Rukia Kuchiki

is the deuteragonist of the Bleach series. Rukia is an unseated Shinigami in the 13th Division under Jūshirō Ukitake. She meets Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school student, and through a set of circumstances, he obtains her powers, forcing her to take up residence in his home and him to take her place as a Shinigami.

Appearance
Short and petite, Rukia is among one of the shortest characters in Bleach (especially for her physical "age"), easily being towered over by people of Chad's height. She has pale skin and dark hair, she somehow manages to always keep a stray bang in between her eyes. She has a purple-ish eye color which at times looks as if they have some dark-blue in them. Rukia said to Byakuya that she strongly resembled her old sister and Byakuya's wife, Hisana Kuchiki.

Personality
Initially born into a lower class, Rukia retains her modesty even as an adopted member of the nobility: she is graceful and "clean", yet chooses to talk to ordinary people. However, her cool and lone demeanor often forces her to hide her personal troubles even from her friends. Although she tells Ichigo that she is nearly ten times older than he, she is endearingly clueless about the ways of the modern living world (since Soul Society resembles Japan's Edo period). She is initially unable to figure out how to drink from a simple juice box, and learns to speak modern Japanese through the manga she reads.

In the Bount Arc, Ririn, one of the modsouls that Kisuke Urahara invented, is jealous of Rukia's familiarity with Ichigo, while Rukia instantly takes a liking to Kurōdo, who resembles Chappy the Rabbit in his plushie form. This makes Kon break down and start crying, as he believes that no one (meaning Rukia, though their may be some truth to it.) likes him anymore. Neliel tu Oderschvank also becomes somewhat jealous of Rukia's friendship with Ichigo. Orihime Inoue is also somewhat jealous of Rukia as well.

Her attitude towards Ichigo varies throughout the series. At times, she is a bickering adversary, and at other times, she worries about him and dispatches advice like a wise old sage. Most of their scenes together have them yelling and making faces at each other like bickering siblings. Despite these quarrels, the two have a deep understanding of each other, often being the only ones able to talk each other out of a funk.

There is a deeply serious side to Rukia as well, best shown during the time she was taken back to Soul Society for giving her powers to Ichigo. In her time in Soul Society, which she spent in various holding cells, she is constantly seen resigned to her fate or in deep thought. She and Ichigo also have similar feelings of loss and guilt. Ichigo thought he was responsible for his mother's death and Rukia's near execution. Rukia thought she was responsible for the death of one of her commanding officers, Kaien Shiba, and considered Ichigo's apparent death her fault.

Rukia also seems to befriend males easier than she does to females and probably enjoys their company more, as she hardly ever goes to Shinigami Women's Association meetings and seems to be around Ichigo and Renji the most.

Rukia's favorite foods are cucumber, eggs, and rice dumplings. . She likes to climb to high places, and everything that is rabbit-themed or resembles a rabbit which explains her affection toward Chappy, the rabbit, and the fact that her drawings about people a always look a little bit rabbit-like. She always has trouble to find clothes that fit her, especially when inhabiting a Gigai in the human world.

Hobbies
Rukia is an accomplished actress, being able to act her way through a number of tough situations, such as getting out of trouble with school teachers or managing to get a room at Ichigo's house much to his embarrassment that his own family would fall for such a lame act. Ichigo seems to be the only one to always pick up on it and accuse her of pretending. She also seems to enjoy drawing (albeit horribly); her drawings of people and Hollows seem to resemble rabbits and teddy bears, respectively. Rukia's inability to draw well (and her taking offense when told as much) is a running gag in the series. Rukia loves Chappy the Rabbit (and basically anything rabbit-themed) and is rather put out when she is unable to obtain Chappy Soul Candy because of its popularity in Soul Society (although she is able to obtain it during the Arrancar Arc). She also likes to climb to high places and her favorite foods are cucumbers and shira-tama (but the list could get longer)

History
Rukia and her older sister, Hisana, were brought together to 78th District of Rukongai after they died in the human world. Hisana abandoned Rukia when she was still a baby since she could not continue to support both herself and Rukia. Rukia grew up on her own until she met Renji Abarai and other children her age. They worked together to steal food in order to survive and became a makeshift family. During this time, Rukia and Renji showed signs of having spiritual power. While they initially opted against becoming Shinigami, the death of all their friends prompted Rukia to suggest joining the Academy for a better life.

At the Shinigami Academy, Renji was admitted into the top class and Rukia into the second ranked one. Renji and Rukia started growing further apart as Renji got further ahead in his training. The emotional distance continued until Rukia was asked to join the Kuchiki family. Renji expressed happiness for Rukia's opportunity but both did not admit that they disagreed with the arrangement since they would likely never see each other again. Rukia reluctantly joined the family and was immediately inducted into the 13th Division without having to graduate or take a squad entrance exam. Unknown to Rukia, Byakuya Kuchiki had adopted her in order to fulfill the last wish of Hisana, whom he had once taken as his wife.

