There was a time when Bleach was held in high regard as one of the Big Three in shonen anime. Along with Naruto and One Piece, this manga accomplished many incredible things over time, especially during its Soul Society arc. However, the consensus is that the series lost some of its edge after this incredible arc, but there’s no denying that Bleach‘s highlights alone make it well worth a watch.

The protagonist of this tale is a mixed bag, with many people being split down the line when it comes to Ichigo. He’s a pretty decent main character for the most part, although there are times when his blandness can frustrate certain viewers to no end. Thankfully, the wealth of abilities that he can pull out in battle makes him a pretty interesting character during battles, with the most powerful of the lot discussed below.

Updated on October 5, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Bleach is one of the most popular shonen shows of all time, with Tite Kubo’s work being hailed by many for its awe-inspiring character designs and amazing battles. While the narrative and structure of Bleach had their faults, they were largely forgiven when fans looked at the grand scheme of things and largely enjoyed what they were watching. The protagonist, Ichigo, may not have the most riveting character development, but the sheer number of powerups he’s enjoyed coupled with the grit he brings to battle makes him a fun character to witness on-screen. Some of Ichigo’s powers are in a class of their own and can take out the toughest enemies without breaking a sweat.

17 Soul Control

A Form Of Telekinesis, But Can Only Target Inanimate Objects

At first glance, Soul Control might seem like a really powerful ability to use in Bleach. However, Ichigo is only able to manipulate the souls of inanimate objects. This caveat turns it into more of a party trick than anything else.

Soul Control allows Ichigo to move objects without having to maintain any physical contact. If Ichigo somehow managed to use this ability to target living beings, then this could easily become his strongest ability by far, but as it stands, it’s not his best.

16 Tracking A Person’s Reiatsu

Observe Energy As Spirit Ribbons To Track Individuals

Ichigo’s natural ability to sense spiritual pressure is unmatched. Even someone as talented as Rukia was astonished that Ichigo could track someone’s Reiatsu without too much effort, even when he wasn’t a Shinigami.

Ichigo can essentially track a person’s Reiatsu by envisioning their energy as ribbons. This allows him to track said person down without too many problems, which is quite impressive and useful in plenty of situations.

15 Reishi Absorption

Ichigo Can Unconsciously Augment His Power By Absorbing Reishi From His Surroundings

Reishi absorption is an ability limited to the Quincy, letting them absorb the energy around them to use in battle. This is in stark contrast to the ability of a Shinigami, who draws energy from within them to fight.

Ichigo was able to absorb Reishi from the atmosphere almost unconsciously at times. This made him even more powerful in battle and turned him into one of the toughest characters in the show by a country mile.

14 Shunpo

A Flash Step Technique To Enhance Ichigo’s Speed

Shunpo is a pretty basic technique that most Shinigami need to master to be even slightly effective in combat. However, Shunpo is a classic example of a technique that is exceedingly simple yet can be extremely effective in the hands of a master. Shinigami who know how to use Shunpo with ease can blindside opponents with the immense speed they display in combat.

Ichigo relies on Shunpo in most battles to keep up with the pace of his opponent. It’s one of the most crucial moves in his arsenal, without which he would have been down for the count multiple times in fights where he emerged victorious at the end of the day. Watching Byakuya be caught off-guard by Ichigo’s immense speed in his Bankai form is something that never ceases to be engaging to this day and is one of the many reasons why the Soul Society arc was such a joy to witness.

13 Energy Blast

A Special Technique Used Sparingly By Ichigo In His Fullbring State

Ichigo’s Fullbring powers were pretty underwhelming, with some of these techniques feeling like imitations of his Shinigami abilities. The only unique technique he develops is an energy blast that isn’t really all that effective either.

In fact, it’s stated that Ichigo can only launch a few of these blasts before he’s left open for a counterattack. It’s a pretty basic ability that goes away as soon as it’s introduced, with Ichigo gaining the powers of a Shinigami once again.

12 Fullbring Getsuga Tenshou

A Variant Of His Getsuga Tenshou Using Fullbring Powers

Many people consider the Fullbring arc to be one of the worst in the series, despite the unique ideas that Kubo brought to the table. However, the fact that this arc and its characters had very little impact on Bleach as a whole was a huge shame, with all this promise being quietly done away with in favor of the Shinigami and Quincy conflict reigning supreme once again. The fact that the anime ended after adapting this insignificant arc was a slap in the face to Bleach fans.

