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Orihime Inoue (bleach)

Orihime Inoue

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Orihime Inoue
Bleach character

Orihime Inoue by Tite Kubo
First appearance Chapter 2 (manga)
Episode 2 (anime)
Created by Tite Kubo
Voiced by Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese)
Stephanie Sheh (English)
Profile
Gender Female
Species Human
Date of birth September 3[1]
Occupation High school student
Known relatives Sora Inoue (brother, deceased)
Weapon Shun Shun Rikka

Orihime Inoue (井上 織姫 Inoue Orihime?) is a fictional character and major figure in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. She is a classmate and friend of Ichigo Kurosaki, the main character of the series. Like many other friends of Ichigo, she quickly develops spiritual powers of her own after Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper.[2] Her given name is taken from a Japanese legend that the festival Tanabata is based on. On a chapter cover in Volume 1 of the manga, the word Vega, a star that symbolizes Orihime, the weaver princess from the Tanabata legend, is printed to show the connection. She ranked 8th in the most recent Shonen Jump poll, surpassing Izuru Kira by 123 votes.[3]

Contents

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[edit] Character outline

Orihime Inoue has long orange hair with bangs behind her ears supported by hairpins. She does not remove her hairpins, except when sleeping (she is seen without them in episode 64 after waking up), as they are worn in memory of her brother, and the manifestation of her spiritual energy power, the Shun Shun Rikka [4] while her hair is worn long in honor of the promise Tatsuki Arisawa once made to protect her.[5] Her large breasts are occasionally made the subject of jokes in the series. She also possesses a very hard head, which has injured Uryū, Chad, and Ichigo. The only person who has been able to damage her head has been Yachiru Kusajishi in a comical moment when she is riding on Kenpachi Zaraki's shoulders.[6] Orihime has brown eyes in color pictures of the manga, but gray eyes in the anime.

Orihime is friendly, humorous, sensitive, and kind. She comes off as naïve and rather clueless, which is at odds with her exceptionally high marks in school.[7] Apparently, she is hopeless when it comes to technology. One of the members of the Handicrafts' Club remarks that she is not smart enough to use a cell phone, the reason why she does not have one. Additionally, according to Tatsuki, Orihime has the fighting skill of a black belt;[8] however, in the English dubbed version she says Orihime has the skill of a yellow belt.[9]

Her cooking style can be described as very bad, more often strange to the point that aside from Rangiku Matsumoto and possibly Tessai Tsukabishi no one would think it delectable, and is one of the running jokes in the series.[10]

Orihime has a tendency to rush into situations without thinking, sometimes leading to embarrassing consequences. At one point, the schoolgirls ask Rukia if she has feelings for Ichigo. When Rukia denies any such thing, Orihime is disappointed that Rukia does not share her sentiments, because if she had, then it would be two girls against one boy and therefore the girls "team" would win, which makes no sense.[11] She also tends to have an overactive imagination and gets carried away thinking of implausible scenarios, such as portraying herself as a futuristic and apparently highly destructive robot in an assignment asking "How do you see yourself in the future?", when the question refers to what occupation one dreamt of or believes they will become.[12]

Orihime has a crush on Ichigo Kurosaki which develops into love as the series progresses. This leads her to be jealous of the relationship Ichigo and Rukia Kuchiki share despite her friendship and admiration of both of them.[13] She has revealed these feelings both to Rangiku Matsumoto and to Ichigo himself, though he was asleep at the time.[14]

Orihime has also demonstrated that she is perceptive, mostly when it comes to Ichigo Kurosaki. She has the uncanny ability to detect Ichigo by scent,[15][16] and sense his spiritual pressure, even when masked by a powerful barrier.

Through her expanding role in the manga, Orihime has become a more complex character than her earlier archetype suggested. Where Orihime was more happy and goofy at the start of the series later arcs deal with her feelings of inadequacy and inner turmoils. She also functions as a second female lead after the Soul Society arc, which was recognized when her character was featured along with female leads from other Weekly Shonen Jump series on a special Shonen Jump cover.[17]

Orihime scores the highest marks in her year after Uryū Ishida and Ryō Kunieda.[18] Despite her intelligence, she appears to lack "street smarts." She is also a member of the Handicrafts' Club with Uryū[19] Like Chad and Uryū, she is in the same class as Ichigo. She is frequently in the company of Tatsuki, her best friend and a childhood friend of Ichigo's. Orihime lives by herself in Karakura Town, where the story takes place, and is supported by relatives living elsewhere. Previously, she had lived with her older brother, Sora, who was fifteen years older than her. She and her brother were raised by parents who did not want children who were different.

