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
hmmm interesting. seems like that could be true. makes sense that someone of a higher rank than Ulquiorra would’ve left with more damage done.
One interesting thing about Stark is his mask; it’s a necklace. Not sure if it’s been confirmed, but has his mask actually been completely removed? I know that it looks like a necklace, but can he actually take it off. If he can, that means that he is a completed Espada (and the only one so far); that would also mean that he is currently the top Espada. Furthermore, he seems the most human of the group. He’s calm and collected, but too lazy to really care about what’s going on behind the scenes. He’s not impulsive or reckless; if he could really take off his necklace (as guest2 suggested), then he really could fit in as a normal person. One thing that I found particularly interesting was his relationship with his subordinate; unlike all of the other Espada so far, he seems to treat his fraccion as an equal. Lilinet just refered to him as Stark; all the other fraccion so far have added -sama when addressing their Espada. Just thought it was interesting how different he already seems from most of the other Espada. If Wonderwice was able to make the ranks of the Espada, and one or two more of the current ones were removed, maybe we’d get a few new Vasto Lordes in there. Still, I hope that if Stark is infact the top Espada, that he won’t move down the ranks when new ones are added. I was thinking that maybe the weaker ones that might get kicked out, like Yammy, could still have important jobs in the future, like leading the gillian in the Winter War.
Anyways, here’s my current list:
1. Stark
2. Halibel
3. Dark Espada
4. Ulquiorra
5. Noitora
6. Grimmjow
7. Old Espada
8. Zaera-Polo
9. Arroniero
10. Yammy
I know for a fact Ulquiorra is definitely #4. It will be revealed in like the next chapter.
This is for my unfinished list and all the information is true…
4.ulquiorra schiffer
6.grimmjow jaguarjack
8.szayel aporro grantz
9.aaroniero arleri
10.yammy
unknown espada ranks:
noitora
halibel
stark
Umm… will, Ulquiorra’s rank was revealed about 10 chapters ago. And yes, your unfinished list is correct so far. Right now, there’s 5 unranked Espada. Noitora claims he’s the strongest Espada, but it seems like a bluff; firstly, the top Espada’s number wouldn’t be revealed so early on, and second, he seems like he’s trying awfully hard to prove himself. Because of these reasons, as well as personal opinion, I would safely place him at either 3rd or 5th place. The old Espada is my candidate for 7th; honestly, I feel he’s the most boring of the bunch (though I could be proven wrong when I finally see him in action), not to mention he looks very similar to Chad’s grandfather. Now, if he’s just some random old guy, I could see him near the top; but if he is infact Chad’s grandfather (and assuming Chad would be the one to have a final confrontation with him), I would assume he’d be one of the weaker ones. To me, Halibel doesn’t seem like top Espada material; maybe top 3, but not the 1st Espada. The best candidates for top Espada are Stark and the tall, dark Espada. On the one hand, the dark Espada seems very powerful and important; however, there are reasons that lead me to believe that Stark is the top Espada. I’m thinking that his removed mask (now as a necklace) means something. We don’t know if he can actually take the necklace off, and it very well may be stuck to him. What really gave it away to me was his subordinate asking if he was ok with Arroniero dying; it makes sense, really. Think about it – when someone in the Espada hierarchy dies, the top one should obviously be informed about it. The fact that Lilinet asked him if he was ok with it happening makes it seem as if he has an obligation to do something about it… you know, being the top ranked and all.
ohhhh. i c now. yea. Lilinet asks him to do something about it, as if he’s in charge to do so. but yet, he doesn’t care, so it’s confirmed that the problem is ignored. i can see the same top 3 candidates as well. i can very much be wrong, but judging from actions and impressions, Hari-bel seems to have a cool, quiet attitude. she seems like a good number 3. i still have 5 in mind, so i can place Noitora up there. Stark…we know his situation and to add about his necklace. as for the dark skinned espada, ever notice how elegant and superior he looks? he has good posture and he seems sophisticated. his robe adds to it. also notice that he has hollow jewelry. lol wat hollow wear’s jewelry? is jewelry that important to have that it shows the superiorty of your position? of course the arrancars have to have their own look, but hollow jewelry? lol it’s interesting if u think about it. it’s pretty cool. i can see him at 2.
