Keigo Asano

is a student at the Karakura High School, in the same class as Ichigo Kurosaki. Twelve years after Ichigo defeated Yhwach, Keigo opened up a Ramen shop.

Appearance
Keigo is a teenager with medium-long brown hair, which flips outward. He has brown eyes and a slim figure. His expression usually stays the same with either frowns or pouts, but whenever a girl is involved, he smiles. At school, he wears the standard Karakura High School uniform. Outside of school, he wears casual clothes, and often wears a plain t-shirt and pants, sometimes with a jacket. 17 months later, his hair is slightly straighter, and his bangs now cover part of his forehead. 10 years after Yhwach's defeat, Keigo's hair is much shaggier.

Personality
Keigo is usually a goofy and extremely hyper-active boy, often using overly-dramatic movements and words to act out his feelings. He enjoys watching fireworks, playing role-playing games, and going to beach parties.

A good-natured teenager, Keigo often tries (and fails) to "woo" girls and cheer up Ichigo, often ending up in Ichigo hitting him in some way. He is good friends with fellow student Mizuiro Kojima, whose calm, innocent demeanor and success with women acts as a foil to Keigo's impulsive, wannabe personality. A classmate of Ichigo's sisters, Midori Tōno, has a crush on him, liking how "he always has a little smile, even when he's alone."

Keigo appears to be a shallow teenager at first, with a passion for slacking off. Indeed, he takes great pride in not making it to the honors roster (higher than the 50th ranking), and labels those who do so "traitors" (including Ichigo, who made the 23rd rank, and Yasutora Sado, who made the 11th rank). However, Mizuiro states Keigo is much smarter than his bad grades show. Keigo is a quick, but arrogant, learner; he successfully blocks Rangiku Matsumoto's kick after being attacked by her just once, but leaves an opening when he brags about it, which leads to him getting kicked in the face.

History
When Keigo heard that Ichigo and Sado from Mashiba Jr. High will be entering the same school Mizuiro and he will be entering - Karakura High School - he became very stressed out. Ichigo and Sado were rumored to be gamblers, drug pushers, and porn fiends. The rumors claimed Ichigo has been dying his hair orange since he was born, and could beat up practically anyone. Mizuiro tried to tell him those are just rumors which might be false, but Keigo, utterly convinced the rumors were valid, would not accept his friend's argument. Keigo was worried the two would drag the reputation of the entire school down with them.

When Keigo found out not only are Ichigo and Sado in the same school as them, but in the same class as well, he almost had a nervous breakdown. At that moment, the windows above them were smashed from the inside, and two boys went flying through them while being kicked and punched in the face by Ichigo and Sado respectively. The two boys passed over Keigo and Mizuiro's heads on their way to the yard, where a gang of thugs were waiting for them, led by Reiichi Ōshima. Keigo and Mizuiro found themselves in the middle of a brawl, much to Keigo's horror. Ōshima, seeing Keigo and Mizuiro encircled with his enemies, suspected them of being Ichigo and Sado's allies, but as Keigo claimed they just met the two, Mizuiro went ahead and introduced himself to the pair. Seeing this, Ōshima, immediately adding Keigo to his list of would be victims, started beating him up. Ichigo and Sado, moved by Mizuiro's generous introduction, jumped in to save Keigo from the bully.

Keigo, bandaged on cheek, gave Mizuiro a ride on his bicycle after school. The two boys agreed that the image they had of Ichigo and Sado was completely off. Keigo asked Mizuiro if he is going to visit his much older girlfriend, Nanako. Mizuiro said he would not, as he did not feel like it, which Keigo was a good thing.

