Bleach: Brave Souls celebrates 11 years with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra in a high-value Zenith Summons

Bleach: Brave Souls is marking its 11th anniversary by placing two of the Arrancar arc’s most recognizable characters at the center of a new premium banner. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques and Ulquiorra Shifar return in original 11th Anniversary versions through the 11th Anniversary Zenith Summons, which begins on July 22 at 16:00 JST.

The Summons combines new character designs with unusually strong acquisition guarantees. Every individual featured ★5 character has a 1% draw rate, producing a combined featured ★5 rate of 6%. Guaranteed ★5 steps can award either one of those featured characters or another non-featured ★5 character, while the later milestones provide more direct control over the result.

Step 20 awards an 11th Anniversary Choose a ★5 Summons Ticket containing a selected pool that includes Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Step 24 then guarantees one of the new ★5 characters and also provides a Rainbow Special Move Source.

That structure makes the banner more than an anniversary character showcase. It is a carefully staged progression in which early pulls rely on probability, Step 20 allows the player to select a target and Step 24 provides both another anniversary character opportunity and one of Brave Souls’ most versatile upgrade materials.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra give the anniversary a Hueco Mundo identity

Anniversary banners frequently focus on Ichigo, prominent Soul Reapers or original transformations connected to the protagonist’s largest battles. The 11th Anniversary Zenith Summons takes a different direction by building its principal pairing around two Espada.

Grimmjow is Arrancar number six, a violent combatant who measures himself through strength and refuses to tolerate anyone standing above him. Ulquiorra is Arrancar number four, a colder and more detached figure whose power is accompanied by an almost absolute rejection of human emotion.

They belong to the same faction, but they represent very different kinds of antagonism.

Grimmjow is impulsive, confrontational and obsessed with proving superiority through direct combat. Ulquiorra is controlled, analytical and defined by his inability to understand the human heart. One attacks because conflict gives his existence meaning. The other destroys because he considers resistance logically futile.

That contrast gives the banner a stronger thematic foundation than pairing two popular characters without a deeper connection.

Both were essential to Ichigo’s development during the Hueco Mundo storyline. Grimmjow repeatedly challenged his strength and pride, while Ulquiorra pushed him into one of the darkest and most transformative confrontations in the series.

The 11th anniversary is therefore being built around two characters who exposed different limits within Bleach’s protagonist.

Grimmjow’s anniversary version is built around unrestrained destruction

Grimmjow’s 11th Anniversary version preserves the aggressive identity that has defined almost every interpretation of the character.

His new Special Move is called Golpe Ruinoso, a name that immediately emphasizes physical devastation. “Golpe” presents the attack as a direct strike rather than an abstract spiritual technique, while “Ruinoso” suggests that the result leaves little behind.

That language fits Grimmjow more convincingly than a restrained or highly technical ability would.

Although he is capable of using Cero attacks, Sonido and sophisticated Arrancar techniques, his appeal has always centered on the sensation that every battle can collapse into a brutal contest of speed, instinct and raw force. Even when he plans an engagement, the objective is usually to create an opportunity for a decisive confrontation.

An anniversary version gives KLab the opportunity to exaggerate those qualities beyond the limitations of his standard anime appearance.

Brave Souls has repeatedly used original forms to explore characters at hypothetical levels of power, including transformations greater than conventional Resurrección. The new Grimmjow does not need to reproduce one specific scene from the source material. It can instead embody the character’s destructive instincts through a design created specifically for the game’s anniversary.

The official character showcase will be essential for determining how that concept translates into actual gameplay. Attack range, Strong Attack structure, status effects, damage modifiers and quest specialization will ultimately decide whether Grimmjow becomes a major competitive unit or primarily a collector’s target.

The visual premise, however, is already clear. This is an anniversary Grimmjow designed to look and feel like a force that has stopped accepting limits.

Ulquiorra turns the anniversary toward emptiness and finality

Ulquiorra’s new Special Move is titled Luz del Final.

The name creates a direct contrast with Grimmjow’s Golpe Ruinoso. Grimmjow’s attack is framed as a destructive blow. Ulquiorra’s is presented as the light at the end: something distant, inevitable and potentially absolute.

