Updated on August 7, 2025: Added a full Bankai tier list. Note that for Shikai I'm only rating based on the base moves and for Bankai I take both the Shikai and Bankai moves into consideration.
I'll rank all Shikai and Bankai in Type Soul from best to worst according to the re-release buffs and nerfs and recent changes. Note that I'll be taking into account build combos with Hakuda, Speed, Kendo, etc., as well as combo potentials. Check out the Type Soul Shikai and Bankai tier list and guide below.
Table of contents
Type Soul Shikai Tier List
In this Type Soul Shikai tier list I ranked Shikais according to how powerful and oppressive they are when played at their maximum potential. This is why for some I assume you're mixing them with other builds like Hakuda/Speed/Kendo which I will recommend. It's also why you'll see some Uncommons in the S-Tier because their true combo (stun-lock) potentials are amazing when you learn how to chain them into other moves from the skill trees. Lastly, I'm heavily taking into account the recent buffs and nerfs so if a Shikai like Duality used to be SSS, note that now it's much weaker. More on that below as we take a look at each Shikai individually.
Rerolling Shikais: If you want to reroll your Shikai check out our Type Soul codes for free rerolls.
Resurrection: If you're a Hollow/Arrancar players check out our Resurrection/Segunda tier list.
Schrift: If you're a Quincy player check out our Schrift tier list.
S-Tier Shikai
| S-Tier Shikai | Notes |
|---|---|
 Benihime Mythic |
• The new rework is amazing with tons of true combo potential and works really well with Speed and Kendo builds • Stun combo potential with X and great defenses with C • Very flexible with great damage, good defense and combos |
 Ink Legendary |
• Has one of the best passives (Ink) in the game that reduces enemy damage and slows them basically discouraging them from going for true comboes • Apply the Ink passive with C (huge hitbox so aim behind to avoid block) and critical • X is a double attack where the first one disables half the enemy moveset and the second hit disables the entire moveset • Use X immediately after guardbreak for the best results • Incredible control of your opponent and you can get really tanky if opponents go for comboes while Inked |
 Theatre Legendary |
• The best noobstomper in the game because usually new to mid-experience players don't know how to counter Z and X which cannot be parried or blocked (You have to side dodge it) • C is an amazing counter move that true combos into Rising Swallow, Floating Strike and generally a lot of moves except into Unseen Blade which is a slight nerf • Good on a wide variety of builds |
 Flower Legendary |
• The Flower is so powerful since every time you land any Flower move you get an aura around you that deals really great damage • Z is a great combo starter due to the stun and X is huge damage and guardbreak • Finally C is great for repositioning and can extend your comboes • The damage effects just get boosted further with max expansion |
 Shinso Rare |
• S-Tier underrated option but I'm going to assume you're doing Shinso with Shikai Stasis since it's only competitive with it (The base crit is really weak) • This is a very versatile Shikai that has a ton of combos • Z is good for poking and canceling moves • X is a great counter that sets up other moves with a true combo like X into C • C does a lot of guardbreak and is a great mix up move at any point |
 Creation Uncommon |
• Incredibly high skill cap Shikai that relies on you learning all the comboes you can do with it • For example, ZM1 has hyperarmor on frame 1 that mini-stuns so you can use it to prevent a move or combo it into Floating Strikes/Fast Fang • ZM2 is a true combo starter like up close into Rising Swallow or mid-range into Bisection • X also true combos into a lot of moves like Fast Fang to extend your combo • C is good for combo starting and guardbreaking but also baiting out parries and you can just leave it down to always keep your opponent on their toes • Overall an incredibly good Shikai that requires a lot of practice |
 Weight Uncommon |
• Weight is actually really good now due to the damage and cooldown buffs as well as the passive application buff where everything applies it • Just stack up your passive and you get a free true combo from anything that pops the passive • A lot of the moves now have hyperarmor like X's second part can't be canceled • Overall a really powerful Shikai option now |
A-Tier Shikai
| A-Tier Shikai | Notes |
|---|---|
 Duality Mythic |
• The heaviest nerf Duality got which put it in A-Tier is that your cooldowns are now shared between stances so the Black C Shift no longer resets your CDs • Still, even though it doesn't do crazy damage due to cooldown resets as before Duality is still good due to the three ZXC guardbreaks on Black, it's just not S-Tier anymore • The White moves used to be OP when you could spam them but they're still decent now that there's no CD reset with Z being unpunishable |
 Ice Legendary |
• Z is really good if you play around distance since if you land the end of it you get an extra stun effect plus Z is really low CD • C is one of the best Shikai counters in Type Soul currently due to the massive damage it does • X is the only move that keeps Ice from S-Tier since it can be easily countered |
