The Espada is the name of the group of the ten most powerful Arrancar under the command of the deserter captain Sōsuke Aizen in Tite Kubo’s Bleach. Although the Espada existed before Aizen found the Hōgyoku, he created a new and much more powerful group of Espada; all members of the old Espada, except for Aaroniero, number 9, were stripped and demoted to the title of Privaron Espada. Aizen claims that despite their might, their combined powers cannot match his own. In this article, we are going to rank the strongest Espada in Bleach.
15. Gantenbainne Mosqueda
Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio stated that Gantenbainne, a Privaron Espada, is one of the strongest Arrancar in Las Noches, being second only to the more recent Espada. He has shown great bare-handed combat ability, as shown by his ability to initially dodge and counter all of Yasutora Sado’s physical attacks. He also seems to have mastered Sonido very well, a technique similar to the Shinigami’s shunpo.
Mosqueda’s Resurrección is known as “Dragra,” which, when released, transforms Mosqueda’s twin Zanpakutō into two large lumps; his release command is unknown because he released it to defend himself from an attack by Chad. When Dragra is freed, Mosqueda’s weapons grow larger and cover his shoulders, arms, and back.
Upon activating his Resurrección, Dragra can control electricity and use all the energy around him to form powerful discharges (similar to his sealed form) through the two large protrusions found on Dragra’s back and hands. Mosqueda. Also, a kind of “tail” appears behind Mosqueda, forming part of his Resurrección. By activating Resurrección on him, Mosqueda gains the ability to generate even more powerful shock and electrical attacks than in his sealed state.
This guy looked like a joke and fought like a joke. Okay, he wasn’t a weakling, but compared to the other guys on this list, he was a gimmick character, and Kubo did not put much effort into him. Sure, he was stronger than your average Hollow, but we couldn’t give him any place than the last one on this list.
14. Cirucci Sanderwicci
Cirucci is an adversary to be reckoned with. We assume that Cirucci has come to develop the most typical combat techniques of the Arrancar, although the truth is that none of them have been seen. The only thing we can guarantee is that she possesses enormous strength, is capable of breaking stone structures without the slightest effort, and has remarkable agility, as demonstrated throughout her fight with Ishida.
Cirucci Sanderwicci is an expert fighter in ranged combat, thanks to the very special nature of her Zanpakutō. Due to this, she has become a good strategist, who first tries to give the wrong idea about the operation of her Zanpakutō and then attacks by surprise, proving that her abilities are superior to what was initially possible.
In her Resurrección form, Cirucci gains two long arms that keep the rest of her body off the ground, and at her shoulders, they look very similar to Unreleased Swallow. Furthermore, Cirucci’s Hollow mask extends considerably, taking the form of a visor similar to a bird’s beak, and from which protrudes an enormous amount of down or fine white feathers, which extends down his back and almost reaches to the ground, as well as a long tail.
However, the most notable element, and the initial source of her powers in this state, are two enormous wings that grow from her shoulders, with five sharp, feather-like moon-shaped blades on each of them. Cirucci’s body does not change after her release, and her arms, wings, and mask complement are simply added on top of it.
The first of only three women on this list, Cirucci was a tough nut to crack when she faced Ishida and Nelliel’s two gimmick sidekicks. As it turned out later, she was less than an impressive foe when compared to the other Espada, or former Espada in her case. Cirucci is intriguing, but sadly for her, nothing more than that.
13. Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio
As a former Espada, Dordoni is a very powerful Arrancar, probably stronger than any other member of his race except the Espada themselves. Though these distinctions are harder to make, he is also considered superior to the other two known, Privaron Espada, Cirucci, and Gantenbainne.
The truth is that his level is lower than that of Ichigo’s Bankai, and even if he were to use his Hollow Mask, Dordoni would admit to himself that the Bankai could have already defeated him. Dordoni’s fighting style is certainly somewhat different from that of most known Arrancar, relying almost entirely on the use of close combat and the use of some special techniques such as Sonido and Cero.
