One of Bleach's most memorable villains is the bloodthirsty Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, ranking #6 among Sosuke Aizen's fearsome Espadas. Grimmjow likes to fight bare-handed and shoot cero blasts at his enemies, but he's also got a special zanpakuto in the form of a sword. When he draws it, carnage inevitably follows.
Grimmjow's zanpakuto, Pantera, does not have a shikai or a bankai. Instead, it's an Arrancar-style zanpakuto, meaning it embodies Grimmjow's original form as a Hollow. He took his time revealing Pantera's power, confident that he could defeat Ichigo Kurosaki bare-handed. Eventually, though, Grimmjow showed Ichigo and Bleach fans alike what Pantera is truly capable of in combat.
The Shape & Powers Of Pantera, Grimmjow's Fearsome Zanpakuto
The Arrancars' zanpakuto tend to vary wildly in shape, but Pantera is more like a traditional katana. Its sealed state could practically be mistaken for a Soul Reaper's zanpakuto at first. Grimmjow can use Pantera's sealed form in a sword duel with ease and has clashed against more than one foe this way. But if he needs more firepower, he can rake his fingernails along Pantera's blade and say "Grind, Pantera!" Doing this will release Pantera's true form, a rare example of a zanpakuto needing a special gesture to release.
Once Pantera is released, the sword itself vanishes. Grimmjow, already an agile and musclebound fellow, will become a sort of cat-person, echoing his days as a panther-like Hollow in the sands of Hueco Mundo. Pantera is like a suit that covers Grimmjow's entire body from the neck down, including a black collar resembling the shirt collar of his Arrancar uniform. Pantera's body is white with thin black lines, with clawed, feline paws for feet and long fingernails on Grimmjow's hands. In addition, this released form grants him a tail and a new shape of his Hollow mask, with much longer hair (not to mention enlarged fangs). Pantera's released form enhances Grimmjow's speed, strength and agility, but there's more.
In this form, Grimmjow can fire highly explosive mini-missiles called Gara de la Pantera from his elbows, with just one having the power to blow up a moderate-sized building. If that isn't enough to finish the job, he can use the Desgarron technique, where he swipes all ten fingernails through the air to form giant blades of energy. These blades will rush at the opponent and slash them to death, and Grimmjow himself has stated that Desgarron is his ultimate move. Only Pantera's released form is capable of such firepower in Bleach.
Grimmjow's Use Of Pantera In Bleach
Grimmjow didn't use Pantera's full power right away. During his first appearance in Bleach, he kept it sheathed as he pummeled Ichigo into submission during their first duel. Only after Ichigo fired a Getsuga Tensho did Grimmjow feel the need to draw Pantera. Before he could, however, Kaname Tosen arrived and ended the battle right then and there.
After Grimmjow lost his arm as punishment for acting out, he arrived in Karakura Town with Aizen's permission and faced Ichigo once again. This time he drew Pantera immediately and used its sealed form to duel the protagonist's bankai and Hollow mask. However, Pantera's sealed form wasn't enough to handle Ichigo in this state, and Grimmjow was on the back foot until Ichigo's mask shattered. He then used Pantera to pin Ichigo to the ground and would have finished him off if Rukia Kuchiki and Shinji Hirako hadn't arrived to help. Grimmjow wanted to release Pantera to fight them off, but Ulquiorra arrived and demanded that he return to Las Noches. In that regard, Grimmjow's second battle with Ichigo echoed the first.
Pantera's full power was finally revealed during Bleach's Hueco Mundo story arc, when Grimmjow got his final duel with Ichigo in Las Noches' vast main chamber. It was bankai vs Pantara's sealed form -- until Ichigo donned his mask. This was Grimmjow's cue to release Pantera, and his explosive speed and power slightly exceeded Ichigo's. It was a bitter and difficult battle, but after a point, Pantera's sheer power put Grimmjow in a position to claim victory.
At the last moment, Orihime Inoue called out to Ichigo, pleading with him to survive for her sake. This galvanized Ichigo's will, and he fought back against Pantera's powers with renewed vigor. That prompted Grimmjow to use Desgarron to regain the advantage, but incredibly, Ichigo resisted its power, shattered the technique, and landed the final (non-lethal) blow on Grimmjow.
