User blog:Tycio/white sword and Star Wars

San no mai, Shirafune and Star Wars
The tactical benefit here to which Rukia uses it seems to kind of resemble w:c:StarWars:Trakata in that by just holding a handle a foe is unable to parry the sword: indeed in this instance he doesn't even know the handle can become a sword.

Here it seems less versatile though since Rukia takes longer to make the sword than it does to ignite a lightsaber: with accompanying warning signs like her chanting the name of the dance and seeing ice crystals form in the air prior to the sword.

Chapter 268 and Chapter 300 are the two listed uses of the ability (were there any others?) but manga doesn't always give a clear sense of "activation timing" of an ability so I'd need to check the anime adaptations for that: episode 160 and episode 197.

It occurs to me that Rukia might be capable of using this faster than she does against the 9th Espada since she's wounded/tired and has trouble focusing, and maybe hadn't practiced it in a LONG time due to not having access to her sword (Ichigo using it) or having broken her sword. Once she's non-fatigued and in practice again it might be possible to reform the sword faster and maybe even do it without saying the words of the dance aloud?