Anime Facts: 5 Weird Secrets About Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo begins as a seemingly ordinary high school student, but even then, he was truly one of a kind.

In the hit anime series Bleach, the protagonist is Ichigo Kurosaki, and he's not as ordinary as he looks. He's introduced as a 15-year-old punk who happens to see ghosts and he's convinced that, otherwise, his life is completely ordinary. Of course, once he met Rukia, it turned out nothing about him was regular at all.

Bit by bit, Ichigo learned more and more about his true nature and heritage, and by the end of the series, it's clear that he represents a bit of everything in the Bleach world. He is a human with the Zanpakuto of a Soul Reaper, but he's also got a Hollow mask and latent Quincy abilities. Let's review the many unusual aspects of Ichigo Kurosaki and his powers.

Strongest Of The Siblings

Karin and Yuzu are Ichigo's twin sisters. They have the same exact heritage as Ichigo, but only a tiny fraction of Ichigo's powers. In theory, they could train to unlock Soul Reaper powers like their brother if they took the right steps, but even before Ichigo underwent training, his spiritual affinity was stronger. He could very clearly see souls, Hollows and Soul Reapers, and even as time went on, Karin could only barely see a fuzzy, transparent outline of Hollows. Perhaps Ichigo only sees supernatural entities better because he was born first, or simply because he's the protagonist.


Hidden Quincy Powers

Ichigo inherited Quincy abilities from his mother Masaki, though they only manifest a few times — and at rather convenient times at that. For example, while fighting Yhwach for the first time, the Quincy king attempted to stab Ichigo's neck... only for the Blut Vene ability to harden his skin and deflect Yhwach's sword. Yhwach was stunned to see this Quincy-only ability manifest on what appeared to be a Soul Reaper, but he later realized that Ichigo is, in fact, one of his own. Ichigo's Quincy powers also meant that Quilge Opie's "The Jail" ability couldn't trap him for long, and Ichigo's Bankai couldn't be stolen with a Medallion. Quilge was utterly baffled.


Wild Instincts

Ichigo has more than Quincy powers lurking inside his body. He also has an evil twin, a color-inverted version of himself with an inverted personality. This Hollow Ichigo has a battle maniac, boasting sharp instincts and a love of bloodshed. He is more adept at using Zangetsu than Ichigo himself, wielding it in vicious and creative ways while battling Ichigo. This Hollow twin is determined to be the stronger of the two, and he'll only submit if Ichigo defeats him battle and proves himself the "king." This is a stark contrast to Ichigo's "I'll only fight if I must" mentality, and unlike the friend-protecting Ichigo, this Hollow version fights only for himself.

Striking Resemblance

Kaien Shiba was already deceased when the main events of Bleach took place. He is the eldest brother to Kukaku and Ganju Shiba, and he was the darling of Squad 13. He also trained Rukia, and taught her about the true nature of the heart. But why does he look like a dark-haired Ichigo? At first, it seems like an odd coincidence, but it is later revealed that Isshin Kurosaki was born as Isshin Shiba, and thus, Kaien is Ichigo's cousin on his father's side. If they had ever met, they may have gotten along much better than how Ichigo and Ganju got along (or didn't).

Break Glass In Case Of Emergency

When Ichigo faced Ulquiorra Schiffer for the final time, he had already mastered the use of his Hollow mask, thanks to his training with the Visoreds at their hideout. But not even that was enough to win; Ulquiorra took over the match with his released forms, and Ichigo was definitively killed in action. Orihime saw it happen for herself. But then Ichigo's body began to move again, his hair grew long and his face was enveloped in a new, horned Hollow mask. This new form had the strength of a Vasto Lorde, and it proved that when it fought Ulquiorra on equal terms and tore him apart with a cero blast matching the fearsome Cero Oscuras in strength. The entire time, however, Ichigo was unaware of his actions, and this bizarre new form appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Once Ulquiorra was on the verge of death, this new Hollow form disappeared, and Ichigo was dismayed that he had won the match in such a manner. He even defended Ulquiorra in a way, claiming that this was unfair to both of them. All the same, Ulquiorra died, and Ichigo had a new level of Hollow power in his arsenal. Later on, Zangetsu/Hollow Ichigo would borrow that mask while facing Ichigo in his inner world.