Summary

• Uryu Ishida is exceptionally intelligent, excelling in deduction and multiple subjects.
• Jugram Haschwalth stands out with his deduction skills and loyalty, making him a smart strategist.
• Kisuke Urahara is the smartest in Bleach, excelling in science, combat, and strategy, with unmatched intelligence.

Bleach is a series with a lot of incredibly intelligent characters running around, especially compared to many of its contemporaries. These characters might be genius scientists, brilliant tacticians, or wise old men, but no matter what they excel in, one of their key aspects is being that much smarter than everyone else in the room.

But how do these super-intelligent characters stack up against one another? While it's hard to give any definitive ranking of intelligence (with a few exceptions), these are without a doubt some of the smartest characters featured in Bleach, of both villains and heroes. To help determine the order, it makes sense to look at some accomplishments that these characters have racked up over the years using their intellect. Without further ado, here are Bleach's smartest characters.

Uryu Ishida is No Slouch When It Comes to Smarts

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 7, "Greetings from a Stuffed Lion"

Uryu is considered to be a very intelligent character, with his deductive reasoning standing out most. Uryu is skilled at a lot of school subjects and seems to have knowledge of multiple languages. Even in his first appearances in Bleach, Uryu is able to figure out not only that Ichigo is a Soul Reaper, but exactly when and how it happened, just through observation. Uryu further proved his intelligence in his battle with Mayuri, where quick thinking gave him the edge to ultimately win that battle.

In Bleach's epilogue, Uryu attends medical school and becomes a doctor, cementing him as one of the smartest human characters in the series.

Jugram Haschwalth Is Yhwach's Right-Hand Man for a Reason

First Appearance: Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, episode 2, "Foundation Stones"

Jugram Haschwalth is the second-in-command of the Quincy Wandenreich, and it's clear he's been trusted with this duty because of his intellect and loyalty. Like Uryu, Haschwalth is best at deduction, but he also has some skill at strategy, taking over the assault on Soul Society when Yhwach must rest. He's able to easily spot traps and avoid them, as he did when Captain Kyoraku and Nanao set up their barrier with an obvious weak point.

Haschwalth also becomes suspicious of Uryu rather quickly, recognizing that his role as Yhwach's successor was designed to cause unrest among the Sternritter. Haschwalth's loyalty keeps him from taking any action, however, a fact which ultimately costs him dearly.

Shunsui Kyoraku is Brilliant With People

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 24, "Assemble! The Gotei 13"

Captain of Squad 2 (and later Head-Captain), Shunsui Kyoraku is an excellent strategist who happens to have a real gift when it comes to reading people, something which Yamamoto observed in him from a young age. This makes Kyoraku incredible at reading his opponents, and left him as one of the few Soul Reapers suspicious of Aizen before the reveal of his betrayal. He has an intrinsic understanding of how various spiritual abilities work, allowing him to evaluate opponents at a glance and identify their weaknesses.

Part of Kyoraku's intelligence shows through in how he conducts himself in battle, often attempting to convince enemies to resolve things peacefully, though it rarely works. Kyoraku's Bankai ability also requires a keen mind to make the most of its complex rules, and he knows how to handle it perfectly.

Toshiro Hitsugaya is a Child Prodigy

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 24, "Assemble! The Gotei 13"

Toshiro Hitsugaya is the youngest Soul Reaper Captain ever, a title he was able to achieve thanks to his incredible intellect even at a young age. Hitsugaya is considered a prodigy, having entered the Soul Reaper Academy and graduated in just one year. He achieved Bankai at an incredible speed, something which normally takes Soul Reapers hundreds of years to obtain. Despite being fairly one-note, Hitsugaya is able to use the ice from his Zanpakuto in impressive and ingenious ways, making him an unpredictable opponent.

Hitsugaya's skill mostly lies in tactics and strategy, which is fortunate for someone so often on the front lines of battle. Hitsugaya is also a very capable leader, although he's not as skilled with people as Kyoraku is.

