Bleach Creator Addresses the Anime's Ichigo x Rukia Ship
Bleach has been around for decades now, and at this point, we know how most of its romances play out. Creator Tite Kubo finished the series long ago, and the manga made sure to confirm couples in its epilogue. It was there fans learned who Ichigo Kurosaki fell in love with, and of course, the decision prompted debate within the fandom. And now, Kubo is finally commenting on the whole ordeal.
The situation came to light recently when Kubo's blog posted a new batch of fan-submitted questions, and one of them had to do with Bleach ships. Question 424 drew attention as it asked the creator what he thought about the anime's portrayal of Ichigo and Rukia. After all, the fandom has questioned whether the anime tried to promote Ichigo x Rukia for years now. But when it comes to Kubo, he has no recollection of such a thing happening.
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"As for whether or not the anime tried to make Ichigo and Rukia get along better, I don't recall it," he wrote. So there you have it from the man himself.
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Of course, the creator's comment has stirred up debate, and that is no surprise. Fandoms take few things more seriously than romances and ships, after all. For years, the series bounced between Ichigo x Rukia as well as Ichigo x Orihime. And in the end, the latter ship became canon under Kubo's watch.
The creator doesn't recall the anime ever pushing an Ichigo x Rukia agenda, so fans can keep that fact in mind when Bleach's next ship war comes to light. The series has cemented its heroes' love lives for the most part, but Kubo is far from done with Bleach. It wasn't long ago the manga was revived with a special chapter that teased the arrival of an all-new arc. So if you want to keep up with all of Kubo's couples, you can find them in the pages of Bleach.
What do you make of Kubo's address...? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.