oh yea. and for the record, (even though, you can look at it for yourself) he wears a bone ring on his left index finger, a bone ring on right thumb, a bone necklace, and a skull and crossbones earring on his left ear. i don’t know if he has another earring because they never show the right side of his face. all of his camera shots are at the left side of his face, or the front (without showing the right. lol
Honestly, I could see Noitora, Halibel, and the dark Espada at 2, 3, or 5; all of those could work out. Noitora could easily be in the top 3, but it would seem odd for someone like Ulquiorra to talk down to his superiors. In this respect, it would almost definately place the dark Espada in the top 3; the rest really hinges on where Noitora and Halibel end up. The only ones I’m confident about placing right now are Stark and the old Espada (1st and 7th). The way I saw the meeting, when Aizen told them about the intruders, the first pannel showed 7-10 underestimating them, while 2-5 (except Noitora) being more cautious. Grimmjow is obviously 6th, and Stark, who didn’t talk at all during the actual meeting, is left at 1st. The dark Espada does seem very powerful though. Hopefully, we’ll get a few more ranking revelations (as well as the last 2 names) within the next few chapters.
you’re estimation is exactly what i had guessed through the same observation. i noticed 7-10 in one panel, and 2-5 in the other. while 6 disobeys, and 1 is left without making a comment because he doesn’t care, and it doesn’t matter.
btw…assuming the old espada is 7, and assuming that Hari-bel and the others are the higher ranked
I don’t want to change the subject or anything but Tite Kubo’s really been getting me dissapointed lately. He’s left many holes in the Hueco Mundo Arc, such as where has Noitora ran off to, where’s Rukia, and what happened to Renji, Uryu, and Szayel Aporro. And one more thing, Grimmjow’s released form seriously looks gay.
I actually like Grimmjow’s release. Besides, Kubo’s probably saving all the really good releases for the Vasto Lordes. I agree about Noitora and Zaera-Polo though. It shouldn’t take Noitora that long to find whoever he was looking for… unless he already did, and it just hasn’t been shown yet. Somehow, I’m not convinced that Ichigo is the target he was looking for. As far as the Zaera-Polo fight, it’s really dragged on for far too long. If that fight continues, hopefully he’ll just release and lose quickly. I don’t really think that many of the weaker Espada have much of a role left in the story; Yammy could live, and be Ulquiorra’s fraccion, but we haven’t seen him in over 30 chapters. I’d be interested in seeing why Zaera-Polo was so afraid of Aizen in chapter 255, and what his real motivations are, but other than that, it doesn’t seem like Zaera-Polo has much left to contribute to the story. By the looks of it, Aizen seems to want an all Vasto Lorde Espada; Gin even manipulated corridors so Rukia and Renji met up with weaker Espada. To Aizen, all of this seems to be a game, Ulquiorra even said it himself. By the looks of it, Aizen doesn’t really seem to want the weaker ones kept alive; knowing him, it wouldn’t seem out of character for Aizen to have the remaining adjuchas level Espada killed off to make room for the Vasto Lordes.
from a spoiler pic that i’ve seen, it seems that we’ll get to learn a little bit more about Hari-bel. if the spoiler is true, it could be more of a way to get her into the current conflict in my opinion. my guess is that, if she starts to get involved with Renji, Ishida, or Chad, she may draw me to believe number 7 because, so far, they have introduced most of 6-10.
that means i can see the rankings like this if so:
1. Stark or Old espada
2. Noitora
3. Dark espada
4. Ulquiorra
5. Stark or Old espada
6. Grimmjow
7. Hari-bel
8. Szayelaporro
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
but now i’m thinking. in the pic, Hari-bel’s fraccion are laughing. if for some reason, Chad has to do with this and they’re laughing, i could believe that Noitora is who they’re laughing at. this would imply that they’re finding it humorous that someone had lost to Noitora which is not comparible to their “great” Hari-bel. this could be a sign of her superiorty. that would throw off my ranks a lil. lol
From what I gather, Halibel and her fraccion are watching the Ichigo vs. Grimmjow fight. It appears the fraccion are excited, though I’m still unsure whether Halibel actually says anything in this chapter. Personally, I’d place Halibel at 3rd. I can say that she’s almost definately in the top 5 though; think about it, if she was weaker than Grimmjow, she would probably look a bit more concerned about Ichigo fighting on par with someone stronger than her. I don’t think she’s the top one, but I’d place her in the top 3.
ya i just checked out a spoiler summary. it’s seems that her fraccion and she are observing ichigo. i will give her slot 5 or 3.
