Like in every other anime, Bleach has had its fair share of both annoying and somewhat interesting villains. Fans believe that the creator might have been too quick to kill off some of the villains while giving screentime to those that should've been dealt with long ago. So, without further ado, here are five villains that left too soon, as well as five that should've gone in their place instead.
10 Too Long: Gin Ichimaru
Gin was a highly disliked character until the very end of the show. He seemingly was never a bad guy rather that was just a facade to get close to Aizen and defeat him, but that doesn't explain a lot of his questionable acts of violence that weren't really necessary. Why did he wait so long? Don't take this the wrong way—his death was a very emotional scene for all of Bleach fans, after Ulquiorra, of course—but his role could've been better.
9 More: Ulquiorra Cifer
Although Ulquiorra was an evil person, his tragic death shocked and saddened a lot of fans. Ulquiorra was not heavily disliked, even though he was one of the Espada, a follower of Aizen's beliefs. It could be because of the fact that he was a very relatable character.
Being gloomy and depressed all of the time, he believed no one could like someone like him. Even when he repeatedly asked Orihime in captivity if she's afraid of him, he's giving her a chance to treat him like everyone else did. He died because of emptiness when he was a human, and his story is much sadder than it is evil. Fans were not ready to let him go.
8 Too Long: Aizen Sōsuke
Hands down the most hated villain of the series, Aizen Sosuke was the mastermind who organized and planned every single thing. He left the Soul Society with his two closest subordinates, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen, and formed a team Arrancar, the Espada.
Every single obstacle that was put in Ichigo's way was by him in the hopes that it would stimulate his evolution. He used his excellent power of manipulation and helped broken individuals in the hopes that they would submit to him completely. Unfortunately, he was successful in doing so and was viewed by most Arrancar as a savior. What was Gin doing all that time? He could've plotted a little faster.
7 More: Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
Grimmjow is just one of the villains that everyone wants to see. You can say that he was a terrible person—terrible at being bad, that is. His character took some weird turns throughout the show. From being out to murder Ichigo to kind of not doing it but partnering up with him instead, it's been a questionable ride for his fans.
One thing's for sure, his character exhibited a lot of class. He believed in fighting fair, and he had a soft side, too. For example, when Loly and Menoly started fighting with Orihime, Grimmjow came to help her out. Unfortunately, he died at the hands of the captain of the 10th Division, Toshiro.
6 Too Long: Barragan Luisenbarn
A true sadistic creep in every sense of the term, Barragan was a ruthless individual. He enjoyed playing king and had a highly severe god complex. It was almost unsettling to see him on the show. He wasn't the type to take a brief moment of silence for the deceased, he would much rather stomp on their corpses.
5 More: Coyote Starrk
Starrk was a very admirable villain. Aside from the fact that he was one of the strongest of the Arrancar army, he was a rather tragic soul. His backstory is no less than a sob-fest since his overwhelming spiritual power prevented him from being close to any other Hollow.
Amidst total desperation, he crafted Lilynette from his own self. That was, of course, before he met Aizen. Even after he turned to the "evil" side, he wasn't a psycho killer like the other Espada. Fans would have liked to see a little more of him on the show.
4 Too Long: Wonderweiss
Wonderweiss might have seemed like a defenseless little boy, but that wasn't true at the very least. In fact, he was stripped from all forms of rationality and intelligence in order to enhance his TRUE power. That's why he acted like a child all the time. He would often exhibit a lot of hostility. Not only did he fire a defensive Bala blast at one point in the anime, but he also stabbed Captain Ukitake without any sort of warning at all! He was purely a nuisance throughout.
3 More: Kūgo Ginjō
Ginjo appeared along the very end of the anime. It almost felt like a filler part... up until the point where it wasn't. Ginjo trained Ichigo and pretended to be someone who would help him get his Shinigami powers back. Well, he was actually that someone because he did succeed. However, he quickly showed his true nature and took the powers for himself. He was terribly deceitful, but he showed some empathy. Maybe a little more from him would've been a little spicier for the show.
2 Too Long: Yhwach
If you're an anime fan, then you probably don't know who Yhwach is. Since the anime is set to return in 2021 to complete the manga, it's advised that you tread with caution if you don't want any spoilers.
Moving on, Yhwach is a ruthless Quincy with unlimited powers. He takes over Hueco Mundo from Halibel's rule and chains her up in a dungeon. Oh no he didn't... but, unfortunately, he did. He's also responsible for the Soul King's death at the hands of none other than Ichigo by taking over the right side of his body. Talk about pure evil—maybe this one's a little too extreme.
1 More: Aaroniero Arruruerie
Aaroniero was the ninth Espada and a widely underrated character. Despite only taking part in one battle, he intrigued a lot of fans with his mysterious ways and his exceptional spiritual powers. He had devoured approximately 33,650 other Hollows, as well as the Hollow that merged with the former Shinigami Lieutenant, Kaien Shiba. Thus, he possessed all of their powers.
The lingering mysteries of his true nature made him a more compelling character in the show. In place of his head is a glass flask containing some sort of liquid and two small skull heads inside. It has not been confirmed what exactly that liquid is. Unfortunately, he died a little too soon at the hands of Rukiya before answering any of the fans' questions.
