Across hundreds of episodes and chapters, the story of Bleach has introduced fans to all kinds of incredible villains, though some are more important than others. Regardless of each villain's strength and abilities, some of them are more impactful for the plot than others, with some just being an excuse for action scenes while others left a lasting mark on the story or certain characters' arcs.
That even includes a few short-lived villains, or villains who were later redeemed and became proper heroes when they had a change of heart. In every case, the story of Bleach and the lives of characters like Ichigo, Orihime, and even Isshin Kurosaki were forever changed because of what these antagonists said and did. It's a given that Sosuke Aizen the supervillain fits the bill, so it's more meaningful to explore other Bleach characters who also made a serious difference.
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10 Fishbone D is the Reason Ichigo Kurosaki Became a Soul Reaper
Debut Episode: "The Day I Became a Soul Reaper"
It's true that most Hollows in Bleach were just "monster of the week" fodder, but if one of them helps the main character gain his powers, then there is a whole new dimension to that villain. Such is the case for Fishbone D, an otherwise unremarkable Hollow that stalked the streets one night before attacking the Kurosaki household in particular.
Rukia Kuchiki leaped into action to defend those humans, only to slip up and get injured in the process. With Fishbone D about to kill both her and Ichigo, Rukia had no choice but to hand over her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo to make him a Soul Reaper himself, and Ichigo proved his worth when he took down Fishbone D to save the day.
9 Gin Ichimaru Was a Serious Red Herring in the Soul Society Arc
Debut Episode: "Gin Ichimaru's Shadow"
The Soul Society story arc had Sosuke Aizen as its main villain, but he was not acting alone. Captain Gin Ichimaru of squad 3 was in on it too, as was Captain Kaname Tosen of squad 9, and they helped him in their own ways. Gin, for his part, allowed everyone to see him as the villain, and as an example, Momo Hinamori rashly blamed him for Aizen's apparent death one morning.
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That was Gin's role, to keep the characters and anime fans confused until the very end as Aizen revealed himself as the true traitor. Later, Gin became important once again as a traitor to Aizen's cause, attacking him with a piece of Shinso's blade. Gin failed to kill Aizen, but he did help pave the way for Ichigo and Kisuke defeating that supervillain at last.
8 Grand Fisher Killed Masaki Kurosaki and Almost Killed Ichigo, Too
Debut Episode: "June 17, Memories in the Rain"
The monstrous Grand Fisher is another Hollow that isn't terribly important to most major Bleach characters, but this sinister villain is quite important to the Kurosakis. It was Grand Fisher who killed Masaki Kurosaki when Ichigo was just a kid, which changed Ichigo's life for the worse. Because of Grand Fisher's actions, Ichigo hardened his heart, protecting himself as a punk tsundere who wouldn't open up to anyone.
Years later, Ichigo fought Grand Fisher and failed to slay him, which made Ichigo feel terrible. Grand Fisher became a loose end after that, only for Isshin Kurosaki to unveil his own Soul Reaper powers and finally dispatch Grand Fisher to prove his strength. By dying, Grand Fisher not allowed Bleach fans to see just how amazing Isshin is as a fighter, and it was cathartic to see.
7 Aaroniero Arruruerie Pushed Rukia to Face Her Grief
Debut Episode: "Second Move of Hueco Mundo! Hitsugaya vs Yammy"
In most ways, the 9th Espada Aaroniero Arruruerie was just another minion for Sosuke Aizen, and his allies thought rather little of him and his abilities. Things were different for Rukia Kuchiki, though, because Aaroniero had consumed Metastacia and could assume Kaien's form with it. That made their fight intensely personal as Rukia came face-to-face with her guilt and grief.
That wasn't just a fight to give Rukia something to do -- it challenged her to defeat her inner demons and thus glow up as a character. That was Aaroniero's true role in Bleach's story, pushing Rukia to mentally move on and find inner peace. Aaroniero certainly didn't intend to do Rukia any favors with his psychological warfare, but from a plot perspective, that's what he did, and that made him important for one of Bleach's best heroes.
6 Bazz-B Led the Sternritter Rebellion Against Yhwach
Debut Episode: "March of the StarCross"
For a time, Sternritter H Bazz-B seemed like just another of many fluff villains in the Thousand-Year Blood War story arc as he fought characters like Toshiro and Rangiku. Then, Bazz-B's character took on a new meaning as Yhwach used Auswählen to lethally take back many Sternritters' powers. Bazz-B and his surviving allies were outraged and decided to rebel.
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Now, Bazz-B is the unofficial leader of the rebellious Sternritter team, with Giselle and Liltotto following his lead. That will help Bleach's heroes level the playing field against Yhwach and the Schutzstaffel, and on a more personal note, Bazz-B's rebellion will help the story explore Jugram Haschwalth's mysterious backstory as well.
5 Captain Byakuya Kuchiki Upheld Rukia's Execution in the Soul Society Arc
Debut Episode: "Kon's Great Plan"
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In the long run, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of squad 6 is a hero, but for a time, he was also one of Bleach's most important and compelling antagonists. It was because of him Rukia was arrested and taken home, and Byakuya fought Ichigo's team several times to uphold Rukia's execution sentence. That made Byakuya central to the Soul Society arc.
