how does she feel about yamamo vs shunsui being captain-commander? which does she prefer? if she had been offered the job would she take it? even though i'd assume it's a step down from the royal guard.
Shutara has a deep respect for Yamamoto. With regards to my headcanons about how the Gotei 13 and the Seireitei were formed, she followed him before either actually existed. And for all she gripes about how things have gone downhill over the years, there isn’t anyone among its current Captains who would have been more suitable to lead at the time.
As for his replacement, she thinks Shunsui was the only logical choice. Even if they hadn’t perished, considering the other two oldest Captains: Yachiru ( as she still thinks of her ) lost some of her respect since stepping down from the 11th. Ever since then, she’s never regarded any subsequent Kenpachi the true holder of the title. By denying her successors the opportunity to kill her in battle, she ensured that none of them would ever measure up to the title. Even beyond that, though, Shutara very much believes you should stay in the place where you belong. Yachiru was clearly meant to be Kenpachi, she was wasting her talents turning to healing instead. Ukitake simply didn’t have the strength.
That leaves Shunsui. There are aspects of him that she thinks will lead him to be a good Captain Commander. He may not always want to, but he will make the hard decisions required of him ( such as freeing Aizen ). There is also something about him, I think, that suggests he’s willing to play dirty, which is something Shutara appreciates. Yamamoto strikes me as the type to prefer a more honorable type of battle, even if it might have been to his detriment.
Now as to which she’d prefer, it’s hard to say. She’s seen 2,000+ years of Yamamoto commanding, and Shunsui’s only had a decade as of the end-of-the-manga time-skip. It would also have to depend on what time you’re talking about. No person is going to suit every time period. Shunsui had had Yamamoto’s guidance, and he’s a product of his own generation, so he’s going to be more suited to lead in the years ahead because he has a new perspective.
She, herself, would not have accepted the position if it was offered to her. Like I said above, she has this mindset where everyone has their designated place, and they belong there. Hers is the Royal Guard. Returning to Soul Society would be like stepping down a rung. She wouldn’t be reaching her fullest potential there, even though I’d argue she’d be doing a lot more as Captain Commander than as a Royal Guard. But on a cosmic scale, his protection is most important because without him it all falls apart.
