Summary
- The Sternritter were more deadly and effective than the Espada, making them formidable foes for the Soul Reapers. (94)
- The Quincy’s invisible army posed a bigger threat than anticipated, showing their prowess by eliminating key Soul Reaper figures. (125)
- While the Espada were iconic, they fell short in posing a significant challenge to the Soul Reapers compared to the Quincy’s Royal Guard. (126)
The different and distinctive factions that wage war against each other define the world of Bleach. The 13-court guard squads of the soul reapers protects humankind from hollows and keeps the balance of souls. And in the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War anime, they battle their mortal enemies, the Quincy. While the army raised by the traitor Sosuke Aizen, and The Espada are much more fondly remembered by fans than the Sternritter, they fall in comparison next to the Quincy when it comes to being effective threats and villains.
The Sternritter are much more deadly and devastating than the hollows when it comes to their battle against the soul reapers. Let’s explore why the Quincy invisible army was much more effective at breaking the 13-court guard squads than Aizen’s army.
Related
These deaths were some of the most dramatic and emotional in the Bleach anime series.
The Espada’s Failings
Memorable But Lackluster
When it comes to the villains of Bleach, there is no other group more iconic and beloved than the Espada, 10 powerful hollows with soul reaper powers that wage war against the 13 court guard squads at the behest of Sosuke Aizen. Every fan of Bleach is a fan of this ensemble of colorful villains, especially the top three Espada and numbers four and Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. The battles involving the Espada and the overall characterization of each member remain the biggest highlights of the Huco Mundo arc. It’s hard to find a more recognizable group of villains when it comes to Shōnen anime. But that is perhaps the biggest praise they have, considering that they left a lot to be desired when it comes to shaking up the core of the soul reapers and actively hurting their ranks.
I never even dreamed that the power of the ten Espada I went to so much trouble to gather could possibly be inferior to that of myself alone.
Before the Espada are properly introduced, they are built to be extremely powerful and more than enough to destroy the entirety of the 13 court guard squads. However, once they battled their respective soul reaper enemies, all the bravado about them slowly faded away. The ninth Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, battled Rukia Kuchiki on his own and even though Rukia was fairly powerful at the time, she wasn’t even a seated officer in squad 13. And still, beyond the psychological torture that he inflicted upon her, she was able to kill him on her own. Then the eighth Espada Szayelaporro Granz, was seen toying with his two enemies for what seemed to be an eternity until the captain of squad 12, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, defeated him in an extremely cruel way.
Espada number seven, Zommari Rureaux, was defeated and orderly humiliated by Rukia’s brother Byakuya. Espada number five, Noitora Ghilga, was defeated by former Espada Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck and captain of squad 11 can patch in Suraci. And then, who was thought to be the strongest Espada in a convoluted plot twist, the Espada number zero Yammy Llargo, was even defeated offscreen. And the top three Espada, even though they put up amazing fights on their own, their defeat was dissatisfactory and anti-climactic.
It was mainly Ulquiorra and Grimmjow who were the highlights of the group as they were the ones to battle Ichigo, but when it came to being an effective army of extremely powerful hollows, none of the Espada achieved significant deaths on the side of the soul reapers or even put up enough of a fight to change the future of these characters. While well-written and beautifully designed, none of them managed to put a real dent in the powerful 13 court guard squads.
Related
Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War: The Original Quincy Royal Guards, Explained
Here’s what you need to know about the first generation of Quincy Royal Guard.
The Victory of the Quincy Army
The First Invasion Was A Bloodbath
As soon as the Sternritter were introduced and debuted in the first invasion of the Thousand-Year Blood War, they were already taking out important members of the 13 court guard squads. Sternritter O – Driscoll Berci was the one to kickstart the offensive by killing the vice-captain of squad 1, Chōjirō Sasakibe, who is known to be perhaps the most powerful of all the vice-captains. Later, several of the members of the army managed to steal the Bankai of four important captains, stripping them of their power for some time. And most famously, Sternritter F – The Fear – As Nodt brutally defeated and mangled Byakuya Kuchiki.
Have you not noticed? Your fear is so great that rather than see this for the matter of life and death it is, you have subconsciously chosen to refer to it as a matter of ‘passage’. A foolish notion. This war has already begun.
With the first outing at the first invitation, the invisible army proved to be a much greater threat than fans expected. Later in the second invasion, Sternritter V – Gremmy Thoumeaux effortlessly killed captains Kensei Muguruma and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi. Both of them were later turned into zombies by Sternritter Z – Giselle Gewelle, who was another formidable opponent thanks to her incredibly powerful ability. And while the top 3 Espada failed at killing a single soul reaper, the Quincy Royal guard managed to kill the soul reaper squad zero, who were known to be the most powerful members of the organization.
Related
Bleach: Was Unohana Wasted In Thousand-Year Blood War?
Plenty of fans think that TYBW didn’t do Unohana justice. Are they right?
While the Quincy are not as expertly written as the Espada or as memorable, they were far more effective at their job of being a villain and a proper threat to the heroes. They quickly established the power of the invisible army and why they were worthy opponents to have for the final arc of Bleach.
