The action shonen anime Bleach kept ramping up the power levels until each fight became a fierce battle for survival. Plenty of heroes and villains have upped their game to keep pace, though even the strongest of them have since fallen. That means the question “who’s the strongest?” has a new answer every few episodes or so.
Already, a number of Bleach‘s top fighters have been de-powered or killed off, even members of the Schutzstaffel and the Gotei 13 Captains. Recently, powerhouses such as Pernida and Senjumaru have fallen, and even Ichibe Hyosube can no longer fight. Thus, the lineup of Bleach‘s strongest warriors has shifted once again. Fans must know who’s in that uppermost tier by the time the anime’s final cour unfolds this summer.
10
Askin Nakk Le Vaar is Deceptively Dangerous With His Poisons
Rank: Sternritter D
Askin Nakk Le Vaar may rank last among Bleach‘s top 10 warriors at the moment, but that’s no reason to take him lightly. He earned his place in the Schutzstaffel, or Yhwach’s personal guard unit, as the master of death and poisons. Askin can grant himself immunity to any attack or technique he’s been exposed to, a nifty defense no one else in Bleach can rival.
Askin can also attack the enemy in strange ways with The Deathdealing, such as adjusting the poison threshold of blood itself. If it weren’t for Tenjiro’s aid, even a fighter like Oetsu Nimaiya would have lost to this power. Now, Ichigo’s allies such as Yoruichi, Nelliel, and even Grimmjow will face this poisonous power for themselves.
9
Jugram Haschwalth Uses The Balance to Win Any Fight
Rank: Sternritter B
Yhwach only grants lofty titles to Quincy who bear truly extraordinary abilities or talents, Jugram included. He went from a boy without a bow to the commander of the Sternritter thanks to his swordsmanship and devotion to the Wandenreich’s cause. That infuriated Bazz-B to no end, with Bazz-B having more raw offensive power.
Jugram’s real assets are The Balance and the fact he can borrow The Almighty anytime Yhwach is asleep. With The Balance, Jugram can escape any harm by inflicting his injuries on his foe, which works against practically any technique. And of course, using even a partial version of The Almighty makes Jugram nigh-untouchable in a duel.
8
Sosuke Aizen is Scary, But Not the Endgame Boss He Once Was
Rank: Former Captain of Squad 5
Many episodes ago, the villain Sosuke Aizen was the Gotei 13’s greatest threat. His shikai, kido, genius, and the Hogyoku made him nearly impossible to stop, and even Kisuke had a tough time battling him. Now, Aizen has been humbled somewhat and is restrained as well, making him slip in Bleach‘s final rankings.
Scarily enough, Aizen is still one of the war’s most powerful combatants with the power of his kido and his spiritual pressure. He demonstrated this with the usage of a full-power Kurohitsugi, much stronger than the version he used on Captain Komamura in the original anime. And if Aizen can start using his zanpakuto again, he’ll be that much more formidable.
7
Shunsui Kyoraku’s Bankai is a Fearsome Story Come to Life
Rank: Captain of Squad 1
Captain Kyoraku has always been slow to use his full power in Bleach‘s story. It wasn’t until the Fake Karakura Town Arc when Kyoraku revealed the game-based nature of his shikai, and he refused to use bankai even when facing the Espadas. Now, Bleach viewers know how terrifying his bankai is.
Kyoraku’s bankai may have failed to kill the divine warrior Lille Barro, but its power is still evident. Kyoraku’s bankai weaves a tragic tale of lovers, one that ends in certain decapitation, and precious few Bleach characters could survive that. Aside from that, Kyoraku has centuries of experience guiding his swordplay and kido in any fight.
6
Kenpachi Zaraki is Nearly Unstoppable With His New Shikai
Rank: Captain of Squad 11
Kenpachi has been holding back for many years for the sake of savoring a fight, but Captain Unohana’s do-or-die training put a stop to that. At last, Kenpachi Zaraki uses his full power when the Gotei 13 needs it most, and it cements his place in the anime’s top 10 fighters right now.
