This is a list of characters in the manga and anime series Bleach. For simplicity, the characters are listed by where they reside, either on the human plane or within the Soul Society.
In addition to the information provided by the chapters and episodes of the series, Tite Kubo has included character profiles in the back of each tankōbon, offering insight into traits of the main characters that otherwise might remain hidden; this includes one or two pieces of music that Tite Kubo associates with each character, reflecting a surprisingly eclectic and worldly range of genres and artists.
Main characters
- Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎一護, Kurosaki Ichigo)
- Rukia Kuchiki (朽木ルキア, Kuchiki Rukia)
Human world
The Kurosaki family
- Isshin Kurosaki (黒崎一心, Kurosaki Isshin)
- Karin Kurosaki (黒崎夏梨, Kurosaki Karin) – Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (Japanese); Kate Higgins (English)
Karin is the cynical and sarcastic daughter of Isshin. She is an excellent soccer player with a kick powerful enough to fight weak hollows (this occurs later in the anime). Karin's tough exterior results from her mother's death; because she could not be useful around the house like Yuzu, she resolved never to cry so that she would not burden her family with her personal troubles. Karin is a sensible person and will not hesitate to kick her father in the head when she thinks he's acting unreasonable. She initially claims that she believes spirits do not exist, yet can see them just as well as Ichigo can. In spite of this, she is willing to use her abilities to earn a little cash. Karin actually knows that Ichigo is a shinigami and wants to know why he's suffering out of concern. Karin is a homonym for Japanese quince, a name of a fruit, which matches Ichigo's name being a homonym for strawberry. Compared to her soft-spoken twin, Karin is the more authoritative of the two.
- Yuzu Kurosaki (黒崎遊子, Kurosaki Yuzu) – Voiced by: Tomoe Sakuragawa (Japanese); Michelle Ruff (English)
Yuzu is Karin's fraternal twin (both were born on May 6) and more soft-spoken in comparison. She is also the more caring of the two girls. She takes care of most of the housework. Unlike her siblings, she is only able to see faint outlines of spirits. Both girls help out in the family's clinic. She is Karakura Yellow in Don Kanonji's Karakura Superheroes. Yuzu is a homonym for Japanese citron, a name of a fruit.
- Masaki Kurosaki (黒崎真咲, Kurosaki Masaki) [Deceased] – Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara
Masaki, born June 9, is the mother of Ichigo, Yuzu, and Karin. She died while Ichigo was still a child, and her death deeply affected her family. Isshin keeps a large poster of her on the wall and occasionally talks to it for comic relief. Though Ichigo initially believed that she had been killed by falling debris, he later discovers that the hollow Grand Fisher was actually responsible for her death. Grand Fisher had intended to kill Ichigo, but killed her instead because of his preference for women victims. Both Isshin and Ichigo blame themselves for her death. Because of her death, her three children changed completely in personality. Ichigo turned from a terrified little boy into his scowling, short-tempered self, Yuzu turned from a crybaby to a reliable housekeeper, and Karin turned from a crybaby into her no nonsense persona.
Karakura High School
- Orihime Inoue (井上織姫, Inoue Orihime)
- Tatsuki Arisawa (有沢竜貴, Arisawa Tatsuki)
- Yasutora "Chad" Sado (茶渡泰虎, Sado Yasutora)
- Uryū Ishida (石田雨竜, Ishida Uryū)
- Keigo Asano (浅野啓吾, Asano Keigo)
- Mizuiro Kojima (小島水色, Kojima Mizuiro)
Though he has a boyish face and gentle manner of speaking, Mizuiro has a marked fondness for older women. Atypical of male characters in anime, he is apparently very successful with these women and often excuses himself from Asano's activities because of a date with one or more women, the latter being more likely. In an extra chapter in the twelfth volume of Bleach, it is revealed that Mizuiro had very few friends until junior high. He is very distant towards his mother, who is seldom home. Recently, he's been revealed to have been fully endowed with spiritual awareness like Tatsuki and Keigo, and has watched Ichigo, Chad, and Ishida go into Hueco Mundo.
- Chizuru Honshō (本匠千鶴, Honshō Chizuru) – Voiced by: Saki Nakajima
An open and rather proud lesbian, Chizuru numerous advances on her school friend Orihime Inoue are usually thwarted by Tatsuki. She calls Orihime "Hime," which means "Princess," though it could also be a simple shortening of Orihime's name. In Chizuru's opinion, Tatsuki is also very pretty, but too boyish for her to crush on since she prefers more feminine girls; she has also oggled Kunieda, Mahana, and Michiru on occasion. She placed 31st in her class on her exams.[1]
- Ryō Kunieda (国枝鈴, Kunieda Ryō) – Voiced by: Stephanie Sheh
Ryō is a cold and bespectacled girl (though she tends to take her glasses off when she doesn't need them) who does extremely well in her studies (2nd best at school) and can often be seen with her nose in a book. As the school's track star, she can run 100 meters in 12 seconds flat.
