Age: 15 (series start), 16 (current)
Gender: Male
Species: Human, shinigami, vizard
Date of birth: July 15
Occupation: High school student, deputy shinigami
Known relatives: Isshin Kurosaki (father)
Masaki Kurosaki (mother, deceased)
Yuzu Kurosaki (sister)
Karin Kurosaki (sister)
Zanpakutō: Zangetsu

Ichigo is a 15-year-old who attempts to cultivate a detached image, for which he keeps his eyebrows constantly furrowed. Ichigo has natural orange hair, a fact that annoys many upperclassmen in his school, who constantly pick fights with him. Ichigo claims that he does not care what others think (both about his hair and other subjects) and seems to enjoy fighting the bullies.

Ichigo is also a capable student, ranked at 23 of 322 in his school. Ichigo regularly studies and doesn't neglect his schoolwork, due to the fact that he has nothing better to do at home. It is later revealed that Ichigo works so hard only to overcome the misconceptions that many teachers tend to have about him, based on his hair color and interactions with other students.

Ichigo possesses the unusual ability to see spirits as a consequence of his innate spiritual power. After the full extent of Ichigo's immense spiritual power is unlocked as a consequence of his meeting with Rukia Kuchiki, as well as his subsequent inability to control it, many of his friends begin to develop spiritual powers due to their proximity with him. Frequent exposure to Ichigo's energy causes several of his classmates to become spiritually aware, and some even develop their own unique powers as a result.

Ichigo lives with his father Isshin Kurosaki and his two younger sisters, Yuzu and Karin. His father runs a small medical clinic in their house, and recruits the entire family in his business. While Ichigo's father is portrayed as a comical, inept character who often challenges his son with mock attacks and berates him for being late for dinner, Karin also has the ability to see spirits and Yuzu acts as the de facto mother of the family.

Ichigo likes chocolate and karashi mentaiko. His favorite celebrities are Al Pacino and Mike Ness and the person he admires most is William Shakespeare. He is uncomfortable around nude or immodestly dressed women despite the "tough guy" image he tries to maintain.

Ichigo's name, written with homophone kanji, means 1 and 5 when separated as ichi (一) and go (五), the reason behind the two numbers' frequent appearances in the series. The word ichigo (苺/イチゴ), written in yet another way, actually means "strawberry" in Japanese, and is normally only used as a girl's name; when the gatekeeper Jidanbō teases Ichigo about this fact, Ichigo proudly states that his name is spelled with ichi (一) as in "one" and go (護) from "guardian". Ichigo's father once told him that his name means "he who protects."

Gender: Female
Species: Shinigami
Date of birth: January 14[1]
Occupation: Shinigami in the 13th Division
Known relatives: Hisana Kuchiki (sister, deceased), Byakuya Kuchiki (brother-in-law, adoptive brother)
Zanpakutō: Sode no Shirayuki

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. 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 a simple juice box, and learns to speak modern Japanese through the manga she reads. According to Tite Kubo, when (in book five) the semester final exam scores were announced, Rukia's rank was 302 out of 322. With the exception of Japanese, she failed most of her exams.

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).

In the Bount arc, Ririn, one of the modsouls that Urahara invented, is jealous of Rukia's familiarity with Ichigo, while Rukia instantly takes a liking to Kuroud, 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, likes him anymore.

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. 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.

Age: 15-16(current)
Gender: Female
Species: Human
Date of birth: September 3
Occupation: High school student
Known relatives: Sora Inoue (brother, deceased)
Weapon: Shun Shun Rikka, (hairclips)

Orihime Inoue has long orange-brown hair which she wears with the bangs behind her ears and hairpins. She does not remove her hairpins, except to sleep (she is seen without them in episode 64 when she wakes up), as they are worn in memory of her brother, while her hair is worn long in honor of the promise Tatsuki Arisawa once made to protect her. Her large breasts are occasionally made the subject of jokes in the series. She also has an amazingly hard head, which has injured Uryū, Chad, and Ichigo. The only person who has been able to damage her head has been Yachiru Kusajishi in a comical moment when she is riding on Kenpachi Zaraki's shoulders. Orihime has brown eyes in color pictures of the manga, but gray eyes in the anime.

Orihime is friendly, humorous in her own way, sensitive, and kind. She comes off as naive and rather clueless, which is at odds with her exceptionally high marks in school. Apparently, she is hopeless when it comes to technology. One of the members of the Handicrafts' Club remarks that she is not smart enough to use a cell phone, which is why she does not have one. Additionally, according to Tatsuki, Orihime has the fighting skill of a black belt, however, in the English dubbed version she says Orihime is at the skill of a yellow belt.

