Tite Kubo's hit fantasy anime Bleach is a sort of soft isekai, where high schooler Ichigo Kurosaki gains the power of Soul Reapers and fights the forces of evil. Once he rescues Rukia from execution in the Soul Society, he is matched up against Sosuke Aizen and his arrancar army, which includes the sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques.
Grimmjow is one of the stars of the arrancar arc, along with Ulquiorra, and he is Ichigo's most bitter rival. What can he do? He's got serious sword skills and a habit of shooting cero blasts from his palms, and his released form morphs him into a panther hollow with incredible speed, power, and bonus attacks. He's also not bad in hand to hand combat. So now we ask: among all anime characters out there, which could Grimmjow take down, and which ones would dethrone this self-proclaimed hollow king?
Updated September 17th, 2020 by Louis Kemner: News of the upcoming Bleach anime season is putting this venerated series back on the map, and Ichigo and his friends will have to take on the deadly Quincy of the Wandrenreich in the final battle for the world. But let's not forget classic villains, such as Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, who are still an integral part of the lore. In fact, Grimmjow makes a minor return in the story of the Quincy empire, and it should be fun to match him up against a few more anime characters to see if he can defeat them.
15 Can Defeat: Alex Louis Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
He is a gentleman alchemist, a brawny alchemist who combines sheer muscle power with alchemy to dish out devastating strikes on the field of battle. Major Alex Armstrong is tough, but he also has a code of conduct. In short, he is not bloodthirsty.
Grimmjow could handle him. True, Alex's alchemy barriers and projectiles are impressive, and he's durable, but Grimmjow is much faster and more maneuverable. His cero blasts could blow through any defenses Alex could mount, and Grimmjow would slash his throat open with his sword.
14 Can't Defeat: Tatsumaki (One-Punch Man)
This S-class hero is older than she looks, and the wielder of incredible power. She is the second toughest hero out there, and even a squad of S and A-ranked heroes can't do what she can do. During the alien invasion, she was a one-woman army.
Tatsumaki boasts incredible telekinetic powers and the skills (and reflexes) to use them in all sorts of ways. Unless Grimmjow took her by total surprise in an ambush, she could keep him at a distance, then crush him with any nearby objects.
13 Can Defeat: Kiba Inazuka (Naruto)
Kiba often plays second fiddle to those around him, but he has earned his place as a Leaf Village ninja. His attacks are melee techniques based on animalistic strength, speed, reflexes, and senses, and his dog, Akamaru, makes for a trusty partner.
That's pretty cool, but Grimmjow has the power of a beast too, and in this case, panther beats dog. Grimmjow is ruthless and aims right for the vitals, and once he releases, his speed is astounding. He'll suffer some bruises and scratches when he fights the likes of Kiba, but his panther form, and a Gran Rey Cero, could finish the job.
12 Can't Defeat: All For One (My Hero Academia)
He's one of the biggest villains in the entire My Hero Academia anime, and it took everything All Might had to stop him. And we know how unbelievably powerful All Might is. With a vast collection of quirks and the creativity to combine them in battle, All For One can do just about anything.
Grimmjow doesn't have much of a response to that. His cero blasts and claw attacks are fierce, and he can use Desgarron as a last-ditch effort to blow apart All For One. But it's all in vain. All For One's crushing strength and army of quirks would vaporize Grimmjow in all kinds of ways, and at leisure, too.
11 Can Defeat: Jonathan Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
This hulking gentleman is the first hero of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure story. What is he capable of? Mr. Jonathan Joestar can wield not only his impressive physique, but also the power of hamon, where he can use his breathing to unleash formidable power at a touch. He very nearly killed Dio Brando this way, and crushed Dio's most fearsome minions.
But if he's facing Grimmjow, forget it. Jonathan is an athletic guy, but he falls far short of Grimmjow's sonido-enhanced speed and panther-like reflexes. Grimmjow would slice him apart, or obliterate him with a cero blast from afar. We doubt Grimmjow would even need to release his zanpakuto to win this.
10 Can't Defeat: Sho Kusakabe (Fire Force)
Don't be fooled by his youth. Like Tatsumaki, Sho Kusakabe is much tougher than he looks, and the Evangelist took a great interest in him early on. He was raised as a knight of the ashen flame, and what a fighter he turned out to be.
Sho, like many other Fire Force characters, can harness the power of flames and heat. In this case, he can halt the entire universe's heat and thus freeze time. With a power like that, it's a cinch for Sho to decapitate Grimmjow and claim victory.
9 Can Defeat: Touka Kirishima (Tokyo Ghoul)
Touka Kirishima is a ghoul, a tough humanoid that feeds only on human flesh. Not only are ghouls stronger than human beings, but they can manifest a kagune, fleshy appendages that can harden into weapons. Touka's kagune forms wings, and they make her fast and nimble.
