Ichigo vs Kenpachi: Who Would Win in a Fight & Why?

And while Bleach has provided us with some truly amazing fights, even among the allies, and the comparison we are going to make in this article involves two allies and an epic clash the two of them had in Soul Society. This was the first major battle for Ichigo and it was truly an epic experience. The fight we are talking about is, of course, the fight between Ichigo Kurosaki and Kenpachi Zaraki. In this article, we are going to compare the two characters and tell you who won the duel and why.

Objectively speaking, Kenpachi Zaraki is more powerful than Ichigo, but Ichigo has won and would win because he is the protagonist and has gained numerous upgrades over the years. Kenpachi is a true beast; he is basically just raw power and his Spiritual Pressure is so high that if completely released, it would probably be higher than Yamamoto’s, but Ichigo is the protagonist and he would – as he has already – find a way to win here.

This article is going to be all about comparing Ichigo Kurosaki and Kenpachi Zaraki. You’re going to find out who Ichigo and Kenpachi are, as well as what their exact powers and abilities are. In the end, based on what we have presented earlier, we’re going to give our final verdict on who is stronger. It’s promising to be a fun story so keep reading until the end!

Ichigo Kurosaki and his powers

Ichigo Kurosaki is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga Bleach, as well as the anime adaptation of the same name. He was created by Tite Kubo and is a 17-year-old high-school student who can see ghosts. After an unfortunate incident, a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki transfers her powers to him so he can save his family, after which he becomes a Soul Reaper himself.

Ichigo does not rank like Shinigami but his strength is great enough to fight on par with captain-level Shinigami. When in his Shinigami form, he already has great speed and his strength is much greater. Because Ichigo has more spiritual power than his body can handle, he is constantly leaking power. This prevents him from suppressing his spiritual power.

In addition to his Shinigami powers, Ichigo also has Hollow powers. After losing his first fight with Byakuya Kuchiki and losing his Shinigami powers with it, he went to train with Kisuke Urahara to regain the Shinigami powers. During that training, Ichigo also partially became a Hollow. The Hollow’s strength grows throughout the series.

Unlike Ichigo, the Hollow fights like a berserker. The Hollow disregards Ichigo’s injuries and surpasses Ichigo’s speed and strength. Ichigo has been taught to control the Hollow by the Vizards, who let him summon his Hollow powers without the Hollow taking control. After controlling the Hollow, Ichigo trains to extend the time he has to use the power. His limit is 11 seconds, but during his fight with Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, it is considerably longer.

After his fight with Aizen in Karakura city, all Ichigo’s powers have disappeared and he has become an ordinary person. But after training with Xcution, Soul Society has given him back his powers.

Zanpakutō

Ichigo’s Zanpakutō is called Zangetsu. Unlike other Shinigami, Ichigo’s Zanpakutō is always in the Shikai form. The Zanpakutō is so big because Ichigo cannot control his spiritual power. Zangetsu’s soul is a middle-aged man with sunglasses and a long cloak. He is portrayed as a wise and calm man who likes to test Ichigo in unusual ways.

Zangetsu’s Bankai is called Tensa Zangetsu. Ichigo’s Bankai causes his Zanpakutō to shrink and his uniform changes. He can also move faster and his reflex has improved. Zangetsu’s special attack is the Getsuga Tenshō, which launches an energy attack from the top of Ichigo’s sword. The soul of Tensa Zangetsu is a younger version of Zangetsu, about Ichigo’s age. He is also aggressive.

Kenpachi Zaraki and his powers

Kenpachi Zaraki is the captain of the Eleventh Division of the Gotei 13. He is the eleventh Kenpachi in holding such a position. His lieutenant was Yachiru Kusajishi, and his current lieutenant is Ikkaku Madarame.

Kenpachi is introduced as one of the most fearsome Captains, being the most combat-loving among his peers. He has the title of Kenpachi which designates the best fighter of his generation and he honors his title by being able to dominate Kaname Tōsen and Sajin Komamura, both Captains. Due to his excessive strength, Kenpachi imposes handicaps on himself such as fighting with his sword using only one hand or even sealing a large part of his Spiritual Power in his eye patch, which has become iconic.

Prior to the time skip, he even wore bells on several strands of his hair so his opponent could hear him move. On top of that, Kenpachi instinctively holds back in his fights ever since his first fight to the death against Unohana when he was still just a child. It is only by facing opponents powerful enough to kill him that he removes these psychological seals and unfolds his full strength.

