Most of the best fights in the Bleach anime star the protagonist himself, Ichigo Kurosaki, but Ichigo can’t always be there to defeat the villains and save lives. Sometimes, it falls to Ichigo’s many friends and allies to take over the fight, leading to plenty of excellent action sequences where Ichigo Kurosaki is nowhere to be seen. This is a great way for Bleach‘s many supporting characters to show off their new powers and perhaps deepen their character arcs in mortal combat.
Some of these non-Ichigo fights take place while Ichigo is busy fighting someone else, or Ichigo might be too injured to fight and needs an ally or two to handle the villans for him. In any case, having such excellent fights with Ichigo absent adds some much-needed variety in the narrative, and it makes Ichigo’s eventual return the battlefield that much sweeter.
10 Uryu Ishida vs Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi Was a Fight to Avenge Soken’s Death
Notable Episode: “Ishida Ultimate Power!”
This was one of the best and most dramatic battles in the main events of the Soul Society arc, with or without Ichigo Kurosaki present. Partway through the arc, Ichigo’s Quincy friend Uryu Ishida ran afoul of Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of squad 12, and a fierce battle unfolded. At first, Uryu struggled against Mayuri’s tricks and shikai, then rallied with his ultimate power and destroyed Mayuri’s living bankai, Ashosogi Jizo.
This clash also had a personal twist, since Mayuri had been the one to capture and experiment on many Quincy, including Uryu’s dearly departed grandfather, Soken. Uryu was filled with vengeful rage, all while Mayuri kept taking him too lightly as just another Quincy, and he nearly died because of it. This fight also had a tender side as Uryu comforted Nemi Kurotsuchi, which led to an unexpected friendship.
9 Captain Kenpachi Zaraki vs Nnoitora Gilga Was a Showdown of Raw Power in Las Noches
Notable Episode: “Fierce Fighting Conclusion! Who’s the Strongest?”
The Hueco Mundo story arc included plenty of exciting battles in the massive fortress of Las Noches, including the brutal showdown of Kenpachi Zaraki and Nnoitora Gilga, the 5th Espada. Both Ichigo and Nelliel had failed to take down that Espada, so it was fortunate that Kenpachi arrived when he did. What followed was a clash of blade against blade, with no tricks to get in the way.
Related
10 Coolest Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Techniques (So Far), Ranked
Bleach’s best techniques have always been cool, but the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc has kicked it up a notch.
Kenpachi fought Nnoitora on his own terms, rivaling Nnoitora’s natural toughness with his own durability and insatiable bloodlust. Even with six arms, Nnoitora couldn’t put Kenpachi down, though he came close, so a slightly desperate Kenpachi simply used kendo to strike down Nnoitora with a two-handed attack. That allowed Nnoitora to die as he always intended — in the heat of battle.
8 Rukia Kuchiki vs Aaroniero Arruruerie Was a Layered Battle With a Tragic Edge
Notable Episode: “Rukia Retaliates! Release the Desperate Kido”
The Las Noches story arc included one of the most personal battles in all of Bleach, with Rukia Kuchiki going up against the tricky 9th Espada, Aaronerio Arruruerie. That Espada posed as Kaien Shiba to fool Rukia and put psychological pressure on her, only for Rukia to use her kido spells and shed sunlight on Aaroniero to reveal his bizarre true form.
Even with the Kaien disguise gone, though, Aaroniero still had the advantage, and Rukia’s lingering guilt and grief about Kaien held her back. Just when Aaroniero was about to finish off his Soul Reaper opponent, Rukia had a flashback about Kaien, let go of her negative feelings, and bade Aaroniero good-bye as she stabbed his head with an ice blade.
7 Captain Yamamoto vs Royd Lloyd Showed the Flaming Bankai Everyone Was Waiting For
Notable Episode: “The Fire”
In the Wandenreich’s initial invasion of the Soul Society, it fell to Captain Yamamoto to face his nemesis, King Yhwach, because no one else could handl the Quincy king’s enormous power. As fans always hoped, Yamamoto finally revealed his bankai, Zanka no Tachi, and demonstrated its four unique abilities based on the cardinal directions. He even sent the burnt remains of Yhwach’s old allies against him with the South technique.
Yhwach put on a great show, only to realize that he had been fighting a fake: Sternritter Y, Royd Lloyd. Then the real Yhwach arrived, stole Yamamoto’s bankai with his Medallion, then finished him off with close-range attacks. It was a nightmarish beatdown that ended a major era in Soul Society history, making this one of the most gripping and memorable non-Ichigo fights in Bleach.
6 Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku vs Coyote Starrk Was an Off-Beat Battle With Bizarre Powers
Notable Episode: “Climax! Kyoraku vs Stark”
A few non-Ichigo battles stood out in the Fake Karakura Town story arc as the Soul Reapers took on the mighty Espadas. The 1st Espada, Coyote Starrk, reluctantly traded blows with two of the most seasoned Soul Reaper Captains of all, showing his incredible wits and power as he fought two on one. Starrk even figured out the rules of his opponents’ shikai on the fly, impressing those Captains.
Related
The 10 Most Important Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Scenes (So Far)
Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War arc has advanced both the story and characters in unexpected ways.
Starrk returned fire with unusual moves, able to fire blue cero blasts from anywhere on his body, and he could even fire them like machine guns with his released form, Los Lobos. However, for all his vast power, Coyote Starrk was a pitiable and tragic being, a lonely Arrancar who wanted friends more than he wanted any battlefield victory.