This Ichigo vs. Grimmjow battle is shaping up to be very interesting; I’m sure it’ll be even more awesome when it’s animated. Honestly, with all the foreshadowing (with the chapter cover showing all the dead Espada, and Grimmjow being next in line) I’m expecting Grimmjow to die. He’s one of the coolest Espada, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a role left in the story. I think it would be interesting if this arc ended with all the curent Espada ranks revealed, as well as a glimpse of the future Vasto Lorde Espada. Maybe current Espada 5 and 7 will actually do something this arc.
If Aizen’s plan is to create an all Vasto Lorde Espada, we can assume that everyone but Ulquiorra and the top 3 are expendable. One thing that always bothered me was how Wonderwice was considered an Espada by Soul Society, but this was never developed further. From the looks of it, I get the feeling that Wonderwice could be a Vasto Lorde. I think that his young age and inexperience is what’s keeping him back. Aizen probably sent him to the real world to gauge his experience level. Maybe by the time the Winter War comes, he’ll be mature enough to be placed in the new Espada. So, if we go by this logic, there should be 5 new Espada by the time of the Winter War. That way, we can have 5 familiar ones, as well as 5 more mysterious Espada that we know next to nothing about.
As far as the current Espada is concerned, remember that Vasto Lordes are the ones that have a 100% chance of looking human. Now, looking at the 5 unranked ones, Noitora and the old one seem the least human. The old one seems kind of human, but not with all those scars. Wonder how he got those… Listening to the old Espada speak, he seems very arrogant and overconfident; traits not common of Vasto Lordes. I was fascinated that Halibel seemed impressed by Ichigo’s power; how she thought he seemed too powerful. She even went as far as comparing the fight as one between Espada. This leads me to believe that Halibel is either the 3rd or 5th Espada, seeing as the top couple probably wouldn’t be that impressed.
the ranks i have predicted will finally stay as long as the nest results come. lol
i keep my guess for Hari-bel at number 5. if old man is portrayed as “king-like,” the missing ranks for me is
1. old espada
2. Stark
3. dark espada
5. Hari-bel
7. Noitora
but if he is portrayed as a shit talker who just keeps under estimating because he’s not wise, then my ranks are as follows for the missing slots:
1. Stark
2. dark espada or Noitora
3. Noitora or dark espada
5. Hari-bel
7. old espada
until the next ranking, my predictions varies.
Noitora and the old espada move around for me because either Ulquiorra talked down to him as a superior, while Hari-bel felt like she didn’t have to because she was superior, or Noitora acts like an ass to both because he’s more powerful. old espada’s crown-shaped fragment gets me. lol he can still be the weaker link that is decieving me though. he talks a lot like i said earlier.
I think the old one is 7th. He does talk alot. I just can’t see the top Espada as an overconfident shit talker. Remember how the first thing he said was how Ichigo’s team was just a bunch of kids? He went right along with 8, 9 and 10 when he underestimated them. Then he made fun of Arroniero for dying. I’m going to stick with him at 7th. Noitora and Halibel switch around from 3 and 5 for me. I could be wrong though.
As far as the others go, Stark and the dark Espada would make the best top Espada. Stark is incredibly lazy, but he can afford to be lazy if he’s at the top; no one would be able to take him down, and his job would most likely consist of keeping the others in line. On the other hand, the dark Espada seems very straight forward, and would also be good at keeping the others in line.
It’s funny; if I were to take a look at the picture of the 10 Espada, and only knew Grimmjow and Yammy’s ranks (like when the chapter came out), the dark Espada would be my first pick for 1st. Just looking at him, I can tell he’s one of the tougher ones. At first Stark didn’t stand out at all; he only told Noitora to shut up at the beginning, and I thought nothing of it. But looking back, it makes sense. Back then, Ulquiorra was nearly everyone’s pick for top Espada (and I assumed he was one of the strongest ones), but the dark one seemed the most obvious choice for 1st. It was only after Arroniero died, that Stark started to show how important he was. His subordinate even asked him if it was alright that Arroniero died; indicating that he might be in charge of keeping the others in line.
hey hey pls tell me what chapter that
stark told noitora to shutup!!!!! pls tell me!
i havent seen that chapter yet so pls!
and can some1 give me the link for the manga!
It’s in chapter 244, right before the Espada meeting in 245. I’m sure you’ll find it if you look carefully. You don’t see his face when he says it, but he’s the one wearing the gloves. It appears Noitora and Zaera-Polo were discussing the intruders, and Stark told Noitora to shut up because he was tired. A word of advise though, I’ve located one version of the translation that wrongly has Stark say that it would be fun if the intruders entered in the throne room. That translation is off, but as long as you find the one where he tells Noitora to stop talking so loudly, it’s good. And if you haven’t read 245 yet, that’s the Espada meeting where all the Espada except Stark speak.
