Tite Kubo's Bleach is an action fantasy series starring Ichigo Kurosaki as the teenager turned Soul Reaper who battles the forces of evil with his friends and newfound allies. Along for the ride are Rukia Kuchiki, Uryu Ishida, Chad, Renji, and more.
How do the characters in Bleach fight? Most of the heroes and villains use soul-purifying swords known as zanpakuto, which can be released into newer and better forms. Soul Reapers are also taught to use kido spells, or burst of spirit energy to capture an enemy, block an attack, or blow the enemy away with a devastating strike! What are the top 10 most effective kido spells a Soul Reaper can hope to use?
10 Hainawa
Coming in 10th place is a fairly simple kido spell in the Bakudo category, or kido spells that do not cause destructive harm on their targets. It's a lower-ranked kido, but even then, it's a useful thing to try out. Hainawa, or "slithering rope," can issue a rope of spirit energy that can tangle up an opponent, such as binding their wrists, their ankles, or anything else that the user can think of. Often, it's a good way to buy time for another attack.
9 Shakkaho
Now for one of the many destructive kido spells on this list. The Hado family covers the destruction-based kido spells, and Renji demonstrates how effective Shakkaho (red flame cannon) can be. Although Renji is a shoddy kido user compared to Rukia, he gets the job done. Once Renji traps Szayelaporro with his Shikai, Renji performs an incantation, then releases a fierce blast of fiery red energy on them both! This even injured an Espada, and it bought Uryu time to deliver an even more effective attack a few seconds later.
8 Hyapporankan
Several restraint-based kido will appear on this list, and this time, we get one that proves even more effective than the Hainawa kido. When cast, this kido spell will release one hundred rods of light that scatter in an array, and they can pin a target to a wall or floor and restrain them with ease. With all these fast-moving projectiles around, it can be tough to evade them all. Shuhei Hisagi used it against the arrancar known as Findorr Calius, and Captain Soi Fon used it against Ggio Vega.
7 Haien
The kido known as Haien, or "abolition flame," is only seen used once, but what we do see is impressive. Once the Espada Grimmjow is brought back to Hueco Mundo, rogue Captain Kaname Tosen slices off the Espada's arm as punishment for acting on his own. But that's not all. Once Grimmjow's arm is cut off, Tosen fires off a Haien, and this vicious Hado spell vaporizes Grimmjow's amputated arm. According to Tosen, that arm is gone for good. Later, though, Orihime restored it with her spirit fairies.
6 Soren Sokatsui
This is one of several kido spells that the kido savant Rukia used in her desperate duel against Aaroniero. After the Espada was restrained, Rukia fired off this kido, whose name means "twin lotuses, pale fire crash." It is a double version of the Sokatsui kido, and with it, the user (Rukia in this case) can fire two jets of devastating blue energy from the palms. Rukia blew a huge hole in the wall of Aaroniero's palace, allowing sunlight to strike the Espada.
5 Rikujōkōrō
This is the third restraint-based kido to make the list, and it may be the most effective of the three seen here. Its name means "six-rod light restraint," and both Byakuya Kuchiki and Rukia are seen using it to great effect. Byakuya employed it in his fateful duel against Ichigo, and as seen in the picture, Rukia restrained an Espada with it. Once your opponent is trapped in place like this, delivering the final blow can be pretty easy. You can't miss!
4 Danku
Danku, or "airtight," is the last Bakudo (non-damaging) kido spell to make this list. Its effect is simple, but quite effective! Once conjured, this Bakudo spell will create a wide, tall, very thin barrier that can block nearly anything. 110 years in the past, Lieutenant Sosuke Aizen casually conjured one to block a powerful Hado from Tessai, and in the present day, Byakuya Kuchiki summoned one to block a mind-control effect from the Septima Espada, Zommari Rureax. Note that the star pattern in the picture is the result of Zommari's attack, and is not part of Danku itself.
3 Byakurai
Byakurai, which can be translated as "white lightning," can be considered a surgical strike. Its power output is massive, as seen in Byakuya's duel with Ichigo, but it also has restraint. Once fired, this kido will create a thin jet of white lightning that can cripple any opponent and bring them to their knees. The user only needs to say the name and point! It's not foolproof, though, since Byakuya tried to use it on Zommari... only to hit a speed-based clone illusion.
2 Senju Koten Taiho
Now the kido on this list are truly impressive, and this spell is a prime example of kido's true potential. Its name translates to "thousand-hand bright heaven cannon," and no ordinary Soul Reaper can fire it! The ex-Captain Kisuke Urahara can do it, though, and he did so against none other than Sosuke Aizen. It takes an earth-shaking kido of this caliber just to stand a chance against Aizen, and once fired, Senju Koten Taiho unleashes an incredible explosion of power.
1 Kurohitsugi
And now, for the scariest kido spell that a Soul Reaper could ever hope to fire. Its very name suggests apocalyptic power, translating as "black coffin". We first see it when Sajin Komamura of Squad 7 intercepts Aizen and Gin on Sogyoku Hill, but Aizen didn't even need to break a sweat to defeat the much taller Captain. With a simple gesture, Aizen summed Kurohitsugi, and once the terrifying black box was gone, a badly injured Komamura collapsed. Just one hit from this spell took down a Captain, and according to Aizen, the results were from just one third of Kurohitsugi's potential. Incredible!