Every Member of Ichigo's Team in Bleach: TYBW, Ranked by Power (2024)

At this point in the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime, protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki has become the centerpiece of an entirely new team of heroes. In previous arcs, Ichigo had five friends to call upon, but now he has eight allies, taking command of a nine-member team to confront Yhwach and save the ever-important Soul King from doom. Ichigo has lost access to Uryu Ishida, Rukia Kuchiki, and Renji Abarai as allies, but he does have some other friends to aid him, including a former enemy.

Rukia and Renji are part of a larger Soul Reaper/Sternritter team led by Kisuke Urahara at the moment and Uryu is evidently on Yhwach's side, so Ichigo was forced to gather a motley team of friends from all over the place, creating one of Bleach's most eclectic teams ever, and some members are stronger than others. There is no doubt that when this unusual squad faces Yhwach and the Schutzstaffel, some of them will be real powerhouses in the fight, while others will just play a minor backup role at most.

9 Orihime Inoue Always Plays a Supporting Role in Battle

Debut Episode: "The Shinigami's Work"

Orihime Inoue is the weakest combatant in Ichigo Kurosaki's current team, but that's neither surprising nor a problem for anyone. Orihime may have a Shun Shun Rikka spirit named Tsubaki who's dedicated to offense, but Tsubaki never performed well in battle, and he's not about to start now. Instead, Orihime uses her other five spirits to create triangular shields and heal people by reversing their injuries.

Thus, Orihime has a "cleric" role in any team, being the protector and healer with her unique spiritual abilities. So, Bleach fans can expect Orihime to hang back in the upcoming battles and support her friends however she can against the wrath of Yhwach's team. That will put Orihime in danger, but she's ready for it, if any Quincy will show Orihime mercy, it will be Uryu Ishida.

8 Riruka Dokugamine's Powers Disorient and Trap the Enemy

Debut Episode: "3rd Year High School Student! Dressed Up, and a New Chapter Begins!"

Riruka is one of two Fullbringer warriors in Ichigo's current team. Unfortunately, none of the Fullbringers are particularly powerful, since none of them are a match for Soul Reaper Captains and Lieutenants who have shikai and/or bankai available. This means Riruka and Yukio probably won't do that much in the upcoming battle, and that was probably their plan.

Riruka and Yukio will no doubt serve as support heroes at most with their modest spiritual powers. For her part, Riruka is a tricky Fullbringer who can use her abilities to transfer her mind into other people, put her enemies into plushies, or even shrink people into a dollhouse if she finds them cute enough. None of that will help against Yhwach and the Schutzstaffel, but perhaps Riruka will have a new technique on hand to even the odds a bit.

7 Yukio Hans Vorarlberna Doesn't Want to Fight if He Can Help It

Debut Episode: "3rd Year High School Student! Dressed Up, and a New Chapter Begins!"

Yukio is the other Fullbringer in Ichigo's current team of heroes, and like his companion Riruka, he would face impossible odds in battle if he were to tangle with Yhwach's own team. That's clearly why Yukio stated in recent Bleach episodes that he doesn't want to fight, instead using his video game-themed Fullbring to transport Ichigo's motley team to the battlefield.

Most likely, Yukio won't step onto the battlefield if he can help it, because if he did, his Fullbring powers wouldn't be competitive. He is a bit stronger in battle than Riruka with his video game prowess, but that won't do him much good against a Schutzstaffel member. At least Yukio's Fullbring powers are thematic and memorable, such as Digital Blade and Digital Missiles.

6 Ganju Shiba is Like an Off-Brand Soul Reaper

Debut Episode: "The Man Who Hates Shinigami"

Ganju Shiba is one of many supporting characters who first appeared during the events of the Soul Society story arc. He's no match for Lieutenants and Captains, but Ganju is roughly on par with seated officers around 4-5th seat, so that makes him a little stronger than the Fullbringers. However, Ganju is a far cry from Ichigo Kurosaki, his paternal cousin.

Ganju has some appreciable spirit energy and can use a non-zanpakuto blade to fight his enemies, and best of all, he has some tricky kido-like abilities. Ganju's abilities can turn the terrain to sand, which he recently demonstrated when he nearly trapped the Schutzaffel in sand under their feet. That will never defeat the most elite Quincy, but it might distact them just long enough to give Ichigo an opening, at least.

5 Chad is a Melee Fighter With Indomitable Spirit

Debut Episode: "The Shinigami's Work"

Ichigo's longtime friend Chad has always lagged behind Ichigo's own spirit powers, which may have frustrated many Bleach fans who wanted Chad to live up to his honorable warrior persona. But even if Chad has let some fans down, he still ranks in the middle among the strongest members of Ichigo's team because his spiritually-infused punches have reached their peak.

