Ichigo Kurosaki (Reigai)

This Reigai (霊骸, Spirit Body) is modeled after the former Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎 一護, Kurosaki Ichigo), a Human who had Visored powers. Unlike Ichigo himself, this Reigai is purely Shinigami. He is the Shinigami Protector of Yasuraka Town.

Due to a "prank" played on him by Kaito, Ichigo was transformed into a girl. After much badgering, Kaito decided to transform him back, however, the "antidote" was faulty in and of itself, and as such, Ichigo's gender has a habit of changing at the most inopportune moments. He secretly suspects Kaito designed the "antidote" that way.

Appearance
Ichigo looks like a normal teenage boy; the one exception to that is his spiky orange hair, a trait that he has been ridiculed about for years. He is a fairly tall, lean-built person with peach skin and brown eyes. He has a tendency to wear shirts patterned with the number 15, because his name is a homonym for the number 15. Ichigo's appearance has caused several people, including Jūshirō Ukitake, to notice a similarity to Kaien Shiba; the former lieutenant of the 13th Division. Unlike the original, he wears modern clothing, not wearing the standard Shinigami outfit.

Personality
Reigai Ichigo shares much of Ichigo's personality that he had as a human teenager. Stubborn, short-tempered, strong-willed and impulsive, he attempts to maintain a detached and "cool" image, despite claiming not to care about what other people think about him. He generally keeps his face set in a permanent scowl, with his eyebrows drawn together. His outspoken, hot-headed demeanor is a trait Ichigo himself acknowledged, and that if somebody picks a fight with him, he cannot help fighting back. He coldly refers to his teachers as “instructors”. He is shown to be genuinely compassionate and empathetic about others, as seen by him promising to bring a Plus flowers and a toy plane or soothing others when they become upset. The Reigai Ichigo, due to his personal history of lacking any companionship, does not like to see others upset, despite his indifferent attitude, he is more than willing to cheer someone up if he is able. Ichigo hates fortune telling, horoscopes, feng shui, psychics and anyone whose trade involves taking money from people for things that they cannot see. He has difficulty remembering people's faces and names. Ichigo becomes extremely shy and uncomfortable around nude or immodestly dressed women, a fact both Rangiku Matsumoto and Yoruichi Shihōin have teased him for. Ichigo has some trouble with authority and traditional respect, often quite rude and disrespectful when talking to those older than himself, calling Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto "gramps" and referring to several of the Shinigami captains by their given names.

When it comes to fighting, Ichigo has a complex sense of honor; he regularly seeks to exact revenge for the actions of his opponent, such as instilling the fear of being murdered in Shrieker and cutting off the right arm of Yammy Llargo in retaliation for him ripping Yasutora Sado's right arm apart. He would often taunt and belittle his opponents when fighting, sometimes even attacking without warning. Ichigo has a strong desire to win his fights and to win them in what he views as a legitimate manner. To this end, he has refused the aid of his inner Hollow, even when knowing that it would allow him to win. Similarly, after regaining control of his body, he tells Ulquiorra to cut off his limbs so that they may have a fair fight and refuses to kill him when he is dying; saying that it was not the way he wanted to win.

Ichigo has even shown that he despises those who mistreat their allies in any way, even if they are his own enemies. He is disgusted when an individual berates his/her own allies, such as when Yammy calls Ulquiorra Cifer, Nnoitra Gilga, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez "trash". He also expresses anger towards those who go as far as attacking their own allies, expressing that he cannot forgive those who murder their own comrades.

Despite Ichigo's strong sense of honor, his will to win can waiver at times, which directly affects his overall energy levels and fighting abilities. His absolute resolve is depicted by his eyes glowing bright blue and his body being engulfed in a bright blue aura. However, at the same time, his lack of resolve to win can also impede his spiritual energy and fighting prowess, shown when he goes into a state of depression and self-loathing when he loses a major battle or lets a friend down. As was noted during the mission assigned to Ichigo and a group of other people by Kaito Kurui, Ichigo loathes Kaito despite having been created by him.

History
''Note: For the original Ichigo's personal history, please go here. Ichigo Kurosaki#History.''

Plot
''Note: For the original Ichigo's plot involvement, please go here. Ichigo Kurosaki#Plot.''