Orihime cooks and eats strange food at home, although she also likes some normal food. Aside from Rangiku Matsumoto and possibly Tessai Tsukabishi, no one shares Orihime's tastes. Her favorite food is red bean paste, and she likes putting butter on sweet potatoes.

Orihime has a tendency to rush into situations without thinking, sometimes leading to embarrassing consequences. At one point, the schoolgirls ask Rukia if she has feelings for Ichigo. When Rukia denies any such thing, Orihime is disappointed that Rukia does not share her sentiments, because if she had, then it would be two girls against one boy and therefore the girls "team" would win, which makes no sense. She also tends to have an overactive imagination and gets carried away thinking of implausible scenarios, such as portraying herself as a futuristic and apparently highly destructive robot in an assignment asking "How do you see yourself in the future?", when the question refers to what occupation one wishes or believes they will have.

Orihime has also demonstrated that she is perceptive, mostly when it comes to Ichigo Kurosaki. She is in love with Ichigo, and in both the manga and anime her feelings only become more evident as time goes on. She has revealed these feelings both to Rangiku Matsumoto and to Ichigo himself, though he was asleep at the time. She also has the uncanny ability to detect Ichigo by scent and sense his spiritual pressure, even when masked by the vizard.

Through her expanding role in the manga, Orihime has become a more complex character than her earlier archetype suggested. Where Orihime was more happy and goofy at the start of the series, later arcs deal with her feelings of inadequacy and inner turmoils. She also functions as a second female lead after the Soul Society arc, which was recognized when her character was featured along with female leads from other Weekly Shonen Jump series on a special Shonen Jump cover.

Nicknames: Chad
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Date of birth: April 7
Occupation: High school student
Weapon: Brazo Derecha de Gigante, Brazo Izquierda del Diablo

Chad is a teenager of Mexican descent. He is extremely tall and appears to be much older than he actually is. Chad has a tattoo on his left shoulder which reads Amore e Morte ("love and death" in Italian) and consists of a heart, a snake and angel wings around the heart. In the series, he is usually seen wearing either his school uniform or a tee shirt. At one point in the series, he is seen wearing a dark, long-sleeved shirt with a rose emblazoned on the left sleeve. The rose may be in honor of his grandfather seeing as how his grandfather's name was Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa, de la Rosa being Spanish for "of the Rose."

Chad is a quiet person and is sometimes the subject of jokes or bullies because he never fights back, against ordinary humans at least, since he often engages hollows and shinigami only when necessary. Nonetheless, he is treated equally within his group of friends in Karakura (Ichigo, Keigo and Mizuiro). Chad also has a weakness for cute things, like small animals and Kon, he is one of the few characters that actually treats Kon with any dignity but for the most part ignores him. To match his extraordinary size, Chad possesses extraordinary superhuman durability, even before activating his spiritual powers, being able to survive the impact of a falling steel girder on his back and a head-on motorcycle collision, and is strong enough to break telephone poles. Besides his physical strength, Chad has also shown to be very intelligent; he ranked 11th out of 322 when Ichigo ranked 23rd.

Chad likes music, but rarely watches TV. The only program he likes is Carnivore Kingdom, which starts at 8 a.m. on Sundays. He likes it so much that he bought the DVDs for it. Not surprisingly, since Kon is a cheap knock-off plushie of the main character of Carnivore Kingdom, Chad finds Kon especially cute. Chad also has a bass guitar, but has never been shown playing it. It has been shown in Chad's room in episode 69 and in the 8th anime ending sequence. It's also shown in episode 9 after a "band practice." He is also seen carrying it immediately preceding the appearance of the incomplete arrancar. Chad's favorite food is tomatoes.

Age: 15-16(current)
Gender: Male
Species: Human (Quincy)
Date of birth: November 6
Occupation: High School Student, Quincy
Title: Heir to the title "The last Quincy"
Known relatives: Ryūken Ishida (father), Sōken Ishida (grandfather, deceased) 
Weapon: Bows; Ginrei Kōjaku, Seele Schneider ( Soul Cutter )

Uryū Ishida is a black-haired, bespectacled teenager of average height. At school, Uryū wears the school uniform along with a tie, while outside he dons white Quincy clothes with blue stripes representing the Quincy cross, and a mantle.