After his ultimate fight against Unohana, which changed him by removing all those psychological seals, Kenpachi became an even more formidable fighter, having become so physically powerful that even Gerard Valkyrie, yet an example of raw power, will be unable to fight him. trample and will be lifted when it is of gigantic size. The awakening of his Zanpakutō in the Quincy War will make him a first-rate fighter, further legitimizing his place among the five Shinigami most feared by the Wandenreich.

Zanpakutō

Kenpachi has been using a Zanpakutō since his childhood when he picked it up from the corpse of Shinigami. He even ended up imprinting his Asauchi on it but found himself unable to hear his Zanpakutō for a very long time due to his personality changing after his loss to Ichigo. The sword is longer than a katana, the size of a nodachi.

Initially, Kenpachi was the only Shinigami who couldn’t hear his Zanpakutō’s voice and therefore couldn’t use it at full power. However, Kenpachi was able to slice through most objects with his sword. After his ultimate fight against Unohana, he finally manages to hear the voice of his Zanpakutō and can finally summon it, drastically increasing his already enormous punching power.

Before Kenpachi named his Zanpakutō, people in Soul Society believed that Kenpachi’s Spirit Power was so powerful that it forced his sword to have a constant shape. His release command is “Swallow”. Kenpachi’s Shikai takes the form of a huge hatchet, with a cap on the top and a green bow on it. Shikai Special Ability: His Shikai drastically increases his punching power, now allowing him to slice through extremely solid objects. He can even slice through the void of space, displaying limitless power.

Completely overwhelmed by Gerard Valkyrie, Kenpachi once again pushed his limits and activated his Bankai. Upon his release, his Spiritual Power releases a huge wave that destroys the landscape. This Bankai greatly affects Kenpachi, starting with his appearance, which makes him look like a demon with horns like an oni.

The blade is also modified a bit, being a shorter version as if broken by the Shikai. His Bankai further boosts his punching power, now being able to cut Gerard Valkyrie in half with a single attack despite the power he has accumulated from his power. With Kenpachi being able to control his Bankai very little or not at all, the Bankai robs him of his sanity, causing the Shinigami to act unconsciously and without concern for the damage, he is inflicting on himself.

Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Kenpachi Zaraki: Who would win?

Now that we have written our introduction and explanation here, we can actually go over the fight as it happened in the story. Kenpachi Zaraki was actually Ichigo’s first major fight and it was a truly amazing one, which is why we have decided to give you a recap of the epic clash rather than to complicate things ourselves. Our goal here is to bring you as much authentic facts as possible.

When he learns that Ichigo and his friends have arrived in Soul Society, defeated the gatekeeper Jidanbō Ikkanzaka and Gin escaped Ichimaru, he asks Ichimaru how they managed to survive and right after that Kenpachi and Mayuri Kurotsuchi have a fight. A little later, Kenpachi starts tracking down the strongest of them, especially when they reach Seireitei.

He initially has orientation problems as he has to rely on his second-in-command, Yachiru Kusajishi, but gets a step closer when he visits his defeated 3rd Officer Ikkaku Madarame in the hospital wing, who is about to be attacked by Mayuri. After defeating Vice Commander Renji Abarai, who was defeated by Ichigo, he can finally find the one with his companions. Kenpachi’s immense reiatsu intimidates Ichigo so much that he is unable to even hurt Kenpachi.

However, when Ichigo senses that Chad’s reiatsu is weakening, he regains his confidence and is now able to injure Kenpachi. Immediately after realizing that Kenpachi doesn’t even know his Zanpakuto’s name and therefore can’t get any stronger, Ichigo is shocked to be pierced by his opponent. When Kenpachi thinks he’s won, Ichigo stands up with massive reiatsu, and Kenpachi is so keen on the fight that he opens his eyepatch, unsealing reiatsu. Both launch one final, final blow, leaving the battlefield in ruins.

The fight ends in a draw, with Ichigo going down first and Kenpachi shortly after, both recognizing it as a loss. Kenpachi is carried away by Yachiru and wakes up again, trying to communicate with his Zanpakuto again. He is then taken unconscious to the 4th Company where he is treated. He will then become Ichigo’s ally and will constantly look for him so that they can have a rematch; Kenpachi’s lust for fighting strong opponents made him reconsider his opinion of Ichigo and the two became friends… well, the next best thing, at least.

Be that as it may, this is how and why Tite Kubo made Ichigo stronger than Kenpachi. Objectively, we’re not so sure that Ichigo really is stronger than the most fierce Captain in the history of the Gotei 13, especially since Kenpachi actually defeated Unohana in her true form, which we are not sure that Ichigo could do as well. In that aspect, Ichigo would win simply because he is the protagonist, but all the objective parameters are on Kenpachi’s side, especially in his full power mode.