Arcless Appearances

 * Unfinished Business: Match of the Reigai

Hinagun Arc

 * A Devil Lurks in the Shadows

Two Clans War Arc

 * Negotiations

Powers and Abilities
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: In terms of fighting style while in his Shinigami form, Ichigo relies mainly on swordplay, and thus would be considered a swordsmanship specialist. Aside from his initial training with Urahara, he is basically on a "learn as you go" training regimen thus his skill has developed by fighting rather than formal instruction, becoming even more capable with every fight. His overall skill has been shown capable of competing on equal grounds against the sword masters of Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki's caliber. While usually performing right-handed, Ichigo appears to be ambidextrous as he has shown proficient skill wielding Zangetsu in his left.
 * Deadly Darts (デッドリー・ダーツ, Deddorī Dātsu): A technique where Hollow Ichigo uses Zangetsu's chain to swing his Zanpakutō and can toss it at opponents for mid-range combat. This way Zangetsu moves very fast when thrown, and its impact is able to damage a building. If the person dodges the attack, Ichigo can use the chain to manage the sword's direction and try to hit the target once more. By gripping the cloth he withdraws Zangetsu, and immediately swings it to deal another attack.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Physically, Ichigo is in top form even when he is not in his spiritual body. Ichigo has been trained in martial arts since he was a small child both professionally and by his father. He has repeatedly shown great agility and coordination in his attacks. In addition to having powerful kicks and punches, Ichigo has also shown proficiency in counterattacks, takedowns, and body locks. He has repeatedly been able to catch an opponent's weapon strikes with a single hand. He also regularly defeats multiple bullies and gangsters, and is a better martial artist than Tatsuki Arisawa, who is ranked the second-strongest girl in all of Japan despite her fighting with a broken arm in the last few matches of the competition. While he stopped training officially after defeating her, his constant attacks from bullies and his father help keep his skills fresh. It should be noted that he was able to effortlessly dispatch three lieutenants with Shikai released Zanpakutō in rapid succession merely bare-handed.

Shunpo Expert: Though not particularly versed in its various techniques, Ichigo has become proficient enough of the technique itself to keep up and even surprise high-level Shinigami with his speed. Even Byakuya Kuchiki, one of the most proficient users of Shunpo in Soul Society, complimented Ichigo's growing mastery of the technique. During his first demonstration of this skill, he was able to quickly move to knock out three lieutenants and grab his sword before any of them hit the ground.
 * Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Even before learning Flash Step, Ichigo has repeatedly shown himself to be a very agile fighter. Ichigo has demonstrated great reflexes in battle, able to quickly dodge a strike with no wasted effort and he can instantly counterattack right after. He is able to strike quickly without warning and in rapid succession. His speed also allows him to follow the movements of faster opponents to better analyze their movements or blocking difficult and otherwise fatal strikes.

Advanced Growth Rate: According to both Aizen and Urahara, Ichigo's most astounding ability is his growth rate: he grasps the basic control of advanced techniques in days where it would take several years for even the most gifted Shinigami. Shortly after getting Shinigami powers and with no previous training, began learning advanced spiritual energy sensing techniques by sheer instinct, as he proved he can use a spirit ribbon to find Yūichi Shibata (in bird form). Another example of his growth rate is the amount of time he took to learn the Bankai of his Zanpakutō, which he learns in two days (albeit with the assistance of a special device invented by Urahara that was originally intended for three days). He also gains considerable experience in the use of Flash Step while training with Yoruichi, which was done over the same period as his Bankai. Besides his improvements in his Shinigami abilities, Ichigo was also shown able to greatly increase the time he could maintain his Hollow mask from eleven seconds to considerably longer amounts of time. During his first fight with Ulquiorra, he is instantly incapacitated by one Cero blast even with his Hollow mask (which broke within a second), but only a few hours later, he is able to withstand another Cero from Ulquiorra without undergoing Hollowfication and can analyze Ulquiorra's movements much better than before, when he had "felt like [he] was fighting a machine or a statue", and failed to predict and counter his attacks. He is also capable of completing Jinzen within roughly 3 months in the Dangai Precipice World, which even the strongest of the Shinigami in Soul Society will take thousands of years before it is completed.

