10 Most Powerful Shinigami in Bleach, Ranked

Shinigami, better known as Soul Reapers, are the most predominant group of fighters in Tite Kubo’s Bleach. Not only is series protagonist Ichigo a Soul Reaper, but the vast majority of supporting characters are Soul Reapers, as well. As such, nearly every conflict is centered around their battles against the forces of evil.

No faction in Bleach is better represented than the Soul Reapers, and it’s because of that that they’re home to some of the strongest characters in all of Bleach. That’s especially true for a few Soul Reapers in particular, as each one is so powerful in their own right that it’s almost impossible to imagine them losing a straightforward fight.

10) Shunsui Kyoraku

Shunsui Kyoraku is a major recurring figure among the Soul Reapers. One of the oldest living members of the group, Kyoraku was once best known as Yamamoto’s apprentice and the laid-back captain of Squad 8, but after Yhwach killed Yamamoto, Kyoraku became the new Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guards and simultaneously took on a more serious demeanor.

Kyoraku’s Shikai, Katen Kyokotsu, weaponizes children’s games, and his Bankai, Katen Kyokotsu: Karamatsu Shinju, inflicts ailments onto his opponents that mirror a play about a double suicide, all of which are nigh impossible to resist. Kyoraku was virtually unmatched in his few fights, and it’s easy to see why he was chosen to lead the Soul Reapers after Yamamoto’s death.

9) Kenpachi Zaraki

Kenpachi Zaraki is the captain of Squad 11 and the latest Kenpachi, a title reserved for the strongest Captain after Yamamoto. Kenpachi is a sadistic man who loves fighting so much that he’ll deliberately hold back to drag fights out, yet despite all that, he’s ostensibly one of the heroes and one of Ichigo’s closest allies.

For most of Bleach, Kenpachi got by on his massive raw power, but after training with Unohana, not only did that power rise even higher, but he finally obtained his Shikai, Nozarashi, making him stronger than ever. Kenpachi even eventually unlocks his Bankai, and while its powers remain unclear, it more than solidifies his status as Soul Society’s strongest soldier.

8) Sosuke Aizen

Sosuke Aizen was the main antagonist of the first half of Bleach. While Aizen posed as the friendly captain of Squad 5, in reality, he was a villainous mastermind plotting to use the Hogyoku to destroy Soul Society and dethrone the Soul King, although Ichigo used the power of the Final Getsuga Tensho to ultimately stop him.

Aizen’s Shikai, Kyoka Suigetsu, can trap anyone who sees its activation in a perfect illusion, but his Kido and natural power are so far above most other characters that he can win most fights without it. Not only that, but Aizen somehow became more powerful in Bleach‘s Thousand-Year Blood War arc, so there’s no telling where he currently stands.

7) Tenjiro Kirinji

Tenjiro Kirinji is a member of Squad 0, the elite group of Soul Reapers tasked with protecting the Soul King. Kirinji is known as the “Hot Spring Demon” for his special hot springs that can heal fatal wounds for anyone strong enough to withstand them, and despite his volatile personality, he’s a surprisingly kind and understanding person.

Kirinji invented the healing techniques of Kaido; he can weaponize his hot spring water for offense and healing, and his Shikai, Kinpika, possesses incredible striking power and the power to create blinding flashes of golden light. Kirinji was so powerful that he defeated Haschwalth, Yhwach’s strongest soldier, in a single hit, and there’s no better showing of his incredible power.

6) Kirio Hikifune

Kirio Hikifune is another member of Squad 0, known as the “Ruler of Grain”. Over a century ago, Kirio was the captain of Squad 12 before being promoted for inventing artificial souls, the tool Soul Reapers use for their gigais, which also formed the basis for Mod Souls like Kon in canon and Lirin, Kurodo, and Noba in the anime.

While the power of Kirio’s Zanpakuto is unknown, she specializes in tools that manipulate spiritual power, like food that restores power and, most notably, the Cage of Life, tree branches that absorb the strength of anyone who touches them. Kirio was the member of Squad 0 with the least amount of action, but that doesn’t make her any less powerful.

5) Oetsu Nimaiya

Oetsu Nimaiya is another member of Squad 0, known as the “God of the Sword”. As the title would imply, Nimaiya is the person who invented Zanpakutos, making him one of the most important figures in the history of Bleach, despite his eccentric and boisterous nature, which makes him come off as a joke.

Nimaiya fights by using nigh-invincible Zanpakutos created for personal use, and when combined with his masterful strength and reflexes, he could singlehandedly defeat Yhwach’s Schutzstaffel before they were empowered by the Auswählen. All of that was done without even using his natural power, so there’s no denying Nimaiya’s status as one of the strongest Soul Reapers in the series.

4) Senjumaru Shutara

Senjumaru Shutara is the fourth member of Squad 0, known as the “Great Weave Guard”. Senjumaru is the one who created the shihakusho, the uniform worn by all Soul Reapers, and she can even weave the Oken, the bones of the Royal Guard, into clothing to give them enhanced durability and a resistance to energy-based attacks.

Senjumaru’s Shikai, Shigarami, allows her to use her sewing skills in both offensive and supportive ways, and her Bankai, Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji, manifests as a giant sewing room that traps her opponents in tapestries that assault them with a variety of different attacks. 

Notably, Senjumaru was the one the other members of Squad 0 chose to unlock the Blood Oath’s Seal on their Bankai, so it can be said that Senjumaru is the strongest member of Squad 0 after Ichibe.

3) Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was the founder of the Thirteen Court Guards and their original Captain-Commander. For over 1000 years, Yamamoto was regarded as the strongest Soul Reaper and the ultimate defender of Soul Society, but despite all of that, Yhwach completely outplayed him in his return, and Yamamoto was one of the first to fall to the Wandenreich.

In addition to the destructive fire of Yamamoto’s Shikai, Ryujin Jakka, Yamamoto’s Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, which gives him even stronger fire powers and the ability to control the dead. Yamamoto was one of the few characters who could fight Yhwach in his base form, and that more than justifies his status as one of the strongest Soul Reapers.

2) Ichibe Hyosube

Ichibe Hyosube is the leader of Squad 0, also known as the Manako Osho, i.e., “Monk Who Calls the Real Name”. Ichibe was the one who gave names to everything in Soul Society, and despite his jovial nature, Ichibe is secretly more of a villainous character, as revealed in Can’t Fear Your Own World and other extended media.

Not only can Ichibe decrease something’s power by shortening its name, but his Shikai, Ichimonji, can completely rob someone of their power by dyeing them black, which then allows his Bankai, Shirafude Ichimonji, to rename them whatever he wants. Yhwach only defeated Ichibe by using The Almighty, and overall, he more than justified pushing him that far.

1) Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo Kurosaki is, of course, the main character of Bleach. Ichigo became a Substitute Soul Reaper to protect his friends and family from Hollows, and Ichigo gradually builds up more and more power as he ends up at the center of one major conflict after another to protect Soul Society and the universe as a whole.

As simple as Ichigo’s Zangetsu and Tensa Zangetsu may be, he’s still an incredibly powerful fighter, and it’s to the point that Ichigo’s Bankai was one of the few things that threatened to defeat Yhwach, as well. The specifics of that weren’t revealed in the manga, but it still leaves Ichigo as the strongest Soul Reaper in Bleach, by far.

10 Most Powerful Bleach Characters, Ranked