User blog comment:Godisme/Everything But The Rain/@comment-1747976-20130304102648/@comment-1393830-20130304162051

Ichigo first gained Shinigami powers from Rukia in chapter 1. When he lost those powers to Byakuya, Urahara had him undergo what is called Shattered Shaft training in order to gain his own powers. The training forced him to develop Shinigami powers or else he would become a Hollow. This is how he got Shinigami powers. This was clearly shown. The main requirement for a Soul to be a Shinigami is that they have spiritual power. If they have spiritual power, they can become a Shinigami with training. Ichigo had spiritual power, as do most people in Karakura town. It was stated in the Soul Society arc that all of Ichigo's friends were strong enough that they could become Shinigami when they die. None of his friends have Shinigami parents, so why is it so impossible for you people to understand that Ichigo did not need to inherit Shinigami powers to be a Shinigami. Lets look at the facts here, Isshin was powerless at the time of Ichigo's conception, he underwent a very specific training to force him to develop Shinigami powers, he did not just randomly become one one day, Nimaiya stated Ichigo was not a Shinigami, Isshin stated he was not a Shinigami. I'm sorry to tell you people, but Ichigo did not get his powers from his father.