Like any anime from the early 2000s, Bleach had filler arcs and movies filled with original stories and characters. That being said, Bleach's filler material is notorious among fans for being some of the most polarizing in anime history. But while these arcs' stories often left a lot to be desired, they more than made up for this with their characters.
Bleach's filler characters were a mixed bag. Some were obvious and uninspired clones of the canon characters, while others were genuinely intriguing and promising concepts who just so happened to be stuck in non-canon material. These filler characters should be added to Bleach's canon so they can get the second shot they deserve.
10 The Unnamed Female Arrancar Was a Campy Breath of Fresh Air
First Appears in Episode 213, "The Soul Burial Detective, Karakuraizer is Born"
The war between the Shinigami and Arrancar for Karakura Town was one of Bleach's tensest arc. As such, it needed some comic relief to lighten the mood. The Unnamed Female Arrancar provided this with her comically brief attempts to capture the town in Sosuke Aizen's name, and her defeats at the hands of the Karakura-Raizer Team.
She was a loving throwback to yesteryear's cheesy tokusatsu villains. Unlike the Espada, she was hilariously inept at being evil. The fact that she was never named made her existence even funnier. The Unnamed Female Arrancar was the perfect nemesis for Karakura Town's eccentric residents, and she should be canonized to give them a recurring nuisance.
9 The Zanpakuto Souls Brought Bleach’s Iconic Weapons to Life
First Appear in Episode 230, "A New Enemy! The Materialization of Zanpakuto"
The Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc is imperfect, but one thing it got right were the human designs and personalities of the Zanpakuto Souls. The souls of every Shinigami's weapon were some of Bleach's most liked characters. It even got to the point where they were given more filler episodes after their rebellion's resolution just so that fans could see more of them.
But even if they were popular and helped humanize their respective Shinigami, the Zanpakuto Souls haven't been seen since their filler arcs. For now, the only ones who are canon are Katen Kyokotsu, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku's twin-bladed Zanpakuto. The rest of the Zanpakuto Souls need to be canonized for the characters' and fans' sake.
8 Patros Succeeded Where Barragan Louisenbairn Failed
First Appears in Episode 136, "Hueco Mundo Civil War! Ulquiorra's Death"
Even if they owed their powers and existence to Aizen, the Arrancar weren't uniformly loyal to him. Patros took this to the extreme by staging a coup and stealing the Hogyoku in an attempt to usurp Aizen. However, Patros' victories were all part of Aizen's plan to eliminate his political rivals and weed out any potential traitors.
Despite being a filler character and a lowly Numeros Espada, Patros actually succeeded where Barragan, the number two Espada and former king of Hueco Mundo, failed. Even if Patros played into Aizen's hands, he still lasted longer against Aizen than Barragan. For this and how he expanded the Arrancars' politics, Patros deserves to be canonized.
7 Ashido Kano Was the Hero of His Own Story
First Appears in Episode 147, "Forest of Menos! The Search for the Missing Rukia"
The three-episode Forest of Menos mini-arc was one of Bleach's best-received fillers. This high praise extended its focal character, Ashido Kano. He was the sole survivor of his unit after most of them were killed by Menos Grandes during a botched Hollow-hunting raid. Ashido remained in the forest to kill as many Hollows as he could.
Ashido's story alone, which was told through flashbacks and still images, deserved a proper arc. His inclusion in the Arrancar Arc and Bleach's lore was also natural. Ashido should be added to Bleach's canon because he was one of the anime's most heroic Shinigami, and because Rukia Kuchiki has yet to fulfill her promise to rescue him.
6 Senna Was an Interesting Concept & Character
First Appears in Bleach: Memories of Nobody
While Bleach: Memories of Nobody wasn't exactly the best filler movie, it had some interesting ideas. Case in point, Senna, a Shinigami who seemingly had amnesia, was actually a Shinenju. In brief, she was the living embodiment of many souls' disparate memories who was the key to merging the worlds of the living and the dead.