Byakuya's mere presence helped push Ichigo to get stronger, first by gaining Zangetsu and then by training with Yoruichi to bain his bankai, Tensa Zangetsu. If that weren't enough, Byakuya also helped push Ichigo to face his own half-other powers, even if Byakuya never intended to do that. Both fighters were shocked by the arrival of Ichigo's inner Hollow, but all the same, it's thanks to Byakuya that Ichigo had to deal with those powers and eventually tame them.
4 Jugram Haschwalth is Yhwach's Right-Hand Man
Debut Episode: "Foundation Stones"
Anime-only Bleach fans haven't yet seen the full extent of Sternritter B Jugram Haschwalth's importance, but they can rest assured that he will do more than stand around looking cool. Jugram is already important to the Wandenreich as Yhwach's right-hand man, and what is more, he borrows The Almighty while Yhwach sleeps, a job no other Sternritter is trusted to carry out.
Jugram has done some work to protect Yhwach and fight the Soul Reapers, but his most important battles will be against his fellow Quincy, with Bazz-B being the first example. Their fight, and the flashback sequence that it will feature, will help flesh out how the Sternritter came to be. Later, Jugram will fight a certain other Sternritter and help resolve that character's intriguing personal arc once and for all.
3 Ulquiorra Cifer Kidnapped Orihime and Killed Ichigo in Hueco Mundo
Debut Episode: "Prelude to the Apocalypse, the Arrancar's Attack"
Several of the Espadas played pivotal roles in the Arrancar saga, with Ulquiorra Cifer being even more impactful than Aaroniero was. Ulquiorra wasn't the top Espada, but he was still Aizen's most trusted minion who was given the most important jobs, such as checking Ichigo's power levels in Karakura Town and abducting Orihime Inoue. That latter mission helped launch the entire Hueco Mundo invasion arc.
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That made Ulquiorra hugely important, and he still had more to do. In Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra threatened Orihime and provoked Ichigo, leading to one of the most explosive fights of the entire saga. That fight led to Ichigo's death, only for Ichigo to be revived with his Vasto Lorde form, exploring more depths of his terrifying half-other powers before Ulquiorra ultimately fell.
2 Grimmjow Jaegerjaques Was Ichigo's Best Rival in the Arrancar Saga
Debut Episode: "The Evil Eye, Aizen Again"
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Grimmjow Jeagerjaques was one of three important Espadas in the Arrancar saga, mainly because he recklessly decided to attack Ichigo and thus became Ichigo's rival in that arc. Grimmjow fought Ichigo again and again, pushing the latter to keep getting stronger and embrace his role as a warrior. That was what Grimmjow wanted, but he eventually paid for it with his defeat in Las Noches.
Grimmjow has recently become important once again, arriving in the TYBW story arc as a reluctant antihero ally of Ichigo's as one of the few surviving Arrancars, alongside Nelliel. Of all people, Grimmjow will help keep the heat off Ichigo while Ichigo goes after King Yhwach himself, a fine way to Grimmjow to partially redeem himself.
1 King Yhwach Has Created the Ultimate Stakes
Debut Episode: "THE BLOOD WARFARE"
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With Sosuke Aizen largely out of the picture, Bleach needed a new supervillain to launch the next story arc, and the mighty King Yhwach did just that in spectacular fashion. He is the leader and father of all Quincy, a vengeful king who is determined to create a world where the Quincy belong. His strategy: to absorb the Soul King and merge all worlds.
All that made Yhwach enormously important, creating titanic stakes that no Bleach hero can afford to ignore. Aside from that, Yhwach is also important because he hinted at the truth of Ichigo's true family tree, which culminated in Ichigo learning about Masaki's Quincy heritage from Isshin. Now, Ichigo is ready to rebel against his maternal "father" of sorts and save the universe from certain doom.
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Bleach
TV-14
Animation
Action
Adventure
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
Finale Year November 30, 2022
Cast Johnny Yong Bosch , Michelle Ruff , Stephanie Sheh , Jamieson Price , Derek Stephen Prince , Wally Wingert
Seasons 16
Studio Pierrot
Producers Tasuku Honda , Yoshihiko Tominaga , Genki Negishi
Creator Tite Kubo
Production Company
Story By Tite Kubo
Writers Tite Kubo , Masashi Sogo
Number of Episodes 366
Network Funimation
Streaming Service(s) Hulu
Directors Noriyuki Abe , Jun'ya Koshiba
Showrunner Tite Kubo
Based On Manga
MyAnimeList Score 7.96
Character(s) Ulquiorra (voice) , Ryūsei 'Kenryū' Kenzaki (voice) , Ugaki (voice) , Avirama Redder , Kurōdo (voice) , Noitora (voice) , Uncredited , Maki Ichinose (voice) , Jinta Hanakari (voice) , Noba , Aaroniero Arruruerie (voice) , Lirin (voice) , Mashiro Kuna (voice) , Wonderweiss Margera (voice) , Hyōrinmaru (voice) , Uryu Ishida (voice) , Nel Tu (voice)
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