"Bro didn't read Bleach"- Naruto fan's biased battle IQ tier list has Kubo's fans in arms

Modified Jul 11, 2024 05:10 GMT

Bleach and Naruto fans go to war over their characters' battle IQ (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Bleach and Naruto fans are no strangers to debating each other's series online, which has been common practice since their heyday in the 2000s. However, perhaps one of the most bizarre examples happened recently on X when one fan mentioned that Sousuke Aizen and Kisuke Urahara are "kinda smart" regarding their battle IQ.

Naturally, this led to several Bleach fans reacting strongly against this claim, especially considering when said user on X mentioned that the Naruto characters were a lot smarter when it comes to battle IQ. While this is all biased analysis, it also serves as an example of how fandoms can sometimes make outrageous claims for mere clout online because the evidence of both series shows otherwise.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for both series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and the people quoted and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Naruto fans underestimate Urahara and Aizen's battle IQ and Bleach fans go to war over it

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A Naruto fan on X made a tier list of how these two series' characters stack up in terms of battle IQ, with the likes of Sousuke Aizen and Kisuke Urahara ranking at the bottom in the "Kinda smart" category. The rest of the characters were entirely from author Masashi Kishimoto's manga and were all placed above Tite Kubo's.

It is no surprise that this claim had a lot of outrage online when considering how Aizen and Urahara have shown a lot of battle IQ throughout the series. Urahara, in particular, was instrumental in teaching Ichigo Kurosaki how to use his Shinigami powers properly. He was the one who came up with the tactics to seal a Hogyoku-merged Aizen and defeated Askin Nakk Le Vaar through sheer strategies with Grimmjow.

Aizen, on the other hand, is a battle prodigy, which is shown during his fight with his former Captain, Shinji Hirako, as he quickly adapted to his senses being altered by the latter's Zanpakuto powers.

Furthermore, Aizen also planned ahead to neutralize Yamamoto from the battle in that same Fake Karakura Town arc and used Kyoka Suigetsu the moment he met Yhwach in the final arc to have the upper hand against him, even when the Quincy messiah absorbed the Soul King's powers.

Reactions online

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The reactions online were fairly predictable, all things considered, because most people who have read or seen Bleach know that Aizen and Urahara have pretty high battle IQs and are, in general, quite likely the two smartest characters in the series. This is something that puts them up there with the best Naruto can offer in terms of battle IQ.

Furthermore, some fans even pointed out that Mayuri Kurotsuchi should also be a part of this discussion, especially considering his exploits against Pernida in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Mayuri has always been known for his intelligence and his battles have also shown that he can adapt to things he didn't see coming, thus showing his combat IQ.

"Uruhara > And where’s mayuri? Read his fight against Pernida," someone said.

"I don't want to be biased Urahara is more intelligent than Itachi and show better feats in Tybw and also Myuri also more intelligent than any Naruto character. If you think I am bleach fan but I am not," another person said.

"Urahara and aizen at kinda smart is probably the worst take i’ve ever seen when they are the two smartest characters in all of the big 3," someone else said.

Some fans felt that Mayuri should have been added (Image via Studio Pierrot).

It also makes a lot of sense when considering that Mayuri, Aizen, and Urahara have been structured by Kubo as the intellectuals and strategists of the series. They are the three characters who have stood out not just because of their strength but also because they are capable of adapting and coming up with plans on the fly in Bleach.

"Forget Aizen, Urahara is easily #1 by feats and so is Mayuri Urahara’s use of gigai, seals, planning and general adaptation is second to none and whatever Mayuri does feels like an asspull because it’s so ridiculous," someone said.

"Mayuri, urahara and Aizen smarter than all Above lol" another person said.

Naturally, this is all in good fun among Naruto and Bleach fans. However, when taking into account their feats and accomplishments, Aizen and Urahara should definitely rank higher when it comes to battle IQ.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande