Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎 一護) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo as the story's main protagonist and developed into the Bleach media franchise. 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 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, pluses, to Soul Society. In previous Shonen Jump character popularity polls, Ichigo was consistently ranked the most popular character in Bleach. However, in the fourth and most recent popularity poll, he dropped to 3rd place.

Character outline
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. Ichigo claims that he does not care what others think (both about his hair and other subjects) and seems to enjoy fighting the bullies.

Ichigo is also a capable student, ranked 23rd in his school. Ichigo regularly studies and doesn't neglect his schoolwork, because he has nothing better to do at home. It is later revealed that Ichigo works so hard only to overcome the misconceptions that many teachers tend to have about him, based on his hair color and interactions with other students. Ichigo has a habit of misreading other people's names, such as Uryū Ishida and Yasutora Sado. It has also been a running gag in the series on how he keeps forgetting his classmate's faces and names. His friends even claim he only knows half the class.

Ichigo possesses the unusual ability to see spirits as a consequence of his innate spiritual power. After the full extent of Ichigo's immense spiritual power is unlocked as a consequence of his meeting with Rukia Kuchiki, as well as his subsequent inability to control it, many of his friends begin to develop spiritual powers due to their proximity with him. Frequent exposure to Ichigo's energy causes several of his classmates to become spiritually aware, and some even develop their own unique powers as a result.

Ichigo lives with his father Isshin Kurosaki and his two younger sisters, Yuzu and Karin. His father runs a small medical clinic. Ichigo's father is portrayed as a comical, inept character who often challenges his son with mock attacks and berates him for being late for dinner, Karin also has the ability to see spirits and Yuzu acts as the de facto mother of the family.

Ichigo likes chocolate and karashi mentaiko. His favorite celebrities are Al Pacino and Mike Ness and the person he admires most is William Shakespeare. He is uncomfortable around nude or immodestly dressed women despite the "tough guy" image he tries to maintain.

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, actually means "strawberry" in Japanese, and is normally only used as a girl's name; when the gatekeeper Jidanbō teases Ichigo about this fact, Ichigo proudly states 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.'

History
Ichigo's mother, Masaki Kurosaki, began taking him to a dojo to learn karate when he was four years old. There, he met and fought with Tatsuki Arisawa, whom he lost to the first few times. Whenever this happened, he would start crying, only to stop instantly when comforted by his mother, to whom he was deeply attached. Tatsuki described Ichigo as a thin child, who looked very happy and always smiled when around his mother.

When Ichigo was nine, Masaki 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. After her death, Ichigo was distraught and stood on the shore where his mother was killed for days. The entire Kurosaki family transformed at the death of Masaki — Karin became tough and did not cry again, while Yuzu took up the household chores. Prior to learning about Grand Fisher, 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: because of this guilt, Ichigo developed a resolute will to gain the power to protect his loved ones. This is a recurring theme in many of Ichigo's battles, particularly the assertion that his reasoning is the opposite of what he claims: his opponents often claim that he protects his loved ones in order to fight, not the other way around.

Three years before the main storyline, Orihime Inoue's older brother Sora died in the Kurosaki clinic from injuries acquired in a car accident. Ichigo watched as Orihime cried for her brother, although he did not find out that the crying girl he saw was Orihime until a short time before the main storyline.

While in junior high school, Ichigo met and befriended Yasutora Sado, then from Mashiba Junior High, who helped him out of a fight. Ichigo called him Chad because of the nametag he was wearing, which can be read either Sado or Chad, and continued using the name after being corrected. 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.

Synopsis
At the beginning of the series, Ichigo meets Rukia Kuchiki, who comes to deal with a spirit haunting Ichigo's home. Once he confronts Rukia about her presence she, though surprised that he can see her, introduces him to the world of the Soul Reapers. As they talk, a hollow drawn to their spiritual pressure attacks them. Rukia is injured in her efforts to protect Ichigo and his family, forcing her to transfer her powers to him if they are to be saved. Ichigo vanquishes the hollow, though finds himself stuck with Rukia's abilities. Unable to carry out her Soul Reaper duties until her powers are restored, Rukia forces Ichigo to fill her position in the meantime.

As Ichigo deals with hollows across Karakura Town, his friends and fellow classmates begin to develop and exhibit their own unique spiritual powers due to their time spent with him. Ichigo's actions and those of his classmates draw the attention of Soul Society, who soon send Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai to retrieve Rukia. Rukia tries to go with them quietly, though Ichigo attempts to stop them. Byakuya leaves Ichigo on the verge of death and takes away his Soul Reaper powers as punishment before returning to Soul Society with Renji and Rukia. Kisuke Urahara rescues Ichigo, and seeing his determination to go to Soul Society and save Rukia, trains him to regain his powers. Once his training is complete, Ichigo and his friends are escorted to Soul Society by Yoruichi Shihouin.

