the problem isn't the characters are too powerful, its that ichigo is too powerful compared to the other main characters, anything chad inoue or ishida can even begin to fight ichigo can just right out destroy. also this thread is about the manga, you know all the episodes afer the naruto, shika, neji choji mission aren't in the manga right,. anime episodes that are not from the manga are generally considered filler, and i said early that all the naruto anuime filler is god awful. Like you said ichigo is getting his butt kicked all over the place, but he's still winning and he keeps fighting stronger and stronger people, don't you find it odd he's beating people way stronger than the person he could BARELY beat like a day ago. Tough fight with ikkaku but he wins, next tough fight with renji(WAY stronger than ikkaku), he barely wins, tough fight with kenpachi(WAY WAY stronger than renji), i'll stop their because i don't know exactly where the anime is. the only character that might have been close to ichigo in power was ishida(i don't think he was because i don't think the captain he fought was particularly strong), but after the whole spirit world they find and INCREDIBLY lame way to give ishida a bunch of power.