The overall story of Bleach can be divided into a few major story arcs, including the fondly-remembered Soul Society arc. After that came the overall Arrancar saga, the mega-story pitting Ichigo Kurosaki and the Soul Reapers against the villainous Sosuke Aizen and his Arrancar minions. That saga began with the Arrancar arc in Karakura Town, then proceeded to the pseudo-isekai Hueco Mundo story arc, where Ichigo and his friends risked it all to save Orihime Inoue in Las Noches. After that came the Fake Karakura Town arc, which is also known as the Arrancar: Downfall arc.
True to its name, the Arrancar: Downfall story arc saw the final defeat of the Arrancars and their three Soul Reaper bosses. Sosuke Aizen was certain of his victory and was willing to sacrifice any Arrancar to defeat the Soul Society, which led to plenty of exciting, brutal fights that involved nearly all of Bleach's best fighters. Fans can point to ten particular fights that stood out as the arc's best, the highlights of the final battle for the throne of heaven.
10 Ichigo Kurosaki vs Ulquiorra Cifer Had a Surprisingly Tragic Conclusion
Protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki fought and lost to the 4th Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, partway through the Hueco Mundo story arc. In that bleak desert realm, Ichigo fought many foes, with Ulquiorra being the strongest, and Ichigo actually died twice while fighting him. In the second fight, in the Arrancar: Downfall arc, both warriors went all out to fight over Orihime's life.
Ichigo thought he was gaining the upper hand, only for Ulquiorra to release his zanpakuto, Murcielago, and become an unstoppable winged warrior with devastating offensive moves like the Cero Oscuras. However, Ichigo prevailed when his inner Hollow gave him into a Vasto Lorde-like form, crushing Ulquiorra once and for all. However, Ichigo didn't savor the victory, because he thought it was unearned, and Ulquiorra died before he got a chance to actually see and understand Orihime's heart.
9 Coyote Starrk vs Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake Was a Wild and Unpredictable Battle
Various Soul Reaper Captains took on the top three Espadas, with Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku fighting the 1st Espada, Coyote Starrk, in a fierce battle to the finish. Starrk didn't even want to fight, but Kyoraku insisted, so Starrk reluctantly showed his impressive true power. Unlike most Arrancars, Starrk had sharp instincts and a strong intuition to give him the edge.
The two sides kept upping the ante with never-before-seen powers, and surprisingly enough, Starrk's released form was contained not in his zanpakuto, but in his ally, Lilynette Gingerbuck. Eventually, with the aid of the Visored warriors, the Soul Reapers vanquished Coyote Starrk, who died thinking about how he never got what he really wanted — friends of his own.
8 Toshiro Hitsugaya vs Tier Harribel Pitted Ice Against Crashing Water
Toshiro Hitsugaya fought his toughest battle yet when he went up against the 3rd Espada, Tier Harribel, who had swordsmanship to match his own, which is saying a lot. Harribel even used a new trick and inflused her hollow blade with a Cero blast for added melee power. Then she released her zanpakuto, Tiburon, to control an ocean's worth of water.
This was a fierce elemental battle of ice and water, with Hitsugaya and Harribel stealing each other's element in a desperate bid to get ahead. Hitsugaya also used all-new moves on a grand scale to impress Bleach fans, but he never actually dealt the final blow. Instead, Sosuke Aizen himself struck Harribel down, and Harribel survived to return to Hueco Mundo with her fracciones.
7 Soi Fon and Hachigen Ushoda vs Baraggan Luisenbairn Was a Desperate Battle Against Death Itself
The 2nd Espada, Baraggan Luisenbairn, had a nearly foolproof ability. He could rapidly age and rot anything or anyone who entered his short-range aura, meaning Captain Soi Fon of squad 2 had no way to harm him. Just getting close meant Soi Fon's bones would age and break, and her Lieutenant didn't have a solution in mind, either. Not even Soi Fon's bankai could save the day.
That was when Hachigen Ushoda, the kido master, arrived to help, and after some struggling, he found a way to win. Hachigen surprised everyone when he teleported his own rotting hand inside Baraggan's body, dissolving the 2nd Espada from the inside out. Notably, Baraggan used his last move not to attack the Soul Reapers, but to throw his axe at Sosuke Aizen out of spite.
6 Ichigo Kurosaki vs Sosuke Aizen Was the Final Fight For the Throne of Heaven
It was all but inevitable that protagonist Ichigo Kuroskai would take on the supervillain Sosuke Aizen to conclude the Arrancar: Downfall arc and save the entire world. However, Ichigo needed more training and even some new Soul Reaper powers to stand a chance against Aizen. Fortunately, Ichigo had Isshin and Kisuke to help him.
