It's still kinda something that this guy was secretly badass as in he could've been a captain he he wanted to. But that shouldn't be a surprise since he was the head captain's Lt for apparently a long time.

And i'm not gonna think about that Ichigo scene since it was so long ago. At that moment his character probably had nothing behind it at the time. Just like how TK shocked us by making the 2nd Lt. surprisingly useful.

It must've been a loooooong time, considering he mastered Bankai before Ukitake was even born :-p.

Where does it say Sasakibe mastered Bankai before Ukitake was born?

All that's been said is that he mastered his Bankai before Ukitake and Kyouraku, two of Seireitei's most promising graduates meaning the potential Sasakibe had could of been limitless if he wasn't so loyal to Yamamoto in his Lieutenant position.

Whoever translated it - at least on manga-reader - didn't do that line correctly. The line says that he achieved Bankai before Ukitake and Kyouraku were born.

Another manga-reader cock up? Because on there it only says he achieved it before Ukitake and Kyouraku.

I would of assumed Sasakibe was around the same age as Ukitake too, maybe younger as Ukitake and Kyouraku are students under Captain Unohana.

I think that's what it says. Someone else might have to chime in to make sure I'm not full of hot air. But that's what it looks like, anyways.

Where did you read that? I thought they were students under Yamamoto.

I thought so too. Maybe it's because they call her senpai/sempai that people think they were her students? But sempai can be someone older or someone you feel is superior.

Could of sworn I read it in a character book somewhere

Ukitake and Kyoraku trained under Yamamoto, and they were the very first captains under his command. Hence in the SS arc after the execution is interrupted, Yamamoto refers to them as his "finest students" or some such.

They refer to Unohana as their senior, even though she was made captain after them, so she might have just been involved with the 13 squads before them.

I looked around, and all it really says is that she has been Captain for over 300 years, at least. Both Ukitake and Kyouraku have been Captains at least that long as well.

I would've imagined Sasakibe being older than them. Not just doing bankai before them, but looking at him, he looks older looking than alot of them.

Exactly.