Episode 11 of Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War allowed us to see more of what happened in Isshin’s past and how he and Masaki Kurosaki met. In that regard, we saw him fighting against a powerful Hollow that was clad in black armor. This Hollow was created by Aizen, who calls him White and is the first Hollow created by Aizen using Shinigami souls. So, just how strong was White in Bleach?
White was strong enough to clash blades with Isshin Shiba, who we know used to be a captain in the Gotei 13. He was also fast enough to kill Shinigamis undetected and evade all of Masaki’s arrows without any problems at all. However, it is unlikely that he is strong enough to match the full power of a captain.
The introduction of White to the anime was one of the most intriguing parts of the backstory of Isshin and Masaki as we got to see a glimpse of the events that eventually led to Ichigo’s conception and powers. Of course, White also has something to do with Ichigo’s powers and identity. Now, let’s look at just how strong White was in Bleach.
How Strong Is White In Bleach?
In the earlier episodes of Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, one of the things that we saw was the fact that Ichigo was not strong enough to come close to beating Yhwach, who suggested to Ichigo that not even he knew anything about his past. As such, after Ichigo was kicked out of the Soul King’s domain and was forced to return home, he eventually confronted his father about the past, as that was when Isshin told him the story of who his mother really is.
Isshin went all the way back to the time when he was still one of the captains of the Gotei 13, as he told the story of how he met Masaki. He had to go to Naruki City when he heard reports of Shinigamis dying in that area. And when Isshin got there, he saw that a powerful Hollow clad in all-black armor was responsible for the deaths of the Shinigamis stationed there.
The Hollow we are talking about was called White and was one of the creations of Aizen during the time when he was still secretly conducting Hollowfication experiments using the Hogyoku before he defected from Soul Society. White was created with the souls of several Shinigami, and that was why he was special among the different Hollows that existed at that time. Even Isshin noticed that he resembled a Shinigami. But just how strong was White?
White’s most impressive feat during the early part of his introduction was his immense speed. The reason why the Shinigamis stationed in Naruki City were unable to detect him was the fact that he moved so fast that he was able to decapitate two Shinigamis without even seeing White. Isshin also didn’t see what happened but was still quick enough to react to White’s attacks. Still, his speed was so impressive that he effortlessly evaded all of Masaki’s arrows when she intervened in the fight.
Of course, like a lot of powerful entities in Bleach, White’s spiritual presence was incredibly impressive due to the fact that it even surprised Isshin, who realized that he had a tough fight on his hands. Masaki, who was far away from the fight, also felt the immense spiritual presence of White, as she immediately thought that she needed to intervene in the fight because of how strong White’s spiritual presence was.
Despite the fact that he may seem like a mindless Hollow, White is impressive in the art of swordsmanship because he is able to match the sword skills of Isshin, who is a master swordsman himself. The fact that Isshin is strong enough to threaten the likes of Aizen using his swordsmanship means that White’s swordsmanship is impressive as well. And this is due to the fact that White was created using the souls of several Shinigami.
White’s durability also surprised Isshin because he was shocked to see how he was still continuing to fight despite the fact that he had lost a limb to Isshin’s Engetsu. The fact that he was able to survive Isshin’s Shikai suggests that he has the durability of a captain.
Like all of the other Hollows, White can use Cero, which is one of the most powerful attacks in the entire Bleach manga and anime series. His Cero was strong enough to instantly obliterate a Shinigami without a trace. And that was why Isshin thought that he was in serious trouble when White was about to use his Cero on him.
How Does White Compare To Other Bleach Characters?
To truly see just how strong White was, let’s compare him to the other characters in Bleach.
Isshin
When Isshin fought White, he wasn’t giving his all because he was probing the Hollow to know who sent him and where he came from. Isshin did indeed struggle against White, but that was only because Aizen injured him right after he activated his Shikai. Things would have been different had Isshin been at full strength. Of course, it is suggested that White would have instantly lost to Isshin’s Bankai.
Other Gotei 13 Captains
It is possible that White is somewhere close to the power of low-level or mid-tier captains but not as powerful as the top captains of the Gotei 13 because we know that Isshin, in his prime, was one of the strongest Gotei 13 captains. As such, it is possible that White was strong enough to be able to match the strength and skills of other Gotei 13 captains whenever they released their Shikai.
However, it is unlikely that White is strong enough to take down a captain that uses their Bankai. The fact that he was a match for Isshin’s Shikai means that he would have been defeated by another captain-level character using his Bankai.
Espada
We know that the strongest Hollows or Arrancar that Aizen created formed part of his Espada, and the strongest of the Espada were strong enough to take on the Bankai of captain-level characters. However, the weakest of the Espada were nowhere near the powers of captain-level characters.
As such, it is possible that White was as strong as a low-level Espada but was not strong enough to take down an Espada in the upper tier of the group. And that’s because, unlike the Espada, White doesn’t have a released form that would have allowed him to match the power of the captains.
