Let’s have an exercise in futility: ranking the Espada. There have been many number theories and mathematical sequences generated in order to create a logical order to the ranking of the Espada but so far none have been correct. Because I’m bored, let’s talk about what you think the ranking of the Espada might be. There might be spoilers below so don’t click if you’re not caught up with the manga. I have included a picture of the infamous tea party table seating for reference (click for bigger).
Here’s my personal prediction on the ranking:
1. Ulquiorra
2. Nnoitra
3. Stark
4. Old Espada
5. Halibel
6. Grimmjow
7. Zommari
8. Szayelaporro
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
Bolded names are the confirmed rankings by manga. All the rest are based on gut feeling with no complicated number sequences or formulas, except for Noitora – I think he is #2 based on what he told Telsa. He thinks he’s the strongest Espada but yet he’s not recognised as the strongest, so this probably means he’s #2. And I think Ulquiorra is #1 because he’s so damn intelligent and analytical, and he is Aizen’s pet as well.
This is the current actual rankings as revealed by the manga, together with my new predictions:
1. Stark
2. Halibel
3. Old Espada
4. Ulquiorra
5. Nnoitra
6. Grimmjow
7. Zommari
8. Szayelaporro
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
So let me hear all your theories and predictions on the rankings of the Espada!
1940 Comments
Spoiler pictures of the 271 pages have proven it so I guess my theory is shot down as well. And it seems that everyone else who commented here was wrong too.
I guess my updated list now is:
1. Stark
2. Noitora
3. Old Espada
4. Ulquiorra
5. Brooding chick
6. Grimmjow
7. Stone-face dude with skull earrings
8. Zaelapollo
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
Yeah, I think you are right, alkanphel.
Also, I think everyone is underestimating the tall, dark Espada.
Yeah. He could also be the 1st Espada.
But somewhere they said it´is comfirmed that the black dude is the 7th Espada.
Hm… Maybe, there could be a Zero Espada. Who knows?
I think the dark dude as 7th Espada was a fake spoiler. Honestly, he seems like one of the top 3. Same goes for Stark. Noitora and the old guy could also be candidates for top 3. I think Halibel could be 5th or 7th. I knew that Ulquiorra wasn’t the top Espada; like I’ve said earlier, it would have been too predictable. I believe the candidates for first should be Stark, the dark Espada, and the Old Espada. To be honest though, I don’t really like the old one, so I hope he’s 7th. He seems somewhat intelligent (not to mention his crown shaped mask…), but he made cocky remarks about Ichigo’s team along with Arroniero and Zaera-Polo (who happened to be 9th and 8th Espada), and look where they are now; Arroniero is dead, and Zaera-Polo may also by the time his fight is over. Right now, my biggest question is where is Noitora ranked. His zanpakuto looked really badass, and he seems to think alot of himself. It’s implied that he’s probably not the 1st Espada, but I’m wondering what his rank is in comparison to Ulquiorra. He talked down to Halibel, making it appear he was higher ranked than her, but when he talked down to Ulquiorra, it seemed like Ulquiorra was just toying with him, provoking him.
The dark espada is not confirmed to be the 7th espada because, THAT same spoiler said that Ulquiorra was espada number 1. Ulquiorra is already confirmed to be espada number 4. We’ll just have to wait for the dark espada’s rank still.
So many people underestimate the dark Espada. I would assume from what we know about Ulquiorra’s personality that although he doesn’t think very much of the lower Espada (Noitora?, Grimmjow, and Yammy, though he seems to respect Yammy to a degree), he would respect those higher ranked than himself. This is what leads me to believe that the dark Espada is in the top 3, since Ulquiorra seems to respect him. And Stark just has to be in the top 3, he is just too cool a character to waste for 5th or 7th Espada. I know that’s not a validation for his ranking, but from the way he acts to the way he was able to shut Noitora up at the Espada meeting, I think it’s logical to deduce that he’s one of the top Espada. Honestly, I’m unsure of where Noitora, Halibel, and the Old Espada fit in; all of them could be candidates for 5th or 7th ranking. I hope Noitora actually does something soon; it doesn’t take that long to catch up with Ichigo or Ishida.