Well personally I would rank Noitora at 7 while Halibel has a pretty secure position as the 5th Espada.
Though I always wonder why people put Noitora as the top 5 Espada when its pretty obvious from his attitude. The fact that he decided not to kill Chad because he wasn’t strong enough to prove to Aizen that he was strong enough to be Espada Uno is enough reason for him to be the seventh Espada.
Since Halibel could be 5, then the remaining top 3 positions seem to be a tie between Stark, Black dude and “King”. Stark seems to possess a certain degree of power from his reaction in that particular chapter and how Lilinette asked whether it was ok for Aaroniero to die. Therefore these are my rankings for the top 3…
1. “King”
2. Stark
3. Black guy
I get the feeling that the old man is the 7th Espada. Looking at the Espada meeting, when they were first told of the intruders, 7-10 were shown looking down on their enemies in the first panel, while the second panel showed 2-5 (excluding Noitora) being more cautious. We already know Grimmjow’s 6th, and the top Espada, Stark, was too lazy to care about what was going on. The fact that Lilinet asked if it was ok for Arroniero to die solidifies that he’s one of the most important Espada. To be honest, the old Espada appears very overconfident and doesn’t seem that interesting a character. Now, if he turns out to be Chad’s grandfather (there’s a strong resemblance, and that would help him in the character development department), I don’t think he’d be one of the tougher ones.
Noitora seems powerful, but he is more characteristic of a mid-ranked villain. Plus, from the way his conversation with Ulquiorra went, they seem closely ranked. Due to the fact that Ulquiorra doesn’t seem the type to directly insult a superior, and due to the fact that Noitora probably isn’t the brightest Espada, I would assume he’s the 5th Espada. Though he could also be 3rd, 7th still isn’t out of the question. One thing that does raise major questions is the brief fight between Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. It appears that Ulquiorra was actually afraid to fight Grimmjow. Now, I understand Ulquiorra doesn’t really seem to be a fan of fighting, and I know it’s because of Grimmjow’s irrational behavior; but if he’s afraid to fight the 6th Espada, would Ulquiorra really have the guts to directly insult Noitora if he was ranked 5th?
1. Dark Skinned with horned mohawk
2. Stark
1. Dark Skinned with horned mohawk
2. Old Man with crown
3. Halibel
4. Ulquiorra
5. Stark
6. Grimmjoww
7. Noitora
8. SZaeylzaporro
9. Aarionerrio
10.Yammy
I seriously doubt Stark is 5th… 2nd is plausible (and the tall, dark dude could work as the top one), but I personally hope he’s the top one. Out of all the unrevealed Espada, Stark seems the coolest. Plus, Lilinet asking if it was ok for Arroniero to die confirms that he’s high ranked.
Remember, the Vasto Lordes are the only ones with a 100% chance of appearing human. If Ulquiorra (the weakest Vasto Lorde in the Espada) is to be used as an example, the top 3 should be even more analytical and observant than he is. They should be level-headed and not prone to rush out into battle; they don’t have anything to prove, they know their capabilities. The Vasto Lordes (not including Ulquiorra, since he already knew the protagonists) have no connection to the main characters, and as such, have no desire to interfere with the current conflict. However, that may change if the situation calls for it.
If Ichigo ends up killing Grimmjow, Halibel might have to step in. Looking at the current Espada, and using Ulquiorra as a model Vasto Lorde, I’d say the top 3 consists of Halibel, Stark, and the dark guy. Noitora and the old guy are most likely 5th and 7th.
ulquiorra is #4 cuz his tatoo says 4
i wouldn’t put Noitora at number 7, not only because of the events that happened b4 with him and Ulquiorra, and Hari-bel. but i honestly think that he seems like a character that ichigo would have to fight. and if ichigo has to fight him, he has to be stronger than grimmjow. ichigo is always fighting a strong superior guy, or he’s fighting a blood lusting psycho. Noitora is a psycho. lol either Chad gets him back, or Ichigo will owe him.
btw, if Chad can get him back, then that takes away the whole “him having to fight Ichigo” thing.
