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Table of contents

Highlights

  • Ichigo's various forms serve as a testament to his determination and strength, allowing him to overcome increasingly formidable challenges.
  • From his base human form to his true Bankai form, each transformation grants Ichigo greater speed, strength, and unique abilities.
  • Ichigo's most powerful forms include his Full Hollow, Vasto Lorde, Merged Hollow, and True Bankai forms, which enable him to overpower enemies and deliver devastating attacks.

Tite Kubo’s Bleach is one of the most popular shōnen anime ever to grace the medium. With the adaptation of its final arc inching ever closer, there remains a considerable amount of hype around the series. It features a young teenager named Ichigo Kurosaki tasked with handling corrupted souls referred to as hollows. However, he is consequently thrown into a larger conflict involving much more powerful supernatural beings, spanning multiple story arcs.

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In order to gain the upper hand against many of his opponents, Ichigo has undergone numerous transformations over the course of the series. This is possible mainly due to the fact that he is of multiple origins and can also complete rigorous amounts of special training in relatively short periods. This list features the strongest of Ichigo’s forms and ranks them according to their strength.

Updated August 15, 2023, by Emedo Destiny: The Soul Reaper, Kurosaki Ichigo, has embarked on a thrilling journey that has seen him grow in many ways. From his humble beginnings as a human to becoming a substitute Soul Reaper and facing off against god-like adversaries, Ichigo’s transformation is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Throughout the story, Ichigo has unleashed a myriad of powerful forms, each a testament to his unyielding determination and incredible strength, always rising to the occasion and surpassing his limits to save the ones he holds dear. The evolution of Ichigo as he faces increasingly formidable challenges is nothing short of extraordinary, and here are his strongest forms.

14 Human Form

bleach ichigo shinigami

Born to a human Quincy and a former Soul Reaper squad captain, it goes without saying that Ichigo in his base human form packs a serious punch. He possesses way more strength, speed, and reflexes than the average human.

One of the most iconic scenes in the anime was birthed in his base form, where he called an ambulance for his opponents before the fight despite being outnumbered. He has shown several feats of strength in this form, kicking Ebern quite a distance despite the latter being an Arrancar.

13 Shinigami Base Form

bleach ichigo shinigami

Ichigo always possessed a small amount of reiatsu due to his lineage, and it made him capable of seeing Hollows and Pluses. After a fateful encounter with Rukia, she stabbed him and jumpstarted his reiatsu with her own, Ichigo became a full-fledged Shinigami and his reiatsu reserves multiplied tenfold.

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This set him on a path as a substitute Shinigami, where he takes on the solemn duty of purging Karakura town of malevolent Hollows. With his newfound powers, Ichigo embarks on a series of thrilling adventures, crossing paths with formidable opponents in both the human world and Soul Society, where he is pitted against Captain-class shinigami in epic battles that test his resolve and strength.

12 Fullbring

Ichigo's Fullbring form in Bleach

\After losing all of his reiatsu in the aftermath of the fight against Aizen, Ichigo found it hard to adapt to life as a normal human. Desperate to regain his strength, Ichigo embarked on a new journey to uncover an alternative source of power. He learned of his unique connection to Fullbring, a mysterious ability stemming from his mother’s survival of a Hollow attack.

Ichigo trained relentlessly, honing his Fullbring powers until he witnessed a profound transformation A sword and bone-like armor emerged, symbolizing the awakening of his latent abilities. This form was tied to his substitute Soul Reaper badge and enabled him to shoot mini Getsuga Tensho.

11 Bankai Form

Anime Weapons with Useless Real-life Application Bleach IchigoTensa Zangetsu  Bankai

In his relentless pursuit to become a stronger Soul Reaper and save Rukia, Ichigo embarked on a transformative journey that would forever change him. Seeking to achieve Bankai, the pinnacle of a Soul Reaper’s power, Ichigo underwent days of intense training under Yoruichi and Urahara’s watchful eyes, as opposed to the hundreds of years it normally takes.

Equipped with his newly attained Bankai, Ichigo gained more speed, strength, and a sleek sword. This enabled him to overpower Byakuya and unleash stronger slashes of Getsuga Tensho.

10 Hollowfied Ichigo

hollowfied ichigo

This form made its first appearance during the final battle between Ichigo and the Gotei 13 Sixth Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. After the ruthless captain overpowered him, Ichigo desperately desired to push on, but he, unfortunately, lacked the strength to do so. As Byakuya was about to land the final strike, however, his blade was halted by the hands of a rejuvenated Hollowfied Ichigo.

In this form, Ichigo’s inner hollow takes over, while his outward appearance changes to match it. His eyes turn dark, and a significant portion of his face is covered in a mask resembling a hollow. Soon after its first appearance, Ichigo was able to use his Bankai much more efficiently, following Byakuya’s movements with stunning precision and dealing notable amounts of damage to the famous captain.

9 Full Hollow Ichigo

full hollow ichigo

While trying to gain control of his inner hollow, Ichigo is aided through special training by the Vizards, a group of individuals that share similar hollow-like features to Ichigo. During the process, however, Ichigo is temporarily overwhelmed by the White Ichigo within him, causing him to undergo a full hollow transformation in the real world.

This is Ichigo’s most monstrous form as it bears the closest resemblance to a hollow. He is covered in completely white skin with a vicious animalistic appearance and a hollow mask covering an even more significant portion of his face. While in this form, he can fire off powerful energy blasts from his fingertips and fight against different Vizards over long periods.

8 Hollow Mask Ichigo

hollow mask ichigo

After defeating White Ichigo, Ichigo emerged from the battle with a new appearance and proper control over his powerful hollow transformation. This new form gives Ichigo a hollow mask that covers his entire face, usually sporting a design with a distinct pattern running across the left side of his face.

