Highlights
- Ichigo may be considered the strongest Soul Reaper, but there are a few powerful Soul Reapers who can still beat him, like Toshiro Hitsugaya and his completed Bankai.
- Gin Ichimaru's Bankai is incredibly fast and can leave a fragment inside Ichigo that dissolves his body at the cellular level, making him a formidable opponent.
- Yachiru Unohana, the first Kenpachi, hides her true power behind a polite facade. Her Bankai creates a blood-like substance that can slash through opponents, making her stronger than Ichigo.
Thanks to the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, Bleach has become popular again, and for the most part, the animation and action has been fantastic. Ichigo has trained with the Royal Guard at the Soul King's Palace, and in doing so, he can now fight at full power, which includes a combination of Soul Reaper, Hollow, and Quincy abilities. The argument can be made that he is now the strongest Soul Reaper in Bleach, but there are actually a few Soul Reapers who could still beat him.
Ichigo has foguht a number of powerful foes over the course of the series, including Byakuya Kuchiki, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Sosuke Aizen. His Shikai allows him to fire a crescent-shaped blast of spiritual energy. His Bankai amplifies his physical abilities and enhances his Getsuga Tensho, but its true power is still unknown.
10 Toshiro Hitsugaya
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Despite his youth, Toshiro Hitsugaya is one of the strongest Gotei 13 Captains. He is a prodigy who wields Hyourinmaru - the most powerful ice-type Zanpakuto. Both his Shikai and Bankai allow him to create and manipulate ice, but his base Bankai increases his ability's range and the amount of ice he can create.
Under normal circumstances, Ichigo can break free of Toshiro's ice, but he would not stand a chance against his completed Bankai. Toshiro must age himself in order to use it, and it allows him to flash-freeze anything with a hand gesture. This ice would instantly negate Ichigo's movements and all of his abilities.
9 Gin Ichimaru
Gin Ichimaru fought Ichigo on two occasions, and the only reason Ichigo survived is because Gin did not want to kill him. With Shikai, Gin can extend his Zanpakuto with incredible speed and force, but Ichigo can deal with it thanks to his own speed.
Gin's Bankai is another beast though, as his sword can extend and retract at 500 times the speed of sound. Even Ichigo cannot keep up with such speed. If the blade pierces Ichigo, it can leave a small fragment inside his body, and if Gin is able to touch him, the fragment will cause Ichigo's body to dissolve at the cellular level.
8 Yachiru Unohana
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Yachiro Unohana was one of the original Gotei 13 Captains. She was the first Captain of the 11th Division, as well as the first Kenpachi. When Ichigo knew her, she was a polite and caring individual who could intimidate others with a smile, but what he did not know was that she was actually Soul Society's worst criminal.
She was a master swordsman who enjoyed killing, and her Bankai creates a blood-like substance that can be used to slash through her opponent. She can also use it to create a protective sphere, and it can heal her injuries. While fighting Kenpachi, she admitted that there was only one Soul Reaper stronger than her, and she was not referring to Ichigo.
7 Kaname Tosen
When Bleach began, Tosen was the Captain of the 9th Division - a position that he earned despite being blind. There is a chance that he can beat Ichigo with just his Shikai since it can produce a high-pitched tone that could knock him unconscious by overloading his hearing.
If that does not stop Ichigo, then his Bankai certainly can. When activated, Tosen's Zanpakuto creates a large black dome that causes his opponent to lose their sense of smell, sight, taste, and hearing. They cannot even sense spiritual energy. With this ability, Tosen can deliver fatal attacks that Ichigo would not be able to properly block or evade.
6 Rukia Kuchiki
Rukia wields an Ice-type Zanpakuto known as Sode no Shirayuki, and it allows her to perform various freezing techniques. Its true ability lowers her body temperature to below freezing - which allows her to freeze any enemy she touches with her blade.
During the second part of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, Rukia revealed her Bankai in stunning fashion. She creates a pillar of cold mist which releases a wave of freezing cold towards her opponent. If Ichigo gets hit by this wave, or if he tries to touch Rukia while she is in this form, he will freeze and his body will crumble within seconds.
5 Sui-Feng
Sui-Feng is the Captain of the 2nd Division, and her Bankai would allow her to fire a large homing missile at Ichigo. He could probably avoid the missile with his speed, or cut it in half, but if he gets hit, the resulting explosion would certainly deal a lot of damage.
Thanks to her Shunpo mastery, Sui-Feng's Shikai would probably get the job done. Her Zanpakuto turns into a gauntlet with a stinger-shaped blade, and if she were to hit him, a butterfly-shaped stamp will appear on his body. If she uses her speed to strike the exact same spot again, her Zanpakuto's venom will spread and eventually destroy Ichigo's body.
4 Shunsui Kyoraku
Shunsui Kyoraku was named the new Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 because he is arguably the strongest of the current Captains. He was able to defeat Coyote Starrk with just his Shikai, but Ichigo is too strong to lose to the Shikai's games. Shunsui's Bankai is one of the darkest abilities in Bleach, and it would guarantee him victory.
One of the Bankai's phases will see Shunsui and Ichigo share any injuries they inflict on each other, while another will cause Ichigo to bleed profusely from black spots that appear on his body. Another phase will see them both drown in water until someone's spiritual energy runs out. The final phase will see a thread wrap around Ichigo's neck until it causes his head to explode.
3 Ichibe Hyosube
Ichibe Hyosube is the commander of the Zero Division, which means that he is most likely the strongest Soul Reaper alive. He named everything within the Soul Society, so it is fitting that his power revolves around names. If he uses Shikai, he will produce black ink that will rob Ichigo of his name and all of his abilities.
He will then be able to use Ichigo's abilities as if they were his own. This power is more than enough to beat Ichigo, and Ichibe's Bankai can beat him too. It would allow Ichibe to change Ichigo's name to worm, and he will become as weak as a worm.
2 Kenpachi Zaraki
Kenpachi Zaraki commands the 11th Division, and he actually lost to Ichigo when they fought during the Soul Society Arc. It has since been revealed that Kenpachi was subconsciously withholding his power so he could enjoy fighting strong opponents. He was also unable to use Shikai and Bankai.
Now that he is at full power, Kenpachi can slash Ichigo to pieces. His Shikai creates a massive battle cleaver that can cut through anything, including space. His cutting power increases even further with Bankai, and he becomes a mindless berserker with incredible physical abilities like Vasto Lorde Ichigo.
1 Genryusai Yamamoto
Genryusai Yamamoto was the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 for centuries because no one could match his strength. He wielded the oldest and strongest fire-type Zanpakuto, and his Shikai is more than enough to beat Ichigo because it generates flames that can incinerate anything he slashes.
Even if Ichigo can survive Yamamoto's Shikai, he would never survive his Bankai. Zanka no Tachi concentrates all the flames into the edge of Yamamoto's Zanpakuto, and if he were to simply tap Ichigo with the blade, he would be wiped from existence. Even if Ichigo wanted to get close, he would burn up because the Bankai produces a heat shield of roughly 15 million degrees.