<p>The very last page of <em>Bleach</em> #668 gives a few clues.</p>

<p>Yachiru suddenly appears out of nowhere and says to Kenpachi:</p>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
  <p> Silly goose, if you would just use me properly, there wouldn't be anyone you wouldn't be able to cut down.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>She then touches him, which causes:</p>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
  <p> him to get a power boost, which he wonders about.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>She ends the exchange with explaining to him:</p>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
  <p> That power is what everyone's been calling "Bankai".</p>
</blockquote>

<p>All of these suggest the following:</p>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
  <p> Yachiru is Kenpachi's Bankai. He is unable to call out his Bankai anymore (he was never able to, consciously - the original appearance may have happened subconsciously), therefore, Yachiru is gone.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Alternatively:</p>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
  <p> Yachiru is his Zanpaktou spirit, again, one he has never been able to consciously communicate with. Though, I can't explain her disappearance if that were the case. </p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-04T17:19:33.490Z
WHo says he can't go bankai anymore? This is also all also explained if you instead say Yachiru is his Zanpaktou spirit.
Ryan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-04T17:21:47.907Z
@Ryan - he was never able to, consciously.
Oded
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-04T17:24:47.033Z
@Ryan and explaining her as his Zanpaktou spirit doesn't explain why she would suddenly be gone.
Oded
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-04T17:26:41.683Z
It does actually. she went back into his body, instead of being physically maifested 24/7. He was conscious and practically talking to Yachiru when he went bankai.
Ryan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-05T07:32:36.993Z
Did Yachiru knew all along who she was? if not do you know when she became aware?
Memor-X
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-05T07:39:02.523Z
@Memor-X - there is no indication anywhere that she did know or, if she did know, when she was aware. It stands to reason that she always knew.
Oded
CC BY-SA 4.0
2016-08-04T16:55:48.640Z
2018-07-08T11:18:29.023Z
2018-07-08T11:18:29.023Z
Oded
<p>It would most likely because that she is a Zanpakuto who had split herself and physically manifested as a spirit. Kenpachi and Coyote Starrk are similar as they have their souls/powers split resulting in Yachiru and Lilynette.</p>

<p>Like many people who already mentioned it, when Yachiru disappeared, she most likely fused back into Kenpachi's Zanpakuto just like Starrk did with Lilynette.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-17T04:21:46.430Z
Dont forget that when Lilynette was split she gained her own sword/ Zanpakuto so that could also be the case for Yachiru
Juke_Ninja
CC BY-SA 4.0
2017-08-17T04:19:44.053Z
2018-07-08T11:18:38.640Z
2018-07-08T11:18:38.640Z
Juke_Ninja
<p>Short answer: Yachiru is with Kenpachi; as his Zanpakutou's personality.</p>

<hr>

<p>Long answer:</p>

<p>I cannot cite manga pages and chapters but if you follow the story, you should remember these.</p>

<p>Yachiru has always been beside or around Kenpachi as a human. Kenpachi's Zanpakutou has never had a name. There was once when Kenpachi lay on the ground trying to ask his Zanpakutou what its name was; no response. Kenpachi's mode of fighting has been brutal which damages his sword.</p>

<p>Fast-forward to Yhwach's arc as Soul King, Yachiru makes Kenpachi know that the power he feels is what others call Bankai. This is after she fused with his Zanpakutou. </p>

<p>I believe Kenpachi would now be able to call out his Zanpakutou and her name would Yachiru.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T18:02:01.693Z
His Zanpaktou's name is Nozarashi. Yachiru is the name Kenpachi gave to the girl who did not tell him her name, and she accepted it. In truth, even if she told him, he wouldn't have been able to hear it. Shinigami do not name their Zanpaktou, and can not hear its name until they are ready. Kenpachi had already unconsciously suppressed his power and was not ready to hear its name at the time (beat Yachiru Kenpachi as a teenager which triggered the suppression, met the girl he named Yachiru as an adult).
Ryan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2016-09-09T14:56:40.850Z
2018-07-08T11:18:30.653Z
2018-07-08T11:18:30.653Z
Igbanam
<p>With the release of <em>The Thousand Year Blood War</em>, felt like rereading the manga.  In chapter 577, just before vanishing, she is recalling her first meeting with Kenpachi, personally, I think she might be caught in a time loop.</p>
<p>Meets Kenpachi, spends years with him till that final battle, thinks strongly about the first meeting, and since some residue of Gremmy's power was affecting her, returns to that original meeting as that Yachiru and repeats.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-18T23:37:47.117Z
Not sure how her thinking about the first meeting between them suggests a time loop.
Joe W
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-15T18:34:33.243Z
2023-08-19T15:03:12.737Z
2023-08-19T15:03:12.737Z
Donnyton
<p>Yachiru was Zaraki's true spirit. As for Nozarashi, it was the Zanpakuto of a dead Shinigami that Zaraki took the sword from. It's explained by Ōetsu Nimaiya.</p>

