‘Bleach’: How Strong Is Ulquiorra? Compared to Other Bleach Characters!

Most Bleach characters are actually popular because they are canon or have been present in the anime filler episodes, gaining notoriety despite the criticisms directed towards these episodes. Still, the Bleach universe also contains several light novels that supplement the canon story, most of which have been (semi-officially) confirmed as canon by Kubo. But, this article will focus on the canon manga as we will talk about one specific character from the manga’s first major saga, i.e., Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuatro Espada of Aizen’s army. Ulquiorra was one of the most interesting characters in the series, and we think he deserves an article of his own.
The article is going to be divided into two major sections. The first one will be a representation of Ulquiorra’s powers and abilities, while the other one will be a short comparison of Ulquiorra’s powers and abilities to the powers and abilities of other characters, divided into several subsections. These will not be detailed analyses, just brief comments so you can understand Ulquiorra’s position in the Bleach lore.
Uqluiorra was one of Ichigo’s most powerful opponents
Ulquiorra is a very strong fighter. Before his final battle against Ichigo, he appears to have no trouble dealing with opponents, opting to fight with his hands in his pockets, which he only uses to block attacks or stab enemies unarmed. Only in the last fight does he finally draw his sword, with which he is also very skilled. When he first appeared in Karakura with Yammy, he also demonstrated the ability to open Garaganta, the gate that leads to Hueco Mundo, and opened a gate back to Hueco Mundo. He opens this by tapping his finger in the appropriate place.
Ulquiorra can easily fire bright green Ceros from his fingertips with tremendous force. He can also use the Bala, the faster but weaker version of the Cero, which is powerful enough to severely injure weaker Shinigami. However, he prefers the stronger Cero. He can also fire the Cero Oscuras, a black and extremely powerful Cero that resembles Ichigo’s Getsuga Tenshō.
Its destructive power is great enough to nearly incapacitate Ichigo. Ultimately, he pierces him with this cero. But, when Ichigo entered his Vasto Lorde form, he could negate Ulquiorra’s cero with his own powerful cero.
The Cuatro Espada is incredibly strong for his physique, as he looks small and slim, and could even easily stop Yammy from attacking or throwing other opponents far away with half-hearted attacks. His melee skills also rival Ichigo’s in their first fight in Hueco Mundo.
He tends to pierce his opponents’ chests with his hand to kill them, showing clear physical strength of high magnitude. His defensive power is just as great, allowing him to parry powerful attacks with just one hand.
Any form of Ichigo’s Getsuga Tenshō deals little to no damage to him. His Hierro is so strong in its transformation forms that no normal attack seems to be able to harm it. However, in his Vasto Lorde form, Ichigo can easily injure Ulquiorra and even rip off his arm of his.
On top of that, his regeneration skills are so amazing that, according to Ulquiorra himself, his regeneration powers are even stronger than his attacking abilities. If his body is damaged, the body parts will immediately regrow, making him even harder to defeat. However, this ability does not work for his internal organs or his brain.
Ulquiorra is also extremely fast, like the other Espada. In his transformed form, he seems to get even faster. In his Resurrecion and its Segunda Etapa, he overpowered Ichigo with his power and speed.
Ulquiorra’s Resurrección is named Murciélago and activates with the exclamation “Enclose!” (or “Imprison!”). He is also the only one of the Espada who has mastered the second stage, the Segunda Etapa, which she showed during his battle with Ichigo above the Las Noches castle.
Still, he very rarely displays his zanpakutō in battle and only when he deems his opponent worthy enough. Accordingly, his Zanjutsu skills are very high, so Ichigo initially had great difficulty keeping up with Ulquiorra. The power of a sword attack is devastating, and Ulquiorra can even block a Kuroi Getsuga with the sword. He can stab incredibly fast, and his slashes can throw opponents several meters away.
Ulquiorra has an above-average intellect and equally good powers of observation. He recognizes the structure of the Getsuga Tenshō without thinking too much about it and also puts up a hypothesis about the mode of action of Orihime’s Santen Kesshun towards Aizen.
How powerful is Ulquiorra Cifer compared to other Bleach characters?
