Biggest Heroes In Bleach’s The Thousand-Year Blood War

Key Takeaways

• Ichigo’s final efforts in stopping Yhwach make up for his previous mistakes, showing true heroism.
• Orihime’s role as a healer proves invaluable, showcasing her abilities and heroism in the arc.
• Mayuri Korutsuchi emerges as the true MVP, saving lives, taking out key fighters, and showing teamwork.

The Thousand-Year Blood War is a conflict within the Bleach series that saw the Soul Reaper Captains and Lieutenants go up against their most formidable opponent, the Sternritter. This army of Quincies almost wiped out the entirety of the Soul Society upon their very first invasion, even stealing numerous Bankai abilities in the process.

Needless to say, their mission to exterminate the Soul Reapers almost became a reality; however, thankfully, Ichigo and his allies had managed to push back against the Quincy onslaught, with several key individuals playing a big part in the resistance.

These are the Bleach characters who deserve all the credit they get for showing true heroism during the final arc of the story, as without them, who knows how the centuries-long climax between Soul Reaper and Quincy would have turned out.

Before jumping in, there will be
major spoilers for the final arc of the series
, including the ending as is shown in the manga.

8 Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo’s Final Efforts In Stopping Yhwach Make Up For Some Of His Other Blunders This Arc

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Admittedly, Ichigo doesn’t exactly have his best performance during the story’s final arc and makes numerous huge mistakes along the way. However, the protagonist does still manage to fend off Yhwach more times than anyone else could, and also takes out a few of the Bambis who were reigning chaos on the other Soul Reapers just moments before.

More importantly though, Ichigo’s training with Squad 0 and realization of his true Zanpakuto enabled him to take down Yhwach when it really mattered. Sure, he may have had some much-needed assistance from Uryu in those final moments, but Ichigo was the only one at the time who was confident and strong enough to defeat Yhwach to end the war once and for all, and for that, he can be considered a hero.

7 Orihime Inoue

Orihime’s Role As Healer Makes Her An Invaluable Member Of The Soul Reaper’s Forces

• First Appearance: Episode 2

It’s hard to think that the Orihime who stands side by side with Ichigo in the Thousand-Year Blood War is the same character from previous arcs. No longer is she doubting her abilities and usefulness to the team, but instead, is acting as a crucial team player who assumes the role of a healer, and throughout the arc, she saves the lives of numerous people.

One particular moment where Orihime shines is after half of Ichigo’s chest is blasted apart by one of Uryu’s arrows in the anime. While Orihime is able to patch him up, it’s unlikely anyone else would have been able to reach the Soul Palace fast enough to save him. She also manages to effortlessly heal Ichigo’s wounds before he attacks Yhwach in the Soul Palace, and also protects Ganju from getting flattened by Gerard. Orihime has honed her abilities to such a degree that she’s not just a useful team member, but an underrated hero in the entire arc.

6 Ryuken Ishida

Ryuken May Be Absent For Most Of The Arc, But He Joins The Fight At The Most Crucial Moment

• First Appearance: Episode 44

Ryuken is more of a hero who shows up at the final hour to do something big, rather than playing a big part throughout the entire arc. In fact, outside a few conversations with Uryu at the very beginning concerning the Quincy’s history, Ryuken is largely absent for the entire war, not teaming up with the Quincy, but also seemingly not opposing the Soul Reapers either.

During the final few moments, Ryuken manages to send his son Uryu a silver arrow tip which contains the blood clot that killed his wife. By using the unique power within the arrow, Uryu was able to stop Yhwach’s Almighty for just enough time so Ichigo could deal the final blow. Whether this will be changed or altered in the anime is yet to be seen, but there have been a few scenes foreshadowing the arrow’s creation, hinting Ryuken will likely still play an important role in those last few episodes.

5 Shunsui Kyoraku

Leader Of The Soul Reaper Army Who Took Down A Truly Dangerous Opponent

• First Appearance: Episode 24

Kyoraku does an admirable job at pushing back the Quincy during their initial invasions on the Soul Society, but it’s really when the Soul Reapers enter the gateway and take the fight to the enemy that he comes into his own. Kyoraku shakes off his laziness to assume the role of leader for the surviving forces, filling them with inspiration and courage for the fights ahead.