Vast Spiritual Power: Ichigo has been noted on several occasions to have tremendously vast levels of spiritual energy well beyond other Shinigami. He is capable of defeating a Gillian before awakening his true power with only his sealed Zanpakutō. Even at less than half strength, his spiritual energy is still comparable to a Captain-level fighter. His spiritual power is noted to be heavy, which surprised Renji Abarai, a lieutenant-ranked Shinigami. Ichigo constantly gives off reiatsu at the level of a captain. It is so overwhelming that even when worn-out in battle, he can continue fighting effectively while still capable of unleashing Getsuga Tenshō or even unleash and maintain his Bankai. Because Ichigo's spiritual energy constantly being so high even at its base level without him consciously being aware of it, he rarely becomes exhausted in battle, thereby meaning the sheer resilience and amounts of energy Ichigo has is monstrous. Ichigo's spiritual energy is still rather difficult for him to control as he has no formal training in controlling it and upon the instances of Hollowfication his reiatsu fluctuates wildly, with it being unreadable at its lowest point and at its highest point more powerful than that of the 4th Espada Ulquiorra Cifer's. Due to this and that he has far more spiritual energy than his body can consciously contain, it leaks out constantly, preventing him from hiding it and effectively making stealth impossible when dealing with other spiritually-aware beings. However, he has learned how to harden his spiritual energy and enhance the strength of his attacks or act as a barrier to reduce the impact of attacks on him, if not negating them completely. He has shown some skill in channeling his spiritual power as he was capable of destroying the Arbor of the Sōkyoku, seemingly an impossible feat which surprised the Gotei 13, by channeling his spiritual power through his sword into the execution stand.

Enhanced Strength: When he is in his Shinigami body, Ichigo's already impressive strength is greatly enhanced. His overall abilities are great enough that he was able to fend off three Shinigami lieutenants with a single punch each; one of which shattered one of their Zanpakutō at the same time. His strength is also great enough to stop repeated axe blows from Jidanbō and hurl Rukia several meters into Renji’s arms and still send them both skidding several meters more, achieving both feats with a single-hand. He is strong enough to hold back the Sōkyoku, a halberd with the destructive force equivalent to one million Zanpakutō combined, just using his Zanpakutō.

Keen Intellect: Despite his somewhat punkish attitude, Ichigo has shown himself to be analytical, perceptive, and deductive. In his high school, Ichigo's grades are almost always near the top, despite his work as a substitute Shinigami. Aside from that, Ichigo appears to be able to determine the pattern of his opponent's battle methods and correctly deduce a proper counter-strategy to defeat his opponent's attacks.

Immense Durability: When in his Shinigami form, Ichigo's physical durability is strengthened to the point he can continue fighting effectively even after receiving many injuries and can survive attacks that would easily kill normal Humans effortlessly. It was stated by Rukia that a Shinigami's life force is their spiritual power. As such, Ichigo is able to withstand attacks that would be fatal to most Shinigami. Uryū once stated that Ichigo was a monster in this regard

Zanpakutō
Zangetsu (斬月, Slaying Moon)

When Ichigo first becomes a Shinigami, his Zanpakutō is a standard-looking katana, but oversized with an equally-oversized brown sheathe hung by a strap over his right shoulder. It has a rectangular bronze hand guard with gently inward-curved edges, a stylized flame pattern on the long sides, and a simple decorative slit on the short ones. The handle is red with two light blue tassels on the end of the handle. The large size is due to the unfocused but immense amount of Ichigo's spiritual power, which he didn't know how to control. As a result, the sword itself was rather weak, since very little spiritual power was used to create it. Nevertheless, it was powerful enough to subdue a Gillian-class Menos and lesser Hollows, completely blocking a Cero from the former. It was even able to upturn the ground with a single strike. Because of its weak spiritual energy nature, Byakuya Kuchiki was able to easily cut off most of the blade during his first encounter with Ichigo and Urahara subsequently slices it down to the hilt during their training, forcing Ichigo to learn the name of his Zanpakutō in order to release its true form. This sword is found to be a result of Rukia's deprived spiritual energy and not a result of his own power.


 * Shikai:The Shikai form of Zangetsu looks like an oversized elegant cleaver rather than a formal "katana". He has no tsuba and no proper hilt; what Ichigo holds is the cloth-wrapped tang. The sword is as tall as Ichigo is, 1.75 meters, and has a black blade with a silver edge. The cloth wrapping on the tang seems to react to Ichigo's will, changing length at a thought or twining about the blade in an impromptu sheath. When in combat, the cloth falls away when necessary, shrinking back to a manageable size. The cloth can also be used to swing the weapon like a flail and toss it at opponents for mid-range combat, but this is rarely done. The cloth also can be done to wrap up wounds, as Ichigo does during his fight with Ikkaku Madarame, but this is also done rarely. Ichigo has also on more than one occasion used Zangetsu's wide blade as a shield from incoming attacks. Unlike most Zanpakutō, which can be sealed into their original form, Zangetsu is always in its Shikai form. Yoruichi Shihōin has stated that his Zanpakutō is a full-time released form type because of Ichigo's vast but uncontrollable spiritual energy upon generation of it, implying that it is simply a type of Zanpakutō that without proper control of his spiritual energy, once in Shikai form, it remains in its said state.


