Summary

  • Strong female characters in Bleach show immense power and capabilities on the battlefield.
  • Many female characters like Karin and Nanao shine in Thousand-Year Blood War.
  • From strong fighters like Yoruichi to skilled Kido users like Rukia, the female characters bring diverse strengths to the series.

While Bleach may be a rather male-dominated Shonen storyline, the ladies are still given their chance to shine, and not all of them are simply distressed manic pixie dream girls but can actually hold their own on the battlefield.

Bleach-Ichigo's-Most-Powerful-Abilities,-Ranked
Bleach: Ichigo's Most Powerful Abilities, Ranked

Throughout Bleach's run, Ichigo Kurosaki gains a wide range of abilities, but which ones are his strongest?

By 

Tite Kobe may have provided plenty of pretty faces for fans to gawk at, but he also gifted these girls with amazing capabilities in the process. Now that the Thousand-Year Blood War is underway, it's time for these lovely ladies to get back into action, and reveal their true potential along the way.

Updated February 27, 2025, by George Voutiritsas: Thanks to the Thousand-Year Blood War, some of Bleach's strongest female characters have received well-deserved screen time and recognition. Many of these women have been shunted to the side for most of the series, and some were not even introduced until the final arc.

These girl-powered secret weapons become pivotal plot devices in the fight against Yhwach's formidable forces, which includes a mighty team of villainess female Quincies who possess incredible, and at times overpowered, abilities that can wipe out dozens of enemies at once. Discover which of the Bleach girls get in on the action as the Quincy War rages on.

36 Karin Kurosaki

A Spiritually Aware Human Who Can Harm Weak Hollows

  • Anime Debut: Episode 1
  • Race: Human

Karin is the younger sister of Ichigo Kurosaki. Her father Isshin is the former Captain of the 10th Division and her mother Masaki was one of the few remaining pureblooded Quincy. Karin may not have inherited her parents' immense spiritual power, but she is a spiritually aware human who can see and interact with spirits, Hollows, and Soul Reapers.

Toshiro Hitsugaya, the current Captain of the 10th Division, has stated that Karin possesses high spiritual power for a human. Ichigo lost his Soul Reaper powers for 17 months following Aizen's defeat, and for unknown reasons, Karin's spiritual power increased significantly. She now has the power to hurt weak Hollows with her enhanced kicks.

35 Shino Madarame

A Young Soul Reaper Who Becomes One Of Karakura Town's New Guardians

  • Anime Debut: Episode 367
  • Race: Soul Reaper

Most Bleach fans likely do not know that Ikkaku has a younger sister, mainly because he has never mentioned her, but she appears in the Thousand-Year Blood War. Shino is a rude tomboy and has a strong personality, just like Ikkaku. Unlike her brother, Shino is a member of Squad 13, and it is so far unclear if she has awakened her Zanpakuto's Shikai form.

Shino replaced Zennosuke Kurumadani as the guardian of Karakura Town, which means the Soul Society believes she can deal with Hollows to some degree. However, she was almost killed during her first mission by a group of large Hollows. Having said that, Shino survived both Sternritter invasions, meaning she could contend with Quincy Soldats while evading Sternritter attacks. Shino may not be a seated officer, but she is certainly capable of being one.

34 Kiyone Kotetsu

A Future Lieutenant With Capable Kido Skills

  • Anime Debut: Episode 40
  • Race: Soul Reaper

Kiyone made her debut during the Soul Society arc, and she was the co-3rd Seat of the 13th Division. Kiyone possesses a Zanpakuto, but she has never used it. She helped to stop Rukia's execution, but she was easily defeated by Captain Sui-Feng.

Following the events of the Thousand-Year Blood War, Kiyone becomes the new Lieutenant of the 4th Division. She was appointed to the position by her sister Isane - the Division's new Captain. Since joining the 4th Division, Kiyone's spiritual power has increased, and she has become an expert Kido user. That being said, she only excels in Healing Kido.

33 Orihime Inoue

Her Spirits Give Her Great Powers, But She Is Not A Fighter

  • Anime Debut: Episode 2
  • Race: Human

This red-headed cutie may act like a damsel in distress; however, she is more than capable of holding her own on the battlefield (with a little help, that is). Orihime's blue floral hairpins house six Spirits, collectively known as Shun Shun Rikka. She can call upon them at will to perform various offensive, defensive, and "healing" magic.

The potency of these "fairies" directly correlates to Orihime's emotional state at the time, so if she lacks drive, anger, or killing intent, her attacks will fall short. Therefore, she predominantly relies on her shields and time-reversal skills during combat, acting as the perfect support for her team.

32 Nanao Ise

A Strong Kido User With Minimal Sword Skill

  • Anime Debut: Episode 35
  • Race: Soul Reaper

Shunsui Kyōraku's lieutenant has been left to fade into the background more often than not. However, since her Captain's promotion in the Thousand-Year Blood War, her role has become more dominant. Nanao perfectly balances Shunsui's nonchalant, laid-back attitude and can strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose her simply by removing her glasses and delivering a terrifying death stare.

