Bleach Creator Reveals Unseen Character Designs

It's been awhile since Tite Kubo needed to concern himself with Bleach, but the artist refuses to slack on his Shinigami duties. The creator's iconic series may have wrapped last year, but Bleach lives on in games like Bleach Brave Souls or spin-off manga series. And, now, fans can get a look at some of Kubo's never-before-seen character designs thanks to those continuations.

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Recently, the folks behind Bleach Brave Souls did a livestream event to celebrate its two-year anniversary. It was there the team talked about Bleach's most recent spin-off "Can't Fear Your Own World," and the crew debuted unseen illustrations Kubo penned for the manga (via Reddit).

As you can see below, the first image features a rather familiar face. Kubo inked a new design of Shuhei Hisagi. The character is the co-lieutenant of the Soul Society's 9th Division, and the tattooed Shinigami is the central character of Bleach's new spin-off. Kubo's drawing shows the character in civilian dress as his Shinigami robes are MIA. So, instead of wielding a Zanpakuto, Hisagi is shown leaning on an electric guitar.

It's an interesting trade.

As for Kubo's other sketches, fans are shown a series of characters. A sketch of Grimmjow is shown as the Arrancar reaches for his sword. Yukio and Aura are also given a brief sketch, and Rudborn joins Grimmjow to add another Arrancar into the mix. The warrior can be seen prepping to fight Bambietta, a Quincy whom Bleach fans have met before.

You can read Viz Media's synopsis of Bleach below:

"Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts—he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow—a malevolent lost soul—Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace."

MORE: Here's Tite Kubo's Explanation For Bleach's Plot Holes

Bleach is author Tite Kubo's second title. Kubo made his debut with ZOMBIEPOWDER., a four-volume series for Weekly Shonen Jump. To date, Bleach has been translated into numerous languages and has also inspired an animated TV series that began airing in Japan in 2004. Beginning its serialization in 2001, Bleach is still a mainstay in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shonen (boys) category.