In this blog, I'm going to be ranking most of the Sternritter from worst to best. This is not a power ranking, but rather is about what I thought of the Quincies. I judged and ranked them based on their character development, their powers and the usage thereof, and how they interacted with the story as a whole.
I won't be including Guenael, because he's not real, nor Uryu, because he never really did anything as a part of it and was a double agent from the start.
Since this is completely opinion-based, you are welcome to critique my list and share your own favorite and least favorite Sternritter. So without further ado, let's head into the rankings!
26. Jerome Guizbatt
Jerome's power was stupid and incredibly ineffective. Plus he uncomfortably resembles a racial stereotype.
25. Berenice Gabrielli
Is that your final question?
Berenice's power had potential, but it was kind of funny how it was countered by Jerome. Another fodder Sternritter for the bottom of the list.
24. Pepe Waccabrada
This is how I show my love...I blame it on my ADD baby!
Most of the Sternritter at the bottom of the list are here because they got barely any screentime or development at all. However, Pepe is a bit of a special case because I absolutely hate his guts. He looked somewhat promising when he first arrived, carrying a threatening air to him. However, this all quickly went to pot once he revealed his ability, and even worse, his personality. His fight with Byakuya was pretty much a joke that made Byakuya worse by extension, and although I'd be pretty pissed if most characters met their end by getting punched by zombies and eaten by their own ally, but as soon as Pepe unleashed his Vollstandig, I was willing for him to disappear by any means necessary.
23. Nianzol Weizol
Senjumaru should've sewn a windbreaker
The kid was simply annoying and infuriatingly smug, especially when it came to his power. I was incredibly relieved when he got killed in possibly the best means ever in this arc.
22. Loyd Lloyd
Unlike the other two Sternfodder, Loyd actually put up a bit of a fight. Although if he can become as strong as Kenpachi, I would expect him to have given Kenpachi a tougher time than what he actually did.
21. Meninas McAllon
Meninas was just...there. She did a few cool things, like throwing a building into some fodder and punching Ichigo like a freight train (although it did nothing). However, nothing about her personality or power stood out. She was then taken over by The Love for the purpose of taking out another Sternritter and got taken out by that same Ritter offscreen, so I'm not sure if things could get any worse for her.
20. NaNaNa Najahkoop
Nanananananana BATJAHKOOP!
Somewhat like Meninas, only much uglier. Getting incinerated in the first battle, and taken down offscreen in the second, does not help anyone gain a better impression of him. He managed to gain some traction by punking Aizen of all people, even if his power was a bit convoluted. However, this was quickly erased when he got shot in the back by Bazz-B, and hopefully he's dead enough to not show up and screw up again.
19. Candice Catnipp
Like lightning in a bottle...that never emerges
Candice, overall, was kind of a mixed bag. She possessed the bravado that many female characters in Bleach lack, but this quickly reached the point where it turned incredibly annoying. It would have been cool to see a female fight on par with Ichigo, but she never really had a chance in that battle before getting taken out by entirely different people offscreen because Ichigo simply didn't have the time to deal with her.
18. Driscoll Berci
You could say his death was a bit...overkill
Driscoll's personality might be annoying to some people, and I think it helped that he was only around for a few chapters. I don't really have any reason to like or dislike Driscoll. He didn't feel overbearing to me, but his personality just made it all the more sweet when Yamamoto incinerated him.
17. Cang Du
At least he's got a Cang-Du attitude
I don't have very many memories of Cang Du, and in the end, the character was kind of...dull, quite ironic considering his power, which was also very boring. All he really did in the arc was torment Hitsugaya and happen to steal his Bankai. Nothing really improved for Cang as Hitsugaya took the advantage with his Shikai and proceeded to wreck Cang once he got his Bankai back. Probably my best memory of Cang was his upstartedness before his execution, but it wasn't enough to salvage his character.
