User blog comment:Njalm2/The Beauty of Zanjutsu/@comment-18812574-20150410193452/@comment-18812574-20150410210602

Well, I am thinking that they ARE seperate, at least for a time, because you have to learn the name of your Zanpakuto, you have to communicate with it, you have to walk alongside it. If you were the same thing from the start that wouldn't be necessary. And remember how Zangetsu's one wish was to protect Ichigo or whatever? Which was seemingly in contradiction with Ichigo's one wish to gain power in order to protect Karakura town. At any rate...

The thing with the Bankai, yeah, that does make sense, although now it sounds like Mangekyo Sharingan, or something XD. I am thinking that a bankai comes from a deep need within a person's soul, and the manisfestation of a bankai would help them meet that need. If a need is never felt, they will never achieve bankai. Need could be anything. More power, protecting others, inner peace, but it would serve as the first step.

As for philosophy in application, mostly in regards to the "truth" thing. Like, it sounds great and everything, and I read Kenshin's article, but here is what I mean. It still shows up as techniques. Incredibly OP techniques, but techniques nonetheless. (No offense.) Just trying to find a way to rectify the philosophy of zanjutsu with how it would work in actual combat, without making the concept seem broken.