Ichigo

Ichigo Kurosaki (Japanese: 黒崎 一護, Hepburn: Kurosaki Ichigo) is a fictional character in the Bleach manga series and its adaptations created by author Tite Kubo. He is the main protagonist of the series, who receives Soul Reaper powers after meeting Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper assigned to patrol around the fictional city of Karakura Town. These powers come at the cost of her own, and as a result, he concedes to work as her stand-in, fighting to protect people from evil spirits called Hollows.

Kubo said that Ichigo was created to replace Rukia as the protagonist of the series, because he felt she was unsuited for the role. In the anime series adaptation, Ichigo is voiced by Masakazu Morita in Japanese.[1] In the English dubbing, he is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch.[3] In the live-action film, he is played by Sota Fukushi.[5] His character has been well received among both readers and reviewers. Ichigo is often featured in Weekly Shōnen Jump character popularity polls. He was consistently ranked as the most popular character in Bleach.[6] The 2007 Japanese Newtype magazine polls ranked Ichigo as one of the top 100 most-loved anime characters. Reviewers of the series have praised his personality, though some consider him to be a stereotypical anti-hero. Merchandise based on Ichigo's likeness has been released, including toys, clothing and action figures. However, critics disliked his anticlimactic fights in the series' latter half due to his lack of memorable scenes at these points.