Important takeaways
- Ichigo's quick Bankai mastery defies Shinigami norms in Bleach.
- Unohana's sudden transformation into a powerful fighter leaves fans confused.
- Yoruichi's unexpected display of thunderous power lacks build-up in Bleach.
Whiten is one of the most beloved anime of all time, despite some issues with writing and pacing. The battles in this series are arguably the best part Whitenso fans can watch their favorite characters reach new heights of power time and time again.

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Bleach: Fights That Are Better In The Manga
While Bleach's anime adaptation is excellent for the most part, there are some key battles that the manga did better.
However, there are times when Whitens writing fails to justify some of the powerups that take place during battles. This can be a frustrating watch as fans are forced to accept certain developments in the battle that don't feel as rewarding as they should.
8 Tensa Zangetsu
Somehow three days is all it takes for Ichigo to learn his bankai
- Debut: Drop! The black blade, the miraculous power (Section 58 of Whiten)
The Soul Society arc revealed the concept of Bankai as something that Shinigami take years to master. So it's only fitting that the character with ridiculous action armor manages to game the system and achieve this power in just three days.
For what it's worth, players get to see Ichigo's grueling training that helps him discover this new form, making his Bankai form somewhat justifiable. However, the three day time limit is something that most people still find hard to believe, no matter how talented Ichigo may be at being a shinigami.
7 Retsu Unohana reveals her former title of Kenpachi
Apparently, this Shinigami is strong enough to fight toe-to-toe with Zaraki
- Debut: The battle (Section 10 of Whiten: The Millennium Blood War)
There is no denying that the battle between Kenpachi and Unohana is one of the best moments in Whiten. The fight reveals many things about their shared past, with Retsu revealing himself as the former holder of the Kenpachi title.
Having barely played a role in any fights prior to this moment, Unohana suddenly reveals herself as one of the strongest shinigami in Whiten and dies not long after. It's a sudden transition that fans aren't given time to digest, as she dies before the true extent of her powers can be revealed.
6 Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck's true form
Revealing himself to be a powerful Arrancar instead of an annoying child
- Debut: Nel's secret (Section 192 of Whiten)
At the beginning of the Hueco Mundo arc, Nel appears as an annoying child who fails to pronounce Ichigo's name correctly. But after seeing her savior tortured by Nnoitra Gilga's hands, something inside her awakens.

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Bleach: Most Shocking Defeat, Ranked
Bleach is full of twists and turns, and the defeats of these characters surprised fans everywhere.
Both Ichigo and the fans are surprised to see that Nel was a powerful Arrancar who once held the title of 3rd Espada. This reveal comes out of nowhere, and it's a shame she barely gets time to shine before being relegated to a comedy character once again.
5 Toshiro Hitsugaya's completed Daiguren Hyorinmaru
Hitsugaya becomes randomly relevant after floundering for a large part of the arc
- Debut: The Perfect Crimson (Chapter 670 of Whiten)
Hitsugaya's participation in the Millennium Blood War has been sorely missed, especially since his Bankai was stolen by the Quincy. Fans of this character may be frustrated to see him on the sidelines, but he finally gets his moment to shine after his Daiguren Hyorinmaru matures.
Seeing the true extent of Hitsugaya's Bankai is one of the coolest visuals in the series, even if it can seem pretty random. It doesn't help that Gerard Valkyrie is such an impressive force that even the full force of Hitsugaya's powers isn't enough to take him down, taking some of the steam out of his adult transformation.
4 Renji Abarai's Soo Zabimaru
Renji had to earn the respect of his Zanpakuto and learn the true name of his bankai
- Debut: Rampage at Ringside (Section 18 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War)
After his Bankai hiatus, Renji finds out that his Zanpakuto never respected him enough to reveal the true nature of this Bankai to him. It is only after some grueling training at the royal palace that he comes back into battle with a reforged Zanpakuto and a new Bankai.
It might be a convenient moment, but fans won't mind as long as Renji finally gets another meaningful victory. This character has lost the vast majority of his fights, and this win helps restore his credibility as one of the strongest shinigami in Whiten.
3 Yoruichi Shihoin's Shunryu Kokubyo Senki
Yoruichi accidentally reveals a human-cat hybrid with thunderous power
- Debut: God of Thunder 3 (Chapter 662 of Whiten)
Yoruichi is one of the most interesting characters in Whitenbut there's no denying that she didn't get too many moments to shine in the Millennium Blood War. As a result, there isn't a ton of build-up before she reveals a cool transformation that should have had more of an impact.

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Bleach: Strongest Characters In The Anime, Ranked
Bleach has a variety of powerful characters. This is how they stand.
This shinigami uses her thunder powers to humiliate Askin Nakk Le Vaar, but she becomes moody in this form and fails to muster a sustained offense. It might be a cool moment for Yoruichi but might seem random to fans who didn't see her earn this moment in Whiten.
2 Vasto Lorde Ichigo
Getting a hole in his chest somehow makes Ichigo stronger
- Debut: Ichigo dies! Orihime, Cry of Sorrow! (Section 271 of Whiten)
Ichigo can be a frustrating protagonist at times. His personality is a bit too one-dimensional at times, but what fans hate the most is this character's tendency to pop up randomly without any justification. One such moment comes after he is killed by Ulquiorra.
Most characters would die after a hole is blasted in their chest, but Ichigo is made of different sauce. Somehow the hollow part of his body triggers an admittedly cool transformation that comes out of nowhere to definitively defeat Ulquiorra and is never revealed again.
1 Final Getsuga Tensho
Ichigo's training in Dangai is random and helps him become stronger than ever before
- Debut: Fierce battle conclusion! Release, the last Getsuga Tensho! (Section 309 of Whiten)
Aizen is one of the biggest villains in Shonen history, and the way his fight with Ichigo is handled makes for one of the biggest fumbles in Whiten which permanently lowered the series' reputation. Realizing that Ichigo needed to up his game to take on this enemy, his father decided to use Dangai's compromised nature to his advantage and help Ichigo train as much as he could in a short amount of time.
The end result is one of the most unsatisfying and random powerups in Whiten history. Aizen could do no wrong up until then, but underestimating Ichigo turned out to be his biggest mistake. He was humiliated by the replacement Shinigami, who revealed the final form of Getsuga Tensho by transforming into a living version of his iconic attack and blasting Aizen with Mugetsu to defeat this antagonist in one fell swoop.
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- Release date
- October 5, 2004
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Creator
- Tite Kubo
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Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
- Release date
- Studio
- Creator