The story of Bleach certainly has no shortage of colorful and exciting villains in its many story arcs. At first, monstrous Hollows served as minor villains, and then the Soul Reapers served as temporary antagonists. But the true villains are the deadly Arrancars, or unmasked Hollows, and the Sternritters of the Quincy empire.
These villains command a great deal of not just combat strength, but respect among their own kind. Arrancars and Quincy value courage, strength, cunning, and ruthlessness, and this means that some Arrancars or Quincy are more widely admired and respected than others, not to mention a few traitorous Soul Reapers. Which villains earned the most admiration, respect, and deference among their own kind?
10 Nnoitora Gilga, The 5th Espada
The quinta Espada is respected by exactly one person: his fraccione, Tesla Lindocruz. For the most part, Nnoitora is widely disliked due to his bad attitude, and Nelliel Tu Odelschwank has a poor view of him. Nnoitora isn't terribly concerned about that, though.
Nnoitora isn't trying to be popular, but he does appreciate the loyalty that Tesla has toward him, and even the brutish Nnoitora will look out for Tesla's well-being as a reward for that fraccione's perfect loyalty and admiration. Tesla never fails to speak to Nnoitora in respectful tones.
9 Mask De Masculine, Sternritter S
Like Nnoitora, Mask de Masculine only has one admirer, a little creature named James, but that lone admirer is a fanatical one. Mask de Masculine values showmanship and fancies himself a noble hero fighting villains, and James is always there to cheer him on.
In fact, James is so devoted to Mask, James' cheers can power up Mask a great deal and empower him in the middle of combat. Even when James is hacked into pieces, he is still ready to cheer Mask on as a devoted fan to the end.
8 Kaname Tosen, General Of The Arrancars
Kaname Tosen once commanded squad 9 in the Soul Society, until he turned traitor and joined Captain Sosuke Aizen and Captain Gin Ichimaru in the desert world of Hueco Mundo to raise an army of Arrancars. Tosen was given a special role in this new army: as general of the Arrancars.
Clearly, Aizen thinks highly of Kaname, to grant him such an important position. Gin Ichimaru probably thinks well of Kaname as well, as do some of the Arrancars, but little of this is seen. Meanwhile, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques never showed Tosen any respect at all.
7 Ulquiorra Schiffer, The 4th Espada
Ulquiorra Schiffer inspires as much dread as he does respect, both among his allies and his enemies. Ichigo Kurosaki saw Ulquiorra as a priority target since it was Ulquiorra who captured Orihime Inoue, and Ichigo once wrongly thought that Ulquiorra led the Espadas.
Still, Ichigo grudgingly respects Ulquiorra and his abilities, and Aizen often trusts Ulquiorra with important missions, such as spying on Ichigo or capturing Orihime. Yammy Llargo, the 10th Espada, likes to follow Ulquiorra around and will follow orders from him, despite not actually being Ulquiorra's subordinate. Now that's some respect.
6 Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, The 6th Espada
The 6th Espada, Grimmjow, was Ichigo's primary rival during the Arrancar and Hueco Mundo story arcs. Ichigo quickly learned to respect Grimmjow's immense strength and skills in battle, and Ichigo enjoyed his rivalry with Grimmjow more than he'd care to admit.
And it's not just Ichigo who respects him. Grimmjow has a team of five fracciones who see him as their king, and they all gladly follow Grimmjow's orders in battle. All of them died after their first appearance, but their devotion to Grimmjow was clear.
5 Tier Halibel, The 3rd Espada
Tier Halibel is a high-ranking Espada with three fracciones under her command: Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Mila Rose. All three of them are in total awe of Halibel, seeing her as a protective big sister and a queen. In return, Halibel is highly protective of her three minions, and their defeat spurred Halibel on in combat.
This mutual respect keeps Halibel's team strong, and Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya soon learned that he must take Halibel quite seriously and respect her abilities in combat, or risk total annihilation at her hands. In the end, though, Aizen struck her down.
4 Jugram Haschwalth, Yhwach's Right-Hand Man
The Quincy empire, the Wandenreich, has more than one leader. By default, Yhwach is king, but while Yhwach is asleep, his right-hand man Jugram Haschwalth takes the reins and leads the empire with great skill and finesse. No doubt Jugram is deeply admired and respected by all his fellow Quincy.
Jugram made a poor showing of himself as a boy, but he soon rose in the ranks and became a major figure in Yhwach's newly born organization. Jugram is so highly regarded, he is even allowed to speak to Yhwach in relatively familiar and informal tones. Not just anyone could do that.
3 Barragan Luisenbarn, The 2nd Espada
No Hollow has more of a reputation than Barragan Luisenbarn, the 2nd Espada. In years past, Barragan was the uncontested king of Hueco Mundo, and every Hollow in existence bowed to him as their liege lord. That was more than any other Hollow had ever accomplished.
Now, Barragan is an Espada rather than a king, but he still has a strong reputation, and his six fracciones treat him as their great and mighty king. It's clear that they are fanatical about him, and will do anything that Barragan asks.
2 Sosuke Aizen, The Arrancar Overlord
As a Soul Reaper Captain, Sosuke Aizen was widely admired for his artistic side and gentle personality, but that was all an act. The true Sosuke Aizen is an ice-cold schemer, and this endeared him to the Hollows and Arrancars. They all pray that the great and mighty Aizen will bring them salvation somehow.
Some Arrancar do spite Aizen, such as Grimmjow and Barragan, but otherwise, Aizen commands the utmost respect and devotion from all other Arrancars, and Kaname Tosen was utterly loyal to him as well. Aizen easily replaced Barragan as Hueco Mundo's new god-king.
1 King Yhwach, Father Of The Quincy Tribe
King Yhwach of the Quincy people commanded the absolute loyalty of all his people for a millennium, easily forming the Sternritter corps and keeping it together with Jugram's help. Yhwach eventually fell in battle, but once he was revived years later, he resumed operations as normal, with countless devoted followers at his disposal.
Nearly every Quincy defers to Yhwach as "your majesty" or "his majesty," no matter the situation, and they will happily give their lives for his sake. As Nodt once said that the only thing he feared was being rejected by Yhwach, and Gerard Valkyrie once fussed at Lille Barro for spilling an enemy's blood on the floor where Yhwach was going to walk soon. No Bleach villain commands more reverent respect than this powerhouse king.
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