Bleach takes place in a world where humanity is protected by mystical warriors known as Soul Reapers, including series protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki. Throughout Ichigo’s story, he encounters plenty of friends and enemies along the way. Here are the ten strongest characters in Bleach, ranked from weakest to strongest.
The 10 Strongest Bleach Characters, Ranked
10. Kisuke Urahara
One of the more deceptively powerful characters in Bleach is Kisuke Urahara, who is something of a casual genius and technological wizard, but no slouch when it comes to fighting or using his spiritual energy. Urahara devises a number of gadgets that prove invaluable towards helping the Soul Society, including advanced armor and vaccines against the corrosive substances the Soul Reapers encounter. However, Urahara is also a gifted warrior, able to best even Ichigo during a sparring session between the two.
Urahara uses his spiritual energy in a number of innovative ways, both defensively and as a means to distract and divert his opponents. Urahara’s Zanpakutō (a spiritually bonded weapon that can channel his energy) is concealed within a cane that is on hand at virtually all times. Urahara uses his Zanpakutō to create powerful energy constructs in combat and, through his Bankai or upgraded Zanpakutō, can rearrange matter, which he has used to heal himself.
9. Jugram Haschwalth
The most trusted associate of the evil Yhwach is Jugram Haschwalth, who serves as the villain’s advisor and steward whenever Yhwach is indisposed. More than just a tactical genius, Haschwalth is a gifted warrior in his own right, with unique spiritual powers that make him especially deadly. Like Yhwach, Haschwalth can share his soul energy with others, making any battle where he’s not alone far more dangerous than anticipated.
Just as Yhwach’s other soldier Gerard Valkyrie can improve his own luck, Haschwalth can affect others’ bad luck and does so to give himself an edge in a confrontation. Whenever Yhwach goes to sleep, he shares his supreme power with Haschwalth in his stead, giving Haschwalth precognition, though not to the same time-manipulating level as Yhwach. Through his mastery of his soul energy, Haschwalth can create shadowy portals linked to the Royal Realm, which helps him in battle and facilitates coordinated assaults with Quincy troops.
8. Kenpachi Zaraki
Kenpachi Zaraki comes from a particularly rough-and-tumble background, learning how to fight and kill while he was still a young boy in the lawless District 80. In contrast to many of his peers, Zaraki is a self-taught swordsman and killed hundreds of enemies during his violent upbringing as he honed his skills to survive. Zaraki is recognized as one of the strongest Soul Reapers in the elite Gotei 13 and has a deep hunger for battle, visibly enjoying the thrill that comes being locked in mortal combat.
Zaraki has an immense amount of spiritual energy, which manifests itself in a monstrous form that greatly aids Zaraki offensively and defensively when he unleashes it. However, Zaraki tends to hold back from revealing the full breadth of his powers, largely because he wants to draw out and savor his battles as long as possible. This twisted desire, along with Zaraki being unable to draw out the full potential of his Zanpakutō, keeps Zaraki from taking a higher position on this list.
7. Gerard Valkyrie
Of all the figures in the Wandenreich, the hidden empire at war against the Soul Society, few are as supremely powerful as the Norse mythology-themed villain Gerard Valkyrie. Unlike many of Yhwach’s other vassals, Gerard’s powers didn’t manifest from drinking Yhwach’s blood but developed naturally, speaking to his innate strength. Over the course of the series, it’s revealed that Gerard is the personification of the heart of the Soul King himself, making him a literal powerhouse.
Gerard can alter probability in his favor or, as he describes it, give himself miracles, particularly in conflicts where he appears to be outclassed. Similarly, Gerard can use the fear of people around him as fuel to make himself even stronger as he withstands their blows. Gerard can also channel his spirit energy into his Zanpakutō, using it to reflect damage at those who strike at him, making him a defensively oriented juggernaut.
6. Ichigo Kurosaki
One of the things that’s wild about Bleach, compared to many other of its anime contemporaries, is that its protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, isn’t the strongest character in the series; he isn’t even in the top five. This isn’t to say that Ichigo is a slouch, the many battles that he wins aren’t by pure luck, it’s just that Bleach has plenty of formidable figures more nominally powerful than Ichigo. The thing about Ichigo is that he’s a natural Soul Reaper, matching natural talent and an enormous amount of spiritual energy with a preternatural capacity to learn and refine new sword and magical techniques.
