Isshin Kurosaki

is the father of Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu and head of the Kurosaki family. He runs their private clinic, the Kurosaki Clinic. A skilled doctor, Isshin can perform almost any medical procedure except major surgery.

Appearance
Isshin is a tall man with black hair and brown eyes. He has thin facial hair around his mouth and on his cheeks. As a doctor, Isshin is usually seen wearing a white lab coat over a shirt and trousers. As a Shinigami, he wears the standard Shinigami shihakusho with a somewhat ragged white cloth, similar to a captain's haori, worn like a sash and fastened over his left shoulder. There is no Division insignia visible on it.

Personality
Isshin often acts like a silly, fight-loving father who is "extremely over-energetic" and takes a keen interest in what his children are doing. He shows this interest either offensively or with an all-too-happy tone, which elicits comical reactions from his kids, usually in the form of a kick. Because his kids choose to keep to themselves, he often doesn't know what they are doing. His lack of knowledge about his children's lives mainly pertains to Ichigo, but Isshin feels that since he's a boy, Ichigo doesn't need to be watched over as much as his twin daughters. Isshin also seems to enjoy making fun of Ichigo and has a tendency to talk to the large memorial poster of his late wife Masaki (which he has pinned up in their kitchen) whenever he feels particularly emotional. Isshin is a big fan of Don Kanonji's TV show.

Despite his outrageous guise, Isshin can be serious and grim at times. On the anniversary of Masaki's death, Isshin smokes a single cigarette in front of her grave, since she told him when they were dating that she thought it made him look cool. He reflects that it was the first, and maybe the last, time she ever complimented his appearance. He also told Ichigo that he shouldn't blame himself for his mother's death because she gave her life to protect him. In addition, during his confrontation with the Arrancar Grand Fisher and the subsequent chat with Kisuke Urahara, he remains completely serious (aside from a short argument between him and Kon about his parenting, and another short exchange between him and Urahara after the latter likens him to his son).

He also reveals to Kon that he has been aware of Ichigo's Shinigami activities and Kon's substitutions since Grand Fisher's first attack. He also notes that he has never called Kon "Ichigo" while Kon is in Ichigo's body and that the traveling charm he gave to Ichigo before he went to rescue Rukia was actually for Kon, as it was a protection talisman. This shows the sensitivity and propriety that he possesses in his role as Ichigo's father, which is rarely portrayed in the series.

Around Karin and Yuzu he still remains a goof. His explanation for why Ichigo was gone was that he was ''"Preparing for mating Season!" to which Karin coolly responded, "That's called puberty, Dad.''" He often tells very random stories of his life. While Ichigo was gone he calmly had a flashback of his life during puberty. During this flashback he was seen as a chibi version of himself, wearing a school uniform and yelling at the sunset, ''"I'M A MAN!" ''

History
Little is known about Isshin's history, except that he was once a captain-level Shinigami, though his division is currently unknown. At least twenty years before the main storyline, he ceased being a Shinigami, although it is unclear whether he officially quit his duties with the blessing of Soul Society, or if he left Soul Society in a manner similar to Urahara or Yoruichi and is in hiding. His current Shinigami uniform retains a captain's robe, but it has no visible division insignia and is worn like a sash over his left shoulder. After leaving the Shinigami, Isshin lost most of his powers for unknown reasons.

Isshin also shares a relationship with Ryūken Ishida not unlike that of their sons. When Ryūken discovers that his son is missing, Isshin pays him a visit and the two chat about their respective styles of parenting. It is then revealed that Ryūken was aware of Isshin's status, and he comments on Isshin's powers. The two have some prior history together, and they have been acquaintances for quite some time. It can also be noted they are both doctors: Isshin runs a clinic while Ryūken runs a hospital and it was hinted that the two cooperate on a professional level.

Isshin appears to be an associate of Kisuke Urahara and possesses knowledge of Sōsuke Aizen's alliance with the Menos. He mentions in his conversation with Urahara that he encountered Arrancar at some point before the main storyline, though they were nowhere near as complete as Grand Fisher was.

He married Masaki Kurosaki and they had three children: Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. Masaki later died at the hands of Grand Fisher, who was a simple Hollow at the time, six years before the main storyline. Isshin was unable to prevent Masaki's death and blamed himself for it; later in the series, he eventually kills Grand Fisher, both protecting Kon (inhabiting Ichigo's body) from attack and finally avenging his wife's death.

