Family is an important element for many Bleach characters. Even when family relations don’t directly matter to the plot, plenty of characters have siblings around, especially the Soul Reapers. Yoruichi Shihoin has a little brother, and it isn’t a total surprise. For one thing, she’s a part of a major clan in Soul Society, and those families can take care of multiple children. Plus, she was never supposed to be clan head, so her brother was implied to exist because of that fact alone. Yushiro Shihoin has been a background character for a fair part of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, and he’s finally reunited with his sister.

Unfortunately, his reunion and attempt to help Yoruichi hasn’t gone well for him. While Yushiro is clearly a talented fighter and able to hold his own against many enemies, he’s nowhere near powerful enough to fight a Sternritter, let alone one of Yhwach’s Elite Guard. Askin Nakk Le Vaar has staggered essentially everyone he’s faced so far. Even if he didn’t finish his opponents off, that’s not because of a lack of ability. As far as the audience can tell, Yushiro is dead. In his eagerness to prove himself to his sister, he bit off more than he could chew and paid the price. Now, Yoruichi is fighting not just out of necessity, but out of a desire to avenge her brother.

Yushiro Has Always Idolized His Older Sister in Bleach

Yushiro Had One Goal in Mind: Find and Help Yoruichi

Yushiro has had only one goal since his debut. He just wants to find and support Yoruichi in any way that he can. He’s been continuously dismayed over the fact that she’s gone ahead with Ichigo Kurosaki’s group and has her own goals. It’s easy for him to be led around by the idea of getting to meet up with Yoruichi, and he isn’t causing any problems.

However, his priorities were very obvious, and no one was actually expecting him when he showed up. He immediately splits off to find Yoruichi when the Soul Reapers have access to the Soul King’s Palace. He keeps putting his eagerness ahead of his senses and doing things like jumping off a building and nearly falling to his death without thinking it through.

Yushiro openly admires his sister. He has mimicked her fighting style as much as he could, and he wants to show her what he’s learned from her. When he does finally meet up with Yoruichi, he tries to take on Askin by himself. His overall goal is to impress her. Yushiro holds Yoruichi up to a very high standard, and he doesn’t seek to surpass her.

Instead, she seems to be his most prioritized source of validation. It’s implied that the two don’t see each other often because of Yoruichi’s banishment and the sheer time she spends in the world of the living. So, he clearly tried to make the most of the time he had with her. However, his impulsiveness doesn’t serve him well.

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Yushiro Learned Everything He Could From Yoruichi

Yushiro is a Quick Learner and a Good Student

When they spend time together, Yoruichi teaches Yushiro her abilities. He has copied her fighting style more than any of her students. That may have to do with them being siblings, as they both share Shihoin clan traits that Yoruichi maximizes the use of. In using her abilities, Yushiro doesn’t actually use a zanpakuto. He might not actually have one if he never joined the Court Guard Squads.

That makes him especially suited to Yoruichi’s techniques. While she has a zanpakuto and even bankai, Yoruichi finds that she’s stronger without using it as most of her techniques are open-hand skills. The biggest thing that Yushiro has learned from his sister is shunko. By mixing hakuda and kido, Yoruichi strengthens herself and surrounds herself in energy.

This both makes her more durable and can damage opponents. For her, shunko looks like lightning. Yushiro’s shunko is different as his looks like fire instead. Notably, this technique is most useful when combined with a lot of speed, which both these characters specialize in. Yushiro impressed Yoruichi by how fast he learned and master shunko. The only other user of shunko is Soi Fon, who developed it independently after Yoruichi mastered it. Her shunko is made of wind.

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Yoruichi’s Earned Her Place as Clan Head & Captain

Yoruichi Has Accomplished a lot

Not much about Yushiro’s accomplishments has been shown off. While he is the current head of the Shihoin clan, and that’s an important role, nothing about how he leads has been shared. Traditionally, the head of the Shihoin clan is also the Head of Onmitsukido (Stealth Force). Historically, the Onmitsukido are a separate organization from the Court Guard Squads. However, Yushiro hasn’t been confirmed to actually be a Soul Reaper, so he can’t hold those positions.

He doesn’t actually have a legacy of his own, and he doesn’t seem to care about establishing one. Instead, his focus has been on his sister. However, he must do something as clan head that simply hasn’t been explored in the story. Yoruichi was never supposed to be clan head. She is the first ever woman to be clan head and therefore Head of Onmitsukido. Yoruichi also became the Captain of Squad 2, tying the Onmitsukido to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads from that point on.

Yoruichi is incredibly strong, and she only gave up her place in Soul Society to save Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi and the Visored. Her title of Goddess of Flash just goes to show how skilled and respected she still is despite defecting. Ginrei Kuchiki once asked her to train Byakuya Kuchiki. Not only did she free the Visored, Urahara and Tessai on her own, Yoruichi has also been sneaking in and out of Soul Society for over a century with no problems.

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Yushiro Doesn’t Match Up to Soi Fon or Ichigo

Yoruichi Has Taught Many Students in Bleach

Yushiro isn’t the only student Yoruichi has taught. She spent some time teaching Byakuya, even though she seemingly never took him on as a formal student. Soi Fon is the closest thing Yoruichi has to a true heir. While Yushiro does his best to mimic Yoruichi exactly, Soi Fon uses those same skills differently.

She’s also the person who took up Yoruichi’s responsibilities after she left Soul Society. Soi Fon took over the Onmitsukido in an unprecedented move, but she’s clearly a good fit for the role and for her captain’s seat. Yushiro doesn’t hold a grudge against her, either. Soi Fon creates her own techniques and innovates in her own fighting style, and she’s clearly become strong.

Being in the human world didn’t stop Yoruichi from picking up even more students. Ichigo is by far her most powerful student. While he doesn’t fight like her at all, he learned shunpo and speed from Yoruichi. That was a key aspect of his original bankai. Plus, Chad, Yasutora Sado, and Orihime Inoe are both her students, even if they don’t fight like her at all. While those two are both Fullbringers, they originally learned how to use their powers from Yoruichi, and the whole group trusts Yoruichi to lead them.

Yushiro may be the best at mastering Yoruichi’s techniques, but he isn’t anywhere close to the level of power or accomplishment as any of the other people Yoruichi has taught yet. Yoruichi and Yushiro have a decently close sibling bond, but they are living two very different lives. Yoruichi is one of the most respected members of Soul Society and has a reputation that outlasted defection. Yushiro just wants to prove himself to his sister. He lives with the impact of her choices. Now, Yushiro has made bad decisions in order to achieve his goal. He has failed, dying in front of his sister and leaving her with an incredibly powerful opponent to deal with.

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Release Date

October 10, 2022

Network

TV Tokyo

Showrunner

Tite Kubo

Stream

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