 Blood Legendary |
• There's a lot of mix ups and combos you can do with Blood with Z as your starter since the second part stuns • The C is a really fast reliable move • Overall it's a really good Shikai that combos well with itself and heals you if you keep landing the moves • It deals damage to you if you miss but note that this doesn't happen if you get blocked, parried or dodged. |
 Judgement Rare |
• The main tool of Judgement is that Z is quite powerful and allows you to stack another move right behind it to apply more pressure • Z into critical or eviscerate is really good • X's second part is a counter and deals more damage if you apply Objected with Z • C guardbreaks if you hit them with X's counter |
 Berserk Rare |
• Like Theatre this is a noobstomper because the Z move is difficult to block/parry and gets hyperarmor below 50% HP • That said X is easy to parry even with its flexibility for mobility or hyperarmor keeping Berserk from S-Tier • C guardbreaks • Berserk is perfect in A-Tier especially when you consider Unsealed Rage |
 Water Rare |
• Is really good with the recent Rei changes (Less overall rei/No accessories have Rei) since Water steals Rei on hit (Really good on a Speed or Kendo build to apply pressure) • Just combo moves with Speed/Kendo moves to steal reiatsu and keep applying pressure to drain your opponent • X and C combo into a lot of Speed/Kendo moves • It's not S-Tier because it's not OP and takes a lot of setup and combo practice |
B-Tier Shikai
| B-Tier Shikai | Notes |
|---|---|
 Snow Mythic |
• With the true stun, wind up and cooldown nerfs as well as the removal of hyperarmor (you can get parried) Snow isn't as good as it used to be • If you were a Snow veteran and know how to make the most of the moves with a Hakuda/Kido build you can still be decently competitive • Otherwise while it's decent, it just doesn't apply the same pressure as before with Kendo or Speed builds |
 Kyoka Suigetsu Mythic |
• The main weakness of Kyoka and the reason it's in B is that it's only good if you play around your clone and your clone doesn't always act optimally which can be annoying • Still, if you get lucky and your clone cooperates and isn't glitchy, you can pull of some amazing builds with Yamato • Use Sonata Flow and Flash Fang to stun enemies as your clone movestacks without getting killed • A big weakness is that your clone can get one shot in the first few seconds when summoning if the opponent plays smart |
 Zangetsu Rare |
• While Zangetsu deals great damage and has good guard break and ragdoll potential, the moves are a bit telegraphed and easy to parry • Overall it's a great noobstomper but you'll struggle against players who know how to dodge and parry |
 Assimilation Legendary |
• Used to be much better before they made the Absorb stacks only go to 50 which nerfed the ZM1 and ZM2 damage • Absorb is still good for making X move really good • That said the stun potential of both X and C also got nerfed so while you have a lot of options, they just don't as much damage and stun combos as before |
 Suzumebachi Legendary |
• While Z and C can do good damage they can be easily parried/dodged due to the slow/predictable windups • X is really powerful if you can land it and good for combo extension with Jump/Sonata or Jump/Crit |
 Fire Rare |
• Best combined with Hakuda or Speed to stay close to the opponent and apply pressure with Z ragdoll into other moves • With X and Hakuda, knock them up to blockbreak then go Reach to extend it • Overall a decent mid Shikai that requires other skill trees to be competitive |
 Lightning Uncommon |
• Z no longer has true stun combos with many of the skill tree moves • That said, it's still incredible for mobility and guard breaking with X and C • Easily punished if you miss |
C-Tier Shikai
| C-Tier Shikai | Notes |
|---|---|
 Ash Rare |
• Decent with a Hakuda build but overall isn't the most powerful in terms of damage and true comboes • That said, the X into the C move is a pretty good basic combo |
 Wind Uncommon |
• C is the MVP move here due to the long range AOE that can be used as an ender and combo starter • Decent damage but no OP synergy and combos |
 Poison Uncommon |
• Decent damage over time damage • Can still be viable with some build comboes • Due to the effects you can usually charge up another move |
D-Tier Shikai
| D-Tier Shikai | Notes |
|---|---|
 Confusion Rare |
• Confusion clones are way to easy to tell apart so you're not really confusing anyone • Z is horrible since it's a free punish if you mistime it • Overall gets countered by a lot of things, even something as simple as Kendo 50 • The counter is decent but doesn't save it |
 Shadow Uncommon |
• Overall doesn't synergize and combo into many moves that it used to combo before • While Confusion is at least good for its counter Shadow is probably the worst Shikai in Type Soul |
Type Soul Bankai Tier List
When it comes to the best Bankai in Type Soul I took into account the Shikai moves as well but overall the strongest ones are those that both boost the base moveset and give you OP stuff. Some Shikai become drastically more powerful with Bankai like Kyoka Suigetsu and some stay the same or become worse if they don't bring anything knew to the kit. Compare this with the Shikai tier list for the best results. That said, let's analyze each bankai in Type Soul individually.