I think Chad would be best off fighting the 7th Espada (his grandfather?). You have to wonder why all the Espada are being shown such a long time before the winter war though. It seems that the ones with the most screen time are the weaker ones that will most likely die before the current arc is over. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 5-10 replaced by the time the winter war starts. Now, if Noitora is 5th Espada and makes it to the winter war, I’d like to see him fight Zaraki; they are both similar, and would enjoy a good fight. If Zaera-Polo happens to live through this arc, I’d like to see a showdown with Mayuri. I think those would be interesting scenarios, I just don’t know if those particular arrancar will still be Espada (or even alive) by then. As far as Ichigo vs. Noitora, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’d like to see Ichigo take on the 1st Espada during the winter war. Seems that the Ichigo vs. Grimmjow battle is nearing its end, so maybe we’ll find out Halibel’s rank next chapter.
Actually I think Grimmjow is closer to Zaraki then Noitora. For one, both Grimmjow and Zaraki has had similar power battles with Ichigo.
Also I have the feeling that Noitora will survive for the winter war (or get replaced by a Vasto Lorde level Arrancar assuming he isn’t one)
Grimmjow seems more like Renji to me. Noitora even resembles Zaraki (with the eye patch and all). Noitora and Zaraki are both on the crazy side, and want to fight powerful opponents; it would be interesting to see them face off. For all we know, Noitora could be in the top 3, but we can’t know that for sure. I assumed that when Aizen said he wanted an all Vasto Lorde Espada, that 5-10 would be kicked out by the time the current arc is over. I’d be interested if Wonderwice was able to join the ranks of the Espada. Seems that we’re getting closer to the answers, with the Grimmjow fight almost finished.
Chapter 284 just proved that Grimmjow was an Adjuchas level Menos…
Wats up guys im new and i’ve been keeping up with ur convo and yea i was kinda shocked when i found out that grimmjow was adjuchas before he turned espada though he does look like a strong adjuchas
It appears that next chapter will be the conclusion of the Ichigo vs. Grimmjow fight. It appears that Grimmjow had the potential to become a Vasto Lorde, but in doing so he would have had to eat his own fraccion. Having said that, Grimmjow still seems to have a great potential for becoming a Vasto Lorde; it would be an interesting development if he survived, left the Espada, and returned during the Winter War as a Vasto Lorde. On another note, I was thinking about Aizen’s plans. Now I may be completely wrong, but what if his plan all along was for Orihime to reject the existence of the hogyoku. After all, according to Ulquiorra, this is all a game to Aizen; if it works, good, if not, just as well. Plus, Aizen seemed pretty happy after his meeting with Orihime. Knowing Aizen, and how he is always two steps ahead of the protagonists, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this was his real plan. He says he has need of her power, but we still don’t know exactly what he’s planning. Hopefully the next chapter will shed some light on the remaining Espada ranks; seems like Halibel may be next.
1.Stark- bored but may be very strong
not sure ->2.Halibel- ok…..only reason cuz she hot lol
about them ->3.Noitora- wants to be number one very badly
4. comfirmed Ulquiorra
5. Bald brotha
6. Grimmjow my theory is all the ones sitting on
7. Old guy the left side are vasto lorde on the right
8. Szayelaporro Adjuchas and 9-10 high lvl Gillian not
9. Aaroniero sure bout 5 and 7 ether so what you guys
10. Yammy think for a 14 year old lawl!!
dam it my post got screwed up srry guys reposting
1.Stark- bored but may be very strong
not sure ->2.Halibel- ok…..only reason cuz she hot lol
about them ->3.Noitora- wants to be number one very badly
4. comfirmed Ulquiorra
5. Bald brotha
6. Grimmjow
7. Old guy
8. Szayelaporro
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
my theory is all the ones sitting on the left side are vasto lorde on the right Adjuchas and 9-10 high lvl Gillian not to bad for a 14 year old lawl!
If there’s any seating order at all, you’d be correct. I’ve got to say that the big dark guy looks tougher than just 5th Espada though. Also, another way to look at it is that the first panel in the Espada meeting was 7-10 (meaning the old guy is 7th), while the second showed 2-5; everyone knows Grimmjow’s rank, and Stark was too lazy to care about the situation. He’s an interesting character, really. He seems to be the one least effected by the intruders, and has authority over the lower Espada. Also, he is different from the rest of the Espada; he is the only one without his mask remains attached to his face. His remains seem to be more like a necklace and, although we know next to nothing about him, could very well be removable. He’s the only arrancar we’ve encountered so far that didn’t have a mask directly attached to his face; this must mean something.
