With recent rumors suggesting Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will return with its fourth and final cour in July 2026, fans are looking through the roster of characters and wondering which of them will emerge the strongest when all is said and done. The introduction of TYBW after Bleach’s initial cancellation has brought a whole new host of characters that were never seen before, which means there are so many up for consideration as plots and machinations lying in wait for decades finally rise to the top.
With Ichigo and his friends facing off against some of the most dangerous characters in Bleach history, there’s a strong chance that the characters fans believe powerful enough to make it through the entire anime might not survive. Reevaluating what everyone brings to the table, some of Bleach‘s strongest characters are more than ready to face the end.
Orihime Can Remake the World Itself (in Theory)
At first, Orihime Inoue could only perceive spiritual energy, but her abilities became more and more complex as the story went on. She developed the Shun Shun Rikka technique to manifest her spiritual energy, giving her access to six faires with radically different powers. Aizen once mentioned that it was the Hogyoku that granted Orihime’s powers, which makes perfect sense given how overpowered her Soten Kisshun is.
Although armed with various other abilities in her arsenal, Soten Kisshun was initially believed to be a healing technique. However, it was soon revealed that it can reject any phenomenon, no matter what caused it. Orihime was seen restoring Grimmjow’s lost arm from scratch, and in the TYBW she managed to fix Ichigo’s Bankai after it was broken by Yhwach. In many ways, Orihime’s ability to reject phenomena should place her at the top of this list, but her lack of combat prowess keeps her at the bottom.
Hachigen Ushoda Is an Extremely Powerful Kido Practitioner
Hachigen Ushoda, an extremely powerful and knowledgeable Kido practitioner, was exiled from the Gotei 13 because of his inadvertent Hollowification. However, he remained acquainted with his skillset for over a century in the human world. Despite his seemingly benign exterior, however, Hachigen proved to be among the most formidable and dangerous opponents in Bleach.
Not only did Hachigen destroy multiple Gillian-class Menos Hollows with his Kido, but he also developed new spells, like his trademark Hachigo Sogai. Hachigen humbly compared himself with Orihime, partially oblivious to the transcendent depth of her powers. Moreover, he successfully tricked the Second Espada into killing himself with his own Resurrección, ending one of the strongest characters in Bleach.
Soi Fon Has a Subtle Shikai and Devastating Bankai
Captain Soi Fon of Squad 2 demonstrated her formidable power as an assassin in the Soul Society arc when she used advanced martial arts to fight against the famous Yoruichi Shihoin. Soi Fon showed Bleach fans what her Shikai can do, a metal stinger that will instantly kill anyone who’s stung twice in the same place. Few, if any other Bleach characters have an insta-kill ability like that, even if Yoruichi managed to defeat Soi Fon in the end.
If necessary, Soi Fon can even use a cannon-like Bankai to deal brute-force damage, which she used to defeat BG9, the Sternritter who had stolen her Jakuho Raikoben earlier. Soi Fon has another weapon at her disposal, the ability to use Shunko or a kido/martial arts hybrid style that Yoruichi herself invented. The only thing that holds her back is her uncontrollable temper.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez Has Always Been a Force of Nature
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez might be a tiresome blowhard, but nobody can deny his overwhelming power. When he triggers his Resurrección Pantera, Grimmjow transforms into a dangerous foe capable of dealing deadly damage against the strongest characters in Bleach. His battle with Ichigo ends in a loss, but Grimmjow’s attacks leave Ichigo too exhausted to face his next opponent.
While Grimmjow is not impressively strong in the Hueco Mundo and Fake Karakura Town arcs, he becomes a veritable force of nature during the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Grimmjow defeats and kills Askin Nakk Le Vaar by ripping his heart out of his chest, although the plan was originally set up by Kisuke Urahara. Grimmjow’s fate is ambiguous, but he likely survived the clash, proving how powerful he is against Shinigami, Quincy, or anyone else.
Tier Harribel Stayed Behind and Faced Yhwach Alone
Tier Harribel was the only Espada to survive the battle in the Fake Karakura Town, with Grimmjow having been taken out of the equation much earlier. After Sosuke Aizen’s fall, Harribel returned to Hueco Mundo and recovered, becoming that realm’s de facto queen until Yhwach arrived. Harribel chose to stand her ground and hold off Yhwach so her friends could escape, but she was completely helpless against the Emperor of the Wandenreich.
