Summary
WhenBleachended, a lot of fans were left disappointed because they believed they would never see the final arc in animated form, but that all changed when news broke that The Thousand-Year Blood War would be adapted. The arc debuted in October, and so far, it has exceeded expectations, and many fans were happy to seeBleach’soriginal Gotei 13Captains in action. The original Captains were on screen for barely two minutes, where they were each seen dispatching Quincies with ease.
In the manga, theoriginal Gotei 13, with the exception of Yamamoto, were nothing more but silhouettes.Bleachis known for its well-designed characters, and series creator Tite Kubo released the designs for the original Captains to celebrate the anime’s return. Their names and Squad numbers were also released, and it was clear that Kubo still has a ton of love for the franchise despite all the tiffs he had with his editors over the creative vision of his series.
Updated on May 28, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam:With Bleach having started the third cour of its Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation, fans of the hit shonen series might be wondering just how Ichigo and his friends would fare against Yhwach and his forces. However, the anime’s recent teases into the past of the Gotei 13 might make fans wonder just what the original Gotei 13 Captains were like in combat compared to their predecessors. Although the series didn’t expand much into each OG Captain’s repertoire of skills, their slight showcases may be enough to give fans a glimpse into what they can offer in the heat of battle.
13Danjiro Obana
Aizen and Hirako are the Squad 5 Captains that most fans know about, but the original Captain was a real fighter. His name was Danjiro Obana, and not much is known about his full appearance because his face is always either hidden or obscured.
What is known is that he is a tall man with brown eyes and thick eyebrows, and his hair is wavy and shaggy looking. He sports a short ponytail and long sideburns. He wears blue gauntlets on his forearms, which have gold trim. Unfortunately, these gauntlets are his most prominent feature.
Danjiro Obana: Known Abilities, Feats
As the 5th Division is not known to specialize in anything specific, it’s implied that Danjiro Obana is more of a generalist in terms of battle skill. Being able to kill several Lichtreich soldiers with just a single slash demonstrates great skill in the Shinigami swordfighting style of the Zanjutsu. Not much else is known about his battle prowess, but he should possess immense spiritual power to be considered a Captain-rank Shinigami.
12Kinroku Izuhara
Squad 3 has been led by the likes of Gin Ichimaru and Rojuro Otoribashi, but the squad’s original Captain looked very different. His name was Kinroku Izuhara, and he preferred to take out his opponents by going for their throats.
Kinroku looks like an ordinary middle-aged man with fair skin, a thin mouth, a sharp nose, prominent cheekbones, and a pronounced jawline. He also has short grey hair that is parted to the right side. The only thing that makes him stand out is the yellow lenses of his glasses.
Kinroku Izuhara: Known Abilities, Feats
Glasses-donning Kinroku constantly maintains a stern expression regardless of what he does, which makes him all the more terrifying when he’s able to kill members of the Lichtreich without so much as a blink. As the 3rd Division doesn’t have any specialized duties, it’s also safe to assume that Kinroku is a generalist in terms of combat. It should be noted that Kinroku’s dispatching of soldiers in the first Quincy invasion was done specifically via slitting the throat of multiple soldiers at immense speed, implying a keen precision in combat that is also demonstrated by his distant successor, Gin Ichimaru.
11Chigiri Shijima
When the Gotei 13 were founded, Squad 4 was not known as the Healing Corps, which came much later. The Squad’s original Captain was named Chigiri Shijima, and he was a legitimate fighter. During the Quincy’s first invasion, he removed the heads of dozens of Quincy with his sealed Zanpakuto.
In terms of appearance, not much is known about his face because it is covered by his long grey hair. He is pale-skinned, though, and he appears to have a pointed nose and eyes that are meant to strike fear.
