Espada Afilado

The Espada Afilado (Spanish for Ten Sharpened Blades) are the top-ranked Arrancar in Hueco Mundo that aim to restore civilization and structure in the dimension, as was claimed in the beginning years of its time. They are considered to be the most powerful Arrancar that reside in Hueco Mundo, succeeding the powers of Aizen's own Espada. Unlike the former Espada, they are not led by anyone, but share power to lead the rest of Hueco Mundo's residents.

Outline
The Espada (at least the 9 under the Primera) are selected via their killing power, skill level, and overall strength that would outstrip most, their numbers from one to ten. Their authority, after work, expands to the majority of Hueco Mundo, with each Espada assigned control over a certain part of its regions. They are also assigned a tattoo which marks their rank as well as their overall power. With their influence over the land secured, they recruit other Arrancar into their groups to serve as Números and Fracción. The usual format for membership is nine males and one female.

The Espada Afilado's strength, coinciding with the predecessors, can be compared to that of the Gotei 13's Shinigami captains. They represent the "humanoid Arrancar" theory, which states that the more human an Arrancar looks (in their released form), the more powerful they are, and the more Hollow-like an Arrancar looks, the weaker they are. Numbers 9 and 10 are the only ones who are of Lieutenant-level. Numbers 5-8 are capable of taking on the common Captain. The top 4 Espada are all classified as Vasto Lorde Arrancar, their strength well above that of Captain-level opponents. The Primera's strength makes him near-invincible, his power on par with that of the dangerous Sōsuke Aizen's.