Bleach is a member of the Huge Three membership of Shonen anime, and deservedly so. Nonetheless, its protagonist, Ichigo, is nowhere close to probably the most appreciated Shonen hero. Tite Kubo created a boy-next-door character who was thrust into obligations too huge for him.
Luffy and Naruto, then again, have big particular person fanbases. However why are issues so totally different for Ichigo regardless of being in the identical style? The reality may lie in a 2023 interview with Tite Kubo.
Tite Kubo Admits His Ideas About Ichigo
In an interview with Viz Media, Tite Kubo talked about who he considers to be his heroes. He mentions GeGeGe no Kitaro and Saint Seiya as his favourite, however they don’t seem to be heroes in that sense.
What’s a hero? I’ve by no means considered Ichigo as a hero, both. [lol]
So what does Tite Kubo think about a hero? It looks like Kubo’s model of a hero is vastly totally different to the blueprint of Shonen protagnists.
When you consider Ichigo, you consider a cushty and pleasant character, not somebody who possesses ungodly energy. Regardless of his energy, he maintains his standing as a standard human (who will get concerned in bizarre affairs).
Why Bleach‘s Ichigo is Not as Celebrated as Luffy or Naruto
When Ichgo was first introduced in Bleach, he was a laid-back scholar with spectacular athletic talents for a excessive schooler. He had not grown up in a turbulent surroundings and didn’t have grand targets of being a pirate king or the strongest individual. Thus, his objective relies on his scenario.
A fan theory explains that Ichigo acquires a brand new objective each time one thing goes askew. At first, his mission was to rescue Rukia, then to save lots of himself, after which saving the Soul Society. Every time, he’s pushed to motion resulting from impending doom upon those he loves. Different heroes like Naruto, Luffy, or Goku are motivated to succeed in an final objective and work in direction of it their total lives.
In actual fact, Ichigo goes again to his regular faculty life each time a conflict is resolved. Think about Luffy returning house and chilling each time he defeats a brand new enemy. On the finish of the day, Ichigo is a straightforward man who doesn’t want to satisfy the expectations of each Shonen fan.
Ichigo, being an everyday individual in Bleach, is fairly uncommon and thus his uniqueness will increase. His motive is to outlive the subsequent day and to not combat each attainable battle. His character growth in Bleach can also be performed superbly.
One other factor that units Ichigo aside from different Shonen heroes is the quantity of soul-searching he does. This isn’t to decrease his coaching; larger energy involves him solely when he accepts his true self. His relationship with his Zangetsu can also be extraordinarily fleshed out in consequence.
All of those elements collectively make Ichigo stand out from the innumerable Shonen heroes which have flooded the market. On the finish of the day, it’s Tite Kubo’s distinctive storytelling that made Bleach one of many Huge Three.
You’ll be able to learn Bleach on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.