However, this arc did have moments where it played around with Ichigo’s suite of powers in a unique way. His Fullbring transformation was pretty unique even if it only lasted for a brief moment. Ichigo was able to wield a unique version of the Getsuga Tenshou in his Fullbring state, which looked pretty neat. It wasn’t as powerful as his energy blasts as a Shinigami, but it could still do some damage if enemies were hit by it.

11 Blut Vene

A Defensive Technique Meant To Protect Quincy From Physical Attacks

The fact that Ichigo is half-Quincy makes him a jack-of-all-trades in Bleach. It lets him enjoy the best of all worlds, with his powers being great for a variety of situations. It may make him one of the most overpowered and unbalanced characters in Bleach, but fans won’t mind as long as the protagonist brings his A-game to battle.

His Quincy half allows him to use Blut powers, with Blut Vene saving his life in a battle against Yhwach. It’s a simple yet useful defensive technique that hints towards Ichigo’s Quincy blood, with his father finally telling him about his mother and the forbidden relationship they shared, eventually leading to Isshin being cast out of Soul Society.

10 Getsuga Tenshou

Ichigo’s Classic Move, Using His Reiatsu To Unleash A Wave Of Damaging Energy

Ichigo’s most iconic attack is easily Getsuga Tenshou. By swinging his blade, Ichigo unleashes a wave of Reiatsu that can defeat lesser enemies with ease. It’s one of Ichigo’s powers that he uses so many times that he almost becomes a one-trick pony, but Kubo finds interesting ways to help this power evolve throughout the series.

Even stronger enemies can be fazed by this technique, although it’s clear that the base version of Getsuga Tenshou isn’t enough to deal with powerful threats. It was around this time that Ichigo decided to up the ante, combining this technique with some of his transformations and powerups to make this attack viable against the toughest enemies around.

9 Tensa Zangetsu

Ichigo’s Original Bankai That Augments His Speed And Power

After realizing that his skills weren’t enough to save Rukia, Ichigo decided to try and master the powerful Bankai before his eventual confrontation against Byakuya. He trains with Urahara for a while, pushing his body to the very limit so that he can fight against Rukia’s brother on equal ground.

After three days of intense training, Ichigo finally attained the means to use a Bankai that transformed himself and allowed the Shinigami to heighten his reflexes and speed to new heights. This makes it harder for his enemies to match his movements, catching Byakuya off-guard as he tries his hardest to keep up with Ichigo in this state.

8 Kuroi Getsuga

A Variant Of Getsuga Tenshou Fired After Ichigo Transforms Using His Bankai

The first Bankai form that Ichigo achieved changed his appearance and the color of his sword, turning it into a completely black and thinner katana. This Bankai form lets Ichigo use a powerful version of Getsuga Tenshou too. This variant of Ichigo’s iconic technique is black and hits for a ton of damage.

It’s only fitting that he calls this technique Kuroi Getsuga, which hits like a truck and can defeat most enemies with ease if they catch the full brunt of this attack. However, as Ichigo’s enemies evolve to become more powerful throughout Bleach’s run, it becomes increasingly clear that he needs to pull off tougher moves to scale up in power and protect his friends.

7 Augmented Getsuga Tenshou

Ichigo Fires Off A Potent Wave Of Reiatsu In His Hollow Form

After gaining control over his powers as a Hollow, Ichigo realized just how much his combat abilities were impacted as a result. By using his Hollow mask, Ichigo could augment the power of all his attacks. It’s a fearsome transformation that he slowly learns to control during the Arrancar arc, pulling it off against the many tough foes introduced here.

This includes the Getsuga Tenshou as well, which becomes a highly powerful and damaging attack. This Augmented Getsuga Tenshou, coupled with Ichigo’s Bankai form, is extremely potent and is easily one of Ichigo’s best powers that he can use to show his enemies who’s boss.

6 Getsuga Juujishou

A Unique Variant Of Getsuga Tenshou Fired Using Ichigo’s Dual Blade Shikai

After Ichigo manages to unlock the true form of Zangetsu, he starts wielding two blades. This increases his options for attack and also lets him upgrade his Getsuga Tenshou technique, letting players witness one of the strongest Ichigo powers during the Thousand-Year Blood War that boasts immense power.