In this section, we will compare Ulquiorra Cifer to other strong Bleach characters. These will be brief comparisons whose main goal is to give you a general idea of his powers and abilities.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. Ichigo Kurosaki
The rivalry between Ichigo and Ulquiorra was one of the best ones in the Arrancar Saga of Bleach. It was obvious that the two of them would have a major clash from the very start, and they had several of them.
Initially, Ulquiorra was able to deal with Ichigo easily, and while he had to ultimately activate his Segunda Etapa during their final clash, he killed Ichigo. He only lost when Ichigo entered his Vasto Lorde form. But, with Ichigo having grown so much in the meantime, we can confirm that, at this point, Ulquiorra would not be able to defeat him anymore.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. Tier Harribel
As for the relationship between the Espada, this is a very interesting one. Namely, Harribel was ranked above Ulquiorra, but the difference is only one spot. Harribel’s forte is her enormous strength, and she is definitely among the strongest Espada in that aspect, but Ulquiorra is both strong and fast, and in his Segunda Etapa, we actually do think that he would be able to defeat Harribel, despite the ranking.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. Baraggan Louisenbairn
As far as Baraggan, the former ruler of Hueco Mundo and the Segunda Espada, is concerned, we know that he is an exceptionally powerful fighter whose unique ability makes him almost impossible to defeat.
Ulquiorra has excellent regeneration skills, but if Baraggan would reach his internal organs, which he would at one point, he would defeat Ulquiorra, and that is why we think that Ulquiorra is not stronger than Baraggan.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. Coyote Starrk
Coyote Starrk was the Primera Espada and, thus, the strongest in the group. Coyote did not like to fight, but his raw power, speed, and defensive capabilities were enough to cause problems for three Captain-level Shinigami. Starrk would definitely be able to defeat Ulquiorra, despite Ulquiorra being able to activate Segunda Etapa.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. the other Espada
The Espada were, as we’ve said, a very diverse group with many different characters whose powers were also quite interesting. Ulquiorra was the Cuatro Espada, and we’re certain that he would be able to defeat all the lower-ranked ones.
The ones that would pose a problem could be Nnoitora, due to his powerful Hierro, Grimmjow, due to his strength, and Yammy, due to his unique power, but since Ulquiorra could use his Segunda Etapa, he would ultimately pierce Nnoitora, overpower Grimmjow, and kill Yammy before he could even activate his power. The others wouldn’t really be an issue.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. Sōsuke Aizen
And while the Espada were loyal to Aizen, not all of them feared him. Coyote Starrk was the only one who did not want to fight him, but both Harribel and Baraggan wanted to kill him. Ulquiorra was loyal to Aizen, and seeing how he defeated Harribel with ease, we don’t think he would have many problems with Ulquiorra either.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. the Gotei 13 Captains
The Thirteen Captains of the Gotei 13 are also a diverse group. There is no doubt that the strongest ones – Yamamoto, Kyoraku, Ukitake, Kenpachi, and Unohana – would be able to defeat Ulquiorra. He would probably have a Chance against Histugaya, Tosen, Gin, and Soifon, but it would be interesting to see how he would do against Mayuri.
Shinji would also probably be able to defeat him and Otoribashi, while Muguruma’s raw strength might not be enough to defeat Ulquiorra in a fight. As for Byakuya, we think the two are roughly on the same level.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. Yhwach
As for Quincy’s leader, Ulquiorra is not on that level. Sure, Hollow Reiatsu is toxic for Quincy, but Yhwach has so much power that Ulquiorra’s skills wouldn’t be useful in this fight. Yhwach is the clear winner here.
Ulquiorra Cifer vs. the Sternritter
The Sternritter are numerous and diverse, but knowing his power, Ulquiorra would undoubtedly be able to defeat many of them, including Cang Du, Driscoll Berci, Mask de Masculine, Giselle Gewere, BG9, Bazz-B, and some others. He might even be able to defeat
As Nodt, he doesn’t really know what fear is. He would definitely lose to Jugram and probably even Bambietta, as she could blow away his internal organs. Gremmy would also probably be too much for him.