The one fact that all anime fans can unanimously agree on is that Bleach is the anime with the best character designs. From the Shinigami to the Arrancar, all designs are unique, and they perfectly illustrate the characters. In today's article, we will highlight the top 15 best Bleach character designs, and since the final arc doesn't have an anime release yet, we will omit the Quincy characters from this list.
15. Uryu Ishida
Uryu Ishida becomes a doctor like his father.
Uryu Ishida is a major supporting character in Bleach and a member of the rare Quincy species that is introduced early on in the anime. As one of the close allies of Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida is a frequently recurring character who has evolved through the anime, and although he initially held contempt for the Shinigami, he later changes his attitude towards them.
His design is a slender, bespectacled adolescent who is frequently seen wearing standard white Quincy clothing with blue stripes representing the Quincy cross and a cloak.
14. Abarai Renji
Abarai Renji formed a Soul Society futsal team.
The 6th Division lieutenant under Captain Kuchiki Byakuya, Abarai Renji, is one of the protagonists in Bleach, a Shinigami, and a major ally of Kurosaki Ichigo. Constantly striving to reach and surpass his captain, Renji is one of the strongest and best-designed characters.
His design consists of red hair that is often tied into a ponytail, tribal tattoos on his face, which he got during his days as a Shinigami in the 11th Division, a headgear of sorts that shifts between glasses and a bandana, and the standard black Shinigami uniform.
13. Zaraki Kenpachi
Zaraki Kenpachi defeated the previous Kenpachi as a child.
A monster by any definition, the 11th Captain of the Gotei 13 is a fan favorite amongst many Bleach fans, and one of the many reasons can be attributed to his character design. Living solely for the thrill of battle, Zaraki Kenpachi is arguably the most powerful Shinigami, hence being the holder of the title "Kenpachi."
His character design is a muscular, tall man with long strands of hair that sometimes have small bells at their tips. He also wears a custom-made eyepatch over his right eye, which serves the purpose of suppressing his monstrous Reiatsu. He wears the usual black Shinigami uniform and a white, short-sleeved Captain haori with the number 13 inscribed on the back.
12. Hitsugaya Toshiro
Hitsugaya Toshiro has an adult form.
Hitsugaya Toshiro is a Shinigami and the 10th Division Captain, the youngest Captain in the Gotei 13. A child prodigy, Toshiro is a highly proficient Shinigami who bears the potential to become the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 in the future. Although he is the youngest and shortest captain, his character design far outmatches most of the other captains.
His character design is a short young man with spiky hair, a green sash that he often wears around his shoulders, the standard black Shinigami uniform, and a white short-sleeved Captain haori with the number 10 inscribed on the back.
11. Kyoraku Shunsui
Kyoraku Shunsui is a dual wielder swordsman.
Kyoraku Shunsui is the Captain of the 8th Division and one of the oldest Shinigami and Captains in the Gotei 13. A student of the Captain Commander, Genryūsai Yamamoto, alongside the Captain of the 13th Division, Juushirou Ukitake, Kyoraku is extremely powerful despite his laid-back, playful nature.
His character design is a tall man with wavy brown hair, often tied into a ponytail and styled with pinwheel hairpins. He is often seen wearing a straw hat, the standard black Shinigami uniform, a blue obi sash around his waist, a white long-sleeved Captain haori with the number 8 inscribed on the back, and a pink, flowered lady's kimono over his haori.
10. Aizen Sosuke
Aizen Sosuke planned Ichigo's entire life.
The former 5th Captain of the Gotei 13 and a Shinigami who betrayed and waged war on Soul Society, Aizen Sosuke is one of the major antagonists in Bleach. An extremely powerful Shinigami with a genius-level intellect, Aizen's goal is to overthrow the Soul King and create a new world order in Soul Society.
His character design is one of the most dynamic in the anime because it changes as he evolves from his physical form to his immortal form after merging with the Hogyoku. Although he initially wore glasses at the beginning of the story, it is revealed to be part of his disguise, which he used to feign modesty and conceal his manipulative side.
9. Kaname Tousen
Kaname Tosen is a journalist at Soul Society.
Formerly the 9th Division Captain of the Gotei 13 before his betrayal of Soul Society alongside Aizen Sosuke and Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tousen is an exceptional Shinigami who was born blind. Attaining the rank of Captain as a blind man is a testament to his skills, and his goal was the pursuit of justice using the path with the least bloodshed.
Similar to Aizen, Tousen's character design changed several times after his betrayal of Soul Society, from the usual Shinigami Captain design to a more Arrancar-like design, and with the Hollow Resurrección powers, he also gained his eyesight.
8. Urahara Kisuke
Urahara Kisuke is the inventor of the Hogyoku.
Urahara Kisuke is the former 12th Division Captain and the founder of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. After Aizen's sinister plan resulted in the deaths and hollowification of several Shinigami, Urahara became an exile in the Human World, where he opened a small store that sells Shinigami items.
The most intelligent character in the series, Urahara Kisuke, is a formidable opponent. His character design is a tall man with messy hair, which he often covers with a white bucket hat. His attire consists of a green Shihakushō and a black haori that he wears over it. He occasionally carries a fan and wears traditional Japanese wooden sandals.
