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Characters that appeared in Tite Kubo's Bleach. There are so many that they occupy eight pages. This page deals with the denizens of Karakura Town and the Soul Society.
- For the main characters, go to Bleach/Characters.
- For Gotei 13 characters, go to Bleach/Characters/Two.
- For Aizen and his Co-Dragons, go to Bleach/Characters/Two Point One.
- For Non-Gotei 13 Soul Reapers, Visoreds, and Fullbringers, go to Bleach/Characters/Two Point Two.
- For the Arrancars, go to Bleach/Characters/Three.
- For the Vandenreich, go to Bleach/Characters/Five.
- For the anime-only characters, go to Bleach/Characters/Anime.
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WARNING! There are unmarked Spoilers ahead. Beware.
Ichigo's Zanpakuto and Hollow[]
Zangetsu[]
The spirit of Ichigo's sword. He takes the form of a middle-aged man with Cool Shades, long hair, and a black coat. The first spirit we actually catch a glimpse of in the series.
It's eventually revealed that no, he is NOT Ichigo's Zanpakutou, but the incarnation of his Quincy powers. As for WHO is the real Zangetsu, see below...
- Badass Longcoat: Hey, the Pimp Coat had to have come from somewhere.
- BFS: When he tests Ichigo, he seems quite fond of these, though it's subverted when his true form is revealed to be a regular katana.
- Bishonen: His Tensa Zangetsu form, and HOW.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: When he's defeated early on in the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales filler arc, he suggests that all of the zanpakuto spirits are like this due to Muramasa.
- Cool Old Guy
- Cool Shades: He'd look kind of like Starrk otherwise, actually.
- Dramatic Wind: Possibly justified in that he's a spirit.
- Enemy Within/Split Personality Takeover: It's been stated that Hollow Ichigo and Zangetsu are just Two Sides of the Same Coin, to the point that Hollow Ichigo claims to actually be Zangetsu when he takes over Ichigo's mindscape. Which is followed by...
- Expy: Bears a startling resemblance to the Count.
- Fusion Dance: Does this in chapter 411 with Hichigo
- In-Series Nickname: "Zangetsu no Ossan" (Japanese for "Old Man Zangetsu"), or just plain "Ossan", by Ichigo.
- Richard Epcar
- Tall, Dark and Handsome: Especially in his Tensa Zangetsu form.
- Takayuki Sugo
- Showtaro Morikubo: For Bishigetsu
Hollow Ichigo[]
The other spirit inhabiting Ichigo's inner world. He is Zangetsu's Literal Split Personality and takes the form of a pale-skinned doppelgänger of Ichigo with white hair and Black Eyes of Crazy, and is the source of his Hollow powers.
Eventually revealed to be none other than... Zangetsu. Alias Ichigo's real zanpakutou, rather than the Cool Old Guy that everyone knew.
- Anti-Hero: Type V.
- Ax Crazy
- Badass Longcoat: In his Bankai.
- The Berserker: And How!
- Black Eyes of Crazy / Eyes of Gold: Provides the Trope Image for the former. Subverted in that he's shown to be not THAT evil in the end, and Ichigo must accept him as a part of him to truly reach his peak of power.
- BFS: Color inverted from Ichigo's.
- Curb Stomp Battle: Dishes them out whenever he pops out, as Byakuya and Ulquiorra can attest.
- Emotion Eater: Hichigo is hinted by Zangetsu to grow stronger as Ichigo sinks deeper into despair.
- Enemy Within: To Ichigo.
- Enemy Mine: He pulls one with Ichigo against Zaraki, and in the Filler against Muramasa and Zangetsu.
- Evil Evolves: The Mask of Power his powers manifest changes slowly over the course of the series, and Ichigo's One-Winged Angel form goes from resembling a lizard to a horned demon. Once the Hollow is shown to be borderline Good All Along and Ichigo's true Zanpakuto, Ichigo realizes he must accept him as a part of himself... and few afterwards there's another Evolution in store for them - and this time, Ichigo is in control.
- Evil Mentor
- Fusion Dance: Does this in chapter 411 with Zangetsu.
- Grand Theft Me: His modus operandi, which he pulls whenever Ichigo gets too beat-up to repress him or when he's about to die.
- Kamehame Hadoken: His Cero, which is so powerful it can burn through the Gates of Hell.
- Laughing Mad
- Light Is Not Good: Dresses in white, and his Bankai reiatsu is white with a red outline.
- Literal Split Personality: To Zangetsu.
- Mask of Power: Ichigo can draw on his powers to manifest one. He shows up later wearing a color-inverted version of Ichigo's.
- One-Winged Angel: Transforms Ichigo into an extremely powerful Hollow when he takes over his body.
- Power Echoes: His voice is distorted by a warbling growl, and Ichigo's voice becomes similarly distorted while using his mask.
- Power Makes Your Hair Grow: Both of Ichigo's Hollow forms have Power Mullets, as does Hichigo himself when he shows up during the Mugetsu training.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: His growing influence replaced the normally blue outline of Ichigo's black Bankai reiatsu, first seen during his fight with Byakuya, with a red one, and the black-and-red coloration remains standard up until Ichigo gains the Final Getsuga Tensho. In the Filler his shikai reiatsu is revealed to be black and red as well.
