Ichigo Kurosaki

is a Human who has Shinigami powers and is a Substitute Shinigami. Ichigo is the son of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki, and older brother of Karin and Yuzu.

Appearance
Ichigo's most distinguishing feature is his spiky orange hair, a trait he has been ridiculed about for years on end. He is a fairly tall, lean-built young man with peach skin and brown eyes. He likes to wear tight clothes. He has a tendency to wear shirts patterned with the number 15 because his name is a homonym for the number. Since becoming a Shinigami, he has become noticeably more muscular, as noted by his sister Karin. When in his spiritual form, Ichigo wears the standard Shinigami attire, with the addition of a strap across his chest. Initially, it was a thick brown belt to hold his Zanpakutō sheath, but it later became a red rosary-like strap after awakening his own Shinigami powers. It is shaped like a kite with a flat top and bottom. Ichigo's appearance has caused several people, including Jūshirō Ukitake, to note a similarity to Kaien Shiba, the former lieutenant of the 13th Division. After training in the Dangai, Ichigo's hair grows considerably, and he is noticeably taller, as stated by his friends. After Ichigo loses his Shinigami powers, his appearance reverts to the way it was before his Dangai training.

Seventeen months after defeating Aizen, Ichigo's overall appearance does not change, but he becomes taller again and grows sideburns. After regaining his powers, seemingly caused by remaining energy from his Fullbring, Ichigo's Shinigami attire consists of a thicker strap across his chest. He has four black vertical lines on his forearms and black, tattoo-like bands crossing over his chest, wrists, and ankles. Similar bands, but with white ends, lie around his neck as collars.

After training at the Soul King Palace, Ichigo wears his standard black shihakushō, but with some notable changes: he has two white shoulder plates crossing his chest in an X shape that hold his Shikai blades in place, with the plate on his left shoulder having three sections adorned with red scales, and a white cloak with black markings tied around his waist.

Personality
When he was younger, Ichigo considered his mother to be the center of his world, always smiling when he was with Masaki and regularly holding her hand. Despite crying whenever he lost in a match at the dojo he attended, Ichigo started to smile again as soon as he saw Masaki when she came to pick him up. At a very young age, Ichigo heard his father saying his name means "to protect one thing," which instilled in him a desire to protect his mother. When his sisters were born, he began attending a dojo for the sake of protecting them. Since then, the number of people he wishes to protect has continued to grow, causing Ichigo to risk his life to protect both the people close to him and complete strangers.

As a teenager, Ichigo is stubborn, short-tempered, strong-willed, and impulsive. Despite claiming not to care about what other people think about him, he attempts to maintain a detached and "cool" image. He generally keeps his face set in a near-permanent scowl, with his eyebrows drawn together. His outspoken, hot-headed demeanor is a trait Ichigo himself has acknowledged, and if somebody picks a fight with him, he cannot help fighting back. He coldly refers to his teachers as "instructors". He is genuinely compassionate and empathetic towards others, promising to bring a Plus flowers and a toy plane, or soothing others when they become upset.

Ichigo is a capable student, ranked 23rd in his year at school, who studies regularly and does not neglect his schoolwork. He works as hard as he does to overcome the misconceptions many have about him based on his hair color and fighting. Ichigo hates fortune telling, horoscopes, feng shui, psychics, and anyone whose trade involves taking money from people for things they cannot see. He has difficulty remembering people's faces and names. Ichigo becomes extremely shy and uncomfortable around nude or immodestly dressed women, a fact both Yoruichi Shihōin and Rangiku Matsumoto have teased him for. Ichigo is often disrespectful when talking to those older than himself, calling Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto "gramps" and referring to several of the Shinigami captains by their given names without using honorifics.

When it comes to fighting, Ichigo has a complex sense of honor; he regularly seeks to exact revenge for the cruel actions of his opponent, such as instilling the fear of being murdered in Shrieker and cutting off the right arm of Yammy Llargo in retaliation for him ripping Yasutora Sado's right arm off. He often taunts and belittles his opponents when fighting, sometimes attacking without warning. Ichigo has a strong desire to win his fights, but in what he views as a legitimate manner. To this end, he has often refused the aid of his inner Hollow, even when knowing it would allow him to win. Ichigo's resolve in battle can waver at times, which can impede his fighting prowess, and goes into a state of depression and self-loathing when he loses a major battle or lets a friend down.