- Michiru Ogawa (小川みちる, Ogawa Michiru) – Voiced by: Asami Sanada (Japanese); Colleen O'Shaughnessey (English)
Michiru, often seen with Ryō Kunieda, is a member of Ichigo's class who forms a circle of friends with other girls, including Orihime, Tatsuki, and Chizuru. She seems to be more of a follower than a leader, and thinks Ichigo has a scary face.
- Mahana Natsui (夏井真花, Natsui Mahana) – Voiced by: Kayo Noumi (Japanese); Michelle Ruff (English)
Mahana, often seen with Ryō Kunieda, is a member of Ichigo's class who forms a circle of friends with other girls, including Orihime, Tatsuki, and Chizuru. Though not shown very often, she's outgoing and talkative. And
- Mizuho Asano (浅野瑞穂, Asano Mizuho)
Keigo's formidable older sister, Mizuho seems to regularly sends Keigo on errands (like getting juice from a vending machine) with the usual punishment for lateness being a kick to the crotch. She happily welcomes Ikkaku and Yumichika into the Asano home after Keigo brings them back. While she initially claims that she is welcoming them "because that is the kind of sister" she wants to be, in reality she just has a thing for shaved/bald heads. She has a tendency to speak sexily and show off her figure to men she finds attractive, much to Keigo's chagrin.
- Reiichi Ōshima (大島麗一, Ōshima Reiichi)
Reiichi is a boy with dyed orange hair who challenges Ichigo for stealing his style, evidently on a regular basis. He appears once and is swiftly beaten up in one hit by an already-injured Chad, despite proclaiming to be tough.
- Ichirō Nanbuken (南部研一郎, Nanbuken Ichirō)
Ichirō is 4th student in school in terms of academic achievements.
- Misato Ochi (越智美諭, Ochi Misato)
Misato is Ichigo's class teacher. She is very easy going, accepts any excuse (no matter how flimsy and unbelievable), and doesn't seem to mind in the slightest when Ichigo and his spiritually-endowed friends suddenly take off from class. She also doesn't seem terribly concerned that her students aren't really learning anything. When Ichigo recently returned from being absent for several weeks, she punished him very lightly (hitting him on the head with a book a couple times).
Urahara Shop
- Kisuke Urahara (浦原喜助, Urahara Kisuke)
- Yoruichi Shihouin (四楓院夜一, Shihōin Yoruichi)
- Ururu Tsumugiya (紬屋雨, Tsumugiya Ururu) – Voiced by: Noriko Shitaya (Japanese); Wendee Lee (English)
Ururu is a little girl whose hair style somewhat resembles a cockroach. She does manual labor for the shop, as well as assisting Urahara in training Ichigo. She is Karakura Pink in the Superheroes team and uses a multi-barrelled cannon as her weapon. Ururu has a fighting power comparable to a normal shinigami and appears to be adept at healing. Her combat skills are shown when she gives the arrancar Il Forte Grantz a devastating kick to the head when the latter is dueling with Renji Abarai within close proximity of the Urahara Shōten. In the anime, she also delivers a debilitating kick to Sawatari's doll, Baura, thus saving Rangiku Matsumoto and Yasutora Sado. She seems to respond robotically when injured or when hollows initially appear.
- Jinta Hanakari (花刈ジン太, Hanakari Jinta) – Voiced by: Takako Honda (Japanese); Jeannie Elias (English)
Jinta is a small, red-haired boy who is supposed to do manual labor for the shop, such as cleaning, but usually slacks off and forces Ururu to do all the work. He desires to be a baseball star as well as Karakura Red (fighting for the position with Karin Kurosaki) in the team of Karakura Superheroes led by Don Kanonji. He seems to have a crush on Yuzu Kurosaki, calling her "The Goddess." This is shown in the omake chapters after the anime episodes when he gives her discounts at the shop and treating a good-luck charm she gave him as an extremely important possesion (it was really Kon's plushie body tied to a string, which caused a fight between the two over it during a soccer game). Jinta, like the other shop members, appears to be old and wise when he isn't fooling around. While he likes to constantly bully Ururu, he does care for her, shown when he recovered her body after she was wounded by the arrancar Il Forte Grantz.
- Tessai Tsukabishi (握菱テッサイ, Tsukabishi Tessai)
Tessai is a large, muscular man who always wears an apron. It is unclear what work he does for the shop, but he is Urahara's personal assistant in both business-related and other matters. Tessai is skilled in demon arts, shown by his use of a level 99 binding spell, possibly the most difficult of them. He is also fiercely proud of the shop; this is shown when Inoue praises the shop basement, finding it really cool, Tessai bursts into tears, thanking her. When Soifon refers to the shop as "pokey," his instant reaction is irritation, and he has to be subdued by Urahara. He is also among the few who find Orihime's food tasty.