Chigiri Shijima: Known Abilities, Feats
It’s unsurprising that Chigiri Shijima finds himself in a bloodbath during the first Quincy invasion despite being the Captain of the support-oriented 4th Division. While his position is eventually taken up by Retsu Unohana, Chigiri doesn’t seem to be a slouch himself. Compared to his fellow Captains, his demonstration of killing members of the Lichtreich is less combat and more of a massacre, seeing as he’s decapitated his foes instead of merely cutting them down.
10Furuoki Otogawa
When Furuoki Otogawa was revealed, many assumed that he was a member of the Kuchiki Clan and the original Captain of Squad 6, but he was actually the first Captain of Squad 10. He is a tall and thin man with fair skin, and he seems to always have the same passive expression, which is why he seemed like Byakuya’s ancestor.
He has long black hair, which he wore in chest-length bangs. What separates him from the rest of theoriginal Gotei 13is the straw rice hat that he sometimes wore.
Furuoki Otogawa: Known Abilities, Feats
Save for his stylish straw rice hat, Furuoki doesn’t seem to have any remarkably specific feats during his showcase in the first Quincy invasion. He’s shown to have immense Spiritual Power, and is implied to be skilled in Zanjutsu. As the 10th Division doesn’t have any special duties, it’s safe to assume that Furuoki is likely a traditional swordfighter.
9Batsunsai Katori
MostBleachfans associate Squad 8 withthe ever-so-charming Shunsui Kyoraku, but the original Captain was female. At first glance, she appears to be related to Lisa Yadomaru or Nanao Ise, but her actual name is Batsunai Katori.
She had pale skin and large eyes, which explains why she wore large thin-rimmed glasses. Her hair was black, and it was arranged into bangs in the front and a long segmented ponytail that went down her back. Batsunai looks like a nice girl, but she was actually a cold-blooded killer who would cut through enemies with her spear-like Shikai.
Batsunsai Katori: Known Abilities, Feats
Despite her meek appearance, Batsunsai Katori is quite the brutal predecessor to the otherwise chill and laid-back Shunsui Kyoraku. Beneath her braided hair and cutesy pair of glasses is a brutal combatant, possessing immense Spiritual Power and likely expertise in Zanjutsu. Interestingly enough, she’s one of the few original Gotei 13 Captains who revealed their Shikai. Although unnamed, hers takes the form of a double-edged naginata, implying some specialization in long-ranged combat. This is easily demonstrated in the fight against the Lichtreich, where Katori is seen slicing them into pieces.
8Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto
Yamamoto was the oldest of the Gotei 13 Captains when the group was first introduced, which is understandable since he founded the entire organization. He was the strongest Soul Reaper for thousands of years, andhis powerful abilities and attacksproved just how strong he was.
When he was younger, he still looked old, but he was not completely bald, and his hair was still black. He did not have his long beard either, instead, he sported a long mustache, and his eyebrows were much shorter. Yamamoto looked a lot meaner when he was younger, but his overall design made him look too ordinary.
Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto: Known Abilities, Feats
Had Yamamoto been in his prime during his fight with Yhwach, he likely would’ve been able to defeat the Quincy. As the strongest among the Gotei 13 Captains, Yamamoto vastly outranks other Captains in different areas: swordsmanship, hand-to-hand Hakuda, incantation-less Kido casting, and faster Shunpo movements. When his Zanpakuto is unleashed, Ryuji Jakka gives Yamamoto control over fire - burning even the skies and the ground with a single slash. Should Yamamoto be pushed to the extreme, his Zanka no Tachi Bankai allows his flaming sword to cut anything out of existence and even resurrect the corpses of those he’s burned to fight for him.
7Saizou Sakahone
MostBleachfans would agree that Jushiro Ukitake was a handsome individual, but the same cannot be said about his Squad 13 predecessor. Saizou Sakahone was the oldest of theoriginal Gotei 13, and it showed, as he was a gaunt man with tanned and heavily wrinkled skin.
He had a big nose, no hair, and sunken eyes, which made him look like he was already dead. He had a hunched back as well. Despite his age, Saizou was feared, and he took out a large number of Quincy during their original invasion of Soul Society.
