Four Things Every Bleach Fan Should Know About Ichigo

When Tite Kubo created Ichigo Kurosaki more than a decade ago, the artist did not know how popular the hero would become. Thanks to Bleach's popularity, the orange-haired soul reaper is one of anime's most recognizable heroes of all time. Ichigo ranks up with classic fighters like Luffy and Naruto, but there is still much about the hero that fans don't know.

Aside from Ichgio's trivial oddities, much of his story was never brought to anime. Bleach was canceled by Studio Pierrot before it could adapt its manga's final storyline. "The Thousand-Year Blood War" arc acts as the climax to Bleach, and it ties up many loose ends about Ichigo which anime-only fans may be curious about.

If you want to know more about Ichigo, then you are in the right place. You can pick up some new facts about the character in the slides below if you want to join the soul reaper's fan club:

Ichigo Has A Complicated Name

There is something about manga and anime that makes creators want to embrace puns. Dragon Ball's Akira Toriyama is famous for naming his heroes after odd themes. As for Ichigo, the character's name could reference a number of things. The boy says his name comes from 'ichi' and 'go' in Japanese; In English, the words translate to First Guardians Angel. However, Ichigo's father said his name actually means 'he who protects.' There are others who assume Ichigo's name means 'strawberry' thanks to how it is spelled using kanji, and the soul reaper seems to hate that translation most of all.

Ichigo's Bloodline Is Rare

Aizen always noted he was interested in Ichigo's bloodline, but fans do not realize just how unique the boy is until Bleach's end. Ichigo is the offspring of a pure-blood Soul Reaper from a noble clan. Not only is his Soul Society lineage pristine, but Ichigo's father was even a Captain in the Soul Society. As for his mom, Ichigo inherited pure-blooded Quincy gifts - but that is not all. When Masaski died, her death triggered a sleeping power in Ichigo which he inherited from her. The boy gained his mother's inner Hollow after birth, and his choice to become a Substitute Soul Reaper awakened the beast within him.

Ichigo's Zanpakuto Isn't Zangetsu

Anime fans may not believe it at first, but Ichigo's Zanpakuto is not Zangetsu. The soul reaper first met the spiritual entity during his training to reach Bankai, and Ichigo had to learn Zangetsu's name to wield his sword. However, in Bleach's final arc, Ichigo learns Zangetsu is not who he seems. The older man confesses he is not Ichigo's Zanpakuto but that Ichigo's so-called Inner Hollow is. Zangetsu is actually the manifestation of Ichigo's Quincy powers, and the man tells his charge he's limited Ichigo by hiding his true Soul Reaper gifts from him.

Ichigo Can Use Quincy Powers

Fans of the Bleach anime will know that Ichigo's father is a Soul Reaper, but they may not know everything about his mother. Ichigo's mom Masaski was a pure-blooded Quincy who had spiritual powers until the race's leader sealed them away. Known as an Echt Quincy, Masaski passed on her powers to Ichigo as well. During the manga, Ichgio discovers he can use Quincy abilities after he is imprisoned. The soul reaper receives a blast of Quincy spiritual pressure, and it unlocks his ability to use the race's defensive Blut techniques.