That distinction reflects the characters themselves.

Ulquiorra rarely expresses the same obvious pleasure in battle as Grimmjow. His violence is delivered with emotional restraint, making his strongest attacks feel less like an outburst and more like a conclusion he has already calculated.

Light is also an effective visual language for Ulquiorra. His Cero attacks, Lanza del Relámpago and other spiritual techniques already produce intense energy effects, but the word “final” gives the anniversary move a more apocalyptic meaning.

It suggests an attack that does not merely overpower an opponent but closes the encounter entirely.

Ulquiorra has also been particularly important to Brave Souls’ history of original anniversary characters. His 3rd Anniversary version was one of the game’s most memorable early original transformations, presenting a form designed under the supervision of Bleach creator Tite Kubo.

Returning to Ulquiorra for the 11th anniversary creates a connection between different periods of the game’s history. Long-term players are not only receiving another version of a popular Espada. They are seeing Brave Souls revisit one of the characters most closely associated with its ability to create original Bleach designs outside the manga and anime.

Their pairing represents two opposite answers to power

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are effective anniversary partners because both are powerful Arrancar, but they understand power differently.

Grimmjow treats strength as personal identity. If another fighter is stronger, that superiority must be challenged directly. Defeat is intolerable because it threatens his entire understanding of himself.

Ulquiorra treats strength as evidence. His power demonstrates the inevitability of the outcome, and his opponents’ emotions are meaningless unless they can alter that reality.

One character needs conflict to prove that he is king. The other considers the result predetermined.

That opposition allows the anniversary designs to share a larger visual theme without becoming interchangeable. Grimmjow can emphasize motion, impact and predatory aggression. Ulquiorra can emphasize distance, control and overwhelming spiritual force.

The two Special Move names already support that division.

Golpe Ruinoso sounds like destruction through collision. Luz del Final sounds like annihilation through inevitability.

For a game built around assembling teams from multiple versions of the same Bleach characters, that kind of distinction matters. Anniversary units need to feel like definitive interpretations rather than routine statistical upgrades.

Each new character effectively carries a 1% individual rate

The listed draw rate gives every individual featured ★5 character a 1% chance, with all featured ★5 characters combining for a 6% rate.

Because Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are both featured characters, each new anniversary unit accounts for 1% of the standard listed rate. Together, the two new characters represent a combined 2% chance on draws using those probabilities.

The remaining featured rate is distributed among the other selected ★5 characters in the banner.

This is an important distinction for players evaluating the Summons. A 6% featured rate does not mean a 6% chance of receiving Grimmjow or Ulquiorra specifically. Most of that percentage belongs to the wider featured pool.

The individual 1% rate is still comparatively transparent. Players know that neither new character has been placed at a lower probability than the other featured options.

However, probability remains probability. A player can obtain one of the anniversary characters early, receive repeated featured characters they already own or complete many pulls without seeing either new unit naturally.

The later guarantees exist to reduce that uncertainty, but they do not make every step equivalent.

Guaranteed ★5 steps do not always mean an anniversary character

The guaranteed ★5 character draws attached to selected x10 Summons steps can award either a featured ★5 character or another non-featured ★5 character.

This means the guarantee protects the player from receiving an x10 result without any ★5 character, but it does not automatically secure Grimmjow, Ulquiorra or even a character from the principal featured pool.

That distinction is easy to overlook when evaluating a stepped banner.

A guaranteed rarity is not the same as a guaranteed target. The value of those steps depends heavily on the player’s existing account and how useful the wider ★5 pool remains to them.

Newer players may benefit from almost any additional ★5 character, particularly when expanding their attribute coverage, Killer combinations, Chronicle Quest bonuses or links.

Veteran accounts are more likely to contain a substantial part of the general pool already. For those players, an off-banner guarantee may provide a duplicate rather than a meaningful new acquisition.

The two major exceptions are Steps 20 and 24, where the reward structure becomes considerably more controlled.

Step 20 allows players to secure their preferred anniversary character

Step 20 guarantees an 11th Anniversary Choose a ★5 Summons Ticket.

