This article will contain my thoughts about Bleach starting from Episode 206 (Decisive Battle of Karakura Town) to Episode 272 (Conclusion of Fight between Ichigo and Ulquiorra). This is a very interesting part of the Arrancar arc because of the Iconic fight between Ulquiorra and Ichigo. There are so many anime fights in the past that make them memorable and this fight makes history for bleach.
But another interesting part of Arrancar Arc is the Ten Espada. "Espada" means Sword so based on their names, we can assume that they are the 10 swords of Aizen. They are the 10 strongest Arrancar which have the sole purpose of serving Aizen and help him achieve his goal. Espadas have a number etched with their bodies starting from 1-10 and it also represents their strength (10 is the weakest and 1 is the strongest). And for those who didn't know the 10 Espada here is the list of their Ranking.
Yammy Llargo
Espada Number: 10/0
There is still a debate about this character. Some say he is the weakest but because of his strange ability to gather strength and once he releases that he can change his number from 10 to 0. This is what confuses the fans (even for me) because we all know that the number of Espada represents their strength. So can we assume that Yammy is Stronger than Stark? This is what I still don't know. Even after Yammy's transformation, I still can't see his improvement. Well, it's a list of Espada based on their number so who cares about their power levels. Lol
Aaroniero Arruruerie
Espada Number: 9
We all can agree that his name is cool. But his personality is not. He can use dirty tricks and his power is not that impressive. He has a power of thousands hollow he devours but I guess it's just an overstatement. After all, he got beaten by Rukia which is not even a vice-captain level. So out of all Espada, I believe that Aaroniero Arruruerie is the weakest.
Szayel Aporro Granz
Espada Number: 8
Szayel Aporro is the Arrancar version of Kurotsuchi Mayuri of soul society. He loves research and his power is cursing using voodoo dolls. His power is not that bad. He even defeated Ishida and Renji pretty badly. Kurotsuchi is just a bad opponent for him. His death is the best death among arrancars and he deserves that. He is the evilest among them and he did many bad things including the vanishing of Nel.
Zommari Rureaux
Espada Number: 7
This is funny because this Espada probably has the shortest screentime among them. Right after his appearance he easily got defeated by Byakuya. His strength is not that bad because he wounded Byakuya pretty bad so his appearance is not wasted. But I hope we got to know him better because he is interesting and his ability is unique.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
Espada Number: 6
Grimmjow is my favourite Espada because its Resurrección is so cool. His personality reflects his Resurrección. He is wild and can't follow orders. He even loses his position once because he disobeys Aizen but luckily for him, he got it back thanks to Inoue. He wants to be stronger and I think he can, but Ichigo defeated him fair and square using his Hollowfication power.
Nnoitra Gilga
Espada Number: 5
I hate this Arrancar so much. He climbs his rank by killing other Espada using dirty tricks. Like most Arrancar, Nnoitra is arrogant and he always boasts his sturdiness. His fight against Kenpachi is so good. Maybe because both of them have similar personalities and their strength is almost the same. His defeat is satisfying and I guess he got no regrets because both of them pour all of their strength into that fight.
Ulquiorra Cifer
Espada Number: 4
Espada number 4-1 is on a whole new level. They are multiple times stronger than other Espadas and their evolution is not usual. They are once Vasto Lorde (the strongest type of Menos) that Aizen turn into Arrancar. Ulquiorra has gloomy and secretive nature and he even hides his true strength to Aizen. He is crazy strong and his Resurrección is so cool. He is the only Espada that obtain the second phase in his Resurrección. He deserves to be number 1 and I want to see him fight Stark.
Tier Harribel
Espada Number: 3
She is the only female among the official Espada of Aizen. She has a water type power and her Resurrección has a form of a shark. Her power is not ideal against Hitsugaya Toshiro so it is expected that she loses once against him. But she's still strong and her attribute is good against Captain Yamamoto.
Baraggan Louisenbairn
Espada Number: 2
His appearance and the way he leads the Espada after Yamamoto temporarily sealed Aizen, I thought he is the number 1 rank. But even though he isn't, his strength and ability is not a joke. He can control time and whatever his skill touches will die and turn to ash. He is basically OP and a bad opponent against close combat fighters. It seems that his self proclaimed King and God is not just mindless proclamation.
Coyote Starrk
Espada Number: 1
This normal-looking dude is hard to believe that he is the strongest. Out of all Espada, his looks is very harmless. But don't underestimate him. He is the only Espada that has only Fraccion and it's also his weapon and Resurrección. His power is also crazy. He uses a double pistol as a weapon and it can rapidly shoot Cero almost infinitely. It just proved that his Number is just a number.
What I Noticed in This Arc
Ichigo Didn't Beat Ulquiorra
Ulquiorra should be the number 1 Espada and probably the strongest. He is the only Espada that attain the second Phase of his Resurrección. If we compare that to Soul Reapers, it's their version of Bankai. It only means that when they transform into that form, their strength multiplies by 5-10 times. So how did he die during his fight against Ichigo when he is that strong?
I just noticed that Ichigo is not the one who beats Ulquiorra. He just simply self destructed after he overused his power against Ichigo's Vasto Lorde transformation. It may be the body of Ichigo but he is not the one who is in control. And even he came back to his senses he refused to kill Ulquiorra. And it ended in a draw that can't be settled to eternity.
Ichigo Can Easily Be Vasto Lorde If He Becomes a Hollow
We learned in the last part of this article that Vasto Lorde is the strongest form a hollow can obtain. They are already strong even if they didn't transform into an Arrancar. They are gifted hollow that blessed with the power to be a Vasto Lorde since they were Born.
So if Ichigo didn't become a shinigami and turn into a Hollow. He will be most likely become Vasto Lorde. During his fight against Ulquiorra, he even becomes Vasto Lorde for a short time and he's not even an official hollow that time. It may also explain why he has strong spiritual power. So if Ichigo becomes hollow at the start, he will eventually turn into Vasto Lorde.
Inoue Only Knows 1 Dialogue
I don't hate Inoue but it is very annoying. From the start of Ulquiorra vs Ichigo part until the defeat of Ulquiorra, her only dialogue is just "Kurosaki-kun". I know she's the love interest just like Hinata but what the hell, she only said that word and I think she wants to annoy the viewer by repeating it several times in a row. If she's not cute, I may hate her. Xd
My article is all about what I noticed but I didn't notice that I'm nearing the ending of this show. I get it now why it didn't go well compared to other big anime in its generation but I can see hope in The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc in the future. There are so many characters that needs development and have potential that I want to see soon. And for someone who thinks bleach is a long series, it's actually not. You'll know the reason soon.
Im gonna watch this anime