However, one thing that Bleach excelled in time and time again was the quality of its fights. Here are some of the best battles in the series that are a joy to watch due to their amazing cinematics and mind-blowing powers that were on full display. Keeping this in mind, here are the best fights to ever play out in Bleach.
Updated October 5, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Bleach is a series that hyped everyone to the moon and back with the Soul Society arc, ending on an amazing note and revealing a plot twist that would help Aizen become one of the greatest villains of all time. While the rest of the series didn’t boast the same quality, there’s no denying that the many fights and battles in this series are still quite brilliant. Here are some of the best fights Bleach has to offer.
15 Ichigo Kurosaki VS Sosuke Aizen
Given that this encounter was the final fight in which Aizen would serve as the main antagonist, many people expected a lot from this battle. However, Ichigo’s powerup was so unfair that even a Hogyoku-fused Aizen didn’t stand a chance against the protagonist.
The fight had its fair share of cool moments, with Ichigo man handing Aizen in the coolest way possible. However, there’s no denying that this battle would’ve been even more memorable had Aizen and Ichigo been on equal footing.
14 Yhwach VS Ichigo Kurosaki
It seems that the final confrontation between Ichigo and any antagonist is bound to fall just short of the mark for some reason on the other. In the case of this battle, it turned out that Yhwach was simply too powerful for Ichigo and his friends to even made a dent.
While Ichigo’s new Bankai form was done away with without any aplomb, the rest of the fight was fun and had pretty high stakes indeed. With Uryuu’s help, Ichigo managed to find Yhwach in a tough spot and sliced through him to end the battle.
13 Mayuri Kurotsuchi VS Pernida Parnkgjas
Mayuri is one of the best shinigami in the entire show. He seems like nothing more than a creep before showing just how nefarious and deadly his powers really are.
His fight against Pernida is easily the toughest battle Mayuri’s been in. With enough help and the judicious use of his Bankai, Mayuri somehow managed to take out this threat before the same could happen to him.
12 Kenpachi Zaraki VS Retsu Unohana
For the longest time, Kenpachi never really cared about his Zanpakuto and used it in such a careless manner that his sword was completely chipped all over. However, even he realized that his brutish way of fighting wasn’t going to be enough to tackle the Quincy.
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This led to him fighting against Unohana in an absolutely brutal fight to unlock the true potential of his powers. This battle is important for Kenpachi’s development and is one of the best moments during the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
11 Yhwach VS Genryusai Yamamoto
Yamamoto, the leader of the Gotei 13, was a force to be reckoned with. Tales of his legendary battling power and the brief displays showing show just strong he was made for a treat.
This was what made his fight with Yhwach such a treat, and also made for one of the most shocking moments in the series. This legendary figure was defeated by Yhwach after being slashed from shoulder to waist, marking the start of a war-torn arc with one of the most shocking moments in the series.
10 Ichigo Kurosaki VS Renji Abarai
Ichigo versus Renji is one of the first serious fights that viewers will get to witness during the Soul Society arc. It’s a great clash between Ichigo and a Shinigami who declares himself as Rukia’s friend but doesn’t act like it.
Their fight is a thing of joy to witness, especially due to how brutal it is. Renji’s sword takes no prisoners and slices up Ichigo quite a bit before he finally attains victory.
9 Uryuu Ishida VS Mayuri Kurotsuchi
Uryuu is one of the more fascinating characters in Bleach, and his origins as a Quincy are pretty great indeed. He’s had his moments to shine in Bleach, with his fight against Mayuri being pretty great indeed.
It’s one of Uryuu’s best fights in the series while also showing just how twisted and powerful Mayuri really is. Suffice it to say, fans will fall in love with both characters by the end of this battle.
8 Ichigo Kurosaki VS Kenpachi Zaraki
The first showdown between Ichigo and Kenpachi is a great battle indeed. It’s the first time when viewers genuinely thought that Ichigo would lose due to how monstrous his opponent was.
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Kenpachi didn’t even show his full strength during this battle, so Ichigo’s victory has a huge asterisk over it. If both characters fought at their full strength in the show, there’s no telling just how much destruction will ensue!
7 Kenpachi Zaraki VS Nnoitra Gilga
Zaraki’s fights are always a ton of fun to witness due to just how over-the-top this man gets during any battle. It’s one of the biggest reasons why so many people love this character.
His fight against Nnoitra Gilga shows just how powerful he really is. The fact that he manages to defeat this powerful Espada by simply swinging his sword with two hands is hilariously and typical for a swordsman as powerful as Kenpachi.
6 Ichigo Kurosaki VS Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
Grimmjow is an Arrancar who, along with Ulquiorra, holds the title of being one of the coolest-designed villains in Bleach. The fact that he develops a rivalry with Ichigo and fights him multiple times makes him a pretty interesting character indeed.
Each confrontation against Grimmjow is pretty brutal, with Ichigo using his Hollow mask for the last two fights. These encounters push Ichigo to the limit and force him to get better time and time again.
5 Renji Abarai VS Byakuya Kuchiki
After healing from his wounds, Renji realizes just how stupid he’s really been. He decides to fight against Byakuya and prevent his childhood friend from being executed for an unfair reason.
The battle is absolutely visceral, with both fighters revealing their Bankai as well. It’s a great moment in the show that serves as a turning point for Renji’s character as well.
4 Shunsui Kyoraku VS Coyote Starrk
Viewers had to wait ages for Kyoraku to finally show the true extent of his powers in battle. Thankfully, this wait was more than worth it, with Kyoraku’s Shikai itself being extremely satisfying to witness.
The fact that this battle happened against the Number 1 Espada was even better! It showed the gulf in power between the top-ranking Commanders of the Gotei 13 and everyone else that viewers had witnessed up till that point.
3 The Gotei 13 & The Visored VS Sosuke Aizen
Aizen’s betrayal is still fresh in the minds of most viewers, considering it to be a great finale to the Soul Society arc. The fact that the major members of Soul Society and the Visored try their hardest to face off against this threat shows just how powerful he was in his prime.
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Even with these combined efforts, these fighters barely manage to land a substantial blow on Aizen. Instead, they get confused by his powers, with Hitsugaya actually stabbing Momo instead.
2 Ichigo Kurosaki VS Ulquiorra Cifer
Ulquiorra is one of the more powerful Arrancars that Ichigo has to fight with while trying to rescue Orihime. However, this battle doesn’t go as expected, with Ulquiorra constantly beating the crap out of Ichigo time and time again.
However, after being blasted with a Cero Oscuras at point-blank range, Ichigo’s wounds force him to transform into a powerful Hollowfied human who absolutely pummels Ulquiorra to the ground. The fight ends with Ulquiorra almost being blasted full force with a Cero, only for Uryuu to try and bring Ichigo back to his senses.
1 Ichigo Kurosaki VS Byakuya Kuchiki
The fight between Ichigo and Byakuya was a long time in the making, ever since Byakuya absolutely outclassed the protagonist during their first showdown. It’s an amazing battle that reveals Ichigo’s powerful Bankai too.
Along with this, Ichigo is also pushed to the point where his Hollowfied version also makes a reveal for the first time. The battle is easily one of the best moments in Bleach and serves as a great payoff for the number of hours invested in this series.
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