The story of Bleach includes a variety of factions, including the Gotei 13, the thirteen Soul Reaper Squads who protect the Soul Society and hunt various Hollows in the world of the living. Each Squad is led by a Captain, a powerful Soul Reaper with incredible abilities, including shikai, bankai, and often highly advanced kido or martial arts. The Bleach anime introduced fans to a variety of Captains, since some join or drop out of the Gotei 13, and the lineup of Captains in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc is different from what anime fans initially saw.
Longtime Bleach fans may agree that the original lineup of Captains as of the Soul Society arc is the most iconic. Those thirteen Captains were all comfortable in their roles as leaders early in Bleach's story, though some of them were secretly traitors in the making or had unresolved personal issues. Ten of them were definitely the strongest, with Captains Komamura, Kurotsuchi, and Tosen being the weakest of them and the other ten being exemplary warriors with swordplay, bankai, martial arts, kido, or some combination thereof.
10 Captain Gin Ichimaru Was Considered a Prodigy in His Youth
In the fondly-remembered Soul Society story arc, Bleach's narrative led fans to believe that Captain Gin Ichimaru of Squad 3 was the main villain. After all, Gin was an unsettling, mysterious, smirking Captain who was obviously hiding something, but that was a red herring for the truth — Captain Sosuke Aizen was the real supervillain.
Gin was simply an accomplice of Aizen's, but that didn't make him weak. Gin ranks last among the strongest original Captains because he was a highly competent swordsman who was acknowledged as a prodigy in his youth, graduating from the Shin'o Academy in just one year. He also wielded a rapidly extending shikai and bankai that could take his enemies by total surprise.
9 Captain Soi Fon Was a Trained Ninja With a Deadly Shikai
Captain Soi Fon of Squad 2, also known as Sui-Feng, comes from a noble family and has a formal, stern bearing to match. She was personally trained by Yoruichi Shihoin, a legendary ninja with the fastest flash step of all, and Soi Fon even learned to use Yoruichi's own technique, Shunko. That ability is a blend of kido and martial arts.
Soi Fon boasted astonishing agility and speed in battle as an expert assassin like her master before her, and she had a vicious shikai to match. Suzumebachi's shikai could turn into a metal stinger that would deliver instant death on anyone who got stung twice in the same spot, no matter their power. Soi Fon's cannon-like bankai was almost an afterthought, though she did rely on it when fighting foes like Baraggan Luisenbairn and BG9.
8 Captain Jushiro Ukitake Was Often Too Sick to Fight But Was Still a Beloved Leader
During the Soul Society story arc, Captain Jushiro Ukitake of Squad 13 seemed weak, since he was often ill in bed and didn't have the energy to do much. However, whenever he felt healthy, Ukitake was a formidable fighter, having centuries of experience and training backing him up. He could also use his shikai to absorb an enemy's attack, then fire it back at them.
Ukitake helped Kyoraku fight Coyote Starrk of the Espadas, but his main contribution had to wait until the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. As Bleach manga fans have already seen, Ukitake's life was spared when the Soul King's right hand, Mimihagi, saved him from a deadly illness. Ukitake sacrificed himself to try and save the Soul King in return, a noble sacrifice from one of the stronger Captains.
7 Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya Was Rapidly Getting Stronger as a Child Prodigy
Like Gin Ichimaru before him, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of Squad 10 was hailed as a prodigy, a naturally gifted boy who easily graduated Shin'o Academy to become a superstar Soul Reaper. Around 20 years before Bleach's main events, Toshiro was Squad 10's 3rd seat, then took over as Captain after Isshin lost his powers in Karakura Town.
Toshiro Hitsugaya is a child Captain with remarkable powers, including excellent swordplay and an icy shikai named Hyorinmaru, which had an even bigger ice bankai named Daiguren Hyorinmaru. As some characters commented, Toshiro's strength was still growing, as was his zanpakuto, and he had the potential to soon eclipse Captain Kyoraku, which says a lot about him.
6 Captain Shunsui Kyoraku Had the Potential to Succeed Yamamoto
Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of Squad 8 was one of the first Soul Reapers whom Yamamoto ever trained, making him a longtime veteran of the Gotei 13, along with his good friend Jushiro Ukitake. Both of them have extensive experience to guide them, though Kyoraku is definitely the stronger of the two. That's probably why Kyoraku was chosen to take over in Squad 1 after Yamamoto's death.
