Since this is a contentious issue that has not been completely put to rest I am creating this thread. It will allow people to continue to discuss this topic without dragging episode specific threads off topic. Use the poll to allow everyone to get a quick summary of where people are leaning towards on this forum.

For my two cents, there are strong arguments on both sides. Yes, Kenpachi has said his sword is in unsealed state like Ichigo's. However, we know that even Ichigo could not unseal his swod despite his blade being chopped off until he found out its name.

So my official position is: I don't know.