- Super-Powered Evil Side: To Ichigo. Ultimately averted: He was a borderline case of Good All Along, plus Ichigo's actual Zanpakutou. Once Ichigo fully gets it, a Split Personality Merge and another power upgrade follows.
- Slasher Smile: His default facial expression, whenever he isn't sporting a Psychotic Smirk.
- Sword Beam: "Getsuga Tenshō!"
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: "Ichigo, what's the difference between a king and his horse?"
- Warrior Poet: Is quite philosophical about battle.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Has not been seen since his Fusion Dance with Zangetsu. Whether Ichigo got him back with the rest of his abilities hasn't been commented on.
- The Bus Came Back: And in a Wham! Episode, even - when it's revealed that HE is Zangetsu, NOT the one we knew and loved.
- White-Haired Pretty Boy
Karakura Town residents[]
Masaki Kurosaki[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>Isshin's human wife and the mother of Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. She was a beautiful, sweet redhead who died when Ichigo was as much nine years old, protecting him from a Hollow that attacked the poor kid when they were walking by the local river. Her death completely changed the family dynamics: Ichigo was a crybaby but matured into a Hot-Blooded Knight Templar Big Brother, Yuzu became a responsible and sweet caretaker, and Karin toughened herself up to not have people worry for her. Little did they know, her murderer would be back later...
The last arc has a Whole-Episode Flashback that adds up a LOT to her background.
- Ascended Extra: As said above, a mini-arc reveals MANY things about this woman: that she was a pureblood Quincy rather than a human, that when she was a teen she was engaged to marry her cousin Ryuuken Ishida, that she and Isshin met when she saved him... and something vital about her death - she would have won against Grand Fisher and survived, had Yhwach NOT perfomed The Purge as she was getting ready to fight him, thus stealing her powers and forcing her to sacrifice her life to save Ichigo.
- Death by Origin Story
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: She perished in child Ichigo's arms.
- Ghost Shipping: Technically as her husband is a ghost.
- Hot Mom: Was beautiful and graceful.
- Mama Bear: She gave her life to protect her eldest child. Technically, she would have won against the Hollow... if Yhwach did not depower her. And even then, she chose Ichigo's life over her own and died saving him
- Missing Mom
- Sayaka Ohara
- Yamato Nadeshiko: As an adult. Her younger self from the flashbacks was more akin to a Genki Girl.
Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>Ichigo's younger sisters. Twins but otherwise nothing alike. Notable in that Yuzu seems to have completely missed out on the family power, completely unable to see ghosts or Hollows for the most part. Karin sees them as well as Ichigo in the beginning, she just chooses to ignore them.
- Abnormal Ammo: Whenever Karin tries her hand at Hollow-slaying, it involves her kicking a Reiatsu-laced soccer ball into said Hollow's face. With varying but limited success.
- Action Girl: Karin might be headed this way, and has already asked Urahara about it.
- Alliterative Name: Kurosaki Karin
- Barrier Maiden: Yuzu sorta becomes one in the fourth movie.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: According to Ichigo, Karin. When she did break down, we all cried with her...
Ichigo: "Several years have passed since I saw Karin's crying face. Up until Mom's death, Karin was a crybaby (...) The least she could do was to not make Yuzu and others worry about her. So, no matter what, she didn't cry." |
- It's worse when you realise why she was crying—because the spirit of a boy close to her own age had witnessed the death of his own mother—and she'd felt his emotions on it. Gets worse when you consider that Yuichi Shibata looks to have been about nine years old, the age Ichigo was when his mother died. Double wammy!
- Hair Decorations: Yuzu.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Post-timeskip, both have grown their hair out: Yuzu with Girlish Pigtails and Karin with a Tomboyish Ponytail.
- Feminine Girls Can Cook: Yes Yuzu can! She can also clean for four, motivate the other three, do the shopping, and find time to sleep and go to school. She's first seen doing it when she's eleven, and has been doing this since she was five.
- Half-Human Hybrid
- Muggle Born of Mages: Yuzu
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Karin's initial reaction to her ability to see spirits. Subverted in the last manga arc, when she visits Urahara and decides that if it's needed, she will fight Hollows and take up Ichigo's place, so he can have a normal life.
- Implausible Deniability: Karin does not believe in ghosts. Despite being able to see them clear as day. Really, she just considers them a pain.
- Joshikousei: Manga chapter 424 features the beginning of their junior high years, with both of them in sailor uniforms.
- Kick Chick: Karin shows shades of this. See Abnormal Ammo above.
- Kill the Cutie: Yuzu in fourth movie.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Yuzu befriended the ghost of a cat once.
- Little Miss Snarker: Karin, and with her father around she's got plenty of material to work with.
- One of the Boys: Karin
- Polar Opposite Twins: Even down to their hair colours, with Yuzu having pale brown hair and light brown eyes to Karin's black hair and dark eyes.
- They Are All Grown Up: The newest manga arc opens with them starting junior high.
- Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Junior-high!Karin
- Shipper on Deck: Karin openly says she won't be impressed with Ichigo unless he brings a girl like Orihime home.
- Team Mom: Yuzu might only be 11 years old, but she's the one who keeps her family well fed and taken care of.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Part of their Polar Opposite Twins status with Yuzu being the sweet and homey girl to soccer-loving Tomboy Karin.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Yuzu. Until she enters Junior-high, when she becomes a Type B Tsundere.
Tatsuki Arisawa[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>Ichigo's childhood friend and former karate partner. Best friends and self-appointed protector of Orihime from bullies and classmate Chizuru.
- Bokukko: To the point where girl-crazy Chizuru won't even hit on her.
- Bully Hunter: She met Orihime by shooing bullies away from her.
- Childhood Friends: She is Ichigo's childhood friend, but since she is outside of the True Companions, this is only shown in very emotional moments between Tatsuki and Ichigo.
- Designated Victim: She has fallen prey to every single spiritual power she has encountered so far in the series, the most recent being Tsukishima's "Book of the End".
- Friendship Moment: Chapter 25.2, things like loneliness, a bittersweet variation when Tatsuki contemplates how she and Ichigo drifted apart over the years, but realizes that she still has a connection to him, no matter how trivial. This proves important to a heartbreaking plot point later in Winged Eagles, When Tatsuki confronts Ichigo about Orihime's disappearance.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: When Kon (in Ichigo's body) kissed her on the cheek, her response was to toss school desks at him. Kon goes so far as to lampshade this.
- Informed Ability: She is supposed to be a black-belt martial artist, but we never see anything like martial arts from her, and everything about it is word of mouth from Tatsuki herself.
- Martial Arts Uniform: A childhood flashback. Also, she, Chizuru and Orihime are attacked by a hollow just after she's changed out of the uniform she was previously wearing.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Orihime's Girly Girl.
- Tsundere: To Ichigo and Orihime.
- Wendee Lee
Mizuiro Kojima[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>Friend and classmate of Ichigo's and foil to Keigo, generally playing the Straight Man in their group. Yet another with burgeoning spiritual power.
- Action Survivor: Upon waking up in a sleeping city, the first things he grabs are food, water, a cell phone charger, a gasoline canister, and stun guns for everyone.
- Dissonant Serenity: He doesn't seem too fazed by all the crazy shit going on around him, even after seeing the guy who's trying to kill them disintegrate objects with his reiastsu.
- Jun Fukuyama
- Kidanova: Surprisingly successful in his pursuits in what little we see. Apparently he's so good he's been able to get a homemade meal almost every day of his life since entering middle school despite not having parents or doing it himself.
- Likes Older Women: Stated to have a preference for older women. Considering he's distanced from his mother, that has... interesting implications.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Slighty hinted to be one before meeting Keigo, Ichigo and Chad
- Missing Mom: She still lives, but he's mentioned to be distanced from her.
- Nerves of Steel
- Those Two Guys: With Keigo.
Keigo Asano[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>Third member of Ichigo's group at the beginning of the series and the most energetic of the three. Usually shown with Mizuiro.
- Action Survivor
- Ambiguously Bi: While he obviously shows interest in women (just ask Rukia, Orihime, Rangiku, etc), there seem to be hints that Keigo is attracted to Ichigo (and perhaps Chad), or at least VERY obsessed with him. When Ichigo and Chad returned from the Soul Society, Keigo was jealous of them, demanding to know if something happened between them and upset he wasn't included, implying to some fans he thought sex happened between them and wanted in.
- Butt Monkey: Between being blown off by his friends and smacked around by his older sister, it wasn't a good time for him in the Arrancar Invasion arc.
- Dumb Is Good: Takes great pride in his lack of academic ability and is a Nice Guy, sort of.
- Flanderization: Starts off as goofy and slightly neurotic. Now he's a complete spaz who can't be on camera for more than five minutes without freaking out over something. Filler takes it Up to Eleven. Hell, at one point he makes a joke about Ichigo seeing something that he can't (refering to a Hollow and within thirty seconds he's literally running away screaming.)
- Hell as part of the Karakura Rizers his special ability is running away.
- Completely averted in the Deicide arc. He's been staying pretty calm, coming up with some pretty logical plans, and is showing Hidden Depths.
- Keet
- Lovable Coward
- The So-Called Coward: After Tatsuki tells him to run away, he does — but reappears two chapters later with Zennosuke's sword, and in the next chapter, after seeing Aizen take a bomb to the head and survive, he turns around and charges at the Nigh Invulnerable Big Bad himself. Additionally, much later he is NOT happy when Shunsui comes toi him, Tatsuki and Mizuiro to tell them about Ichigo and how he may not be able to ever stay on Earth, and directly confronts him on how screwed-up that is. Heck, Shunsui even admits Keigo is right on that.
- Pretty Freeloaders: Well, he doesn't think Ikkaku and Yumichika are that pretty, but his wilful and bossy older sister Mizuho has a huge thing for bald men.
- Secret Keeper: He doesn't know the significance of this, but he's one of only three people (along with Renji and Yumichika) that Ikkaku has willingly revealed his bankai to.
- Selective Obliviousness: Is aware of strange things happening with Ichigo, but when he starts running into Soul Reapers and seeing Hollows, he assumes that they're making a movie. Eventually, it became impossible to ignore when he witnesses a fight between Ikkaku and an Arrancar.
- Those Two Guys: With Mizuiro.
- Took a Level in Badass: It seems Ikkaku and Yumichika's Badass Badassery has rubbed off on him—see The So-Called Coward entry above.
Mizuho Asano[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>Keigo's older sister, Mizuho is the 24th Student Council President at Karakura High School and handles multiple school affairs, including the local Kendo Club.
- Genki Girl
- Fetish: She has a huge fetish for bald/shaven men. Ikkaku finds her a handful to deal with as a result: she's a massive fan of his appearance.
- Hand or Object Underwear: She forces Ikkaku to do this is episode 229 by walking into the bathroom to give Ikkaku's back a scrub. Ikkaku is so shocked he drops his towel and is forced to use his hands to cover himself.
- Hot-Blooded
- Stalker with a Crush: Filler episode 229 turns her into one for comedy purposes as part of her plan to win Ikkaku's heart by being a "considerate woman". She's even willing to walk in on Ikkaku in the bathroom to give his back a scrub and secretly plants an alarm clock on him so she can randomly pop up with lunch at just the right time (Ikkaku's actually in the park when she dives out of the bushes with lunch).
- Student Council President: The 24th, no less, and Ishda's predecessor.
- Tomboyish Ponytail
Chizuru Honsho[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>One of the girls in Tatsuki and Orihime's circle of friends. Often used as a Plucky Comic Relief in the Karakura-based chapters, where she tries to flirt with Orihime if not downright grope her, only to be thwarted by Tatsuki.
- Action Survivor
- Break the Cutie: Look at her while Aizen is chasing them through Karakura Town. Poor girl....
- Gag Boobs: Keigo told Tatsuki once that Chizuru's more well-endowed than he thought. Tatsuki promptly punches him.
- Genki Girl
- I See Dead People: Has the ability to see ghosts, hollows and shinigami but when she actually gained the ability isn't revealed.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Proud to be a Lipstick Lesbian, always ready to ogle cute and feminine girls.
- Meganekko
- Muggle: She doesn't seem to have any powers but the end of the Deicide arc reveals she does in fact have spiritual awareness and she's actually capable of surviving Aizen's proximity without dying, which is what happens to true muggles in his presence.
- Playing Against Type: Saki Nakajima usually plays Meidos...
- Plucky Comic Relief: Always cheerful and never giving up in her pursuit of Orihime.
- Put on a Bus: Has not been seen since the time-skip
- Saki Nakajima
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Sometimes.
- Skinship Grope: Loves glomping and groping Orihime (grabbing her breasts in the manga, hugging her from behind in the anime).
- Yaoi Fangirl: She sure seemed very pleased when Ichigo was on top of Renji and it looked like they were copping feels in the school hallway.
Chizuru: Forbidden love... So beautiful! |
Mahana Natsui, Michiru Oogawa and Ryo Kunieda[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>The other three ladies from Orihime and Tatsuki's circle of friends.
- Ambiguously Brown: Mahana's skin tone is slightly darker than the others's.
- Asami Sanada: Michiru
- Beauty Mark: Kunieda, under her left eye.
- Bookworm - Brainy Brunette: Kunieda is the second better student on their class, with Ishida as the top spot and Orihime as third. She's also seen often with books or magazines.
- The Cutie: Mahana and Michiru
- Deadpan Snarker: Kunieda
- Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs: Michiru has cute X-shaped hairpins
- Girl Next Door: The three, in different ways. Michiru is the cute and homey one (possible Yamato Nadeshiko candidate), Mahana is the more active and tomboyish type, and Kunieda is the smart and quiet Bookworm.
- Hitomi Nabatame: Kunieda
- Messy Hair: Mahana
- Ordinary High School Student: Among the few genuine ones. Except for Michiru, who has VERY small spiritual powers... that let her survive when she, Chizuru, Mizuiro, Tatsuki and Keigo are in front of Aizen.
- Saying Too Much: Mahana is a little noisy...
- Shrinking Violet: Michiru is very shy, and she's scared of Ichigo and Ishida because they never smile.
- Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Kunieda
- The Three Faces of Eve: Michiru is the Child, Kunieda is the Mother, Mahana is the seductress (mostly by default)
- Tomboy: Mahana, to a slight degree.
Ryuken Ishida[]
Species: Human / Quincy
Affiliation: Unknown
Quincy Bow: Klavier
Director of Karakura General Hospital and Uryu's father, though they're estranged to the point that Uryuu doesn't even call him "father" but refers to him by his first name. Uryuu holds a grudge against him for being opposed to him being a Quincy and constantly belittling his talent, though it seems that Ryuuken was/is simply worried about his son (not that he'd ever admit it). Ryuuken himself is apparently much stronger than Uryu, but claims not to be interested in being a Quincy because one can't make a living from it; though later, it's revealed that his reasons are not THAT simple, and are tied to his Dark and Troubled Past. He seems to have known Isshin for a long time and their relationship is similar to that of their sons.
- Aloof Dad
- The Archer: Like all Quincies, but his bow is of a different type than his son.
- Cool Old Guy: Younger that the norm, but still counts.
- Cursed with Awesome: His attitude towards his quincy powers to the point where he claims he's incapable of getting rid of his powers even if he tries.
- Dr. Jerk: When viewed through his son's eyes, he's certainly appears to be this although an early manga scene suggests otherwise when Isshin tells an orderly at the hospital that Ryuuken would free up bedspace if he knew Isshin was the one asking. Later on, when he's seen interacting with people other than his son (specifically Ichigo and Orihime) he's actually a much gentler, kinder and even protective personality. It seems he and his son bring out the worst in each other, and later it's explained that he has a huge Dark and Troubled Past and that his wife Kanae's death (or better said, her murder) pretty much broke him.
- Dysfunctional Family: He and his son have a truly nasty estrangement, he doesn't appear to have gotten on much better with his own father until the very end. As for his late wife, it's explained late in the story that he and Kanae were in a Childhood Friend Romance mixed with Uptown Boy (she used to be a maid in the Ishida's Big Fancy House), and that her death deeply affected him.
- Kissing Cousins: When Ryuuken was young, he was in an Arranged Marriage to a girl his age named Masaki Kurosaki since both were pureblood Quincies. While they deeply cared for one another, they simply had No Sparks romantically speaking, and Ryuuken told the family maid Kanae that he actually wanted to Marry for Love. The arrangement fell through because Masaki was contaminated by a Hollow created by Aizen; she married Isshin (who saved her from said Hollow and gave up his spiritual powers to do so, whereas he got hitched to Kanae only to tragically lose her in the same incident that killed Masaki.
- Generation Xerox: His relationship with Isshin is similar to that of their sons.
- Give Him a Normal Life: Uryuu believes this is the reason his father gave up being a Quincy but his grandfather implies Ryuuken is actually hiding something. Considering the Vandenreich, he may be protecting Uryuu from their own distant kin; this is later confirmed and explained through a Whole-Episode Flashback, plus additional scenes in the second anime.
- Hand Wave: Initially says he has no interest in being a Quincy. He later clarifies after showing up to save Uryu that it doesn't mean he doesn't have the power, just that he merely doesn't want to use it, but can't get rid of it either. A certain Whole-Episode Flashback explains his VERY good reasons.
- Hot Dad: Without most of the positive implications of the trope, at least at first.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: He claims this is how he feels about his power... of course, he also walks around in a white suit, wears a tie covered in crosses and just happens to always carry the Quincy Cross wherever he's goes... not a bad quincy shout-out package for a man who claims to loathe his quincy roots and power.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: In order to restore Uryuu's powers, Ryuuken has to be able to be able on the fly to put an arrow through a chakra point 19mm to the right of the sinoatrial node of the heart without damaging the tissue around it. Granted, he's a surgeon and knows his way around the inside of the human body...but that's still one helluva shot.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: His relationship with his son is so bad that the latter refers to him by his given name, even by Western standards that shows the cold nature of their conflict. However, when he's seen interacting with people other than his son, he seems to be a kinder personality, even offering to give Orihime a lift home because he knows her life might be in danger.
- Ken Narita: His seiyu.
- The Lost Lenore: It's revealed later that his late wife / Uryu's mother, Kanae, is this for him.
- Man in White: he wears a white suit when he first turns up in the manga (in the anime, his suit is closer to a pale beige).
- Parent Ex Machina: He first shows up—outside of flashbacks—to save Uryuu's life and restore his powers.
- Pet the Dog: His interactions with Orihime.
- In the Whole-Episode Flashback, he's shown having rather sweet and sad interactions with two girls: his cousin and arranged girlfriend Masaki (yes, THAT Masaki) and the maid Kanae... aka his eventual wife.
- Retired Badass
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Moreso than his son.
- Stepford Snarker: A man who's been deeply shattered by his past, and reacts by snarking at near everyone he comes across.
- Stoic Spectacles: Again, more so than Uryuu—he's cold, collected, and infuriatingly aloof.
- Whole-Episode Flashback: The one that takes place in the last arc of the story gives him (and Kanae) quite the spotlight, and explains his reasons to be the way he is.
Kanae Katagiri (SPOILERS)[]
A sweet, polite young lady who used to work as a maid for the Ishida family, then became Ryuuken's closest friend and confidant. She, Ryuuken, Masaki and Isshin are the protagonists of a Whole-Episode Flashback mini-arc that explains lots of things about Ichigo and Uryuu's pasts and bonds.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Kanae was brought to the Ishida household when she was a little girl, and met Ryuuken there...
- Early-Bird Cameo: Of sorts. In the anime-only Bount arc Ishida thinks that Yoshino reminds him of his mother, and there's a brief flashback to his younger self speaking to a sad-looking lady... Kanae wouldn't properly be seen in the story until much later.
- Ninja Maid: She's a Quincy (albeit an "impure" one), works as a maid for the Ishidas, and is implied to be Ryuuken's fighting partner when needed. Some panels show her holding on a Quincy bow, ie.
- The Lost Lenore: For Ryuuken. Double because she was murdered in The Purge against non-pureblood Quincies. In Kanae's case, she collapsed and fell into a coma that killed her after several months; Ryuuken himself performed the autopsy on her corpse, and found a silver projectile that tipped him on who was to blame - Yhwach.
- Missing Mom: Ishida's.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: She has the looks (tall-ish, dark-haired, lovely-looking but in a rather modest way, etc.) and the behavior (soft-spoken, humble and gentle, but rather firm and determined when needed)
- Walking Spoiler: It's known that she is Ryuuken's wife/Uryuu's mother, and that she'd dead. How and why she died are massive spoilers, however.
Kon[]
Species: Modified Soul
Affiliation: Soul Society (formerly) / Karakura High School
Kon is a Mod[ified] Soul, the product of a recalled Soul Society experiment in giving 'vacant' human bodies Hollow-killing powers. After a brief yet entertaining hijacking of Ichigo's body and the acquisition of his current stuffed toy body, he settles down into his role as comic relief. He's still entrusted with Ichigo's body when his soul's out Hollow-hunting, to maintain the Masquerade to Yuzu and Karin.
- The Chew Toy: Literally...
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He does successfully beat up a hollow in Ichigo's body in his opening appearance, and puts on a damn good showing against a Hollow in a filler arc in a stuffed animal body .
- The anime filler Invasion Army arc really gives him some great spotlight moments. Leading up to a Big Damn Heroes moment where he actually saves Ichigo from the Big Bad
- Chivalrous Pervert: Despite his love for boobs, Kon was terrified when he found a naked Nozumi Kujo in the parking lot.
- Evil Twin: To Ichigo in his first appearence, though he's really more of a Delinquent than outright evil.
- Extremity Extremist: Has enhanced leg muscles.
- Kid Appeal Character
- Lovable Coward
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Loves boobs. And Rukia. But mostly boobs.
- Mitsuaki Madono
- Quinton Flynn: Sounds more like Sheldon amongst others.
- Super Soldier
- Technical Pacifist: Kicks Hollows in the face, won't kill even an ant if he can help it.
Don Kan'onji[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>Misaomaru Kan'onji is a spirit medium and the host of the TV show Ghost Hunt. He is known for his trademark laugh (BWAHAHAHA!) He met Ichigo when he and his friends went to see him live. Unknowingly he removes a spirit's soul chain and turns him into a Hollow. After Ichigo saves him, Kanonji declares him his apprentice. He makes appearances in filler episodes, where establishes a Five-Man Band known as the Karakura Superheroes consisting of him, the Kurosaki sisters, the Urahara shop kids, and Kon. Later on, in another filler arc (though based on manga Omakes) he is put in another by order of Urahara: The Karakurizer team.
He reappears in the Real Karakura Town, rescuing Tatsuki from Aizen. He then helps her, Keigo, Mizuiro, Chizuru, and Michiru get away.
- Catch Phrase: "SPIRITS ARE ALWAYS WITH YOU!" "Smells like bad spirits!" "BWAHAHAHAHA!"
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Heavy on the moron, though one must give him points for actually knowing he mostly sucks and standing his ground, not to mention he does save Ichigo's ass once.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: He tries to pull a Big Damn Heroes to rescue Tatsuki from Aizen and Gin. Not realizing how strong they are, he very gladly calls them out.
- May double as his Crowning Moment of Awesome, since even once he does realize how utterly outclassed he is, he keeps right on standing up to them to protect Tatsuki and never even considers leaving her behind to save himself. Say what you will about the guy, but do not call him a coward.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: Only in the sense of not being ultimate. He's certainly got a good heart, and successfully protects people and combats Hollows on several occasions.
- Feet of Clay
- Five-Man Band: The Karakura Superheroes!
- The Hero: Kanonji himself (Karakura Gold)
- The Lancers: Karin and Jinta (Both were given the title Karakura Red; Karin also doubles as The Smart Guy)
- The Big Guy: Ururu: Karakura Pink
- The Chick: Yuzu: Karakura Yellow
- Team Pet: Kon: Karakura King
- Second Formation: Karakurizer Team
- The Hero: Kon in Ichigo's body: Karakurizer
- The Lancer: Don Kanonji: Karakurizer Spirit
- The Big Guy: Tatsuki (Karakurizer Beast), Ururu (Karakurizer Tiny Devil)
- The Chick: Keigo (Karakurizer Delicate), Chizuru (Karakurizer Erotic)
- Mission Control/The Smart Guy: Urahara (team founder)
- Third Formation (Real Karakura Team)
- The Hero: Tatsuki
- The Lancer: Don Kanonji
- The Big Guy: Keigo (Sort of.)
- The Smart Guy: Mizuiro
- The Chick: Chizuru
- Gratuitous English: His catchphrases.
- Hot-Blooded
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Misaomaru Kanonji, the "Don" seems to be just a stage name.
- Gratuitous Spanish: Don means "Lord."
- Shigeru Chiba
- Shout-Out: One catchphrase is a shout out to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
- Sunglasses at Night
- Super Sentai Stance: By himself, the Karakura Superheroes, and the Karakurizer Team.
Ikumi Unagiya[]
Species: Human
</sidebarmenu>Voiced by: Yuko Kaida (JP) |
In the Xcution/Fullbring Arc, she is Ichigo's boss at his part-time job in her shop, whenever he decides to show up for his job, or she decides to kidnap him back to it.
- Action Mom: Read. Her. Dynamic. Entry.
- Biker Babe: Has an outfit reminiscent of one, that is.
- Blood Knight: If her Slasher Smile after beating up the gangsters is any indication, Unagiya seems to enjoy being the winner of a fight, at the very least... whoa, hold up.
- Boobs of Steel
- Catch Phrase: "We're not Unagi eels."
- Cool Big Sis: The definitive one for Ichigo.
- Doting Parent: To her son, Kaoru, even when he doesn't really deserve it.
- Dynamic Entry: Her introduction involves her beating up an entire gang of school thugs single-handed.
- Establishing Character Moment: Her yelling at Ichigo on the phone shows her short-tempered side, while her wipe-out of the gangsters solidifies her as a badass.
- Expy: Ikumi's basically an even more tomboyish merge of Tatsuki Arisawa and Kukaku Shiba.
- Face Palm of Doom: Uses this to abduct Ichigo.
- Gag Boobs: She shoved Ichigo's head onto her breasts to comfort him at one point. As Rangiku once said, "my bosom's your pillow".
- Hot-Blooded Hot Mom: Very much so.
- Pet the Dog: Her comforting Ichigo, very much like a real mother, was pretty sweet of her.
- Punny Name: "Unagiya" is Japanese for "eel shop." [1] This explains why people constantly mistake her business as such.
- Nice Hat: Well, it's a cap.
- Ship Tease: With Ichigo.
- Slasher Smile: Sports one after she defeats the gangsters.
- Tranquil Fury Nightmare Face: Played for Laughs in this picture.
- Tsundere
Sora Inoue[]
Species: Human / Hollow
</sidebarmenu>Voiced by: Yuji Ueda (JP), Liam O'Brien (English) |
Sora Inoue (井上昊, Inoue Sora) was Orihime Inoue's older brother and caretaker, who became the Hollow, Acidwire (アシッドワイヤー, Ashiddowaiyā) after his death. He actually perished years before the storyline, having been wounded in a car accident; Orihime carried the fatally injured Sora to the Kurosaki clinic, but despite Isshin's efforts, he died. His soul then was corrupted (in the anime, due to another Hollow; in the manga, after crossing the Despair Event Horizon) and started hounding his younger sister. . .
- Abusive Parents: His and Orihime's father was The Alcoholic, their mother was a prostitute. And they both treated their children like shit.
- Body Horror: Specially in the anime, where not only he fell in despair—but his soul was forcibly turned into a Hollow.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The hairpins that he gave to Orihime? They went from her Tragic Keepsake to her Weapon of Choice: the Shun Shun Rikka.
- Despair Event Horizon: Believing that Orihime had forgotten about him drove him to the edge. In reality, Orihime never did so, and actually stopped praying to his memory to not have him worry about her in the afterlife. Sora/Acidwire doesn't learn about it until later.
- Driven to Suicide: Sort-of, as he was dead when he took Ichigo's zanpakuto and used it to remove the rests of his Hollow mask.
- Knight Templar Big Brother - Murder the Hypotenuse - Yandere: As Acidwire, he attacks Tatsuki and later Ichigo and Rukia aside of Orihime, and he claims that he wants to kill Orihime so no one else can have her.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: Right before he kicked it, Sora and Orihime had their first and last fight ever, and she didn't bide him goodbye like she always did. Therefore, when Sora was defeated and purified, Orihime told him "have a nice day" in their goodbyes.
- Promotion to Parent: Sora ran away with three-year-old Orihime on tow as soon as he turned a legal adult, thus acting as her tutor and parental figure until he kicked it.
- Posthumous Character
- Tall, Dark and Handsome: Before his death.
- Tragic Monster: And how.
Soul Society residents[]
Ganju Shiba[]
Species: Plus
Affiliation: Soul Society
A member of the established Shiba clan. He helps Ichigo and his friends get into the Seireitei with his sister's help. Usually gets into fights with Ichigo. He is also a master of fireworks and can change the ground into sand if he wants.
Tropes associated with Ganju:
- Big Ol' Eyebrows
- Boisterous Bruiser
- The Bus Came Back: He and Kuukaku reappear in the last arc
- The Cameo: Ganju, Kukaku and Jidanbo cameo in Episode 337, having not been seen since the Bount arc. Sadly they do not speak.
