Bleach’s author, Tite Kubo, certainly isn’t afraid to kill a character off if he deems it necessary to the story. However, there are still a select few Soul Reapers, Arrancar, and Quincy who, somehow, managed to avoid what seemed like certain death. Since this is a shōnen anime series, it’s expected that characters can take plenty of punishment without being killed, but having someone fall in battle can still help raise the stakes and intensity of the story when done right.
It’s clear that whenBleachwas still ongoing, Kubo made sure to protect the characters who had become fan favorites, though in hindsight, maybe a few deaths may not have been the worst decision in the world for one reason or another. With theBleachmanga officially at an end, and the Thousand-Year Blood War anime reaching its conclusion, it feels like the perfect time to reflect on those characters who probably should have bitten the dust at some point in the story.
This list will contain heavy spoilers up to Cour 3 of the Thousand Year Blood War anime!
1Hiyori Sarugaki
How Hiyori Survived Being Sliced In Two, Fans Can Only Wonder
Compared to her fellow Vizards, Hiyori comes across as far less intimidating and dangerous, despite still being a capable fighter. While highly mobile, Hiyori can’t take more than a few hits before being taken down, as demonstrated when Ichigo, in his Hollow form, pinned her down to the ground when they first met.
This is exactly why many fans were baffled that the Vizard survived being cut in two byGin’s extended Zanpakuto. In the manga, this is one of the most severe injuries anyone has ever received, yet Hiyori not only manages to survive, she actually returns to normal not long after. Having Hiyori die here would have spurred Shinji to keep fighting against Aizen and Gin, and would have honestly made her more memorable as a character.
2Byakuya Kuchiki
To This Day, Fans Still Debate Whether Or Not Keeping Byakuya Alive Was Worth It
During the first Quincy invasion of the Soul Society, Byakuya is annihilated bythe Sternritter known as As Nodtafter he steals and uses the captain’s own Bankai against him. Both the anime and manga show Byakuya’s body being destroyed after the attack, so much so that he can barely even speak to Ichigo after he shows up to learn what has happened.
Fans have long speculated that Byakuya was supposed to die here, but after realizing how popular he was, Kubo decided to instead send him to Squad 0’s hot springs so he could be fully healed. If Byakuya had kicked the bucket here, it would have made Rukia’s encounter with As Nodt much more emotional as she tries to avenge her late brother, but it would have also demonstrated just how powerful the Quincy truly are in battle.
3Izuru Kira
Izuru’s Death Would Have Served As A Frightening Introduction To The Sternritter Army
Almost as soon as the Sternritter commence their first attack on the Soul Society, Izuru, the lieutenant of Squad 3, has his right arm blasted off his body by Bazz-B, seemingly out of nowhere. With a look of shock on everyone’s faces, Izuru falls to the ground, leading fans to believe that he is one of the Quincy’s very first victims in their relentless assault.
Surprisingly, Izuru returns a little later on to help the Soul Reapers clean up the remnants ofLille Barro, and though it’s an epic scene, it seems a little pointless considering he is only a side character. His death would have served as a great indication of the ruthless nature of Yhwach’s Sternritter even before they showed their true powers and abilities.
4Chad
“I can’t even imagine Chad losing"is an infamous quote from Ichigo that has become a popular meme among the fandom because of how ridiculous it is within the context of the story. Chad not only loses most of his battles, but he’s often utterly humiliated by his opponents, who are always far stronger than he is. A prime example of this is his duel with Shunsui, who flattens Chad without even breaking a sweat.
A more egregious instance, though, is Chad’s encounter with Nnoitra, who is in a prime position to kill him, but decides not to. Of course, killing off a member of the main cast can be risky, but having Chad die would have done a lot for Ichigo’s development, as he comes to realize that he can’t save everyone, no matter how hard he tries. It may have even encouraged him to embrace his Hollow powers even more than he already does, for better or worse.
5Grimmjow Jaegejaquez
The End Of Grimmjow And Ichigo’s Second Battle Felt Like The Perfect Time To End The Arrancar’s Story
For much of the Arrancar arc, Grimmjow comes off as a hot-headed and cocky Espada who simply wants to prove that he’s stronger than Ichigo. During their epic final battle, though,Grimmjow’s backstoryas the “king” of his pack shows a slightly different side to the dangerous Arrancar, and when Ichigo is about to land the final strike, it’s clear from Grimmjow’s face that he’s accepted his defeat.
Surprisingly, Grimmjow not only survives this beatdown from a hyper-powered Ichigo but also stays alive after being knocked down by a heavy finishing blow from Nnoitra. It’s definitely nice to see Grimmjow re-appear in the final arc, but it does feel as though his biting the dust back in Hueco Mundo would have provided a nice way to close the book on this guy’s story.
6Rose
Rose Is Completely Outmaneuvered By The Hulking Giant Known As Mask De Masculine
Mask de Masculine is a Sternritter who loves nothing more than crushing his opponents into a bloody pulp with his wide array of hard-hitting wrestling moves. Mask is so strong that he was able to launch Kensei through multiple buildings with a single punch, but whenRose unleashes his Bankai, it seems as though the Vizard may actually stand a chance of taking him down for good.
What ends up happening, though, is Rose gets completely embarrassed by Mask after the latter ruptures his eardrums, so that he can’t hear the melodies Rose uses to control his opponents. After firing a star-shaped blast straight through Rose’s chest, it seemed as though the captain was down for the count, but he miraculously managed to stay alive despite how much damage he had taken.
7Rangiku Matsumoto
Rangiku Walks Off One Of The Nastiest Injuries In The Series
Rangiku has proven to be a lieutenant who is more than capable of holding her own in an intense fight, but when face to face with the hideous mutant known as Ayon, she quickly realized she had no chance of standing up to the behemoth. In the manga, half of Rangiku’s torso is removed in the blink of an eye during this brief encounter, putting the otherworldly strength of Ayon on full display.
This is without a doubt one of the goriest panels in the entire manga, and while the anime does tone it down a little, it’s still made clear that Raniguku suffers a life-threatening injury nonetheless. However, Rangiku gets back up to speed not long after, even though her falling in battle may have been a good way to show how merciless Aizen’s troops are once they set their sights on a target.
8Momo Hinamori
Being Blasted By Kido And Stabbed By Zanpakutos Is Just Another Day In The Office For Momo
It’s honestly staggering just how much punishment Momo has taken in the series, despite being a fairly unimportant side character. Momo was used as a pawn by Aizen during theSoul Society arc, and after his betrayal, she would clash swords with more than a few lieutenants and captains, and was even stabbed through the chest by Aizen himself a little later on.
Momo’s torment didn’t stop there, as she was again stabbed during the battle over Karakura Town, this time by her childhood friend, Hitsugaya, who had been fooled by Aizen’s illusions. Considering a lot of characters in the series have died from a lot less, it’s baffling how Momo managed to make it through all of this punishment without even being a captain.