Excluding her acceptable loss against the powerhouse Yhwach, Harribel is quite powerful. She’s the second-strongest Arrancar alive as of Bleach‘s endgame battle. She earned her rank as the new 3rd Espada, as she could easily challenge Toshiro Hitsugaya and a few Visored opponents at once while in her released form, the shark-themed Tiburón.
Mask De Masculine Is Only Defeated by Renji’s New Bankai
Yhwach’s Sternritter are some of the strongest characters in Bleach. Although Mask De Masculine may not be as powerful as some of his colleagues, he’s certainly not a pushover. He casually manages to defeat the Shinigami captains Rose Otoribashi and Kensei Muguruma even though both of them unleashed their Bankai against him.
Then again, those two Visoreds dropped the ball, and they probably could have done better if they tried when fighting Mask. Mask relies heavily on a mysterious subordinate named James, who somehow serves as the source of the Sternritter’s strength. Even a newly evolved Renji finds it difficult to fight this villain at first. That said, Renji’s brand-new Bankai vanquishes Mask De Masculine once and for all.
Bazz-B’s Schrift Can Slightly Offset the Flames of Ryujin Jakka
Bazzard Black, more commonly known as Bazz-B, wields the element of fire. Although not nearly as strong as someone like Yamamoto Genryusai, this Sternritter’s heat-based powers are more than enough against relatively small fry like Hitsugaya (at Shikai level). Bazz-B employs a series of techniques collectively known as Burner Finger, each with increasing potency, capable of shattering Hitsugaya and Matsumoto’s combined efforts.
Burner Finger 3 alone is capable of liquefying solid objects from rocks and buildings to enemy bodies. When Yhwach triggers the Auswählen, he decides to travel to the Royal Realm and challenge his former best friend Jugram Haschwalth. Despite using Burning Full Fingers, one of the strongest fire attacks used by a Bleach villain, Bazz-B does not survive the encounter against his former friend.
Renji Abarai Has Grown Since the Soul Society Arc
Renji Abarai has always been extremely strong, long before his powers were magnified in the Royal Realm. Despite the melee nature of his Shikai, he knew how to inflict both close and long-range damage with Zabimaru, exploiting his Zanpakuto’s versatile nature. Renji’s Bankai also received a tremendous upgrade in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, outfitting his body with a gorilla arm and a prehensile bone tail.
In addition, the Zaga Teppo technique supplements So’o Zabimaru’s offensive power with a Cero-esque blast of pure Reiatsu. The resulting explosion is capable of incinerating enemies as ostensibly vulnerable as Mask de Masculine. Renji has come a long way since losing to Ichigo in the Soul Society arc, and fans might even say he’s approaching Captain-level strength at this point. However, he’d rather remain Byakuya’s Vice-Captain for the foreseeable future.
Rukia Kuchiki Obtains One of the Greatest Bankai in Bleach
Rukia Kuchiki begins the story when she accidentally stumbles into Ichigo’s bedroom, only for him to kick her into the wall. She soon becomes his treasured friend, prompting Ichigo to invade Soul Society when the Central 46 sentences her to death. Rukia plays second fiddle to Ichigo for most of Bleach, revealing the same Shikai abilities over and over again. Thankfully, this fan-favorite character gets her chance to shine in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
Rukia learns to manifest her Bankai in the Royal Realm just before her career-defining fight with Äs Nödt. Powered by the limitless icy potential of her gorgeous Hakka no Togame, Rukia effortlessly transforms the Sternritter into a frozen icicle. She is later seen in the manga’s final chapter, where she’s declared as the 13th Division’s Captain, officially making her one of the strongest Bleach characters.
Nelliel Tu Odelschwank Joins Ichigo for Another Adventure
Nelliel Tu Odelschwank was one of a handful of Arrancars to survive the Arrancar saga, although this was mainly because she was Ichigo’s ally. She was once the 3rd Espada, a lofty and flattering rank, armed with a powerful release form called Gamuza. Nelliel could throw her lance to deal incredible piercing damage to any foe, even famously durable ones like Nnoitora Gilga.
Early in the TYBW arc, Nelliel was back in her toddler form and couldn’t fight, as seen when Ichigo fought Quilge Opie in Hueco Mundo. In Episode 398, it was revealed that Nelliel had permanently resumed her adult form thanks to Urahara’s scientific genius. She was also there to help keep Ichigo’s rival Grimmjow in check. Nelliel doesn’t accomplish much in the manga’s final act, but her appearance in the third cour suggests that she’s going to have a bigger role in the anime.