User blog comment:Xilinoc/Ch. 568. Hear. Fear. Here 2/@comment-1604252-20140212213631/@comment-26420452-20140212221859

Because the Soul King likes midgets with a bunny fetish and abhorres blonde emos :P

Well, they chose people that might influence the course of the war, and I guess Ikkaku didn't make it in the list.