Kurosaki Ichigo
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Kurosaki Ichigo(黒崎 一護) is the main character of Kubo Tite's anime and manga series Bleach. At the start of the story, Ichigo is 15 years old, living with his father, Kurosaki Isshin, and two sisters, Kurosaki Yuzu and Kurosaki Karin. Since he was a child, Ichigo has had the ability to see spirits, and such is the spark which lights the story of Bleach.
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Character Summary
Early Life
Ichigo was born on July 15, presumable in 1989 or 1990, seeing as he is 15 years old at the beginning of the story. His hair color, resembling bleached hair, is natural, and has been a source for which other children teased him, as they believed he was just following a trend. Ichigo also had the ability to see spirits, though it was not realized until after the time of his mother's death.
Ichigo's family was very close, but especially Ichigo's relationship with his mother. At a young age he began taking karate lessons at the same school as Arisawa Tatsuki. He would always recieve a beating, but whenever his mother came, he would stop crying instantaneously.
Ichigo's mother was killed when he was seven years old, at event for which Ichigo blamed himself. He and his mother had been walking in the rain near a river which had begun to flood, and quickly became white-water. While walking along, Ichigo spotted a young girl standing by the river, and believing she was going to fall in, he ran after her in an attempt to save her. Ichigo's mother did not know why he was running toward the river, and ran after him, trying to save him. At that moment, she was struck by a train, and the next thing Ichigo knew, he was on the ground, covered by his mother's corpse.
For a long time Ichigo believed this to be the truth of his mother's death, but doing the "Memories in the Rain" sub-arc of the Hollow Arc, it was revealed that the young girl he saw was actually a lure used by the Hollow known as Grand Fisher. Ichigo's high spirit density had caught the attention of the Hollow, and with his ability to see spirits, he ran after the lure. Ichigo's mother had ran over to protect him, and then had her soul eaten by Grand Fisher.
Hollow Arc
(Work in Progress.) Ichigo is first given Shinigami powers by Kuchiki Rukia for the purpose of defeating the first introduced hollow, Fishbone D, which was attacking the clinic run by the Kurosaki family. Ichigo transforms into a Shinigami and makes quick work of it.
Rukia then joins Ichigo's school, informing him that she has lost all of her powers to him, and that he must take her place as a Shinigami. Initially declining her offer, Rukia takes him to a park where the spirit of a young boy is is being attacked by a hollow where Ichigo decides that he can't just let others suffer right in front of him. He states that he is not doing it for Rukia, but as a personal duty.
Ichigo defeats various hollows along the way, each time a new character is introduced, or a new fact about Shinigami, Hollows, or Soul Society is revealed. it introduces various friends of Ichigo who shall play important rolls, such as Inoue Orihime, Uryuu Ishida, and Sado.
The next major event to occur is the Memories in the Rain event. Ichigo in his family meet go to a cemetary where the late Mrs. Kurosaki was laid to rest. Ichigo meets up with Rukia, and he is in a bad mood. Ichigo explains that his mother was attempting to save him, and was hit by a car. Rukia theorizes that it may have been a Hollow who had killed his mother while trying to devour his reiatsu-rich soul. Ichigo blames himself for her death and storms off, stating that he had run off to save a girl by a flooding river, but his mother did not see her and ran after him; the next thing Ichigo knew, he woke up with his mother's corpse on top of him. Meanwhile, a Shinigami who has been observing Rukia confronts her. Ichigo shows up once again and fights for a short time with the Shinigami. A Hollow appears at the cemetery, attacking Karin and Yuzu, and both Ichigo and the Shinigami run to the scene. Ichigo and the Shinigami free Karin and Yuzu, and Ichigo fights the hollow. At a critical point when the hollow is about to seriously wound Ichigo, the Shinigami jumps in and protects Ichigo, then passing out. Ichigo continues to fight the Hollow, as it chases him around the cemetery. Ichigo then notices the "bait" the hollow keeps attached to its head to lure in humans looks like the girl he was trying to save on the river the day his mother died. The hollow, Grandfisher, then changes the shape for the "bait" into Ichigo's mother, ignorant of who she was. Ichigo attacks in rage and wounds the hollow. Grandfisher then cries out in pain and runs away.
Ichigo's next major role was his attempt to rescue Rukia as Shiniami Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Byakuya came from Soul Society to save her. Ichigo steps in after Uryuu Ishida was wounded and proceeds to fight with Abarai Renji. Ichigo is quickly overpowered and dealt a serious injury by Renji's ShiKai, Zabimaru. The fight continues until Ichigo is so overpowered he goes berserk, tossing Renji around like a rag doll. Kuchiki Byakuya steps in and stabs Ichigo twice in the chest before Ichigo can even realize it. Laying on the ground, the two Shinigami take Rukia back to Soul Society. He then falls unconscious.
Ichigo wakes up in Kisuke Urahara's shop. Urahara tells Ichigo he will turn him back into a Shinigami, and Ichigo begins training with him, first by being thrown in a pit in which he must escape despite being handcuffed or become a hollow. Making it out at the last second, Ichigo appears before Urahara with wearing both Shinigami clothes and a Hollow mask. Ichigo removes the mask and begins the second test, in which he must manage to cut Urahara. Ichigo's zanpakutou is still broken, but when under pressure, an old man existing within Ichigo's mind, who just so happens to be the physical manifestation of Ichigo's zanpakutou, tells Ichigo the swords name. Ichigo calls its name and brings forth his ShiKai, Zangetsu.
Ichigo then departs with Uryuu Ishida, Inoue Orihime, Yasutora Sado, and Urahara's talking cat Shihouin Yoruichi.
Soul Society Arc
Bounto Arc(anime only)
Arrancar/Vizard Arc
Hueco Mundo Arc
Race
Ichigo's race in the series is the prime motive for the story to begin.
Initially, Ichigo is human, but has a high level of reiatsu, spiritual pressure, and is thus able to see the spirits of the deceased.
During the first episode, Ichigo is impaled with the blade of Kuchiki Rukia's zanpakuto in order for her to transmit some of her powers into him. Though it was intended to only be half of her reiatsu, Ichigo absorbs nearly all of it, giving him the powers of a Shinigami.
Later on he loses the Shinigami powers given to him by Rukia as a result of being defeated by, and having his zanpakutou broken by, Kuchiki Byakuya. In order to regain his Shinigami powers, this time his own, Ichigo had to pass several tests given to him by Kisuke Urahara. During the second test, Ichigo was thrown in a large pit with his arms boudn behind is back. His spirit chain was visible and began to eat away at it self, faster and faster. Ichigo was given three days to escape from the pit; if he succeeded he would become a Shinigami, and if he failed, a Hollow. At the very last instant, just as the chain finished consuming itself, Ichigo escaped from the hole wearing both Shinigami clothes and a Hollow mask, which he quickly removed. Later on, this mask would reappear mysteriously on Ichigo's person, despite having been both take away by Urahara and thrown into a river while in Soul Society. This mysterious reappearance was the cause for suspicion of Ichigo's power.
While in a fight with Zaraki Kenpachi, Ichigo is wounded, and is brought into a realm within his own mind where he meets once again with old man Zangetsu. This time, there is a pure white version of Ichigo standing along side of Zangetsu, who claims that Ichigo is not worthy of Zangetsu, and fights Ichigo for the zanpakutou. Ichigo comes out the winner.
The next instance of this white Ichigo appearing is during his fight with Byakuya at the end of the Soul Society Arc. Having been nearly defeated, and with Byakuya coming in with the final blow, the Hollow mask once again appears on Ichigo as Ichigo's eyes and voice change into that of the white Ichigo. In this form, the white Ichigo is in control, and demonstrates miraculous power, dominating over Byakuya. After a brief time, Ichigo tears off the Hollow mask with some resistance on the part of the white Ichigo, and returns to normal.
Vizard
Although Ichigo is considered to be a Vaizard, it should be noted that this term was not known until after the Soul Society Arc, and that he is not on the side of the Vaizards.
Ichigo's strange combination of Hollow and Shinigami powers trouble him after the Soul Society Arc, and he is afraid to fight at full strength in case his Hollow side regains control once again. It is soon revealed to him by Shinji, a Vaizard himself, that Ichigo is a Vaizard. Shinji tries to persuade Ichigo to join him and the other Vaizards, but Ichigo refuses, stating that he is a Shinigami.
After facing the facts, Ichigo realizes that he needs the other Vaizards, and he goes to them for training with his Vaizard abilities, but makes sure that they understand he will not be joining them.
During this training, Ichigo is brought into his inner-mind realm once again while his physical body is placed in a barrier. While his physical body transforms into a Hollow and the Vaizards try to keep it under control, Ichigo encounters, and must defeat, the white Ichigo. The white Ichigo refers to himself as "The Horse", and Ichigo as "The King", and the only difference between them is that Ichigo is in control, but he could take that away at any time as he grows stronger. Ichigo and his Hollow-self face off, both with BanKai, and Ichigo is losing pitifully. "The Horse" reveals to Ichigo that he lacks the instinct needed to defeat him, after which, Ichigo takes control of the fight and, for the time being, has defeated "The Horse".