Ichigo can channel his spiritual energy to significantly augment his strength, speed, and endurance to superhuman levels and boost his healing factor to recover from grievous injuries. After Ichigo’s sword is reforged, he can use it as a conduit for his vast stores of spiritual energy, generating energy blasts and other deadly constructs from the blade. Ichigo later gained the ability to transform into a hollow form, tapping into his negative emotions to temporarily become an even stronger version of himself.
5. Shunsui Kyōraku
Supremely confident to the point of being easygoing, Shunsui Kyōraku rises through the ranks in the Soul Society to become the captain-commander of the Gotei 13. As a testament to Shunsui’s swagger, he dual wields his Zanpakutō, which many of his contemporaries aren’t comfortable doing in battle. It is through his mastery of the blade and virtually unmatchable speed that Shunsui is ranked as one of the most accomplished characters in Bleach.
More than just his handling of the weapon, Shunsui channels his spiritual energy into his Zanpakutō to alter the rules of reality. Shunsui changes the conditions of the battle to give them the rules of children’s games, like manipulating his shadows to make lethal shadow puppets or changing a fight into a deadly game of tag. These prodigious skills and ability to change the nature of a battle on the fly makes Shunsui a force to be reckoned with.
4. Ichibē Hyōsube
The commanding officer of the Royal Guard, Ichibē Hyōsube is disarmingly upbeat and boisterous, concealing just how powerful he truly is. Despite this demeanor, Ichibē is overjoyed whenever he gets the chance to kill his opponents and tends to attack them with noticeably more power than necessary to finish them off. A skilled swordsman and fighter, Ichibē’s true power lies in his magical abilities, capable of weakening even the most overwhelming opponents.
Ichibē can use his magic to alter the strength and properties of people, objects, and environments just by using his spiritual energy to tamper with their names. Using this power, Ichibē was able to significantly weaken even Bleach’s main villain Yhwach. Ichibē’s sword functions like a brush, emitting an ink-like substance that Ichibē can similarly control and manipulate to affect things around him.
3. Sōsuke Aizen
A former Gotei 13 captain who deserts to wage war on the Soul Society, Sōsuke Aizen used his extensive knowledge of the Soul Society and its protocols and tactics as part of his vendetta. Befitting his rank before his fall from grace, Aizen is an expert swordsman, particularly known for his superhuman speed, making him lethal even from relatively long distances given how quickly he can move. Through his tutelage, Aizen has also mastered a wide array of spells, making him one of the most gifted magic users in all of Bleach.
Aizen’s most devastating power is his ability to mesmerize targets through his magical Zanpakutō, named Kyōka Suigetsu. This mythical sword can be used to distort a given target’s senses to the point of hypnosis, leaving them helpless when Aizen unleashes his blade’s power. The dangerous kind of enemy who knows everything about the Soul Society in and out, Aizen is easily ranked one of the strongest Bleach characters.
2. Genryūsai Yamamoto
The one figure arguably capable of stopping the villainous Yhwach on his own was Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the founder of Gotei 13. Over a millennia of experience made Yamamoto a virtually unsurpassable fighter and master of several different supernatural techniques. Despite his advanced age, Yamamoto possesses blinding speed and superhuman strength and is a calculating strategist as he defends the Soul Society.
Much of Yamamoto’s combat strength comes from his magical ability to summon and command fire, with the elder swordsman capable of unleashing flames strong enough to burn down the entire Soul Society if he ever lost control. Using fire, Yamamoto can seize control of the battlefield before the fighting even starts and has done so before, defeating his enemies with ease. With his combat prowess and tactical genius, it is only through deceitful tricks that Yamamoto ever faced the possibility of defeat.
1. Yhwach
The son of the Soul King, Yhwach is the primary antagonist of Bleach, with the sequel series Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War depicting the final showdown against him. Sealed away for nearly a millennia before the start of the series, Yhwach is unleashed and ready to reshape the world in his image by eradicating death itself. Yhwach receives the ultimate power boost by absorbing the Soul King’s energy, augmenting his powers significantly as he made up for lost time from his lengthy imprisonment.
Yhwach has the unique ability to absorb souls and share pieces of his own, gaining power for every soul he absorbs or fragments of his own that he regains. Through his connection to the Soul King, Yhwach can see all possible futures and subtly manipulate them to further his agenda and hinder his opponents from interfering with his plans. Beyond the ability to control his destiny and his soul-stealing powers, Yhwach is a cunning fighter and tactician that is easily the most overwhelming enemy Ichigo and his friends ever faced.
