Tite Kubo's hit anime series Bleach is an action series in a similar vein to Naruto or Yu Yu Hakusho, and it stars Ichigo Kurosaki and his quest to defeat the forces of evil. Ichigo isn't the only top-tier fighter in the anime, though; Kenpachi Zaraki casts a long shadow, and he's a warrior to be feared.
Kenpachi is the Captain of the thuggish Squad 11, and his love of battle, overwhelming strength, sharp sword skills, and his newly-awakened shikai make him a deadly foe for just about anyone. But even Kenpachi has his limits, and we want to know: who are five fighters from other anime series whom Kenpachi could take down in battle? And which five would put an end to his rampage for good? Let's find out.
Update September 20th, 2020 by Louis Kemner: The Bleach manga ended a few years ago, but at last, the anime is about to catch up. Fans of this classic shonen series can't wait for the final arc to be animated in 2021, and plenty of cool fight scenes lay ahead. Kenpachi Zaraki will be there too, and he'll cross blades with some of the franchise's scariest villains of all. Until then, let's match him against a few more anime fighters and see if he can win.
15 Can Defeat: Inosuke (Demon Slayer)
This is hardly even a warmup. One of the supporting characters of Demon Slayer (also known as Kimetsu no Yaiba) is the masked warrior Inosuke, who loves battle more than anything. He is the Kenpachi of his own series.
He has two jagged swords and the strength use them, and he's pulled off some surprise wins before. But he's a leaf in a storm when matched up against Bleach's own Kenpachi, and we have no doubt that Kenpachi would teach Inosuke a few hard lessons at swordpoint.
14 Can't Defeat: Itachi Uchiha (Naruto)
Kenpachi's single-minded dedication to swordsmanship is, pardon the pun, a double-edged sword. His strength and endurance are incredible, but he is vulnerable to tricky attacks based on illusion or other soft attacks.
Itachi Uchiha is a master of the Mangekyo Sharingan, and he can use the Tsukiyomi technique to trap anyone, even Kenpachi, in a world of illusionary torture to shatter their mind. Once the effect finally wears off, Kenpachi will be in no shape to fight.
13 Can Defeat: Luffy (One Piece)
Fans of One Piece won't be happy to see their hungry, rubbery hero go down, and we freely admit that Luffy's sheer power would give even Kenpachi a tough time. Luffy can fight with the best of them, for sure.
Ultimately, though, we give this one to Kenpachi, who is even more durable than Luffy, and he laughs in the face of mortal peril and loves to revel in blood. More importantly, his zanpakuto, including its shikai form, is designed to cut. Luffy's rubbery body protects him from blunt attacks, not blades or needles, so Luffy is about to get sliced apart in this matchup.
12 Can't Defeat: Saitama (One-Punch Man)
Here's our obligatory "he loses to Saitama" entry. But it's sensible to match these two men against each other since both of them are renowned for their crushing strength in battle. Saitama isn't bloodthirsty, but he can rival Kenpachi's strength and then some.
Kenpachi does have good battle instincts, though Saitama is even faster than he is, and if a normal punch won't take him out, we're certain that Saitama will deliver a serious haymaker that will fling Kenpachi far, far away.
11 Can Defeat: Alex Louis Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Here's another muscle-bound hero who uses manly pride and the power to back it up to win the day. Major Alex Armstrong is in incredible physical shape, and his alchemy is elegantly tied into his punches and blunt combat strategies.
Kenpachi still has the edge, though, and he can use his blade and overwhelming power to blast through any alchemy-created projectiles or walls that Alex would send at him. Once up close, Kenpachi would have an easy time slicing Alex in half.
10 Can't Defeat: Goku (Dragon Ball Z)
While Saitama is overpowered as a parody of the Shonen action genre, Son Goku is powerful because he earned it. A Super Saiyan from outer space, Goku serves as the anime Superman by becoming a friend and protector of humanity from villainous invaders.
We're sure that for a time, Kenpachi could keep pace with Goku's speed and power, but Goku has unlocked some incredible new Super Saiyan forms, and eventually, after taking some hits in this duel, Goku would manifest enough power to turn the tables and pummel Kenpachi into submission. How can you defeat someone who has planet-shattering power? Usually, you don't.
9 Can Defeat: Reiner (Attack on Titan)
Reiner is an agent of the Marley Empire, an ethnic Eldian who fights for that Empire... until he starts sympathizing with the Eldians on Paradise Island. He is one of the nine Titan warriors, and his titan specializes in armor plating.
This allows him to outlast opponents in a fight and operate as a living battering ram, but Kenpachi can handle that. He's too quick and nimble for Reiner to catch, and eventually, Kenpachi would land a blow on the back of Reiner's neck and destroy his real body. Size doesn't always guarantee victory, after all.