Ichigo despises those who mistreat their allies in any way, even if they are his own enemies. He was disgusted when Yammy calls Ulquiorra Cifer, Nnoitra Gilga, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez "trash".

History
Ichigo was born on July 15th as the son of Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki, 15 years before he became a Shinigami. His sisters Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki were born a few years later. When he was four, Ichigo joined a karate dojo, where he met and befriended Tatsuki Arisawa. Though Tatsuki beat Ichigo in every match they had, she would help Ichigo if he was being picked on by bullies and cheer him up if he was upset.

Ichigo was able to see Pluses for as long as he could remember. He could see them so clearly, as a child, he could not tell the living from the dead. This resulted in him appearing to other people to be looking at deserted places and talking to himself. This caused people to say he could see ghosts, though when Tatsuki asked him about this, he denied being able to see them.

On June 17th, when Ichigo was nine years old, he and his mother were walking home alongside one of Karakura Town's rivers, which was swollen from heavy rain. Seeing a girl near the river, Ichigo thought she was about to jump into it. Unable to tell the difference between ghosts and living people, Ichigo ran towards her to stop her, unaware the girl was the lure of the Hollow Grand Fisher. Masaki tried to stop him, but he did not listen. After failing to grab hold of the girl, Ichigo lost consciousness for a time. When he awoke, Masaki was lying on top of him, covered in blood. Starting the day after Masaki's death, Ichigo repeatedly skipped school to go to the riverbank where Masaki died. Tatsuki found him there, where he would stay from morning until night, wandering along the bank as if searching for his mother, squatting down if he was tired and then wandering some more.

One day, when Ichigo was twelve, prior to the Kurosaki Clinic opening, he heard the bell ring and answered the door to find a girl with her brother on her back. He had been in a car accident, and was covered in blood. The clinic did not have the equipment necessary to save him, and he died before an ambulance arrived to transfer him to Karakura Hospital. Sometime later, he learned the girl was Orihime Inoue.

Ichigo later entered Mashiba Junior High School. During this time, Ichigo finally defeated Tatsuki in a karate match, and had not had another match with her since. Ichigo regularly got into fights with thugs, due to the unusual color of his hair. During one of these fights, he received help from Yasutora Sado. Shortly after, Ichigo returned the favor when he rescued Sado from two gang members roughing him up. When the thugs later abducted Sado, Ichigo found them and knocked down their leader, Yokochini. Using Yokochini's phone to ring for an ambulance for each of the five thugs, he beat up all of them. After Sado was freed, they made a pact to protect and fight for each other.

Shortly before Ichigo became a Shinigami, he and Sado began attending Karakura High School, and their reputations preceded them. During a fight with a gang led by Reiichi Ōshima, Ichigo and Sado met Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima, saving the former in the process. While Keigo was initially afraid of Ichigo and Sado, both he and Mizuiro later became friends with them. Ichigo later met Uryū Ishida, asking him why he chose to attend Karakura and not a gifted school, as he would have thought that Uryū would want to follow in his father's footsteps and become a doctor. However, Uryū replied that he had no desire to become one.

Bount arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Beast Swords arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Equipment

 * : Given to Ichigo by Ukitake before leaving Soul Society for the first time, the pendant he commonly carries on his belt signifies his position as a Substitute Shinigami, allowing him to remain active in the Human World. The pendant gives Ichigo the ability to separate his soul from his body in the absence of Rukia's glove or Kon. It alerts him to the presence of Hollows in Karakura Town, much like Rukia's Denreishinki. Ukitake informs Ichigo the badge can also be dangerous, and thus it has built-in protection making it invisible to normal Humans.  Zennosuke Kurumadani tells Ichigo he has never heard of his "Seal of Approval", causing Ichigo to refer to it as useless before Shinji's arrival. When Ichigo loses his powers, all of the mentioned abilities of the badge are lost as well. Kūgo Ginjō tells Ichigo the true purpose of the badge is to observe and restrict the owner. It is at once a surveillance device for Soul Society and a device to absorb, analyze, and control the user's Reiatsu. It is also a device for communicating with Soul Society, as Ichigo could hear Rukia's voice coming from it. As the badge absorbed and stored Ichigo's Reiatsu, Ichigo used it as his Fullbring focus.


 * Protective Charm: A Kidō-based charm given to him by his father. If the owner is attacked by hostile forces, it acts as a defense by forming a barrier, as displayed when Kon (while in Ichigo's body) was attacked by the Arrancar Grand Fisher. Ichigo was unaware of the charm's power, and was told it once belonged to his mother. The latter is proven to be a lie, as Isshin later reveals he created the charm recently.


