Highlights
- The Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War arc has had some underutilized characters, like Ichibe and Tenjiro, whose potential was not fully explored.
- Yamamoto, one of the strongest characters, died early in the arc, which many fans consider an underutilization of his strength.
- Byakuya's defeat against Äs Nödt was fast and left fans thinking he was nerfed to make the Quincy look stronger, not properly utilizing his character.
The following contains spoilers for the currently airing Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
The Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War arc has had many intriguing moments that have excited fans. Scenes such as Yamamoto revealing his bankai, Zanka no Tachi, and Rukia unleashing her bankai, Hakka no Togame, have been the cream of the crop.
The Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War arc has also introduced many new characters, such as the Royal Guard and the Sternritter. However, the introduction of the various new characters has caused some to be underutilized. To fit in with the newly portrayed characters, some characters have been killed off prematurely or their potential left unexplored. With some characters, like Yamamoto, dying an early death, many fans may only be able to conclude that he and other characters have been underutilized.
7 Ichibe Hyosube
The leader of the Royal Guards, Ichibe Hyosube, is an authoritative person. As a person capable of being the leader of people, such as the creator of the Zanpakuto, viewers are sure to be intrigued as to what sort of person he would be. While Ichibe was never expected to be the one to defeat Yhwach, not many expected him to lose in such a manner.
Ichibe revealed his abilities in an enthralling manner. However, Yhwach defeated him without wasting his breath. He got defeated too easily and never got to show off how powerful he was. While the series could have made Ichibe show off his power by battling a Sternritter, that never happens, and fans are left seeing the supposed most powerful of Shinigami being defeated too easily.
6 Tenjiro Kirinji
The Hot Spring Demon, Tenjiro Kirinji, is widely acclaimed as the best healer in Soul Society. Moreover, he also taught Retsu Unohana healing techniques in the past. During the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, Tenjiro has a few roles to play. However, during the second invasion of Yhwach and his Sternritter, Tenjiro is easily defeated.
When Yhwach appears, Tenjiro goes to face him, proclaiming that he would not be facing him if he did not think there was a possibility of victory. However, he is unable to put a scratch on Yhwach. The Sternritter, Lille Barro, promptly defeated him after that. As someone who taught the formidable Retsu Unohana healing techniques, his being unable to utilize enough healing during battle to prevent him from being defeated does not portray his character as being utilized properly.
5 Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto
The former Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, was one of the strongest characters ever portrayed in the Bleach anime and manga series. Despite his strength, Yamamoto died an early death in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Interestingly, despite being the strongest character, Yamamoto never faced the true Yhwach, but a Sternritter who assumed Yhwach’s form.
As one of the strongest characters of the series who has held the title of captain commander of the Gotei 13 for over a thousand years, Yamamoto’s demise could be considered an underutilization of his strength. With his power and Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, few could live up to his power. However, even that did not spare him an early death in the war.
4 Byakuya Kuchiki
The captain of the 6th division, Byakuya Kuchiki, is a strong man who fights with grace and elegance. Considered by many to be one of the strongest captains of the Gotei 13, Byakuya’s strength leaves many in awe. However, against the Quincy, Äs Nödt, Byakuya’s power was not enough.
Although he lowered his guard, Byakuya was easily defeated by Äs Nödt and had his bankai stolen. His defeat happened so fast that many think he was nerfed to portray the Quincy and followers of Yhwach in a better light. Although Byakuya came back stronger in the second part of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, Rukia was mainly left to deal with Äs Nödt, and so his character was not properly utilized.
3 Gerard Valkyrie
The Quincy with a Thor-like get-up, Gerard Valkyrie, is immensely powerful. His ability, The Miracle, allows him to make impossible occurrences possible. With The Miracle, Gerard faced many captains and overpowered them. As a strong character who was able to go toe-to-toe with various captains simultaneously, many wondered how he would be defeated.
Surprisingly, neither a captain nor a member of the Soul Society was able to defeat Gerard; instead, Yhwach, the person he admired the most and who had his complete loyalty, killed him. Despite his ridiculous ability, The Miracle, Gerard’s character was underutilized as his death was undeserving.
2 Retsu Unohana
During the Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War arc, the kind and gentle healer, Retsu Unohana, was revealed to have a darker and more bloodthirsty side. After Yamamoto fell for Yhwach’s schemes, the new captain commander, Shunsui Kyoraku, made her train Kenpachi Zaraki in Zanjutsu.
The duo’s training was in the form of battle, and each time Zaraki was on his last legs, Unohana would heal him, and he would come back stronger. During the training, Unohana was revealed to be stronger than many had anticipated; however, once Zaraki became stronger than her, he killed her. With Unohana’s strength and status, she could have been a valuable asset in the war and used as more than a sparring partner for Zaraki.
1 Oetsu Nimaiya
As a member of the Royal Guard holding the title God of the Sword, Oetsu Nimaiya serves as one of the most interesting members of the Royal Guard. Nimaiya is a unique and lively individual and is the one credited with creating the Zanpakuto. As the Soul King acknowledged his creation of the Zanpakuto, Nimaiya was made a member of the Royal Guard. As the creator of the Zanpakuto, many fans were expecting to see his Zanpakuto, Shikai, and Bankai. However, only his Zanpakuto was revealed.
Despite being a powerful individual, Nimaiya was defeated quite quickly by a Sternritter and was never able to reveal his Bankai. As the creator of the Zanpakuto, this was an undeserving death and an underutilization of his character.