8 Can't Defeat: Midnight (My Hero Academia)
Kenpachi would lose a duel to Midnight, the R-rated hero for similar reasons he would lose to Itachi Uchiha: he's unable to fight her on his own terms. Midnight can't match Kenpachi's crushing strength or superhuman endurance, but she doesn't even have to.
Her quirk emits vapors from her skin that can put a person to sleep once inhaled, and it's most potent on men. Kenpachi would make a headlong charge, get a lungful of that quirk, and collapse in slumber. So much for those sword skills.
7 Can Defeat: Lieutenant Hinawa (Fire Force)
You probably noticed a trend by now: Kenpachi's best anime matchups are power vs power, where no tricks are involved. Anyone who plays by Kenpachi's rules has their work cut out for them, and Lieutenant Hinawa is in trouble.
He is a crack shot and a pyrokinetic, able to control the fire and heat around a bullet to make it go just about anywhere, so he can strike from unexpected angles and shoot from behind cover. This will draw blood for sure, but mere bullet wounds won't stop the likes of Kenpachi. Once Hinawa needs to reload, Kenpachi will swoop down upon him and pulverize him.
6 Can't Defeat: Toyohiro Kanedaichi (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
It's easy to say that Kenpachi will lose to someone who used the likes of mind control, illusions, sleep effects, or poison, but what if Kenpachi is up against a stand user?
Many stand users in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure would fall to Kenpachi, but not this minor villain from Diamond is Unbreakable. Why not? Toyohiro's stand, Super Fly, is shaped like an electrical pylon, and he would lure Kenpachi inside with a battle challenge. But this would seal Kenpachi's fate since this activates Super Fly's power. Toyohiro would then leave the stand, and Kenpachi would be trapped inside! He couldn't even break his way out since Super Fly absorbs all damage and is truly indestructible.
5 Can Defeat: Gray Fullbuster (Fairy Tail)
Gray Fullbuster is an ice wizard who belongs to the Fairy Tail guild, and he has learned much from Ur, his old mentor. His Ice Make magic allows him to create icy cages, barriers, functional cannons, and much more.
He can also use Ice Devil Slayer magic, but he saves that for emergencies, and if he fought Kenpachi, he'd get in over his head. Kenpachi's strength and offensive power are seemingly limitless, and he'd smash right through Gray's frosty defenses and land a serious blow on Gray himself. Gray will get knocked out before he gets a chance to use his father's powerful magic.
4 Can't Defeat: Hawks (My Hero Academia)
This flying hero ranks right below the almighty Endeavor in the pro hero rankings, and it is easy to see why. Hawks, the #2 hero, is extremely fast, he can fly, he's precise, and he has a lot of experience. He can use his feathers to good effect against Kenpachi.
Hawks can't match Kenpachi's sheer hitting power, but he can fly to avoid Kenpachi's attacks, then remotely control his feathers to pick Grimmjow up and fling him far away, taking him out of the battlefield entirely. An exasperated Hawks doesn't have the patience to deal with brutes like Kenpachi.
3 Can Defeat: Genos (One-Punch Man)
Kenpachi can't handle the godly power of Saitama, but he can take on Saitama's cyborg friend, Genos. This is going to hurt: Genos is a rough metal man who can emit powerful energy blasts from his hands and torso, and he can fire missiles, too.
However, Genos also has a habit of taking his enemies a bit too lightly, and Kenpachi's incredible durability and spiritual pressure will allow him to survive Genos' attacks. He can actually cleave Genos' attacks in half if he uses his shikai, Nozarashi, and he'll split Genos in half next.
2 Can't Defeat: Vanilla Ice (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Kenpachi is really struggling against these stand users, and it's for a good reason. Some stands, like Star Platinum, are all about power, while others have truly unique effects that can take the enemy by total surprise. Vanilla Ice's stand, Cream, is like that.
Vanilla Ice actually sits inside his stand and zooms around the battlefield in it, and Cream keeps itself hidden in an alternate dimension until it is ready to strike. Then, it can "eat" a target and wipe them from existence, all in one swift ambush attack. Kenpachi is tough, but not even he can survive that.
1 Can Defeat: Envy (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
The shapeshifting homunculus Envy is bigger than he looks, and his body can take many different forms. He can morph his arms into sickles, snakes, and more. He can also morph into a massive dog-lizard creature with a powerful tail and six legs.
But that's a fairly straightforward ultimate form, and he doesn't have may special abilities aside from transforming. It's power vs power, and Kenpachi will definitely demolish him in a fight. He'll keep wearing down Envy's Philosopher's Stone until it's exhausted.