The Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime features more of what made the original Bleach anime such an iconic shonen action series. This shiny new anime has introduced a powerful new enemy, the Quincy empire, and that has led to countless bloody action scenes. The first cour started with a bang, such as Yamamoto's final battle against Yhwach, and the second cour has even more hard-hitting fight scenes to keep shonen fans sated.
When the second cour launched in the Summer 2023 anime season, Bleach's heroes were ready to take on the Quincy army and seize the initiative, and so far, it seems to be working. The great Blood War is now being fought on even ground, and protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki and the others are finally scoring victories in their final battle against the Wandenreich.
10 Kensei Muguruma & Rojuro Otoribashi Vs. Mask De Masculine
Kensei and Rojuro took on Sternritter S, Mask de Masculine, and both used their bankai. That led to a short but exciting fight where, unfortunately, Kensei and Rojuro both served as jobbers for Mask. It was fun to see their respective bankai in action against Mask, but they evidently held back, and didn't even use their Hollow masks.
9 Toshiro Hitsugaya & Rangiku Matsumoto Vs. Bazz-B
Without his bankai, Daiguren Hyorinmaru, Captain Hitsugaya of squad 10 had to get creative in his next fight against the Sternritter. He and Rangiku trained with their respective shikai to combine their powers and make a combo, which almost worked against Sternritter H, Bazz-B.
Bleach fans finally got to see Toshiro relying on resourceful, clever tactics to fight rather than lean on his immense talent, and it was refreshing to see in action against Bazz-B's power of The Heat. Still, Bazz-B almost won until Kisuke Urahara the scientist gave everyone their bankai back to even the odds.
8 Ichigo Kurosaki Vs Candice Catnipp's Team
Four female Sternritter formed a magical girl-style team to fight the Soul Reapers, unofficially led by Candice Catnipp, or Sternritter T. Candice and her friends wreaked havoc until Ichigo himself arrived from the heavens to save the day. He had a brand-new bankai and took on four enemies at once with it.
Ichigo did well in that battle, especially since Candice and her friends didn't coordinate their efforts that well. Ichigo easily kept pace with the magical girl squad, which was even more impressive given how he was holding back and didn't actually want to hurt them, while Candice was recklessly determined to kill Ichigo herself.
7 Sajin Komamura Vs Bambietta Basterbine
Captain Sajin Komamura of squad 7 lost his bankai to Sternritter E, Bambietta Basterbine, in the Wandenreich's initial invasion of the Soul Society. Sajin later met with his canine tribe's grandfather to gain new powers, and he unleashed those powers when he faced Bambietta again in cour 2.
Sajin assumed a humanoid form and retook his bankai, using its powerful new form to overcome Bambietta's The Explosion powers and win the day. Unfortunately, Sajin's flashy victory came at a cost, since he shrank down into a helpless wolf form when his special powers ran out.
6 Renji Abarai Vs. Mask De Masculine
Kensei and Rojuro failed to take down Mask de Masculine, so it fell to Lieutenant Renji Abarai of squad 6 to finish the job. Like Ichigo, Renji underwent rigorous training with squad 0 to reinvent his powers, and after he bonded with his zanpakuto more closely, Renji awakened its true bankai, So'o Zabimaru.
That was an excellent example of the power of friendship making Bleach's swords far more than mere tools of war, something the Sternritter could never understand. Even with The Superstar's power active, Mask couldn't handle Renji's new bankai, a ferocious beast that burned Mask to ashes in one blow.
5 Mayuri Kurotsuchi Vs. Giselle Gewelle
Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi finally stepped onto the battlefield in the TYBW arc's second cour, after everyone got their bankai back and the tide of battle shifted. Mayuri took on the mighty Giselle Gewelle, whose The Zombie's power had limitless potential to turn Soul Reapers and Quincy alike into her undead minions.
It was horrifying to see popular Soul Reaper characters turn into Giselle's puppets, but Mayuri had the solution. He used his own advanced science and even four Arrancar warriors to fight Giselle on her own terms, and he pacified the zombified Toshiro Hitsugaya in a clever, unique battle, much to Giselle's frustration.
4 Rukia Kuchiki Vs. Äs Nödt
Sternritter F, Äs Nödt, personally stole Byakuya's bankai with his Medallion in earlier episodes, so in cour 2, it fell to Rukia to continue the fight against Äs Nödt. Rukia started the fight with innovative new powers with her shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, and she could even embrace absolute zero to freeze her enemies solid.
Äs Nödt turned the tables with his ultimate power, Tatar Foras, and almost overwhelmed Rukia with mind-breaking terror. Then, Byakuya showed his noble brotherly side and supported his foster sister upon his arrival, and he helped guide Rukia with her first-ever use of bankai. Äs Nödt was frozen and shattered when Hakka no Togame struck.
3 Ichibe Hyosube Vs. Yhwach
Bleach's second cour concluded with some of the most intense and fascinating fights yet seen in the franchise, including Ichibe's battle against Yhwach. Ichibe Hyosube is a real powerhouse even among squad 0's members, being the man who gives all things their names and controls them with those names.
Ichibe took on Yhwach himself, using his trademark powers to erase Yhwach's name to just Yhw, then to Black Ant, reducing the Quincy king's powers. Ichibe even used giant hands and feet to pummel Yhwach in midair, and Yhwach fought back with devastating moves like Sankt Bogen and his sword strikes to fight his way toward the waiting Soul King.
2 Squad 0 Vs The Schutzstaffel
Yhwach's Sternritter are already powerful Quincy, but the four Schutzstaffel members are even more impressive. They are Sternritter with special powers and privileges, serving as Yhwach's personal guards and having powers on par with anything squad 0 can offer. Bleach fans saw that for themselves when the two groups fought a 4v4 battle.
All eight warriors set a new standard for Bleach power levels as they fought back and forth, from Oetsu's ultra-sharp zanpakuto to Lille Barro's unstoppable sniper shots. This fight also introduced a wild new bankai, courtesy of Senjumaru Shutara. She used cloth to bind the four Schutzstaffel single-handedly, a desperate move that appears to have paid off at a steep price.
1 Kenpachi Zaraki Vs. Gremmy Thoumeaux
Even if the Kenpachi vs Gremmy battle wasn't the most consequential fight in Bleach's new season, it was still the most exciting and gripping duel of them all. Captain Kenpachi Zaraki fought with sheer force and willpower like usual, and this time, he actually had shikai to take things to the next level. It was incredible to see Nozarashi slice apart that giant meteor that Gremmy had summoned.
The battle also had a stark contrast between Gremmy's whimsical imagination-based powers and Kenpachi's more straightforward style. Finally, this fight proved that while Gremmy imagined himself as invincible, Kenpachi's unshakable confidence allowed him to win the mental battle, which led to Gremmy's imagination turning against him.
