The greatest heroes in Bleach's Thousand Year Blood War

Key takeaways

• Ichigo's last attempts to stop Yhwach make up for his previous mistakes by showing true heroism.
• Orihime's role as a healer proves invaluable, showcasing her abilities and heroism throughout the arc.
• Mayuri Korutsuchi emerges as the real MVP, saving lives, taking out key fighters and showing teamwork.

A thousand year blood war is a conflict within Bleach The series pits the Soul Reaper captain and lieutenants against their most powerful rival, the Sternritter. This army of Quincies nearly wiped out the entirety of Soul Society in their first attack, stealing many Bankai abilities in the process.

Needless to say, their mission to destroy the Soul Reapers almost became a reality; However, thankfully, Ichigo and his allies were able to push back against the Quincy attack, with several key figures playing a large role in the resistance.

These are Bleach Characters who get all the credit for showing true heroism in the final arc of the story, without them, who knows how the century-long climax between the Soul Reaper and the Quincy would have happened.

Before the jump, there will be
Major spoilers for the final arc of the series
Including the ending as shown in the manga.

8 Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo's last attempt to stop Yhwach makes up for his other mistakes this arc

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Of course, Ichigo is not at his best during the final arc of the story and makes numerous big mistakes along the way. However, the hero still manages to stop Yowatch more times than anyone else, and even takes out some of the Bembis who were reigning chaos on the other Soul Reapers just moments ago.

More importantly, Ichigo's training with Squad 0 and his realization of his true Zanpakutō enabled him to take down Yowatch when it really mattered. Sure, he may have had much needed help from Uryu in those final moments, but Ichigo was the only one at the time who was confident and strong enough to defeat Yowatch to end the war once and for all, and for that, he can be considered a hero.

7 Orihime Inoue

Orihime's role as a healer makes her an invaluable member of the Soul Reaper's force

• First Appearance: Episode 2

It's hard not to think that Orihime is the same character from the previous arcs who stood alongside Ichigo in the Thousand-Year Blood War. Now she no longer doubts her abilities and usefulness to the team, but instead, serves as an important team player who assumes the role of a healer, and throughout the arc, she saves many people's lives.

One particular moment where Orihime shines is when half of Ichigo's chest is severed by Uryu's arrow in the anime. While Orihime was able to patch him up, it was unlikely that anyone else would have been able to get to the Soul Palace quickly enough to save him. She also manages to heal Ichigo's wounds with ease before attacking Yowatch in the Soul Palace, and saves Ganju from being flattened by Gerrard. Orihime has honed her abilities to such an extent that she is not only a useful team member, but an underrated hero throughout the arc.

6 Ryuken Ishida

Ryuken may be absent for most of the arc, but he joins the fight at the most important moments

• First Appearance: Episode 44

Ryuken is a hero who, instead of playing a big role throughout the arc, shows up at the last minute to do something big. In fact, outside of a few conversations with Uryu at the beginning about the Quincy's history, Ryuken is largely absent for the entire war, not teaming up with the Quincy, but not opposing the Soul Reapers either.

In the last few moments, Ryuken manages to send his son Uryu a silver arrow tip containing the clotted blood that killed his wife. Using the unique power within the arrow, Uryu was able to hold off Yowatch's omnipotence long enough for Ichigo to deliver the final blow. Whether this will be changed or modified in the anime remains to be seen, but there are a few scenes foreshadowing the creation of the Arrow, indicating that Ryuken will still play an important role in those final few episodes.

5 Shunsui Kyoraku

Leader of a soul cutting army that brings down a truly dangerous opponent

• First Appearance: Episode 24

Kyoraku does an admirable job of pushing back the Quincy during their initial attacks on Soul Society, but it's really when the Soul Reapers enter the Gateway and take on the enemy that he comes into his own. Kyoraku overcomes his laziness to assume the role of leader for the surviving troops, filling them with inspiration and courage for the fight ahead.

It was also Kyoarku who was able to take down Lily Barrow, an opponent who had a lot of Soul Reaper's blood on her hands. If Kyoraku hadn't unleashed his Bankai to take Lily down, the latter would probably have shot several other Soul Reapers from afar, shredding the army one by one with his sniper rifle.

4 Zaraki Kenpachi

Kenpachi stopped the war from ending prematurely with a meteor

• First Appearance: Episode 20

Kenpachi only shows up a handful of times in the battle against the Quincies, but when he does, he always shows off his immense strength, tearing apart powerful foes. The biggest example of this is his conflict with Grammy, a stern writer capable of drawing anything he imagines into reality. Many other characters would have been done after being hit with two solid hands or trapped in a pocket of space, but Kenpachi's thirst for battle pushes him through each of Grammy's tough ordeals.

Of course, Kenpachi was also capable of slicing a meteor in two, something that even Grammy's own friends are shown to fear in the manga. There was no doubt that this single attack could have ended the war there and then, and it was unlikely that many, if any, characters had as much power as Kenpachi needed to stop it before it reached the surface.

3 Kisuke Urahara

Urahara's behind-the-scenes work saved the Soul Reapers on several occasions

• First Appearance: Episode 6

While the Soul Reapers can do what they can to fight the Quincy on the ground, Kisuke is always working behind the scenes to support them, and it's fair to say that he comes in clutch at several key points in the arc. At the start of the second attack, Kisuke manages to revive several captains by restoring their ranks that he had hollowed out, giving them one last chance to fight back.

It is also implied that Kisuke gathered Riruka and Yukio together to form the Ichigo Box and the gang returned to Yowatch in the Soul Palace. Kisuke is also to be thanked for creating the gateway to the Soul Palace that he and hundreds of others used to launch the final attack, and also takes out a member of the Schutzstaffel. It's a good thing the Soul Reapers decided to put aside their anger with Kisuke just for once, because without him, they would have been doomed from the start.

2 Jushiro Ukitake

Ukitake sacrifices his life to ensure the three worlds don't collide

• First Appearance: Episode 9

It was always established near the beginning of the series that Squad 13's captain, Ukitake, had some sort of illness. It will not be until the last arc in a Bleach In a flashback though, fans find out that this was due to his relationship with the Spirit King's right-hand man, Mimihagi.

Once Yowatch forces Ichigo to cut the Spirit King in two, the three worlds are thrown into disarray, and the fear of them all collapsing into one almost becomes a reality. Ukitake manages to use his bond with Mimihagi to temporarily allow the Soul King's hand to stop Yhwach, buying precious time that his friends will use to end the war. At the cost of his life, he maintained balance and stopped Bleach The universe from plunging into guaranteed destruction.

1 Mayuri Kurotsuchi

From saving the lives of many of her allies to destroying an entire army of zombies, Mayuri was the real MVP of the final arc.

• First Appearance: Episode 24

Mayuri experiences a very unique arc throughout the series BleachBecause it's not technically him who changes, but rather, how the audience sees him. When he first appeared to take on Uryu in the Soul Society arc, his mistreatment of his underlings and Nemu's horrible behavior made him loathed by many fans.

However, fast-forward to the Thousand-Year Blood War, and Mayuri's sick and twisted mind enables him to take out many of the main fighters and save a few friends. Not only is he able to counter and control Giselle's zombie army, but he is also the one who resurrects Hitsugaya, Rangiku, Kenpachi and many other Soul Reapers who would have died or been zombified if not for him. Being able to take down one of the four Schutzstaffel, thanks in part to Nemu, also cemented him as a tremendous team player during the final battle, along with his efforts to contain Aizen's power and help build the Soul Palace Gateway.