‘Bleach’ Creator Shares New Sketch Of Ichigo

Bleach may have wrapped some time ago, but that does not mean its creator has left Ichigo Kurosaki behind. Tite Kubo is still the Soul Reaper’s biggest fan, and the artist proved that recently by sharing a new sketch of Ichigo with the world.

Kubo will be making a stop in Tuscany, Italy soon to attend a local anime convention. Lucca Comics and Games 2017 will host the manga creator, and Kubo did a sketch of Ichigo to sell at the event as a print. The drawing, which can be seen below, shows Ichigo powered into his Bankai form – and it looks just as cool as fans remember it being.

The sketch itself doesn’t show Ichigo in a new form, but it is a nice reminder of the hero’s origins. When fans first met the orange-haired hero, Ichgio was little more than a high school student with one overbearing dad. The boy was changed for good when he wound up siphoning away Rukia Kuchiki’s spiritual powers to save his sisters, and Ichigo’s own enormous Soul Reaper potential was unleashed. The hero was eventually able to use Bankai after a grueling training regime concocted by Yoruichi.

Of course, the Soul Society was not too happy to see Ichigo wielding such a powerful move. Kubo’s story made sure to stress just how rare it was to manifest a Bankai at all let alone one as powerful as the one Ichigo unlocked. The hero’s Bankai is called Tensa Zangetsu and packs a punch. The Bankai distills all of Ichigo’s spiritual energy into a small blade that gives him insane strength and power. Ichigo unlocked a slew of Bankai levels during Bleach‘s tenure, but its final form was never given the full chance to expend its strength. All fans know is that Tensa Zangetsu’s true power was enough to make a man stronger than the Soul King feel discomforted, so that should tell fans something.