Saizou Sakahone: Known Abilities, Feats
Despite his olden appearance, Saizou Sakahone is skilled enough to be a Captain among the Gotei 13 - this means he has great Spiritual Power and likely specializes in Zanjutsu. As 13th Division doesn’t have any specialization, it’s also implied that he’s an all-around fighter. He doesn’t have any demonstrated feats in his appearances, except only that he killed a Lichtreich soldier by stabbing his throat while surrounded by wall of flames.
6Entetsu Kumoi
Squad 9’s Captains are not known for looking scary, but the original Captain looks as though he belongs in a horror movie. His name was Entetsu Kumoi, and he was a fairly large man with no hair and olive-colored skin.
He had a scar running down his left eye, but he wore thick glasses which hid his eyes. Entetsu’s most striking feature is his golden teeth, which are on full display since he does not seem to have any lips. His Shikai also looks menacing because it takes the form of a black rod that looks eerily like a spinal cord.
Entetsu Kumoi: Known Abilities, Feats
Prior to Kaname Tosen and his eventual defection, Entetsu Kumoi held the title of Captain of the 9th Division. As a member of the 9th Division - technically Soul Society’s security force - it’s implied that Kumoi possesses vast Spiritual Power and a skillset tailored towards protecting the realm. Such a feat is demonstrated when he’s able to crush Lichtreich soldiers with his weapon, a feat that requires great strength. He’s among the few Captains of the original Gotei 13 to ever reveal their Shikai, this time in the form of a kanabo or metal club.
5Yachiru Unohana
Since she was first introduced, Unohana has been the Captain of Squad 4. She leads the healing core, and she has always appeared to be a calm, polite, and caring individual, but she is actually one of themost ruthless characters inBleach.
Her real name is Yachiru Unohana, and she was the original Captain of Squad 11. She is considered to be the worst criminal in Soul Society’s history. Originally, she wore her hair down instead of her traditional front ponytail, and she possessed a menacing and bloodthirsty look.
Yachiru Unohana: Known Abilities, Feats
Despite Unohana being known for her incredible healing prowess as the Captain of the 4th Division, her original assignment was that of being the Captian of the 11th Division - a group known for swords-only combat and their pursuit of dominating fights. The combat-oriented focus of the 11th Division makes it the strongest among the teams, with Unohana’s status as a Kenpachi revealing her own unbridled bloodlust when pushed to the edge. Alongside her Spiritual Power and skill with the sword, Unohana’s Minazuki can become a giant manta ray with a stomach acid that can heal others. Unleashing the Bankai, however, transforms the sword into liquid blood that can be reshaped into various attacks - all the while being able to heal Unohana.
4Uhin Zenjoji
Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi are two of thesmartest characters inBleach,and they were both Captain of the 12th Squad. In the beginning, though, Squad 12 was all about fighting, not science, and Uhin Zenjoji was a violent melee fighter.
He had a Zanpakuto, but he preferred to use his hands in combat. He is a large and overweight individual with a wicked and almost insane-looking smile. He had a U-shaped mark on his face, as well as small grey eyes. His hair was shaved down the middle, but he had a pair of short braids on both sides of his head.
Uhin Zenjoji: Known Abilities, Feats
As the 12th Division is known for Kisuke Urahara’s Shinigami Research and Development Institute as well as Mayuri Kurotsuchi having absolute control with his scientific experiments, it’s no surprise that its first Captain - Uhin Zenjoji - is implied to be just as eccentric as them. Known for the U-shaped mark that ran around his head, Zenjoji as a Captain is implied to have immense Spiritual Power and skill in Zanjutsu. Like his successor Mayuri, Zenjoji is just as brutal - in the first Quincy invasion, he’s seen eliminating Lichtreich soldiers not by slashing them but by grabbing them by the heads and crushing them.