Agent of the Shinigami arc
Keigo joins Ichigo and Mizuiro during lunch at school. He is surprised that Sado is not there yet, but he is flabbergasted to find Rukia there. When he asks what she is doing there, Mizuiro states Ichigo asked her out. As Ichigo tries to deny it, a teary eyed Keigo starts congratulating him. When Rukia greets him, he, introducing himself, welcomes her to their company. When Keigo is kneed in the back, he, turning to confront his assailant, is surprised to see Reiichi Ōshima. When he asks Ōshima if his suspension from school was lifted, the bully, saying he is not talking to him, pushes him out of the way as he approaches Ichigo. When Ichigo provokes the bully, Keigo tries to defend his friend by soothing Ōshima's temper. Ichigo, however, insists on continuously provoking Ōshima until the latter draws brass knuckles from his pocket. When Sado, grabbing Ōshima's hand, tosses him across the yard, Keigo, as surprised as the rest, tells Sado he should be more careful, as he nearly killed Ōshima, and thanks Sado for saving them. Keigo, impressed by the parakeet Sado brought, starts playing with it, trying to get it to speak again.

The next day, Keigo is in the classroom with Mizuiro when Ichigo storms in, looking for Sado, but does not find him there. When Keigo asks if Ichigo wants to play with the parakeet too, Ichigo, ignoring him, runs off, despite the fact class has begun. When Ms. Ochi asks where Ichigo is going, Keigo, telling her he might have gone looking for Sado, is surprised when she does not seem too concerned about it.

A couple of days later, Sado, returning to school, brings the parakeet with him again. Keigo, finding the parakeet's speaking capabilities have somewhat dwindled, congratulates the bird for its effort as it calls him Tadanobu Asano, which he appreciates.

Later, Keigo walks to class with Mizuiro and Sado. Since Ichigo has not shown up, Keigo is certain he has gone off alone with Rukia. When Mizuiro states Keigo said he liked Orihime Inoue, Keigo claims he still does. When Mizuiro states Keigo seems to like all girls as long as they are pretty, Keigo, taking great offense to that, grabs Mizuiro by his shirt and yells at him, claiming there is nothing wrong with a healthy high school boy liking all the hot girls. He says only popular guys like Mizuiro get to pick out of the cutest girls around. As Mizuiro apologizes in tears, Keigo notices their classroom is in a complete state of bedlam. He and Mizuiro see Tatsuki Arisawa, looking so mad they mistake her for a demon, standing in the rubble. After hearing the conversation between the girls in the classroom, Keigo and the others, even more confused, ask the girls what had happened.

On the morning of June 16th, Keigo meets Ichigo when the latter arrives to class in the morning.

When word gets around the famous Don Kanonji will be bringing his popular show, Ghost Bust, to Karakura Town, the impressionable Keigo enthusiastically joins the festival. He and Mizuiro, taking great pleasure in teasing Ichigo with Kanonji's signature pose, manage to drag Sado into their shenanigans. Keigo, upset when Ichigo refuses to join the others in attending the exorcism, claims Ichigo will be excommunicated from Karakura Town if he does not attend. Ichigo, not very impressed with this threat, says Keigo is not even a resident of Karakura Town to begin with. Keigo, now truly offended, says he even went through the trouble of inviting Rukia, who accepted. When he demonstrates his Kanonji pose to Rukia, she claims to be too shy to try it. Next Wednesday, everyone, including Ichigo, gather in front of the abandoned hospital, which will host the exorcism. As Keigo and Mizuiro tease Ichigo for coming even though he said he would not, they proceed to perform the Kanonji pose at him.

After the others move to better viewing points, Keigo is still doing the pose. When Mizuiro asks him to stop, as it is embarrassing and pointless without Ichigo around, Keigo laments that they will not be able to watch the show with their friends and cheer together. As he tries to force Mizuiro into doing the pose with him, Mizuiro resists. When the two spot two cute girls nearby, Keigo, trying to work his magic on them, is actually doing rather well until he is completely upstaged by Mizuiro, who pretends to not know the pose at all. As the girls drag Mizuiro away, Keigo is left wallowing in defeat. His sorrow is interrupted by Sado, who asks him if he hears anything. Keigo, a little creeped out by Sado's question, says he does not hear a thing. Sado, apologizing, says it must have been his imagination.

When Ichigo breaks through the security line, Keigo is as astonished as the rest of Ichigo's friends, family, and acquaintances. He cringes when he sees Ichigo take a punch from one of the guards, but soon has to forcibly stop Sado from helping Ichigo. He, telling Sado he would only make things worse, tries to persuade him that this time, it really was Ichigo's fault.

The next day, Keigo, along with all the other Karakura High School students caught on camera at the scene, are summoned by Kagine to the principal's office to answer for the embarrassment they caused the school by interrupting the popular show. When Tatsuki claims Orihime and her, meeting the others by chance, had nothing to do with the incident, Keigo states she is lying, since he was the one who invited the two, but Tatsuki warns Kagine against listening to Keigo, as he is prone to delusions. As the girls leave the office, Keigo, trying to join them, is apprehended by Kagine. When Keigo tries to claim the entire incident was Ichigo's doing, Kagine, unconvinced, says Keigo should have tried to stopped Ichigo somehow, and is therefore just as guilty. While Rukia distracts Kagine with her fake tears, the boys, sneaking out the window, run off. Later, the group walks home together. Keigo compliments Rukia for her acting abilities, which she graciously denies. Ichigo tells him she only did that to help herself, and was going to sell them out. When Tatsuki voices her regret on not having done anything to get on camera, thinking she might have been sought after as a singer, Keigo, telling her her voice would have been drowned by the announcer's voice like Ichigo's, teases Ichigo for not getting his voice heard on TV.

On July 18th, the year's term honor roll results are hung in the hallway. Keigo, taking pride in his lower than average grades, is pleased to find none of his friends occupy the top 50 places. Mizuiro plays along with Keigo's act of shock and disgust when they realize Ichigo made it to the 23rd place. The two tease Ichigo, telling him he will not be invited to 'playtime' anymore. When Keigo tries to include Sado in his antics, Sado points at his name in the 11th place. Keigo and Mizuiro, screaming hysterically, run away while vowing to never play with Ichigo and Sado again.

The following day, Keigo shares with Mizuiro his experiences from the day before when he saw Uryū Ishida talking to himself. Ichigo, overhearing it, realizes Keigo witnessed his and Uryū's fight against the Gillian, but could not see Ichigo, the Hollows, or the Menos Grande. Keigo deduces Uryū must have been practicing with a theater group. At lunch time, Keigo, inviting Ichigo to eat together, is shocked when Ichigo suggests they invite Uryū too, asking why they should invite Uryū, whom he considers a very boring person. Uryū, initially refusing, accepts after Ichigo tells him it will be Keigo's treat. As Keigo feared, their lunch time is distinguished by a dreary and heavy atmosphere. Ichigo orders Keigo to lighten the mood with some funny jokes, which Keigo is too strung up to do successfully.

On the last day of school, Keigo tries to cheer up the brooding Ichigo by challenging him to a game of "Find the Watermelon". He, tying a blindfold over Ichigo's eyes, pulls him out of his chair and spins him around. Ichigo uses the stick to whack Keigo over the head, leaving a small cut in his forehead. Later, Keigo tries to recruit all his friends on a 10 day trip to the ocean, packed with activities. However, his friends turn him down one by one, the worst of which is Mizuiro, who made plans to go snorkeling with his girlfriend and nine of her female friends. With this, Mizuiro becomes the target of all of Keigo's pent up frustration.

On August 1st, Keigo schedules an afternoon get together with all his friends, despite the fact the day's main event, a fireworks show, will not happen until much later that evening. He initially intended to meet up at 23:00 the previous night. He gives Ichigo a very warm welcome when they meet, which is rejected by Ichigo. Mizuiro gets a far colder welcome, as Keigo is still holding a grudge for being ditched. Keigo was so lonely during the time his friends were absent, he spent all of his time in his house playing video games he does not like, finishing five games in ten days. Tatsuki, arriving, kicks Keigo in the middle of his back, knocking the video games out of his hand. Keigo, along with Mizuiro, is amazed by Tatsuki's story about the national karate championship, where she took second place with a broken arm. They imagine the champion must be a monstrous girl.

