Bleach: the scariest transformations, ranked

Summary

• Bleach excels at terrifying transformations to strike fear into opponents with upgrades.
• Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa, Kenpachi's Bankai, and Aizen's Hogyoku Fusion form embody terror
• Barragan's Resurrección, Yhwach's Soul King form, and As Nodt's Vollstandig add to the body horror of the series.

Bleach is a series that excels in its effective and disturbing use of body horror, and nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the transformations. Each time a character receives a power-up Bleachchances are they'll end up looking majestic and elegant, or downright terrifying, and it's the latter of the two that this list will focus on today.

Beyond appearance, a sudden transformation can also scare the opponent through its immense power, only increasing the fear factor. Even these types of unnerving transformations aren't regulated by villains, as there have also been plenty of heroes, including Ichigo himself, who have sported some pretty creepy looks after revealing a brand new form.

8 Second Age of Ulquiorra

Ulquiorra's second vampiric form is the embodiment of desperation

• First appearance: episode 272

It was made clear at the beginning of the Arrancar Arc that each member of Aizen's Espada possesses a power-up in the form of Resurrección that they must only unleash when absolutely necessary. However, Ulquiorra is the only exception to this trend as, after unleashing his first bat-like form, he surprises Ichigo with his Segunda Etapa, which gives the Espada an even creepier appearance.

With his hole now leaking black goo and giant black wings stretched out on each side of his body, Ichigo can't help but feel helpless at the sight of this terrifying adversary. The fact that Ulquiorra keeps a straight face adds further fear to this iconic form, making it even more chilling.

7 Kenpachi's Bankai

Kenpachi becomes a bloodthirsty brute after activating Bankai

• First appearance: chapter 669

Not all Bankai will transform the person using them, as many will instead only transform the blade itself, or create an entirely new entity, as with that of Mayuri and Komomura. Kenpachi has always been a little different, though, and only in the final chapters of the story do fans get to see his Bankai, which, while a marvel to watch in action, is also quite unnerving.

Kenpachi becomes a mindless brute in this form, with his skin turning red and covered in black markings, presenting him as an even more bloodthirsty fighter than before. His eyes turn completely white in this form, and since all he wants is a good fight, he will strike out at anyone who catches his gaze, regardless of whether they are friend or foe.

6 Aizen's fifth Hogyoku fusion form

Aizen's final Hogyoku form transforms the elegant former captain into a true monster

• First appearance: episode 309

Once Aizen becomes one with the Hogyoku, he gradually begins cycling through different forms which, for the most part, seem quite normal to him. Bleach standard. However, it is the final form in which the usually stylish and elegant Aizen becomes a true monster, with his face taking on a macabre appearance and his wings glued together while small mouths appear on the tips.

This form is obviously trying to drive home just how absurdly strong Aizen was at this point, and while it certainly succeeds in doing so, a big reason is due to how easily it instills fear in anyone who comes into contact with it. When compared to Aizen's more divine butterfly form, his “Monster Form”, as many fans have nicknamed it, is more like something from a weird horror show.

5 The Resurrection of Barragan

Barragan sheds his skin and becomes a real skeleton when he transforms

• First appearance: episode 281

Before Barrag joined Aizen's Espada army, he was once the high and powerful king of Hueco Mundo. Therefore, he already looks quite prestigious in his regular form, although no one could have expected the monstrosity he would turn into upon awakening his Resurrection.

During his fight with Soi Fon, Barragan sheds his entire skin, becoming a skeleton with a crown perched above his head and a long, flowing cloak following him from behind, reminding viewers of his royal status. Considering this form literally comes from nowhere and covers an entire two-page spread of the manga, it's a shocking image that's the stuff of nightmares.

4 Soul King form of Yhwach

Yhwach's face is absorbed into the darkness as numerous eyes appear on the surface

• First appearance: TYBW Episode 27

Yhwach, the self-proclaimed Quincy King who plays the role of the main antagonist in the final arc, receives this form after successfully absorbing the Soul King's power. Once done, Yhwach acquires a black mask covering the upper half of his face covered in disturbing glowing eyes, giving him an immense amount of power, especially when paired with the Almighty.

On the one hand, it seems that Yhwach was completely corrupted by this black slime, but in reality this was what the villain expected, who always wanted to seize such power, making him practically unstoppable. However, it's certainly a scary sight to watch and is enough to send a shiver down the spine of even the most seasoned horror fans.

3 Quilge's merger with Ayon

Quilge manages to absorb Ayon to merge with the Terrifying Hollow

• First appearance: TYBW Episode 4

This is a rather baffling form that had many fans scratching their heads when it first appeared, but it is eventually explained that Quilge had managed to use a technique called Sklaverei to absorb the energy of the Hollow, Ayon. This leads to a hideous form that blends Quilge and Ayon's features together, with Quilge's wings now inserted with googly eyes and his face appearing to be more blank than human.

To introduce the Quincy, Quilge does a truly admirable job of showing how twisted and unnerving they can be considering they possess numerous abilities similar to this one. Ichigo's Hollow form may seem a little creepy, but it's nothing compared to this appearance of Quilge.

2 Ichigo's Vasto Lorde

Ichigo's Hollow takes control of his body and transforms him into a sadistic shell of his former self

• First appearance: episode 271

The first and only time Vasto Lorde appears in the series is during Ichigo's intense battle with Ulquiorra, where he meets his end at the hands of the Espada who spends much of the fight throwing Ichigo around like a rag doll. After getting a hole in his chest that seemingly kills him, Ichigo's Hollow begins to take control of him, just as White Ichigo predicted many episodes earlier when talking about the “Horse” taking over the “King”.

The result is a frankly demonic-looking Hollow version of Ichigo, designed with a pair of ragged horns and a sadistic face that's enough to keep anyone up at night. The fact that Ichigo's Vasto Lorde form was able to easily overpower Ulquiorra and lash out at his own friend Uryu went a long way towards making this form scarier than Ichigo by a country mile.

1 Like Nodt's Vollstandig

Despite his fear of hell, as Nodt in this form appears to have crawled out of hell

• First appearance: episode 19

Since Nodt in his base form is already by far the creepiest of the Sternritter, but his Vollstandig takes him to a completely different level. Using this technique against Rukia, As grows into what can only be described as an enlarged manifestation of himself containing bloody eyes and a mouth full of fangs.

It's almost like a creature ripped from a horror manga, considering how chilling As appears in this form, and it only gets worse the longer the ability lasts. As Nodt has always been known to be a character who fears being sent to Hell, but this design makes it seem like he is a creature that crawled out of the pits of Hell itself. Fortunately, Rukia managed to remain calm and composed when facing this disturbing enemy, ending up eliminating him with her Bankai.