 * Ōken Clothing: After training with the Royal Guard, Ichigo dons special clothing in order to safely return to the Seireitei. These clothes are made from the bones and hair of the members of the Royal Guard, and they possess incredible defensive power, allowing Ichigo to withstand the friction that results from breaking through the 72 barriers between Soul Society and the Soul King Palace without suffering any damage; Yhwach notes that no Shinigami could hope to wear greater garb. These clothes take the form of a white cloth, a floral-patterned bandanna, and a black cloth around the top of Ichigo's head; large, black-outlined weights on either shoulder; a long, double-breasted white cloak; a black sash and a floral-patterned strip of fabric around his waist; and white pants. They are destroyed when Candice Catnipp attacks Ichigo with Galvano Blast.

Natural Abilities
Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Physically, Ichigo's Human body is in top form. Ichigo has been trained in martial arts since he was a small child, both professionally and by his father. He has repeatedly shown great agility and coordination in his attacks. In addition to having powerful kicks and punches, Ichigo is proficient in counterattacks, takedowns, and body locks. He has repeatedly caught an opponent's weapon strikes with a single hand. He effortlessly defeats multiple bullies and gangsters on a regular basis, and is a better martial artist than Tatsuki Arisawa, who is ranked the second strongest girl in all of Japan despite her fighting with a broken arm. He effortlessly knocked out three lieutenants in rapid succession, while bare-handed, with a single strike each. While he has stopped training, constant attacks from bullies and his father keep his skills fresh.

Enhanced Strength: Even while not in his Shinigami form, Ichigo is deceptively strong, smashing a man's head through a concrete road with a single kick, and later kicking Asguiaro Ebern from his bedroom into the street without injuring his leg from the man's Hierro.

Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Even before learning Shunpo, Ichigo is a very fast and agile fighter. Ichigo possesses great reflexes, dodging a strike with no wasted effort and immediately counterattacking. He can strike quickly, without warning, and in rapid succession. His speed allows him to follow the movements of faster opponents to better analyze their movements, and block otherwise fatal strikes. Even when struck by surprise by Tenjirō Kirinji, who is fast enough to outpace Suì-Fēng, Ichigo counterattacked and injured said attacker without anybody else noticing. Ichigo managed to dodge a surprise point-blank shot to the head and attempt to perform a counter against Robert Accutrone, who was fast enough to match and pressure a fast Captain such as Shunsui in terms of speed.

Enhanced Durability: While only a teenage Human, Ichigo is a highly resilient young man, safely breaking free from a binding spell (albeit a low-level one) and withstanding an assault from a large Hollow.

Advanced Growth Rate: According to both Aizen and Urahara, Ichigo's most astounding ability is his growth rate; he grasps the basic control of advanced techniques in days where it would take several years for even the most gifted Shinigami. Shortly after gaining Shinigami powers and with no previous training, he began learning advanced spiritual energy sensing techniques by sheer instinct. While it takes most Shinigami at least 10 years to achieve Bankai, he did so in two days (albeit with the assistance of a special device invented by Urahara which was originally intended for three days). He gains considerable experience in the use of Shunpo while training with Yoruichi, which was done over the same period as his Bankai. Besides his improvements in his Shinigami abilities, Ichigo greatly increased the time he could maintain his Hollow mask, from eleven seconds to considerably longer amounts of time. During his first fight with Ulquiorra, he is instantly incapacitated by one Cero blast, even with his Hollow mask (which broke within a second), but only a few hours later, he withstands another Cero from Ulquiorra without undergoing Hollowfication, and can analyze Ulquiorra's movements much better than before, when he had "felt like [he] was fighting a machine or a statue" and failed to predict and counter his attacks. His latent abilities have been recognized by the Wandenreich as potent enough to make him one of the Special War Powers of Soul Society.

Keen Intellect: Despite his somewhat punkish attitude, Ichigo is analytical, perceptive, and deductive. In his high school, Ichigo's grades are almost always near the top, despite his work as a Substitute Shinigami. Aside from that, Ichigo can determine the pattern of his opponent's battle methods and form a proper counter-strategy to defeat his opponent's attacks.

