Bleach: Aaroniero might have become the strongest Espada, and here is how

Aaroniero Arruruerie stands out as one of the most bizarre characters in Tite Kubo’s shonen Bleach. Aaroniero, the Noveno Espada in Sosuke Aizen’s army, is mostly known to fans for his battle with Rukia Kuchiki—a confrontation which forced Rukia to fight an image of her late mentor and superior, Kaien Shiba.

Aaroniero could use his Zanpakuto Glotonería to absorb the Reiatsu and signature abilities of other Hollows. By absorbing Metastacia, the Hollow who had killed Kaien Shiba and merged with him, Aaroniero gained Kaien’s powers—now imprinted within Metastacia—as well as Metastacia’s ability to fuse with others. Aaroniero used Kaien’s likeness and Zanpakuto powers to torment Rukia, but this led to his own downfall.

Instead of defeating Rukia outright, he toyed with her. This allowed Rukia to strike down Aaroniero even if he was powerful than her. Aaroniero is widely regarded to be the weakest Espada in Aizen’s ranks, but, had his own arrogance not sealed his fate, he could have exploited his Zanpakuto Glotonería to potentially rise as the strongest member of the group.

Aaroniero had the potential to rise from the weakest to the strongest Espada in Bleach, thanks to Glotonería

Who was Bleach's strongest Espada?

The Espada in the Bleach manga (Image via Shueisha)

Among the Arrancars—Hollows that removed their masks to obtain Shinigami-like powers—in Sosuke Aizen’s army, the Espada were the mightiest. Within this group, strength was ranked by number. Their hierarchy was based on a system, according to which lower-numbered Espada were meant to be stronger than those the higher-numbered ones. That said, identifying the most powerful Espada isn’t so clear-cut.

With all of the Espada being considered in their base forms, Coyote Starrk, the Primera Espada, undoubtedly stood as the strongest member of the group. Still, Yammi Llargo, who normally held the rank of Diez Espada, could ascend to become the Cero Espada when in his Resurrección, suggesting that his Reiatsu temporarily surpassed even Starrk’s when they were in their released forms.

Though powerful and durable, however, Yammi was lacking in terms of finesse and versatility. His Resurrección might have been the strongest of all Espada, but he hardly appeared to be the most effective fighter of the group. Meanwhile, the Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, had the ability to enter a further Resurrección transformation, known as Segunda Etapa.

Starrk, Ulquiorra, and Yammi (Image via Studio Pierrot)

It seems that Bleach author Tite Kubo intentionally meant for the title of the strongest Espada to be vague and left open to interpretation in order to spark debate. Three characters, namely Starrk. Yammi, and Ulquiorra, stand out with compelling arguments to hold the position.

Starrk demonstrated speed, swordsmanship, and Reiatsu, proving he was worthy of his Primera Espada status. At times, he was somewhat unimpressive, but that was due to his laziness and reluctance to fight aggressively, which sapped his drive to unleash his might in battle. Yammi’s raw power surpassed even that of Starrk, but he seemed unable to make the most of it.

Ulquiorra stood apart from the others as the only Espada with a second transformation, which granted him incredible force along with peerless regeneration. His Segunda Etapa was apparently unknown to all, and his base strength already wasn’t that far off from that of the other top Espada, so there’s no telling how he could measure to them with an additional Resurrección form to stack.

In theory, Aaroniero’s potential was unlimited

Aaroniero's true appearance (Image via Shueisha)

Regardless of who the strongest Espada was, each Arrancar in this group embodied a certain aspect of human mortality, their abilities and personalities reflecting it. As for Aaroniero Arruruerie, the form of death he represented was “Greed”, a fitting match considering that he devoured an absurd number of Hollows to claim their Reiatsu and peculiar powers as his own.

By the time of his death, Aaroniero had used his Zanpakuto Glotonería to absorb approximately 33,650 Hollows, making him the utmost embodiment of insatiable greed. This allowed him to become an Arrancar and even a member of the Espada despite starting as a Gillian, the weakest class of Menos Grande-type Hollows.

Of all the Espada, Aaroniero was the least human-like in both form and spirit. His true appearance, usually concealed beneath a deceptive facade, was grotesque, with a glass cylinder housing two small Hollow heads floating in liquid. His mind mirrored this strangeness, as he was forever bound to the instincts of Hollows.

Aaroniero as seen in the Bleach anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Born a Hollow, he remained one, retaining the primal instinct to prey on his own kind. Aaroniero’s power to absorb everything a Hollow could offer after eating their body defined his character, as his greed birthed this ability, and in turn, it deepened his greed, giving rise to a vicious cicle that propelled Aaroniero’s evolution as the Noveno Espada.