The ticket allows the player to select one character from a predetermined pool that includes both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Unless the final in-game conditions introduce an additional restriction, that means anyone reaching Step 20 can deliberately obtain either of the two new anniversary characters.

This is the banner’s most important protection against poor luck.

A player who reaches Step 20 without acquiring either new character can choose the one they value most. Someone who has already pulled Grimmjow can select Ulquiorra, and vice versa.

Players interested in Special Move levels can instead use the ticket to obtain a duplicate of a character they already own, provided that character remains selectable under the ticket’s rules.

The decision should therefore be delayed until the player has completed all summons they intend to perform before using the ticket.

Redeeming it immediately at Step 20 creates the possibility of selecting Grimmjow and then naturally pulling another Grimmjow on Steps 21 through 24. Waiting until the remaining planned pulls are complete provides more information and reduces the chance of an avoidable duplicate.

A duplicate is not worthless in Brave Souls, but acquiring both new anniversary characters will usually provide more account flexibility than increasing only one of them unless that unit is being developed for a very specific high-end role.

Step 24 offers another new character but not necessarily the missing one

Step 24 guarantees a new ★5 character.

With Grimmjow and Ulquiorra identified as the banner’s new characters, this milestone ensures that the final guaranteed unit comes from that anniversary pair.

It does not necessarily guarantee whichever character the player is still missing.

A player who already owns Grimmjow may receive another Grimmjow rather than Ulquiorra. Someone who used the Step 20 ticket before completing Step 24 could similarly receive a duplicate of the selected unit.

This is another reason to preserve the Choose a ★5 Summons Ticket until after Step 24 whenever possible.

The optimal sequence for players completing the full route is straightforward:

Complete Step 24, review which anniversary characters were obtained naturally and from the new-character guarantee, and then use the Step 20 selection ticket to fill the remaining gap or acquire the most valuable duplicate.

This does not change the cost of reaching the milestone, but it gives the player maximum control over the final collection.

The Rainbow Special Move Source makes Step 24 unusually valuable

Step 24 also awards a Rainbow Special Move Source.

This item can increase the Special Move level of any eligible character by one, regardless of attribute. That makes it substantially more flexible than attribute-specific Special Move Sources and considerably more valuable than a conventional power-up material.

Special Move levels are normally increased by using duplicate copies of the same character. For limited, seasonal or anniversary units, obtaining those duplicates can require returning to another banner and accepting the same uncertainty involved in the original acquisition.

A Rainbow Special Move Source bypasses that requirement.

It can be used on Grimmjow or Ulquiorra, but it does not need to be spent on either of them. Players may preserve it for another limited character whose Special Move level is more important to their account.

That flexibility is precisely why the Step 24 reward should be evaluated separately from the guaranteed new character.

Even a player who acquires both anniversary units before the final milestone may still see value in continuing because the Rainbow Special Move Source can improve a completely different unit.

The correct target will depend on the character’s role, current Special Move level and the content the account is attempting to clear. Using a universal resource immediately because it arrived alongside a new banner is not always efficient.

Duplicates remain valuable, but collection and investment are different goals

The banner’s guarantees create two possible objectives.

The first is collection: obtain one copy of Grimmjow and one copy of Ulquiorra.

The second is investment: acquire duplicates or use a Special Move Source to strengthen one specific anniversary unit.

Those goals should not be confused.

For most players, obtaining both characters provides broader value. Two new units can cover different attributes, affiliations, Killer effects or game modes, depending on their final kits. They also provide separate sources of Spirit Orbs when leveled if their character versions have not previously been completed.

A player focused on competitive optimization may prefer to strengthen only the more powerful unit.

If one anniversary character becomes a leading Guild Quest damage dealer, Brave Battle specialist or Limit Breaker option, additional Special Move levels could be more valuable than adding the second character to the collection.

That decision cannot be made responsibly from artwork or popularity alone.

The official ability previews should be reviewed before committing the Choose Ticket or Rainbow Special Move Source. The anniversary label indicates rarity and importance, but it does not guarantee that both characters will serve the same account equally well.

The official showcases are essential before spending resources

KLab has directed players to the official Brave Souls YouTube channel for complete character ability information.