Quincy
- Uryū Ishida (石田雨竜, Ishida Uryū)
- Ryūken Ishida (石田竜弦, Ishida Ryūken)
- Sōken Ishida (石田宗弦, Ishida Sōken) [Deceased] – Voiced by: Eiji Maruyama (Japanese); Liam O'Brien (English)
The mentor of his son, Ryūken, and grandson, Uryū, Sōken (born March 22) was a kind old man whom Uryū admired. He was killed by hollows when the shinigami did not come in time to save him, and was the last documented Quincy specimen obtained by Mayuri Kurotsuchi for his research. His death is the primary reason Uryū hates the shinigami.
Vizard
The vizard are outcast shinigami who have gained hollow powers.
- Shinji Hirako (平子真子, Hirako Shinji)
- Hiyori Sarugaki (猿柿ひよ里, Sarugaki Hiyori)
Introduced in chapter 189, Hiyori enjoys beating up Shinji and is especially hot-headed. She might be older than Shinji, but looks much younger. She has quite a bit of authority in the group. She took the longest to defeat her inner hollow out of all the current vizard, at 69 minutes, 2 seconds.
- Hachigen Ushōda (有昭田鉢玄, Ushōda Hachigen)
The physically largest vizard, Hachigen wears a tuxedo. He is usually referred to as Hacchi (ハッチ, sometimes translated as 'Hutch'), but his actual name is Hachigen. He seems to be a binding spells expert, since he is always the one in charge for making barriers and such for the vizard's use. He seems to also have powers similar to Orihime Inoue's, and he was the one who healed Tsubaki's injuries when Orihime's own powers were insufficient to do so.
- Lisa Yadōmaru (矢胴丸リサ, Yadōmaru Risa)
Lisa is a girl with glasses and long, braided, dark hair. She is dressed in a sailor fuku (as opposed to the more Western-style uniforms of Karakura High School students). She seems easily irritated and apparently likes to read erotic magazines. She appears to be ambidextrous, initially wielding her zanpakutō with her left hand (like Ikkaku Madarame) then switching to her right during her fight with Ichigo.
Love is large man with sunglasses and a spiked afro who wears a jogging suit. He seems to be very laid back. He also likes to read Shōnen Jump and even some of Lisa's erotic manga. He and Rose seem to be close friends. His zanpakutō's hilt is in the shape of a heart.
- Rose (ローズ, Rōzu)
Rose is an effeminate man with long, wavy blond hair and a frilly shirt. He seems to be interested in music, as he spoke to Love about an artist's new single and has been seen playing or tuning a guitar on several occasions. He was one of two vizard (the other being Mashiro) not shown to be doing anything except watching while Ichigo was subduing his inner hollow. Rose seems to be delighted that a person with powers similar to a vizard exists. He also appears to be one of the calmer and perhaps wiser ones amongst the group (though he becomes irritated whenever Love spoils a manga's story for him). His zanpakutō's hilt is in the shape of a diamond with curved edges.
- Kensei Muguruma (六車拳西, Muguruma Kensei)
Kensei is a teenager with short, light grey hair and several piercings who wears a basketball jersey and cargo pants. He switches places with Lisa in chapter 219 to contain Ichigo. His zanpakutō after initial release is also very short, about the size of a survival knife. In unreleased form, however, it is a formal katana with a rectangular hilt.
- Mashiro (白, Mashiro)
Mashiro is a somewhat ditzy girl that wears a white bodysuit and sunglasses in her green hair. She was strong enough to maintain hollow form for fifteen hours on her first attempt to control her hollow, which means she did not need to train like Ichigo.
Modified souls
Modified souls are artificial souls created by Soul Society researchers some time ago. They have enhanced speed and strength when compared to normal humans, and often special abilities which set them apart from each other. However, the modified souls were considered a failed experiment and most of them were destroyed. Urahara saved at least one of them, Kon. In the anime's Bount arc, three more are introduced.
- Kon (コン)
The Bounto arc modsouls
In the anime's Bount arc, three more modified souls are introduced. They originally live in gigai created by Kisuke Urahara, and have the ability to sense the spiritual presence of the Bount. They also possess special abilites like Kon, but their abilities (with the exception of Kuroud) are energy-based rather than physical. Like Kon, they use plushie bodies so they're less conspicuous in several episodes; however, in that form their special powers are weakened or absent.