Uryū is generally shy and quiet, but tries harder to act cool when other people are around. For example, during the Soul Society arc he wears a mantle that serves no purpose other than to make him look cooler, despite the fact that it hinders his movement. He even keeps a spare to that effect. In addition, he also has a tendency to say things with characteristic drama.

Uryū operates on a moral ethic known as the "Pride of the Quincy" and has a strong sense of justice. He has also shown to be very chivalrous, stating that he enacts justice on men who abuse or treat women badly. He demonstrates this at multiple points throughout the series, such as when he tried to defend Rukia Kuchiki from Renji Abarai when he and Byakuya Kuchiki came to the real world to take her, or when he defends Orihime Inoue at multiple points throughout the Soul Society arc. Uryū also has a tendency to not use lethal force in battle, especially if he can win without doing so. Instead, he will simply incapacitate his opponent.

Uryū does not hold his father, Ryūken Ishida, in high respect; he calls his father by his given name which is considered very rude in Japanese society. Despite this, in the anime Uryū seems mildly offended when Rukia commented that the Ishida's hospital (his father being the present director) is falling apart and Renji replies tactlessly that the hospital is only for show.

Uryū has low blood pressure and hates procrastination. The other things he hates are quite odd: buttons (despite being an expert in sewing) and the word "haphazard." His favorite food is homemade mackerel miso stew.The television program he likes is Don Kanonji's "Bura-Rei". The shadow that jumped out of the crowd at Kanonji's first appearance was in fact Uryū. Like his grandfather, Sōken Ishida, Uryū is left-handed, and he is also a great archer, capable of insane feats of archery.

11th Division

Captain

Gender: Male
Date of birth: November 19
Occupation: Shinigami
Title Captain of the 11th Division
Zanpakutō: Unknown

Kenpachi has a wild and aggressive appearance, fitting with his personality. He wears his captain's jacket without sleeves, and with a more ragged look to it (he acquired his captain's jacket from the previous 11th Division captain, whom he defeated and killed in a duel). He styles his hair into spikes with bells at the tips and wears a special eye patch on his right eye created by the 12th Division to absorb the bulk of his power. Both of these are meant to give enemies an advantage so that he can have even fights with weaker opponents. He has a huge scar on the left side of his face (He apparently had this same scar around the time he found Yachiru). He is also one of the tallest characters in Bleach, towering at 202 cm (approx. 6 ft 7½ in). This is slightly taller than Yasutora Sado and almost double the height of his lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi. His stature is often exaggerated even more for dramatic purposes, especially in contrast with Yachiru's.

In the "Shinigami Cup" special after Bleach episode 71, Kenpachi is shown attaching the bells to his hair, which apparently takes quite a while to accomplish. The highest bell in particular takes him several hours to attach, as the tip of his hair is just beyond his reach. Occasionally, Yumichika will offer to do it, but Zaraki usually refuses because he thinks that it is weird for someone else to style his hair. Tite Kubo has remarked that Zaraki's hair is the most difficult to draw, tied with Kaname Tōsen's.

Despite his initial introduction as a lethal foe, Kenpachi later begins to play the role of the comical anti-hero in Bleach: though still self-centered and violent, his actions tend to be for the best and his relationship with his division and others is always portrayed comically. This comical shift is primarily centered around his appearances in the Bleach anime and omake stories, with the exception of the occasional diatribe between himself and Yachiru. He is usually depicted as having a very poor sense of direction, asking his lieutenant Yachiru for directions (who then randomly points in a direction).

Kenpachi lives for battle (evidenced by his method of attaining his rank) and enjoys a good fight more than anything. He even weakens himself in an effort to make any fight last longer. He also claims that injury and death are nothing but the price one pays for a good fight. Despite his group being the most bloodthirsty of the Gotei 13, they have a code of ethics, though different from the set rules of Soul Society.

Despite his seeming disregard for any strategy in his fights and his self-admitted aversion to thinking during battle, Kenpachi is adept at finding and exploiting weaknesses in his opponents' techniques, such as in his battle with Kaname Tōsen. Apart from his sword skills, he has shown no overt talent in any other forms of shinigami combat; even flash steps, a common skill among most shinigami, are never used by him. However, his overall speed and ferociousness in battle more than make up for his seeming lack of ability in these areas. While he admits to having no sanity or common sense, Kenpachi is actually very perceptive and notices traits in people that others wouldn't notice. For example, he correctly singles out Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru as the only captains who are afraid to die.

Perhaps due to years of combat experience and time on the battlefield, Kenpachi also has a large degree of physical strength, most clearly evidenced by the fact that he kicked Tōsen through a building in their battle, and also when he grabbed Ichigo's giant sword barehanded and reeled both him and the sword in for an attack. His physical strength is matched by his endurance: Kenpachi has been shown to easily ignore most of the injuries he's sustained in battle, not suffering any debilitation despite having multiple slash wounds in his body. Ichigo was unable to even scratch him early on in their fight, causing more damage to himself than Zaraki. He even allowed himself to be stabbed just to grab Tōsen's blade and break his bankai's effect.

Though he literally lives for battle, Kenpachi has shown human emotion and caring for two things: his lieutenant Yachiru (who is possibly the only person he cares for, though he has shown to care about Ikkaku and Yumichika) and his name, which he gave himself. Following his battle with Ichigo, in a rare moment of sorrow, Kenpachi talks about the pain of not having a name (as he lived his childhood and early adult years without one), and feels guilty that his sword isn't acknowledged by its name.

Kenpachi also strongly believes the fun comes before working. In every battle, he tries to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible. He also sent his 5th Seat, Yumichika, to fend off the Bount in Karakura Town, as he was the only high-ranking officer who wasn't busy, or rather, busy having fun, as Yachiru was snacking and Ikkaku was napping, while Yumichika was organizing documents.

At times it seems Kenpachi contradicts his own logic, as he on one hand wishes for ever increasing personal power, yet on the other restricts his might and stubbornly refuses to learn the name of his zanpakutō. Insane to a certain extent, Kenpachi is easily one of the most complex characters in the series, as he exhibits a wide range of traits including; reckless abandon, blood lust, peculiar sentiments of affection toward his subordinates, and even the occasional indication of wisdom in the form of terse pep-talks usually given to opponents just before or even during battles. All these factors parallel Ichigo's character giving insight to the inward struggle he seems to contend with.

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1st Division

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai

Considered to be the strongest captain in the Gotei 13, Yamamoto is depicted as an old man with a long beard. There are many scars on his torso and head, suggesting numerous battles in his past. He wears the standard shinigami captain uniform, but its size is greatly exaggerated. He also drapes his haori over his back instead of actually wearing it. Despite his old age, he has a very muscular body. As the general of Gotei 13, Yamamoto is highly respected by many shinigami, most notably Sajin Komamura, who views Yamamoto as a benefactor who saved his life. He has a fiery temper, and like fellow captains Byakuya Kuchiki and Soifon, he believes that laws must be executed for the benefit of the community and despises those who break the rules. General Yamamoto founded the shinigami academy about 2000 years before the main Bleach storyline. Yamamoto was himself a teacher at this academy, and personally instructed Kyōraku and Ukitake. He admits to being rather proud of Ukitake and Kyōraku. When they became captains, he "boasted about them as though they were his own sons." It has been revealed that he had ordered Kisuke Urahara to stabilize the Garganta gate so that captains can pass through, and has sent 4 captains so far to back up Ichigo's team.

Yamamoto's zanpakutō is Ryūjin Jakka (流刃若火, lit. Flowing Blade like Flame, Viz: Flowing Flame Blade). It is the oldest and most powerful fire-based zanpakutō, and has greater attack power than all other zanpakutō in Soul Society. In sealed form, it is disguised as Yamamoto's staff, which disintegrates into a sword on command. Its shikai command is "reduce the whole of creation to smoldering ashes" (万象一切灰燼と為せ, banshō issai kaijin to nase?, Viz: "all things of this world, turn to ashes").[1] When released, Ryūjin Jakka and the area around Yamamoto is consumed in flame. The sheer power of the flame can disintegrate almost anything the sword is waved at. Only powerful fighters such as Kyōraku and Ukitake can resist it. Even in its shikai, Ryūjin Jakka's power is enough to fight against two other captains' shikai simultaneously. His abilities as a shinigami are no doubt powerful, as he was able to bring 8th Division Lieutenant Nanao Ise to her knees and immobilize her by looking at her and releasing his spiritual pressure. He was also able to fight on par with two of the most powerful captains, Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake, for a decent period of time without any sign of injury, while they both came away with minor wounds.