When Sora turned eighteen, he ran away with Orihime, who was three years old, and raised her since. For nine years, Orihime and Sora lived in harmony despite the fact that Orihime was bullied in school because of her long orange hair. One day, Sora gave Orihime a pair of hairpins. However, Orihime refused to wear them because she said they were childish. On the same day, Sora was wounded in a car accident and died in the Kurosaki clinic. Orihime has worn the hairpins ever since. A year after Sora died, Orihime met Tatsuki who defended her from bullies who verbally and physically abused her because of her hair, which Orihime had cut short in an attempt to staunch the bullying. They have been best friends ever since, with Orihime returning to have her hair long in a show of faith for Tatsuki's vow to protect her.

[edit] Synopsis

After Ichigo Kurosaki gains the powers of a Soul Reaper, his interactions with his classmates begin to have unforeseen side effects. Orihime, after being saved from a hollow by Ichigo, finds herself endowed with the Shun Shun Rikka, six spirits that inhabit her hair pins and help her during battle situations. After Rukia Kuchiki is taken back to Soul Society to be executed, Orihime joins Ichigo and some of her classmates in an effort to save her. Upon arriving in Soul Society, their group is split up, and Orihime wanders the city with Uryū Ishida. After Rukia is saved by Ichigo, Orihime heals his wounds with her Shun Shun Rikka and returns to the human world.

During the Bount invasion, Orihime and Chad are kidnapped by Kisuke Urahara to test Ichigo's abilities for the ensuing Bount threat. Once Ichigo passes the test Orihime is released unharmed. Orihime accompanies Ichigo and her friends for the duration of the invasion, battling alongside Kuroud and Shuhei Hisagi against the Bount Mabashi and a manipulated Rukia, and heals their wounds after their battles are won.

Soon after the Bount are dealt with, arrancar begin to invade Karakura Town. During a battle with the Espada Yammy, the attack component (Koten Zanshun) of Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka is destroyed, making her unable to help in the oncoming battles. After sitting on the sidelines for the second arrancar invasion, Orihime has her Shun Shun Rikka restored by Hachigen Ushōda, and Orihime goes to Soul Society to train for the next arrancar attack. After a month of training, Orihime returns to the human world with Rukia (due to a second attack by the Arrancar, which is a ploy by Aizen to lure Orihime out into the open). While traveling between the two realms, she is met by Ulquiorra Schiffer, who threatens to kill Ichigo and her friends unless she agrees to go to Hueco Mundo. Orihime complies and, after secretly saying goodbye to Ichigo, joins the arrancar.

Upon her arrival in the arrancar base, Orihime is introduced to Sōsuke Aizen, a former Soul Reaper and current leader of the arrancar. Aizen explains that he intends to use Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka to restore the Orb of Distortion, though she decides to use her powers to destroy the Orb instead. Before she can act on her plans, Ichigo and a group of others arrive in Hueco Mundo to save her. When Ichigo is injured during the rescue, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, wanting to battle Ichigo at full strength, frees Orihime from her confinements so that she can heal him. When he is well enough to fight, he battles with Grimmjow and ultimately claims victory. Just as Ichigo and Orihime prepare to leave, Nnoitra Jiruga arrives to stop them and they are unable to fend him off until Kenpachi Zaraki arrives to save them. As they try to recuperate, Orihime is once again captured by Stark. With this, Ulquiorra explains that Aizen's reasons for kidnapping her have always been to draw the Soul Reapers to Hueco Mundo, keeping them preoccupied while he destroys Karakura Town. Orihime is currently a captive of Ulquiorra as he battles Ichigo.

[edit] Abilities

Orihime with Tsubaki (left) and Shun'ō.
The rest of the Shun Shun Rikka, clockwise from top-left: Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily, Ayame, and Shun'ō in the center.

Orihime's power manifests itself as the Shun Shun Rikka (盾舜六花? literally "six flowers of the shielded hibiscus," translated in the English anime as "six princess-shielding flowers"), six fairy-like creatures that reside in her hair-clips (shaped like six-petaled flowers, each fairy is two points on a given clip) when inactive. The nature of Orihime's hairpins have been compared to that of a zanpakutō.[20] Through various combinations of the six fairies, Orihime has the power to deny reality, expressed in the final part of her incantations: "I reject!". This power can be used for attack, defense, or healing (depending on the combination). Orihime's mood directly influences the effectiveness of her powers. Feelings such as doubt or worry makes them weaker, while conviction makes them stronger. At their height, her powers resemble those of a deity in strength.

Orihime's powers initially manifested during the duel between Ichigo and Uryū while trying to protect her friend Tatsuki from Numb Chandelier. She was trained by Yoruichi Shihouin in their usage before attempting to rescue Rukia Kuchiki from being executed in Soul Society. Curiously, Orihime's spiritual energy and powers resemble those of the vizard Hachigen Ushōda (whom had compared her Shun Shun Rikka to a zanpakutō.) Orihime mainly functions in a healing capacity, due to the nature of her powers and her persona; despite her ability to inflict lethal damage, she is a pacifist and will only harm opponents to save someone's life.

The fairies are separate manifestations of Orihime's spirit, each with its own unique appearance and personality, and each named after a flower:

Ayame is a shy female spirit covered in a dress larger than her body. She is capable of healing together with Shun'ō.
Baigon is a bald male spirit with a mask that covers the bottom of his face. He is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Hinagiku and Lily.
Hinagiku is a male spirit with a large eye patch that ends in a horn. He is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Baigon and Lily.
Lily is a female spirit with bright pink hair, transparent yellow goggles, and a blue thong bathing suit. She has a tattoo on her backside. She is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Baigon and Hinagiku.
Shun'ō is a friendly female spirit with a topknot. She and Tsubaki are usually the ones who talk to Orihime. She is capable of healing together with Ayame.
Tsubaki is a fiery male spirit who is the only Shun Shun Rikka capable of direct attack. He often strikes anyone who gets on his nerves (including Orihime). Because he is primarily focused on attacking, he is vulnerable to counter-attacks and has been injured several times. The stronger Orihime's anger and killing intent, the more powerful he becomes. However, Orihime's timid nature limits his overall power and has contributed to his injuries in the past.

[edit] Techniques

Orihime's techniques involve incantations manipulating the Shun Shun Rikka into three different groups. Though Orihime initially needed to chant an incantation to use her techniques, further training has rendered this unnecessary. Her incantation consists of voicing the names of the members involved, followed by the technique name and the phrase "I reject" (私は拒絶する watashi wa kyozetsu suru?), a reference to the nature of her powers. Unlike other characters with special abilities, Orihime's techniques have developed in their usage rather than their diversity, and by making a stronger link with the Shun Shun Rikka she is able to summon them easier, to the point where they can brings themselves out without Orihime's willing it.

Santen Kesshun (三天結盾? literally "triple heavenly linking shield") is Orihime's defensive technique. The incantation arranges Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon into a triangle, forming a barrier capable of repelling anything on the far side. Because the barrier rejects negative events, it can also function as an airbag of sorts, allowing Orihime and anyone else nearby to survive a potentially lethal fall unharmed.[21]

Sōten Kisshun (双天帰盾? literally "twin heavenly returning shield") is Orihime's healing technique, though it goes well beyond simple healing. The incantation summons Ayame and Shun'ō to form a half-oval barrier around whatever or whomever Orihime wishes. While active, the barrier repels all negative events inflicted upon anything within the barrier.[22] No matter how extensive the damage may be (whether used on living beings or inanimate objects), the barrier can restore it to full working order by reversing space and time around the damaged area, making it as if the object was never damaged in the first place.[23] It can even resurrect the dead.[24] Objects inside the barrier are unable to leave until the process is complete.[25]

This is the aspect of her power that piques Sōsuke Aizen's interest in her since, in Aizen's words, she "violates the realm of gods."[26] At first it was believed the technique required that Orihime have some piece of what she is healing to restore what's missing. During the first of the Espada attacks, Tsubaki was destroyed and she was unable to heal him because he was shattered into pieces too small to find. However, it has been suggested by Hachigen Ushouda, a Visored with similar powers, that Orihime should be able to restore anything she wants without actually having a piece of it.[27] It is also known that the healing of one of their own kind takes longer.

Koten Zanshun (孤天斬盾? literally "solitary heavenly cutting shield")[28] is Orihime's offensive technique. The incantation summons Tsubaki, who forms a thin barrier on either side of himself. By flying at an enemy, Tsubaki forms a shield within the enemy and rejects their physical bond formations, thus cutting through enemies like a sword. While Tsubaki can cut through basically anything, Orihime's general dislike of combat and hesitance to use lethal force degrades the effectiveness of the technique, making him easy to counter and equally easy to injure. This also suggests that the full effectiveness of this technique has yet to be seen.

[edit] Appearances in other media

Orihime as "The Loituma Girl".
  • Her character has gained additional fame even among non-fans thanks to a short looped animation of Orihime twirling a "leek" (specifically, a negi, or Welsh onion) played to Ievan Polkka. Known as the Loituma Girl, the four frames used in the flash cartoon were taken from the second episode in the anime.[29] Orihime appears in both Bleach: Memories of Nobody and Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, albeit in a minor role. She also appears in the Bleach video games such as Heat the Soul as a playable character. Orihime also stars alongside Rukia Kuchiki in the Bleach Beat Collection Season 2 with solo song "La La La" and duet song "Holy Fight."
  • Orihime Inoue makes a cameo appearances in the episode 10 of the anime Ultimate Girls
(www.wikipedia.org)
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Rukia Kuchiki (bleach)

Rukia Kuchiki

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Rukia Kuchiki
Bleach character

Rukia Kuchiki by Tite Kubo
Created by Tite Kubo
Voiced by Japanese
Fumiko Orikasa[1]
English
Michelle Ruff[2]
Profile
Species Soul Reaper
Date of birth January 14[3]
Occupation Soul Reaper in the 13th Division
Known relatives Hisana Kuchiki (sister, deceased), Byakuya Kuchiki (brother-in-law, adoptive brother)
Zanpakutō Sode no Shirayuki

Rukia Kuchiki (朽木 ルキア Kuchiki Rukia?) is a fictional character and protagonist in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. In the series, Rukia is a Soul Reaper in the 13th Division under Jūshirō Ukitake. Shortly after meeting the main protagonist of the series, Ichigo Kurosaki, who can see supernatural beings such as Soul Reapers, she is forced to give him her powers in order to fulfill her duties as a Soul Reaper. Rukia was one of the first characters of the series created by Kubo, her design being the one he decided to use for all the other Soul Reapers.[4] Rukia has appeared in several other pieces of Bleach media, including the three featured films in the series, the two original video animations, and several video games.

Reaction to Rukia's character is generally positive. Her differences from typical shōnen heroines is praised,[5] as is her sense of humor.[6] Rukia usually ranks second in Weekly Shōnen Jump's Bleach popularity polls.[7] Several pieces of merchandise have been released in Rukia's likeness, including a plush doll and a figurine.[8][9]

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Creation and conception

Bleach was first conceived from Tite Kubo's desire to draw a shinigami in a kimono, which formed the basis for the design of the Soul Reapers.[4] Because of this, Rukia was one of the first characters of the series to be created. Before deciding that every Soul Reaper had swords, Kubo thought that they all should use guns while only Rukia used a scythe. However, this was changed as he created the Soul Reaper kimono. Kubo also mentioned that Rukia did not seem like a lead character, so he created Ichigo Kurosaki to be the series protagonist.[10] Ichigo's initial design had black hair like Rukia; Kubo had to modify Ichigo's appearance to contrast with hers, giving Ichigo orange hair and a trademark scowl.[11]

As for her name, Kubo stated that, because Rukia looks like a shinigami, he wanted her name to sound like a shinigami's name. When deciding upon her family name he considered using "Kuchiru" (朽ちる lit. "to rot"?) because it sounded like a name a shinigami would have, and then decided to use "Kuchiki" (朽木 lit. "rotten wood"?). He adds that he once heard what sounded like "Kuchiki Rukia" on Japanese television, and liked it enough to use it as a name.[10] Her first name was conceived as a result of Kubo hearing the Latin name for cosmos on television, and later decided that the name really suited her since the Latin word from which her name is derived means "light" and Kubo sees her as "a ray of light for Ichigo." Shonen Jump asked in an interview if Kubo had any plans to make Ichigo and Rukia a couple, but Kubo chose neither to confirm nor deny it.[12] After designing Rukia's zanpakutō, Kubo noted he liked it a lot and made it to be the most beautiful one from the series.[13]

[edit] Character outline

[edit] Background

Rukia died as an infant and was sent to Soul Society with her older sister, Hisana. Though Hisana initially tried to protect and provide for Rukia, she could not ensure her own survival while caring for a baby as well, and thus abandoned Rukia.[14] As Rukia grew up, she befriended Renji Abarai, and over the coming years the two stayed together and looked out for one another. Once they entered the Soul Reaper academy, Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki family.[15] One year prior to the adoption, Hisana died after asking her husband, Byakuya Kuchiki, to find and adopt Rukia as his sister. Disgusted with herself for abandoning Rukia, Hisana wanted her sister to be part of the Kuchiki family while never knowing of their relation to each other. After succeeding in this task, Byakuya kept his word, treating Rukia as a sister and keeping his wife's secret until the end of the Soul Society arc, where he finally tells Rukia about Hisana's past.[14]

When she was accepted into the 13th Division, Rukia's abilities made her a prime candidate for a seated position. Wishing to keep Rukia out of harm's way, Byakuya used his influence as a captain to make her ineligible for such a position.[16] In time, Rukia befriended the lieutenant of her division, Kaien Shiba, and trained under him.[17] During the course of a mission Kaien was possessed by a hollow and Rukia was forced to kill Kaien to protect herself. While dying, Kaien apologized to Rukia for allowing himself to be possessed and thus putting her in that position.[18] Rukia returned his body to his family, though could not find the courage to tell them how he had died until she learned about Hisana.[19]

[edit] Personality

Although there was nothing she could have done to prevent Kaien's death, Rukia continually feels guilty about what happened to him throughout the series. Because she immediately killed Kaien without first trying to find a way to help him, Rukia convinces herself that she valued her own life over his. The only solace she is able to find in his death is the belief that she saved him from a hollow's control.[20] This guilt-ridden attitude carries over to her relationship with Ichigo Kurosaki; when Rukia is taken into custody and Ichigo is gravely wounded in an attempt to save her, she assumes that he dies of his injuries. Feeling that Ichigo's death would have been avoided had she never met him,[21] Rukia loses her reason for living and resigns herself to her sentenced execution.[22]

Because of the amount of time she has spent with Ichigo, Rukia has been able to gain a keen understanding of his inner workings. She is as such always able to help him overcome his own self-doubts, showing him that he can and wants to complete a given task when he himself thinks otherwise.[23] Rukia's relationship with Ichigo is unique, for despite the relatively short amount of time they have known each other, Ichigo can easily confide in her and considers her a true friend because she is encouraging and understands what he is feeling.[21] Rukia's ability to get into others' heads comes into play a number of other times throughout the series, most commonly while in the human world. By playing the part of a poor, innocent girl, Rukia is able to get others to side with her and otherwise focus their scrutiny on an unrelated topic so that her peculiar actions might go unnoticed.[24]

A recurring gag throughout the series is Rukia's drawing ability, or lack thereof. When needing to explain something to someone, most commonly Ichigo, Rukia uses poorly drawn pictures to illustrate the topic. Regardless of what the subject might be, all of her works most closely resemble bears, rabbits, or some other typical woodland creature. Ichigo is always quick to comment on this deficiency, and promptly receives either a beating and/or graffiti to the face for bringing it up.[25]

[edit] Abilities

Rukia using the "first dance, white moon" ability of Sode no Shirayuki's shikai.

Rukia's only initial ability are her kidō spells, which she uses for such purposes as restraining, healing, or attacking others. At the start of the series her spells are severely limited, being both weak and of a small variety, due to the bulk of her powers being given to Ichigo.[26] After returning to Soul Society and regaining her Soul Reaper abilities, Rukia is able to cast spells at her previous capacities, such that she can cast multiple spells in quick succession and even use two spells at the same time.[27] Rukia's kidō skills are of great caliber amongst Soul Reapers, and by her own admission her mastery over kidō far surpasses her mastery with a blade.[28]

Rukia's zanpakutō, Sode no Shirayuki (袖の白雪 or 袖白雪? literally "sleeve's white snow"), is released with the command "dance" (舞え mae?).[29] In its released state the blade becomes completely white and a ribbon forms from the pommel, earning it the recognition as the most beautiful snow and ice zanpakutō in Soul Society.[16] Sode no Shirayuki utilizes ice to attack, each of its three abilities being labeled as "dances" by Rukia. "First dance, white moon" (初の舞・月白 some no mai, tsukishiro?) denotes a circular area around Rukia's target and freezes everything within the circle from the ground upwards until it reaches the sky.[29] "The next dance, white ripple" (次の舞・白漣 tsugi no mai, hakuren?) fires a massive wave of ice from Sode no Shirayuki's blade.[30] "Third dance, white sword" (参の舞・白刀 san no mai, shirafune?), her final ability reserved only for when her blade is broken, reforges her zanpakutō with ice particles, piercing through any object in its path and freezing anything in the vicinity.[28]

[edit] Plot overview

Rukia first meets Ichigo Kurosaki in the midst of a hollow attack. After she is heavily injured by the hollow, Rukia is forced to transfer her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo so that he can kill the hollow and save their lives and his family.[31] While he succeeds, Rukia is left too weak to return to Soul Society, and lives with Ichigo in the human world, intending to stay until her powers are restored. During her time in the human world, Rukia remains unaccounted for in Soul Society, so Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai are sent to find her and return her to the Soul Society.[32] They succeed, and upon their return Rukia is sentenced to death for giving her Soul Reaper powers to a human. Ichigo ultimately arrives in Soul Society in time to stop her execution, and tries to get her to safety.[33]

During Rukia's bid for freedom, she is stopped by Sōsuke Aizen and his accomplices. Aizen, having singlehandedly orchestrated Rukia's execution, reveals to her that within her soul is stored the Hōgyoku ("breakdown sphere"), a powerful artifact created by Kisuke Urahara which gives hollows Soul Reaper powers and vice versa. Wanting the Hōgyoku for himself, Aizen hoped that her death would give him access to it, but settles for a nonfatal alternative.[34] The Hōgyoku is removed from her body, Aizen and his men flee Soul Society, and Rukia is acquitted of all charges.[35] With the Hōgyoku, Aizen is able to create an army of arrancar, which he uses to attack Ichigo and his friends once they return to the human world. Rukia and a group of other Soul Reapers are sent to assist in fighting the arrancar,[36] though after Aizen captures Orihime Inoue they are recalled to Soul Society.[37]

Unwilling to give up Orihime to Aizen, Rukia goes to Hueco Mundo with Ichigo to rescue her.[38] While there, Rukia encounters the 9th Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, who soon reveals himself to contain the soul of Kaien Shiba. Saddened that she had not saved her mentor from the control of a hollow as she had previously thought, Rukia kills Aaroniero so that Kaien can finally be free.[20] Rukia is badly injured during the battle, and it is not until Soul Society sends reinforcements to Hueco Mundo that she is revived and her wounds are healed.[39]

[edit] Appearances in other media

Rukia has made several appearances outside of the Bleach anime and manga. She appears in both of the featured films in the series: she fights the Dark Ones with other Soul Reaper comrades in Bleach: Memories of Nobody and aids in the search for Tōshirō Hitsugaya in Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion.[40][41] She is also present in both of the original video animations produced in the series, helping Ichigo in Memories in the Rain and combating the rogue Soul Reaper Baishin in The Sealed Sword Frenzy.[42][43] She is also the focus of the third movie, Bleach: Fade to Black.[44][45] In Rock Musical Bleach, a musical based on the Bleach series, she is played by Miki Satō.[46] In the Bleach video games, Rukia is a playable character in every game, including the Heat the Soul and Blade Battlers series. In some games, her gigai form and shikai state are available as separate characters.[47][48]

[edit] Reception

Rukia has ranked highly in the Shonen Jump popularity polls for the series, placing in the top five most popular characters in all four polls. She was ranked as the second most popular character after Ichigo in the first two polls, and fell to third place in the third poll, being replaced by Tōshirō Hitsugaya.[7] In the most recent poll, she was voted the second most popular character in Bleach, receiving 383 votes less than the front runner, Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

Merchandise based on Rukia's appearance has been released, including a key chain,[49] a plush doll,[8] and a figurine.[9] Fumiko Orikasa, Rukia's Japanese voice actor, liked how Rukia was developed while fighting against the arrancar, noting her to be a hero during her introductions. However, she was sad by how after Rukia defeats the first arrancar, she is instantly stabbed by the arrancar Grimmjow.[13]

Several publications for manga, anime, video games, and other related media have provided praise and criticism on Rukia's character. Active Anime, while noting that Rukia's appearance was "somewhat androgynous," celebrated her "intriguing" and "sarcastic" persona, making specific note of her "enjoyably evil sense of humor."[6] Anime News Network praised the differences between Rukia and stereotypical shōnen heroines, asserting that Rukia's loss of her powers and subsequent dependence on Ichigo were "a great source of both drama and comedy in the show." However, the removal of the humor from Rukia's scenes as a schoolgirl due to the English translation was lamented, although Rukia's voice actor, Michelle Ruff, was extolled for doing an "excellent job."[5] IGN called the scene where Rukia is forced to leave Ichigo Kurosaki and return to Soul Society as "touchingly beautiful" and celebrated Rukia's character development during her time in the human world.

(www.wikipedia.org)

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Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo Kurosaki

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Ichigo Kurosaki
Bleach character

Ichigo Kurosaki by Tite Kubo
Created by Tite Kubo
Voiced by Japanese:
Masakazu Morita[1]
Yuki Matsuoka[2] (child)
English:
Johnny Yong Bosch[3]
Mona Marshall[4] (child)
Profile
Age 15[5]
Species Human, Soul Reaper, Visored
Date of birth July 15[6]
Occupation High school student, deputy Soul Reaper[7]
Known relatives Isshin Kurosaki (father)
Masaki Kurosaki (mother, deceased)
Yuzu Kurosaki (sister)
Karin Kurosaki (sister)
Zanpakutō Zangetsu[8]

Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎　一護 Kurosaki Ichigo?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Bleach by mangaka Tite Kubo. He is the story's main protagonist. The series begins with Ichigo receiving Soul Reaper powers as a result of a run-in with Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper assigned to patrol his city, Karakura Town. These powers come at the cost of Rukia's own, and as a result, Ichigo concedes to work as Rukia's stand-in, fighting to protect people from evil spirits called hollows and sending good spirits, wholes, to Soul Society.

In addition to the main series, Ichigo appears in many other pieces of Bleach media, including the two featured films in the series, the two original video animations, and several video games. Merchandise based on Ichigo's likeness has also been released, including toys, clothing, and action figures. Ichigo's character has been well received among both fans and reviewers. In Shonen Jump character popularity polls, Ichigo consistently ranks as one of the most popular characters in Bleach, and the 2007 Japanese Newtype magazine polls ranked him as one of the top 100 most-loved anime characters. Reviewers of the series have also remarked favorably on his personality, though some considered him to be a stereotypical anti-hero during the first few episodes of the series.

