Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo Kurosaki (Japanese: 黒崎 一護, Hepburn: Kurosaki Ichigo) is a fictional character in the Bleach manga series and its adaptations created by Tite Kubo. The protagonist of the series, Ichigo receives Soul Reaper powers as a result of a run-in with Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper assigned to patrol his city, the fictional Karakura Town. These powers come at the cost of Rukia's own, and as a result, Ichigo concedes to work as Rukia's stand-in, fighting to protect people from evil spirits called Hollows and sending good spirits, wholes, to Soul Society. In addition to the manga series, Ichigo appears in many other pieces of Bleach media, including the anime series, the four featured films, the two original video animations, rock musicals, several video games and light novels.

Kubo said that Ichigo's character was created to replace Rukia as the protagonist of the series because he felt she wasn't suited for the role. 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 one of the most popular characters in Bleach. 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. In the animated adaptations of Bleach, Ichigo is voiced by Masakazu Morita in Japanese. In the English adaptations, he is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch.