- Whip Mastery: What makes Renji so effective is the unique method in which his Zanpakutō works, in the fact that his Zanpakutō is more of an amalgamation of a whip and a sword. Renji is versatile because of this, and to effectively wield it is a testament to his skill. Renji has stated that his Zanpakutō is an extension of his body both his arms and legs and to that point he has used it in a variety of ways. He can use its extension ability to attack an opponent from behind or either the left or right without giving away the variation of his attack until it is too late. He has shown considerable skill in using his extension capabilities to entrap an opponent by surrounding him from various angles and then retracting in order to crush the opponent.
Kidō Practitioner: As a student at the Shinō Academy Renji showed poor skill in Kidō. He is skilled enough in the use of the level 31 Shakkahō spell that he can fire it without much trouble half of the time but in other instances it has exploded. Renji also has enough knowledge of Kidō to manipulate it for purposes other than fighting, such as using Shakkahō as a light in one of the dark corridors of Las Noches. However, he is only able to create a small light without chanting.
Enhanced Strength: When he swings Zabimaru toward Ichigo in their second fight he is able to easily toss him into the air, and subsequently push him through an entire building about a dozen meters away, with relative ease.During the fight with Szayel Aporro's unique Fracción, Renji protects Uryū from a direct punch by one of the stronger Arrancar using both hands, and throws him aside.Later, by spinning Zabimaru above his head, Renji is able to cause enough force to generate a whirlwind, blowing all of Szayel's Fracción several yards despite their massive size. Szayel commented that he was using "brute force."
Enhanced Durability: During his fight with Byakuya, he is hit directly by every blade from SenbonzakuraKageyoshi, and when he continues to fight he is pierced by five more blades. Even after such terrible damage he makes a last ditch effort attack, almost piercing Byakuya with Zabimaru, and finally falls defeated.
High Spiritual Power: Being a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, Renji already had a high spiritual energy. Upon learning Bankai, this power increased on a scale from 5-10. Rukia even comments after feeling his defeat that it was so high, she could not recognize it until it decreased which caused it to become more familiar to her.
Zanpakutō
- Shikai: Zabimaru's Shikai command is "Howl" (咆えろ, hoero; "Roar" in the English dub). In its Shikai, Zabimaru transforms into an even longer 6-part segmented blade; each segment is wider than the one preceding it from the hilt with 2 pick-like protrusions on the front and back of each segment, with the ones on the front much longer than the ones at the back. Zabimaru's segments grow in number almost without limit. The segments are connected by a stretchable thread, making Zabimaru more useful as a whip than an actual sword, though it can serve as a regular sword just as easily, thanks to Renji's swordsmanship. Zabimaru's guard and handle remain the same in its Shikai release. While Zabimaru can be stretched to incredible lengths in its whip form, Renji has a limit of three consecutive attacks before having to bring the segments of Zabimaru back together for recovery - which makes him fairly vulnerable during the time interval. To make up for this, Renji usually relies on Shunpo for evasion as he retrieves Zabimaru's segments.Renji's Shikai, while durable to an extent, can ultimately sustain serious damage the longer the fight drags on. While it can withstand dangerously prolonged combat, it has limits in enduring high-level attacks that are conducted by either the enemy or by Renji himself. Because of these many drawbacks, Renji states that out of all the other Zanpakutō wielded by the other lieutenants, Zabimaru is the most difficult to master.
- Shikai Special Ability: Zabimaru has a special technique rarely used known as:
- Higa Zekkō (狒牙絶咬, Bite of a Broken Baboon's Fang; Viz "Baboon Fang Bite"): Renji can also use his spiritual power to take the disconnected/broken segments of Zabimaru and levitate them into the air, allowing him to execute a one-shot omnidirectional attack, but states that it is damaging to Zabimaru and leaves Renji defenseless.Byakuya later comments that using this technique will prevent him from reactivating his Shikai for an unspecified duration.
- Bankai: Hihiō Zabimaru (狒狒王蛇尾丸, Baboon King Snake Tail; Viz "Baboon King"): transforms Zabimaru into a massive version of its Shikai form resembling a skeleton of a snake. Zabimaru gains many more segments, which are much larger resembling a mix between a snake’s vertebral column and the pick-like protrusions of his Shikai segments, and it also gains a snake-like head about the size of a small car. Renji is also slightly transformed, gaining a fur cowl around his neck. The cowl appears to be the fur of an ape and thus, the ape's skull could be seen over Renji's left shoulder while the rest of the fur extends to cover his right arm. Zabimaru itself, in Bankai form, does not literally "cut;" Renji usually catches his opponent with the snake-head of his weapon and smashes his opponent into the ground with it. The head has also proven capable of inflicting heavy damage through biting.
- Bankai Special Ability: Zabimaru also gains special techniques when in Bankai form such as:
- Bankai Reconstitution: Unlike its Shikai, Zabimaru's segments are held together by Renji's spiritual power, allowing him to separate and reattach them at will.The segments themselves are extremely tough, making it extremely difficult to destroy Hihiō Zabimaru. Even if a segment is damaged, knocked off, or even destroyed, Renji can simply detach it and reform (or reconstitute) Zabimaru.
- Hikōtsu Taihō (狒骨大砲, Baboon Bone Cannon): The technique fires a dense blast of concentrated spiritual energy from Zabimaru's mouth. The technique costs a substantial amount of energy from Renji which usually causes an aftermath that breaks the segments out of formation.
- Enhanced Higa Zekkō: He can also use a much more powerful version of Higa Zekkō, where all the segments detach, glow and sharpen using spiritual energy. They surround the opponent and execute an omni-directional attack of blades of spiritual energy. After use of this attack Hihiō Zabimaru reconstitutes itself.
- Reiatsu ropes: Renji can separate his Bankai segments and use them to surround his opponent. By linking the segments together again with his reiatsu, Renji is able to bind the target. He uses this technique on Yammy Llargo, but it is easily destroyed by him.