Those showcases should clarify the elements that determine each unit’s real value:

• Attribute and affiliation.
• Killer effects.
• Normal and Strong Attack patterns.
• Status ailments.
• Soul Trait.
• Innate skills.
• Damage modifiers.
• Gauge or transformation mechanics.
• Team and party bonuses.
• Performance in Guild Quest, Limit Breaker Quest, Brave Battles and standard PvE content.

The Special Move animations establish the fantasy, but the passive skills and attack configuration determine whether that fantasy remains effective after the anniversary period ends.

Grimmjow may be presented as the more aggressive character without necessarily being a Normal Attack Damage unit. Ulquiorra may appear ranged and controlled without automatically becoming the stronger PvE character.

Players should therefore separate thematic expectations from confirmed mechanics.

The banner lasts for a limited period, but there is no strategic benefit in summoning before understanding what the characters actually do.

Original anniversary forms remain one of Brave Souls’ greatest strengths

Bleach: Brave Souls has remained relevant for more than a decade partly because it can provide versions of characters unavailable in conventional adaptations.

The game includes canonical forms from the manga and anime, seasonal reinterpretations, novel collaborations and original transformations created specifically for Brave Souls.

Anniversary units occupy a particularly important position within that catalogue.

They are expected to deliver more ambitious visual concepts, elaborate Special Moves and versions of familiar characters capable of representing the game itself rather than simply reproducing a scene players already know.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are ideal candidates for that treatment.

Both have recognizable silhouettes, established transformations and powers that can be expanded without losing their identities. Their Hollow masks, Resurrección imagery and contrasting personalities give the artists enough material to create something new while remaining unmistakably connected to Bleach.

The result also reinforces Brave Souls’ relationship with Hueco Mundo.

Eleven years after release, the game does not need to depend exclusively on its protagonist to define an anniversary. Its roster and history are now large enough for two former enemies to carry the celebration themselves.

Eleven years make the banner a milestone beyond its rates

Bleach: Brave Souls originally launched on July 23, 2015.

Reaching an 11th anniversary is significant for any free-to-play character-collection game. Live-service titles depend on continuous content production, technical maintenance, licensing agreements and an active community willing to remain invested across changing platforms and generations of hardware.

Brave Souls has expanded from smartphones to PC and consoles while continuing to introduce new interpretations of characters from across Bleach.

The Grimmjow and Ulquiorra banner reflects that longevity.

These are characters whose largest canonical battles were adapted many years before the game launched, yet they remain capable of leading a major anniversary campaign in 2026. Their relevance comes from the strength of the original series, but also from Brave Souls’ ability to reinterpret them repeatedly without exhausting their appeal.

The Zenith Summons is ultimately a monetized gacha event, and its guarantees should be assessed with the same caution as any other premium banner.

However, the choice of characters and the scale of the milestone give it a wider purpose. It celebrates the period when Bleach’s Arrancar became some of the franchise’s defining antagonists while acknowledging how important those characters have been throughout Brave Souls’ own history.

Two Espada are carrying Brave Souls into its twelfth year

The 11th Anniversary Zenith Summons combines a strong thematic pairing with one of the more structured anniversary acquisition routes Brave Souls has offered.

Grimmjow brings violent ambition and a Special Move built around ruinous impact. Ulquiorra brings cold finality and an attack framed as the last light an opponent will see.

Their individual featured rates provide an opportunity to acquire them naturally, but the real value lies in the later guarantees.

Step 20 gives players direct control through a Choose a ★5 Summons Ticket. Step 24 guarantees a new anniversary character and adds a Rainbow Special Move Source capable of strengthening any eligible unit.

The structure still requires careful decision-making. Guaranteed ★5 draws can produce non-featured characters, Step 24 can duplicate an anniversary unit already owned and the selection ticket is most effective when saved until all planned summons are complete.

For players willing to reach those milestones, however, the banner provides a clear route toward obtaining both headline characters without relying entirely on luck.

Bleach: Brave Souls enters its 11th anniversary with two Espada who never accepted being secondary to anyone.

Grimmjow wants to destroy everything standing above him. Ulquiorra wants to prove that resistance was meaningless from the beginning.

This time, they are not competing for Ichigo’s attention. They are competing to define the anniversary. More information here.