I think it would be pretty ironic if the old Espada was #1 so as to mirror Yamamoto in the Gotei 13
ok rankings:
1. Old Man
2. Gloved Guy
3. Halibel
4. Ulquiorra
5. Black Guy
6. Grimjow
7. Noitora
8. Zaelapollo
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT GUYS
THE LIST IS REVEALED:
1. Stark
2. Noitora
3. Black Dude
4. Ulquiorra
5. Halibel
6. Grimmjow
7. Old Espada
8. Zaeropollo
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
ANSWER REVEALED SEEMS LIKE HE’S GOT A GOOD LIST. HMMMM. I WON’T ONLY BE INDECISIVE ABOUT SWITCHING 2 AND 3, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I DO REMEMBER NOITORA MAKING A COMMENT B4 HE SAID HE WAS THE STRONGEST. THIS IS WAT HE SAYS IN THE TRANSLATION THAT I HAVE. “I HAVE NO INTEREST IN WEAKLINGS. THOUGH I DO HAVE INTEREST IN CHIH” THEN HE GETS INTERRUPTED BY TESLA. THIS MEANS HE CAN POSSIBLY 2ND BECAUSE HE IS ONLY WORRIED ABOUT 1 ABOVE HIM BY THE WAY HE TALKS. HE DIDN’T GET TO FINISH SAYING THE NAME, BUT IT’S EITHER THE LAST NAME OF AN ESPADA THAT HASN’T BEEN INTRODUCED, OR A FIRST NAME OF ONE THAT HASN’T BEEN INTRODUCED. IF THAT’S THE CASE, HALI-BEL IS ALREADY OUT, AND MAYBE STARK (THIS MIGHT BE HIS NICK NAME).
one more thing. basically (in my opinion, and if this translation is correct), any one who has Chih in the beginning of there first or last name is espada number one in this scenario because it’s Noitora’s only concern. this is my guess.
Ey, the new chapter is out now. Ichigo can’t win because Ulquiorra is too strong. Hopeless.
I think Answer Revealed has a very good list; I think I’ll have to agree with it for the moment. As for Noitora, “Chih” doesn’t have to be anyone’s name. I don’t speak any Japanese, but that translation could have simply indicated that he located someone with a high power level. It could have simply been an expression like that, as opposed to someone’s name. Though, I still want Stark to be the top Espada (he’s too cool a character to not be), the dark guy or old guy could also be top Espada.
Actually that “chih” was just an expression, like “pfft”. It wasn’t a name or anything.
Someone with an very active imagination on this Chinese forum thinks that Ulqiorra is actually no.1, but he used paint to disguise himself as no.4 as to discourage Ichigo, so that Ichigo doesn’t have to die and Orihime doesn’t have to be sad.
The Ulqiorra x Orihime relationship seems to be getting a LOT of supporters lol.
Hahaha that’s a pretty active imagination I’d say. But I’m not sure why that means Ichigo doesn’t have to die since the manga shows Ulquiorra impaling Ichigo so I”m pretty sure he wants to kill Ichigo.
dude, i wonder if the Vizards have rankings, or are they just some gang with a leader?
makes sense about the expression. but i at least know that there is enough proof about him being concerned about someone else, so in this scenario maybe he’s 2nd? i would’ve put him lower, but since my zig zag theory died, i’m looking at my old speculations.
hxecute: I doubt the Vizards have any rankings at all. Seems more like a group of friends with a mission to complete.
Remember in the Espada meeting when Aizen showed off his power, knocking Grimmjow down just with his presence. Now, this is hard to tell with the speech bubbles in the way, but it looked as if Zaera-Polo and the dark Espada were worried (it looked like the dark Espada may have even been sweating). Now, on the other side of the table, although appearing interested in what Aizen had to say, Stark and Noitora didn’t even seem to be phased at all. Ulquiorra seemed alright too, though you don’t see the reactions of the other Espada. Since Ulquiorra is a Vasto Lorde level Espada, I’d imagine that there would be a great gap in power between him and Grimmjow. I would also guess that Ulquiorra is the weakest of the current Vasto Lorde Espada. Here’s an updated guess of the rankings based on this information:
1. Stark
2. Noitora
3. Halibel
4. Ulquiorra
5. Dark Espada
6. Grimmjow
7. Old Espada
8. Zaera-Polo
9. Arroniero
10. Yammy
Man I Cant Believe Ulquiorra is only number 4!