In the 13th Division, Rukia was not given a seat position, due to Byakuya Kuchiki's influence, since he did not want her sent on dangerous missions. She became friends with the division lieutenant, Kaien Shiba, who trained and mentored her. Their first training location was Mount Koifushi of Hokutan, the 3rd district of West Rukongai.

Rukia greatly admired Kaien's wife, 3rd Seat Miyako Shiba. When Miyako was killed by a Hollow, Rukia, Kaien, and the division's captain, Jūshirō Ukitake hunted the Hollow down. Kaien faced the Hollow alone but the Hollow's special ability destroyed his Zanpakutō. Rukia attempted to draw her sword and help but was stopped by Ukitake. He told her that Kaien's fight was one of honor rather than a fight for his life. If Rukia helped, Kaien would be saved but his honor would be damaged forever. Meanwhile, the Hollow entered Kaien and possessed him. Ukitake faced the Hollow but his illness allowed the Hollow the opportunity to attack Rukia. Kaien momentarily regained control and thrust himself through Rukia's Zanpakutō. He thanked Rukia and Ukitake for letting him fight for his honor and died in Rukia's arms. Rukia brought the corpse to the Shiba family but was afraid to apologize since she felt guilty about her role in Kaien's death.

Agent of Soul Society arc
Rukia first meets Ichigo Kurosaki in the midst of a Hollow attack. After she is heavily injured by the Hollow, Rukia is forced to transfer her Shinigami powers to Ichigo so that he can kill the Hollow and save their lives and his family. While he succeeds, Rukia is left too weak to return to Soul Society, and lives with Ichigo in the human world, intending to stay until her powers are restored. During her time in the human world, Rukia remains unaccounted for in Soul Society, so Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai are sent to find her and return her to the Soul Society. They succeed, and upon their return Rukia is sentenced to death for giving her Shinigami powers to a human.

Soul Society arc
Ichigo ultimately arrives in Soul Society in time to stop her execution, and tries to get her to safety.

During Rukia's bid for freedom, she is stopped by Sōsuke Aizen and his accomplices. Aizen, having singlehandedly orchestrated Rukia's execution, reveals to her that within her soul is stored the Hōgyoku, a powerful artifact created by Kisuke Urahara which gives Hollows Shinigami powers and vice versa. Wanting the Hōgyoku for himself, Aizen hoped that her death would give him access to it, but settles for a nonfatal alternative. The Hōgyoku is removed from her body, Aizen and his men flee Soul Society, and Rukia is acquitted of all charges. Later, seven days after being cleared of all charges, Rukia informed Ichigo that she would stay in the Soul Society, having finally reconciled with Renji, Byakuya, Ukitake, Ganju, and Kukaku, five of the most prominent people in her life as a shinigami.

Bount arc
In the anime, Rukia remains in Soul Society for a while before appearing back in Karakura Town and rescuing Ichigo from Yoshino, a Bount, and her Doll, Goethe. However, Goethe attacks again, but is stopped by a fellow Bount, Udagawa, who retreats with Yoshino. The others meet up with Ichigo and Rukia then, and they rejoice at Rukia's return before informing her about the Bounts and the current situation. Rukia aids Ichigo and the others to rescue Ishida from the Bounts, who say that the Bounts leader, Jin Kariya, needs a Quincy in order to enter Soul Society, which the Bounts wish to destroy, as revenge for their creation. Later on, Rukia is possessed by Mabashi's doll, Ritz. She is then controlled to turn against and fight Orihime, who is unwilling to hurt her friend. Hisagi Shūhei arrives and after being informed about the situation by Orihime, is set on killing Rukia in order to stop the Bount and his doll. However, Rukia overcomes the Ritz's posession for a moment, and Orihime gains some reason and is able to free Rukia from the doll's control. Afterwards, Rukia joins Ichigo and the group to Soul Society, following the Bounts, who have managed to get there. They all split up in Rukongai and Rukia and Ririn encounter Yoshi. They engage in a fight but since Rukia has still not regained her full powers, she is unable to defeat Yoshi. Yoshi is about to deliver the final blow, but is stopped and defeated by Byakuya, who then sends Rukia back to the Kuchiki house to recuperate.

Arrancar arc
With the Hōgyoku, Aizen is able to create an army of Arrancar, which he uses to attack Ichigo and his friends once they return to the human world. Rukia and a group of other Shinigami are sent to assist in fighting the Arrancar though after Aizen captures Orihime Inoue they are recalled to Soul Society.

