Bleach: 10 Strongest Soul Reapers of All Time

For millennia, the Soul Reapers served as the stewards of the cycle of souls, and while today's generation of Soul Reapers prefer peace in that duty, they're always ready for war, too. Bleach fans saw that for themselves when the Gotei 13 fought first Ichigo Kurosaki's ryoka team, followed by the war against the villain Sosuke Aizen's Arrancar army, and then the Quincy empire. And that wasn't even the first time the Soul Reapers met the Quincy tribe on the field of battle.

Over those many centuries, the Soul Reapers perfected the art of war with zanpakuto and kido alike, with some Soul Reapers having a historic role in developing those fighting styles. Soul Reapers like those are the stuff of legend, being the strongest fighters of all time who won't let the Gotei 13 or Soul Society fall to any foe. Even supervillains like King Yhwach will be given pause when Soul Reapers like these join the fight.

Senjumaru Shutara Weaves Fate With Her World-Shaking Bankai

The Schutzstaffel Didn't Last Long Against Senjumaru's Wrath

Senjumaru Shutara found her place in the history books as the woman who invented Soul Reaper uniforms, which was how she joined the Royal Guard unit many centuries ago. Senjumaru is the ultimate fashion designer in the afterlife, but she isn't just a tailor, because Royal Guard members like her are always ready for a scrap.

Like the other four Royal Guard members, Senjumaru's speed and skill are nigh-unbeatable, and her bankai is something else entirely. If Senjumaru's needle-like shikai somehow isn't enough to win, Senjumaru will reluctantly sacrifice her fellows to use a bankai with awesome power. With it, Senjumaru wove the Schutzstaffel's fate in cloth, defeating even the strongest Quincy until Uryu Ishida turned it all around with The Antithesis, itself one of Bleach's greatest abilities of all.

Tenjiro Kirinji is an Expert Healer and Deadly Swordsman

Tenjiro Isn't Gentle as a Practitioner of the Healing Arts

While it was mainly Ichibe and Senjumaru who blew Bleach fans away during the battle for the Soul King's palace, viewers must not underestimate Tenjiro Kirinji. He stands as the ultimate healer, being the hot-tempered and prideful man who taught Retsu Unohana herself how to use healing kido. In fact, it was Tenjiro himself who invented that particular brand of kido.

Tenjiro brought Byakuya and Renji back from the brink of death in the Thousand-Year Blood War, and his healing baths also spared Oetsu a grisly fate at the hands of Askin's The Deathdealing. On offense, Tenjiro has the flash steps necessary to outmaneuver anyone, even the ninja-like Sui-Feng, and his swordsmanship is easily on par with any healing he can do.

Kenpachi Zaraki is a Peerless Berserker in the Gotei 13

Just One Day of Training Was All Central 46 Allowed For Him

For many years, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of squad 11 got by without knowing his zanpakuto's name, compensating with his seemingly boundless strength and endurance to overcome any "magic" type ability or weapon. Central 46 feared Kenpachi's potential so much that they only permitted a single day of training for him, because if he went rogue, no one could stop him.

Kenpachi finally hit a wall in the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, which prompted Captain Unohana to resume his training -- to the death. Kenpachi's victory broke his heart as Unohana died, but he did learn Nozarashi's name, unlocking his shikai at last. Just in time, Kenpachi set aside his attitude of holding back to savor fights and embraced his full power to take on Sternritter like Gremmy and Gerard. Bankai soon followed with even greater results.

Sosuke Aizen Sought the Upper Limits of the Soul Reapers

Then, Aizen Went Beyond With the Hogyoku

Being the traitor of the Gotei 13, of course Bleach needed Captain Sosuke Aizen of squad 5 to be a powerhouse, or else the united Soul Reapers would have stopped him pretty quick. Aizen was never content with the way things were, wishing to rule the cosmos as the ultimate being who broke all limits. For Aizen, even being a peak Soul Reaper still wasn't enough.

In his Gotei 13 days, Aizen had the edge over most other Captains with his perfect hypnosis thanks to Kyoka Suigetsu, meaning anyone would be left vulnerable to his attacks while they're under Aizen's spell. Backing that up are Aizen's incredible swordsmanship and his titanic gifts with kido, to the point he can cast Kurohitsugi to defeat Sajin Komamura in seconds. And with the Hogyoku, Aizen is a creature none can defeat, only capture -- and even then, only barely.

Oetsu Nimaiya Built a Zanpakuto Too Sharp For a Sheath

Nimaiya Doesn't Fear Yhwach's Elite Guard

Oetsu Nimaiya was actually more compelling in Bleach's final arc as a trainer and source of exposition than as a fighter, no matter his power. Oetsu was the one who taught Ichigo the origins of all zanpakuto, with Oetsu demanding Ichigo truly understand who and what Zangetsu is before training him for real. Without an Asauchi, Ichigo isn't a real Soul Reaper in Oetsu's eyes.

