Bleach's strongest captain revealed

Izuru Kira (credited in the manga as simply 'Izuru') is widely known for his speed, quick movements and very light weight. The captain's shihakusho (robe) seems to be worn only to cover up his otherwise scantly attired body - which would make sense when one considers that he can dodge attacks easily due to his light weight.

However, he may also be Bleach's strongest captain.

What makes a captain strong in Bleach?

Who is the strongest captain? Can a captain be stronger than a shinigami who doesn't hold such an office? How much reiatsu does it take to become a captain? And how many members of Aizen's "Arrancar Army" are captains in their own right, or serve under captains still?

A captain's strength is determined by several factors: Ranking in the Gotei 13, reiryoku level (the amount of spiritual power one possesses), skill at Zanjutsu (swordsmanship) or Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat) and mastery of Kido.

All these are important, but most especially the last one. Kido is magic of a sort in Bleach. Spells are cast through incantations and combinations of the four universal elements: Earth, Water, Fire and Wind.

The captain follows his own version of this system - which has 26 levels. The spells he learns during these levels are recorded by the Shinigami Women's Association in a catalog called the Kuchiki Rukon.

Who is the strongest captain in Bleach

The question of who is the strongest captain in Bleach actually has several answers, depending on how one defines his terms. Rukia Kuchiki, Captain of Squad Thirteen and sister to Byakuya Kuchiki may perhaps be the most famous woman in Soul Society, but she's also a prime candidate for being considered Bleach's weakest captain.

This may seem like a strange statement to make, considering that Rukia is the one that took Ichigo into Soul Society and thus gave him the opportunity to become a substitute shinigami. The fact is, however, that although Rukia ranks as Captain of Squad Thirteen, she is actually ranked as Lieutenant of Squad One - under her older brother, Byakuya. Rukia, in fact, is not even a real captain at all! She is merely filling in for her sickly brother, who has refused to step down from his position as the head of Squad Six - although he doesn't actually know anything about Zanjutsu or Kido. It would be accurate then to say that Rukia is a "fake captain" - but that still doesn't make her the weakest in Bleach.

Yumichika (5th Seat of Squad 11) and Ikkaku (3rd Seat of Squad 11), part of Aizen's Arrancar Army, are also "fake captains." They both rank as Captains of their respective squads, but are ranked as 10th seat officers.

This would lead most to believe that Ikkaku is the strongest of Ichigo's fake captains - being third seat he has more spiritual power than Yumichika, who is fifth seat. However, this 5th seat/3rd seat system doesn't mean anything in terms of real power.

Yumichika is actually the stronger of the two - but he's not strong enough to fight on Ichigo's level without Bankai.

So, who are Bleach's strongest captains? The first four listed in the Kuchiki Rukon are Shinji Hirako of Squad Five, Retsu "Yachiru" Unohana of Squad Four, Sajin Komamura of Squad Seven and Shuhei Hisagi of Squad Nine. The next four listed are the fake captains: Rukia Kuchiki, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Ikkaku Madarame and Izuru Kira.

Conclusion:

Bleach's strongest captains are Shinji Hirako, Retsu Unohana, Sajin Komamura and Shuhei Hisagi.

Shinji Hirako is also known as "Hacchi Hyoran" (White Demon). A former captain of Squad Five who was exiled after an incident involving the death of his lieutenant at the hands of three of his fellow captains. He was restored to power after Aizen's defeat, and is now known as the "Tempest Arm", or captain for hire.