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[edit] Creation and conception

When creating the manga series, Kubo commented that Rukia Kuchiki, the first character he created, did not seem like a lead character, so he created Ichigo to be the series protagonist.[9] When designing Ichigo's appearance, Kubo had thought of several types attributes of the character that were never added to the story. Initial design sketches show Ichigo wearing glasses, and having dark hair and kind eyes. When designing Rukia Kuchiki, however, Kubo modified Ichigo's appearance to contrast with hers, giving Ichigo orange hair, a trademark scowl, and removing the glasses.[10] Kubo considered Ichigo's greatest strength is that he is considerate and thoughtful as he always thinks about other people's needs. However, he also saw that as his greatest weakness since worrying about his friends puts him in danger. Kubo was asked in an interview if he had any plans to make Ichigo and Rukia a couple, but Kubo chose neither to confirm nor deny it.[11] Kubo thinks Ichigo is very popular among fans since he looks cool. He also mentioned that as fans read more about him they discover that underneath he is warm and has a kind heart and that attracts his fans.[12]

[edit] Character outline

[edit] Personality

Ichigo is a 15-year-old who attempts to cultivate a detached image, for which he keeps his eyebrows constantly furrowed. Ichigo has natural orange hair, a fact that annoys many bullies in his school, who constantly pick fights with him.[13] Ichigo claims that he does not care what others think and seems to enjoy fighting the bullies. While in junior high school, Ichigo met and befriended Yasutora "Chad" Sado, a boy from another school who helped him out of a fight. Chad, although extremely strong, was often the target of beatings because he refused to fight for his own sake due to a promise he had made as a child to his grandfather. Upon discovering this, Ichigo made a pact with Chad in which they both agreed to fight and risk their lives for something the other was willing to risk their life for. Ichigo comments that thanks to Rukia his life changed, and thanks to her he is able to protect the people he cares for.[14]

When Ichigo was nine, his mother, Masaki Kurosaki, was killed by the hollow Grand Fisher, although Ichigo did not find out the true cause of her death until early in the main Bleach storyline.[15] Prior to learning about this, Ichigo felt guilty for his mother's death, blaming himself for wandering too close to the water and causing her to put herself in harm's way to save him. Even after that, Masaki's death continues to influence Ichigo by causing him to feel guilt for his inability to protect those close to him. Since then, Ichigo lives with his father Isshin Kurosaki and his two younger sisters, Yuzu and Karin. His father runs a small medical clinic.

Ichigo's name, written with homophone kanji, means 1 and 5 when separated as ichi (一) and go (五), the reason behind the two numbers' frequent appearances in the series, notably on the sampler hanging on his bedroom door. The word ichigo (苺／イチゴ), written in yet another way, means "strawberry" —one of his nicknames— in Japanese, and is normally only used as a girl's name; when teased about this fact, Ichigo proudly counters that his name is spelled with ichi (一) as in "first" and go (護) from "guardian". Ichigo's father once told him that his name means "he who protects." The name also means 'one's lifetime.'[16]

[edit] Abilities

Ichigo with the spirit of Zangetsu while wielding his zanpakutō in its shikai form.

Ichigo is one of the rare living humans in the Bleach universe to possess innate spiritual powers. As he meets Rukia Kuchiki, they turn out to be both massive and contagious, and many of his friends begin to develop spiritual powers. Because Ichigo produces more spiritual energy than his body can contain, it leaks out constantly, preventing him from hiding it and effectively making stealth impossible when dealing with other spiritually aware beings. Though he does not possess any formal Soul Reaper rank, Ichigo's overall abilities are great enough that he can fight on the level of a Soul Reaper captain.[17]

Ichigo's appearance while performing bankai and using his hollow mask.

Ichigo's zanpakutō is named Zangetsu (斬月? literally "cutting moon").[8] Unlike most Soul Reapers, who can seal their zanpakutō after releasing it, Ichigo's zanpakutō is always in its shikai form. Its sealed form is that of an ordinary zanpakutō, but oversized as a result of Ichigo's uncontrolled spiritual pressure. Zangetsu's spirit takes the form of a middle-aged man, voiced by Takayuki Sugo in the Japanese anime and by Richard Epcar in the English dub.[18][19] Zangetsu is portrayed as wise and calm in most matters, and fond of testing Ichigo in unusual ways, many of which have a purpose completely contrary to the stated goal. Zangetsu's special ability is the Getsuga Tenshō (月牙天衝? literally "moon-fang piercer of the heavens", translated in the English anime as "piercer of heaven"), a wave of spirit particles released from his blade's edge. Correspondent to the name, the wave is shaped like a crescent moon.[20] Zangetsu's bankai, named Tensa Zangetsu (天鎖斬月? literally "heavenly chained cutting moon") shrinks the sword down to a fully black one while his uniform also changes to an outfit similar to Zangetsu's. Ichigo's bankai is a compression of his spiritual pressure, rather than a vast expansion as is usually the case. By compressing his power, Ichigo can move at incredibly high speeds, though the form puts tremendous strain on his body.[21]

