Hot take but byakuya should've died here

I understand how important he was later in the war.

The only reason i'm saying this, is that this would've become the ace or jiraya moment of the series.

the whole scene and setup was perfect!. the moment, the panels, the speech. Ichigo not saying a word and him finally letting go of his sword.

He would've given renji the torch making him the new captain of his division, by sacrificing his life for him, completing the circle of disrespecting renji, to nearly killing him, to trusting him enought to take care of rukia in the future.

I love byakuya, his character Design was the reason i started to read and watch bleach. But from a Story writing pov this was the perfect moment of a tragic death of a loved figure that has emotional weight to the characters in a meaningfull way..

Him and all the other captains surviving, felt like kubo tricking my emotions and removing some of the high stakes of the war..