Gerard Valkyrie is one of the strongest and scariest members of Yhwach’s Schutzstaffel in Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War (IMDb rating as of August 21, 2026: 9.0/10). He’s the literal Heart of the Soul King, which already tells you he’s not a normal fighter. Fans watched him survive fatal hits from some of the strongest captains in Soul Society, including Byakuya, Hitsugaya, and Zaraki, and just keep getting back up.
That’s what makes his eventual death so confusing to a lot of readers. Between his weird “Miracle” power and the way his final moments actually played out in the manga, it’s easy to walk away with the wrong idea about who actually took him down. So here’s everything you need to know about how Gerard really died.
It Was Not the Soul Reapers Who Killed Gerard
Yhwach from Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War | Credit: Studio Pierrot
Gerard went through brutal fights against Byakuya, Renji, Hitsugaya, and Zaraki. However, not a single one of them was able to actually kill this man. He got cut in half, frozen solid, and even had his head blown off, but he kept regenerating every single time, thanks to his Schrift, M: The Miracle. Each resurrection felt like he was breaking the very laws of nature. However, the real reason Gerard died has nothing to do with any Soul Reaper landing a finishing blow.
As seen in Tite Kubo’s manga, it was Yhwach who actually “killed” him. Toward the end of the manga, Yhwach eventually decides he doesn’t need to rely on his Sternritters anymore. Furthermore, since nearly all of the Sternritters’ powers were originally borrowed from Yhwach through his Schrift, he simply takes his power back using Auswählen. That’s it.
Yhwach just pulls the plug on Gerard’s power, and Gerard dies instantly, stripped down to nothing but bone. That said, fans must also note that Gerard’s abilities were innate; they didn’t simply exist because of Yhwach. Those abilities were something he was born with. Yet, Yhwach granted him a Schrift (M: The Miracle) based on existing powers. Perhaps that’s why the Auswahlen affected him.
What Made Gerard So Hard to Kill in Bleach
Credit: Pierrot Films
Credit: Pierrot Films
Credit: Pierrot Films
Credit: Pierrot Films
Gerard’s durability comes from his Schrift, “M” for Miracle. Basically, every time Gerard takes serious damage, it fuels his Miracle power and lets him come back even stronger than before. If you cut him down, he would just regenerate into a bigger, tougher version of himself. This is exactly why Byakuya, Hitsugaya, and Zaraki could keep landing huge hits on him, and it barely mattered.
That said, he is not exactly totally immortal. When Zaraki, one of the most dangerous characters in Bleach, sliced Gerard clean in half, a cross briefly appeared. Destroying that cross could have potentially killed him, as confirmed by author Tite Kubo during a Q/A session on his blog, Klub Outside. The problem is nobody managed to actually pull it off in time. Whether Zaraki just wasn’t strong enough yet at that point, or the moment simply passed too fast, that opportunity slipped away.
So in the end, Gerard’s Miracle power made him nearly unkillable through normal combat, and it took Yhwach’s Auswählen or the Holy Selection to finally end him for good. Yet, with the Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War – The Calamity still ongoing, the official staff could still change the way Gerard perishes. However, it’s only a wishful hope at this point.
Did you actually like the way Gerard died? Or did you want a soul reaper to kill him? Let us know in the comments.
Bleach is available to read on VIZ Media.
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