- Ririn (りりん)
Ririn, while in her gigai form, is small girl with short blonde hair wearing a pink fur coat, a purple bird-shaped cape, and red boots. When not in her gigai, she inhabits an anthropomorphic bird plushie. Her special ability is the creation of illusions. She acts as the leader of the trio, and has a fondness for games. She is partnered with Ichigo Kurosaki. At first she disliked Ichigo due to their conflicting personalities, but now she's rather infatuated with him, becoming extremely jealous of Rukia Kuchiki's close relationship with Ichigo. She can be petty and arrogant at times, but she shows real concern for her friends. She often looks down on Kon as inferior, which causes frequent arguments between the two (which consequently leads to her abusing Kon).
- Kuroud (蔵人, Kurōdo)
Also known as Claude or Cloud, Kuroud is a bespectacled man with a moustache and two-tone hair color (black to the right, yellow to the left). He wears a gray top hat, multi-colored suit and tie, as well as dark brown boots, giving him an appearance similar to a circus manager. His plushie body is a rabbit-esque purse. He is partnered with Orihime Inoue. He has the ability to shapeshift, and can replicate the abilities of others when he does so (although he can't replicate the power levels of said abilities). He is somewhat cowardly and is terrified of snakes. His longwindedness and actions often provide comic relief. Rukia seems to like him because he resembles Chappy the Rabbit in his stuffed animal form (to Kon's horror).
- Noba (之芭, Noba)
More commonly known as Nova, Noba is a young man in a fur coat and a zippered mask, with a slim build, red hair, and green eyes. He inhabits an anthropomorphic turtle plushie when out of his gigai. He's very quiet, rarely speaking more than a few words, and also rather shy. He is partnered with Yasutora Sado, who is equally quiet. He has the power to teleport himself and others to most any ___location he's been to. He can also use his spiritual sense to teleport to the ___location of those with spiritual powers. Additionally, he can create wormholes to redirect ranged attacks, both physical and energy based, back at the enemy. He can also absorb fire. When he is in his plushie, his teleportation range is limited to about two meters.
Bountos
The Bounts are a clan of humans with supernatural powers comparable to that of the Quincy. Bounts consume spirits in place of food, which allows them to live longer; theoretically, a Bount could live forever given steady access to spirits. Bounts traditionally don't consume the souls of living humans, as it is an ancient taboo and also causes aging, defeating the purpose of absorbing souls to remain young. According to Urahara, the Bounts are called vampires in certain parts of the world. Like shinigami, Bounts can seal their power in inanimate objects. Unlike shinigami, they do not create zanpakutō, but dolls with various special abilites. Additionally, unlike zanpakutō, the dolls have active personalities and can operate independently.
- Yoshino Sōma
- Ryō Udagawa
- Jin Kariya
- Hō and Ban
- Gau Koga
- Cain Nao
- Mabashi
- Sawatari
- Ugaki
- Yoshi
Shun Shun Rikka
The Shun Shun Rikka (盾舜六花, lit. six flowers of the hibiscus shield) are six spirits which embody Orihime Inoue's power. They are capable of shielding her from attacks, healing allies, and attacking enemies. They made their first appearance when a hollow attacked Orihime and her classmates, and it was because of the desire to help her attacked friend Tatsuki Arisawa that the spirits appeared. The siz spirits are manifestations of Orihime's soul, each with its own unique appearance and personality.
- Ayame
Ayame is a shy female spirit covered in a dress larger than her body. She is capable of healing together with Shun'ō.
- Baigon (梅巌)
Baigon is a bald male spirit with a mask that covers the bottom of his face. He is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Hinagiku and Lily.
- Hinagiku (火無菊)
Hinagiku is a male spirit with a large eyepatch that ends in a horn. He is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Baigon and Lily.
- Lily
Lily is a female spirit with transparent goggles. She is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Baigon and Hinagiku.
- Shun'ō (舜桜) – Voiced by: Junko Noda (Japanese); Philece Sampler (English)
Shun'ō is a friendly female spirit with a topknot who is usually the one among the six to talk to Orihime. She is capable of healing together with Ayame.
- Tsubaki (椿鬼)
Tsubaki is a fiery male spirit who is the only Shun Shun Rikka capable of direct attack. He often strikes anyone who gets on his nerves (including Orihime). Because he is primarily focused on attacking, he is vulnerable to counter-attacks and has been injured several times in the manga and anime. The stronger Orihime's anger and killing intent, the more powerful he becomes.
Other characters
- Don Kanonji (ドン・観音寺, Don Kan'onji) – Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba (Japanese); Michael Sorich (English)
Don Kanonji is a popular spirit medium who has a television show called Ghost Bust[4] that, at the time of his introduction, is watched by 25% of Japan's population. He later formed the Karakura Superheroes, which consists of the Kurosaki sisters and the children at the Urahara Shop, to get the show's declining ratings up. The method in which Don Kanonji used to rid ghosts, thinking he was sending spirits to heaven, actually quickly caused those spirits to become hollows. He found this out when he and Ichigo Kurosaki fought a hollow that appeared because of Don Kanonji during a television taping at Karakura Town. His special attack is "Golden Kanonball," a tiny ball of golden light that moves slowly and explodes with surprising power. He speaks in a mixture of Japanese and English (a fact lost in translation).