Nanao wields the Shinken Hakkyoken instead of a standard Zanpakuto. It is a sacred ceremonial sword that is passed down through the Ise clan, and it allows her to reflect godly power. She is by no means a sword fighter, but she has impeccable Kido skills. She developed a powerful Kido that was able to hold back Jugram Haschwalth—Yhwach's right-hand man.

31 Lilynette Gingerbuck

A Special Fraccion With Surprisingly Low Spiritual Energy

  • Anime Debut: Episode 161
  • Race: Arrancar

Lilynette Gingerbuck was initially introduced as Coyote Starrk's sole Fraccion, but when it came time for him to release his Resurreccion, it was revealed that they were the same entity. This entity was split in two because it was eternally lonely. Ordinary Hollows died by simply being in its presence. Unfortunately, Starrk received the vast majority of the entity's spiritual power when they split.

Ichigo
Bleach: Every Arc, Ranked By Length

Ichigo has been on plenty of adventures throughout Bleach's story, but here's how they each rank in terms of overall length.

By 

Lilynette is considered to be a weak Arrancar, but she can still produce a Cero. That said, her Cero is supposedly weaker than a Gillian-class Menos' Cero. Lilynette clashed with Captain Jushiro Ukitake during the Fake Karakura Town Arc, but he was able to block all of her sword attacks effortlessly. She is able to produce powerful Cero blasts when they activate their Resurreccion, but this is only possible because she transforms into a pair of dueling pistols.

30 Loly Aivirrne

An Arrancar Who Served As One Of Aizen's Aides

  • Anime Debut: Episode 150
  • Race: Arrancar

Loly was the 33rd Arrancar in Aizen's army and served as one of his aides. She was infatuated with Aizen, to the point that she became envious of his interest in Orihime. This is the reason why Loly treated her so badly. Loly may have been weaker than a Fraccion, but she had no problem challenging Espada-level Arrancar. She even attacked Quilge Opie, a powerful Sternritter, without a second thought.

Loly has not used a Cero during the series, but she is capable of using the Bala technique to shoot concentrated blasts of hardened spiritual energy. It is worth noting that Loly can cut an Espada like Yammy, which indicates that she is strong physically. She becomes a centipede-like creature when she releases her Resurreccion. Loly's arms produce a highly corrosive poison while this form is active and anything she touches typically erodes instantly.

29 Ururu Tsumugiya

An Artificial Soul Who Can Injure A Fraccion With Enhanced Strength

  • Anime Debut: Episode 6
  • Race: Modified Soul

Several Bleach characters who never fight, and upon first glance, one would assume that Ururu falls into that category because she looks like a harmless young girl with a perpetual blush. Ururu is an artificially created soul who benefits from enhanced physical strength and speed. She also possesses surprisingly high spiritual energy, which is comparable to a Lieutenant using their Bankai at just 25% power.

When Ichigo began his Soul Reaper training, Ururu easily dodged his attacks and defeated him fairly quickly. Kisuke Urahara himself stated that Ururu can defeat standard Soul Reapers in battle. Ururu can enter Slaughter Mode whenever she detects unusual spiritual energy and will attack the target while in a sleepwalking-like state. While in this state, Ururu's kicks are strong enough to injure a Fraccion like Yylfordt Granz, who was forced to release his Resurrección in response.

28 Momo Hinamori

A Lieutenant With Decent Kido & A Destructive Shikai

  • Anime Debut: Episode 24
  • Race: Soul Reaper

Momo Hinamori has been the Lieutenant of the 5th Division since the beginning. She was appointed to the position by Sosuke Aizen, and she was allowed to keep her rank when Shinji Hirako assumed command of the Division. Momo is considered a Kido master because she can cast multiple spells in conjunction with each other. She can also combine Kido spells with her Zanpakuto's attacks.

Momo has not achieved Bankai yet, but her Shikai is quite effective. Once it is activated, her Zanpakuto becomes a double-edged blade with multiple sharp prongs. The blade generates fireballs that Momo can shoot at enemies, and these fireballs explode as soon as they make contact. She can now fire multiple fireballs at once. Momo can injure Fraccion-level Arrancar. During Bleach: TYBW, Momo's Zanpakuto grew another prong, and her fireballs became strong enough to stagger Gerard Valkyrie in his godly form.

27 Riruka Dokugamine

A Fullbringer Who Can Fight Lieutenant-Level Soul Reapers

  • Anime Debut: Episode 343
  • Race: Human (Fullbringer)

Riruka is a Fullbringer—a spiritually aware human who possesses a small fraction of the Soul King's power. That said, her power more closely resembles a Hollow’s than those of a Soul Reaper's. Like other Fullbringers, Riruka can manipulate the souls contained within matter. She can also move at high speeds by pulling on the soul of the ground beneath her feet.

Riruka's Fullbring ability is called Dollhouse and it allows her to freely move people and objects into or out of anything she loves. She can suck someone like Ichigo or Rukia into an enclosed space by placing a small heart-shaped mark on their body. After absorbing some of Ichigo's power, Riruka gained a pair of gauntlets that could stab someone like Rukia. She can use her Fullbring to temporarily trap a Lieutenant-level Soul Reaper inside a stuffed animal. He can also use this power to hide inside her opponent's body.