20My Hero Academia is one of the most popular action shonen series right now and may even be considered part of an unofficial "big three" of the current era, alongside Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen. In many ways, My Hero Academia can be compared to the original big three of the 2000s: Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto.
My Hero Academia has many compelling fighters among its characters and so do its predecessors, including Tite Kubo's Bleach. For example, Izuku Midoriya or Katsuku Bakugo can be directly compared to some of Bleach's main fighters. Comparing them makes it clear that, while Bakugo is a terrific fighter, he's outclassed by most of Bleach's best fighters in the end.
10 Uryu Ishida Is Smarter & Faster
Remarkably, the gap between Katsuki Bakugo and Uryu Ishida is fairly narrow, given how Bleach's power level is higher than My Hero Academia's. If his temporary "A" Schrift from Yhwach isn't counted, then Uryu is in the same league as Bakugo, but he does have some advantages.
Uryu and Bakugo are both the protagonist's primary rivals and allies, but Uryu's incredible speed as a Quincy archer easily outstrips Bakugo's own Quirk-enhanced mobility. Uryu can also devastate foes with a variety of spiritual arrows, steal spirit energy to get stronger, and even control his weakened body with spirit strings like a puppet.
9 Grimmjow Jeagerjaques Is A Panther Espada
Grimmjow Jeagerjaques is the 6th Espada and a total loose cannon who only fights for his own personal reasons. Kaname Tosen can't stand him but there's no denying Grimmjow's sheer strength, even if he doesn't release his zanpakuto, Pantera.
Grimmjow has astonishing speed and agility as an Espada, easily rivaling even My Hero Academia's fastest characters. He's also got cero blasts and his sword, and he can perform bone-splitting melee attacks whether or not he releases his zanpakuto. Bakugo can't possibly keep up with all that.
8 Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya's Ice Puts Shoto To Shame
Katsuki Bakugo considers the icy Shoto Todorki to be one of his most worthy rivals, especially when Shoto uses both halves of his incredible Quirk. Shoto is a real powerhouse, but not even he can stack up to the ice-slinging Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, and neither can Bakugo.
Toshiro can use a remarkable variety of ice-based powers, from ice prisons to an ultra-destructive ice dragon, and he can even fly with ice wings. And unlike Shoto, Toshiro has deadly skill with a sword for close-range combat. He can use a variety of kido spells as well.
7 Shinji Hirako Has A Mask & A Tricky Shikai
Shinji Hirako is one of eight Visored warriors who have the power of Hollow masks, just like Ichigo. Shinji is their unofficial leader and the former Captain of squad 5, and he can even stand up to Espadas such as Grimmjow. He'll even fight Sosuke Aizen personally if he must.
Shinji has Captain-level swordplay and speed. He also has a bizarre shikai, Sakanade, that scrambles his opponents' senses and coordination. This "Quirk" can affect even the strongest of foes and render them helpless as Shinji lands the final blow. No class 1-A student can compare to that.
6 Yoruichi Shihoin Practically Wrote The Book On Martial Arts
Yoruichi Shihoin is a deadly martial artist and a trained assassin, making her one of only a few ninja Soul Reapers aside from her protege, Captain Soi Fon. Yoruichi is peerless in melee combat with her astonishing speed, agility, and technique. It's possible that Mirko the rabbit hero was modeled after her.
Yoruichi has a distinct edge over any other melee hero: her own Shunko technique that augments her physical abilities with kido, making her nigh-unstoppable in melee combat. She easily outclasses Mirko and Tenya Iida, let alone Bakugo.
5 Kisuke Urahara Is A Swordsman Scientist
Kisuke Urahara is a brilliant anime scientist and wizard, but he has more than a white lab coat and beakers of chemicals on his side. He once trained as an assassin and can move quicker than the eye can see. He is incredibly insightful and clever in battle and can analyze an opponent's fighting style in seconds.
On top of being a kido master, Kisuke can also fight many powerful foes with swordplay, and his shikai can deliver a powerful kido-based strike. If things get really serious, he can even use his bankai, which no one in My Hero Academia can compare to.
4 Bazz-B Has Many Fire-Based Abilities
In the Thousand-Year Blood War story arc, many villainous Quincy arrive, mainly the 26 mighty Sternritter. Each of them represents a letter of the alphabet, with H going to Bazz-B, who wields a power called The Heat. He could even rival Endeavor the flame hero in combat.
As an elite Quincy, Bazz-B is stronger and faster than most My Hero Academia students and pro heroes, and his The Heat abilities are based on how many fingers he uses. Just one or two could rival Bakugo's or Endeavor's Quirks, and four or five is beyond anything they can imagine.
3 Lieutenant Renji Abarai Is Surprisingly Flexible In Battle
Lieutenant Renji Abarai appeared in the first season of Bleach as a powerful rival for Ichigo, but he and Ichigo later became allies during the Soul Society arc. Renji has been getting even stronger since then and he also spent some time in squad 11 before transferring to squad 6.
Renji is an expert swordsman whose shikai greatly extends his blade's reach, and his bankai is a giant snake skeleton with a devastating kido blast attack. Renji can also perform some token kido spells, though he's rough around the edges. Altogether, Renji is much stronger than Bakugo and could easily rival Endeavor.
2 Captain Kaname Tosen Has Some Tricks Up His Sleeve
Captain Kaname Tosen seems to rank among the weakest Soul Reaper Captains, but he's still more than a match for any student hero and can attack in unexpected ways. His shikai can form giant blades, but it can also emit a sonic attack to knock the enemy right out. And that's just the beginning.
Tosen's swordplay and speed easily put any student hero to shame. Tosen can also use a variety of kido spells, meaning he has many "Quirks" at his disposal. His bankai, meanwhile, creates a one-sided battlefield where the opponent can't even see or hear him, granting Tosen a massive advantage.
1 Captain Sajin Komamura Creates A Samurai Avatar Of Himself
Captain Sajin Komamura of squad 7 is a responsible and mature person who owes his life to Captain-General Yamamoto, and he'll face any enemy for Yamamoto's sake. Sajin is a massive and tough Soul Reaper with the head of a wolf and the soul of a true warrior.
In battle, Sajin's zanpakuto can create a titanic armored samurai avatar, and its sword can easily crush any foe Sajin may be facing. Sajin's bankai is slow, but it's an effective defense for Sajin and its attack can quickly end any battle. Not even Mt. Lady at full size could compete with that bankai.
