Sometimes, a popular ongoing anime will air while the manga is still being written. When the anime catches up to the manga, the studio will often introduce a filler arc to give the manga writer more time to progress the story. Bleach has several filler arcs, which means it has a lot of filler characters. Most of these filler characters are easily forgettable, but some really stand out with their personalities and backstories. Certain filler characters are so impactful that some fans would like it to be actually canon.

Most of these filler characters only appear in the anime, and many of them are Soul Reapers. That said, there is one Filler Hollow that really stands out, and there are three filler artificial souls that many Bleach fans love it. Some of these great filler characters only appear in Bleachanimated filmsand typically help flesh out a canon character's backstory.

10 Sojiro told Toshiro a tragic story

First appears in Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion

Sojiro was the main antagonist of Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion – a film that put a lot of focus on Squad 10’s Captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya. Sojiro met Toshiro at the Shin’o Academy and they quickly became friends. He wanted to be a loyal and successful Soul Reaper, but fate had other plans. Like Toshiro, Sojiro manifested Hyorinmaru – the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto.

Central 46 decided that two Soul Reapers could not use the same Zanpakuto, so they forced the friends to fight. Toshiro did not want to hurt his friend, but Sojiro did not hesitate to attack. He failed the test and Central 46 ordered his execution. Sojiro is revived by Oin and tries to use his power to destroy the Soul Society. Sojiro made Toshiro's story more tragic, and his final form is identical to Hyorinmaru's true Bankai spirit.

9 Kokuto is the first villain from Hell that Ichigo faced.

First appears in Bleach: The Hell Verse

It looks like Hell will be the focus of Bleachnext arc, but fans have already visited the territory once before. In Bleach: The Hell Verse Ichigo and his friends invade Hell to save his sister Yuzu. While there, they meet a man named Kokuto – who initially helps Ichigo. Kokuto is later revealed to be the true villain of the film. His goal was to escape Hell using the power of Ichigo's Hollow transformation.

Kokuto is a somewhat sympathetic character. He was only sent to Hell because he killed the individuals who killed his younger sister. His chains are eventually broken, but he is defeated by Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho. Kokuto is then dragged into the depths of Hell. If the next arc takes place in Hell, then Kokuto could easily return due to his newfound hatred for Ichigo.

8 Amagai became captain to avenge his father

First appears in episode 168, "The New Captain Appears! His Name is Shūsuke Amagai"

The military strength of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads suffered a major blow when three Captains defected at the same time. It makes sense that they would try to fill these vacancies, and for that reason, Shusuke Amagai should be appointed canon. He was appointed the new Captain of Squad 3. Amagai seemed kind, but secretly wanted to to kill Chief Captain Yamamoto. He orchestrated the entire Kasumioji Conspiracy to make this happen.

Amagai believed that Yamamoto killed his father because of the Bakkoto weapons, so he learned everything he could about them. He discovers the truth about his father's death when he is about to kill Yamamoto. His father's mind was irreparably corrupted by the Bakkoto, and Yamamoto had no choice but to kill him. Amagai takes his own life as punishment and apologizes for his actions. Like his predecessor, Amagai dedicated his entire Soul Reaper career to revenge, but his character arc ended up being better than Gin Ichimaru's.

7 All Zanpakuto souls had their own personalities.

First appears in episode 230, "A New Enemy! The Materialization of Zanpakuto"

Bleach Fans got a glimpse of Ichigo and Renji's Zanpakuto spirits very early on, but the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc brought many other canon Zanpakuto spirits to life. The arc revolves around a rogue Zanpakuto spirit named Muramasa. He uses his ability to breaking the bond between almost every Soul Reaper and their Zanpakuto.

All of the spirits have their own personalities and quirks, and some of them actually resent their Soul Reapers for not using them properly. Hyrorinmaru really stands out because he deals with amnesia and actively searches for his master. All of the spirits might as well be canon because some of them already are. Sode no Shirayuki is Rukia's Zanpakuto, and its appearance is identical to Rukia's Bankai. When Shunsui Kyoraku activates his BankaiKaten Kyokotsu's spirit interacts with him, and it is the same spirit that appears in the filler.

6 Maki respected the 10th canonical Kenpachi

First appears in episode 73, "Gathering at Fortune's Place! The Man Who Makes His Move"

Maki was once a member of Squad 11, but left the squad shortly after Kenpachi Zaraki became their new captain. He earned the title by killing Kenpachi Kiganjo—who is canonically recognized as the 10th Kenpachi. Maki respected Kiganjo, in fact he attempted to attack Zaraki after the battle was over. Some time later, Maki attempted to avenge his captain by challenging Zaraki to a duel. He suffered a humiliating defeat.