Even though he’s had virtually no screen time, I can deduce that Stark knows exactly what’s going on. He strikes me as the type that already knows what Aizen’s true plan is. Assuming he’s really the strongest, 1st rank would be perfect for him. After all, Aizen doesn’t want his highest ranked Espada to be reckless (ex. Grimmjow and Noitora) or just a blind follower (ex. Ulquiorra); he needs someone that, while serious about the position, is too apathetic to care about stopping Aizen’s ambitions. Aizen doesn’t have time to deal with opposition from the strongest Espada, and Stark naturally doesn’t care enough to interfere.
I don’t trust for one second that Aizen really cares about the well being of the arrancar; he uses nearly all of them like pawns just to further his schemes, even a devoted follower like Ulquiorra. I’m sure Aizen’s enjoying the current Ichigo/Grimmjow fight (and laughing at the fact that Ulquiorra was sealed by Grimmjow) right now; in fact, I’d go as far as saying that Aizen himself instigated this fight for his amusement. This whole thing is just a game to him; subordinates can be replaced. I’d imagine that the top Espada, the strongest known arrancar in all of Hueco Mundo, would be able to figure out what Aizen is really up to by now.
This is not that hard, They like writting thier numbers in hidden ways across thier face and such. I mean common if your bored and drawing pictures all day might as well bne somewhat sly.
1: Either “Old guy” or Halibel I’d say halibel cause of the solid single stripe… but id also say old guy so you have a final battle between the general and him
2: 2 stripes across forehead + wanting to be known as #1, Noitora
3: 3 scars above eyes, 3 written in beard, Black Guy with mowhawk
4: 4 Shell plates on side of head, Ulquiora
5: Either “Old guy” or Halibel (maybe old guy has 5 points but i think its 6
6: 6 teeth, Grimmjow
7: 7 resembled in his hair, Stark
8: 8 written by his glasses, Zaera
9: Aaroniero
10: Yammy
I don’t know why so many people seem to think the old guy could be 1st. I can almost guarantee you that he’s not. So he’s old, maybe he was around longer than some of the others. Maybe his crown means something, but so far he hasn’t given me any reason to believe he’s anywhere near the top of the Espada. First off, he’s full of himself; he called the intruders kids, and went out of his way to call Arroniero pathetic after he died. If you want to take this as a sign, he was the only one concerned enough about the intruders to make a comment after Arroniero died (Stark seemed the least concerned, seeing as he slept through it, and only commented about it because Lilinet woke him up). Secondly, there’s still the small chance that the old guy is really Chad’s grandfather; if this were true, I’d say that he couldn’t be stronger than 5th. Honestly, he doesn’t seem to be that interesting a character.
Of all the unranked Espada, Stark seems to have the greatest potential. One thing I’d hate to see though, is this whole Stark is number 1 thing turning out like Ulquiorra’s rank; I’m glad Ulquiorra’s ranked 4th because it would be boring if there wasn’t anyone tougher than him. Nearly everyone went along with the notion that Ulquiorra was the strongest Espada until they were proven wrong. Now, many people seem to think that Stark is the strongest; the one thing I don’t want to see is the same kind of outcome with Stark’s rank. This time, I feel that there is enough evidence to put Stark in the top 3. He is by far the most interesting unranked Espada, and it would be a shame to waste a character like that for a lower rank. If you want to know who SHOULD be in the top 3, that’s easy; just look at Ulquiorra as an example of how a Vasto Lorde would behave. Ulquiorra is a cold and calculating character; he’s serious about his job, and doesn’t underestimate anyone. He’s quiet, and thinks before he says anything, unlike the weaker ones that don’t know when to shut up. The only other Espada that share Ulquiorra’s disposition are Stark, Halibel, and the dark guy. Now, I said that these 3 deserve to be the top ones; that doesn’t mean that Kubo will actually make them the top 3 Espada, it only means that those 3 should logically be at the top.