Hueco Mundo arc
Unwilling to give up Orihime to Aizen, Rukia goes to Hueco Mundo with Ichigo to rescue her. While there, Rukia encounters the 9th Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, who soon reveals himself to contain the soul of Kaien Shiba. Saddened that she had not saved her mentor from the control of a Hollow as she had previously thought, Rukia kills Aaroniero so that Kaien can finally be free. Rukia then passes out and the 7th Espada, Zommari Leroux, appears to finish her off, but in the nick of time Byakuya Kuchiki appears and challenges Zommari. Zommari uses his Zanpakuto, Brujeria, to take control of Rukia's body, but Byakuya stuns her with kido and kills Zommari.

Fake Karakura Town arc
Rukia appears with Renji and Chad to stop the Exequias. She dispatches Rudobōn's underlings fairly easily, and taunts the Exequias Captain about it. This angers the Arrancar enough to make him release his Zanpakutō, after which he comments that simply defeating his men doesn't mean she can beat him.

Powers & Abilities
Although Rukia is an unseated officer in the 13th Division, she is actually powerful and skilled enough to qualify as a Lieutenant, but because even becoming a Seated Officer would require her to accomplish much more dangerous missions, Byakuya pulled some strings to keep her name off the list of qualified officers. She is powerful enough to fight on par with, and ultimately kill, the ninth Espada, and was the first protagonist to have killed an Espada, albeit nearly at the cost of her own life.

Kidō Expert: Rukia's greatest strength is her knowledge of the Kidō, a set of magic spells she can use in the performance of her duties; amongst her known skills are those for binding, healing, purifying, and destruction. However, as she said herself, while her Kidō grades at the Shinigami Academy were very high, they were just average when she joined 13th division. Presumeably by the start of the series, Rukia's prowess at Kidō became great enough to effectively aid her in battle. She has shown able to use several high-level Kidō in rapid succession without incantation and still have considerable power. She has also shown great skill for using various spells in unique combinations, even using two spells simultaneously. After losing her powers, Rukia is able to use kidō spells in a limited fashion, but they are so weak that they have almost no effect on their targets. The anime's Bount arc, in contrast, shows her using at least one spell on a level similar to Renji (this difference can be attributed to the different Gigai used in each situation). Since the events at the Soul Society, Rukia's Shinigami powers have made a near complete recovery.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: She was also seen in a Gigai fighting enemies with her physical strength (kicking, punching, etc.). She is also capable of having hand-to-hand combat while in her Shinigami state, with augmented strength. During the Bount invasion, she showed herself capable of countering the swift and accurate attacks of Yoshi.

High Spiritual Energy: Rukia exerts her Spiritual Energy on her Kidō most of the times. She may also use her energy on other occasions. Nonetheless, she is capable of exerting large amounts of Spiritual Pressure. Though her Spiritual Energy is not on par with Ichigo's or other high level-combatants, her spiritual energy is greater than many Shinigami of equal or even higher rank.

Flash Steps: Renji says that Rukia is also helpful and effective because of her high speed.

Swordsmanship: Rukia, as a Shinigami of the 13th Division, has a standard array of skills required of Shinigami troops. Upon her introduction, she has the basic-level Zanpakutō, of which she seemed to have only mastered the rudimentary skills. By her own admission, she has less talent in swordsmanship than Kidō.

Zanpakutō

 * A normal katana with a rectangular hand guard and reddish-brown handle.
 * Shikai: Sode no Shirayuki is regarded as one of the most beautiful Zanpakutō in Soul Society. It is completely white, including the hilt, crossguard, and blade. The tsuba turns to a circle and a white ribbon forms from the pommel. Its shikai command is . Sode no Shirayuki has control over ice, rather fitting for her cold and icy demeanor, much like Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru, but uses it in a different manner. Like Kaname Tōsen's Suzumushi and Kisuke Urahara's Benihime, Sode no Shirayuki also possesses more than one ability.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Sode no Shirayuki's abilities are labeled as "dances" by Rukia.




 * Rukia can create a circle of influence around her intended target and freeze everything within the circle from the ground upwards until it reaches the sky.


 * Fires a massive, powerful pure-white wave of ice from Sode no Shirayuki's blade.


 * Allows Rukia to reforge her Zanpakutō with ice particles if it is broken, piercing through objects in its path. After piercing its target, it continues to freeze any surrounding objects, including the battlefield.


 * Bankai: Not Yet Achieved

Dark Rukia


Dark Rukia is a alternate form of Rukia, exclusively appeared in Bleach: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name. While in this form, instead of her own Zanpakutō, she has a gigantic, double-edged scythe that she easily wields with one hand. Her outfit appears to be comepletely different, and she is also barefooted. Her deep black hair is now lavender, as well as her eyes. While in this alternate state, her power have been augmented and she appears to fight differently, as opposed to her current and usual self.