Upon arriving in Soul Society and breaking into the Seireitei, the group is split up. Ichigo is forced to fight a number of high ranking Soul Reapers as he searches for Rukia. Though he defeats Ikkaku Madarame, Renji, and Kenpachi Zaraki in turn, his many fights leave him both injured and fatigued. Yoruichi takes Ichigo away to rest, and once he recovers she trains him to utilize bankai in order to prepare him for his eventual battle with Byakuya. Once completing his training, Ichigo goes to the site of Rukia's planned execution where he singlehandedly stops the sōkyoku and dispatches three lieutenants in order to give Rukia time to escape.

Byakuya soon intervenes in Ichigo's escape attempt, and the two do battle. Although his new bankai proves a fair match for Byakuya's own, his inexperience with the ability gives Byakuya an advantage. It is only through the brief manifestation of his inner hollow, a remnant of his training with Urahara, that Ichigo is able to bring the conflict to a draw. Although Byakuya is defeated, Ichigo soon learns that the Soul Reaper behind Rukia's execution, Sōsuke Aizen, still intends to kill her. An injured Ichigo attempts to fight alongside the also-injured Renji to save her, but Aizen quickly disposes of them. Rukia is ultimately saved by Byakuya and the Soul Reaper captains, though Aizen is able to escape Soul Society with the object he sought. Ichigo and his friends are healed and return to the human world, Rukia having chosen to stay behind.

Ichigo is soon reunited with Rukia during the Bount invasion. Ichigo fights against the Bount with his Soul Reaper allies and friends. After the battleground shifts from the human world to Soul Society, Ichigo confronts the Bount leader, Jin Kariya. After much effort on Ichigo's part, the battle ends in a power clash, with Ichigo the victor. With the Bount vanquished, Ichigo returns to the human world once again.

As Ichigo resumes his school activities, Aizen's arrancar begin attacking Karakura Town. After his defeat during the first arrancar invasion, Soul Society sends a team of Soul Reapers to help defend the city, Rukia being amongst them. Rukia's presence proves useful during the second invasion and Ichigo's battle with Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, though Ichigo's unwillingness to use his inner hollow brings him defeat once again. Determined to better handle this force, Ichigo goes to the vizard for training that will keep the inner hollow in check. In his month of training, Ichigo is able to gain control of his hollow for eleven second intervals, which briefly gives him the upper-hand during his rematch with Grimmjow during the third arrancar invasion. The advantage isn't enough to overcome Grimmjow, however, and Ichigo is only spared by the intervention of Shinji Hirako and Rukia. Grimmjow and the other arrancar are forced to retreat before either side can claim victory.

The arrancar's reasons for ending the battle prematurely are soon discovered to be a result of their capture of Orihime Inoue. Soul Society, unwilling to go after Orihime, recalls Rukia and the other Soul Reaper forces. Ichigo, not about to give up on Orihime, goes to Hueco Mundo with Yasutora Sado and Uryū Ishida to rescue her. After their arrival, they are joined by Rukia and Renji, neither of which are willing to abandon Orihime. Their group is also joined by Nel Tu and her companions. Upon reaching Las Noches, they spilt up, with Nel following Ichigo. As he makes his way through the arrancar base, Ichigo is met by Dordonii, a former Espada. Although he tries to defeat Dordonii without using his bankai and hollow powers, Dordonii eventually goads him into doing so. Dordonii is defeated as a result, and Ichigo continues on his way.

As he progresses further into the arrancar base, Ichigo runs into Ulquiorra Schiffer, the fourth Espada. Ulquiorra severely injures Ichigo and leaves him to die. Grimmjow, wanting to finish his battle with Ichigo, brings Orihime to him so that he can be restored to battle readiness. Once he is well enough, the two do battle, and Ichigo is eventually able to defeat Grimmjow. As he prepares to escape with Orihime, Nnoitra Jiruga arrives and attacks Ichigo in his weakened state. Unable to match Nnoitra's abilities in such a weakened state, Ichigo is left at his mercy. Nel, angered by Nnoitra's treatment of Ichigo, reveals herself as the former third Espada and fights Nnoitra in Ichigo's place. Nel is able to fend off Nnoitora easily because of her former position, but eventually reverts to her child form. Kenpachi Zaraki arrives and dispatches Nnoitra, at which point Aizen recaptures Orihime. He reveals his plans to destroy Karakura Town and seals the intruders in Hueco Mundo so they cannot interfere. Ulquiorra is left to watch over Las Noches, and Ichigo heads out to confront him in order to protect Orihime.

Abilities
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 an elite Soul Reaper captain. According to Aizen and Urahara, Ichigo's most astounding ability is his growth rate: he grasps the basic control of advanced techniques in days where it should take weeks or even years. For example, he masters flash steps in less than three days while training with Yoruichi, done simultaneously with his acquiring of bankai. Also, because of his power level, he has been able to use high level Soul Reaper techniques early, such as sensing 'Spirit Threads', which Rukia says only top level Soul Reapers can use.