Here’s a revised list:
1. Stark
2. Dark Espada
3. Halibel
4. Ulquiorra
5. Noitora
6. Grimmjow (Unknown, but will most likely be replaced in the future)
7. Old Espada
8. Zaera-Polo
9. Arroniero (Deceased)
10. Yammy
this is just a little prediction i made when i was looking at the pictures. i was just thinking, “what if they wanted to set an order through the arrangement of the picture.” sounds funny, but i was looking at it, and it looks good….ch. 245, when we’ve already seen that old man is part of the impatient group of espada, i looked at a number arrangement that would be cool to think about. we already know most of the ranks of the espada in this chapter on page 6….start with Yammy, who is 10 (bottom left corner). Go up to Aaroniero (top right corner). Go back to Szayelaporro (bottom right corner). then go across to the old espada (top left corner). this makes espada number 7 in this pattern…..6 is not involved….now for the important part—-> you saw the order i went from picture to picture….take that pattern to page 7, and look at the arrangement of the remaining espada….just don’t start at hari-bel this time. start at Noitora which would make this a mirror. that means the next pic ur going to from there is Ulquiorra, back down to Hari-bel, then across to the dark espada. these are all the rankings through the patterns.
7 9
10 8
pg. 6
4 2
3 5
pg. 7
if u looked at all of it correctly…these are the ranks
1. Stark (not involved)- doesn’t care
2. dark espada- hasn’t spoken
3. Hari-bel- could make sense…as she absorbed ichigo’s fight with grimmjow, she compliments ichigo’s strength.
4. Ulquiorra- Ulquiorra has claimed once that ONLY when ichigo’s reiatsu remains at its max, it is higher than his.
5. Noitora- not a bad position for him still. this is still the top 5. that means that the reactions of Hari-bel and Ulquiorra towards him make them superiors. this proves that Noitora is just envying both of them.
6. Grimmjow (not involved)
7. old espada- impatient to fight like his lower comrades
8. Szayelaporro
9. Aaroniero
10. Yammy
one little thing i just notice about my picture arrangement prediction is that when u look at each of the ranks from left to right, they’re spaced by 2.
7 9
10 8
2 is between them
4 2
3 5
2 is between them as well
Yeah, Guest2, your order is the same as mine; I noticed that when I devised that list. Now, I can’t guarantee that particular order is correct, but I believe Kubo was hinting at who was in the upper echelon, and who was in the lower one when he drew those pictures. Showing the old guy complaining along with the weakest 3 Espada makes him appear weak, while showing Ulquiorra, Halibel, and the dark guy being serious shows that they shouldn’t be underestimated.
The reason I put the dark guy above Halibel is because she was actually impressed by Ichigo; even Ulquiorra was somewhat impressed by Ichigo’s mask, but Halibel didn’t look as concerned as Ulquiorra did when he first saw it. Halibel may have been somewhat impressed by it, but I don’t think the top 2 would be affected by it at all. Keep in mind that she didn’t even flinch at 2 opponents at 6th Espada level fighting; I think this is enough to put her in the top 3.
Now, Stark could be on a totally different level, as he obviously isn’t phased at all by the intruders; plus, he’s the only arrancar we’ve seen so far that didn’t have a mask fragment directly attached to his face. I think that’s significant. If the necklace Stark wears is removable, and not actually attached to him, perhaps it’s a testament to show just how much more evolved he is than the other Espada. If not, that still doesn’t change the fact that he’s the only one that doesn’t have his mask attached to his face.
ok so here is my version of the ranking and the only ones im not sure of are 3-1 these are 70% acurate. so here they are:
10.Yammy
9.Arreniro
8.Zaerapolo
7.The eye patch and hat guy with the cresent moon sword(forgot name)
6.Grimmjow
5.The massive black guy(dont know name yet)
4.Ulquiorra
3.The lazy looking guy(he kind of reminds me Kyouraki Shunsui)
2.The SMOKIN!!!HOTT!!! arrancar girl(who needs a name when you’re that hot)
1.The old guy(dont know name yet)
PS: a little information ppl should know is that not all arrancar were Vastro Lorde. Quite frankly most of the arrancar were once Adjucha which is Gillian which gained a personality then transformed but had to eat other hollows to maintain their form.if they didnt eat they would return to the Gillian form and could never transform again. In the manga it is revealed that grimmjow was also an Adjucha and that he traveled with shawlong,nakim,edorad,Ilfort. They were all Adjucha.The only Vastro Lorde in Aizens arrancar are the old guy,ulqiorra,hot girl, and the black dude. the lazy guy im sstill skeptical about him being vastro lorde because he seems to laid back,kind and care free to be a vastro lorde. its said that vastro lorde are the toughest kind of hollow which means they would have gone through a whole lot of killing and fighting to become so strong. the lazy dude doesnt seem that enthusiastic when it come to fights. my reasoning is that going from:Hollow>Menos Grande (Gillian)>Menos Grande (Adjucha)>Vastro Lorde must be a long road filled with fighting and killing. thus only the toop 5 arrancar could have been Vastro lorde. and the idea of Ulqiorra being the strongest is utter bullsh!t. why would Aizen send his most powerful arrancar to take care of ichigo? that would mean tha arrancar themselves must suck ass. why would you send your strongest warrior to do a childs work when you could send the weaker ones to assess the situation?DUH
PS:PS: if ichigo had transformed into a hollow when he was training with uharahara they wouldnt have been able to contain him and he would have slaughtered them because his reiastu would be on par or higher than Ulquiorra. then if he went to hueco mundo he would have probably transformed into an arrancar on his own and been more powerful than aiznen’s strongest arrancar.