Chad is operating at 100% capacity as a warrior, having already unlocked and trained with the full extent of his spiritual gifts. If brute force is ever needed, Chad can deliver devastating blows with El Directo and the like to damage either the enemy or the terrain itself. If Chad's allies can keep the Schutzaffel busy, then Chad just might land a bone-shattering blow on them to turn the tables.

4 Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck Has Stabilized Her Adult Form at Last

Debut Episode: "The Espadas Gather! Aizen's Royal Assembly"

Nelliel is one of the two Arrancars in Ichigo Kurosaki's current team, but she's a little rusty with combat. Nelliel hasn't been an Espada for some time, having been in her child form for quite some time, but at least Nelliel won't randomly change back and forth any more. Kisuke Urahara gifted Nelliel with a bracelet that keeps her in her adult form, ensuring Nelliel won't suddenly revert to a toddler at the worst time.

As for combat power, Nelliel is a fierce combatant, being a former Espada and a rival of Nnoitora's. She's not quite as strong as her rank of 3 would suggest, but she can keep pace with current Espadas and has a deadly spear-based technique in her released form, dealing incredible piercing damage. It also helps that unlike Grimmjow, Nelliel is loyal to Ichigo and will gladly fight with him as a partner.

3 Grimmjow Jeagerjaques Reluctantly Joined Ichigo's Team at the Last Minute

Debut Episode: "The Evil Eye, Aizen Again"

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques the fallen Espada is Ichigo's other Arrancar ally and is the stronger of the two. He proved his worth many times in battle, from firing a Gran Rey Cero in Las Noches to pummeling Ichigo nearly to death in his released form, Pantera. But while Grimmjow would love to settle the score with Ichigo, his current priority is to stop Yhwach from collapsing the three worlds into one.

It's clear that Grimmjow is still sharp and tough as a fighter, having lost none of his edge from the Arrancar saga in the original Bleach anime. Even in his sealed form, he should give the Schutzstaffel and Uryu a decent fight, and if he releases Pantera, he will deal some serious damage. Brute force alone may not be enough to take down the Schutzsaffel for good, but at least Grimmjow can put the hurt on them before his strongest allies can finish them.

2 Yoruichi Shihoin is the Famed Goddess of Flash

Debut Episode: "Kon's Great Plan"

As a former Captain and the inventor of Shunko, Yoruichi Shihoin is a formidable fighter by any measure. She has the quickest flash step in the entire Soul Society, hence her nickname as the Goddess of Flash, which will help her survive battles against the Schutzstaffel. On offense, Yoruichi can deliver powerful, precise melee attacks as a trained ninja.

Yoruichi doesn't carry her zanpakuto into battle, but she does have Shunko, which combines raw kido energy with martial arts, a fighting style she invented herself. The last time she used Shunko, the fight was inconclusive, but now Yoruichi has every reason to go all out with Shunko's unusual power, and she might have refined and improved it since fans last saw Shunko in action.

1 Ichigo Kurosaki Has Reached Maximum Power With His Final Zanpakuto

Debut Episode: "The Day I Became a Shinigami"

Ichigo Kurosaki is easily the most powerful member of his own team, thanks to the many powers he inherited in his unusual family tree. In earlier arcs, Ichigo was already powerful with his bankai and Hollow mask, and now he's even more formidable thanks to mastering his true zanpakuto spirit, the Hollow inside him. Now Ichigo can breeze his way through the Sternritter, leaving Yhwach as the last true challenge for him.

The Schutzstaffel might give Ichigo a good fight, but taking down Yhwach is what matters most for Bleach's hero. Ichigo did fairly well against Yhwach in their second fight until Yhwach used The Almighty, so Bleach fans can only hope that Ichigo has the right countermeasures for that seemingly foolproof Quincy ability.

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Animation

Action

Adventure

The peace is suddenly broken when warning sirens blare through the Soul Society. Residents are disappearing without a trace and nobody knows who's behind it. Meanwhile, a darkness is approaching Ichigo and his friends in Karakura Town.

Release Date

October 10, 2022

Cast

Masakazu Morita , Johnny Yong Bosch , Takayuki Sugô , Richard Epcar , Ryûsei Nakao , Aleks Le , Karen Strassman , Neil Kaplan

Seasons

1

Story By

Tite Kubo

Writers

Tite Kubo

Network

TV Tokyo

Franchise(s)

Bleach

Directors

Tomohisa Taguchi , Mitsutoshi Satô , Hikaru Murata , Hodaka Kuramoto

Showrunner

Tite Kubo