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It is mostly used to support Ichigo’s Bankai form, as it possesses extreme power which even his Shikai cannot contain. Using this form, he was finally able to match the powerful Arrancar Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez after a humiliating first encounter, and during their final battle, he was even able to defeat him.

7 Fullbring Bankai

ichigo fullbring bankai

After losing his shinigami powers in the fight against Aizen, Ichigo spent seventeen months living as a regular human, completely separated from the rest of the soul society. However, after getting involved with a group of special humans known as Fullbringers, he is able to manifest a new type of power. Unfortunately, this power is eventually stolen from him, but his old friend Rukia Kuchiki arrives just in time to restore his original Shinigami powers.

By regaining his Shinigami powers, he also recovered the ability to use his Fullbring, augmenting his regular powers and changing the appearance of his Shihakusho somewhat. Following the activation of his Bankai, it became one of Ichigo’s strongest forms in the series and was used to defeat the powerful Fullbringer Kūgo Ginjō.

6 Vasto Lorde Ichigo

vasto lorde ichigo

During the Fake Karakura Town arc, Ichigo faced off against one of the most powerful Arrancars Ulquiorra Cifer. Unfortunately, this deadly opponent ended up being too much for the orange-haired protagonist to handle. However, after seemingly dying following a fatal blow to his chest, Ichigo reawakened in his menacing Vasto Lord form.

This serves as Ichigo’s true hollow form and belongs to the category of the strongest hollows in the series. While in it, he effortlessly overpowered Ulquiorra, using immense speed to outmaneuver his opponent and delivering powerful blows one after the other. He could even block and destroy one of Ulqiorra’s Lanza del Relámpago spear throws, an attack so powerful that it rivals the force of a nuclear explosion.

5 Merged Hollow Ichigo

merged hollow ichigo

This form debuted in the Thousand Year Blood War arc while Ichigo was engaged in combat with the Father of the Quincy, Yhwach. It is one of Ichigo's final forms appearing in the last few chapters of the manga series, and was created by incorporating every source of power he inherited from his parents.

In this form, he gained significantly more speed and strength, allowing him to go on the offensive against Ywach. Yet the final antagonist remained unimpressed as his power still far surpassed that of Ichigo's. Ywach's opinion changed, however, after Ichigo struck him with a Getsuga Tensho mixed with a Gran Rey Cero, an extremely powerful combination of attacks made possible solely due to his new form.

4 Dangai Form

ichigo's dangai form

After Aizen defeated multiple of Ichigo’s companions, Ichigo’s father, Isshin Kurosaki, advised his son to flee to the Dangai, a dimension that stands between the Soul Society and the Human World. While in the Dangai, the flow of time is much different from the flow of time in the real world, so using Aizen’s elimination of Kōtotsu to his advantage, Ichigo trained relentlessly in that space for almost three months.

Due to the density of time within the Dangai, Ichigo returned to the Human World only an hour after departing from the Soul Society. He appeared with longer hair, a slightly taller stature, and a seemingly stronger connection with his Bankai. Shortly after arriving, he was able to overpower Aizen immediately, carrying him over a considerable distance, stopping his Zanpakutō with his bare hands, and countering his Hado 90: Kurohitsugi, all while exerting little to no effort.

3 Final Getsuga Tensho

final getsuga tensgo

In the final stages of his battle against Aizen, Ichigo activated the Final Getsuga Tensho with the intention of defeating Aizen once and for all. While training in the Dangai for a little less than three months, Ichigo constantly fought with the merged spirit Tensa Zangetsu. After getting stabbed and accepting the spirit's blade, Ichigo is finally able to achieve the Final Getsuga Tensho, which he revealed to Aizen was to become Getsuga itself.

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In this form, Ichigo's hair grows even longer and is dyed pitch black. He is surrounded by a black Reiatsu, and most parts of his body are covered in bandage-like attire from the waist up. This form allowed him to perform the all-powerful Mugetsu, an ability potent enough to paint the sky black and attack Aizen with tremendous force, weakening him enough so that Kisuke Urahara could finish the job.

2 True Shikai Form

true shikai form

After Ywach’s subordinate Jugram Haschwalth broke Ichigo’s Zanpakuto, Ichigo made his way to the Soul King Palace in hopes of being able to repair his broken Bankai. Sometime during this process, it is revealed that the hollow within him was his true Zanpakutō and not Zangetsu, who had been repressing it. After Zangetsu releases his influence, Ichigo is exposed to the true form of his Zanpakutō.

Unlike the single blade Ichigo wielded in his original Shikai form, this true form entails two separate blades, one smaller than the other but with different types of hilts. In this form, he was able to more effectively stand his ground against the Yhwach and his subordinates, proving that he had grown stronger than he previously was without his true Shikai.

1 True Bankai Form

ichigo's bankai

During Ichigo’s final battle against Yhwach, the series protagonist was overwhelmed by Yhwach’s “The Almighty” ability that allowed him to alter the events of the future however he pleased. In addition, Ywach had also displayed his own ability to dual-wield, putting Ichigo at a greater disadvantage. As a result, he merged his two blades together and called forth his true Bankai.

By merging his two blades, Ichigo essentially makes the larger one into a scabbard, with the shorter one representing the blade, both of which are essential parts of a Shinigami’s Zanpakutō. This form was so powerful that Yhwach recognized it as a genuine threat, which, unfortunately for Ichigo, meant the powerful villain would alter the future and break off his Bankai. It is later restored, however, and serves its purpose in Ichigo’s final strike on Yhwach, ultimately killing the series’ final antagonist.

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