The series creator behind Bleach opened up about how one Soul Reaper’s popularity had taken him by surprise! As Bleach now celebrates the 20th Anniversary of it first hitting the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, fans are beginning to see the franchise return for some brand new projects. This not only included a brand new chapter following the events of the original series that actually kicks off an entirely new arc, but the anime will be returning to adapt the Thousand-Year Blood War arc later this Fall. So the creator behind the series has been fairly active.
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Bleach series creator Tite Kubo also recently opened up about some of the burning questions fans had about the series during a special Klub Outside segment, and with these questions cleared up some major surprises. When asked about which of the Soul Reapers he was surprised to see become popular, Kubo had revealed that it was actually the co-lieutenant of the 9th Division, Shuhei Hisagi, who has since become a star thanks to the Can’t Fear Your Own World novels.ย
Speaking to his surprise about Hisagi’s popularity, Kubo explained, “I never would have imagined that Hisagi would become popular, but I’m glad he’s gotten somewhat popular over the years.” Kubo’s surprise over Hisagi’s popularity does make sense when you consider that the lieutenant didn’t quite play that huge of a role during the original run of the series, but the character has since become a lot more notable in the years following the manga with spin-off stories that have expanded his role and even given him his own Bankai in the process.ย
With so many characters in the series overall, even when considering the Soul Reapers alone, it stands to reason that there are many fan favorites that will take the creator by surprise as well. Given Kubo dropping a major hint for a huge new arc with his extra chapter released for the manga’s 20th Anniversary, it’s also likely that there can be even more fan favorites when the manga and anime resume in full.ย
But what do you think? How do you feel about Hisagi’s popularity? Where does he rank among your favorite Soul Reapers in the series? Where does he rank among your favorite characters in the series overall? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!