Relationships
Rukia Kuchiki is the primary deuteragonist of Bleach. She has encountered several characters in the series, though not nearly as much as Ichigo. The most prominent of these relationships are listed below:

Ichigo Kurosaki
Rukia has a unique, complex, and dynamic relationship with Ichigo: At times, they are bickering adversaries, and at other times, despite these quarrels, the two have a deep understanding of each other, often giving each other a considerable amount of emotional support when needed. It is seen that at times Ichigo cares about her. Most of their scenes together involve them yelling and making faces at each other, regardless of where they are or who's witnessing their 'confrontations', friends, allies, and enemies alike. They also share similar feelings of loss and guilt: Ichigo thought he was responsible for his mother's death and Rukia's near-execution, while Rukia thought she was responsible for the death of one of her commanding officers, and considered Ichigo's apparent death during her capture her fault.

Rukia's guilt-ridden attitude regarding Kaien's death carries over to her relationship with Ichigo; when Rukia is taken into custody and Ichigo is gravely wounded in an attempt to save her, she assumes that he dies of his injuries. Feeling that Ichigo's death would have been avoided had she never met him, Rukia loses her reason for living and resigns herself to her sentenced execution. Later on, after Renji tells her that Ichigo not only survived, but is mounting a rescue attempt with his friends. While she is grateful to know that he survived, and that he cares for her enough to risk his life and the lives of his friends to rescue her, she stubbornly refuses to accept his assistance. This is done out of concern for her friends' well-being, however, as she doesn't want another one of her companions to die because of her, as Kaien did long ago. Ichigo, however, remained persistent, and was eventually able to destroy the Sokyoku (with assistance from Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku), rescue her from the shinigami captains, and incapacitate three lieutenants bare-handed. Rukia, although overjoyed at her rescue and his immense increase in power, refused to thank Ichigo for his help, as it would appear uncharacteristic; an action which Ichigo predicted and shrugged off. Respectful of her decision, Ichigo commends her for her choice. This statement visibly surprises Rukia, as she did not expect him to be as easy-going as she hoped he would be-- not after everything he went through to get her back to Karakura Town-- but quickly regains her composure and silently thanks him for his actions, both in regards to his rescue attempt and his acceptance of her decision to remain in the Soul Society.

Renji Abarai
Rukia also has a strong relationship with Renji, both sharing a history since they were children. When all their friends passed away, Rukia and Renji joined the Shinigami Academy seeing as they had high spiritual potential. Rukia struggled to keep up with him as he excelled in swordsmanship, but they remained close. However this changed when Rukia was offered a place in the Kuchiki family. Renji congratulated her and assured her that joining would be the best thing that could happen, stating how jealous he felt. Rukkia understood he was onk saying such to make her feel happier and to hide his own feelings of sadness(they would probably never see each other again.) Rukia thanks him, shedding tears as she runs off. During the Soul Society Arc Renji fights Ichigo not for revenge but out of anger that he indirectly gave Rukia the death sentence. After his defeat he demands Ichigo to save Rukia, and trains rigorously to save her himself. He fights Byakuya and sustains many injuries until his defeat, determined to save her at all costs. This powerful determination to protect her is seen when he faces Aizen, and once more against the 8th Espada during the Hueco Mundo Arc. At the moment his spiritual pressure dissapears Rukia becomes distraught over his seemingly fatal loss, showing the strong feelings they share(however they are not specifically implied as romantic) Upon entering Las Noches Renji berates Ichigo for expressing concern for Rukia's well being, as soldiers on the battlefield this is seen as an insult to one,s abilities. This demonstrates Renji's confidence in Rukia, which is reciprocated. More recently Renji has been seen fighting the lesser arrancer and hollow alongside Chad, keeping them away from Rukia/Ichigo's respective battles.

Quotes

 * "Ichigo!!"


 * "Mai, Sode no Shirayuki."


 * (To Yoshi in the Original Version after Yoshi stabbed the shapeshifting Kurodo) "You bitch!"


 * "Thank you, Orihime."


 * "Damn Ichigo, this is bad!"


 * "Nii-sama! (Big Brother!)''"

Trivia

 * According to Tite Kubo, Rukia's theme song is Wing Stock by Ashley MacIsaac.
 * Despite her age, she has never progressed her drawing above that of a child's.
 * Rukia is consistently the most popular female character in the series. In the 4th Shonen Jump poll, she was placed as the 2nd most popular character in Bleach, Tōshirō Hitsugaya being the 1st (and Ichigo Kurosaki placing 3rd).
 * Rukia is the only non-captain level Shinigami to kill an Espada, as Ichigo only defeated Grimmjow. Overall, Rukia, Ichigo, and possibly Uryu are the only non-captains to defeat an Espada.
 * Sode no Shirayuki is the 2nd most popular zanpakutō in a recent Bleach Poll.