As far as hand-to-hand fighting is concerned, Dordoni curiously has developed a fighting style based mainly on the use of his legs, not just his hands or his Zanpakutō. Without the need to even unsheathe his Zanpakutō, Dordoni can release it. As he does so, two large twisted horns sprout on his shoulders, and armor on his calves and part of his thighs. Two smaller horns emerge from the ankle area. Likewise, the remains of Dordoni’s Hollow mask grow larger, encircling his face and widening.
The last of the Privaron Espada on our list, Dordoni was a powerful fighter, and he really did show, in his fight against Ichigo, that he was a former Espada. Out of all the three Privaron Espada, Dordoni was the most powerful one, and Ichigo almost had to give it his all to defeat him initially. This is why we ranked him above the other two.
12. Luppi Antenor
Luppi’s powers were not shown to their fullest due to his short appearance in the series, but being the sixth Espada chosen by Aizen himself, Luppi possesses great strength superior to other Espada; he was never seen using his Zanpakutō in sealed form due to preferring to fight hand-to-hand like Yammy, his physical strength is very good enough to send Yumichika flying with a single blow.
Upon releasing his Zanpakutō, Luppi’s mask expands around his entire head, and eight huge white extendable tentacles emerge from his back, with which he can strike and imprison his opponents. Numerous spikes can also grow from these tentacles, thus increasing the damage caused by them.
It doesn’t seem like Luppi can retrieve the tentacles once they are severed, but they resemble accessories more than parts of his own body, as he showed no sign of pain when Kisuke Urahara cut one of them, Luppi masters each of these tentacles via an accessory found on his back, this gives Luppi the freedom to move and extend the tentacles at will, as well as rotate this accessory on his back to move his tentacles faster and more deadly.
We know so little of Luppi that we almost forgot he was an Espada and the Sexta Espada at that. Luppi replaced Grimmjow, only to be killed by him and replaced by him in a twisted series of events. Luppi certainly was powerful, but – as we’ve said – we know so little about him that we couldn’t really give him a better position.
11. Aaroniero Arruruerie
Aaroniero is unique among the Arrancar in possessing two Zanpakutō, one belonging to Kaien Shiba. This is due to what is undoubtedly the most important ability of, which has allowed him to remain an Espada for so long: completely absorbing the other Hollows. While it is true that common Hollows eat other Hollows to increase their power, Aaroniero can acquire the appearance, memory, and techniques of each of his victims.
Therefore, as Metastacia was one of the Hollows devoured by Aaroniero, the latter acquired the ability to assume the aspect of Kaien and even use his Zanpakutō, Nejibana, a trident capable of creating and managing powerful currents at will. However, this incredible ability has a weak point: the light, when coming into contact with it; although Aaroniero maintains Kaien’s powers, the same does not happen with her appearance.
Upon his release, Aaroniero’s lower body turns into a hulking, slimy mass resembling a giant purple octopus, with huge tentacles and a grotesque grin on either side of his face. On top of this remains the upper half of Aaroniero’s body, and in front of him is a thick area that appears to be boiling. Obviously, Aaroniero’s release is one of the largest ever seen and one of the most imposing.
The two-headed guy was the only old Espada that retained his position, but notwithstanding the powerful illusions he created, the squid-octopus-blob thing was nothing special. Aaroniero Arruruerie is more talk than anything else, so we couldn’t really give him a higher position among the Espada, some of whom are true powerhouses.
10. Yammy Llargo
Yammy’s Resurrección’s special ability is his ability to increase in size and change his form in direct proportion to the anger he expresses. Yammy showed this trait of his ability in his battle against Zaraki and Byakuya, after receiving a series of blows that damage his mask, Yammy gets angry and begins to change form. In this state, his size increases even more.
His arms and legs become thicker, and his legs gain brown fur with a huge dinosaur-like tail. His face also changes: the crests on his head become ossified, ending in four horns behind it and taking on a “helmet” shape, and the upper part of his jaw more closely resembles the lower part he previously possessed.
From his back, at the level of his shoulder blades, two horns protrude, one on each side, similar to those on his head. A crest of spikes is also seen extending along his spine, and he exudes a greenish breath.
This guy was annoying when he debuted, and he was annoying when he died. There’s nothing to him than mindless strength and yes, the “caterpillar” thing he can transform into is powerful enough, but a Captain-level Shinigami can still deal with him easily. Byakuya and Kenpachi made a game out of killing him, whereas he had his arm initially chopped off by Ichigo; lucky for him he did not have to fight Urahara back in Karakura.
