User blog comment:Njalm2/The Beauty of Kidō/@comment-18812574-20141202075720/@comment-3403804-20141202193200

The differences between Kidō and Gintō lie primarily in scope, the latter category of spells typically deals with structuring reishi and reiryoku into solid, tangible forms. In a manner which is much less ethereal and more physical than most forms of Kido. If you consider Kidō Masters to be the force that dominates energy in it's rawest state, and guides it to their will, then Gintō Masters are architects. They create form out of nothing, and energy is used as building blocks, not as a fuel for powerful elemental attacks. A user of Gintō doesn't cast a spell, he sculpts a spell.

The difference is also rather marked in the sense that Kidō is pretty much superior to Gintō in pretty much every single way, indeed, it's only so very likely that the Quincy's art was used in furthering Shinigami magic after the war. Probably providing the basis for many binding spells.

Now on to your second question. No, I don't think Arrancar have any true answer to Kidō, their abilities are much more aggressive, but they lack variety as a general rule. I've attempted to make Grimmjow less susceptible to Kidō in my own ways, but I realize better than most how futile such a thing is in the end. Because of Shinigami magic alone, they possess an advantage in a war, and that advantage is tremendous versatility.

This is why It's so important that our Espada be written in great detail, and expanded heavily upon. Otherwise there's not really that much suspense involved in fighting Soul Society. The only advantage Arrancar have over Shinigami is sheer physical ability. Generally though, Kido is weak to high-speed attacks.