<p>Remember that Zanpakuto's real name is Asauchi. If he dies there, Zanpakuto and the spirit inside still reside there. So, Zaraki had two spirits.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-26T22:19:13.377Z
2018-01-27T02:47:35.223Z
2018-01-27T02:47:35.223Z
Terrance Stargell
<p>I think Yachiru is a physical manifestation of Zaraki's power. When Gremmy said that "he would imagine a world without imagination", Yachiru also vanished.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-11T20:49:30.317Z
2017-10-12T02:44:38.633Z
2017-10-12T02:44:38.633Z
Eli
<p>It isn't a matter of debate. Yachiru is his Zanpakuto spirit. Her talking about herself as his Zanpakuto is fairly evident. The manga shouldn't have to have her say, &quot;I'm your Zanpakuto, Kenny!&quot;</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-07T07:06:30.400Z
2022-02-07T09:57:10.010Z
2022-02-07T09:57:10.010Z
Nicholas Paul
<p>Yachiru is <em>not</em> Kenpachi's Zanpakuto or the spirit of his Zanpakuto. She is a Shinigami who has her <em>own</em> Zanpakuto as shown in her battle against Gremmy 'the Quincy who could make things he imagined real'. She is a soul from Kasajishi district of Rukongai. She may or may not have been near Kenpachi before he gained his Bankai as she disappeared immediately after seeing Kenpachi slice the meteorite.</p>

<p>The only reasons I have for Kenpachi seeing Yachiru before releasing his Bankai are:</p>

<ul>
<li>He may have only imagined her, or</li>
<li>His Zanpakuto might have taken the form of Yachiru as she is the only one Kenpachi ever listens to</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-14T07:50:07.550Z
Do you maybe have some chapter/episode numbers to go along with those statements?
Dimitri mx
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T18:07:01.153Z
Juke pointed this out in a comment, but Remember Lilynette? She was a physical manifestation of Stark's Weapon, and even had her own sword. Renji also showed that Zanpaktou manifestation is a requirement to learn Bankai around when both he and Ichigo were training to obtain Bankai.
Ryan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2016-10-14T06:32:05.273Z
2018-07-08T11:18:40.483Z
2018-07-08T11:18:40.483Z
Agent
<p>According to the <a href="https://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/Yachiru_Kusajishi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikia</a>, Yachiru disappeared leaving her belongings after the fight with Gremmy. She is said to be "gone" by Kenpachi in the penultimate chapter of the original series.</p>

<p>I use "original" because there might be extra chapters announced as the other big announcement.</p>

<p>So, what happened to her? Was she part of his Zanpakutou or something?</p>

<bleach>
What happened to Yachiru?
# What happened to Yachiru?
Posted by: username_0 on 2016-08-04
According to the [Wikia](https://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/Yachiru_Kusajishi), Yachiru disappeared leaving her belongings after the fight with Gremmy. She is said to be "gone" by Kenpachi in the penultimate chapter of the original series.

I use "original" because there might be extra chapters announced as the other big announcement.

So, what happened to her? Was she part of his Zanpakutou or something?
**Tags:** bleach
---
## 8 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2016-08-04. Score: 11
The very last page of *Bleach* #668 gives a few clues.

Yachiru suddenly appears out of nowhere and says to Kenpachi:

> Silly goose, if you would just use me properly, there wouldn't be anyone you wouldn't be able to cut down.

She then touches him, which causes:

> him to get a power boost, which he wonders about.

She ends the exchange with explaining to him:

> That power is what everyone's been calling "Bankai".

All of these suggest the following:

> Yachiru is Kenpachi's Bankai. He is unable to call out his Bankai anymore (he was never able to, consciously - the original appearance may have happened subconsciously), therefore, Yachiru is gone.

Alternatively:

> Yachiru is his Zanpaktou spirit, again, one he has never been able to consciously communicate with. Though, I can't explain her disappearance if that were the case.
> **Comments:**
> **username_2** (2016-08-04): WHo says he can't go bankai anymore? This is also all also explained if you instead say Yachiru is his Zanpaktou spirit.  
> **username_1** (2016-08-04): @Ryan - he was never able to, consciously.  
> **username_1** (2016-08-04): @Ryan and explaining her as his Zanpaktou spirit doesn't explain why she would suddenly be gone.  
> **username_2** (2016-08-04): It does actually. she went back into his body, instead of being physically maifested 24/7. He was conscious and practically talking to Yachiru when he went bankai.  
> **username_3** (2016-08-05): Did Yachiru knew all along who she was? if not do you know when she became aware?  
> **username_1** (2016-08-05): @Memor-X - there is no indication anywhere that she did know or, if she did know, when she was aware. It stands to reason that she always knew.  
---
### Answer by username_4 on 2017-08-17. Score: 5
It would most likely because that she is a Zanpakuto who had split herself and physically manifested as a spirit. Kenpachi and Coyote Starrk are similar as they have their souls/powers split resulting in Yachiru and Lilynette.

