Most Tragic Deaths In Bleach

Summary

• Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War delivers amazing animation and intense battles, promising a dark and exciting storyline ahead.
• Tragic deaths in Bleach have made fans shed tears, with several characters meeting heartbreaking ends.
• The series explores complex relationships and sacrifices, such as Gin’s betrayal, Ulquiorra’s redemption, and Masaki’s tragic fate at the hands of Yhwach.

Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War has already wowed fans with its amazing animation and great battles, with the first cour itself making it evidently clear that the series is going to be heading down a dark path once again. Fans can’t wait to see Ichigo’s new Zanpakuto in action, while the fallout of Yamamoto’s death is still to be felt in its entirety.

Speaking of deaths, there’s no denying that the series has witnessed its fair share of tragic demises throughout the series. Some of these permanent departures have hit harder than others, and most fans would dread the idea of reliving the following deaths in Bleach that were sad enough for some people to shed a tear.

Updated February 27, 2025, by C.M. Edwards: Bleach is a series that has spanned hundreds of episodes and introduced numerous characters over the years. These characters leave a lasting impression on the series that makes them memorable for better or worse. Some characters shine bright and stand out, while others crash tragically. There have been countless deaths in the Bleach series, and some rocked the fanbase to its core. Protagonists and antagonists alike have come and gone, most with a meaningful effect on the world of Bleach. Here are more of the most tragic deaths in the series.

16

Wonderweiss

An Unnerving End To A Tragic Creature

Wonderweiss was an odd specimen among Aizen’s Espada. Appearing as a neurodivergent child, Wonderweiss was a non-verbal presence that always seemed to stick out among the eccentric members of the top ten. However, Wonderweiss was the ace-up of Aizen’s sleeve, which was forged as the perfect weapon against the Captain Commander.

Unfortunately, this came to pass as Wonderweiss’s true purpose was a bomb that went off upon his defeat. This means that Wonderweiss’s entire purpose was to be slain by the Captain Commander.

15

Bazz-B

A Failed Revenge Attempt Cost Him More Than His Life

Bazz-B was one of the more charismatic members of the Wonder Reich, and stood out with his fiery personality among his peers. While Bazz-B initially came off as a hot head who acted first and thought later, as the Thousand-Year Blood War of Bleach continued, his story proved to be more than a blind soldier. Having joined Yhwach in order to get vengeance along with his best friend, Bazz-B instead lost everything and failed even to reach the halfway point of his goal. To add insult to injury, Bazz-B’s life was even taken by the person who was supposed to be his closest ally.

14

Nemu

Even Artificial Beings Have A Purpose

Captain Myuri Kurusutchi is one of the most bizarre captains in Bleach and perhaps the most brilliant mind in the series. Having accomplished wonder, Myuri has succeeded where all others have failed and created life in the Soul Society.

Nemu is the product of his dedication, a completely artificial creation made in Myuri’s lab, the ninth attempt that finally bore fruit. While primarily a muted individual who seemingly only existed to assist Captain Kurosutchi, Nemu revealed herself to be much more than a lab experiment in the Thousand-Year Blood War. Unfortunately, this revelation was short-lived as she perished shortly after saving Myuri’s life.

13

The Soul King

The Death Of The Most Mysterious Being In Bleach

The Soul King is a mythical figure who is referenced time and time again in Bleach. It goes without saying that he’s one of the most powerful entities in the series who never really gets to show his power, but it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to realize that his mere presence is enough to humble most of the characters in the show.

The only person who decides to go against this powerful figure is Yhwach, who decides to take his father’s power for himself by manipulating Ichigo into cleaving the Soul King in half. This allows the Father of all Quincy to absorb his powers and become even more powerful than anyone could’ve imagined.

12

Liltotto Lamperd

An Unfortunate Servant To An Unworthy Master

While she may be one of the Sternritter, Liltotto is not a heartless individual by any stretch of the imagination. Not only is she a powerful character in her own right, but she also strives to stand up for her friends whenever she feels like they’ve been wronged. The biggest instance of the same comes when she realizes how heartless and uncaring Yhwach really is, using Auswahlen to rob innocent Quincy of their lives.

She decides to help the Shinigami out so that they can succeed in their quest to take down Yhwach. However, going against the Father of all Quincy is a dangerous mission to undertake, and Yhwach makes her pay for her betrayal by blowing a hole in her stomach. Suffice it to say, this mortal blow ultimately led to her demise.

11

Jugram Haschwalth

A Shell Pretending To Be A Soldier

At a glance, Haschwalth doesn’t really seem like a tragic figure. He is incredibly loyal to Yhwach, to the point where he doesn’t turn against the Quincy King even after he decides to take the power of all the unworthy Quincy for his own selfish purposes. However, as viewers learn more about this character, they’ll understand why this blind loyalty led to him killing his closest friend and sacrificing his own life to save his heartless master.

Haschwaith was a Quincy who assumed that he was a weak anomaly early on in his life. However, after Yhwach’s belief in him allowed the man to finally access the true depth of his powers, he decided to give his life to Yhwach if need be. This was the case during his battle against Uryu when Auswahlen robs him of his powers. His gentle nature persisted till the very end, healing Uryu and absorbing his damage in a final act of redemption before breathing his last.