9. Zommari Rureaux
As the Seventh Espada, Zommari holds the seventh place in terms of the destructive power of all the Arrancar that are part of Aizen’s army. We assume that, given this great amount of power, which makes him worthy of fighting on equal terms with any Captain of the Gotei 13, Zommari is capable of developing the most basic combat techniques of the Arrancar, such as the Cero, although it is true that he has never been seen using them.
Like the rest of the Arrancar, he also controls Hierro, an ability that allows reiatsu to compress into his skin and give him the resistance of armor. During his release, Zommari levitates his Zanpakutō in front of him horizontally while bringing his palms together and bending his legs. He then completely twists his head, sticking it to his right shoulder, and the Zanpakutō folds into a spiral while emitting smoke that covers the Espada.
At the end of this process, Zommari shows his liberated form, which consists of adding fifty eyes or more to his entire body, all of different sizes. From the waist down, Zommari’s body is replaced by a salmon-colored, pumpkin-like structure from which cyclopean faces emerge with larger eyes.
Zommari’s neck is covered on both sides with two skull-shaped masks, and black triangular tattoos appear on both his chin and under the two eyes on his face. In total, Zommari ends up having 52 eyes, to which he adds an additional eight that he seems to use as a last resort and that have been hidden in his forehead.
While his power is quite practical, Byakuya has shown us that Zommari’s specific ability is very easy to counteract. Sure, you have to be powerful and intelligent to know what to do, but once you have him figured out, Zommari’s really not that tough. The thing is that it’ll generally be too late once you figure it out, but among the Espada, he definitely is one of the weaker ones.
8. Nnoitra Gilga
Nnoitra is considered the fifth most powerful Arrancar in Aizen’s army, which makes him a fearsome enemy with a level that could only be equaled or surpassed by the Shinigami Captains. In fact, he proved to be able to fight on an equal footing with Kenpachi Zaraki, one of the captains with enormous spiritual power, who focused all of him on the wildest fight.
The release of Nnoitra immediately creates a dense cloud of smoke from which, at first, a crescent moon seems to emerge, to later be seen in a tremendous display of spiritual energy, the resurrection of Nnoitra. In this state, the Quinto Espada gains two additional arms, all of his upper limbs being armed with a large scythe that looks similar to the appendages of a praying mantis, with small yellow tassels at their bases.
Additionally, Nnoitra’s Hollow mask’s teeth become sharper and more prominent and the lower area extends, partially covering the hole in it. Armor-like plates appear on the waist area, while a faded yellow X-shaped mark appears on the forehead. Likewise, two horns emerge from Nnoitra’s head, the left one being considerably longer than the right one and resembling as a whole a crescent moon.
We decided to put Nnoitora here and not higher up on this list because he is pretty much nothing besides pure power (and a powerful Hierro). Yes, he has come close to defeating Kenpachi, but once the latter got serious, Nnoitora did not stand much chance. He would’ve never defeated Nelliel without Szayelaporro’s help, so we couldn’t give him a better position on the list.
7. Szayelaporro Granz
Being the Octava Espada, Szayelaporro is the 8th Arrancar with the highest destructive power in Aizen’s army, which makes him a not inconsiderable enemy at the level of a Soul Society Captain. In addition to undeniable combat skills, Szayelaporro is responsible for the scientific and technological development of Hueco Mundo, being the inventor of numerous spiritual weapons (or so Dondochakka claims), or of spiritual bacteria capable of transmitting data to him about the different fighters with whom the bearer has fought, among other inventions.
Therefore, he is considered to be the Arrancar equivalent of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, with whom he would end up measuring his strength. His enormous capacity to store data, even during combat, of everything that surrounds him makes him a very difficult being to defeat since, in a short time, he is able to analyze his opponent’s reiatsu and knows how to counter his attack, leaving unscathed no matter how powerful the blow it has received.