 * Kaito Kurui, Twelfth Division Captain, sent a summons to Ichigo in the form of Momo's Reigai, to call him back to the Soul Society in secret. He accepted the offer of return, and Kaito forced his Mod Soul pill out of his Reigai, and "upgraded" it with recently gathered data of the real Ichigo who had regained his Shinigami powers merged with his Fullbring. He upgraded the Mod Soul with this data, granting Ichigo the new powers of a Shinigami merged with a Fullbringer. Ichigo’s Shinigami attire now also consists of a thicker strap across his chest. He also has four red vertical lines on his forearms and red bands with white ends crossing over his chest, wrists, and ankles. Similar bands are around his neck as collars. Kūgo speculated that these changes are influenced from the remaining traces of Ichigo's Fullbring. Zangetsu's appearance changes, giving the blade a red hilt with gray-wrappings and a short length of chain at its base, which is capable of extending similarly to Hyōrinmaru. The blade itself becomes slightly reshaped, curving inwards at the backside of the tip similar to a trench knife


 * Shikai Special Ability: Zangetsu's Shikai is largely used for melee combat but possesses one known special ability.


 * Getsuga Tenshō (月牙天衝, Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer): At the instant of the slash, Zangetsu absorbs his spiritual energy and releases highly condensed spiritual energy at the tip of the blade, magnifying the slash attack and then flies forward. This slash takes the form of a crescent moon or in the shape of a wave. Ichigo uses this ability without knowing its name several times but masters the technique later on during his Bankai training. As stated by Zangetsu, knowing the name of an attack heightens its power compared to its strength when the wielder does not know its name. The Getsuga Tenshō is a powerful technique with great force, capable of causing large-scale damage and destruction. While it is currently the only attack Ichigo knows from Zangetsu, Ichigo has used this technique in several different manners, such as striking the ground to create an omnidirectional blast to knock away incoming attacks or slashing at the ground to upturn it and crush everything in its path.


 * Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu (天鎖斬月, Heaven Chain Slaying Moon): It is considered completely out of the ordinary for any Zanpakutō. Unlike most Bankai forms, which usually create some sort of massive creature or effect, Ichigo's Bankai actually shrinks his sword down to a daitō (Japanese long sword) with a black blade instead. The cross guard has four prongs bent out to form the shape of the manji (which is the kanji for "ban," meaning "full", as in "full release"). The blade itself can endure even the strongest of attacks, making it quite effective in blocking and deflecting incoming attacks; it can even withstand getting crushed by force. Instead of the cloth his Shikai form had, a short length of chain with a broken link at the end dangles from the base of the hilt. After Ichigo's training in the Dangai, Zangetsu's guard becomes noticeably big and rougher looking with its chain extending around Ichigo's entire right arm, as well as what appears to be a glove on his right hand. In addition to his sword, Ichigo's robe is replaced with a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat (or shihakushō) with red lining that is closed at his chest, then left to flare out into ragged ends, much like that of Zangetsu himself.This coat is part of Ichigo's Bankai and the damage it can take is directly proportionate to the remaining strength and level of Ichigo's reiatsu.

After his training in the Dangai Precipice World, Ichigo's bankai takes on a slightly different appearance. While Zangetsu still takes the form of a daitō with a black blade, the four prongs on the cross guard extend out farther than they previously did. While still in the shape of the manji, the prongs become more abstract and slender in appearance. Ichigo's right hand becomes covered by a black glove and the chain at the base of Zangetsu's hilt extends out further than it previously did, spiraling up the length of his sleeveless right arm with the additional portion of the chain hanging down freely from his upper arm. This is the Bankai form used by the Reigai.

After recieving the upgrade from Kaito, Ichigo recieves a new Bankai look. It consists of a long-sleeved tattered black kosode with one sleeve entirely shattered. Under this he is seen with a pair of baggy black hakama and is seen with waraji and tabi as footwear, along with a white sash around his waist. Due to the merging of his fullbring, Ichigo has two instances of cross-shaped red bands on him, firstly, at the glove on his right hand and the second being under his kosode. His blade compacts itself to a japanese longsword, otherwise known as a daito, of a black color, with a swastika-pattern as the guard while his hilt has a long chain over it which wraps itself over the entirety of his right arm.