Later, while the group is walking next to the river, Keigo corrects Tatsuki about the location where the festival would take place. When she sits down on the bank and declares this spot is fine with her, Keigo, beginning to get excited, says, as teenagers, they should experience the atmosphere of the festival as well. This includes mingling with the crowd and watching cute girls in kimonos. His rants do not go unnoticed by Isshin Kurosaki, who came with Karin and Yuzu, looking for Ichigo. The twins are drunk, and as Keigo and Mizuiro listen to Isshin's explanations, they come to believe Isshin might be a little too trusting of people's good nature. However, they are willing to ignore this personality flaw to join the Kurosakis' spot in the festival, as Isshin, waking up early, went to save front row seats for the fireworks show. Isshin and the twins, running off, are joined by Keigo, Mizuiro, and Sado.

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

Arrancar arc
On the first day of school, Keigo attempts to greet Ichigo, but Ichigo, clothes-lining him, keeps walking after a brief hello. Mizuiro, arriving, steps on Keigo's head before greeting him, with Keigo vowing revenge. Later, Keigo, bewildered by the apparent camaraderie between Ichigo, Orihime, Sado, and Uryū, thinks the new situation calls for an investigation. After seeing Chizuru fearlessly making a move on Orihime and being blocked by Tatsuki, Keigo is envious of her straightforwardness.

Preceding the arrival of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and his group of Arrancar, Keigo spots a Hollow flying around the immediate area. He bumps into Zennosuke Kurumadani, whom he now calls Afro-san, and witnesses Ikkaku Madarame's fight with Edrad Liones. Later, Keigo becomes an unwilling host to Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa after striking a deal to provide accommodation for them in exchange for his own safety. His sister Mizuho happily welcomes the new lodgers, mainly because of Ikkaku and his "shaved" head, which she likes in a guy.

Hueco Mundo arc
Keigo, along with Tatsuki and Mizuiro, watches as Ichigo, Sado, and Uryū Ishida depart to Hueco Mundo in an attempt to rescue Orihime Inoue. They are greeted by Kisuke Urahara, who says while Ichigo leaves to do his part, it is time for them to do their own.

Fake Karakura Town arc
Keigo, waking up on a sidewalk, wonders why he was sleeping outside. As he runs through Karakura, Keigo, noticing everyone else is sleeping, grows worried. As he calls out for someone to wake up, he is struck by Tatsuki, knocking him over. Keigo, asking Tatsuki if she has noticed everyone else is sleeping, tells her he is glad to see her alive. When he asks her if she has seen Mizuiro, he is interrupted by a punch in the face from Tatsuki. Keigo, apologizing to Tatsuki, helps her bring the sleeping Chizuru Honshō and Michiru Ogawa to their school. When Tatsuki warns Keigo not to touch Chizuru inappropriately, Keigo comments on the size of her chest, and Tatsuki punches him again in response. Tatsuki tells Keigo she recently walked around the edge of town, and it feels as if the town had been transported somewhere else, since there are only mountains surrounding the area. As Keigo wonders if this has to do with Ichigo, Tatsuki states that it must, but since it is Ichigo, he will do something about it.

When Tatsuki asks Keigo if he is going to search for Mizuiro, Keigo states he already did, and since Ichigo disappeared, he has been going to school alone and not answering his phone. Tatsuki is surprised by this, and Keigo explains Mizuiro is very distant with everyone other than Ichigo, and he was happy to see him take the initiative with Ichigo. Tatsuki tells him to look for Mizuiro once they leave the others at the school. When Keigo asks Tatsuki if she is going to look for Ryō Kunieda and Mahana Natsui, she states they can take care of themselves, and she will look for Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki. When Keigo says their dad will be with them, Tatsuki states he is probably asleep as well. They are interrupted by the Reiatsu of the approaching Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru. When Keigo asks Tatsuki if she is alright, she tells him not to worry about her. As Tatsuki asks who the pair are, she collapses to one knee, worrying Keigo. Aizen compliments them for being able to continue existing despite him being so close to them. When Tatsuki again asks who he is, Aizen states Ichigo will inevitably arrive with a new power, and he will kill them in order to push that power closer to perfection. Tatsuki tells Keigo to run, as he cannot do anything by staying. Keigo, turning, runs, with Chizuru still on his back.

Keigo, finding Mizuiro, tells him about the situation, and, taking the Zanpakutō of the unconscious Zennosuke Kurumadani, leaves Chizuru with him. He comes across Tatsuki and Michiru, who had been carried to safety by Don Kanonji. When Tatsuki asks him why he has a sword, he, updating her on the situation, tells her to run, as he can sense the presence of Aizen nearby.

When they meet up with Chizuru and Mizuiro, Tatsuki is surprised they are awake. When Keigo tells her Mizuiro's phone has run out of power, Mizuiro, revealing he took a charger from a shop, reveals he also took food. When Tatsuki notes what kind of person he is, Keigo asks Tatsuki if it is annoying and makes her wish they had not searched for him, touching her shoulder in the process. Tatsuki, denying this, tells him to get his hand off of her. When Aizen appears before them again, Mizuiro, igniting a gas canister with a lighter, urges Keigo and the others to run. Keigo attempts to fight Aizen, reasoning Zennosuke's Zanpakutō is the only object which will not disintegrate before contact. However, before Keigo can attempt to attack Aizen, Zennosuke, arriving, pounces on Keigo, taking his Zanpakutō back. When Keigo notices Zennosuke is shaking, he, denying this, states he would not let an amateur like Keigo use his Zanpakutō. He, releasing his Zanpakutō, uses its special ability to trap Aizen under rubble. He urges the others to run, prompting Keigo to wonder if that is all he uses his Zanpakutō for. When Aizen effortlessly breaks through the rubble, Zennosuke joins Keigo's group in running away from him. When Ichigo arrives, Keigo says his hair is longer and he looks taller. Ichigo, noticing the members of the group, including Keigo, tells them to remain where they are. Ichigo forces Aizen to move to another location.

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

The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc
Keigo, greeting Ichigo to school in his usual manner, is taken down by Ichigo with a wrestling move. Keigo, yelling for Ichigo to let go, says he is tapping. Later, he talks to Ichigo about their future careers and Ichigo's grades. When he wonders about Rukia, Ichigo asks why he brought it up. Keigo, wondering why she has not returned, asks if Ichigo is lonely. Ichigo, stating he is not, says his life is now peaceful like he always wanted it to be, and Keigo agrees. While walking home with Ichigo and Mizuiro, he is hit by a thief, holding onto a bag, who is being chased by another man.

As Ichigo negotiates with the sports clubs at Karakura High School, Mizuiro enters the room. When Keigo tells him Ichigo is busy negotiating and it will last for a little longer, Mizuiro asks if the basketball club's rental period has ended already. When Keigo expresses his frustration that Ichigo will not hang around with him any more, Mizuiro states he makes it seem as if Ichigo normally hung out with him, and Keigo, frantically correcting him, says it is not like he follows Ichigo anywhere he goes and annoy him. When they wonder why Ichigo is so concerned about saving money and what he will do once he graduates, Keigo asks Mizuiro if Ichigo is planning to live alone. Mizuiro, stating he is not sure about that, says Ichigo's father is not the type who will give money to support Ichigo's needs. When they hear Ichigo accept soccer club vice-president Satoda's offer on being their goalkeeper, Keigo asks Ichigo when he will start, Ichigo saying it is today.

