Technically the mask was the same deal as the bankai (THAT one at least, not that screwy new one...), though granted the issue is that Ichigo's bankai of late isn't operating anywhere near the level it should be, which I'd agree with. As in his bankai is being shown to be the equivalent of a majority of the captains with Shikai by association, and a few more without even that tops. The point in which he can't do crap against the Sealed forms of espada around the level that other captains are keeping up with rather easily without their bankai's.
And really, you know it's especially bad when Orihime can follow, react to, and more importantly block a blow his Bankai can only just barely perceive at the last second. A bankai that specializes in high speed combat... outpaced by a human girl with no speed feats to her name, and despite her god like abilities also never had anything that increases her perception to that kind of level remotely... >>
Edit: Further while Timewave is correct in that Ichigo is at least on a similar level, in all honesty he lost to both Byakuya and Kenpachi, although in such a way that you could argue a draw. What he really won in both fights was a victory through ideals by the repetitive notion of symbolism through the 'blade'.
Of course given the power boost he gained after defeating Kenpachi, he SHOULD be able to win now, though Nnoitra being cut by Kenpachi without taking off the patch when Bankai Ichigo couldn't do crap (while FULL STRENGTH mind thanks to Kubo's Cloak Retcon, though granted I wouldn't apply it to anything prior than the exact instant it was introduced but it's hilarious to see how it screwed things up further for the power scale) would heavily contest with that, even ignoring that Kendo BS.
