Bleach is a legendary shonen manga that most people familiar with the legendary Big Three know everything about. While many people consider this series to be the weakest part of the trio, there's no denying that Bleach's striking character designs and awe-inspiring battles made it a riveting watch in every way.
With the Thousand-Year Blood War starting off on a strong note, fans can't wait to see what the rest of the arc's cours have in store for them. The series has several moments when characters power up and even transform to gain a burst of energy, with some transformations being so awe-inspiring that fans still remember their favorite characters when they adopt an entirely different look to show just how powerful they've become.
7 Vasto Lorde Ichigo
Ichigo is a character who has gone through several transformations in the series, but it's when he went berserk during his fight against Ulquiorra that viewers just how powerful this character could really be. His form was the most powerful combination of the hollow inside him with his Shinigami powers, leading to an inhuman creature that is labeled by many as Vasto Lorde Ichigo.
Ichigo is nothing short of a beast in this state, beating Ulquiorra into a pulp while letting out nightmarish roars that scared Inoue to no end. His might was too much to handle for the 4th Espada, who ended up succumbing to his wounds and finally understood what it felt like to have a heart in his dying moments.
6 Ichigo's Saigo No Getsuga Tenshou
After entering the Dangai to face off against Aizen, Ichigo's father lets him know that time and space are warped in this area, allowing him to have one last bout of training before facing off against the biggest villain in Bleach. Clearly, Ichigo aced his training, since he came out a different man with incredible power who could manhandle Aizen like no one's business.
His final attack required him to become Getsuga himself, taking on a completely different form with long dark hair and bandages all over his body, with his powerful black Reiatsu being so overbearing that it starts leaking out of him. Ichigo wastes no time in letting Aizen know that he completely outclasses him in every way, using Mugetsu to take out the antagonist at the cost of his own Shinigami powers.
5 Hitsugaya's Completed Daiguren Hyourinmaru
Hitsugaya is one of the most interesting characters in Bleach. Despite being pretty young compared to the other high-ranking members in Soul Society, he ascended to the rank of Captain in the Gotei 13 who can easily kill most imposing foes with ease, using his Bankai to great effect. That being said, there's no denying that Hitsugaya relied on his ultimate power a bit too much, with Hyourinmaru's impact slowly waning over the course of the series.
So, after honing his skills post Aizen's defeat, Hitsugaya managed to bring his Bankai's power to the next level. However, his body was simply not mature enough to handle the strength of his completed Daiguren Hyourinmaru, causing him to turn into an adult when he uses this power to unleash the full potential of his upgraded Bankai and freeze foes with little to no effort whatsoever.
4 Kenpachi Zaraki's Bankai
Kenpachi Zaraki is one of the greatest characters in Bleach. This man is totally unhinged and is downright obsessed when it comes to fighting the toughest people around. He was so strong that he didn't even bother to develop a Shikai, let alone a Bankai. However, after Yhwach showed just how powerful he really was, the Gotei 13 realized that they needed Zaraki's power to take down the Wandenreich, especially after the tragic death of Yamamoto.
So, after a brutal fight against Retsu Unohana, Zaraki finally managed to communicate with his Shikai, Nozarashi. As Zaraki's power kept on growing, he engaged in a powerful conflict against Gerard Valkyrie and unleashed a Bankai that turned him into a monstrous Oni who took down this powerful Quincy in one blow, with the force being so powerful that it even tore off Zaraki's arm.
3 Aizen's Hogyoku Form
Many people would argue that Aizen's form after fusing with the Hogyoku isn't really all that powerful, since Ichigo made him look downright stupid after taking him out with a single hit of Mugetsu. However, the reason Aizen lost here is that he underestimated Ichigo severely and didn't even reveal his true powers before being mowed down by a move that was so high-risk that it ended up taking away the Substitute Shinigami's powers.
If this incident hadn't happened, then there's no telling just how powerful Aizen could really be in this new form. After all, the man was so powerful that his Shikai itself was enough to completely bamboozle everyone, including the great Yhwach himself. Keeping this in mind, it's only a given that this ultimate form of Aizen could've helped him achieve his goals in no time flat.
2 Ichigo's True Bankai
After unlocking the true form of his Zanpakuto, Ichigo's power increased a lot. He was able to take out the most powerful foes around with his dual blades, ultimately facing off against the man who serves as the final antagonist of the arc, Yhwach himself.
During this battle, Ichigo decides to reveal his Bankai, with his appearance changing as his blades merged to form one massive weapon. It was a transformation so astonishing that even Yhwach was scared of Ichigo's power... which is why he promptly broke Ichigo's blade, completely ruining this moment and angering fans all over the world who wanted to see just how strong Bleach's protagonist really was.
1 Yhwach After Absorbing The Soul King
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Yhwach is one of the most imposing and scary antagonists in Bleach, with his power being so immense that he managed to take out Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. So, when he absorbed the Soul King to gain even more power, fans knew that they were going to witness something truly special.
In his heightened state, Yhwach's face and body are completely covered in numerous eyes, giving him a nightmarish look. His powers are also heightened, leading to this character becoming the strongest entity in Bleach by a country mile... which is precisely what made the hamfisted nature of his demise so hard to fathom.