Physically, Ichigo is in top form even when not in his spiritual body. Ichigo has been trained in martial arts since he was a small child, both professionally and by his father's constant assaults and surprise attacks when at home. He regularly fights with and defeats bullies and gangsters. Ichigo's skill rivals that of his friend Tatsuki, the 2nd-best female martial artist in Japan (she was better than him until middle school).

Soul Reaper powers
When he is in his Soul Reaper form, Ichigo's already impressive strength is greatly enhanced. He can leap several stories into the air, and in one case even fought off three Soul Reaper lieutenants and their released zanpakutō bare-handed in rapid succession; he shattered one of their zanpakutō in a single punch. The arrancar Ulquiorra has claimed that Ichigo's spiritual power at its peak is even greater than his own, but that it fluctuates wildly when he is in conflict with his inner hollow. Because he has far 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 creatures.

In terms of fighting style, Ichigo relies mostly on his zanpakutō and the use of flash steps, and thus would be considered a swordsmanship specialist. Ichigo has never been formally taught kidō and has trouble controlling his spirit energy in all but the most basic of ways, due in part to the sheer amount of it he has.

Unlike most Soul Reapers, Ichigo is able to fight with his full power in both the human and spiritual worlds. While captains and lieutenants have their power limited to a fifth of its normal level during trips to the real world in order to avoid unnecessarily influencing surroundings, Ichigo holds no rank in the Gotei 13 and thus has no such limit.

Hollow powers
Ichigo's spiritual powers are not limited to just Soul Reaper abilities; he possesses hollow powers as a result of his training with Kisuke Urahara. While attempting to recover his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo began transforming into a hollow from the corrosion of his severed Chain of Fate. Ichigo succeeds in awakening his Soul Reaper powers, but retains his hollow spirit inside himself from the transformation. The title page of chapter 220 depicts the inner hollow with the mirror writing of Ichigo's name.

Ichigo's hollow spirit is his evil alter ego. The spirit is pretentious and mocks his counterpart's inability in a sneering, didactic fashion whenever the chance arises. He relishes the idea of taking Ichigo's strength for himself, and claims to be the manifestation of Ichigo's instinctive lust for battle and the next kill. Unlike Ichigo, the hollow fights like a berserker, and is able to ignore any injuries Ichigo has previously sustained along with considerable increases to his speed and strength.

At different points in the series, Ichigo's hollow powers have manifested themselves in different ways. Initially, Ichigo's hollow mask would appear on his body to block fatal blows, unbeknownst to Ichigo until the fight ends. During his battle with Byakuya Kuchiki, half of the mask appeared on his face when Byakuya was about to get the finishing blow, allowing his inner hollow to take over until Ichigo suppressed it. The same event is repeated multiple times after that, first indication of which being Ichigo's left eye gradually blackening, as the hollow takes control. While suppressing his inner hollow, Ichigo is left effectively paralyzed, since his concentration was focused on suppressing it rather than fighting. The hollow claims that it manifests itself to protect Ichigo during near death moments because it is connected to Ichigo, and it would be a great inconvenience to the hollow if Ichigo was to die.

While he was in training with the vizard, Ichigo's soul was completely overcome by his inner hollow for a short period, causing him to physically transform into a hollow. His hollow form resembles a large, humanoid lizard. In this form, Ichigo demonstrated several high-level abilities, including high speed regeneration, enhancement of limbs, and the ability to fire cero blasts from his fingers. However, this form didn't last long as Ichigo emerged from the hollow shell as his standard Soul Reaper self wearing a hollow mask.

After training with the vizard and subjugating his inner hollow, Ichigo can use his hollow mask while retaining his personality, but could originally only wear it for eleven seconds at a time. His limit increases substantially during his third battle with Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, but to what extent is unclear. His overall limit is barely a fraction of the amount other vizard can maintain their masks. After the time limit, the mask breaks and Ichigo loses its benefits. Subsequent attempts to use the mask can only be maintained for an instant. While wearing the mask, Ichigo's hollow powers supplement his Soul Reaper powers, giving him a vast increase in both strength and speed.

Zangetsu

 * Seiyu: Takayuki Sugo
 * Voice Actor: Richard Epcar

Ichigo's zanpakutō is named Zangetsu (斬月 lit. Cutting Moon). Unlike most Soul Reapers, who can seal their zanpakutō after releasing it, Ichigo's zanpakutō is always in its shikai form. Yoruichi Shihouin has stated that his zanpakutō is a full-time released form type, which is a type of zanpakutō that, once in shikai form, remains in said state. For that reason, Zangetsu has no release command.