When the time came to fight, Oetsu swiftly proved himself worthy of the Royal Guard as a talented anime swordsman with weapons unlike any other. He wielded a zanpakuto that was actually too sharp for a sheath, lugging it around in a small tank of liquid before turning its wrath on the Schutzstaffel.

Shigekuni Yamamoto Felt Ashamed That He Could Burn the World Down

Yamamoto's Bankai Heralds the End Times

The most powerful Soul Reaper in the entire Gotei 13 is Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the visionary who formed the court guard squads in the first place. He once boasted to the fake King Yhwach that in all that time, no Soul Reaper stronger than him has been born, though stubborn pride and old age have eaten into his superior position somewhat. Foolishly enough, Yamamoto declined to have Orihime restore his missing left arm.

Despite those woes, Yamamoto remained one of the top Soul Reapers right up to his death, and he had the wrath to back it all up. Yamamoto's grief at Sasakibe's surprising death pushed him to release his bankai, Zanka no Tachi, no matter Yamamoto's disgust at his own power. Yamamoto's shikai is enough to burn down almost anything, but his searing bankai is the sort of weapon to almost kill Yhwach and torch the entire universe if used for long enough.

Kirio Hikifune Rivals Kisuke Urahara as an Inventor

Kirio Tricked Yhwach's Team With Her Fake Battlefield

Kirio Hikifune is another Royal Guard member who's more of a support fighter than a front-line warrior, at least according to her own preferences and abilities. Like Kisuke after her, Kirio is a scientific expert who once led squad 12, and she even invented gigai. During Ichigo's and Renji's training, it was Kirio who served them massive helpings of good food to charge up their spirit energy to endure the upcoming training.

If Kirio must fight foes like the Schutzstaffel, then tricks and traps are her style, and not even the likes of Lille Barro and Askin can see through it. Kirio hoodwinked those elite Quincy with a fake battlefield cage that lured the Schutzstaffel into lowering their guard, making it easy for the Royal Guard to initiate a devastating counterattack.

Shunsui Kyoraku Was the Only One Who Could Succeed Yamamoto

Shunsui is a Veteran With a Storybook Bankai

By the time King Yhwach returned with his vengeful Wandenreich, only a few Soul Reapers could boast several centuries of experience, with Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of squad 8 being one of them. He's a longtime veteran who has seen and done much as a Soul Reaper, meaning his skills, intuition, and power are practically without equal.

Shunsui tends to hold something back, even when fighting powerful Espadas like Coyote Starrk, and when the Wandenreich invaded the Soul Society, Shunsui was still leaving some power on the table. All that changed when Shunsui faced Lille Barro, using his astonishing bankai to nearly take Lille's head off with one inescapable blow. If Lille weren't divinely protected, he would have fallen, and that's saying a lot.

Ichibe Hyosube Granted the Gift of Names to All

Ichibe's Shikai and Bankai Are the Stuff of Nightmares

Ichibe Hyosube and his ally Senjumaru dominated the Royal Guard's battle against the most powerful Quincy, with Ichibe arguably being the strongest fighter present. His role in history is remarkable, with him being responsible for giving everything their names. Terms like zanpakuto, shikai, and bankai all came from him, along with each zanpakuto's personal name. And Ichibe isn't afraid to change anyone's or anything's name later on to suit his needs.

Ichibe can use his brush-like zanpakuto to rewrite anyone's name to alter their properties, rendering Yhwach himself as weak as an ant once his name was switched to Black Ant. If that's somehow not enough to win the fight, Ichibe can use Futen Taisatsuryo to leech the blackness from someone to utterly annihilate. Yhwach needed the thickest of plot armor to survive that in Bleach's late game.

Kisuke Urahara is Like a Wizard With His Elite Kido

Kisuke's Late-Game Bankai Blew Bleach Fans Away

When Ichigo first met Kisuke Urahara, that hat-wearing shopkeeper made it clear he knew far more than he let on -- and he was much stronger, too. Bit by bit, Kisuke showcased his true capabilities until Bleach fans had immense respect for him as a former Captain and scientific savant. He's in the same category as Kirio Hikifune and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, to the point Yhwach named Kisuke as one of the Five Special War Powers. Kisuke's sheer tricks definitely put him on Yhwach's radar.

Kisuke's fighting style combines what Mayuri and Aizen can do, with Kisuke having kido spells on par with Aizen's own and swordsmanship rivaling anything the rest of the Gotei 13 can do, all while adding sneaky tricks and gadgets to make sure Kisuke can escape any tight spot. And like Shunsui Kyoraku, Kisuke is oddly reluctant to use his full power until truly pushed. Kisuke is another late-game bankai user, saving his zanpakuto's ultimate power until he was battling the Schutzstaffel in Bleach's final handful of chapters.