𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭

A higher calling.

Duty.

Ambition.

Three beings stand at the top of the food chain when it comes down to IQ in the Bleach verse. Each has their own motivations and facilities for implementing their near immeasurable brain power.
And today we’ll look at what makes them tick.

Sosuke Aizen. The prodigal son of the Soul Society. His background, much like the other two in this thread is shrouded in mystery, but one thing is certain, this guy is a problem.

Aizen is undoubtedly the second smartest individual in the bleach verse. His cunning mind has..

Not only given Seireitei a run for their money, but has even been able to craft a being whose very circumstances of birth were one in a million. As Yhwach states here, the very concept of Ichigo’s being is nothing short of a myriad of miracles. All this was brought about by Aizen

Aizen’s biggest motivation in life was one thing and one thing only; to find his true place in the world. Upon his betrayal of soul society, he left them with a message:

Aizen’s aspirations as the first major antagonist of the series lead to his defeat. But prior to this, through sheer bravado and brain power alone, he was able to construct a fighting force capable of withstanding the power of a thousand year old army, and then toss them aside.

Unlike the other two on this list, Aizen’s intellect was impeded by his blind pursuit for his goal. Due to his unnaturally high reiatsu and god tier intelligence, right from his days as a soul reaper, Aizen deemed himself to be different from the rest of his society.

As noted by Gin, regardless of whatever the Captains could try against him, it just wouldn’t work. You’ve heard the story about the unstoppable force and immovable object ? Well what happens when you combine them ? You get this guy. He did not wish for power. He already had it.

What separates him from the rest was his mind. His level of thinking was on a completely different plane. He wasn’t one or two steps ahead. He had already run an entire lap. He had the main cast dancing in the palm of his hand till his final act. And even then, he did not die.

As a scientist, he sought to push the boundaries that he was locked in at birth. He knew that he was unlike the others around him, and believed himself to be destined for something much more. And upon learning the true nature of the soul king, he took the initiative.

Unfortunately for Aizen, this craving to transcend his own plane of existence was never met, due to the efforts of our prodigious MC, and the mental ingenuity of the next contender on this list..

Urahara Kisuke. The Exiled One. A pervert, shop owner, former captain, and one of the deadliest beings in a world of gods of death, this man is solely responsible for preventing the very universe from collapsing several times over. His mind is a semi quantum computer, capable..

Of crafting up a thousand different ways to engage a situation in an instant. Unlike aizen whose intellect drove him to continuously seek greater heights, Urahara’s intelligence is grounded, and therefore he is able to maximise his resources to the fullest.

In his time as a soldier under the 13 Court Guard Squads, Kisuke revolutionised the 12th Division, being the first captain to ever dedicate an entire sector of SS to the advancement of technology. In building the Shinigami Research and Development Institute (SRDI), Kisuke was..

Able to make ground breaking steps in building the advanced powerhouse that is the 12th Division today.

But even before this, Urahara was a force to be reckoned with. He was the former 3rd seat of the 2nd Division, having immense knowledge in espionage and hand to hand combat..

And was also head of the detention center lead by Yoruichi Shihouin’s Onmitsukidō. After being recommended and tested for his worth, he became captain, and his talents were brought to light immediately. But all this was shortly brought to an end..

Kisuke’s motivations unlike the other two on this list, are relatively mundane. He believes in the purpose of the gotei 13 and has a sense of duty towards the world of the living and soul society. And through every means possible, he will perform his duty to the fullest.

His true colours are finally shown to us in his battle against Askin, one of Yhwach’s royal guard. The battle is drawn out, as Askin is able to defeat not only Ichigo, but even Yoruichi. But this is all according to Kisuke’s plan .. or at least, 1/1000 of his plans.

Urahara finally shows us his maniacal side here in this bone chilling speech. One thing to note about this mans meticulousness is how he heals Askin even after his heart has been torn out of his chest. Readers might think that he did this as one of his usual quirks. But instead..

We discover it was a bluff to see if he had any final tricks up his sleeve, like say a technique that activated upon his death. And surely enough, this ended up being the case.

And just to further cement how psychotic this guy is, Nel even states it was one of five outcomes.

Urahara for all he is, is an exemplary soldier and guardian that the seireitei doesn’t deserve, but surely needs.

Unsurprisingly enough, as Aizen and Urahara were linked, Urahara is directly responsible for our final contenders existence in the story ...

Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The mad man. Mayuri is an ironic amalgamation of everything Aizen and Kisuke stand for. A sense of duty, bound by the insatiable need to be on top of the ladder.

He possesses an ironic inferiority complex to his former senior, and tends to overcompensate..

Due to this, constantly striving towards improving his craft, and testing the boundaries between science and insanity. Against Szayelaporro, Mayuri delivers one of this series best speeches, and this highlights a key feature that separates Mayuri from his seniors in this field:

Endless ambition. The desire to reach and surpass the bar set in front of him by those that came before.

As ironic as it is, Mayuri is often looked down upon by the very few people whose minds are a tad sharper than his. Aizen. Senjumaru. Even Urahara doesn’t spare him. Yet..

Mayuri possesses something that Aizen and Urahara don’t have. A bar. A reason to keep climbing. And that goes beyond his own selfish goals, as shown in one of his best fights in bleach, where he loses his most prized creation and is even mocked for it.

Yet despite all this, Mayuri is still a captain of the gotei at heart, and even though he shows his dedication in twisted ways, he always comes through for Soul Society.

His mettle is tested in particular in the TYBW, as he is the captain to take down the most sternritter.

His battle style mirrors his brazen ego, constantly changing his approach based on his opponents movements and his own, whether at the cost of modifying himself, his enemies, or his allies.

This man is a living, breathing enigma.

I can’t tell if these are getting harder to make or if my standards for their quality is just going up. Either way, had a lot of fun making this one ! Gonna take another break and hop into the next thread whenever I can.

As always, thanks for reading .

For anybody new here, the rest of my threads can be found here. Hope you enjoy reading ! https://twitter.com/slayerviole/status/1243135248919072768?s=21 https://twitter.com/slayerviole/status/1243135248919072768