The spirit of Zangetsu resembles a 30 to 40 year-old man, and Ichigo calls him "old man Zangetsu" (斬月のオッサン) as a result. Zangetsu has also been called the "black-clothed man" (黒衣の男). 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 has displayed the ability to temporarily stop the bleeding from fatal wounds during combat, though whether or not this is a unique ability is unclear. During Ichigo's training with the vizard, Ichigo's inner hollow claims that he has assimilated Zangetsu, as they are two sides of the same coin: the spirit takes the form of the stronger side, which at that time is the hollow.

When Ichigo first becomes a Soul Reaper, Zangetsu simply takes the form of an oversized version of a regular sealed zanpakutō, complete with an equally oversized sheath on his back. The large size is due to Ichigo's immense spiritual power, which he didn't know how to control. As a result, the sword itself was rather weak, since very little spiritual power was used to create it. Byakuya Kuchiki cuts off most of the blade during his first encounter with Ichigo and Kisuke Urahara subsequently slices it down to the hilt during their training, forcing Ichigo to learn the name of his zanpakutō in order to release its true form.

The shikai form of Zangetsu resembles an oversized, though more elegant, cleaver blade without a hilt, instead it has a makeshift handle formed by some cloth wrapped around the tang. The sword is as tall as Ichigo is, 1.74 meters, and has a black blade with a silver edge. Ichigo carries his zanpakutō on his back by the cloth wrapped around the tang. When not in combat, the cloth extends to cover the rest of the sword and falls away when necessary, shrinking back to a manageable size. The cloth can also be used to swing the weapon like a flail and toss it at opponents, but this is rarely done. This was first demonstrated by Ichigo's inner hollow, then again by Ichigo himself while rescuing Rukia. The bankai of Zangetsu, named Tensa Zangetsu (天鎖斬月, lit. Heavenly Chain Cutting the Moon), is considered completely out of the ordinary for any zanpakutō. Unlike most bankai forms, which usually create some sort of massive creature or effect, Ichigo's bankai actually shrinks his sword down to a daitō (Japanese long sword) with a black blade, handguard in the shape of the manji (which is the kanji for "ban," meaning "full"). The cloth wrapped around the hilt is replaced by a short chain with a broken link, similar to that of a plus spirit. In addition to his sword, Ichigo's robe is replaced with a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining that is closed at his chest, much like that of Zangetsu himself. Lately, color pages of the manga show that Ichigo's bankai clothing now has a white lining as opposed to red.

As explained by Byakuya Kuchiki, Ichigo's bankai is a compression of his power, rather than a vast expansion as other bankai are. This hugely compressed power enables Ichigo to move at speeds exceeding those of flash steps, and gives him matching agility and reflexes, allowing him to use his natural strength to its limits. Ichigo's initial inexperience with controlling his bankai led to a serious drawback; the force of his compressed spiritual power caused all of his bones to crack as stated by his inner hollow, gradually decreasing his speed over time. This drawback has not been mentioned since its introduction and is assumed to have been overcome. Tensa Zangetsu itself also possesses considerable strength; using only one hand to brace it, Ichigo was able to block a punch from the arrancar Yammy, whose strength was greater than that of Yasutora Sado at the time.

Zangetsu's special ability (in either form) is the getsuga tenshō (月牙天衝, lit. Heaven-Stabbing Moon Fang, Viz: Moon-Fang Piercer of the Heavens, English TV: Piercer of Heaven), which in shikai form fires concentrated energy blasts from the tip of the blade in the shape of a blue crescent moon. Ichigo uses this ability without knowing its name several times, but masters the technique later on when he discovers its name. When used with Zangetsu's bankai, these blasts are black with a red outline and their path can be controlled. It can be fired with or without a swing, allowing Ichigo to break a bladelock by firing a blast at his immobile opponent. The attack is first used during his fight with Byakuya Kuchiki by Ichigo's inner hollow. Byakuya refers to it as a black moon fang (黒い月牙) due to its darkened color. When Ichigo first begins to use the technique by himself, repeated use of the attack runs the risk of giving his inner hollow the chance to surface, and Grimmjow suggests that it causes him some level of bodily harm as well. With Ichigo's later control over his inner hollow, this problem appears to have been overcome.

Reception
Ichigo has ranked high in the Shonen Jump polls, with the most recent ranking in 3rd place. Various Merchandise based on Ichigo's appearance has been created including action figures, his own zanpakutō, and plush toys. Several publications for manga, anime, video games, and other related media have provided praise and criticism on Ichigo's character. ActiveANIME says that Ichigo is "immediately likeable with his reckless ways but kind interior..". Anime News Network says he "...is almost a typical anti-hero. He is almost the rebel, the bad boy that gets pulled into being a hero against his will.." Johnny Yong Bosch has also been praised for his voice work on Ichigo's character.