After Shūkurō Tsukishima calls him, he, Tatsuki, and Mizuiro arrive at Ichigo's house. He, walking in, is surprised to see Ichigo there as well. When Ichigo throws Tsukishima, Keigo is completely shocked that he would do that. As Ichigo and Kūgo Ginjō enter Tsukishima's mansion, they are greeted by Keigo and other friends of Ichigo. Keigo, along with everyone else, tells Ichigo that Tsukishima is not angry, and that he should apologize. Some time later, following Kūgo's defeat and Tsukishima's death, he, alongside Ichigo's family and the rest of his friends, returns to normal.

The Thousand Year Blood War Arc
Keigo is walking down the street with Tatsuki and Mizuiro and wonders where Ichigo is. He notes that although his sisters said he went to soccer training camp, the soccer tournaments ended a month ago. When Shunsui Kyōraku appears, Keigo wonders who he is, to which Tatsuki tells him that he must be an acquaintance of Ichigo. After Mizuiro identifies him, Shunsui states that he has to tell them about Ichigo's departure, which shocks the three of them. Asking the captain if he's just trying to scare them, Keigo quickly becomes enraged to learn that the Soul Society has once again gotten Ichigo involved in their affairs. Grabbing Shunsui by the front of his robes, Keigo becomes increasingly agitated to learn that if Ichigo's power will influence the Human World, Shunsui would be forced to keep Ichigo in Soul Society. After Mizuiro asks how likely this scenario would be, they learn that the chances are only 1 in 10,000, making it a remote chance at best. Before leaving, Shunsui gives everyone present a Soul Ticket that they can use in the event Ichigo is forced to remain in Soul Society, assuring them that he has also done the same for Ichigo's family, and that he plans to get Ichigo to return home before the final battle for some rest.

Later, as the Human World starts crumbling due to the Soul King's death, Keigo notes how the apparent earthquake is lasting unusually long.

Ten years later, Keigo goes to the Kurosaki Clinic with Tatsuki and Mizuiro in order to see Sado's boxing match on TV with the Kurosaki family. Rukia and Renji later arrive, and Keigo is extremely excited to see Rukia again, but Tatsuki slaps him to make him calm down.

Echoing Jaws of Hell arc
A few days before Jūshirō Ukitake's Konsō Reisai, Keigo opens a ramen shop called Willpower Ramen in Karakura Town, but does not receive any customers, to his dismay. On the day of the ceremony, Ichigo and his friends visit the shop for dinner, where Ichigo begins a video call with 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai and agrees that Keigo's name for the restaurant is nonsensical, to his chagrin. After being teasingly ordered by Mizuiro to shut up since he is giving the impression of conducting an inside conversation to other customers despite not having any, Keigo prepares Ichigo's ramen bowl for him.

Powers and Abilities
Enhanced Speed: Keigo possesses innate speed beyond that of a normal human. As a member of Karakura Raizer Team, Keigo's innate speed is enhanced by the specialized suit he wears. His leg strength increases greatly, allowing him to run much faster.

Spiritual Awareness: As a result of constant contact with Ichigo, Keigo, like many of Ichigo's friends, is spiritually aware. He only becomes aware of this ability after seeing Ikkaku Madarame in battle, having dismissed his previous sightings as shootings for a TV show. He possesses skill in sensing spiritual power, sensing Aizen move closer to his position after one encounter.

Spiritual Power: Due to his exposure to Ichigo Kurosaki, Keigo has some spiritual power. He withstood being near Ikkaku Madarame and Edrad Liones's fight. Later, he effortlessly stood in the presence of a spiritually empowered Aizen with no negative effects.

Enhanced Durability: Keigo can take physical punishment from several people, from Ichigo Kurosaki to his sister Mizuho Asano, with no lasting effects.

Trivia

 * The theme song that Kubo chose for Keigo is "Politically Correct" by the band SR-71 on their album Now You See Inside.

Navigation
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