well i guess starks is number 1
and noitora is 2
and so…
i was hoping ulquiorra would be
number 1 lol
wat i had observed at Aizen’s meeting was that it should the reactions of the first 4- old man, Aaroniero, Yammy, and Zaero-Polo. i know that they were sitting near eachother, but the point i’m making is that most of them made arrogant comments….right after that, Aizen says not to underestimate them. then it shows the other four- Ulquiorra, dark skinned espada, Hali-bel, and Noitora. their comments seem like they were taking things more seriously with the exception of Noitora. this could be a sign to show who the more superior espadas were. this gives off the impression that the other 4 are higher than the first 4 shown. Grimmjow was shown right after with his dilemna with Aizen, and we already know where he stands. As for Stark, i get the impression that he’s number 1 for every reason he has, including the small fact that he did not say a word at that part, as if they want to reveal him yet. this is wat makes me believe that old man is in the bottom half, while Hali-bel, Noitora, the dark skinned espada, and Stark are in the top half. due to all the details that u can check in Ch. 244, 245, and 269, i continue to believe that Stark is number 1, and the dark skinned espada is number 2. this leaves the old man as 7, because he continues to make cocky remarks (he can if he’s number 1, but i don’t count on it). Hali-bel would be left with the 5th rank, or 3rd rank. if her silence at the meeting towards Noitora was because she didn’t sweat him, i would place her as 3rd. if she stayed quiet because he was intimidating, then 5th. as for Noitora 3rd rank for him if he’s trying to prove himself without being delusional. (unless he’s so serious that he’d be number 2 while the dark skinned espada is 2) i can also see him 3rd if his disrespect towards Ulquiorra was because he was more superior (unless Ulquiorra knows he’s stronger than Noitora)
*correction”-”unless he’s so serious that he’d be number 2, while the dark skinned espada is 3″
I figured that the weaker members of the Espada (five adjuchas and one gillian) would have been intimidated/effected by Aizen’s display of power towards Grimmjow. Due to the fact that the dark Espada and Zaera-Polo appear nervous and negatively effected by Aizen’s power, it would be sufficient to think that they are ranked lower than the Vasto Lordes (Ulquiorra, Stark, Noitora, and Halibel). I could be wrong about Zaera-Polo and the dark Espada’s expressions toward Aizen’s power because of the speech bubbles in the way, but that’s what it looked like to me. Also, Zaera-Polo almost panicked later on when Aizen questioned him about his research. The dark Espada seemed intelligent though, and Ulquiorra seems to respect him to some degree. He doesn’t seem cocky enough for 7th place, so for now I think the dark Espada is 5th, while the old Espada is 7th. Now, for Halibel, it would be likely for the only female Espada to be ranked highly. She doesn’t seem to cut it as top Espada, but I think 3rd is extremely likely. Noitora is cocky and delusional, but lets face it; if Ulquiorra and Halibel were higher than him and he insulted them, they could easily kick his pompous ass. Noitora obviously thinks he’s superior to them by his demeanor, yet Stark was able to shut him up at the Espada meeting. Now going by this logic, I’ll reiterate my current (and probably not last) Espada ranking list:
1. Stark
2. Noitora
3. Halibel
4. Ulquiorra
5. Dark Espada
6. Grimmjow
7. Old Espada
8. Zaera-Polo
9. Aaroneiro
10. Yammy
Also, keep in mind that the Espada could change significantly soon. For all we know, Aizen could gather the Vasto Lordes and kick out the lower echelon (5th-10th) of the Espada. Ulquiorra could become the weakest member of the newly completed Espada. We also have to realize that some of the current Espada (ex. the dark and old ones) may never come into play, as they lose their ranking. Just something to keep in mind, with Aizen’s premonition of a complete, Vasto Lorde level Espada.
Could this be the true seating of the Espada?
9 – 10
3 – 7
2 – 8
1 – 5
4 – 6
Makes sense; 9th and 10th are at the end of the table, 5th through 8th on Aizen’s right, and 1st through 4th on his left.
urukiorraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ç_ç i wanted HIM as number oneeeeeee T_T
btw, now i go for:
1-Halibel (i chose her to replace ulquiorra only for… the tits XD)
2-Noitora
3-Stark
4-Ulquiorra (ç_ç)
5-the old guy (chad’s grandfather X-D)
6-Grimmjow (i think there also will be some h-doujinshi with HIM and inoue… >_>)
7-the nigga-one
8-Zaerapolo (go! go for it! beat the crap out of LoseRenji, go!!!)
9-Aaroniero (all about him sucks, his story, his death, his motherfuckin’ shikai…)
10-Yammy
Guest: That seating arrangement seems completely arbitary though. You can easily swap the places of the 1,2,3,5,7 seats and there won’t be any real difference.
I’m pretty much gunning for Stark as #1 and Noitora and #2 now which makes sense on Noitora but the #3 spot might either go to the old one or Halibel.