S-Tier Bankai
| S-Tier Bankai | Notes |
|---|---|
|
Kyoka Suigetsu |
• The Bankai makes you a bit less reliant on your clone since the T is so OP dealing a flat third of the enemy's max HP in true damage and disabling flashsteps/moves • Speaking of OP the G move swaps health once with one opponent meaning you cain bait out damage on yourself to like 1 bar and then swap HP and do T to basically one-shot someone • Incredibly strong 1v1 and you should combine this with Yamato for one of the best 1v1 builds in the game right now |
|
Duality |
• While the Duality Shikai cooldown reset was removed for a massive nerf, you won't notice it in the Bankai since you'll have new moves like the hit-stun critical for chaining into other skills • T just makes you straight up immune to everything as you do it so it's great for combos but also dodging moves • G is also a great combo starter with its hitstun and ragdoll as well as the C which is just straight damage that you can M1 or critical from • A great 1v1 combo is to start with C then do X since the knock up will land them straight back into your C • Really powerful close-range 1v1 Bankai |
| Benihime |
• The moves all got a bit of a rework where the T now traps people around it to auto confirm the hit • The old G heal got moved to a passive that will heal you from time to time freeing up the G slot for an OP auto-track chain that stuns for a long time and true combos into your other moves • Overall amazing damage, true combo potential and sustain with great M1s to boot, easy S-Tier |
|
Flower |
• This is all about the T move that traps your opponent as swords pummel them from all directions for a hitstun combo starter and if they don't escape right away using something like Time Cut or Horizon you win • The T also boosts X and C to cover the entire area but deal less damage so it's really hard to parry • To top it off the G just stuns the enemy so you can M1 combo them, do X and C or any other move combo you want • The Shikai is S and the Bankai is another easy S |
|
Ink |
• You get a really great M1 and critical passive that summons a hand that ragdolls on M1s/Crits allowing you to combo start and combo extend • What's really powerful is the T move because it cuts off Reiatsu regeneration and makes their skills cost more which is incredibly powerful with the Rei nerfs for all races and no Rei accessories • The G just boosts the damage enemies take and has its range extended in T so you can hit it more easily • So much damage and Reiatsu debuffs with this one especially if you combine it with the Hyosube clan when your T is on cooldown for a broken dueling build |
|
Shinso |
• Shinso has some of the most hyper armor, true combos and mobility packed into one moveset • First up is the passive where you apply a mark with T and when they drop to 15% HP the mark turns red and it auto-executes them • T is a hyperarmor move that can stunlock and combo or end a combo • G autoexecutes enemies on 15% HP but is also otherwise a great mobility move • Z and C are also empowered in terms of range and better flexibility for combos • Overall a powerful moveset that's highly flexibile |
|
Zangetsu |
• While the Shikai is decent, the Bankai turns you into a massive damage machine with hyper armor and guard break moves all around • Every Shikai move gets boosted with damage, range and applies ragdoll for comboing • The T move is an amazing combo starter or extender into Z, X, C • G is amazing poke and zoning or for finishing your opponent from range and it stuns so if they get hit once they get hit by everything |
|
Water |
• Water just keeps doing Reiatsu steals with Bankai moves which is really strong due to the Reiatsu nerfs for all races • Your T is amazing for movestacking since it lasts a long time and keeps pulling enemies towards its center draining Rei and forcing enemies to parry • G is just another great damage and control tool that steals Rei • Also your Z X and C moves are boosted to spawn those movement hampering whirlpools • The moveset is generally A-Tier but I'm putting this into S-Tier since there's so many ways to steal Reiatsu which really hurts since there's overall less Rei regen and no Rei accessories (Combine with Hyosube clan to make players ragequit) |
|
Berserk |
