
- Non-continuous: Unlike the continous usage, non-continuous usage of Bankai is only possible in Shikai. When the State is used non-continuously, the user's eyes glow momentarily, and during that time Allen stores the knowledge and energy needed so that it can be released once exiting the State, taking only the power needed for a specific task. This reduces the danger of wasting energy by inducing Bankai in conflictive situations and enables a more controlled use of the Bankai's power. Non-continuous usage doesn't need a release command to be used nor does it allow Allen to manipulate all four elements at the same time like he does in Bankai. It just allows Allen to use the power of the Bankai only for a second with the element he is manipulating by the time of non-continuous activation.
Bankai Special Abilities: Midare Setsugekka's Bankai retains the use of Shikai powers and can be used in the same ways, but in an enhanced form. The main ability of Midare Setsugekka's Bankai is not just enhancing the manipulation abilities, but also lifting the limit of manipulating one element at a time, which means Allen can use all four elements at the same time in Bankai. Additionally it unlocks some new techniques, which are otherwise not usable in Shikai.