At this moment—
In the outskirts of Karakura Town, within an abandoned warehouse…
"Tsk tsk tsk, Kisuke Urahara, that sly old fox. He finally got his moment in the spotlight. I always suspected he was hiding his true strength…"
On a rusted, iron-laden rooftop—
Shinji Hirako hung upside-down, his bowl-cut head dangling as he gazed down.
His face, peeking out from beneath his signature hairstyle, was full of unconcealed envy.
Through the transparent screen projected at the center of the warehouse, the Visoreds were watching the ranking video unfold.
Unlike Urahara, who always kept things close to the chest, Shinji—ever the laid-back type—didn't overthink it.
He was simply awed by the shopkeeper's cool performance.
"That bald bastard! You're not wrong—Kisuke Urahara did look pretty badass in that video! But let's not forget, the ranking's only just begun. There are still fourteen open spots!"
"If he made the list…"
"Then why shouldn't we?"
Hiyori Sarugaki crossed her arms with a huff, her petite frame puffed up in defiance as she tilted her chin arrogantly.
In her mind, there was no way she was inferior to Urahara.
Sure, she had to admit—
That fully chanted Hadō #91 was seriously badass.
But the Visoreds had their own trump card—Hollowfication.
That's right.
Hiyori firmly believed that—
As long as they had the chance to showcase their Hollowfied powers…
The Visoreds definitely deserved a place on that leaderboard!
Not far away—
Kensei Muguruma was drenched in sweat, casually lifting dumbbells as he spoke with full confidence: "Hiyori's right. When it comes to seniority and power, I don't think I'm any weaker than Urahara. I'm definitely making the top fifteen…"
"Totally agree!"
Love Aikawa, Rose Otoribashi…
Even the humble and honest Hachigen Ushōda—the former Vice Chief of the Kidō Corps—nodded in agreement.
The entire Visored crew…
Firmly believed that their names would be among those revealed in the rankings to come.
And right then—
The paused screen resumed playing.
New text appeared.
The next segment of the ranking had begun!
[NO.14]
[Noble Pride: Byakuya Kuchiki]
——
"…Huh?"
"Byakuya Kuchiki…? Why does that name sound so familiar?"
"Idiot! That's Ginrei Kuchiki's grandson!"
"No way! That brat from over a hundred years ago, the one still wearing open-crotch pants while practicing sword swings? He made the list?!"
"Exactly! I don't buy it!"
…
As the words appeared on-screen, the Visoreds stared in disbelief, struggling to accept the results.
In their memories—
Byakuya was a gifted prodigy.
Under the full backing of his grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki—the former Captain of Sixth Division—young Byakuya had been viewed as the future of the Kuchiki Clan even in his childhood.
But still…
Potential doesn't equal strength.
Even with all that talent and all those resources—
There's just no way he could've leapfrogged to the top fifteen Shinigami in just a century.
It just didn't make sense!
"Could it be a mistake?"
Shinji blinked, trying to justify the result with a forced laugh. "Probably just the video creator messing with the viewers for laughs."
"Could be!"
"That Byakuya guy… I think Yoruichi mentioned he's the current Captain of the Sixth Division, right?" Kensei scoffed, his expression full of disdain as he dropped the name. "If he was really that strong, Yoruichi—his former mentor—would've been bragging about him non-stop. No way she'd keep that under wraps."
"I don't buy it! This ranking feels way off!"
"I want to see what makes that kid so worthy of a spot on this list!"
…
The warehouse was in an uproar.
These seasoned captains from a hundred years ago couldn't accept it.
Byakuya Kuchiki? Ranked fourteenth?
Ha!
On what grounds?
——
At the same time—
Within the ranks of the Gotei 13, the reaction was just as explosive.
Eleventh Division.
"You've gotta be kidding me. Byakuya Kuchiki? That emotionless pretty boy made the cut?"
Dressed in his white haori and black shihakushō—
Kenpachi Zaraki stood with arms crossed over his chest.
His scar-covered, fearsome face twisted into an expression of utter disbelief.
And to be honest—
He was already a little salty about the previous ranking.
After all…
Kisuke Urahara had earned his spot through the impressive display of a fully chanted Hadō #91.
But to Kenpachi—the undisputed king of close combat—Kidō was nothing but a bunch of flashy nonsense.
In his worldview—
Only sword swings and raw slashes mattered.
Everything else? Just cheap tricks.
And now, on top of that—
Byakuya had made the list?
Kenpachi couldn't help but feel like the whole thing was a joke at his expense!
"Heehee, Ken-chan, don't be like that. Byakuya is a captain, after all. You make it sound like he's a total weakling."
Perched on Kenpachi's shoulder like a porcelain doll, Yachiru Kusajishi giggled as she counted on her fingers.
Then another voice chimed in from the couch near the wooden table:
"Yachiru, I get where the Captain's coming from. Honestly… I feel the same."
A bald-headed Ikkaku Madarame furrowed his brow.
"I mean… sure…"
"As Captain of Sixth Division, there's no doubt Byakuya's strong. But if I recall correctly, he doesn't even know any Kidō above #90, does he?"
"And besides…"
"The Head Captain, Kyoraku, Ukitake, Unohana Retsu… I can rattle off names of several captains stronger than him without breaking a sweat."
"No offense, but…"
Ikkaku added with emphasis:
"Among all the captains, Byakuya doesn't even rank in the top half, does he?"
His argument was solid.
There wasn't a single flaw to be found.
To Ikkaku, Byakuya was certainly powerful—but definitely not elite.
"You're forgetting something, Ikkaku…"
Yumichika Ayasegawa fluttered his lashes, his voice silky and poised: "There are fifteen spots on this list. Even counting Urahara, there's still plenty of room for thirteen captains to appear."
"So I'd say the ranking's fair."
"I'd guess the rest of the list will just be more captains."
That was Yumichika's take on things.
To him, this ranking was clearly tailored to highlight the Gotei 13's captains.
As for anyone else?
At this point in time—before Aizen's betrayal—Espada and the Visoreds hadn't even entered the picture. So from his perspective, the captains were unquestionably the strongest characters around.
"Let's just keep watching…"
"Maybe Byakuya's been hiding his strength all these years," Kenpachi muttered, doing his best to be patient.
Honestly, he didn't care whether Byakuya made the cut or not.
The King of Slashes was more concerned with whether the video would speed up.
Ideally? He wanted to fast-forward straight to his part.
At that very moment—
The screen shifted again!
The next scene showed a rugged, battle-scarred landscape—evidence of massive destruction everywhere.
Clang!
Zanpakutō clashed, sparks scattering into the air.
"Shinigami… I'm sick of your emotionless face. Bankai versus Bankai—you've got no edge left!" Clad in black, Ichigo Kurosaki, eyes blazing, gripped Tensa Zangetsu tightly.
Standing opposite him—
Byakuya stood tall, prideful as ever.
Surrounding his body—an explosion of vivid, glowing pink petals.
"It's here!"
"A fight scene, just like I thought! But… wait a sec, that background—why does it look so familiar?" Ikkaku squinted, muttering to himself.
"It's not just familiar… That's clearly Sōkyoku Hill," Yumichika confirmed with certainty.
---
Author's Note (TN): For clarity, the power levels in this ranking take into account feats from the Thousand-Year Blood War arc—i.e., the battles against the Wandenreich. So the characters' strength reflects their later-stage development, not just their early appearances.