And while Szayelaporro Granz might not be as useful to the Espada as Mayuri Kurotsuchi is to the Gotei 13, he is nevertheless a formidable foe. He is not the most powerful among the Espada, but his resourcefulness, combined with his overall intelligence, is what makes him so dangerous. He could deal with most of the powerhouses among the Espada because he was simply smarter than them.
6. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
As the Sexta Espada, Grimmjow is the 6th most powerful Arrancar in Aizen’s army, with a level capable of rivaling Ichigo repeatedly and being an opponent worthy of a Shinigami Captain. He has not been shown to possess at least one unique ability but is a very proficient hand-to-hand combatant, possessing a masterful ability to use it as his primary means of attack. He is equally deadly with punches and kicks and is very unpredictable.
Grimmjow releases his true form during his Resurrección. Unlike other Espada, Grimmjow’s release process requires no ceremony; he only passes his hand along the edge of the katana, after which a smoke reveals the appearance of the Sixth Sword without limitations. Grimmjow has a feline appearance, with black claws on his hands and feet and a tail that he can use as a whip.
Along his entire body, armor plates arise that further increase his Iron, and he gains four protrusions on his arms and legs, which he can use for defensive purposes. Grimmjow’s hair grows considerably, while the colored lines next to his eyes extend to his ears, which now have an obvious cat shape. Hollow’s mask is lost and replaced by a kind of plate on his forehead. Also, his teeth turn into sharp fangs.
And while it was a debate for us where to position Grimmjow, we had to give him a higher spot because the guy really has heart. He is, in a way, the Ichigo of the Espada – idealistic, in his own twisted way, authentic, and someone who will honorably die rather than run away from the battlefield. Grimmjow might be weaker than Nnoitora, for example, but what he lacks in pure power, he easily makes up for with his resilience.
5. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck
In her original form, Nell wields a Zanpakutō, and her abilities and knowledge of the battlefield are high enough to make her one of the most powerful Arrancars in existence. Although it is true that, as Nnoitra told her, her former position as the third Arrancar with a greater destructive capacity no longer means anything in the scale of power of the current Espada, despite not having fought for years or being in the fullness of her strength, she was able to put the Fifth Sword on the ropes, which makes her a warrior of enormous potential.
It was then seen that Nell is an expert specialist in swordsmanship, which she combines perfectly with close combat and aided by her own Iron protection and the speed achieved with a fully developed Sound. The spiritual power that Nell is capable of deploying is so great that her former Fractions could feel it despite being far away from her.
Nelliel’s transformation into her original form was one of the most shocking moments in the series, along with the reveal of Yoruichi’s original form. Now, Nelliel might be relatively weak as a baby, but in her true form, she is a true powerhouse; she was able to take on Nnoitora without major problems, and it took a cunning Szayelaporro united with Nnoitora to initially defeat her. This speaks for itself.
4. Tier Harribel
As the Tercera Espada, Harribel is officially the 3rd most powerful Arrancar within Aizen’s army, making him one of the most powerful characters in the series and an opponent comparable in terms of strength to a Captain of the Gotei 13. Her spiritual pressure is so great that both she and the other Espada who occupy the top four positions in the hierarchy are totally prohibited from releasing their Zanpakutō under the dome of the Las Noches, as there is a risk of demolishing the structure before such deployment, of power.
This fact, together with her great capacity for observation, analytical intelligence, and strategic notions of hers, make Harribel an absolutely amazing enemy. During her performance at the Battle of Karakura, Harribel proved to be an expert fighter, excelling at handling her Zanpakutō and carrying off with astonishing ease despite how unwieldy she might seem once she had been released. The Third Sword is ambidextrous, a fact shared with very few characters in the series.
Due to her immense power, Harribel has been ranked so high on our list. Although she is the Tercera Espada and Baraggan’s successor as the ruler of Hueco Mundo, she lacks the tactical elegance to be ranked among the top three. Harribel is brute force and is one of the toughest Espada, but she lacks the tactical elegance of the top three to be ranked among them.
