The action-fantasy anime Bleach has achieved worldwide fame, ultimately becoming a permanent fixture among the shonen Big Three. The story follows Ichigo Kurosaki, an intrepid Substitute Shinigami who desires nothing more than to save his loved ones. In fact, his unofficial catchphrase is "Ore Ga Mamoru," which loosely translates to "I will protect you!"

Despite Ichigo's overwhelming power and dedication, however, even he is unable to protect every single person in his life. Not every character in Bleach needs to be saved — fans are delighted to watch Yhwach, Baraggan, Nnoitra, and Szayelaporro Granz meet their deserved doom. That said, several tragic deaths and losses occur over the course of the story.

Updated by Louis Kemner on December 15th, 2023: As a shonen action series, Bleach is liable to kill off many of its characters, heroes and villains alike, and those deaths can have a serious emotional impact to make the story more resonant. This list of the saddest Bleach deaths has been updated to adhere to CBR's current publication standards.

20 Wonderweiss Died as Sosuke Aizen's Disposable Tool

Wonderweiss' entire existence revolves around Ryujin Jakka. Aizen creates this Arrancar for the sole purpose of sealing away Yamamoto's overpowered fire, thereby weakening the Captain-Commander. Yama scolds Aizen for his egregious cruelty, citing Wonderweiss' inability to speak or even form rational thoughts.

However, this doesn't stop the old man from going all out when Wonderweiss triggers his Resurrección. Yama tanks the Arrancar's attacks and pulverizes him with a single two-fist punch. A shattered Wonderweiss falls to the ground, but his death releases all the flames stored within his body.

19 Masaki Kurosaki Was Helpless As Grand Fisher Slew Her

Masaki Kurosaki only appears in flashbacks, having died several years prior to the fondly-remembered Soul Society story arc. She was the sweetest and most doting mother Ichigo could have asked for, explaining why he's devastated by her death. While trying to protect Ichigo, Masaki is murdered on a rain-soaked riverbank by the Hollow known as Grand Fisher.

The story eventually states that Masaki was a pure-blooded Quincy and one of the strongest characters in Bleach. Grand Fisher only manages to defeat Masaki because Yhwach had stolen her powers just before the fight. Masaki's death had a serious impact on her husband and three children, with Ichigo, in particular, struggling with intense grief. It wasn't until many years later when Ichigo fully processed his grief of Masaki's death and let her memory go at last.

18 Kaien Shiba Died When Rukia Cut Him Down

Fans have noticed the visual similarities between Kaien Shiba and Ichigo Kurosaki — the only notable difference between them is their hair color. As Rukia's unofficial life coach, Kaien plays an important role in her career as a budding Shinigami. Unfortunately, Kaien meets his doom against a Hollow entity named Metastacia, who usurps both his Zanpakuto and his body.

Rukia manages to defeat and execute Metastacia, inadvertently killing her beloved mentor in the process. Kaien gratefully acknowledges Ukitake and Rukia before passing away. In the Hueco Mundo arc, the Espada Aarioniero Arruruerie attempts to distract Rukia by taking on Kaien's appearance, but this ploy doesn't work.

17 Hisana Kuchiki Died Of an Illness

The sisters Hisana and Rukia have known nothing but hardship and heartbreak for the longest time. As orphans in the Rukongai's impoverished districts, they do everything possible to survive their spiritual nightmare. In a fit of desperation, Hisana abandons Rukia and marries into the Kuchiki family.

Although Byakuya breaks protocol, he takes great comfort from Hisana's presence until she dies of an illness five years after their marriage. Byakuya takes his wife's untimely death pretty hard, but at least he honors her last wish by accepting Rukia as his younger sister. Unfortunately, Byakuya decided that he needed to stop breaking soul society tradition for the sake of his late wife and foster sister, so he decided to uphold the law no matter what -- even if it meant condemning Rukia to death as a criminal. That's not what Hisana would have wanted for her beloved baby sister.

16 Captain Sajin Komamura's Life as a Canine Captain Ended on the Battlefield