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The strength of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads is the pillar of which the entire Soul Society is made, and the separate divisions possess some of the strongest warriors in all of Bleach. Each squad is separated by a ranking system, starting with the captain, then lieutenants, and into seated members. Lieutenants are the second in command in the thirteen squads and serve their captains to the best of their ability without fail. Lieutenants work twice as hard to relieve their captains of the pressures of day-to-day responsibilities and try to measure up to them in skill and strength. Here are the strongest Lieutenants in Bleach, ranked.
7 Marechiyo Ōmaeda
Omaeda reports directly to Captain Sui Feng as her Lieutenant and the Corp Commander that oversees the Soul Society’s patrol squad. Omeada is usually not taken too seriously as he has an arrogant and macho attitude that rubs others the wrong way.
Omaeda is a stout and heavy-set man who seems to possess a fair amount of fighting ability; unfortunately, on almost every occasion, Omaeda is seen being defeated, many of these occasions by Sui Feng herself. Omeada’s Zanpakuto is also a mystery as every time we see it used, it is destroyed by his opponent, leaving many scratching their head at how he became a Lieutenant.
6 Izuru Kira
Kira served as the second in command of Gin Ichimaru, one of the most dangerous captains in the Gotei 13; When Gin betrayed the Soul Society and joined Aizen, Kira was left with heavy emotional damage. However, Kira worked through his feelings during the final battle against Aizen, and after, when it was revealed that Gin betrayed Aizen and tried to take him down from the inside.
As a fighter, Kira is an expert swordsman with excellent tactical prowess; in the Wonder Reich arc, Kira is among those instantly incapacitated but rises back after fixing his body to withstand his grievous injuries. Kira demonstrates indomitable focus and willpower, making him a feared opponent if underestimated.
5 Shūhei Hisagi
Shuhei Hisagi was another member of the thirteen court squads devastated by the events of Aizen’s betrayal. Serving as the Lieutenant of captain Tosen, Hiagi trained and fought rigorously to make it back to his former teacher and confront him for his crimes.
Hisagi is one of the more powerful Lieutenants whose skill in combat is pristine, proven when he aided captain Komamura in facing off against a Vizored Tosen. While Hisagi still had much to learn, he was able to stand on equal ground against his former captain and come out victorious.
4 Mashiro Kuna
Mashiro Kuna was a member of the Visored under Shinji Hirako; she escaped Soul Society after Sasuke Aizen’s Trickery which turned her and her comrades into outcasts and criminals. Among the Visored, Mashiro is one of the most energetic and the most powerful. Mashiro’s abilities focus on hand-to-hand combat, where she can dish out incredibly damaging punches and kicks.
When the Visored appeared on the battlefield to aid in the fight against Aizen, Mashiro faced off against Wonderweiss, an Espada especially made to defeat Genryusai Yamamoto. Mashiro exchanged multiple blows with the Espada and seemed to be holding her own admirably, able to wound Wonderweiss with various attacks.
3 Ikkaku Madarame
Strength is the golden rule that Squad Eleven is built on. All embers are expected to enact their responsibilities as soul reapers without using flashy spells or their Zanpakuto’s abilities and are expected to defeat all their opponents with their pure strength alone.
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Ikkaku Madarame is a prime example of what a squad eleven shinigami is expected to be. Ikakku respects his captain to the utmost level and models himself in Zaraki Kenpachi’s image. Ikkaku goes to great lengths to increase his skill and strength so that he never has to rely on his weapons abilities or the aid of others.
2 Yachiru Kusajishi
Yachiru is also a Lieutenant of squad eleven and is often seen riding on her captain’s shoulder. Yachiru is the youngest member of the Gotei 13 and perhaps one of the most frightening. Her spiritual pressure is much greater than many other lieutenants, and she possesses disproportionate strength compared to her size.
There is a large amount of mystery surrounding Yachiru; in her first appearance, Ichigo could not feel her presence, yet later during his fight with Zaraki, a low-ranking soul reaper was frozen by fear after angering Yachiru while she was watching Zaraki fight.
1 Renji Abari
Renji Abari has been on a mission to better himself and increase his strength ever since Rukia’s fate was uncertain after she relinquished her soul-reaper powers to Ichigo Kurosaki. Renji struggled with his helplessness to act, and the lack of strength needed to take on the thirteen court guard squads but was even more devastated when the would-be soul reaper, Ichigo, did what he could not without hesitation. Renji’s strength was constantly growing, but as of late, he has become almost, if not just as powerful as, his captain.
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