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Lt.Chōjirō Sasakibe

Chōjirō Sasakibe (雀部 長次郎, Sasakibe Chōjirō?) is the lieutenant of the 1st Division. He wears a white jinbaori over his uniform and armguards. In the manga, Chōjirō is illustrated without pupils and is often assumed by fans to be blind. However, in the anime, he is animated with yellow or light brown eyes. Chōjirō's name was not revealed for quite some time after his initial appearance in the manga.

Chōjirō's zanpakutō is Gonryōmaru (厳霊丸, lit. Stern Spirit, Viz: Solemn Spirit). Its shikai command is "pierce" (穿て, ugate?, Viz: "bite"). In its shikai, Gonryōmaru transforms into a rapier, fitting with Chōjirō's appearance. Its abilities remain unknown, as Ichigo Kurosaki quickly dispatches Chōjirō the single time Chōjirō releases his zanpakutō.

3rd Division

Former Captain

See under Bleach characters*Bad Guy's*

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Izuru Kira was born to a family of lesser nobility,[2] and his parents were dead since he was young.[3] While in the shinigami academy, Kira befriended Momo Hinamori, Renji Abarai, and Shūhei Hisagi, and they are often seen spending time together. Kira, along with Renji and Momo, would be sent to the 5th Division after graduation, and when Gin Ichimaru became captain of the 3rd Division, Kira was placed under Gin.[4] Kira is loyal to both his friends and his duties, perhaps to the point of fault. Despite the close friendship he shares with Momo Hinamori, Kira shows that his loyalty knows no boundaries when he defends his captain from Hinamori while she is in a grief-induced rage from her own captain's "death". Despite this, he calls himself a 'monster' afterwards for raising his sword against Hinamori.

Kira is first seen attempting to find, and later rescue, Renji, who leaves a lieutenant meeting to fight Ichigo Kurosaki. During Sōsuke Aizen's plot against Soul Society, Kira plays a role as a significant, yet also clueless, puppet, his loyalty and dedication to following orders used against him by Gin. Later on, Kira battles and loses to 10th Division lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, his weight-affecting zanpakutō rendered useless by her zanpakutō's ability to dissolve into ash. During the anime's Bount arc, Kira rescues Ichigo from the Bount Koga Gō, and later helps Ichigo fight his way into the Bount hideout. He is left to guard the entrance to the Seireitei following the successful infiltration by the Bount.

Kira's zanpakutō is Wabisuke (侘助, lit. miserable man, but can also be translated as apology, Viz: The Penitent One). Its shikai command is "raise your head" (面を上げろ, omote o agero?). When activated, Wabisuke's shikai bends the blade into a square hook. In this form, Wabisuke doubles the weight of whatever it strikes. The ability affects both inanimate objects and living beings. Though a seemingly pointless ability in sword combat, the effect is cumulative. With a second hit from Wabisuke, the weight will double again and so on, exponentially. Thus, after seven or eight blocked attacks, his opponents are unable to lift their own swords. Once Wabisuke's effect becomes noticeable, Kira's opponents often fall to their knees with their heads bent down, as if in apology, thus the name of Kira's zanpakutō.

4th Division

Captain

Unohana is a soft-spoken, polite, and caring woman. She uses honorifics when addressing everyone, including her subordinates, and rarely shows panic or distress. In Soul Society arc, she healed everyone in the execution site after Ichigo saved Rukia. Unohana also seems to let her division members go on leave to the real world from time to time; in the anime she gives Hanatarō Yamada permission to take a break in the real world shortly after the events in Soul Society.

Recently, Unohana and Isane have appeared alongside captains Kenpachi Zaraki, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and Byakuya Kuchiki in Las Noches, her appearance effectively stopping the Exequias leader from doing further harm to Yasutora Sado. She claims that she has come to Las Noches merely to heal the injured.

Retsu Unohana's zanpakutō is Minazuki (肉雫唼, lit. Purify the Flesh). In sealed form, Minazuki is slightly longer than ordinary katanas, and resembles a nodachi. Instead of tying it to her obi, Unohana carries her zanpakutō over her shoulder by a rope strap or lets Isane carry it for her. When unsealed, Minazuki transforms into a giant, flying, one-eyed manta-ray. It's large enough to transport many people on its back (at least a dozen, based on its size when compared to those riding it). Additionally, it can swallow even more people and transport them in its stomach, healing their injuries at the same time. When Unohana reseals Minazuki, it dissolves into green mist and reforms into the sheath of her zanpakutō. Bleach Advance: Kurenai ni Somaru Soul Society labels this form as Unohana's shikai.

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