Bleach Rukia Kuchiki Zanpakuto "Sode no Shirayuki" (Shikai)

Rukia's zanpakutō is named Sode no Shirayuki (袖の白雪 or 袖白雪, lit. "Sleeve's White Snow"). It goes unnamed until after the Soul Society arc in the manga, since she initially gave her shinigami powers to Ichigo. Its shikai command is "dance" (舞え, mae?).[7]

In its shikai, the entirety of Sode no Shirayuki, including the blade, hilt, and handle, becomes white. The tsuba turns to a circle and a white ribbon forms from the pommel. Sode no Shirayuki is regarded as the most beautiful zanpakutō in Soul Society in its release.[8] The weapon has control over ice, much like Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru, but it is used in a different manner. Like Kaname Tōsen's Suzumushi and Kisuke Urahara's Benihime, Sode no Shirayuki possesses more than one ability.

Sode no Shirayuki's abilities are labeled as "dances" by Rukia. With the command "first dance, white moon" (初の舞・月白, some no mai, tsukishiro?),[9] Rukia can create a circle of influence around her intended target and freeze everything within the circle from the ground upwards until it reaches the sky. The command "the next dance, white ripple" (次の舞・白漣, tsugi no mai, hakuren?)[10] fires a massive wave of ice from Sode no Shirayuki's blade. Finally, the command "third dance, white sword" (参の舞・白刀, san no mai, shirafune?)[11] allows Rukia to reforge her zanpakutō with ice particles if it is broken, piercing through objects in its path. After piercing its target, it continues to freeze any surrounding objects, including the battlefield.