• The Rushdown T move is really good for closing distance and starting combos since it has hyperarmor so it can't be parried • All your moves apply the Cripple effect and your gain stun/grab immunity with a short cooldown where you stun the enemy instead which is SSS Tier • G is amazing since it auto-teleports you to the enemy bypassing block for almost free damage • Overall Berserk has become a powerhouse with Unsealed Rage and all the damage you can do |
A-Tier Bankai
| A-Tier Bankai | Notes |
|---|---|
|
Creation |
• The Bankai adds more combo potential and a strong mechanic with the mark passive on all abilities that makes your ZM1 instantly teleport and do damage which is great mobility or extender • T is really annoying to deal with since it lasts a while a follows the opponent constantly applying pressure • G has three parts for combos where the first and second activations are hyper armor attacks and then the third is a stun attack that true combos into Rising Swallow, Floating Strikes, and pretty much any Kendo or other moves you want. • Overall Creation is really powerful but you really have to work for it and practice it to get the combos down while S-Tiers are usually a bit overpowered so that's why it's A-Tier |
|
Snow |
• Besides all your skills automatically being empowered while in Bankai, the G what you're here for because it's a long-range AOE damage ragdoll to chain into C or X and a bunch of other moves • The T just ragdolls everyone around you for starting combos but note that they can escape with stuff like Time Cut, Blooming Cut, etc. • The only problem I have with Snow is that while all moves are empowered the Z move you get is the iFrame damage move instead of the Z counter which I would prefer • Overall a really good Banaki for fighting multiple people but not as OP as the other S-Tiers in a 1v1 so I would give it A, especially because the Shikai is B |
|
Assimilation |
• Assimilation becomes much better in Bankai because your absorb cap goes from a locked 50 to 180 • The Z now deals massive damages when fully stacked up unlike the Shikai (I recommend ZM2 for the wide AOE) • The G both charges you up to 100 instantly, increases the cap to 300 and also makes you explode on death for massive damage which is amazing in teamfights and discouraging ganks so that the entire enemy team doesn't get blown up • The T deals massive damage and guardbreaks while also giving you 45 damage absorption to charge up Z faster • Overall a completely different deal than the Shikai and actually viable |
|
Weight |
• Weight Bankai really just builds on the already amazing Shikai that applies the stun passive • T and G are just great AOE damage moves to force enemies closer to you so that you can keep comboing them • Make sure to spam T and G only after you apply the Shikai passive stun to confirm the hits which is sort of like a true combo from Shikai skills • The Bankai isn't S-Tier because it doesn't really boost the base kit in anyway just adds two moves to it so A is perfect |
|
Suzumebachi |
• Every move gets empowered in Bankai like Z and X now apply a massive slow to cripple opponents making it really hard for them to fight you without a mode/mobility moves (they also ragdoll and have hyperarmor) • C is an amazing mobility move because it teleports and best of all you can do it twice • T is a massive damage grab with the bazooka but it's hard to hit so I recommend only doing it after you slow them with Z and X • Lastly G is just good ranged poke that has to be aimed |
|
Ice |
• Just going off the passives this is already a strong Bankai since you get auto executes on low HP targets turning them into bomb clones and you also Ice nearby players every 20 seconds setting up a stun and burst damage on three passive stacks (Moves also apply Ice stacks) • That's right, Z and X and Bankai moves will also apply the Ice passive making it easier for you to freeze enemies and proc burst damage on 3 stacks • T isn't a good engage since people can run out of it but it's great after a stun for more damage and an Ice stack • Now G is a decent combo starter since it teleports you and stuns allowing for a combo, especially if this procs the Ice passive 3 stacks |
|
Blood |
• Great M1s with T active and parry passive that ragdolls enemies allowing you to combo start off of it • G is also a great combo starter since if you hit with it which is really easy, you can reactivate it to ragdoll players and start a combo • Overall a great combo Bankai that also heals you but nothing too overpowered so it's perfect for A-Tier |