I figured that my seating arrangement made some sense though. 9th and 10th are at the end of the table, 5th-8th on the right side, and 1st-4th on the left. So far, it works. Plus, it has evens and odds across from each other (not that it means anything). It could easily be arbitrary, but it fits with the numbers I have already mentally assigned the remaining Espada. Look at the right side of the table: you have Grimmjow who, although completely awesome, is also completely reckless; Zaera-Polo, who is also cocky and reckless; and the old Espada, who is cocky (and will possibly be reckless in future encounters). Take a look at chapter 245 though; when Aizen shows off his power, Zaera-Polo and the dark Espada don’t look so well. Obviously, the same goes for Grimmjow. But Stark, Noitora, and Ulquiorra (the left side of the table) seem, for the most part, completely uneffected. I agree alkanphel, I hope Stark and Noitora are numbers 1 and 2, respectively. I’d say that Halibel has a better shot at #3 than the old one does. Plus, the old one seems like the most boring Espada. If he’s actually Chad’s grandfather, and Chad takes him on later (and has a shot at winning), I’d expect him to be 5th or 7th. Anyways, take it with a grain of salt, but this is my prediction for the Espada ranks.
i decided to overlook ch. 245 , but Zaera-poro’s face was covered up too much. lol when i looked at the dark espada, i just noticed his 3 marks above his eye brow. that’s part of his look. he has 3 marks above his eye on both sides, then he has 3 upside down triangles above his chin. other than that, i didn’t notice anything odd about those 2. if you look at the dark espada in every picture, he has those same marks in all of them.
I tot Grimmjow was already removed from No.6? lol
No he was reinstated when Orihime regenerated his arm and number and he obliterated Luppi right away.
272!
Well we now know that ALL Espadas have officers, if they chose to have officers.
It seems that Ulqiorra was protecting Orihime in some way, since as soon as he was gone some other Arrancar tried to kill her. And Ulqiorra didn’t outright kill Ichigo, or at least he doesn’t intend and never intended to kill Ichigo – if he wanted to kill Ichigo he would’ve finished him off instead of leaving him there (although it looks like Ichigo’s about to die anyway).
Yeah earlier on we were told that the Espada could command any of the lower arrancars but know there is actually a title (Flaccion) for those arrancars whom the Espada choose to serve them.
I don’t think those 2 arrancar brats were going to kill Orihime though. They were probably roughing her up because she’s suddenly Aizen’s new pet and they resent that.
Wonder if Ulquiorra or Yammy have officers? Hah… then again, maybe Ulquiorra chose Yammy. I would imagine if Arroniero had servants, he would have probably already eaten and absorbed them. Now that I think of it, could the five arrancar that accompanied Grimmjow for the first attack (Shawlong, Ilforte, etc.) be his Flaccion? Either way, I’m interested in what Grimmjow’s intentions are in the new chapter, as well as possible revelations of the Espada rankings.
1-Stark- 2-Old man 3-Black Dude: Because he has three triangels tatooed on his chin and everytime there is a side angle of him there are three dashes above his eye 4-Ulquiorra 5-Halibel 6-Grimmjow 7-Noitora-Envious of Ulquiorra and also wants to prove his strength to badly meaning he must be lower. 8-Polo 9-Aaroniero 10-Yammy
yes i would think so. too bad they didn’t make shawlong an espada. he would’ve been a tight espada.
0. Wondewice Margera – powerful uncontained experiment
1. Stark – calm, uninterested, most plain human looking (strongest, smartest, sensible)
2. Noitora – Starscream type second in command attitude. wanting to be the strongest but it not.
3. Mohawk Dude – seems to be very strong and intelligent. (Soundwave type)
(Done with the transformers)
4. Ulquiorra
5. Halibel
6. Grimmjow
7. Old Man
8. Zaelapollo
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
Or this one could be it too…
1. Halibel
2. Stark
3. Noitorra
4. Ulquiorra
5. Mohawk dude
6. Grimmjow
7. Old Man
8. Zaelapollo
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
I think its one of these two.
Well, so far Stark seems to be ranked higher than Noitora. Also, Noitora seems to be ranked higher than Ulquiorra and Halibel. This would lead me to believe that Stark and Noitora are in the top 3. If not Noitora, at least Stark. Stark, the dark Espada, and the old Espada seem to be the only good candidates for 1st Espada, though I’m really hoping it’s Stark. The fact that they’re the last members to be revealed by name makes me think at least one of them could be in the top 3. I’m still wondering about Grimmjow though; what is he going to do with Orihime? Is he going to use her to help him fight Ichigo, or is betrayal against Aizen his real goal right now. Personally, I’d like him to rebel against Aizen and survive. He would make a good ally in battling the new Espada during the war, albeit with his own different motivations. Not that he should become a good guy or anything, but I’d like him to act more independently from Aizen. A rematch with Ichigo would be a cool way to wrap up this arc; they fight, Grimmjow releases, Ichigo wins and spares Grimmjow, Aizen doesn’t get a chance to kill Grimmjow, Grimmjow vows to get revenge on Aizen/the Espada. I think that after his release, Zaera-Polo will be killed. Yammy will be demoted, but could possibly become Ulquiorra’s servant. Also, I’m curious if the two unrevealed Espada will ever come into play. If they’re the 5th and 7th Espada, they may be knocked entirely out of their ranks altogether. Ulquiorra could become the new 10th Espada (and if not that, one of the weaker members of the new Espada). For now, I feel that Ulquiorra, Stark, Halibel, and Noitora will survive this arc and remain in the Espada. And Noitora’s being lazy; does it seriously take 10 chapters to track someone down?