In addition to his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo partially becomes a hollow while reobtaining his Soul Reaper powers with the help of Kisuke Urahara.[22] This leaves him with an arrogant inner hollow spirit that grows in strength as the series progresses and tries to take the control of his body while ignoring any injury he has to fight.[23][24] Ichigo is taught to control his hollow by the Visoreds, allowing him to call upon his hollow powers at will and without sacrificing control by donning his hollow mask.[25] Ichigo can initially only maintain this form for eleven seconds, but the limit increases substantially during his fights in Hueco Mundo.[26][27]

[edit] Plot overview

Ichigo meets Rukia Kuchiki in the midst of a hollow attack. After Rukia is heavily injured by the hollow, she is forced to transfer her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo so that he can kill the hollow and save their lives and his family.[28] Though the hollow is vanquished, Ichigo absorbs almost all of Rukia's spiritual power, and she is forced to stay in the human world until they return. In the meantime, Ichigo performs her Soul Reaper duties, inadvertently exposing his friends to the spiritual world and giving them their own unique abilities.[29] When his actions eventually attract the attention of Soul Society, Rukia is detained and taken home to be executed, and Ichigo leads an effort to save her.[30]

Upon arriving in Soul Society, he repeatedly clashes with high-ranking Soul Reapers as he gets closer to her location. In doing so he splits their forces in two; those who wish to help Ichigo free Rukia and those determined to carry out her execution. With the assistance of his newfound allies Rukia is saved, though she quickly falls into the hands of Sōsuke Aizen.[31] Aizen, having masterminded Rukia's execution, fulfills his plans by removing the Hōgyoku from her body. While he is unable to kill her as planned, he and his accomplices are able to flee Soul Society as the Soul Reapers reunite against him.[32] In the aftermath, Ichigo is made a "deputy Soul Reaper" and is allowed to return home with his friends.[33]

Aizen, through the use of the Hōgyoku, creates an army of arrancar that he sends to attack Ichigo and his friends in the human world. When they are unable to deal with the arrancar threat, Soul Society sends a group of Soul Reapers to help them.[34] Although they are able to fend off the arrancar with the bolstered defenses, they are unable to prevent the abduction of Orihime Inoue. When Soul Society refuses to save her, Ichigo and his friends go to Hueco Mundo to stage their own rescue attempt.[35] With the help of a few friendly arrancar he meets along the way, Ichigo is ultimately able to reunite with Orihime.[36] Before they can return home, however, she is recaptured, and Ichigo sets out to get her back from Ulquiorra Schiffer.

[edit] Appearances in other media

Ichigo appears in the featured films of series; protecting a Soul Reaper named Senna in Memories of Nobody and aiding in the search for Tōshirō Hitsugaya in the The DiamondDust Rebellion.[37][38] He also appears in both of the original video animations; fighting against a hollow called the Grand Fisher in the first one and combating the rogue Soul Reaper Baishin in the second one.[39][40] He also is in the third movie, Bleach: Fade to Black - Kimi no Na o Yobu (I Call Your Name).[41][42] In the Bleach video games, Ichigo is a playable character in every game, including the Heat the Soul and Blade Battlers series. In some games, his hollow form and bankai state are available as separate characters.[43][44] In Rock Musical Bleach, a musical based on the Bleach series, he is played by Tatsuya Isaka.[45]

[edit] Reception

Amongst the Bleach reader base, Ichigo has been highly popular, having always ranked within the top 5 in the Shonen Jump popularity polls for the series. He has usually taken first, though in the most recent ranking he dropped to 3rd place.[46][47] His character also appeared in the 2007 Japanese Newtype magazine polls ranked him as one of the top 100 most-loved anime characters.[citation needed] At the first Seiyū Awards in March 2007, Masakazu Morita won in the category "Best Rookie Actor" for his role as Ichigo Kurosaki.[48] Ichigo's voice actor in the English adaptation, Johnny Yong Bosch, has also been praised for his voice work on Ichigo's character by Anime News Network, which favorably compared Bosch and Morita's work.[49] Various merchandise based on Ichigo's appearance has been created, including action figures,[50] plush toys[51] and key-chains.[52] Since the series was released, replica models of Ichigo's zanpakutō[53] and bankai[54] have been produced for purchase by collectors and fans.

Several publications for manga, anime, video games, and other related media have provided praise and criticism on Ichigo's character. Active anime praises Ichigo for being immediately likeable with his reckless ways but kind interior.[55] Anime News Network commented that Ichigo's initial rebellious actions make him almost a stereotypical anti-hero, but note that he is soon revealed to be a more complex character with a sad past.[49] IGN praised Ichigo's climactic fight against Byakuya Kuchiki as one of the best fights in the Bleach series,[56] and later gave additional praise to both the design and voice acting for Ichigo's inner hollow.[57] Wizarduniverse.com considered Ichigo the best hero from 2007, commenting that he does not try to be a hero as he just fights in order to protect his friends or to return a debt.[58] In the SPJA Industry Awards, Ichigo ranked as the third best male character.[59]

(www.wikipedia.org)

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