Agent of the Shinigami arc
Isshin plays the role of a bothersome father early in the story, often attacking Ichigo or annoying his daughters. In the first episode it appears that he has no clue what is going on in Ichigo's life, since he did not know that more and more souls had been talking to Ichigo, something that Ichigo had told his sisters.

After a major car accident, Isshin is overheard on the phone arguing with a hospital employee who is refusing to transfer the overload of patients. He says that the employee should tell his boss that Kurosaki needs a favor and then beds will open right up, then slams the phone down. When Ichigo asks if he can help, Isshin tells him to hide in a corner so that he would not be in the way.

Later, after Karin is protected from a Hollow by Yasutora Sado, she gets Isshin so that he can help the injured Sado. However, Sado is gone and Isshin speculates that Karin lied about the injured man so that she could spend time with him, and he rips open his shirt for Karin to jump into it. Instead, Karin kicks him and calls him an idiot.

When Ichigo leaves for his "trip" during his summer vacation, Isshin once again tries to assault him only to miss, smashing his head into the pavement in the process. When Ichigo dismisses it, Isshin tells him that Masaki gave it to him, and that it will bring him good fortune. Isshin tells him that he is lending it to him for his trip, and that he is to give it back when he returns. When Ichigo does not answer, Isshin tells him he will have to shave his beard if he loses it.

Arrancar arc
When Ichigo has his first school day after summer vacation, Isshin notes that Ichigo is not wearing the talisman that he gave him at the start of the summer (when he he left for his "trip"). When Ichigo says that he does not need it, Isshin quickly sews it to his school uniform.

Later, when Grand Fisher is about to attack Kon (while he is inhabiting Ichigo's body), the talisman Isshin gave Ichigo is activated, creating a barrier in between them. Isshin then appears dressed as a Shinigami and berates Kon (still in Ichigo's body) for not wearing the talisman although he told him to wear it wherever he went. He then addresses Grand Fisher as "Mr. Hollow" and says that Ichigo is not home, and suggests that he "play" with him instead When Grand Fisher questions who he might be, Isshin apologizes and introduces himself. Hearing the name Kurosaki, Grand Fisher realizes that Isshin is the father of Ichigo. Isshin confirms this and throws the talisman to Kon, and addresses him as Kon. Kon then asks how long Isshin has known about Kon taking Ichigo's place, and Isshin reveals that he has known since the beginning when he saw him enter Ichigo's body in the graveyard, and further notes that he has never called him by Ichigo's name when he was in Ichigo's body.

When Grand Fisher realizes that Ichigo is the son of a Shinigami and therefore descended from Shinigami blood, he notes that he finally understands how he lost to him. Grand Fisher also states that he has no interest in Isshin and that he only came to kill Ichigo, and orders Isshin to hand him over. Isshin reveals that he does not know where Ichigo is because Ichigo is no longer a kid, and that he had always been very relaxed with the rules in his house (to which Kon makes a comment about how he is very strict with Yuzu and Karin, resulting in Isshin trying to explain himself in a very comedic fashion). He then explains that even if Grand Fisher has no interest in him, he himself came to kill Grand Fisher.

Grand Fisher begins to laugh and questions if they believe that he is nothing but a regular Hollow, then proceeds to reveal his transformation. Kon, looking shocked, says that Grand Fisher is nothing like the Menos he has seen before. Isshin then reveals that Grand Fisher is an Arrancar, a Hollow who has removed his mask to gain Shinigami powers. Grand Fisher draws his Zanpakutō, saying that the size of his sword shows the amount of power that he has, and then says that Isshin can't win with his twig sized sword. Isshin only smiles and challenges Grand Fisher to give it a try, drawing his own Zanpakutō. Isshin and Grand Fisher then clash. Isshin states that all captain-level Shinigami learn how to compress their Zanpakutō; otherwise all captains of the Soul Society would be swinging around swords the size of skyscrapers, much like Grand Fisher was doing. Isshin kills the Arrancar with a single cut from his sword, and tells him to remember never to judge an opponent by the size of their Zanpakutō. As Grand Fisher is falling, Isshin insults him, calling him a kid and saying that he should not talk about a Shinigami's strength until he could understand that.