Shunsui Kyoraku could use his game-based shikai and bankai to play deadly games with his enemies, often taking them by surprise with simple yet tricky rules to keep his opponents off-balance. Despite his great power, though, Kyoraku disliked violence and was more fond of peace, sake, and attractive women. Still, he knew his duty and would fight anytime the Soul Society was threatened by the likes of Aizen and Yhwach.
5 Captain Byakuya Kuchiki Was a Perfect Blend of Speed, Elegance, and Kido
Captain Byakuya Kuchiki was not only the commander of Squad 6, but also the head of the noble Kuchiki family, meaning he was under serious pressure to be an exemplary leader and set a good example. That drove him to uphold the law and enforce Rukia's sentence, which made him protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki's nemesis in the Soul Society arc.
Byakuya stood out for more than just his attitude because he had a perfect blend of techniques to be a top-tier Soul Reaper. He had the second-fastest Flash Step behind Yoruichi herself and he was an expert in kido spells, making him flexible in battle. Byakuya also boasted a powerful shikai and bankai, with his bankai having several stronger modes just in case. He was also skilled in martial arts to some degree. All that made Byakuya the middle-strongest Captain as of the Soul Society story arc.
4 Captain Kenpachi Zaraki Was a Tireless Warrior With a Unique Eyepatch
In time, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of Squad 11 would eclipse Captain Unohana in strength, but as of the Soul Society arc and even the Hueco Mundo arc, Kenpachi was fighting with less than his full potential. He didn't yet know his zanpakuto's name and thus could only fight with its sealed form, but he could at least strike twice as hard using kendo, which was how he finished off Nnoitra Gilga.
Kenpachi boasted astonishing durability and strength as a brute-force warrior, using his eyepatch to eat up some of his spirit energy and allow him to savor fights against weaker foes. Without that eyepatch, Kenpachi was a true powerhouse who could casually slice large buildings in two with a single swipe. Only in later arcs did Kenpachi unlock his shikai and move up the ranks of the strongest Captains, being able to fight the likes of Gremmy Thoumeaux and win.
3 Captain Retsu Unohana Was Secretly the First Kenpachi
No one knew it at the time, but Captain Retsu Unohana of Squad 4 was a vicious warrior deep down, having been the first Kenpachi when Yamamoto formed the original Gotei 13 lineup a millennium ago. She never lost her true power and deadly bankai, but she did hide them, meaning she was much stronger than most characters realized.
Unohana had incredible spiritual pressure and combat strength as a warrior turned healer, able to use advanced medical kido that she learned from the Royal Guard's elite members. Her shikai resembled a flying manta ray that could heal and transport people, while her bankai, Minazuki, could dissolve and kill anyone around her as the perfect weapon of war.
2 Captain Sosuke Aizen Schemed From the Shadows With His Incredible Shikai
Captain Sosuke Aizen of Squad 5 was born with incredible natural talent, even more so than Gin and Toshiro, because he was capable of incredible feats without much apparent effort. Aizen had unparalleled speed and technique as a swordsman, able to easily cut down other Soul Reaper officers and Visoreds in various battles. He was also a kido master on par with Kisuke Urahara, able to defeat weaker Captains with a single spell.
Aizen also had a cunning, calculating mind that drew out the full potential of his remarkable shikai, Kyoka Suigetsu. Aizen can fool anyone's five senses with Kyoka Suigetsu, making them attack their allies or miss Aizen entirely, which ensures Captain Sosuke Aizen an easy win. Later on, he even fused with the Hogyoku to assume a new form, but that didn't help him win his ultimate victory. Instead, he lost and got sealed away.
1 Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto Could Burn Down the Entire Soul Society if He Wished
The founder and longtime leader of the Gotei 13, Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto of Squad 1 slowly revealed his true power over time in Bleach's lengthy story. He hinted at his strength in the Soul Society arc, then showed off his fire-based shikai and martial arts skills in the Fake Karakura Town story arc. It's also said that his kido and Flash Step are top-notch.
Finally, Yamamoto unveiled his apocalyptic bankai when fighting the impostor Yhwach, named Zanka no Tachi. That bankai condensed Yamamoto's mammoth power into one blade, making it oddly similar to Ichigo Kurosaki's own bankai, but with a fire and heat theme. Zanka no Tachi's four main techniques were devastating to the point they could burn down the entire Soul Society if Yamamoto isn't careful. Thus, Yamamoto was definitely the strongest Captain in the Gotei 13 as of the Soul Society story arc.