Aaroniero’s ambition to evolve stemmed from greed, yet it was gluttony that compelled him to satisfy that desire by devouring every Hollow in his path. It’s no coincidence that “greed” and “gluttony” share close meanings is likely no accident, as is that his Zanpakuto is named Glotonería.

In his base form, Aaroniero could manifest any aspect of one of the many individuals he had absorbed, including their physical appearance as well as their fighting skills. Upon entering Resurrección, he could manifest all of them at once without restriction, transforming into a multifaceted monstrous creature.

Aaroniero's Resurrección (Image via Shueisha)

While objectively weaker than the other Espada, Aaroniero had the potential to surpass all of them, at least in theory. If Aaroniero had survived the battle with Rukia, killing her instead of playing around foolishly and remained to watch the events in the shadows, he could have had the chance to devour the bodies of the Espada that died in Hueco Mundo.

Just eating Yammi would have given Aaroniero an enormous amp already, with Yammi’s unparalleled Reiatsu, plus his Resurrección ability, which allowed for further boosts. He could also benefit from Nnoitra Gilga’s tough Hierro, or Szayelaporro Granz and Zommari Rureaux’s techniques. Blending all of them into a single body—his own—Aaroniero would have been unstoppable, at least among the Espada.

Aaroniero was proud of his own ability to evolve indefinitely through devouring bodies. Driven by greed, he never stopped. Had his arrogance not led to his own death at the hands of Rukia, he would have exploited Hueco Mundo’s turmoil to increase his own power.

Aaroniero explaining his ability (Image via Shueisha)

Being able to replicate Kaien Shiba’s features and fighting abilities, down to the Shikai release of Nejibana, Kaien’s Zanpakuto, Aaroniero could potentially do the same by harnessing the power of the fallen Espada. In this hypothetical scenario, his power level would skyrocket.

With Resurrección form Yammi alone being comparable to Starrk or Segunda Etapa Ulquiorra, and the additions of other Espada for further boosts, Aaroniero would have become a force to be reckoned with. That’s not even considering that he could manifest all their powers at once when using Glotonería’s Resurrección to create a dangerous amalgamation.

Unlike the other Espada, who were Adjuchas or even Vasto Lorde, Aaroniero clawed his way up from being a lowly Gillian-class Menos. With his ability, he could rely on a theoretically unlimited potential, but arrogance and foolishness clouded his judgement. So, he died against Rukia, a foe he could have dispatched with relative ease if he didn’t indulge in tormenting her.

This fatal mistake robbed Aaroniero of the chance to feast on the corpses of his fellow Espada, which would have granted him strength beyond comprehension.

Will Aaroniero appear again in Bleach?

Aaroniero using Kaien Shiba's Nejibana (Image via Shueisha)

During their fight, Rukia was at Aaroniero’s mercy, outclassed, but the Noveno Espada made the mistake of lowering his guard, which allowed the brave Shinigami to strike his head with a sudden attack. Rukia’s technique gathered moisture from the surrounding area to create a blade of ice that pierced and then froze Aaroniero’s head.

Of the two Hollow heads in the glass capsule, one died instantly, screaming in agony, while the other was split in half shortly thereafter. This moment marked Aaroniero’s death. Since then, Aaroniero was never seen again in the Bleach manga or anime adaptation.

However, he reappeared in Imaginary Number 01 – The Unforgivens, the one-shot chapter that Tite Kubo released to promote the movie Bleach: The Hell Verse. In this special one-shot as well as in its anime adaptation Bleach episode 299, Aaroniero fell into Hell alongside Szayelaporro Granz.

After a brief altercation, the two former Espada were forced to team up as they were attacked by Taikon, Gunjo, and Garogai, the subordinates of Shuren. Aaroniero used his Resurrección, yet he and Szayelaporro were overwhelmingly defeated. Shuren and the others left them slumped over some rocks, mocking their arrogance.

Aaroniero and Szayelaporro in Hell (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The content of the movie and its tie-in are probably non-canon to Bleach’s main plot, but the recent manga chapter Bleach: NO BREATHES FROM HELL shows Szayelaporro being trapped in Hell, just like in the aforementioned one-shot. So, it’s likely that Aaroniero is stuck in Hell too. This chapter implies that Szayelaporro has become much stronger than before, so Aaroniero may have received a similar power boost.

Perhaps, Bleach is setting up Szayelaporro and Aaroniero for a rematch with Renji and Rukia, respectively. The two Shinigami are much stronger than they were before, but so are the oppponents who once struck terror into their hearts, making this face-off a fascinating hypothesis.