Immense Spiritual Power: Ichigo has been noted on several occasions to have tremendously vast levels of spiritual energy, well beyond most other Shinigami. His spiritual power is noted to be heavy, which surprised Renji Abarai. Ichigo constantly gives off Reiatsu at the level of a captain. Even when worn-out in battle, he can continue fighting effectively while still using Getsuga Tenshō or unleashing and maintaining his Bankai. Even at less than half strength, his spiritual energy is comparable to a captain-level fighter. His energy is strong enough to hold back the Sōkyoku, a halberd with the destructive force equivalent to one million Zanpakutō combined, using only his Zanpakutō. His Reiatsu is light-blue in color. After his training at the Soul King Palace, Ichigo was able to overwhelm four Sternritter simultaneously and then calmly fight on par with a Sternritter using Quincy: Vollständig using just his Shikai and eventually overpower his foe.


 * Novice Reiatsu Control: Ichigo's spiritual energy is rather difficult for him to control, as he has no formal training in controlling it, and upon Hollowfication, his Reiatsu fluctuates wildly, with it being unreadable at its lowest point and at its highest point greater than that of the fourth Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. Due to this, and him having far more spiritual energy than his body can consciously contain, it leaks out constantly, preventing him from hiding it and effectively making stealth impossible when dealing with other spiritually-aware beings. He has learned how to harden his spiritual energy and enhance the strength of his attacks, or use it as a barrier to reduce the impact of attacks on him, if not negating them completely. He possesses some skill in channeling his spiritual power, as he was able to destroy the Arbor of the Sōkyoku, a seemingly impossible feat which surprised the Gotei 13, by channeling his spiritual power through his sword into the execution stand. According to Kirio Hikifune, Ichigo has gained control over his fluctuating Reiatsu after his training in the Soul King Palace, and it is now so powerful that it automatically becomes visible when Ichigo is preparing to battle.

Spiritual Awareness: Since he was a child, Ichigo has had an innate ability to clearly see spiritual beings and sense their presence. After becoming a Shinigami, his senses have continued to improve with time, learning various advanced sensing techniques, such as using a spirit ribbon to find Yūichi Shibata (in bird form). Even from a considerable distance, he can detect the condition of a being with spiritual power. During his intense fight against Kenpachi Zaraki, he clearly sensed and recognized Sado's energy signature even as it weakened, despite the considerable distance between them.

Shinigami Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsman: In terms of fighting style while in his Shinigami form, Ichigo relies mainly on swordplay. Aside from his initial training with Urahara, he is essentially on a "learn as you go" training regimen; thusly, his skill has developed by fighting rather than formal instruction, becoming even more capable with every fight. His overall skill allows him to fight evenly against sword masters of Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki's caliber. While usually fighting right-handed, Ichigo appears to be ambidextrous, as he is proficient in wielding Zangetsu in his left hand.

Shunpo Expert: Though not particularly versed in its various techniques, Ichigo is proficient enough in the technique itself to keep up with and even surprise high-level Shinigami with his speed. Byakuya Kuchiki, one of the most proficient users of Shunpo in Soul Society, complimented Ichigo's growing mastery of the technique. During his first demonstration of this skill, he knocked out three lieutenants and grabbed his Zanpakutō before any of them hit the ground. After returning from the Soul King Palace, Ichigo has refined his skill in Shunpo, moving several miles in a single leap while simultaneously bypassing the perception of multiple Sternritter.

Enhanced Strength: When he is in his Shinigami body, Ichigo's already impressive strength is greatly enhanced. He has knocked out three Shinigami lieutenants with a single punch each, one of which shattered one of their Zanpakutō at the same time. His strength is great enough to easily stop repeated axe blows from Jidanbō before shattering Jidanbō's axes in a single swing, and hurl Rukia a dozen meters into Renji's arms and send them both skidding several meters more, achieving both feats with a single hand. With a single kick, he can break down and launch a large chunk of a stone wall. After regaining his Shinigami powers, one swing from his Zanpakutō produced a shockwave powerful enough to overwhelm Kūgo Ginjō, making the Fullbringer mistake it for a Getsuga Tenshō. When fighting Quilge Opie, Ichigo grabbed one of his Heilig Pfeil with his bare hand without sustaining any damage, despite the considerable explosion it caused when Ichigo threw it back. After returning from the Soul King Palace, Ichigo has increased in strength, allowing him to throw four Sternritter into separate buildings in rapid succession without any visible effort.

Immense Endurance: When in his Shinigami form, Ichigo's endurance is strengthened to the point where he can continue fighting effectively after receiving many injuries, and can survive attacks which would easily kill normal Humans. It was stated by Rukia a Shinigami's life force is their spiritual power. As such, Ichigo can withstand attacks which would be fatal to most Shinigami. Uryū once stated Ichigo was a monster in this regard, and Aizen commented on his ability to continue moving despite grave injuries.

Enhanced Durability: Ichigo becomes much more durable in his Shinigami form. During his last fight with Kūgo Ginjō, he withstood a direct hit from the Getsuga Tenshō created by his opponent, and the damage was only done to one of his arms and part of his face. When fighting Quilge Opie, Ichigo withstood the impact of several Heilig Pfeil fired at him, unharmed, despite the powerful explosion each one caused. Tenjirō Kirinji, a member of the Royal Guard, was amazed at Ichigo's ability to endure the unique healing properties of his White Skeleton Pond and Blood Hell Pond for so long after fully healing without rotting. After his training in the Soul King Palace, his durability has increased to the point where he can withstand a direct attack from Meninas McAllon with only scratches on his face and retain the ability to move afterward, something which Robert Accutrone commended him for.

Zanpakutō

 * Shikai: After his Bankai's sword is broken, Ichigo discovers he does not possess a true Zanpakutō, but instead wields one formed from his inherited fusion of his Shinigami/Hollow powers. Later, Zangetsu is personally reforged by Ōetsu Nimaiya, using an actual Asauchi. In his inner world, Ichigo, coming to terms with his heritage and powers, gains access to his true Zanpakutō, which had been suppressed all this time. His actual Zanpakutō takes the form of two separate, purely black blades. One is the size of his previous sword, once again in the shape of a khyber knife, with the grip at the base of the blade and a handle extending back from this about roughly the width and length of Ichigo's forearm. There is a thin, hollowed-out portion running along the back edge of the blade from the base to the middle of the blade. The second blade is relatively small, about the size of Ichigo's arm, and is similar to the first blade, but resembles a trench knife more than a sword. Unlike its counterpart, it has an enclosed handle, with a portion acting like a hand guard. Both blades represent a different facet of Ichigo's powers: the larger blade represents his inner Hollow (the manifestation of his Shinigami/Hollow powers) and the smaller blade represents "the old man" (the manifestation of his Quincy powers). After gaining his new Zanpakutō, Ichigo wraps the hilts of both swords in cloth, and now carries the larger blade on his back and the shorter blade on his right hip.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Zangetsu's Shikai is largely used for melee combat, but possesses two known special abilities.


 * At the instant of the slash, Zangetsu, absorbing Ichigo's spiritual energy, releases highly condensed spiritual energy at the tip of the blade, which, magnifying the slash attack, flies forward. This slash takes the form of a crescent moon or the shape of a wave. Ichigo uses this ability without knowing its name several times, but masters the technique later on during his Bankai training. As stated by Zangetsu, knowing the name of an attack heightens its power compared to its strength when the wielder does not know its name. The Getsuga Tenshō is a powerful technique with great force, capable of causing large-scale damage and destruction. Ichigo has used this technique in several different manners, such as striking the ground, creating an omnidirectional blast which knocks away incoming attacks, or slashing at the ground, upturning it and crushing everything in its path. After Ichigo regains his Shinigami powers for the second time, his Getsuga Tenshō is noticeably larger and stronger than it was before he lost his powers. A single strike from it cleanly cut off the top portion of Tsukishima's mansion and dispersed an entire rainstorm. After gaining his true Zanpakutō, Ichigo can fire a Getsuga Tenshō by simply pointing his smaller sword at the enemy and making a small slash with it. He can also fire a Getsuga Tenshō with his larger sword; this version is completely black, and is powerful enough to blast a large hole in the Soul King Palace and knock someone as powerful as Yhwach several meters back.


 * By firing a Getsuga Tenshō with each blade of his true Shikai, Ichigo can fuse them into a large, cross-shaped blast of energy. It is powerful enough to disperse Candice Catnipp's Electrocution technique and completely destroy her left arm on contact.


 * Bankai: : To activate his Bankai, Ichigo places the two blades of his Shikai side by side, causing a surge of energy to engulf him and the swords. Tensa Zangetsu takes the form of a khyber knife variation; the smaller black blade comprises the inner part of the sword and has the handle fixed to it, while the base of the sword is slanted and the blade continues with a section jutting out from the underside as a guard, with a chain attached to it that loops over the top and attaches right before the point of the blade.

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