16. Robert Accutrone
Farewell Robert, we hardly knew ye
Robert was probably one of the most mysteriously interesting Sternritter to appear, as I can ascertain by looking at Bleach wiki's history. He looked and acted very different from the Sternritter, and proved himself to be a badass when he injured Shunsui's eye. There was a lot of potential in him. Of course, he went on to get defeated offscreen, but there was still hope. His alluded age and history with the Quincy made him ripe for expansion, but that never happened. In the same chapter revealing his name and letter, he proceeded to be turned to ashes, leaving us with multitudes of unanswered questions, most importantly what his Schrift even was. It's kind of sad, looking back at him.
15. Lille Barro
Why did Lille cross the road? To get to the other suicide
Lille is the prime example of wasted potential. He's the leader of the Schutzstaffel, a cool-headed sniper with a surprisingly detailed power, and a boss all around. Had he kept this image, he would have been much higher on the list. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse during his fight with Shunsui. First he reveals his power to phase through objects with basically no barriers, which kind of soured him a bit. Then he went chicken Vollstandig and started ranting about his godhood, which completely ruined him as we know it. And Kubo simply doesn't seem to know how to stop, resulting in him currently taking the shape of several lawn ornaments. How the mighty have fallen.
14. Gremmy Thoumeaux
There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination...
I do not particularly care for Gremmy's personality, but I thought him to be an interesting character. His power was broken and led to some awkward situations, but I liked how Kubo set up Gremmy's main internal conflict: his search for something to match his almighty power. Ultimately, Gremmy was set apart by his huge power, and all he wanted was for someone to reach his level. Not a bad character arc, and much better than most others.
13. Bambietta Basterbine
Where did you come from, Dangai Joe?
Unlike the other female Sternritter, Bambietta really got to show her chops. The battle between her and Komamura was incredibly intense, and her power was used well despite not being very original. In the end, she went down in a blaze of glory, which is more than most of the other Femritter can claim. However, she did get quite annoying at times, and ultimately not much of her personality was really seen.
12. Quilge Opie
As the first Sternritter to really be shown, Quilge had a lot to show in order to get this organization on the right foot, and for the most part, he succeeded. He was quite the badass throughout Hueco Mundo, effortlessly taking out Arrancar that were once huge threats not too long ago. I also liked how he used more Quincy techniques instead of his Scrift all the time, and in the end those made him look even more dominating. He kind of lost his luster once Team Karakura arrived and immediately began overwhelming him, but I still have good memories of the guy.
11. BG9
Exterminate!
BG9 never had much personality, but since he's a robot he has an excuse that Cang doesn't have. Despite this, he proved himself to be coolly efficient, doing whatever it took to wage warfare with a large variety of weapons and even on a psychological level too! It's a shame his Schrift was never revealed, and it would have probably been better if he had been killed on the battlefield instead of humiliatingly executed for failure, but overall not bad.
10. Royd Lloyd
Never gonna give you up...never gonna let you down!
It could be viewed that Royd got the short end of the stick in terms of The Yourself; copying abilities in battle would most probably be better than just copying memories. However, Royd didn't complain and he completely knocked it out of the park where his mission was concerned. Not only did he (possibly) defeat Kenpachi, he took Yamamoto's Bankai like a man, and died for the sake of the Quincy's total victory. He wasn't with us long, but his dedication made me a fan.
9. As Nodt
As probably made the biggest impact in the First Seireitei invasion apart from Yhwach himself, as he proceeded to completely wreck Byakuya. A lot of series deal with conscious fear that must be overcome, but As takes it to a whole new level by manipulating the fear you can't control. Although his power occasionally seemed on the verge of OP, his end was chilling and fearful to match. Who wouldn't fear their entire molecular structure stopping?
8. Pernida Parnkgjas
Let's all give a big hand to Pernida
Most left hands don't have a particular sense of identity or personality, but Pernida breaks all the norms. The most mysterious of the Schutzstaffel, Pernida's power was interesting and creepy from the start, and the reveal of its real identity just made it all the more cooler. Its evolution governance was also interesting, if a bit forced, and it got the Schutzstaffel fights off on a good foot.
7. Gerard Valkyrie
Only YOU can prevent Shinigami incursions!
