The ‘Bleach’ Pilot Is Basically Unrecognizable

Bleach has become known as one of Japan’s most popular shonen franchises, but there are tidbits about the series which fans don’t know. Tite Kubo spent years outlining how he wanted his supernatural hit to go, but the creator didn’t have the story set at first.

Don’t believe that? Just look up Bleach’s pilot chapter then.

Weekly Shonen Jump chose to publish Bleach after Kubo sent a pilot chapter, but much changed between the manga’s submission and debut. The artist drew up a pilot that’s referred to as ‘Chapter 00’ by fans, and it gives a first look at heroes such as Ichigo and Rukia.

However, the pair a very different from what fans are used to.

At first, Shueisha rejected Kubo’s pitch due to Weekly Shonen Jump‘s strict guidelines. The creator may have given up on the series all together, but Kubo was encouraged personally by the creator of Dragon Ball to continue drawing. Kubo went back to his story’s basics and pulled apart his pilot to create the Bleach fans know and love. Still, it’s worth seeing how the manga played out originally, and you can read up on its biggest differences below:

Ichigo’s Hair

When fans think about Ichigo Kurosaki, they think about the guy’s Zanpakuto and orange hair. However, when Kubo first made the protagonist, Ichigo didn’t look nearly as interesting thanks to his black hair. The pilot chapter for Bleach gave Ichigo pitch-black hair, and Kubo only gave the lead colored hair when he chose to give Ichigo a ‘bad boy’ look.

Rukia’s Size

Any manga fan will know characters shouldn’t overuse their powers, but Bleach had a funny way of showing when its Soul Reaper taxed themselves. The pilot chapter saw Rukia shrink in size after she gave her spiritual power to Ichigo during a Hollow attack. The boy wakes up after falling unconscious during battle to find a pint-sized Rukia berating him. The Soul Reaper says Ichigo has to take up her duties as a Soul Reaper since she saved him, and she does this all while bathing in a cup of hot milk.

Orihime Dies

Perhaps the biggest difference between Bleach and its pilot lies with Orihime’s fate. The busty girl is known for being a long-time comrade to Ichigo, but the pilot kills the heroine off easily. Ichigo receives a call to collect a soul, and the boy realizes it is Orihime who died when he finds her outside of a shrine. Before Ichigo can offer her passage, Orihime’s father appears to take her to the Soul Society, but Rukia reveals the spirit has become a Hollow. It turns out that Orihime’s father killed her since she stopped praying about him, and Ichigo is forced to defeat him.