Bleach is a series of great highs and boring lows. The manga was mostly mired in the latter part as it progressed over time, but still had its fair share of brilliant moments that were a joy to get through. A highlight of Bleach is certainly its varied cast of unique characters. Ichigo might be a pretty bland protagonist, but his supporting cast is great and features some legendary anime characters.
Rukia is one such character that fans have grown to love as Bleach has gone on. Initially, the Shinigami seemed like a pretty strict no-nonsense character, before later revealing a softer side that fans have grown to love over time. Here are some of the Shinigami's best abilities that can lay waste to any enemy in her path.
6 Ice Sword Connection
A rather simple yet useful ability that Rukia can pull out from nowhere lets her use her powerful sword, Sode no Shirayuki, at a distance. Given the number of times she must've dealt with powerful opposition, it's easy to see why catching them off guard with this technique can turn the tide of battle.
The fact that this technique doesn't even have an official name might make it seem like a pretty run-of-the-mill ability. However, its utility in battle can't be written off, and it can be used as a stepping stone for Rukia to unleash a wave of attacks that can take down the strongest enemies around.
5 San No Mai, Shirafune
Speaking of techniques that can surprise the opposition, the San no Mai, Shirafune also deserves a mention here. It's a deceptive technique that lets Rukia extend the reach of her blade using the power of ice. This smart technique was used skillfully by Rukia to dispatch an enemy who was giving her a tough time and had severely underestimated her abilities.
There are many use cases for such a technique, although its power doesn't really stack up well against the rest of Rukia's abilities. That being said, the fact that it can freeze enemies on contact is a great way to enhance the damage of a technique that is otherwise pretty specific.
4 Some No Mai, Tsukishiro
This is a great technique that Rukia uses whenever she's surrounded or just wants to show how powerful her abilities really are. The Some no Mai, Tsukishiro lets Rukia create a pillar of ice that can freeze anything in its path, making this technique a great combination of her offensive and defensive capabilities.
To add insult to injury, enemies that are frozen with this technique shatter into pieces shortly after. The fact that the technique looks incredibly cool makes it one of Rukia's best abilities, although it's far from her most powerful. That being said, it comes really close in this regard.
3 Tsugi No Mai, Hakuren
While the Some no Mai, Tsukishiro is a pretty great technique, it can also only be used at close range. This might not seem like a huge drawback for swordfighters, but the abilities that the enemies of Soul Society have are so powerful that they can genuinely end fights at a distance without even having to get into the range of their opponent.
As a result, Rukia would need a technique that can attack enemies at long ranges without having to bring them closer to her person. This act is accomplished with the Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren, which unleashes a wave of cold ice particles that are so damaging that they can freeze enemies upon contact. It's a great ability that Rukia can use to get herself out of a tight spot time and time again.
2 Juhaku
While the Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren is a pretty great technique, setting it up can take some time and some fast enemies might find it easier to dodge. It was clear that Rukia had to up the ante if she wished to stay relevant during the new arcs of Bleach. She managed to do so in spectacular fashion with a technique that hunted down its target and froze it swiftly for a quick win.
This technique is called Juhaku and was revealed quite spectacularly by Rukia. Hitsugaya might be the first name that comes to mind when people think about Shinigami with ice powers, but Rukia has proven time and time again that she's no slouch in using this element either.
1 Bankai (Hakka No Togame)
As is the case with most Shinigami, the Bankai they manage to learn is easily their most powerful technique. It's an extremely powerful ability that causes some Shinigami to change their appearance along with the boost in powers they receive, including Rukia!
Her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, turns her into an ice queen whose powers are increased considerably, which is pretty similar to Ichigo's Bankai transformation too. The fact that she can freeze people at a moment's notice — including the ones who carelessly come into contact with her — makes this Bankai her strongest ability by a country mile.