3. Ulquiorra Cifer
Ulquiorra is a very strong fighter. Before his final battle against Ichigo, he appears to have no trouble dealing with opponents, instead fighting with his hands in his pockets, which he only uses to block attacks or stab enemies unarmed. Only in the last fight does he finally draw his sword, with which he is also very skilled. His other abilities are listed here:
Ulquiorra can easily fire bright green Ceros from his fingertips with tremendous force. He also wields the Bala, the faster but weaker version of the Cero, which is powerful enough to severely injure weaker Shinigami. However, he prefers the stronger. He can also fire the Cero Oscuras, a black and extremely powerful Cero that resembles Ichigo’s Getsuga Tenshō. Its destructive power is great enough to nearly incapacitate Ichigo.
The Espada is incredibly strong for its physique and could even easily stop Yammy from attacking or throw other opponents far away with half-hearted attacks. His melee skills also rival those of Ichigo in their first fight in Hueco Mundo. He tends to pierce his opponents’ chests with his hand in order to kill them, showing clear physical strength of high magnitude.
We opted for Ulquiorra here rather than either of the two Tercera Espada because we think that Ulquiorra’s unique skills and powers would allow him to triumph over Harribel and Nelliel. Namely, Ulquiorra is a tactical genius, one of the best (if not the best) swordsmen among the Espada and one of the fastest (if not the fastest) among them. He also has two releases, which gives him an overall advantage. His loss to Ichigo was a plot element, but we really think that Ulquiorra is stronger than the rest.
2. Baraggan Louisenbairn
Being the Segunda Espada, Baraggan is considered the 2nd most powerful Arrancar in Aizen’s army, which also makes him one of the characters with the greatest combat potential in the entire series, comparable or even superior to that of most of the Shinigami Captains. His spiritual pressure is so great that he and the other Espada of rank four or higher are prohibited from releasing their Zanpakutō inside Las Noches.
In fact, the mere display of Baraggan’s spiritual power was capable of causing a shockwave in the fake Karakura. Baraggan proceeds to release Arrogante, holding his inverted Zanpakutō upright. As he does so, the central jewel of the ax opens, revealing a reptilian eye that begins to shoot out dark flames that literally burn Baraggan’s skin, muscles, and internal organs, reducing his body to a skeleton.
Although he keeps the two bracelets on his wrists, the rest of his clothing is modified, as he then appears covered in a dark cloak that hides his body with fur and a crown; this gives him a rather macabre and gloomy appearance.
The eye-shaped ornament of his sealed Zanpakutō now sits on his chest, suspended by a necklace, while atop his skull is a lavish, gem-studded crown attached to a thick chain link that falls down the left side of the skull. The scar that Baraggan sported on his sealed aspect in his right eye remains, now in the form of a crack in the same place.
The former ruler of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan is undoubtedly one of the strongest characters in the franchise. His unique powers make him a truly formidable foe, and that is why we have placed him so high up on our list. None of the lower ranking Espada could do much against Baraggan, and that is why he deservedly takes the second spot, but not the first one, as there is someone who could beat him.
1. Coyote Starrk
Starrk is the Primera Espada and, therefore, the most powerful Arrancar in Aizen’s army. It was believed until it was discovered that the number of swords is counted from 0 to 9, alluding to the fact that Yammy Llargo released his Zanpaku -tō converts from Sword 10 to 0, which is the strongest.
While his laid-back and lazy nature makes him dislike taking his fights seriously, Starrk has proven to be one of the most powerful characters in the series, measuring up to the highest ranks of Soul Society, and even finding himself a number above whom the former King of the Hueco Mundo, as well as the former Second Sword, Baraggan Luisenbarn.
He is so strong that he is forbidden to release the Zanpakutō under the Dome of Las Noches, and the single wave of his spiritual power can kill almost any ordinary Hollow near him. Stark is very cunning and does not underestimate his rivals, as he demonstrated by measuring Shunsui’s strength on several occasions. He is quite observant and can figure out how his enemies’ powers work surprisingly quickly.
We had a truly tough time deciding between Coyote and Baraggan, but we chose Coyote because of the following: he was the Primera Espada and thus had more Spiritual Power than Baraggan; he is a long-range fighter with a variety of techniques, which gives him a significant advantage over Baraggan; his attacks and Cero are powerful enough to injure Baraggan; he is fast enough to evade Baraggan, and; in a tactical aspect, he is far superior to the former ruler of Hueco Mundo.
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