Gin Ichimaru is a Brilliant Wildcard

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 20, "Gin Ichimaru's Shadow"

Like Hitsugaya, Gin Ichimaru was hailed as a prodigy from a very young age, and graduated from the Soul Reaper Academy in one year, despite it normally taking six. Gin is incredibly skilled at deception, as proven by his eventual double-cross of Aizen, after getting the genius villain to reveal his weakness. One of Gin's top skills in battle is his ability to wage psychological warfare, and he's cutthroat enough that he's willing to take hostages or place innocents in danger to gain an edge.

Gin's elaborate plotting is second only to Aizen, and his dedication to achieving his goal is equally unmatched.

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is the Wisest of Soul Reapers

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 24, "Assemble! The Gotei 13"

Head Captain Yamamoto is the original leader of the Soul Reapers, having founded the organization over 2,000 years ago. As such, he has a preposterous amount of life experience to draw from, both in regard to battle and to life in general. He serves as the heaster of the Soul Reaper Academy, deg the curriculum which students must in order to the 13 Court Guard Squads. With a cunning mind despite his age, Yamamoto is able to outmaneuver opponents to such an extent that even Aizen was wary of him.

As the leader of the Soul Reapers, Yamamoto defended Soul Society with his strategies for millennia, proving the competence of his tactics.

Szayelaporro Granz is the Most Genius Arrancar

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 145, "The Espada Gather! Aizen's Royal Assembly"

The Eighth-ranked Espada, Szayelaporro, is undoubtedly the smartest of the Arrancar characters seen in the series. An unethical scientist with few limits on what he's willing to do, Szayelaporro was the brains behind the Arrancar's forces, creating new technologies and techniques for their use. By simply observing the techniques of his enemies, Szayelaporro was able to counteract and in some cases completely void their attacks, rendering foes powerless against him despite his own lack of combat skill.

Szayelaporro was smart enough to be able to manipulate and modify Hollows before turning them into Arrancar, allowing him to create some truly terrifying beings.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the Soul Society's Greatest Scientist

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 24, "Assemble! The Gotei 13"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the captain of Squad 12 and the leader of the Soul Reaper Research Institute, only the second person to hold such a title. Mayuri is incredibly intelligent, a master of the sciences as well as spiritual techniques. Mayuri spends a lot of his time modifying himself and his Zanpakuto, something only he can do, attempting to be prepared for just about anything that might happen. Unlike many of the other scientific characters, Mayuri is also extremely skilled in combat and strategy, making himself a threat like no other.

Mayuri is very proud of his intellect and flaunts it all the time, but there are still a few characters who are known to have an edge over even him.

Sosuke Aizen is Bleach's Ultimate Schemer

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 23, "14 Days Before Rukia's Execution"

As Bleach's biggest villain, Sosuke Aizen wields a formidable intellect, which allowed him (in conjunction with his Zanpakuto) to pull the wool over the eyes of almost everyone in the Soul Society for over a century. Aside from his scheming, Aizen is also an incredibly skilled scientist, having developed the techniques for Hollowification and been responsible for the creation of the Visored. Aizen is a highly skilled manipulator of people, able to bend them to his will using whatever tactics are available to him without cluing them in to his real goals.

Aizen's intelligence is very nearly unmatched in the world of Bleach, but there's one character who can even outsmart the villainous genius.

Kisuke Urahara is Unquestionably Bleach's Smartest Character

First Appearance: Bleach, episode 6, "Fight to the Death! Ichigo vs. Ichigo"

Kisuke Urahara, former Captain of Squad 12 and former leader of the Soul Reaper Research Institute, is canonically the smartest character in Bleach, with even characters like Mayuri and Aizen itting this fact. Urahara is a brilliant scientist, responsible for creating the Hogyoku and its tremendous power, as well as devising techniques to help control Hollowification and to train Soul Reapers at an accelerated rate, like Ichigo. Urahara often anticipates the direction events are heading in and will prepare contingencies in advance to help counter the enemy's movements.

Urahara was recognized as a special threat, alongside Ichigo and a handful of others, by Yhwach, who had special plans prepared for his potential intervention. Urahara's intelligence makes him proficient in not only science and strategy, but also combat techniques, ensuring that he remains, without a doubt, Bleach's smartest character.