It was also Kyoarku who was able to take down Lille Barro, an opponent who, by that point, had plenty of Soul Reaper blood on his hands. If Kyoraku hadn’t unleashed his Bankai to take down Lille, the latter probably would have taken down numerous other Soul Reapers from afar, tearing the army apart one by one with his sniper rifle.

4 Zaraki Kenpachi

Kenpachi Stopped The War From Being Ended Prematurely By A Meteor

• First Appearance: Episode 20

Kenpachi only shows up a handful of times in the war against the Quincies, but when he does, he’s always showing off his immense power by tearing apart formidable foes. The biggest example of this is his duel with Gremmy, a Sternritter capable of pulling anything he imagines into reality. Many other characters would have been done for after getting slammed by two concrete hands or trapped inside a pocket of space, but Kenpachi’s thirst for battle pushes him through every one of Gremmy’s grueling tests.

Of course, Kenpachi was also able to slice a meteor in two, which even Gremmy’s own comrades are shown to be terrified of in the manga. There’s no doubt this single attack could have ended the war right there and then, and it’s unlikely many, if any, characters possessed the same amount of strength as Kenpachi that was needed to stop it before it reached the surface.

3 Kisuke Urahara

Urahara’s Work Behind The Scenes Saved The Soul Reapers On More Than A Few Occasions

• First Appearance: Episode 6

While the Soul Reapers do what they can to fight back against the Quincy on the ground, Kisuke is always working behind the scenes to support them, and it’s fair to say he comes in clutch at numerous crucial points in the arc. Early on during the second invasion, Kisuke manages to revive multiple captains by restoring their Bankai which he had made Hollowfied, giving them a final chance to fight back.

It’s also implied that Kisuke was the one to gather Riruka and Yukio together to create the box Ichigo and the gang used to return to Yhwach in the Soul Palace. Kisuke is also to thank for creating the gateway to the Soul Palace that he and hundreds of others used to launch the final invasion, and even takes on a member of the Schutzstaffel. It’s a good thing the Soul Reapers decided to put their grudges with Kisuke aside for just this once, since without him, they would have been doomed from the very start.

2 Jushiro Ukitake

Ukitake Gives Up His Own Life To Ensure The Three Worlds Didn’t Collide

• First Appearance: Episode 9

It had always been established since near the very beginning of the series that Ukitake, the captain of Squad 13, possessed some sort of illness. It wouldn’t be until the final arc in a Bleach flashback though that fans learned this was in part due to his connection with Mimihagi, the right hand of the Soul King himself.

Once Yhwach forces Ichigo to slash the Soul King in two, the three worlds are thrown into disarray, and the fear of them all collapsing into one almost becomes a reality. Ukitake manages to use his bond with Mimihagi to temporarily allow the Soul King’s hand to fend off Yhwach, buying valuable time that his comrades would use to put an end to the battle. At the cost of his own life, he maintained balance and prevented the Bleach universe from being plunged into guaranteed destruction.

1 Mayuri Kurotsuchi

From Saving Numerous Of His Allies’ Lives To Destroying An Entire Army Of Zombies, Mayuri Was The True MVP Of The Final Arc

• First Appearance: Episode 24

Mayuri experiences quite a unique arc throughout the series of Bleach, since it’s not technically him that changes, but rather, how the audience views him. When he first appeared to take on Uryu in the Soul Society arc, his abuse towards his underlings and horrific treatment of Nemu made a lot of fans hate him.

However, fast-forward to the Thousand-Year Blood War, and Mayuri’s sick and twisted mind enables him to take out numerous key fighters while also saving more than a few comrades. Not only is he able to counteract and take control of Giselle’s zombie army, but he is also the one to resurrect Hitsugaya, Rangiku, Kenpachi, and numerous other Soul Reapers who would have either been dead or zombified if not for him. Being able to take down one of the four Schutzstaffel, partly thanks to Nemu, also cemented him as a huge team player during the final war, alongside his efforts in containing Aizen’s power and helping construct the Soul Palace gateway.