- Combat Pragmatist: What do you do when you know you're vastly outclassed by your opponent? Keep running away and playing the fool until they drop their guard, firebomb their arse (okay, well, throw a firework at his hair) and get the hell out of dodge.
- Dishing Out Dirt: His Seppa spell allows him to turn stone into sand.
- Odd Couple: With Hanatarou.
- Kyle Hebert
- Stuff Blowing Up
- Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty: How he approaches his fight against Yumichika.
- Wataru Takagi
- You Killed My Older Brother: Hates Soul Reapers because one killed his aforementioned sibling. The victim is Kaien, the killer is... Rukia. In an I Cannot Self-Terminate scenario, yeah. He was still upset about it, though we can't really blame him since he didn't know why Rukia had to Shoot the Dog.
Kukaku Shiba[]
Species: Plus
Affiliation: Soul Society
Ganju's older sister and owner of a house with statues of arms on the outside. She owns a large cannon that she lets Ichigo and friends use to get past the barrier of the Seireitei.
Tropes associated with Kukaku:
- Action Girl: Mainly in the video games, but in canon, she's perfectly willing to jump into the fray against Aizen.
- Angst? What Angst?: Invoked. Unlike Ganju, she never was angry at Rukia for Kaien's death, mainly because she knew the full story from Ukitake. She even punches Rukia when she apologizes and tells her it's all right.
- Bandage Babe: On her right arm and forehead, among other places.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted. She lacks an arm. In the anime, she replaces it with a prosthetic one; in the manga, she has only her stump.
- Berserk Button: Leave her pipe alone.....
- Bokukko: Ore variant.
- Bottle Fairy: After Rukia apologizes to her and Ganju over the deal with their older brother, Kukaku threw a party for Rukia on the night before Ichigo and his gang left the Soul Society.
- The Bus Came Back: She and Ganju reappear in the last arc
- Cool Big Sis: A more tomboyish example, so this is especially evident when she's calm and relaxed.
- Does Not Like Shoes/Foot Focus: Is always barefoot, even if everyone else isn't.
- Handicapped Badass: She lacks her right arm the manga (in the anime, this is changed to her wearing a prosthetic).
- The Ladette: Very much so, as something of an abrasive, short-tempered drill sergeant, but even she can show a softer side, rare as it is.
- Out of Focus: Hasn't been heard from since the Soul Society arc, apart from a brief re-appearance in the filler Bount arc, with a role nearly iddentical to that of the one she played in the Soul Society arc.
- Playing with Fire/Megaton Punch: Did this when Ichigo and Ganju broke her kiseru while fighting.
- Tsundere: In the end, she really loves her brother, but don't expect to hear that loud anytime soon....
Jidanbo Ikkanzaka[]
Species: Shinigami
Affiliation: Soul Society
Zanpakutou: Unknown
The guard to the Seireitei's western gate, a large giant. He's the older brother of Ikkanzaka Jirobo, fourth seat of Squad 7.
- An Axe to Grind
- Dual-Wielding
- Dumb Muscle: When counting a 10-hit combo he clearly shows little knowledge of numbers or counting, especially since it ends up becoming a 13-hit combo.
Jidanbo: One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Seven! Six! Eight! Um... Six! Eight! Time to finish up... Ten!!! |
- Gentle Giant: Later on.
- Honor Before Reason: Believes that he has to open the gate if he loses.
- Takashi Nagasako
Hisana Kuchiki[]
Species: Plus
Affiliation: Soul Society (formerly)
Byakuya Kuchiki's late beloved wife. Originally a Rukongai resident who arrived with her baby sister Rukia upon their deaths in the living world to District 78 of Southern Rukongai. Was forced to abandoned said sister in order to survive, and could never forgive herself for that.
- Dead Big Sister, Dead Wife: To Rukia and Byakuya, respectively; the former did not know any of this until the end of the Soul Society arc, however.
- Happily Married: ... Until she died five years later from terminal illness [2]
- Ill Girl: Speculated to have either been caused or compounded by her repetitive guilt-driven visits to Rukongai in search of her aforementioned sister.
- My Greatest Failure: Considers herself unworthy of being Rukia's big sister, due to her abandonment of her as a baby... so much that she made her husband promise on her deathbed not to tell Rukia about being her sister.
- Posthumous Character
- Promotion to Parent: Inverted and Subverted. It's Hisana and her baby sister who die, not their parents, and then, she couldn't hack it.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: The "Love Above One's Station" version: Subverted; her husband, then implied to be the current family head, went as far as to explicitly defy his own clan's elders in order to marry her, in spite of her commoner background.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Hisana's adoptive sister-in-law, Rukia, was told that Byakuya adopted her into the Kuchiki family because she bore an uncanny resemblence to Hisana (she's basically a carbon-copy of her), so she technically fits the trope (if we extend "family" to adopted members). It turns out that Byakuya was only telling half the truth; her adoption had less to do with her appearance, and more of being Hisana's blood-related sister, making her a perfectly straight example.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: A very kind and gentle young woman.