Ichigo Kurosaki

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Ichigo Kurosaki
Bleach character
File:IchigoAnimeEp113.jpg
Ichigo Kurosaki by Tite Kubo
Created byTite Kubo
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman, Soul Reaper, Vizard
OccupationHigh school student, deputy Soul Reaper[1]
RelativesIsshin Kurosaki (father)
Masaki Kurosaki (mother, deceased)
Yuzu Kurosaki (sister)
Karin Kurosaki (sister)

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.

Creation and conception

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.[9]

Character outline

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.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12] 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."[citation needed] The name also means 'one's lifetime.'[citation needed]

Abilities

Ichigo is one of the rare living humans in the Bleach universe to possess innate spiritual powers, which give him the ability to see ghosts. When the full extent of these powers is unlocked as a consequence of his meeting with Rukia Kuchiki, they turn out to be both massive and contagious, and many of his friends begin to develop spiritual powers due to their proximity to him. 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.

File:Ichigo zangetsu.jpg
Ichigo with the spirit of Zangetsu while wielding his zanpakutō in its shikai form.

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. When he is in his Soul Reaper form, Ichigo's already impressive athletic abilities are greatly enhanced.[13]

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.[14][15] 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. In its shikai, Zangetsu takes the form of an oversized cleaver blade without a hilt or guard.

File:Ichigobankai.png
Ichigo's appearance after performing bankai.

Zangetsu's bankai, named Tensa Zangetsu (天鎖斬月, literally "heavenly chained cutting moon"), is considered completely out of the ordinary for any zanpakutō. Ichigo's bankai shrinks the sword down while his uniform also changes to resemble the robe worn by Zangetsu's human form. By compressing his power, Ichigo can move at high speeds, exceeding those of flash steps, and is given matching agility and reflexes, allowing him to use his natural strength to its limits.[16] Zangetsu's special ability, in either form, is the Getsuga Tenshō (月牙天衝, literally "moon-fang piercer of the heavens", translated in the English anime as "piercer of heaven"), an energy blast fired from the tip of the blade. In Bankai form, the blasts are black, and are faster and more powerful. [17]

File:Ichigo Masked.jpg
Ichigo with his hollow mask.

In addition to his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo partially becomes a hollow while reobtaining his Soul Reaper powers with the help of Kisuke Urahara.[18] This leaves him with an inner hollow spirit that grows in strength as the series progresses. The spirit has an arrogant personality and mocks his counterpart's inability in a sneering, didactic fashion whenever the chance arises.[19] The hollow occasionally takes over Ichigo's body, at which times it fights like a berserker, is able to ignore any injuries Ichigo has previously sustained, and shows considerably increased speed and strength.[20] Ichigo is taught to control his hollow by the vizard, allowing him to call upon his hollow powers at will and without sacrificing control to his hollow self.[21] He is also taught to call on his hollow's powers by donning his hollow mask, supplementing his Soul Reaper powers with his hollow powers. Ichigo can initially only maintain this form for eleven seconds, but the limit increases substantially during his third battle with Grimmjow Jeagerjaques.[22][23]

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.[24] 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.[25] 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.[26]

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.[27] 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.[28] In the aftermath, Ichigo is made a "deputy Soul Reaper" and is allowed to return home with his friends.[29]

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.[30] 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.[31] With the help of a few friendly arrancar he meets along the way, Ichigo is ultimately able to reunite with Orihime.[32] Before they can return home, however, she is recaptured, and Ichigo sets out to get her back from Ulquiorra Schiffer.

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.[33][34] 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.[35][36]He is also confirmed to be in the upcoming third movie, Bleach: Fade to Black - Kimi no Na o Yobu (I Call Your Name)[37][38]. 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.[39][40] In Rock Musical Bleach, a musical based on the Bleach series, he is played by Tatsuya Isaka.[41]

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.[42][43] 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.[44] 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.[45]

Various merchandise based on Ichigo's appearance has been created, including action figures,[46] plush toys[47], and key-chains.[48] Since the series was published models of Ichigo's zanpakutō have also been produced for purchase by collectors.[49]

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.[50] 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.[45] IGN praised Ichigo's climactic fight against Byakuya Kuchiki as one of the best fights in the Bleach series, noting that neither side definitely represented good or evil, as well as complimenting the character's unpredictable abilities.[51]

References

  1. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 182". Bleach, Volume 21. Viz Media. p. 84. ISBN 1-4215-1165-7.
  2. ^ "Masakazu Morita". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  3. ^ "Yuki Matsuoka". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  4. ^ "Johnny Yong Bosch". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  5. ^ "Mona Marshall". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  6. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 1". Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 8. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  7. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 188. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  8. ^ a b Bleach manga; volume 8 tankōbon, page 109 (chapter 66, page 19)
  9. ^ Weekly Shōnen Jump, Number 9 (February). Shueisha. 2008. p. 123.
  10. ^ Bleach manga volume 4, chapter 34, page 9
  11. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 150". Bleach, Volume 10. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1042-1.
  12. ^ Bleach manga; volume 3 tankōbon, page 119 (chapter 22, page 11)
  13. ^ Kubo, Tite (2004). "Chapter 1". Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  14. ^ "Takayuki Sugo". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  15. ^ "Richard Epcar". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  16. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 162". Bleach, Volume 19. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1043-X.
  17. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 161". Bleach, Volume 19. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1043-X.
  18. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 63". Bleach, Volume 8. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-872-4.
  19. ^ Kubo, Tite (2006). "Chapter 111". Bleach, Volume 13. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0611-4.
  20. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 166". Bleach, Volume 19. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1043-X.
  21. ^ Kubo, Tite (2006). "Chapter 222". Bleach, Volume 25. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874289-3.
  22. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 229". Bleach, Volume 26. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874315-8. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  23. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 283". Bleach, Volume 32. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874494-0. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  24. ^ Kubo, Tite (2004). "Chapter 1". Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 55. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  25. ^ Kubo, Tite (2004). "Chapter 2". Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  26. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 70". Bleach, Volume 8. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-872-4.
  27. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 171". Bleach, Volume 20. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1044-8.
  28. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 178". Bleach, Volume 20. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1044-8.
  29. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 181". Bleach, Volume 21. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1165-7.
  30. ^ Kubo, Tite (2008). "Chapter 195". Bleach, Volume 22. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1179-7.
  31. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 240". Bleach, Volume 27. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874339-4. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  32. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 286". Bleach, Volume 32. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874494-0. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  33. ^ "Bleach: Memories of Nobody (movie)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  34. ^ "Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion - Mō Hitotsu no Hyōrinmaru (movie)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  35. ^ "Bleach: Memories in the Rain (OAV)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  36. ^ "Bleach: The Sealed Sword Frenzy (OAV)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  37. ^ "Bleach: Fade to Black - Kimi no Na o Yobu (movie)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  38. ^ "Bleach: Fade to Black - Kimi no Na o Yobu". TV Tokyo. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  39. ^ "Bleach: Heat the Soul official site" (in Japanese). SCEI. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  40. ^ SCEI, ed. (2007). Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Japanese instruction manual (in Japanese). SCEI.
  41. ^ "Bleach Rock Musical (musical special)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  42. ^ Bleach manga; chapter 209, pages 2 and 3.
  43. ^ Bleach manga Character Poll; chapter 307, pages 1 and 2.
  44. ^ "声優アワード". Seiyu Awards. Retrieved 2008-07-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Language= ignored (|language= suggested) (help)
  45. ^ a b Harper, Melissa (2007-01-22). "Bleach DVD 1 - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ "Bleach 5" PVC 2-pack - Ichigo Kurosaki & Rukia Kuchiki". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  47. ^ "Bleach Ichigo Kurosaki Plush BL-007a". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  48. ^ "Bleach Chibi Ichigo Key Chain". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  49. ^ "Ichigo-Cutting Moon Replica Sword". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  50. ^ "ActiveAnime.com :: BLEACH: THE SUBSTITUTE (VOL. 1)". Active Anime. 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2008-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  51. ^ White, Charles (2008-04-16). "Bleach: "Conclusion of the Death Match! White Pride and Black Desire" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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