Like many people who already mentioned it, when Yachiru disappeared, she most likely fused back into Kenpachi's Zanpakuto just like Starrk did with Lilynette.
> **Comments:**
> **username_4** (2017-08-17): Dont forget that when Lilynette was split she gained her own sword/ Zanpakuto so that could also be the case for Yachiru  
---
### Answer by username_5 on 2016-09-09. Score: 4
Short answer: Yachiru is with Kenpachi; as his Zanpakutou's personality.

---

Long answer:

I cannot cite manga pages and chapters but if you follow the story, you should remember these.

Yachiru has always been beside or around Kenpachi as a human. Kenpachi's Zanpakutou has never had a name. There was once when Kenpachi lay on the ground trying to ask his Zanpakutou what its name was; no response. Kenpachi's mode of fighting has been brutal which damages his sword.

Fast-forward to Yhwach's arc as Soul King, Yachiru makes Kenpachi know that the power he feels is what others call Bankai. This is after she fused with his Zanpakutou.

I believe Kenpachi would now be able to call out his Zanpakutou and her name would Yachiru.
> **Comments:**
> **username_2** (2017-10-12): His Zanpaktou's name is Nozarashi. Yachiru is the name Kenpachi gave to the girl who did not tell him her name, and she accepted it. In truth, even if she told him, he wouldn't have been able to hear it. Shinigami do not name their Zanpaktou, and can not hear its name until they are ready. Kenpachi had already unconsciously suppressed his power and was not ready to hear its name at the time (beat Yachiru Kenpachi as a teenager which triggered the suppression, met the girl he named Yachiru as an adult).  
---
### Answer by username_6 on 2023-01-15. Score: 0
With the release of *The Thousand Year Blood War*, felt like rereading the manga. In chapter 577, just before vanishing, she is recalling her first meeting with Kenpachi, personally, I think she might be caught in a time loop.

Meets Kenpachi, spends years with him till that final battle, thinks strongly about the first meeting, and since some residue of Gremmy's power was affecting her, returns to that original meeting as that Yachiru and repeats.
> **Comments:**
> **username_7** (2023-01-18): Not sure how her thinking about the first meeting between them suggests a time loop.  
---
### Answer by username_8 on 2018-01-26. Score: -2
Yachiru was Zaraki's true spirit. As for Nozarashi, it was the Zanpakuto of a dead Shinigami that Zaraki took the sword from. It's explained by Ōetsu Nimaiya.

Remember that Zanpakuto's real name is Asauchi. If he dies there, Zanpakuto and the spirit inside still reside there. So, Zaraki had two spirits.
---
### Answer by username_9 on 2017-10-11. Score: -2
I think Yachiru is a physical manifestation of Zaraki's power. When Gremmy said that "he would imagine a world without imagination", Yachiru also vanished.
---
### Answer by username_10 on 2022-02-07. Score: -2
It isn't a matter of debate. Yachiru is his Zanpakuto spirit. Her talking about herself as his Zanpakuto is fairly evident. The manga shouldn't have to have her say, "I'm your Zanpakuto, Kenny!"
---
### Answer by username_11 on 2016-10-14. Score: -4
Yachiru is *not* Kenpachi's Zanpakuto or the spirit of his Zanpakuto. She is a Shinigami who has her *own* Zanpakuto as shown in her battle against Gremmy 'the Quincy who could make things he imagined real'. She is a soul from Kasajishi district of Rukongai. She may or may not have been near Kenpachi before he gained his Bankai as she disappeared immediately after seeing Kenpachi slice the meteorite.

The only reasons I have for Kenpachi seeing Yachiru before releasing his Bankai are:

* He may have only imagined her, or
* His Zanpakuto might have taken the form of Yachiru as she is the only one Kenpachi ever listens to
> **Comments:**
> **username_12** (2016-10-14): Do you maybe have some chapter/episode numbers to go along with those statements?  
> **username_2** (2017-10-12): Juke pointed this out in a comment, but Remember Lilynette? She was a physical manifestation of Stark's Weapon, and even had her own sword. Renji also showed that Zanpaktou manifestation is a requirement to learn Bankai around when both he and Ichigo were training to obtain Bankai.  
---