That's great, but it's not going to win the day against Grimmjow. This Arrancar would match Touka's speed, if not exceed it, and start dealing heavy damage. Touka can hold her own in a fight, but she's far from the strongest ghoul out there. Grimmjow's panther form would definitely finish the job if it came to that.
8 Can't Defeat: Pain (Naruto)
Let's try another Naruto character, and this time, Grimmjow isn't getting out of this alive. Pain is a major figure in the Akatsuki, and in fact, he is six people working together under a single identity. Pictured is the main one, Nagato.
Pain uses the Rinnegan, which allows the six Pains to coordinate their efforts, and they can use a wide variety of jutsu, from summons to universal blasts and black hole-like effects. Grimmjow is facing some serious odds here, and at most he would take out two or three Pains before becoming overwhelmed.
7 Can Defeat: Naofumi (The Rising of the Shield Hero)
Naofumi Iwatani is the star of an isekai anime, and he was intended to work in a squad of four until he was kicked out of the group early on. He does not wield weapons; rather, he uses a wide variety of shields. This is actually much more fun to watch than it sounds.
Still, Grimmjow can handle that. Some of Naofumi's shields have offensive power, such as flames or snakes, but Grimmjow's speed is too much for Naofumi to handle, and Grimmjow's Gran Rey Cero would blast through any defenses Naofumi could put up. The hero of the shield has met his match.
6 Can't Defeat: Yusuke Urameshi (Yu Yu Hakusho)
This is a close one, and we bet that by the battle's end, Yusuke would have broken bones and some serious wounds. Better get him an ambulance, stat. We are sure that he could win against Grimmjow, given his incredible martial arts skills, battlefield intuition, and his sheer guts. Not even demon lords can get the best of him.
Early in Yu Yu Hakusho, we are sure that Grimmjow actually could defeat Yusuke pretty handily, but boy does that change. Yusuke undergoes all kinds of training and learns many new things as the story progresses, and by the end, he's a god on the field of battle. Grimmjow can't claim the same.
5 Can Defeat: Katsuki Bakugo (My Hero Academia)
It's time to pit Grimmjow against another character from My Hero Academia, and this time, the odds are in his favor. Grimmjow can't handle All For One's vast array of Quirks, but Katsuki Bakugo has just one (albeit a good one).
Bakugo can propel himself around with his explosive Quirk and deal a lot of damage, but he's too slow to handle Grimmjow's sonido, and he has few defenses against Grimmjow's zanpakuto. No matter what Bakugo does, he'll get outmaneuvered, and he'll suffer a critical blow sooner or later. Then he's doomed.
4 Can't Defeat: Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)
Erza Scarlet is a sword master like Grimmjow, and she can also use magic to summon all kinds of suits of armor to match her opponent's capabilities. Grimmjow has his hierro armor skin, but it's not as flexible as Erza's array of armored suits.
Grimmjow will give Erza a serious challenge with his speed, cero blasts and his Pantera form, and Erza will have to use everything in her arsenal to keep up. Ultimately, though, her defenses are too tough for Grimmjow. The power of friendship will spur her on despite her injuries, and she'll win.
3 Can Defeat: Lucy (Elfen Lied)
Lucy may look human, but she is not. This girl is a Diclonius, or a humanoid race that has the potential to take over the entire planet. A single Diclonius is quite dangerous, and Lucy is the most powerful one of all.
She can summon vector arms around her to tear people apart, and Grimmjow will get hurt if he challenges her up close. But after taking a blow like that, Grimmjow will back up and fight Lucy from a distance, with his cero and Gran Rey Cero blasts. Lucy has no defenses against those techniques.
2 Can't Defeat: Diavolo (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Diavolo is the boss of the Passione gang, and he has earned that position through his sheer guile and his incredible stand, King Crimson. For a time, it seemed like no one could handle him in a one-on-one duel, until Giorno Giovanna finally stopped him with Gold Experience Requiem.
But Grimmjow has no such luck. He will be helpless when King Crimson looks a few seconds in the future to avoid any of Grimmjow's attacks, and in that time, Diavolo can strike Grimmjow down by hitting his weakest points.
1 Can Defeat: Puri Puri Prisoner (One-Punch Man)
This massive man is the lowest-ranked S-class hero in the Hero Association, and he is a melee-type hero, just like Saitama. Unlike the Caped Baldy, Puri Puri Prisoner actually looks as strong as he is, and he towers over most of his enemies.
But he won't be towering over Grimmjow. His Angel-based techniques are fast and devastating, but they're also straightforward, and Grimmjow can avoid anything Puri Puri Prisoner can throw at him. Then, Grimmjow can slash his throat with a swing of his zanpakuto and win the battle.