Besides being an interesting addition to Bleach's take on the afterlife, Senna was a promising character who didn't get her due in the movie. Senna died before she could truly live, and she hasn't been seen since. She should be canonized to expand her character, and because she's already technically canon thanks to her background cameo in Episode 204.
5 The Mod Souls Were Some of the Best Filler Characters Ever Made
First Appear in Episode 64, "New School Term, Renji has Come to the Human World?!"
The Modified Souls — Ririn, Kurodo and Noba — are unique among filler anime characters because they're practically canon already. Originally introduced in the Bount Arc to further the concept of Mod Souls, the trio quickly became fan-favorites and mainstays in Bleach. The three were arguably the only good things to come out of the arc.
Ririn, Kurodo, and Noba were fun comic reliefs who could also fight alongside the heroes when needed. Many Bleach fans preferred the three Mod Souls over the annoying and perverted Kon who, ironically, was the anime's actual canon Mod Soul. The three Mod Souls appeared in so many arcs that their canonization would be a well-earned formality.
4 Kouga Kuchiki Was Byakuya Kuchiki’s Underrated Foil
First Appears in Episode 248, "Dragon of Ice and Dragon of Flame! The Strongest Showdown"
Kouga Kuchiki was the true villain of the Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc, but he tends to be overlooked because he only appeared at the storyline's tail end. This is a pity, since Kouga was actually Byakuya's cruel foil. Besides both Shinigami being members of the elite Kuchiki clan, they were practically mirror reflections of each other.
Byakuya and Kouga were arrogant Shingiami who followed strict codes of honor. But if Byakyua learned to let go of his pride and connect with his Zanpakuto, Senbonzakura, Kouga did not and became a monster. Byuakyua is one of Bleach's most important characters, and his evil counterpart should be canon to deepen his character.
3 Sojiro Kusaka Gave Toshiro Hitsugaya a Tragic Origin
First Appears in Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion
Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion revealed that it was actually possible (if incredibly rare) for two Shinigami to wield the same Zanpakuto spirit. Hitsugaya and Sojiro both held Hyonimaru, and Hitsugaya won him in the duel. Besides adding an interesting bit of world building to Bleach, Sojiro was also Hitsugaya's fallen best friend and bitter nemesis.
Sojiro's feud gave Hitsugaya more depth and backstory than the canon material did. Although he wanted to overthrow an unjust Soul Society just like every other Bleach filler villain did, Sojiro was one of the first to do so. He was also the only one who was actually compelling and memorable. Sojiro was Hitsugaya's worthy foe, and he should become canon.
2 Dark Rukia Was One of Bleach’s Most Tragic Transformations
First Appears in Bleach: Fade to Black
One thing Bleach is known and loved for is its multitude of power-ups and transformations. Dark Rukia from Bleach: Fade to Black is easily one of the anime's most recognizable transformations, but there was a lot more to her than just her giant scythe. She was a twisted version of two kids' loving memory of their adopted older sister, Rukia.
Dark Rukia was one of Bleach's darkest transformations, but she hasn't appeared in any official story after the movie. At most, she resurfaced in Bleach's tie-in materials, most notably its video games. Given what she embodied and how she was much more than a generic filler villain to beat, Dark Rukia deserves to be added to Bleach's canon.
1 Homura & Shizuku Deepened Rukia Kuchiki's Character & Story
First Appear in Bleach: Fade to Black
Bleach: Fade to Black was one of the few filler movies that actually did a good job of expanding a canon character through its new additions. The movie did this for Rukia with Homura and Shizuku. The siblings were kids who grew up in the slums of Rukongai, where Rukia adopted them and became their beloved older sister.
Everything in Bleach: Fade to Black was caused by the siblings' desperate attempts to relive the past and keep their idealized vision of Rukia to themselves. They should be canonized because they deepened Rukia in ways that none of the canon characters could, and because they were some of Bleach's most tragic characters.