By swinging both blades in a cross-like pattern, Ichigo can unleash a powerful variant of this Getsuga Tenshou technique. Given that it’s powered by two blades and looks different, Ichigo fittingly named it the Getsuga Juujishou technique. Any enemy standing in Ichigo’s way must avoid this attack to prevent taking critical damage.

5 Combined Gran Rey Cero-Getsuga Tenshou

As The Name Suggests, Ichigo Combines His Trademark Technique With A Hollow Energy Blast

Ichigo’s Hollow form with his new Shikai makes for a devastating combination. Even someone as powerful as Yhwach had to start taking Ichigo seriously after he whipped this trick out. The Gran Rey Cero is one of the most effective Hollow techniques in Bleach, and Ichigo can combine this with his Getsuga Tenshou as well.

It makes for a deadly attack that any foe might find challenging, although Yhwach still brushed this technique off. The Quincy King is in a class of his own, but lesser enemies would be one-shot by this technique and eat dirt in no time. Unfortunately, given how strong Yhwach is, Ichigo’s powers needed to reach a whole new level to take this foe down.

4 New Tensa Zangetsu

The New Appearance Of Ichigo’s Bankai After Learning His Zanpakuto’s True Name

After realizing the true name and nature of his Zanpakuto, Ichigo was able to unlock his latent potential and become even more powerful than he already was. This allowed him to use a dual-bladed Zanpakuto that could wreak havoc against the toughest foes, but it was the power of his Bankai that was truly fearsome.

Tensa Zangetsu is one of the biggest what-ifs in Bleach. The Bankai was meant to be a natural evolution of Ichigo’s powers that could allow him to fight Yhwach on equal ground, but Kubo decided to ruin this moment by making Yhwach break his Bankai before it could cause serious damage. It’s one of the most disappointing moments in the entire manga and brings the quality of the final fight down a peg since Ichigo could never show his full strength against this terrifying foe despite all signs pointing to an epic final confrontation.

3 Enhanced Getsuga Tenshou

An Immensely Strong Wave Of Reiatsu Fired After Ichigo’s True Bankai Transformation

Ichigo’s new Bankai lets him use an enhanced version of Getsuga Tenshou. It’s an extremely strong attack that even kills Yhwach, although he manages to reverse the point of his demise. Without his Almighty coming into the picture, the Quincy King would’ve been bisected and killed in one of the most brutal displays of power in the entire series.

As a result, this is easily the most potent version of Getsuga Tenshou that Ichigo wields. It shows the importance of learning his Zanpakuto’s true name, letting him wield incredible power that makes Ichigo one of the strongest shinigami in the series. For someone labeled as the Substitute Shinigami, it’s amazing to see the strides he’s taken during Bleach‘s run.

2 Saigo No Getsuga Tenshou

Ichigo Embodies Getsuga Tenshou Itself

The sheer amount of power that Ichigo managed to attain before his final confrontation against Aizen was pretty immense. Training in the Dangai without any restrictions was imperative for Ichigo to reach Aizen’s power level, especially since this dastardly antagonist had fused with the Hogyoku to enhance his powers.

Aside from deflecting Aizen’s attacks with his bare hands, Ichigo also unlocked the ultimate version of Getsuga Tenshou. The Saigo no Getsuga Tenshou technique essentially turns Ichigo into the living embodiment of the Getsuga Tenshou technique. Suffice it to say, it’s a really powerful ability that unlocks another downright broken attack.

1 Mugetsu

An Earth-Shattering Attack That Comes At The Cost Of The User Permanently Losing Their Powers

After fusing with the Hogyoku, most people assumed that Aizen would be virtually unstoppable. However, Ichigo quickly nipped this notion in the bid and showed Aizen what true power is really like. It may be one of the most hamfisted ways to take out a beloved antagonist, but Ichigo’s flex still makes for a memorable sight that fans won’t forget anytime soon.

In his Getsuga Tenshou form, Ichigo unleashed his most powerful attack that destroyed Aizen in seconds. This technique, called Mugetsu, uses a ton of power at the cost of a Shinigami losing his abilities. It’s a valiant sacrifice Ichigo makes to save the world from Aizen’s tyranny, so it’s a shame that all of this is rendered meaningless when Ichigo regains his shinigami powers anyway after one of the worst arcs in Bleach.