I do agree with:
!Or it could be possible to change 2 with 3 but I strongly believe Halibel is 2nd espada.This is the top 3 espada because:
1) Stark
2) Halibel(has similarities to Soifon and she is cpt of the 2nd division, though in Gotei 13 divisions number does not equal strength,but I’m pretty sure it’s like this)
3) Noitora
The rest is unimportant
a)Their the only ones that have direct subordonates(it’s a too odd for a mere conicidence)
b)They obiviously look the strongest!
Well, if you really want to rank by similarities to the 13 divisions, you should probably put the old Espada at the top. Seriously though, I really want Stark to be the top Espada. I disagree about your order for 2 and 3; Noitora is probably higher than Halibel simply for the fact that, like with Ulquiorra, he talked down to her. I know Noitora is cocky and delusional, but I would expect a higher ranked Espada to either kick his ass for those comments, or say something that would shut him up (like Stark did at the Espada meeting). Halibel, on the other hand, said nothing. I’d be surprised if Noitora was ranked lower than Ulquiorra. I don’t know just how big the gap in power is between Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, but judging from what we’ve seen of Grimmjow, Zaera-Polo, Arroniero, and Yammy’s zanpakuto’s (not that we’ve seen much of this, but we can get the general shape of their zanpakuto’s), it seems safe to infer that Noitora’s is both larger and more powerful.
Here is my list that I think is the real ranking, because it really makes sense.
1st Espada- Stark
2nd Espada- Halibel
3rd Espada- Noitora
4th Espada- Ulquiorra Schiffer
5th Espada- Tall Dark Skinned Guy
6th Espada- Grimmjow Jaggerjack
7th Espada- Old Guy
8th Espada- Zaera-Polo Grantz
9th Espada- Aaroniero Arleri(Deceased)
10th Espada- Yammy
My Reasons: First lets start with Stark, he is obviously the strongest because he’s always tired and bored, and if you were of a lower rank you wouldn’t be like that because you would always have to be alert, following orders. Also, he silenced Noitora, who is one of most the disruptive Arrancar there. After Stark comes Halibel, who is very similar to Soifon in many ways, such as the way they both wear they’re sword. Then it just makes sense to make Noitora the 3rd because of how he speaks to everyone else (including Ulquiorra). Skipping Ulquiorra, comes the big dark skinned guy. He seems pretty strong, and seems to have some authority, so he must be the 5th. Finally, skipping Grimmjow, comes the old guy. He seems confident in his ability, and he sort of looks like Captain Komamura of the 7th Division, thus making him the 7th Espada.
yo what chapter you guys talking about
that Starks told Noitora to shut up?
anyone know?!
Well, after taking the pic and writing the numbers over it…i got:
1.Halibel
2.Noitora
3.Stark
4.Ulq.
5.Black Guy
6.Grimmjow
7.Old Guy
8.Zarea-Pollo Grantz
9.The dead one…
10.Yami
no particular reason, just messed around with the picture…wrote in whats been confirmed, it kinda looked like it was going clockwise even…so then i went counterclockwise odd…but then again if you look at it, Ulq is 4, if Stark is 3, then itd be 3-4 next to each other, then we have Noitora and Halibel, 2-1, Yami and the dead guy, 9-10, old guy and the Grantz, 7-8, and Blackguy+Grimm, 5-6….honestly…it might turn out that there is no particular order with the picture at all…wouldnt we feel stupid?
O- the chapter is 244. when the espadas sit, Stark tells Noitora to be quiet because he is still sleepy. Noitora doesn’t respond. u can tell who is who if u know how each espada dresses.
oh and in case u can’t tell em apart, when Noitora sits, all u see is his pants at first with a chain, and he yells out loud.
Aeikos: The only people who would feel stupid would be the ones who insisted that there was some pattern or order to the seating arrangement that determined the Espada ranks. Personally I don’t believe there is any pattern or order so it doesn’t matter to me