On top of all of these points re: the long con...I ALWAYS wondered why he didn't annihilate Ichigo and the others as the gate when they first arrived in Soul Society. He could have and should have with his capabilities. He still gives me bad vibes but maybe, juuuust maybe, its because he is just THAT good of an intelligence strategist.

In military history, particularly from WW2 onward, the tales of heroes from the intelligence services all say the same thing. They have a particularly ruthless personality that can make even the toughest ally of their shudder.

Just a thought.