5 Soi Fon vs Baraggan Luisenbairn Was a Terrifying Clash With an Avatar of Death Itself
Notable Episode: “One Hit Kill, Sui-Feng, Bankai!”
The ghastly 2nd Espada, Baraggan Luisenbairn, boasted endlessly about his all-consuming power of senescence. He could rapidly age and rot anything or anyone who entered his aura, a near-foool proof ability that stumped Captain Soi Fon/Sui-Feng and Lieutenant Omaeda. Not even Soi Fon’s bankai made much headway, making the battle feel truly hopeless.
Even when Hachigen Ushoda the kido master joined the fight with his many barriers, Baraggan maintained the upper hand, which raised the tension to its peak. Finally, Baraggan was taken down with a clever, memorable, and desperate move: with Hachigen teleporting his rotting hand inside Baraggan’s body to rot him from the inside out. For all his lofty words, not even Baraggan could escape the specter of death, and died in utter despair.
4 Captain Kenpachi Zaraki vs Gremmy Thoumeaux Was Actually Fought on a Psychological Level
Notable Episode: “I Am the Edge”
While Ichigo Kurosaki was training with squad 0 to unlock his final zanpakuto, his many Soul Reaper allies fought the remaining Sternritter. One such battle included Kenpachi’s duel with Sternritter V, Gremmy Thoumeaux, who could create and modify anything with his imagination alone. That seemed like a foolproof ability with no limits, but Kenpachi was up to the challenge in ways Gremmy wasn’t prepared for.
No matter what Gremmy did, Kenpachi maintained his enthusiasm and strength, and the psychological pressure destabilized Gremmy’s power of The Imagination. As Kenpachi pressured Gremmy with his new shikai, Nozarashi, Gremmy panicked and lost control of The Visionary, causing him to destroy himself in the end. It was actually a mental battle all along, and Gremmy wasn’t ready for Kenpachi’s unshakable confidence.
3 Uryu, Renji, and Captain Kurotsuchi vs Szayelaporro Grantz Showcased the 8th Espada’s Sinister Tricks
Notable Episode: “The Two Scientists, Mayuri’s Trap”
The battle against the 8th Espada, Szayelaporro Grantz, was a lengthy one that involved more and more characters joining the fray. First, it was Renji Abarai who faced Szayelaporro’s wrath, trying in vain to win with his bankai sealed away. Then, Uryu Ishida joined and dominated the fight with stellar teamwork, only for Szayelaporro to turn the tables once again with his released mode, La Lujuriosa.
Related
10 Best Bleach Arcs to Rewatch, Ranked
Bleach is a shonen classic with lots of episodes and content to enjoy, but which arcs hold up best on a repeated watch?
Szayelaporro’s released form had all kinds of vicious tricks, and the heroes were doomed until Mayuri Kurotsuchi took over in the battle’s final phase. What followed was a breathtaking battle of cunning scientists who kept outmaneuvering each other until Mayuri struck the final blow. His mind-accelerant drug effectively paralyzed the 8th Espada, and to Szayelaporro, getting stabbed to death felt like a century-long ordeal.
2 The Royal Guard vs the Schutzstaffel Included a World-Shaking Bankai and Uryu’s New Powers
Notable Episode: “Black”
In recent Bleach episodes, the Royal Guard was summoned to defend the Soul King from the Schutzstaffel, or Yhwach’s bodyguard unit of four elite Quincy, along with Uryu Ishida and Jugram Haschwalth. The group battle started in the Royal Guard’s favor, only for Yhwach to revive the Schutzstaffel with Auswählen, so the Royal Guard resorted to their desperation move.
At the cost of Kirio, Tenjiro, and Oetsu’s lives, Senjumaru Shutara activated her world-shaking bankai, a golden loom that wove unique fates for each Quincy whom she faced, scoring a temporary victory against all odds. But of course, it’s never that easy for Bleach‘s heroes, and cour 3 showed the Quincy team escaping and returning fire before long. In fact, it was Uryu who took down Senjumaru, using The Antithesis to turn her powers against her before dealing the final blow.
1 Rukia and Byakuya Kuchiki vs Äs Nödt Ended With a Carhartic Victory For Rukia
Notable Episode: “The White Haze”
For many episodes, Rukia Kuchiki spent her time catching up to Bleach‘s other characters and sought to resolve her personal woes, which sometimes led to power-ups like getting her shikai back online. That happened for the final time in the Thousand-Year Blood War story arc, with Rukia bravely challenging her brother’s would-be killer, Sternritter F Äs Nödt.
Rukia used fancy new moves with her shikai to put pressure on her Quincy opponent, only for Äs Nödt’s power of Tatar Foras to nearly defeat her with overwhelming terror. At the last second, in a moment of catharsis, Rukia received emotional support from Byakuya and activated her bankai, Hakka no Togame. With that incredible and empowering bankai, Rukia slew Äs Nödt once and for all, earning Byakuya’s fondest and most sincere praise yet.
Bleach revolves around Kurosaki Ichigo, a regular always-grouchy high-schooler who for some strange reason is able to see the souls of the dead around him.
- Release Date
- September 6, 2006
- Cast
- Johnny Yong Bosch , Michelle Ruff , Stephanie Sheh , Jamieson Price , Derek Stephen Prince , Wally Wingert
- Seasons
- 16
- Creator
- Production Company
- Number of Episodes
- Streaming Service(s)
Discover more from reviewer4you.com
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
