A Big Three anime is bound to have some pretty tough cookies. The Akatsuki. The Four Emperors. The Sannin. The Soul Society is no different. Bleach is full of strong characters, but these are the strongest of the strong. The toughest of the tough cookies. Made of chocolate chips that could rivet an airplane together.
10. Lille Barro
There are Quincy, and then there’s Lille Barro. Lille Barro is the captain of big bad Yhwach’s elite guard. The best of the best—the Schutzstaffel. He had so much potential that Yhwach saw fit to award him with a Schrift. In fact, he was the first Quincy in history to EVER receive a Schrift. Through the use of his Vollständig, he unlocks abilities like teleportation, intangibility, and Wolverine levels of regeneration. The man can basically transform into a Super Saiyan divine being and level cities whenever the hell he wants to. And he’s the LEAST powerful person on this list. That says something.
9. Jugram Haschwalth
Jugram Haschwalth is arguably the second strongest Quincy in existence, second only to The Almighty Yhwach of course. Jugram has a pretty sick sword and shield and knows how to use them, but his greatest ability is his control over that intangible thing known as “misfortune”. Yep. Dude controls bad luck. He’s basically able to redirect his enemy’s bad vibes back against them. This cookie is so tough that Yhwach calls him his “other half”. They’re basically one of those black-and-white cookies you get in New York City—but way less sweet.
8. Gremmy Thoumeaux
Gremmy Thoumeaux has the power to make anything he imagines reality. ANYTHING. That means this kid can throw ballistic missiles and meteors at his opponents. And he takes the opportunity to do so every chance he’s given. This guy was even able to give the Soul Society’s toughest cookie Kenpachi Zaraki a run for his money. In their heaven-and-earth-shaking battle, Kenpachi was forced to activate his Shikai to stand up against Gremmy’s assault. I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve seen Kenny give that much Kenergy for a fight.
7. Kenpachi Zaraki
Speaking of Kenergy, here’s the man with the mostest. Kenpachi Zeraki asserted himself as one of Bleach‘s toughest of cookies early on in the series and he maintained that reputation til the very end. If this guy was a cookie, it would be made of glue, rubber, wood chips, and nails for texture. Kenpachi is somewhat of a sick bastard who loves fighting for fighting’s sake. He loves fighting so much that he actually wears a parasitic eyepatch that drains him of his power (and depth perception) in order to make his fights last longer. What kind of person does that?
6. Sosuke Aizen
Sosuke Aizen is simultaneously a tough cookie and a smart cookie. He’s one of the most devious dudes in the entire series! The Soul Society captain managed to fool his comrades into thinking that he was on their side, and then betrayed them in one of the most shocking rug pulls in anime history. He manages to solo several of the Gotei 13’s captains and Visoreds, and makes a habit out of killing scores of his subordinates. Doesn’t matter which way you flip him, this cookie is all bad side.
5. Ichigo Kurosaki
In a shocking turn of events, Ichigo Kurosaki did not end up as the most powerful character in the series despite his main character pedigree. He is, however, a tough cookie nonetheless. One with a lot of different kinds of power-up sprinkles on top. The guy can use Ceros, Blut Vene, Fullbrings Shikai, and Bankai PLUS his ultimate Mugetsu form. As tough cookies go, he’s fully loaded. Despite his stockpile of powers, he’s not able to singlehandedly take on the remaining characters on this list and (in shonen protagonist fashion) has to rely on the friends he made along the way for help.
4. Gerard Valkyrie
The Bleach version of Thor, Gerard Valkyrie is basically invincible. He wields an ability called The Miracle, the rules for which make no sense. He’s a mystery flavor cookie because The Miracle allows him to bend the rules of probability in his favor. Basically, if Jugram Haschwalth is someone who can wield bad luck, Gerard is the guy who can wield good luck. And boy does he. So far virtually no character in the series has been able to face this man in head-on combat and emerge victorious.
3. Ichibe Hyosube
It took the combined efforts of Ichigo and friends to bring down Yhwach the Almighty for good, Ichibe Hyosube sure came close on his own. He is the leader of the Zero Squad, and his powers are based entirely on names. He can manipulate people, objects, and even abstract ideas simply by screwing around with their names. He’s like the most powerful middle school bully who ever lived. He’s also unkillable. Even if he’s ripped apart (which happens courtesy of Yhwach) Ichibe is able to piece himself back together so long as someone else is around to say his name. And he can even gather his own disembodied spirit to ask people to do this like some sort of spectral Heisenberg!
2. Genryusai Yamamoto
I’ll just let Mr. Yamamoto here speak for himself…
“Why, precisely, do you think I have served as Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 for a thousand years? Because in all those thousand years, no Shinigami was born to rival me in strength.“
That’s a direct quote from the old man. It’s not arrogant. It’s the truth. There has never been a Shinigami in history to rival the power of this old bastard. He’s the toughest cookie around, hard and stale as a rock with age. He is a master swordsman and strategist, and his millennium of combat experience allows him to never be taken by surprise. He’s seen it all, done it all. His ultimate power? He’s a walking nuclear explosion. His fire-based powers could burn the entire Soul Society to a crisp. His Bankai is able to burn things out of existence. Not even ashes left. On second thought, he’s not a tough cookie. He’s the oven.
1. Yhwach
There’s a reason why they call this tough cookie “The Almighty.” Some twist bad luck, some twist good luck, some screw around with names—Yhwach can screw around with the future. His powers allow him to change the future to whatever outcome he sees fit. Usually that outcome is good for him, and not everyone else. Not only that, Yhwach is able to steal the powers and experiences of others simply by touching them. And guess what happens when he touches the Soul King, the previous strongest being in the universe? Yeah, he absorbed the Soul King’s powers. Yhwach is so astronomically ahead of the curve that a level 99 Hado spell courtesy of Aizen wasn’t enough to even put a scratch on this monster. Tough cookie? He’s the bakery.
(featured image: Pierrot)
