What's a good shonen action anime without some cool and scary villains to fight? Some of anime's best characters are the villains, from Orochimaru to Sosuke Aizen to the super-detective L to Blackbeard the pirate. In the world of Bleach, Aizen commands the ten deadly Espadas, and among them is Barragan Luisenbarn.

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Barragan is ranked #2 among the Espada, marking him as a truly powerful hollow under Aizen's command. He's probably a vasto lorde, and he sure acts like one, too. Fans saw him fight during the Fake Karakura Town arc, where he clashed with Soi Fon, Omaeda, and the visored warrior Hachigen Ushoda. Here are ten essential facts about this terrifying villain to know.

10 He is like Aizen's twin

It is pretty clear that Barragan and Sosuke Aizen really don't get along. While Ulquiorra eagerly obeys all of Aizen's orders, and Stark is grateful that Aizen gave him friends, Barragan has nothing but hostility toward his boss.

But all the same, they are two of a kind. Both are incredibly ambitious beings who claim to rule the very heavens, only to be toppled by the "inferior" beings they scorn. Barragan curses Hachigen and Soi Fon for killing him, and later, Aizen is in hysterics as Ichigo and Kisuke Urahara defeat him.

9 He represents tragic hubris

See that crown? Barragan is the self-styled king of Hueco Mundo, and for a time, all hollows there were his minions and the very sky was the roof of his castle. Now, he's got many fracciones, and he likes to take control of any battle.

But Barragan's proclaimed superiority is hollow since he too is a mortal creature who fears death. He got carried away, and once Hachigen teleported his rotting hand into Barragan's belly, the 2nd Espada's fate was sealed! Not even he could outrun mortality, and his ambitions cost him everything. It's like a Greek drama.

8 He has two different axes

If you look closely during Barragan's battle, you'll see that he wields two different weapons, with different names. Like all arrancars, he contains his inner hollow power in his zanpakuto. It's shaped like an ax, and Barragan named it Arrogante.

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But in hollow form, Arrogante is gone, and he is now wielding Gran Caida (pictured). This ax's name is Spanish for "great fall," and we're sure that anyone who gets hit by it is not going to get back up for a second round! In fact, Barragan is so proud of Gran Caida, he claims that Omaeda is not worthy of dying by its blade.

7 He's got a sense of humor

A cruel sense of humor, that is! Barragan isn't one to crack jokes, making him stand out from the comedy duo Stark/Lilynette or the goofball Charlotte (his own fraccione). But he does take the time to have fun in battle.

Barragan easily towered over Omaeda, and he released a slow Respira (death breath) attack on purpose just to amuse himself watching Omaeda run away from it. Barragan also notes how ridiculous it is that Omaeda could barely outrun a slow attack, let alone a faster version of Respira.

6 His Viking warrior look

What's interesting about the arrancars is that their uniforms are more personalized than the black robes of the Soul Reapers. Even the Captains only indulge in minor customization of their outfits, such as Soi Fon's slippers or Shunsui wearing a pink robe over his regular robes.

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The Espadas are more stylish, and Barrgan's outfit has short sleeves to show off those beefy arms, not to mention all kinds of gold bling and a fur collar that makes him look even bigger. Doesn't he look like a typical Viking warlord who's showing off the gold he's plundered? We sure think so.

5 He's a good leader and tactician

Bleacn Hollow barragan luisenbarn

While Barragan isn't the most brilliant or cunning character in Bleach, he has leadership aptitude and knows how to assess a battle to find a route to victory. For one thing, he knew that the Soul Reaper spell protecting the real Karakura Town was sustained with four pillars, one at each cardinal direction. He then sent four arrancars to destroy them.

Not only that, but Barrgan can keep wild fracciones like Charlotte and Abirama in line, and turn them into disciplined minions who will follow any order. Finally, he showed good observation skills as he read into Soi Fon's attacks in order to counter them.

4 He has no sentimentality

barragan carrying arrogante bleach

Many of the arrancars are bloodthirsty and cruel, but even Grimmjow has a sense of honor, and Halibel is more like a big sister to her three fracciones. And Stark would rather chill than fight, and he thinks of the other Espadas as his friends.

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But when it comes to Barragan, forget it. He scorns Aaroniero when the 9th Espada died at Rukia's hands, and he cursed his fracciones when they fell in battle. He's not the type to salute the dead; he'd rather walk over their bodies and finish the battle himself!

3 His aspect of death really is absolute

Barragan was correct when he boasted that old age is the ultimate aspect of death, and since he represents it, he claimed that his power was unstoppable. In a way, this is true, since time will erode all flesh, stone, and Kidō no matter what.

But Barragan got carried away, and his power showed no mercy when it was turned on him. Barragan didn't fully respect the power that he wielded, and it bit him when it got a chance. Death is absolute indeed... even to its self-proclaimed master.

2 His scar is permanent

A number of characters in Bleach have only one eye visible, such as Kenpachi, who uses an eyepatch to restrain his power. Nnoitora, the 5th Espada, has a hollow hole where his left eye would be, and later on, Shunsui loses an eye and gets an eyepatch of his own.

Barragan's right eye is gone, and there's a huge scar over his face. And when he transforms, that scar becomes a crack over his eye socket! Whatever happened to him, it left such a deep scar it will never go away. He's been through a lot, all right.

1 He doesn't boast about being an Espada

It seems that Barrgan never really identified with being an arrancar at all. Some Espadas say that becoming an arrancar gave them greater power, but Barragan never even says the word "Espada" to describe himself. He only speaks that way about the others, such as in his lecture about death aspects.

He never stated his rank, either, and we never see the "2" tattoo anywhere on his body. The other Espadas like to announce their ranks to intimidate their enemies, especially Nnoitora, Grimmjow, and Stark. But Barragan doesn't seem to care; he identifies more as the hollow king of Hueco Mundo than anything. It seems he actually represents being an arrancar as a whole.

NEXT: Bleach: Top 10 Zanpakuto, Ranked