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Sep 26, 2023

Why Bleach's Best Friendship Almost Vanished in the TYBW Arc

In the TYBW arc, Ichigo and Rukia seem to have gone their separate ways, but it isn't as sad as Bleach fans might think. From the very start, one of Bleach's best friendships was between protagonist

In the TYBW arc, Ichigo and Rukia seem to have gone their separate ways, but it isn't as sad as Bleach fans might think.

From the very start, one of Bleach's best friendships was between protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki and his Soul Reaper friend, Rukia Kuchiki. They hunted Hollows together in the earliest arc, then Ichigo stormed the Soul Society to rescue Rukia from twisted justice. They fought together to rescue Orihime Inoue from Las Noches, but after that, the two of them began to go their separate ways. It was sad to see for many Bleach fans, but it was also critical for Ichigo's and Rukia's respective character arcs.

This trend became more acute in the Thousand-Year Blood War, even though Ichigo and Rukia are once again fighting a common enemy, this time the Quincy empire. Though Ichigo and Rukia had strong chemistry as lively tsundere heroes, their best developments and scenes took place individually, and that may continue until the end of Bleach's entire story.

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When Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki met, they didn't understand each other very well, but after Ichigo borrowed Rukia's Soul Reaper powers to slay a Hollow, they became friends in a reverse-isekai storyline. On a practical level, Ichigo needed Rukia to train him in the ways of Hollow hunting, while Rukia needed Ichigo to protect her from Hollows and get the job done when she couldn't. Their friendship eventually gained more emotional depth when Rukia was arrested and escorted back to the Soul Society to face punishment, with Ichigo deciding that Rukia wasn't just his Hollow-hunting mentor – she was his good friend, and he would risk his life for her.

Ichigo's and Rukia's friendship grew from there, and in the Arrancar arc, it became clear that their interdependence was intimately personal. Ichigo struggled with his inner Hollow and his worth as a Soul Reaper, and it was Rukia, not Orihime or Chad, who revitalized Ichigo's spirits. Orihime was actually jealous of that, worrying that Rukia had replaced her in Ichigo's mind. Mentally, Rukia could heal Ichigo when he was vulnerable or hurt, especially since Ichigo hadn't yet fully mastered his powers or processed his grief over Masaki's death. Ichigo and Rukia were both damaged and needy people back then, and they understood each other well despite coming from different worlds. Rukia found Ichigo's courage and loyalty inspiring, and that helped her regain the power of friendship and find the strength to fight the mighty Espadas to rescue Orihime in Sosuke Aizen's fortress, Las Noches. Later on, however, all this changed.

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Like any shonen protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki became stronger, wiser, and more confident in himself as Bleach's story continued, and by the time the Thousand-Year Blood War arc began, Ichigo had just one personal demon left to face, and so did Rukia. Both of them had become emotionally stronger people who had overcome most of their personal baggage by then, with Rukia and Byakuya getting along better as foster siblings and Ichigo having near-complete mastery of his half-other powers. Each of them could only conquer these remaining personal demons alone, and no longer needed each other's help. Thus, Ichigo and Rukia spent much of their time apart in the TYBW arc. It may feel bad to see their friendship becoming so distant, but on the plus side, it's a clear sign that mentally, they're both in a better place now.

For his part, Ichigo Kurosaki needed to explore the truth of his Quincy heritage and learn about his connection to the Quincy king Yhwach, which was far outside of Rukia's expertise. Ichigo needed his father Isshin to explain all that, and then Ichigo looked inward to face "old man Zangetsu" and his inner Hollow to decide what to do. In the process, Ichigo finally processed his grief about his mother Masaki and fully embraced his inner Hollow as the true Zangetsu, transforming him into his best possible self, physically and mentally. That's something Rukia can praise Ichigo for, but she can't take any credit for it.

Similarly, Rukia faced her own inner demons and triumphed, even when her Sternritter opponent Äs Nödt used The Fear to try and crush Rukia's mind. Byakuya arrived to help, with his verbal guidance, Rukia used her new bankai to defeat Äs, and after that, Byakuya gave Rukia some long-overdue acknowledgment. For years, Rukia had feared that Byakuya would always be emotionally distant from her, which held back her potential, but now that's over. Ichigo didn't need to get involved in the Kuchiki family's affairs – that was something Rukia and Byakuya had to face together, while Ichigo was far away on his own business. That made it all the more inspiring – Rukia didn't need a thing from the human Soul Reaper who used to be her protector.

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There is an even more personal reason why Ichigo and Rukia are gradually drifting apart in Bleach's final arc – their divergent love lives. For many years, Bleach fans shipped them as star-crossed lovers with strong chemistry as fellow tsunderes, and indeed, many Bleach scenes gave ample evidence that they'd make a great pairing. However, as Bleach manga fans already know, Ichigo and Rukia are simply too different to marry, with Ichigo having his human life and Rukia, her Soul Reaper career. It's purely what-if, while the story's ending will give each of them different and better lovers for their happily-ever-after.

With Bleach now in its final arc, the time has come to start giving solid hints about what eventual romantic pairings will or won't exist, and give Bleach fans a final answer on whether IchiRuki is canon or not. So far, based on these two characters' diverging arcs and their emotional independence from one another, it's evident that they will not become lovers, especially not at the last minute just to please fans. Ichigo and Rukia are clearly still good friends who trust one another to get the job done, but they are no longer reliant on one another emotionally or combat-wise, so a romance between them is even less likely. That may disappoint many IchiRuki shippers, but it's for the best for both characters. They have grown strong on the inside and outside at last, and they can stand tall as independent heroes who still remember all they have done for each other. A final "thanks for everything" between them should suffice to conclude Ichigo's and Rukia's shared arc.

Louis Kemner has been a fan of Japanese animation since 1997, when he discovered Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z in elementary school. Now he's a bigger anime/manga fan than ever, and is ready to share what he knows with readers worldwide. He graduated high school in 2009 and received his Bachelor's in creative writing from UMKC in 2013, then put his skills to work in 2019 with CBR.com. He's always looking for a wonderful new anime to watch or manga series to read.