- Yūichi Shibata (柴田優一, Shibata Yūichi) [Deceased] – Voiced by: Makoto Tsumura (Japanese); Colleen O'Shaughnessey (English)
A supposedly cursed "parakeet" (actually a cockatiel) that found its way into Chad's protection, Yūichi is actually the ghost of a young boy tormented by a vicious hollow. He is guided into Soul Society by Ichigo and eventually meets up with Chad again.
- Midoriko Tōno (遠野翠子, Tōno Midoriko)
Midoriko is Yuzu and Karin's friend and schoolmate who has seen Ichigo while possessed by Kon's spirit. She is frequently threatened by Karin into forcing herself to believe she has seen nothing out of the ordinary whenever something strange happens, especially when it involves Ichigo. According to her diary entries found during the sketches of volume 14, Midoriko is also usually blamed for Karin's carelessness (such as forgetting to water the class' chrysanthemums) and also has a crush on Keigo Asano.
- Sora Inoue (井上昊, Inoue Sora)[5] [Deceased] – Voiced by: Yuji Ueda (Japanese); Liam O'Brien (English)
Sora is Orihime Inoue's older brother. He raised her for most of her life, and died from his wounds in a car accident in the Kurosaki Clinic three years before the series begins. He was later turned into a hollow, Acid Wire, in an ploy by a more powerful hollow to get to Ichigo. His name is Kakei in the official English-language manga translation, but he is still called Sora in the character popularity polls.
- Mrs. Shinmura (新村さん, Shinmura san)
Mrs. Shinmura Orihime Inoue's elderly neighbour.
- Yama, Mit and Toshi
Yama, Mit and Toshi are three skateboarders who briefly appear in the first chapter and are beaten up by Ichigo for breaking a bottle with flowers that he put as a memorial for a ghost. In the English translation, they are referred to by one member as "Li'l Yama," "Li'l Mitch," and "Li'l Toshi" respectively.
- Shigeo and Harutoki – Shigeo: Voiced by: Brad MacDonald, Harutoki: Voiced by: Steve Staley
Shigeo and Harutoki are two friends of Chad. Shigeo lives on the money he makes from his part time job and is easily upset when he does not get to eat.
- Maki Ichinose (一之瀬真樹, Ichinose Maki) [Deceased?]
Intorduced in the anime's Bount arc, Maki belonged to the 11th Division until Kenpachi Zaraki killed the previous captain in a duel. Maki refused to acknowledge the new captain and left Soul Society, although he retains his shinigami abilities. While in Soul Society, he shared many ideals with Kaname Tōsen. He then traveled the human world, but one day, while in a weakened state in a desert, he fell upon a hollow who almost killed him; the hollow was subdued by Jin Kariya, who allowed Maki to kill it. Maki swore his loyalty to Jin after that, breaking the vow only once to fight Kenpachi instead of stopping Ichigo and his friends as he was expected to. He helped Kariya and the other Bounts by infiltrating Soul Society and provoking Mayuri Kurotsuchi into help the Bount enter. His zanpakutō is called Nijigasumi (Rainbow Haze). Nijigasumi's ability is to control light and create illusions. He is severely wounded by Kenpachi Zaraki during their duel, breaking his sword in the process. When he returns to question Kariya's motives, he is stabbed through the gut and tossed away by Kariya. What's left of his sword is destroyed when it inadvertantly saves Ichigo from one of Kariya's lightning attacks, acting as a lightning rod.
- Raku, a.k.a. Karakura Lion Jet
Raku is the spirit of a cat that Yuzu Kurosaki once fed. In its attempt to follow her home, it was killed by a passing car. It returns sometime later as a spirit of itself with unusually high spiritual power, attracting hollows. When the hollows endanger Yuzu, it transforms into a lion to protect her Yuzu. This puts its spirit to rest, allowing it to pass on. Nobody other than Yuzu knows that the lion is actually Raku.
Soul Society
Shinigami court divisions
The characters that represent each division are actually numbers in kanji.
1st Division
- Captain: Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai (山本元柳斎重國, Yamamoto-Genryūsai Shigekuni) (General)
- Lieutenant: Chōjirō Sasakibe (雀部長次郎, Sasakibe Chōjirō)
2nd Division
- Captain: Soifon (砕蜂) (Commander of the special forces and Executive Militia)
- Lieutenant: Marechiyo Ōmaeda (大前田希千代, Ōmaeda Marechiyo)
3rd Division
- Former Captain: Gin Ichimaru (市丸ギン, Ichimaru Gin)
- Lieutenant: Izuru Kira (吉良イヅル, Kira Izuru)
4th Division
- Captain: Retsu Unohana (卯ノ花烈, Unohana Retsu)
- Lieutenant: Isane Kotetsu (虎徹勇音, Kotetsu Isane)
- 3rd Seat: Yasochika Iemura (伊江村八十千和, Iemura Yasochika) (Squad Leader of Squad 1)
Iemura is very vain, likes to act cool, and thinks he will look better without glasses. He was born on a Leap Day, February 29. His rank is quite high, but since he comes from the weakest division in terms of combat he has to call the other divisions's 3rd seaters with a -sama suffix. He meticulously keeps a diary.
- 7th Seat: Hanatarō Yamada (山田花太郎, Yamada Hanatarō) (Squad Leader of Squad 14, born April 1)
- 8th Seat: Harunobu Ogidō (荻堂春信, Ogidō Harunobu) (Second Leader of Squad 1, Born April 14)
5th Division
- Former Captain: Sōsuke Aizen (藍染惣右介, Aizen Sōsuke)
- Lieutenant: Momo Hinamori (雛森桃, Hinamori Momo)
6th Division
- Captain: Byakuya Kuchiki (朽木白哉, Kuchiki Byakuya)
- Lieutenant: Renji Abarai (阿散井恋次, Abarai Renji)
- 9th Seat: Mihane Shirogane (銀 美羽, Shirogane Mihane)
Mihane is the co-owner of Silver Tonbo, a very popular eyeglasses store in Soul Society. She wears glasses and has short, dirty blonde hair. She appeared in one of the colorful Bleach extras.
- Rikichi (理吉)
Rikichi is a young shinigami who idolizes Renji and wants to be like him. To this end, he has similar tattoos to Renji's and will do anything to assist Renji when he is in trouble. His rank, if any, is unknown. He and Hanatarō Yamada are friends.
7th Division
- Captain: Sajin Komamura (狛村左陣, Komamura Sajin)
- Lieutenant: Tetsuzaemon Iba (射場鉄左衛門, Iba Tetsuzaemon)
- 4th Seat: Jirōbō Ikkanzaka (一貫坂慈楼坊, Ikkanzaka Jirōbō)
Jidanbō's younger brother, Jirōbō is skilled at ranged weaponry and the self-proclaimed "Kamaitachi" (a title bestowed on the best projectile user). He brags about being best in projectile use among all shinigami. He is easily defeated by Uryū Ishida, who also removed his ability to become a shinigami again after Jirōbō continually tried to harm the weaker Orihime Inoue, who was alongside him during the fight.
8th Division
- Captain: Shunsui Kyōraku (京楽春水, Kyōraku Shunsui)
- Lieutenant: Nanao Ise (伊勢七緒, Ise Nanao)
- 3rd Seat: Tatsufusa Enjōji (円乗寺辰房, Enjōji Tatsufusa)
Tatsufusa seems to have an inflated ego. When he meets with Chad in battle, he swings his sword in a random, almost idiotic fashion while making ridiculous sounds, believing it is an impenetrable defense. Chad defeats him in one punch. In one of the omake chapters, Tatsufusa appears to have a crush on Soifon. Tatsufusa was born on July 8.
9th Division
- Former Captain: Kaname Tōsen (東仙要, Tōsen Kaname)
- Lieutenant: Shūhei Hisagi (檜佐木修兵, Hisagi Shūhei)
- 20th Seat: Toshimori Umesada (梅定敏盛, Umesada Toshimori)
The lecherous leader of a squadron trying to find the intruders in Soul Society, Toshimori unwittingly allows Orihime and Ishida, disguised as shinigami, to hide in his squadron. He tries to hit on Orihime, but was foiled by members of the 12th Division, who were under orders to capture the two.
10th Division
- Captain: Tōshirō Hitsugaya (日番谷冬獅郎, Hitsugaya Tōshirō)
- Lieutenant: Rangiku Matsumoto (松本乱菊, Matsumoto Rangiku)
- 7th Seat: Kōkichirō Takezoe (竹添幸吉郎, Takezoe Kōkichirō)
Kōkichirō is mentioned in passing as Hitsugaya and Matsumoto were discussing Gin Ichimaru's involvement in Aizen's murder.
11th Division
- Captain: Kenpachi Zaraki (更木剣八, Zaraki Kenpachi)
- Lieutenant: Yachiru Kusajishi (草鹿八千流, Kusajishi Yachiru)
- 3rd Seat: Ikkaku Madarame (斑目一角, Madarame Ikkaku)
- 5th Seat: Yumichika Ayasegawa (綾瀬川弓親, Ayasegawa Yumichika)
- Makizō Aramaki (荒巻真木造, Aramaki Makizō)
Makizō is a shinigami who has been part of the 11th Division for 10 years. He was instructed by Ishida to take Inoue away from the battle with Kurotsuchi. His nicknames are "Maki Maki" and "Sneaky beard," both given to him by Yachiru. He also greatly resembles Hong Kong actor Yuen Wah in appearance.
