Bleach is one of the longest-running manga and anime of the Shonen genre, which is aimed primarily at teens. Known for its incredible sword fights, a large cast of characters, and much more, the series is one of the most popular manga and anime of all time. The anime was infamous for not adapting the final story arc, The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, for years but that changed as the season is finally airing.
Created by Mangaka Tite Kubo, Bleach’s main protagonist is Ichigo Kurosaki who in many ways is a heroic character as he is noble, kind, and righteous. However, Tite Kubo doesn’t exactly share that sentiment.
What did the creator of Bleach say about Ichigo?
In an interview with VIZ Media, Kubo, along with Ichigo’s Japanese voice actor Masakazu Morita, both spoke on what being a superhero means to them and what they consider one to be. Kubo said:
“One of the kindergarten teachers back then asked some older kids to play with me during break time. I started hanging out with them and learned to do a backward flip on a bar. As a result, I grew to like monkey bars and gradually gained even more friends. At the time, the TV series Kamen Rider was popular, so we’d pretend to be Kamen Riders in the schoolyard until the school bus came. I pretended to be Kamen Rider V3, and right when I stood on the monkey bars to strike my “transformation” pose, the setting sun shone on me like a spotlight. That’s what inspired me to want to become a superhero.”
Also read: Bleach Animation Studio Facing Death Threats Due to 2 Characters in the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc
In light of this revelation, Ichigo doesn’t exactly fit the mold of a hero, at least in Tite Kubo’s eyes, despite helping and saving many people during the course of Bleach. Later in the same interview, when asked about his favorite heroes, he said:
“GeGeGe no Kitaro and Saint Seiya are my favorites. But they’re not quite heroes… What is a hero? I’ve never thought of Ichigo as a hero, either.”
Ichigo Kurosaki is clearly not Tite Kubo’s idea of a hero, given what he considers a hero to be, in spite of him being Ichigo’s creator. This take by Kubo is sure to cause a lot of debate amongst fans.
What was the controversial Orihime scene?
The Thousand Year Blood War Arc of the Bleach anime has had a generally positive reception amongst fans of the show, but one scene in a recent episode featuring the character of Orihime has sparked a debate. The scene, which is from manga chapter 589, sees Ichigo and Orihime reunite after a while, and Orihime is clad in a new, revealing outfit which leaves Ichigo too embarrassed to look at her properly. Some funny dialogues follow, and Yoruichi appears and sticks her hand in Orihime’s cleavage, causing Orihime further embarrassment.
This scene was removed from the anime adaptation owing to censorship rules, and Tite Kubo commented on the same, saying:
“The sequence after Yoruichi’s appearance was too lewd so it was a no-go. [Shame, as] I really liked the look on Yoruichi’s face when she scorns Ichigo”.
Despite the scene being a comedic one, it was clearly too provocative and raunchy for it to air on television, even though it had a late-night slot which allows for more liberty to show gore and the like.
Source: Comicbook.com, VIZ
