Medallion

The Medallion is a Quincy instrument distributed among select members of the Wandenreich, including every Sternritter. It functions as an application of Yhwach's Sankt Altar, and its purpose is theft: when triggered against a Shinigami's released Bankai, it strips that power away and lets the holder claim it, an act the Wandenreich term medalizing.

Each medallion is a thin metal disc about the size of a palm, stamped with the Wandenreich crest. Presented to an active Bankai nearby, it looses five ribbons of dark energy that dissolve the technique, drawing the remains into a ring that withdraws into the disc; the victim is left unable even to speak with their Zanpakutō. Asguiaro Ebern's version instead demands a drawn-out incantation and forms a star of energy before consuming the target's Bankai. The thief can call on the captured power at will, even after its original owner has died, though several limits apply. Only a sufficiently strong Quincy can truly control a stolen Bankai, it fights weaker than in its rightful hands, and its holder cannot activate their Vollständig while carrying it. The device also cannot take an Arrancar's Resurrección, since Hollow energy is toxic to Quincy, which opens a countermeasure: a Bankai laced with Hollow power through Urahara's Shin'eiyaku becomes poison to its captor and drifts back to its owner. Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai, already fused with Hollow power, is immune outright.

The medallions are the tools of Yhwach and his Sternritter. Yhwach himself seizes Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi, while his soldiers claim other captains' Bankai: Äs Nödt takes Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Bambietta Basterbine takes Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, BG9 takes Jakuhō Raikōben, Cang Du takes Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, and Driscoll Berci takes Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū. Asguiaro Ebern and Quilge Opie carry medallions without ever successfully stealing one.