Urahara then appears, and begins talking about Isshin's powers returning. Urahara asks what it's like to be a Shinigami again after twenty years, to which Isshin replies that it's "so-so". When asked if he'd had his revenge, Isshin replied that he never really held a grudge against Grand Fisher, but still regrets that he was not there on that night so many years ago when Masaki was killed. Isshin and Urahara discuss the Vizard, touching on Ichigo's involvement with them, and the Arrancar. They note that Grand Fisher was by far the most powerful Arrancar they had seen up to that point. They also question whether the Vizard would take the side of Sōsuke Aizen in the battles to come.

Later, when Rukia Kuchiki needs a place to stay, she lies to Isshin, telling him a sad story about how she has lost everything - a story that both Isshin and Yuzu apparently take at face value, resulting in Isshin screaming emotionally to the big poster of Masaki that they now have a third daughter.

Hueco Mundo arc
When Ichigo leaves for Hueco Mundo, Isshin visits Ryūken at the hospital, commenting on what a horrible father Ryūken is and also accepting the fact that he himself is a horrible father. He was able to get into the underground training spot even though Ryūken attempted to hide it. His old friend is genuinely surprised that Isshin has regained his powers, while Isshin notices that Ryūken still smokes despite being in a hospital and even ignores the "No Smoking" sign right next to him.

Fake Karakura Town arc
After Aizen's defeat of the Shinigami captains, Aizen begins to goad Ichigo with everything he knows about him. However, he is interrupted by Isshin, who appears on the battlefield between his son and Aizen and with his Zanpakutō drawn, stating that Aizen "talks too much".

Powers & Abilities
Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: As shown from his repeated attacks on his son, Isshin is a very skilled fighter even when barehanded.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Isshin's skill in swordsmanship allows him to effortlessly slice through Grand Fisher's body without Isshin having to release his Shikai.

Immense Spiritual Energy: Isshin appears to possesses a considerable amount of spiritual energy. Ichigo and Shinji were able to sense its strong presence from miles away. Kon was also stunned by the level of Isshin's power, as he watched Isshin kill Grandfisher with one swing of his sealed Zanpakutō.

Enhanced Endurance: Even without his Shinigami powers, Isshin appears to have the ability to take severe physical punishment (e.g. fighting with Ichigo and getting kicked by Karin).

Zanpakutō
The name of Isshin's Zanpakutō has not yet been revealed. It has a red handle and hexagonal hand-guard. It is carried from a string wrapped around his belt in an iaidō style, and worn with the edge down like a tachi instead of the edge up like a katana. The end of the hilt has a blue tassel.


 * Shikai: Not Yet Revealed
 * Bankai: Not Yet Revealed

Trivia

 * His theme song, as chosen by Tite Kubo, is "Don't Drag Me Down" by Social Distortion.
 * Before the series started, Tite Kubo was going to portray Isshin as a mortician, resulting in him looking better in black.

Quotes

 * (To Ichigo about Masaki) "Around the time we started dating, she said that my hand is cool when I'm smoking a cigarette. Now that I think about it, that was the only time your mom complimented me on my looks. So every year I smoke on this day only. In front of her."


 * (To Ichigo) "If I were to blame Masaki's death on you Masaki would get mad at me. It's not anyone's fault that Masaki died. It's just that, the woman I fell in love with was a woman who could die protecting her son. And don't forget, you are the guy the woman that I loved gave her life to protect."


 * (To Ichigo) "Live well, age well, and go bald well. And die after me. And... if you can, die smiling."


 * (To Grand Fisher) "I'm sorry, Mr. Hollow, but Ichigo's not in right now. As a replacement or something, how about playing with me instead?"


 * (To Grand Fisher) "Even if you have no interest in me, I'm still here to kill you, so if you don't treat me as your opponent it would be a problem."


 * (To Grand Fisher) "I'll teach you the basics. All captain class Shinigami are controlling the size of their Zanpakutō. Otherwise, they would all have to swing around a Zanpakutō the size of skyscrapers, just like you. You cannot gauge an opponent's strength by how large his Zanpakutō is. Don't talk about a Shinigami's strength until you understand that, boy."

Navigation
Isshin Kurosaki Isshin Kurosaki