Profile:Age - 15
Species - Human, Soul Reaper, Vizard
Date of birth - July 15
Occupation - High school student, deputy Soul Reaper
Known relatives - Isshin Kurosaki (father)
Masaki Kurosaki (mother, deceased)
Yuzu Kurosaki (sister)
Karin Kurosaki (sister)
Zanpakutō - Zangetsu
PersonalityIchigo 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 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.
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. 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.
AbilitiesIchigo 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.
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.
Ichigo's zanpakutō is named Zangetsu ("cutting moon"). 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.] 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.
Zangetsu's bankai, named Tensa Zangetsu ("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. Zangetsu's special ability, in either form, is the Getsuga Tenshō ("moon-fang piercer of the heavens").
Tensa Zangetsu:
In addition to his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo partially becomes a hollow while reobtaining his Soul Reaper powers with the help of Kisuke Urahara. 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. 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. 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.] 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.
Ichigo with his hollow mask:
Plot overviewIchigo 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. 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. 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.
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.] 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. In the aftermath, Ichigo is made a "deputy Soul Reaper" and is allowed to return home with his friends.
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. 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.With the help of a few friendly arrancar he meets along the way, Ichigo is ultimately able to reunite with Orihime. Before they can return home, however, she is recaptured, and Ichigo sets out to get her back from Ulquiorra Schiffer.
