Bleach: Renji's Zanpakuto and Bankai, Explained

gamerant.com:

While still only the Lieutenant of Squad 6, Renji Abarai is easily Captain-class in strength, and is one of the few Lieutenants to have access to a Bankai in Bleach. That said, the true nature of his Zanpakuto, Zabimaru, was only revealed to him after he did a great deal of training.

espite not being a Captain unlike his wife Rukia, Renji is sure to be important as Tite Kubo writes more Bleach material, and therefore it's necessary for fans to understand the different forms of Zabimaru and why his true Bankai took so long to manifest.

Bleach: Yamamoto Genryuusai's Powerful Abilities, Explained

In its Shikai form, Zabimaru takes the form of an extendible, saw-like blade with many segments. The segments are joined by threads that extend Zabimaru's range drastically. While it can be used as a sword in its short form at close range, Renji typically wields Zabimaru like a whip. For a purely physical Zanpakuto, it has extremely high range, managing to push Ichigo back several meters with ease, and perhaps rivals Gin Ichimaru's Shinso as one of the longest Zanpakuto in Soul Society when fully extended. Segments of Zabimaru can be broken off, but Renji is still capable of using them as weapons with a technique called Higa Zekko. The broken pieces can levitate and gather around an opponent before firing all at once, creating a powerful attack. That said, Higa Zekko is a last-ditch attack, usually meant to take out enemies that let down their guard after breaking the blade.

After training with Kisuke Urahara, Renji acquired a Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru, which was eventually revealed to be a diminished form because Zabimaru had yet to trust Renji completely. Despite not being his true Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru is still quite powerful, easily