I really don’t think the old guy could be the top one; he’s just too cocky. I’m almost positive that Noitora and the old guy are the 5th and 7th Espada, respectively. The remaining 3 seem like they may be even more observant and analytical than Ulquiorra. I think my last post clearly conveyed my opinions on the Espada ranks, so until we get some more definitive evidence to prove otherwise, this will be my final ranking of the Espada:
1. Stark
2. Dark Espada
3. Halibel
4. Ulquiorra
5. Noitora
6. Grimmjow
7. Old Espada
8. Zaera-Polo
9. Arroniero
10. Yammy
1. Stark, DUH you can just tell!
2. Noitora, DUH he said he said he the strongest but not the number one!
3. Big Black GUY, DUH the 103 privaron is a big huge guy just like him!
4. Ulquiorra
5. Hanibel, DUH the 105 privaron is a girl so hanibel took her place!
6. Grimmjow
7. OLD GUY, DUH he’s strong but old, ove course he stronger than a brain (8)
8. Szayel Aporro
9. Arroniero, HAHA dead, WEAK!
10. Yammy, for being 10 he strong he’s out lived 9.
right now, there are a couple of spoilers out. they’re not confirmed yet, but Noitora is being referred to as “great sensei” by Grimmjow in these spoilers. where would u place him if so?
I think that’s just what the person that wrote the spoiler called Noitora. According to the spoilers, Noitora slices Grimmjow with his scythe. Seems like poor Grimmjow may have been cut in half… what a way to go. Noitora said something along the lines of “you just don’t know when to give up. This shinigami is mine.” If Grimmjow is actually dead though, we can’t discount Orihime’s abilities to bring him back (it’s possible). Now, keep in mind that Grimmjow was severely weakened at the end of the fight (so even a weaker Espada had a chance to cut him down), but I think this chapter is enough to prove without a doubt that Noitora is in the top 5.
Right now, if he’s healed, I’d say Ichigo is strong enough to fight an unreleased 5th level Espada, so maybe Noitora is weaker than Ulquiorra. At first I’d say that the top 3 consists of Stark, Halibel, and the dark Espada, but Noitora could change that. I still think Stark is stronger than Noitora, since he didn’t respond to Stark’s insult at the meeting, but it’s hard to tell how he’s ranked when we see his behavior with Halibel and Ulquiorra. I’m hoping that next chapter Nell freaks out and says something like “you’re Noitora (last name)… the (insert number) Espada!.” Maybe Halibel will crash the party and reveal her rank as well.
I can tell you now that Noitora and Halibel are pretty much confirmed to be in the top 5 (Noitora sliced Grimmjow, and Halibel didn’t flinch when watching 2 opponents at 6th Espada level fighting). I’d assume from his behavior that the old one is 7th. Alot of people that rank the old guy as 1st use his resemblance to Yamamoto and battle scars (age and experience) to justify their opinions. Remember that arrancar cannot evolve further after being bitten (hurt?) by another, so it looks as if the injuries were inflicted while he was still alive; people say that scars = experience, but the more experienced ones would most likely avoid getting injured. To add to the mystery, we still don’t know exactly how Chad’s grandfather died, so maybe the old Espada and Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa are one in the same; the scars could actually mean something afterall. I can’t say how the actual ranking will play out since all this guessing is futile, but I’m really hoping that Stark’s the top one.
Noitora likes to ruin happy times. lol Chad’s victory over Gantenbein, then Ichigo saving the day against Grimmjow. he’s good at making an entrance. neways ya lol, Noitora gives me the impression that he’s in the top 5. even though Grimmjow was weakened, and a lower espada could have takin him in that condition, i still feel that Noitora is higher. i feel an angry Ulquiorra vs Noitora fight coming. lol