7. Kuchiki Rukia
Kuchiki Rukia is a fan of Don Kanonji.
The lieutenant of the 13th Division and deuteragonist in Bleach, Kuchiki Rukia is a Shinigami and the adopted sister of Kuchiki Byakuya. One of the most loved characters in the series, Rukia, is a well-developed and designed character. A short, petite young woman, Rukia is usually seen wearing the standard Shinigami uniform, her division badge on her left sleeve, and styling her black hair into a cropped bob.
Rukia is also known to love everything rabbit-themed and is often seen wearing some form of rabbit-themed attire whenever she is using her Gigai in the human world.
6. Coyote Starrk
Coyote Starrk's character is based on the French designer, Philippe Starck.
Bleach villains are among the best-designed characters, and one of these is the first Espada in Aizen Sosuke's Arrancar army, Coyote Starrk. A tall Arrancar with blue eyes, wavy hair, and a goatee, Starrk is often seen wearing the usual white Arrancar jacket with the collar up, a black sash over his waist, and white gloves.
Like all Espadas, he wears a partially hollow mask, this time with a fang-bottom jaw around his neck. His hollow hole is below his mask, and his Espada Number tattoo is on the back of his left hand, hidden by his gloves. When he activates his Resurrección, his attire and physical appearance change to those of a Western Wild West gunslinger.
5. Kuchiki Byakuya
Kuchiki Byakuya resembles his father a lot.
The 6th Division Captain of the Gotei 13, Kuchiki Byakuya, is the elder brother of Kuchiki Rukia and the head of the great noble Kuchiki clan. Although initially introduced as an antagonist, Byakuya later came to become a fan favorite, and a lot of it has to do with his flamboyant character design.
Possessing black hair that is styled using white kenseikan that represents his noble status as the head of the Kuchiki clan, he also wears an expensive white scarf, which is a family heirloom that has been passed on to the head of the Kuchiki clan for generations. He also wears the standard black Shinigami uniform and a white, short-sleeved Captain haori with the number 6 inscribed on the back.
His Zanpakuto ability, specifically his Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, has one of the best designs due to how his blade scatters into thousands of small fragments that resemble cherry blossom petals.
4. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez kept his scar chest on purpose.
The 6th and most feral of the Espadas, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, was an instant hit with the fans due to his elaborate and expressive design. Although he seems laid-back when things are normal, Grimmjow is one of the most brutal and violent villains in the series, and his design is carefully created to reflect that.
A tall, sturdy Arrancar with light blue spiky hair that is complemented by his light blue eyes, Grimmjow wears the standard white Espada jacket with folded sleeves. His Hollow mask is on his right jawbone, his Hollow hole is located on his abdomen, and his Espada number tattoo is on his back.
In his Resurrección form, he changes his physical appearance drastically to resemble that of a feline creature with jagged teeth, sharp claws, and a long tail.
3. Ulquiorra Cifer
Ulquiorra Cifer's true power is instantaneous regeneration.
One of the toughest villains that Ichigo fought, Ulquiorra Cifer, is the 4th Espada in Aizen Sosuke's Arrancar army. A slender, athletic Arrancar with a wistful pale appearance, Ulquiorra possesses a helmet-like Hollow mask on the left side of his head, a Hollow hole on his throat, and the Espada number tattoo on the left side of his chest.
As the only Espada with two Resurrección stages, Ulquiorra's physical form changes into a humanoid creature-like form with black wings, a furry torso, claws and talons on his fingers, and a long, whip-like tail.
2. Kurosaki Ichigo
The name 'Ichigo' has multiple meanings.
The protagonist and hero of the story, Kurosaki Ichigo, is one of the most popular anime characters. With different designs throughout the story, Ichigo's most distinctive feature is his orange hair, which has grown longer and more spiky over the years. His clothing design is usually a black shihakusho, similar to that of Shinigami, with a strap across his chest.
The most remarkable feature of his design is his Bankai form, Tensa Zangetsu, where, unlike the other Shinigami who get a creature or effect created in this state, Ichigo's Bankai simply shrinks his Zanpakuto and changes the design of his shihakusho to be more fitting.
His design when he fought Aizen and used the Final Getsuga Tensho technique was among the best character designs in anime and became very popular among anime fans.
1. Mayuri Kurotsuchi
Mayuri Kurotsuchi hates the idea of perfection.
Although he isn't among the protagonists of the story, 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi has the best character design in the story. The current President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, Mayuri, embodies the stereotype of a mad scientist but possesses the fashion style of a model.
Often seen wearing heavy makeup that completely disguises his natural physical appearance, Mayuri usually paints his face white, except for his inner face, which he paints black. His eyes have a golden color, and his ears have golden cones attached to them, which he spins regularly. He has long, blue fingernails, a huge purple scarf, and a white hat that he wears initially in the series.
He also wears the standard black Shinigami uniform and a white long-sleeved Haori with the number 12 inscribed on the back. Mayuri's constant design modifications are what make him the best-designed character in Bleach.