12th Division
(Research / Scientific Institute)
- Captain: Mayuri Kurotsuchi (涅マユリ, Kurotsuchi Mayuri) (2nd Research President)
- Former Captain: Kisuke Urahara (浦原喜助, Urahara Kisuke)
- Lieutenant: Nemu Kurotsuchi (涅ネム, Kurotsuchi Nemu)
- Hiyosu (鵯州), Akon (阿近), and Rin Tsubokura (壷府リン, Tsubokura Rin)
Hiyosu, Akon, and Rin are three members of the Gigai Department who discovered that Rukia's gigai was not created by their department. They also discovered that arrancar were coming to the human world, and they have been monitoring the movements of souls since then. They are also responsible for making the life-sized statues Jūshirō Ukitake gives out as birthday presents in the special "Colorful Bleach" chapters. After making one for Tōshirō Hitsugaya, whose only comment was "Disgusting," they are in the process of making a Byakuya Kuchiki replica on Ukitake's request.
13th Division
- Captain: Jūshirō Ukitake (浮竹十四郎, Ukitake Jūshirō)
- Former Lieutenant: Kaien Shiba (志波海燕, Shiba Kaien) [Deceased]
- 3rd Seat (former) Miyako Shiba [Deceased]
Miyako was Kaien's wife and had been killed by a hollow. In the anime, she was first possessed, then killed by the hollow. Her face is never fully seen in the manga. It is also stated that Rukia Kuchiki looked up to her as a strong but gentle woman and as Kaien Shiba's wife.
- 3rd Seat 1 and 2: Kiyone Kotetsu (虎徹清音, Kotetsu Kiyone) and Sentarō Kotsubaki (小椿仙太郎, Kotsubaki Sentarō)
Since the death of Lieutenant Shiba, Kiyone and Sentarō have been acting as the division's joint seconds-in-command, overseeing day-to-day operations. They squabble quite often, each believing that they are more competent than the other. They both mean well, but are highly competitive and constantly critical of the other (to further their rivalry, they also happen to share the same birthday, September 9). Kiyone is the younger sister of 4th Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu. Sentarō came from Rukongai.
- Rukia Kuchiki (朽木ルキア, Kuchiki Rukia)
Gate watchers
The Gate Watchers are giants (each is over 50 feet tall) that guard the four gates into Sereitei. They are elites of Soul Society, although not quite as strong as a captain or lieutenant.
- Jidanbō (兕丹坊, Jidambō) [West Gate - Hakutōmon]
The only gate guard to recieve any significant attention, Jidanbō (born January 10) has a good heart and believes in honor. He believes all fights must be one on one (much like the 11th Division mindset) and defeat means he must open his gate, even to an enemy. He is the first person that Ichigo fought in Soul Society, and following his honorable defeat and being healed by Orihime, became friends with Ichigo and company. He has immense physical power and wields two gigantic axes.
- Kaiwan (嵬蜿, Kaiwan) [East Gate - Shōryūmon]
- Danzōmaru (斷蔵丸, Danzōmaru) [North Gate - Kokuryōmon]
- Bikonyūdō (比鉅入道, Bikonyūdō) [South Gate - Shūwaimon]
These three guards are on Aizen's side, although it is unknown if it is through their own choice, Aizen's manipulation, or if they are under the control of Aizen through some spell. In the anime, their betrayal was not shown.
Other Soul Society dwellers
- Kūkaku Shiba (志波空鶴, Shiba Kūkaku)
Kūkaku is an ill-tempered, one-armed fireworks expert who is particularly known for her ridiculously themed houses. Like Orihime Inoue and Rangiku Matsumoto, she has a rather large bust. Her birthday is October 1. She wears a prosthetic arm in the anime, which is at odds with her scenes in the manga, where she is illustrated with just a stub. She assists Ichigo and company by launching them via a special cannon so they can enter Sereitei. Kūkaku is part of the former-noble clan Shiba. A hollow fused with her brother Kaien, which forced Rukia Kuchiki to kill him. She doesn't seem to be a shinigami, but she knows high level kidō.
- Ganju Shiba (志波岩鷲, Shiba Ganju)
- Hisana Kuchiki (朽木緋真, Kuchiki Hisana) [Deceased]
Hisana was Byakuya's wife who died of a disease fifty years before the main storyline. As she was a commoner, Byakuya was prohibited from marrying her, but did so out of love, thus disobeying the rules of the Kuchiki noble house. She was the older sister of Rukia Kuchiki in their past lives, and both were sent to Inuzuri (a poor district of Rukongai) where Hisana abandoned Rukia, unable to support both herself and Rukia. Hisana later greatly regretted this decision, even in her final moments, and as a result Byakuya adopted Rukia as his sister, in accordance with Hisana's dying wish, disobeying the rules a second time. She and Rukia are very similar in appearance.