Gerard is probably the least developed Sternritter out of those still active, but he's already made me like him a lot. He's brutish and violent, but unlike Driscoll he manages to be humorous when doing it. He doesn't really have the best power, but it's fun to watch him comment on it, especially that time when he complained about his super strength.
6. Liltotto Lamperd
All bark and all bite
Unlike most of the other Femritter, Liltotto wasn't really there to provide "fanservice." She played a variety of roles that went well together, from comic relief to powerful threat. She was obnoxious at times, but it didn't grow overbearing like Candice. She did some disturbing stuff at times, but not to the point where it got too much. And when she ended up being one of the last survivors in the Quincy infighting and Yhwach's betrayal, it shed a bit more light on her that made her more of an interesting character. Too bad all she did afterwards was go in over her head and never make it out.
5. Giselle Gewelle
They fall in line, one at a time, ready to play...
Giselle was very off-putting at first to me, and I wasn't sure whether or not to like her. However, she proved to have a lot of staying power. She was creepy, but her shtick didn't grow old quickly, and she continued being a constant threat even when the focus was on other Sternritter. Despite not being a direct combatant, she used her power extensively and in many shocking ways, and it was because of her that the Battle of the Zombies took place, which was one of my favorite battles this arc. My only complaint is that Giselle seemed to overstay her welcome at the end, as it seemed kind of odd for her to be one helping the Shingami and confront Yhwach, only to be brutally disposed of offscreen. I would have preferred if she was taken out by her own zombies.
4. Jugram Haschwalth
So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
For the most part of the arc, Haschwalth was a stoic, maybe a little boring, guy that we knew to hold a wealth of power. He effortlessly sliced through Shinigami and most famously cut apart Ichigo's Bankai without showing any flashy Quincy techniques. There was a lot to learn about Jugram, but the reveals we've got have only made him more interesting than before. There's his childhood and friendship with Bazz, which showed the path he would tread, and now we're currently seeing him under The Almighty and how it seriously warps his personality. There's a lot more we have yet to see from Haschwalth, and I'm pretty excited for it.
3. Mask De Masculine
And his name is...
Mask is pretty much the anti-Pepe. He's a big dude with a weird costume and quite a few quirks. Unlike Pepe, however, Mask was fun. His flamboyant attitude coupled with his interesting power made him one of the highlights of this arc. And despite being comic relief a lot, Mask was also shown to be legitimately dangerous, going through several injuries in order to take out two captains. Mask was there long enough to make an impression, but he didn't overstay his welcome either, going out in a literal blaze of glory.
2. Askin Nakk Le Vaar
So, who'll deal?
The wandering interloper who rarely gets involved with things is almost always set up to become very interesting, and Askin is no exception. In the midst of all the battle-hungry Sternritter, it was interesting to see Askin's laid-back approach, and the efforts he took to avoid combat were hilarious yet also showed his true power and wit as well. His transition from lazy wanderer to suddenly deadly works out very well, and he probably has one of the most original and interesting powers out of the group. His sneak attack on Nimaiya as well as his simply venomous demeanor during his fight with Yoruichi makes him a layered Sternritter with hopefully much more to bring to the table.
1. Bazz-B
Bazz feels the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
From start to the near-finish, Bazz-B has had an impact on a great majority of the arc which few characters can rival. He entered with a bang by blowing away half of Kira's chest before proceeding to wreck Shinigami all over the place. His power was used to a large extent, and it rarely disappointed. He OFFSETTED YAMAMOTO'S FLAMES, which is a very impressive feat. During the second invasion, no Shinigami was a match for him. He managed to overpower (an admittedly weakened) Hitsugaya, he was the only Quincy to actually have a chance to land a hit on Ichigo, and he fought evenly with Renji for quite some time. He seemingly survived the Auswahlen in daylight, and unlike the other survivors, he still had a lot to bring to the table. His backstory was icing on the cake, as it built on his already intriguing personality, which was shown when he actually directly questioned Yhwach's orders. Bazz-B met a fitting end at the hands of his former friend, and unlike a majority of the Quincy, he has left me completely satisfied.