Kenpachi’s shikai is more of the same, but that’s all he needs. Nozarashi is an oversized cleaver capable of slicing a massive, fast-moving asteroid, a feat Gremmy thought impossible. Backing up that mammoth power is Kenpachi’s famous bloodlust and unshakable willpower, the kind of will that defeated Gremmy in a psychological battle of wills.
5
Kisuke Urahara is the Special War Power For Tricks
Rank: None
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Kisuke Urahara uses a patented blend of kido, his zanpakuto, and his scientific genius to fight. It served him well against the Arrancars and Sosuke Aizen, and it earned him a place among the Special War Powers in Yhwach’s eyes.
Kisuke is already formidable, but soon, anime fans will see even more from him. Kisuke is poised to finally reveal his much-anticipated bankai, an incredible weapon that will even the odds against the Sternritter as the stakes reach their peak.
4
Uryu Ishida Uses The Antithesis to Defeat Even the Royal Guard’s Members
Rank: Sternritter A
It’s mostly the power of The Antithesis that makes Uryu Ishida, Ichigo’s friend, such a formidable survivor at this point in Bleach‘s story. With that Schrift, Uryu may reverse anything at will, which allowed him to inflict Senjumaru Shutara’s incredible bankai back on her. Without the Antithesis, the Schutzstaffel would have lost to the Royal Guard for good.
Uryu is also a creative Quincy warrior with a growth mindset and clever tactics to round out his arsenal. An anime-only example is Feder Zwinger, with which Uryu defeated Renji’s bankai in battle while dissolving So’o Zabimaru’s power. In theory, Uryu could do that to any Soul Reaper, but at this point, he will not.
3
Gerard Valkyrie is the Chosen Warrior of God
Rank: Sternritter M
Some members of the Wandenreich fancy themselves divine beings, and they often adopt an angelic appearance with the wings and halos of Vollständig. Gerard Valkyrie pushes this even further than Lille Barro did, declaring himself a warrior of God who has the heart of the Soul King inside him.
As anime-only Bleach fans are about to see, Gerard is nigh-unbeatable with this kind of power. With his Vollständig and The Miracle, Gerard can grow into an indestructible, unstoppable giant of war, the kind who shrugs off bankai. There’s only one thing that can take Gerard’s life, and the answer may surprise anime-only fans when it arrives.
2
Ichigo Kurosaki Has Mastered His Powers and Will Wield Them Against Yhwach
Rank: None
Protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki has come an incredibly long way as a shonen hero who has combined all of Bleach‘s spiritual powers in one being. He has a zanpakuto like a Soul Reaper, the blood of a Quincy, and an inner Hollow, and he refined those powers even more in the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc.
Ichigo once thought he had mastered his gifts via bankai, the Final Getsuga Tensho, and his Hollow mask, but he was wrong. Now, Ichigo can blend his Hollow and zanpakuto into one perfect weapon, the kind that ensures he will win against anyone except perhaps Yhwach himself. Ichigo feels confident he can end this war with the blade, and he’s not wrong to think so.
1
Yhwach is a Living Deity With the Soul King’s Powers
Rank: Sternritter A
While Bleach fans feel confident that Ichigo will win the day by the final episode, the fact remains that King Yhwach is still stronger than him. That’s been true from the start, with Yhwach reigning as the final arc’s most devastating warrior of all. His strength and Quincy techniques are enormous, and he has The Almighty on top of that.
Such powers allowed Yhwach to overcome Ichibe Hyosube in their incredible duel, but there’s still more. Most recently, Yhwach absorbed the Soul King, meaning he’s a living god of sorts who feels certain he can remake the universe at will. If it weren’t for Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, Yhwach would have been 100% right about his own unstoppable nature.
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
- Release Date
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October 10, 2022
- Network
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TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
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Tite Kubo
- Directors
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Tomohisa Taguchi, Mitsutoshi Satô, Hikaru Murata, Hodaka Kuramoto