- Zennosuke Kurumadani (車谷善之介, Kurumadani Zennosuke)[6]
Zennosuke (born June 25) is a shinigami assigned to replace Rukia after her arrest. To his chagrin, he has little to do while in Karakura, since the Karakura Superheroes tend to destroy the few hollows that attack. He is confused by the fact that so many people in the town are capable of seeing him. He has an afro hair style, which results in Keigo Asano nicknaming him "Afro-oji-san" (lit. Afro Old Man). Tatsuki Arisawa spots him and accuses him of being a stalker when he first spies on the Karakura Superheroes. It is not known what division of the Gotei 13 he is a part of.
- Eikichirō Saidō (西堂榮吉郎, Saidō Eikichirō) – Voiced by: Takuya Kirmoto (Japanese); Kirk Thornton (English)
Unique to the anime, Eikichirō is two years Rukia's senior and a low- or mid-level shinigami (supported by the fact that he never activates his zanpakutō) in service with the special forces. He finds himself pressed into service assisting Rukia and Ichigo against the hollow Grand Fisher. After being wounded by the Grand Fisher, he fell asleep.
- Kanisawa (蟹沢) and Aoga (青鹿)
Kanisawa and Aoga are two students who were in the same year as Shūhei Hisagi when studying in the Shinigami Academy. They were killed by hollows during a training session which they acted as facilitators. Aoga is a large male and Kanisawa is a female.
- Rantao (蘭島)
Introduced in the anime's Bount arc, Rantao was the leader of the research team that created the Bount. She looks exactly like Yoshino Sōma with exception to a pair of glasses and her hair up (similar to Nanao Ise). The two also share the same voice. Rantao has stated that she is much older than she looks and has found a way to stay young in appearance, but needs to take very long naps. Out of guilt for accidentally creating the Bount, Rantao took pity on them and helped them build a sanctuary for all Bounts to live in, since they were being persecuted by normal people. She convinced the Bounts to allow her to get protection for them from Soul Society. When she returned to Seireitei, she was immediately arrested and put on a trial by Center 46 for her failed soul experiments. When the order was given to exterminate the Bounts, Rantao slipped outside to the real world to help them escape, one of which was Kariya Jin. She also gives him his doll, called "Messer". Shortly after, she was caught and exiled outside Seireitei. Rantao went into hiding in an underground shelter in Rukongai to this very day.
- Baishin
Unique to the Sword of Frenzy OVA, Baishin was once a member of the Gotei 13, but went mad and killed 63 seated officers before escaping to the human world. Five of the thirteen captains chased him and it took the sacrifice of two of them to seal him away. He eventually broke free and hunted down those with powerful spiritual energy. Baishin found it in Ichigo, sucking out power from him. However, Tōshirō Hitsugaya's interference forced him to flee. At the site where he was once sealed, Baishin once again fought Ichigo, this time with Rukia and Renji at Ichigo's side. However, by sucking out Ichigo's spiritual power, Baishin was able to perform the final release, becoming a living being of swords. He was eventually killed by Ichigo using his own final release, leaving only the zanpakutō Baishin had become one with. His goal was to separate his body, and his zanpakutō, even if he perished.
Hueco Mundo
Hollows
- Fishbone D
- Hexapodus
- Acidwire
- Shrieker
- Bulbous G
- Numb Chandelier
- Pesh
- Dondo Chakker
- Bawabawa
- Lunuganga
Arrancar
- Ulquiorra
- Grimmjow Jaggerjack
- Luppi
- Yammy
- Noitora
- Zaera-Polo
- Shawlong Qufang
- Edorad Leones
- Il Forte Grantz
- D-Roy
- Nakim
- Wonderwice Margera
- Dordonii Alessandro del Socacchio
- Cirucci Thunderwitch
- Grand Fisher
- Demōra
- Iceringer
- Nell Tu
- Lolly
- Menoly
- Arturo Plateado (video game only)
Zanpakutō
Zanpakutō are the primary weapons of the shinigami and the embodiment of a shinigami's power. They are sentient weapons, each with its own uniqe spirit, which can take the form of either an animal or a person. Normally, zanpakutō manifest themselves as regular swords (usually katanas). They can transform at the owner's will (provided the owner is skilled enough) into their inital released form or their true and final released form.
Each zanpakutō has its own realm, into which they can call their owners if they wish (although this also depends on the owner's skill). This is where the avatar (human or animal) form resides. If the owner is skilled enough, he can call this form forth to the regular world. It appears that an avatar is reflective of the owner's own nature; in chapter 229, Yumichika Ayasegawa and Rangiku Matsumoto complain about the personality flaws of their zanpakutō, which ironically match their own.