Maki left Squad 11 and Soul Society, but returned decades later with Jin Kariya and the Bount. He believed that Kariya could improve Soul Society. Maki was actually able to cut Zaraki during the second duel, but he still lost. Maki is actually a loyal and honorable man, but Kenpachi Zaraki turned him into a vengeful Soul Reaper because of his dishonorable conduct.

5 Patros wanted to rebel against Aizen

First appears in episode 136, "Hueco Mundo Civil War! Ulquiorra's Death"

It seemed that all Arrancar were loyal to Sosuke Aizen, but there were some who hated him. Baraggan was the Second Espada, and he hated Aizen for taking Hueco Mundo from him, but never acted on his hatred because he feared Aizen's strength. Patros was not part of the Espada, but was an Arracar who actively rebelled against Aizen.

Patros wanted to dethrone Aizen and steal the Hogyoku. His goal was to dominate all known kingdoms with the power of the Hogyoku. He even attacked Ulquiorra and believed he had successfully killed him. Patros was a lieutenant-level Arrancar at best, so he had no real chance against someone like Aizen, but it was still refreshing to see an Arrancar stand up to him in some way.

4 Koga is a reflection of Byakuya

First appears in episode 248, "Dragon Of Ice And Dragon Of Flame! The Strongest Showdown"

Koga was the final villain of the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc. He was once the third seat of Squad 6 and married into the Kuchiki Clan. He is actually Byakuya's uncle. Koga wielded Muramasa, a Zanpakuto that could turn other Zanpakuto against their Soul Reaper partners. Some elites feared his power, so they decided to frame him for murder. He was imprisoned, but broke free and killed the elites.

Koga decided to start his own revolt, but was sealed away by Captain Yamamoto and Ginrei Kuchiki. He is freed by Muramasa decades later, and he and Byakuya come to have one of the the best fights in Bleach. Koga is a reflection of Byakuya. Both were extremely arrogant and followed the rules to the letter. Byakuya was able to connect better with his Zanpakuto by letting go of his pride. Koga was consumed by his pride and literally threw away his Zanpakuto. If Koga were canon, Byakuya's character development would mean even more.

3 Ashido is the hero of the most well-received filler arcs

First appears in episode 147, "Forest of Menos! The Search for the Missing Rukia"

Ashido only appears in three episodes, but is without a doubt the best filler character in Bleach. The Menos Forest mini-arc takes place during the Hueco Mundo arc. Rukia becomes trapped inside the forest and is quickly surrounded by Menos-level Hollows. Fortunately, she is rescued by Ashido – a Soul Reaper who has been trapped in the forest for hundreds of years.

Ashido and his team followed a group of Hollows through a Gorge into the forest. His unit was killed by a group of Menos, and he has been killing as many Hollows as he can ever since. Ashido is a cool character who has dealt with a lot of trauma, and he willingly stayed inside the forest so that Rukia could escape. Unlike most filler characters, Ashido's addition feels natural and he added more Bleach'is the construction of the world.

2 Homura and Shizuku gave body to the character of Rukia

First appears in Bleach: Fade to Black

Bleach: Fade to Black deserves a lot of credit for creating two characters who managed to deepen Rukia's story and character. Homura and Shizuka are siblings who were raised by Rukia when they were all in the Rukon District. Rukia is the one who named them. Homura and Shizuku possessed a teleportation ability and used it to save Rukia from a parasitic Hollow. Unfortunately, the siblings and Hollow were teleported to Hueco Mundo.

This Hollow could erase memories and made Rukia forget about Homura and Shizuku. They deserve to be canons because they were Rukia's siblings before she was adopted by Byakuya. They may have been villains, but they just wanted to reconnect with Rukia. In a way, Homura and Shizuka are two of the Bleachmost tragic characters.

1 Mod Souls are more loved than Kon

First appears in episode 64, "New School Term, Renji Has Arrived in the Human World?!"

Most of Bleach fans would agree that Mod Souls were the best thing to come out of the Bount arc. Their names are Ririn, Kurodo, and Noba, and they may very well be canon since they appear at multiple points throughout the anime. They are the only filler characters who appear in multiple arcs.

They are the only filler characters to appear in an opening that covers an official movie. Bleach bow. The Mod Souls may be comical characters, but they are genuinely funny and also fight from time to time. Some Bleach fans prefer Ririn, Kurodo, and Noba over Kon – the only canon Mod Soul in the series.