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Tite Kubo is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He is best known for his manga series Bleach, which had over 120 million copies in circulation as of 2018. It tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki and his journey becoming a Subsite Soul Reaper (a grim reaper leading souls to the Soul Society). When the Bleach manga first debuted in August 2001 it skyrocketed in popularity, taking its spot as one of the most popular series in Weekly Shonen Jump. It took its spot amongst some of the other popular manga/anime at the time: One Piece (1997-) and Naruto (1999-2014). Fans tend to pick on Bleach for not having as strong of a plot or compelling characters compared to other Shonen Jump series.
The anime community continues to point out that Ichigo Kurosaki, was the main reason for the series negligence which led to its early cancelation in 2016. Bleach does not tell the same story as One Piece or Naruto and as such does not have the same type of protagonist as them. Ichigo is a unique protagonist due to his personality and the character development he goes through within the story. He sticks out amongst the Shonen Jump catalog where many of the protagonists feel similar to each other.
Ichigo Kurosaki
The setting of Bleach takes place in Japan, more specifically in Karakura Town. Already the series is distinguishable in setting compared to other Shonen Jump productions where they tend to have their own fictional world. Ichigo is a fifteen-year-old high school student that has to protect his town from evil spirits, known as Hollows, with the help of Rukia Kuchiki a soul reaper from the Soul Society. Ichigo keeps his alternative life hidden from his family and friends due to the danger they could be in if they find out the truth. He must try to balance both of his lives, that of a Substitute Soul Reaper and a high school student, without the two mixing.
Ichigo tries to balance the two worlds throughout the series but does not always succeed in doing so. In the anime, “Episode 142,” and in “Chapter 239” of the manga, Ichigo is confronted by his childhood friend Tatsuki Arisawa on the disappearance of their friend Orihime Inoue. She was taken by the Soul Society’s enemy called the Arrancars, a group of Hollows that have reached greater power. When confronted, Ichigo brushes Tatsuki off lying to her about his second life in hopes she does not get targeted as Orihime did. Despite lying to those he cares about, Ichigo continues to put up this act in order to protect his loved ones from knowing his secret. In “Chapter 217” of the manga, he leaves his family for a few days to control his power, despite his sister Karin and Yuzu desperately missing him. However, Ichigo left to defeat his enemies and protect those he loves.
Although Ichigo may have supernatural powers, he is still a teenager with ordinary teenage challenges. He struggles to maintain relationships and keep up with school; a relatable concept that many high schoolers or young adults struggle with. Fans of Bleach may not be Soul Reapers, but they might be balancing their academic life and career with their social life and extracurriculars. Ichigo bears very close similarities to Spider-Man where he has to balance his social life and his crime-fighting life, which he often stumbles with.
“Ichigo, like Peter Parker, is a student living in the real world. He juggles student life with whatever hobbies he has, extracurricular activities, his job, his relationships with his friends and family. All at the same time dealing with this totally separate world.”
(( DBZimran. “Dear BLEACH Haters ♥ | @Forneverworld @NewWorldReview @Trash Taste.” YouTube.com, 8 Jan. 2022. )).
He Is A Relatable Protagonist
Ichigo is a relatable high school student, and as such his personality should mirror that, which it does. He is a stubborn and short-tempered teenager, always ready to start a fight with anyone who challenges him. Ichigo has a permanent scowl on his face to show he does not want to be bothered with. Although he may sound like a tough guy, Ichigo is still very compassionate towards others, even going as far as to bring flowers to a diseased spirit in “Episode 1” of the anime. Ichigo has layers to his personality, similar to a real teenager, and is not a one-note character.
Being true to life teenager, Ichigo questions authority and everything he is told; especially in the first episode, where Rukia tells him what a Soul Reaper is. His hot-headed personality might be because of the constant bullying he has endured due to his bright orange hair. Ichigo stands out by having multiple layers to his personality as an actual person would. He mirrors what we see and encounter.
His Desire To Protect
A characteristic that people overlook is the fact that Ichigo does have a goal he industriously tries to achieve. (Compared to other Shonen Jump series he sticks out like a sore thumb due to what his goal is.) Many manga/anime series like Naruto (199- 2014) or Black Clover (2015- 2020) all have protagonists that have goals and seek recognition for their achievements like becoming the Hokage or Magic Emperor. They constantly communicate their goals to the side characters and, in turn, to the audience. Bleach does not do this. Ichigo is a relatable high school student which means that his goal has to be one that fans can relate to.