10

Genryusai Yamamoto

A Pillar Of The Thirteen Court Guard Squads

Genryusai Yamamoto is one of the best characters in Bleach, with his power being truly phenomenal. Only an all-powerful force would be able to take this captain-commander down for good.

This was precisely the case, with Yhwach being the man who ended this person’s life despite his massive power. It was a huge moment in Soul Society, signaling just how strong the Quincy force really was.

9

Gin Ichimaru

The Perfect Double Agent

Gin Ichimaru is a pretty tragic figure, being labeled as a traitor for the longest time before revealing his true colors. It was revealed that Gin loved Rangiku and hated the fact that Aizen would hurt her.

This led to him becoming a double agent who would get close to Aizen before figuring out the best way to defeat him. Unfortunately, his plan wasn’t successful, and Aizen cut down this traitor without so much as a second thought.

8

Ulquiorra Cifer

A Vast Abyss Of Wasted Potential

Ulquiorra seemed like a pretty villainous figure who would stop at no lengths to kill anything and everything in his way. However, there was more to this Arrancar than what met the eye, and this is something Orihime noticed as well.

His battle against Ichigo led to the latter’s Hollow powers taking over and completely destroying the 4th Espada. In his final moments, Orihime’s kindness made him finally realize the power of a human’s heart, which made for a bittersweet farewell to one of the most interesting antagonists in Bleach.

7

Masaki Kurosaki

The Spark That Started Everything

The story of Ichigo’s mother is a sweet yet tragic tale, with this Quincy falling in love with a Shinigami despite the taboo surrounding the same. This led to them both being shunned from their respective groups, although their love was so strong that it didn’t matter.

Unfortunately, it was Yhwach’s Auswahlen that led to her demise. Robbed of her powers, she was powerless as a Grand Fisher eventually killed her while she was trying to protect Ichigo.

6

Coyote Starrk

An Enigmatic Fan Favorite

Speaking of Arrancar with tragic stories, another character that comes to mind is Coyote Starrk. The 1st Espada was a force to be reckoned with, and it was only fitting that his fight would be against the 1st Division Captain, Shunsui Kyoraku.

The battle was a heated one, with Coyote Starrk’s loneliness being revealed in his backstory prior to his demise. The fact that he found a companion and managed to live a fairly fulfilling life as an Arrancar led to him being pretty satisfied with how things turned out before breathing his last.

5

Lilynette Gingerbuck

One Of Two Perishing Souls

The reason why Coyote Starrk managed to escape his loneliness was that he found a companion who would stick around with him. Lilynette Gingerbuck was initially part of the same Hollow as Coyote Starrk, who was so strong that no Hollow could be around them.

This led to the Hollow splitting its soul into two, forming a unique companionship in the process. Since they were part of the same being, Starrk’s death meant that Lilynette would join him and meet her own demise too.

4

Kaname Tosen

A Misguided Warrior Blinded By Ambition

It’s hard to deal with betrayal, especially when said traitor is a close friend that people have shared some great memories with. This is why Komamura and Hisagi found it hard to digest why Tosen would ever choose to betray them and Soul Society.

This leads to an all-out battle between the three that ends with Hisagi impaling Tosen. The latter explains that his hate for Soul Society emerged from a need for revenge after he felt like justice wasn’t done by his dead friend, even though he ended up losing the plot in the process.

3

Chojiro Sasakibe

A Casualty Of A Forgotten War

The Lieutenant of the 1st Division, Chojiro Sasakibe, was a pretty honorable figure who respected Yamamoto and strove to protect him every step of the way. While he didn’t enjoy a ton of screen time, there’s no denying that his death was a pretty tragic affair regardless.

Chojiro’s death led to Yamamoto bursting into action, deciding to take matters into his own hands when the Quincy invaded Soul Society. It was clear that his lieutenant meant a lot to him, especially since he personally took care of Chojiro’s training and saw him develop as a Shinigami firsthand.

2

Retsu Unohana

A Blood Sacrifice To Save The Soul Society

Retsu Unohana seemed like a mild-mannered captain who specialized in healing. So, the fact that she was one of the title holders of “Kenpachi” was genuinely shocking to witness.

Watching her fight one last bloodthirsty battle against Zaraki while killing and healing him over and over again made for a brutal watch. After finally falling at the hands of the child who made her fall in love with battle once again, she happily breathes her last while letting Zaraki reach his true potential.

1

Jushiro Ukitake

A Shining Light Protecting A Dark Secret

Ukitake is a pretty unique Captain, wielding a dual Zanpakuto and never really showing the true extent of his powers. That being said, the mere fact that he was supposedly destined to replace the Soul King shows just how powerful this character really is.

However, Yhwach threw a wrench in his plans and absorbs Mimihagi, the deity that saved Ukitake’s life while chaining him to the fate of being the new right hand of the Soul King. This leads to Ukitake breathing his last before dying in a pretty tragic manner.