B-Tier Bankai
| B-Tier Bankai | Notes |
|---|---|
|
Theatre |
• Both the T and G are great damage with T setting up combos with its stun and G being a bit slow but guardbreaking • That said while the Shikai was a noob stomper the Banaki doesn't really improve the base kit so it falls behind a bit • The other Bankai have much better spammable options and usually improve the base kit • It's still B-Tier and not useless since the base Shikai kit is great, especially the counter, and T and G do good damage but it's not higher tier material when compared to the others |
|
Confusion |
• Confusion is a great defensive Bankai even though it's kind of weak damage wise • Your passive will place down a mark on the ground every 15 seconds saving your current HP, Rei and position that you can pop back to with T to restore anything if you've lost it which is really strong • The only damage option is G that auto tracks, deals okay damage and has iFrames allowing you to dodge moves • Lots of utility here even though it's not much damage so B-Tier is perfect since you'll have to look for damage in other Skill Trees |
|
Judgement |
• Judgement just sort of gives you new moves and more ways to apply your slowing and damage reduction debuffs • T is a reliable targeted burst damage tool while G is a multi-hit barrage of sustained damage • Overall with the Shikai works really well but isn't anything OP and experienced players will learn to avoid it so B-Tier is perfect |
|
Fire |
• Fire stays where its Shikai is at because similar to Judgement (but slightly better due to AOEs) it just gives you more ways to apply burn now with M1s and T • You also turn people you knock into Kyoka-like zombies by using your C, Z or T moves on them • The Bankai also comes with an improved flashstep that deals damage and a guardbreak knock up move with T that you can combo from • The G is also decent and is great for combo extending |
|
Wind |
• Wind is pretty decent gaining two new combo potential moves and a variant move with G+C dealing massive AOE damage with the explosion • The T move drops down a stunning tornado that you can movestack from since it lasts a while and can combo from it • The G is a great set up for other moves like T or C so overall while not massively powerful Wind is still decent |
C-Tier Bankai
| C-Tier Bankai | Notes |
|---|---|
|
Lightning |
• The Bankai allows you to basically steal mobility since your speed is increased while your M1s and Crits lower enemy move and swing speed and you also stun for longer • The G auto tracks and guard breaks for decent damage • The T is less reliable since it's stopped on a parry but basically you'll fire a chain lightning effect that lasts for a long time bouncing between your self and multiple people making it amazing in teamfights • If the T didn't stop on parry/block this would be an easy B-Tier moveset or higher |
|
Shadow |
• The blind effects from Shadow are a scam since they don't really work that well in practice • Still the T is usable since it stuns on hit • That said, Shadow is mainly used for the G domain where your HP is saved on entry and when it ends you revert to that HP but your opponents damage stays • As long as you don't die and manage to deal some damage to your opponent G is really good sustain • C-Tier is perfect since it doesn't really boost the base moveset but it has G with potential to be a good move |
D-Tier Bankai
| D-Tier Bankai | Notes |
|---|---|
|
Ash |
• Just like the Shikai Ash is underwhelming but not useless • The T is a melee mini stun pillar of damage that's decent for combos • The G is more of an ender due to the knockback but the base moves don't get imrpoved so this is quite meh |
|
Poison |
• Compared to B-Tier bankais which at least get really great moves or boost the base kit, Poison is just underwhelming • In the re-release meta of Commons and Rares being really great Poison is underpowered which honestly seems fair for the Common lower rarity • You can still do some decent DOT damage but the moves are just too telepgraphed, easy to dodge and easy to punish since you're standing still while doing some moves |
That's it for my Type Soul Shikai and Bankai tier list and guide. Check out the best clans in Type Soul for more guides.
The post Type Soul Shikai And Bankai Tier List (August 2025) appeared first on Destructoid.