It may seem like a basic goal on the surface, but it is still a goal that is worth achieving: protecting the people he cares about. In “Episode 9” of the anime, it is known that Ichigo’s mother, Masaki Kurosaki, died trying to protect him from a Hollow at a young age. Ichigo felt guilty that he had caused the death of his mother because he was a child and thus powerless. Ichigo could not do fight the Hollow and instead of protecting others, he, himself, needed protection. This would be the point that would shape Ichigo as a character as well as form the goal that would send ripple effects throughout his arc in the series.
In Bleach‘s “Episode 1” the Kurosaki family is being attacked by a Hollow and takes Yuzu outside into the streets. As Yuzu gets crushed by the Hollow, Ichigo yells at the Hollow to let her go and quickly rushes at it with a bat, but he is no match for it. However, a Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki, tries to help the family survive the attack by defeating the Hollow. Rukia is quickly defeated, but she still has enough strength to allow Ichigo to protect his family by sharing her Soul Reaper powers with him. He accepts the opportunity to save his family and thus becomes a Soul Reaper himself. Not only is this where the plot of Bleach starts, but it is also the point where Ichigo finally has the power to protect those he cares for.
Throughout, he seeks greater power to keep those he loves from danger, an admirable goal that many can relate to. Ichigo does not need an objective like some of his manga/anime counterparts do: (( One Piece (1997-) — “Gol D. Roger.” One Piece Wiki, 2022. )). He does not need to be a Captain (a powerful Soul Reaper) or the strongest Soul Reaper because that would not fit his character arc. All he wants is to have the strength and power to protect his loved ones from danger.
Ichigo Kurosaki’s Struggles
The story of Bleach has a ton of antagonists that all want to destroy the World of the Living, also known as Earth, and the Soul Society. Characters like Yhwach and Grimmjow, fight Ichigo and teach him a lesson in combat and life. Not only does he have external conflict he also struggles with his inner emotions along with negative thoughts in the form of White Ichigo.
His Inner Conflict
Ichigo feels guilty for his mother’s death due to him being powerless at a young age. Throughout Bleach, we see how that guilt is portrayed, manifesting itself as a desire to protect. Although the desire to protect is his goal — it is also a problem. He constantly stands up to enemies stronger than him and underestimates them greatly. Even when he lost his Soul Reaper power he still wanted to protect his friends, like Uryu Ishida, who was attacked and injured by a hidden enemy during the Lost Agent Arc. It was not until the conclusive arc — Thousand Year Blood Arc — of the series, did Ichigo finally accept that his mother’s death was not his fault. He was able to come to terms with his mother’s loss when he figured his mother was a Quincy, a group similar to Soul Reapers.
These negative emotions and ideas manifest into being known as White Ichigo, a being living within Ichigo that has power similar to that of a Hollow. White is always trying to take over Ichigo’s body when he is at his weakest; for example, in “Episode 114” where Ichigo is in the middle of a fight. His mind is full of doubt and White seizes the opportunity to take over causing Ichigo to lose the battle. This happens throughout the series until the last arc where he learns to accept White and his melancholic thoughts. When this happens, White stops trying to take over Ichigo and instead becomes a partner that fights alongside Ichigo.
His External Conflict
Most of the enemies featured in Bleach‘s arc teach Ichigo a lesson. In the third arc, where the Arrancars start to invade the World of the Living, Ichigo learns that he cannot rely on his friends when facing these dangerous enemies foes. He needs to rely on his own skills and accept the power that he is ashamed of: White Ichigo.
Another battle against Sosuke Aizen, a former Soul Reaper Captain turned evil, taught him that friendship is key; without friends, people will feel isolated and cold against a world that does not understand them. By being taught these lessons from the mistakes of others, he grows as a person — understanding why people act the way that they do. This is the main reason why Ichigo is compassionate towards others, he has a way of understanding others’ emotions.
Ichigo Kurosaki’s Desire To Protect
The story of Bleach tells a story of death, loss, and growth. Most of the characters within the series all have to deal with their past in order to overcome obstacles that are presented to them either in the present or the future. Ichigo is an example of this, due to the amount of character development he goes through within the story. Ichigo Kurosaki stands out amongst the vast catalog of protagonist Shonen Jump has produced. He is a more realistic Shonen protagonist that many fans enjoy watching due to his: relatability, personality, ambition, and struggles he faces within Bleach.