It was thrilling to watch Mugetsu Ichigo arrive and finally turn the tables on the seemingly untouchable Sosuke Aizen, causing the latter to panic more and more. Finally, Kisuke used his advanced kido spells to help finish the job, capturing Aizen for good and ending the fight. Not even the full power of the Hogyoku could help Aizen get out of that trap, and he ended up imprisoned in Muken.
5 Ichigo Kurosaki vs Gin Ichimaru Was an Exciting Warmup Battle
After defeating Ulquiorra but before his final battle with Aizen, Ichigo crossed blades with another traitorous ex-Captain, Gin Ichimaru. As usual, Gin acted carefree and relaxed as he fought his enemy, showing off the deadly power of his bankai, Kamishini no Yari. His zanpakuto blade could extend not just to great lengths, but also extend with extreme speed.
Fighting Gin Ichimaru was an unexpected challenge for Ichigo, and it was the first time Gin had fought anyone even halfway seriously since the Soul Society story arc. Ichigo had a tough time against his speed-based enemy, but in the end, the fight was called off when Aizen invited Gin to invade the Soul Society with him and create the Oken in the real Karakura Town.
4 Genyusai Shigekuni Yamamoto vs Wonderweiss Margela Showed How Unstoppable Yamamoto Is
Sosuke Aizen knew ahead of time that Yamamoto had one of the best and most powerful zanpakuto of all time, so he created a unique Arrancar as a solution. Wonderweiss Margela's sole purpose was to seal away Yamamoto's shikai via Extinguir, and for a time, it worked. So, Yamamoto discarded his robe to show off his powerful physique, and he proved that he didn't need shikai to win.
Yamamoto used martial arts alone to take on Wonderweiss, an excitingly low-tech solution to Wonderweiss's unusual abilities. Yamamoto showed everyone what a powerful old man he was, a seasoned fighter who could defeat anyone with just his bare fists. In the end, Yamamoto claimed victory, though it wouldn't be his reclaimed fire powers that would take down Sosuke Aizen.
3 Ichigo Kurosaki and Allies vs Yammy Llargo Was a Great Battle With a Hollow Titan
Soon after the battle for the fake Kurakura Town started, Ichigo and his friends rushed through Las Noches to aid their allies, but a few of th remaining Espadas and other Arrancars intercepted them. Yammy Llargo, the brutish 10th Espada, took on Ichigo's team and finally released his zanpakuto, Ira.
Yammy shocked everyone with his massive true form, a multi-legged creature that got even bigger and stronger as his anger increased. Not even Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji could find a way to defeat Yammy's seemingly limitless power, creating an unusual fight that really stood out in the Arrancar: Downfall arc. It was a bizarre boss battle that only ended when Captains Zaraki and Kuchiki arrived to finish off Yammy off-screen.
2 Rangiku Matsumoto and Momo Hinamori vs the Tres Bestias Showed the Power of Kido
Most of the battles against the Espadas' fracciones were forgettable, but an exception was the fight against Tier Harribel's three fracciones, who would later be known as the Tres Bestias. Rangiku Matsumoto challenged them to a fight with her sharp ash-based shikai, but then Rangiku was badly injured, and it fell to Momo Hinamori to settle things.
Momo finally fought for real with her kido-based zanpakuto and her kido spells, keeping Rangiku safe while taking the fight to the Tres Bestias. It was inspiring to see Momo fighting for her friends and duty, rather than fight for Sosuke Aizen, who never cared about her to begin with. Still, it ultimately fell to other Soul Reapers to finish off the Tres Bestias.
1 Kaname Tosen vs Sajin Komamura and Shuhei Hisagi Was a Heartbreaking Clash of Friends
One of the most personal battles in the Arrancar: Downfall story arc involved no Arrancars at all. Ex-Captain Kaname Tosen challenged his former friend Sajin Komamura not just with his original zanpakuto, but also Hollow powers. Tosen was almost like a Visored, using a brand-new Hollow power called Grillar Grillo to obtain eyesight and use unique powers in his insectoid form.
Tosen's Grillar Grillo form was powerful, but oddly, gaining vision actually worked against Tosen, who was far more used to fighting with his other senses instead. Sajin and Shuhei Hisagi thus took Tosen by surprise and finished him off, but it wasn't a victory worth celebrating. Instead, it was heartbreaking for friends to fight and kill one another.
