Bleach is one of the most popular shonen anime of all time. Viewers loved the amazing fights Ichigo, and the other Shinigami got in, with both their Shikai and Bankai being an absolute treat to witness. While the series might not have covered the entirety of Bleach's story, the arrival of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War is poised to cover the rest of the story that the original anime left out.
Tite Kubo's character design is out of this world, with many people considering it to be the very best out of the mangaka responsible for penning the Big Three. His character designs can range from strikingly beautiful to positively nightmarish, with the latter being personified by the following scary characters in Bleach.
8 Gin Ichimaru
Gin Ichimaru seemed creepy from the get-go, with his smile clearly being quite fake. His villainous persona became even more apparent after he and Aizen betrayed Soul Society in their quest to attain power.
While he redeemed himself after unveiling the true reason behind siding with Aizen, he never really got the chance to redeem himself. This, coupled with his sinister look for almost the entire show, made him one of the creepiest characters in Bleach for quite some time.
7 Mayuri Kurotsuchi
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Mayuri's first appearance against both Sado and Orihime was one of the most memorable encounters in the Soul Society arc. This character wasted no time in showing just how sadistic and unhinged he really was.
It was fitting that his abilities dealt with inflicting poison, since that would easily be the cruelest way for such a character to dish out some serious pain on his enemies. Of course, Kurotsuchi became way more friendly over time, but the scary nature of his first impression remained constant long after he became a member of the heroes.
6 Kenpachi Zaraki's Bankai Form
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War is aiming to cover a bunch of important moments in the manga. This includes Kenpachi's first use of his Bankai, which is bound to be pretty exciting indeed.
After all, this form pretty much broke the internet when it was shown for the first time. Watching Kenpachi as an absolutely berserk demon is pretty fitting given the savage nature of this character, who was already pretty scary when introduced in the Soul Society arc.
5 As Nodt's Vollstandig
A Quincy with immense power, most people remember As Nodt for the nightmarish nature of his Vollstandig. The fact that he used tangible fear to gain an advantage was creepy enough as is, but this transformation took things to a whole new level.
This Vollstandig looked positively horrifying and instilled a deep sense of dread and fear from the get-go. The fact that his ability to induce fear reached the point where his opponents would be petrified after just looking at him shows just how terrifying this character and his powers really are.
4 Baraggan Louisenbairn's Resurreccion: Arrogante
Baraggan was one of the more interesting Arrancars in the show. He posed his fair share of problems, with multiple Shinigami having to band together against him to finally get an edge over him in combat.
The fact that Barragaon's own power needed to be used against him for the Shinigami to attain victory shows just how powerful this Arrancar really was. His appearance after his Resurreccion was pretty scary as well, appearing as an undead lord who would take no prisoners whatsoever.
3 Zommari Rureaux's Resurreccion: Brujeria
Another Arrancar that had a pretty nightmarish Resurreccion was Zommari. The 7th Espada doesn't really manage to trouble Byakuya in the slightest, but his transformed form still had a strong impression that most fans cannot shake to this day.
After releasing Brujeria, Zommari's head would become completely lateral before transforming into a hideous being that was absolutely covered in eyes. It was a scary sight to take in, and fans were happy to see Byakuya make short work of this heinous being so that they wouldn't have to stare at this scary visage for longer.
2 Ulquiorra Cifer's Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa
Ulquiorra is one of the most powerful Espada during the Hueco Mundo arc. He wastes no time in establishing just how evil he really is, with his actions going so far that Ichigo could've also potentially been sent to an early grave.
The true potential of Ulquiorra's powers was revealed when he revealed a second Resurreccion, a first in the series. This form was quite imposing and somewhat scary, although Ichigo's full Hollowfication took over during this fight and showed Ulquiorra why he shouldn't have taken the protagonist lightly.
1 Szayelaporro Granz
Szayelaporro is one of the craziest and most disturbing members of the Arrancar. The fact that he didn't need his Resurreccion to increase his creepiness is enough to prove just how unhinged this character really is.
Watching him speak disturbing things and laugh maniacally in the middle of battle sends chills down the spine of most viewers. It's only fitting that his final opponent was Mayuri, with two creepy individuals duking it out in a battle that is the stuff of nightmares for many.