In female form, her Bankai is different from the former as well. The long black overcoat stays, but is now left open, straped together with three red crossbands, and reveals much of her cleavage.. Her collar is now completely red. Red bands form on her forearms and she gains black gloves on both hands with additional red crossbands. Tensa Zangetsu itself is longer, there are three jagged points starting at the middle of the sword pointing towards its now slightly curved end, and the manji guard's former stick-like appearance is now much more jagged.


 * Bankai Special Ability: Tensa Zangetsu, much like its Shikai form, is used heavily for melee combat, but also possess a certain special ability.


 * Hyper-Speed Combat: Ichigo takes all the power of his Bankai and compresses it into a small, condensed form. Then, he uses the power of the Bankai to perform high-speed combat. His new speed is so great, that it also enhances his Flash Step prowess and allows him to create dozens of afterimages to confuse his opponent.


 * Enhanced Strength: Ichigo's Bankai also allows him to further enhance his natural great strength as shown from how effortlessly he blocked a punch from Yammy Llargo, an Espada known primarily for his immense strength. He is strong enough to cut through Yammy's Hierro with relative ease. The sudden boost in strength upon releasing allows Ichigo to break free from any attack that binds him and prevents him from moving. After his training in the Dangai Precipice World, Ichigo's strength has increased to the point where a single swing of his sword can level a mountain. He can grab hold of Aizen's Zanpakutō blade with his bare hand without feeling any of the exerted force although that force was capable of doing considerable damage to the surrounding area. He is able to effortlessly break through a #90. Hadō spell Kurohitsugi with his bare hand.


 * Enhanced Getsuga Tenshō: Tensa Zangetsu retains the use of Getsuga Tenshō and can be used in the same manners, but can be used in an enhanced form. When used in Bankai, these potent blasts are black with a blue outline and their path can be controlled, with explosively augmented power and speed. During Byakuya Kuchiki's fight with Ichigo, he refers to this attack as a "Kuroi Getsuga" (黒月牙, "Black Moon Fang"), referring to the attack's darkened color. Unlike the original Ichigo, this Getsuga is Ichigo's own, the color the original's Getsuga would have been if not for Hollow influence.


 * Enhanced Spiritual Power: His reiatsu is so intense and rough as well as thick and heavy that it can suffocate Humans just by being in the general vicinity of his released Bankai. Ichigo's reiatsu was solid in his Bankai despite him only recently acquiring it. In addition, his already immense spiritual energy has grandly and explosively increased, and now has a deep black spiritual energy with a crimson outline. It has come to a point where the red-outlined black energy emanates off of Ichigo's body when his spiritual pressure is exerted, replacing his blue aura. Ever since Ichigo defeated his inner Hollow and affirming his place as a Visored, he produces a black aura with a red outline that surrounds him as he initiates Bankai, rather than a white aura that shoots high into the sky. After his training in the Dangai Precipice World, Ichigo's ability to sense reiatsu has increased greatly as he can now sense his sisters blocks away through various buildings and determine their current status. According to Aizen, by achieving evolution into a dimension separate from Shinigami, both Shinigami and Humans have become unable to feel his reiatsu unless he voluntarily lowers his level and allows them to interfere. In the same way that a two-dimensional being is unable to interfere with a third-dimensional being. In this same way he surmises that Ichigo is standing in a dimension even higher than the one he is in.


 * Enhanced Bankai Duration: Furthermore, the fact that all of his energy is "compressed" means that usage of his Bankai doesn't expel as much spiritual power as other Bankai from the point of activation; thus allowing him to use Tensa Zangetsu at a much longer duration than any other Bankai users of his level.

Trivia

 * According to Shonen Jump's character popularity polls, Ichigo was consistently the most popular character in Bleach in the first three polls, but ranked 3rd in the fourth, most recent poll.
 * Ichigo's Zanpakutō, Zangetsu, was voted the 3rd most popular Zanpakutō in the Zanpakutō popularity poll, while his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, was ranked 10th.
 * As credited by Tite Kubo, his theme music is "News from the front" by Bad Religion.
 * The number "15" on Ichigo's bedroom door is both a reference to his age and a pun on his name: ichi-go can also be read to mean "one-five (一五)."
 * Ichigo claims that his name comes from: ichi for first prize and go for guardian angel, although his father told him that his name means "he who protects."
 * Despite various people commenting how Ichigo resembles Kaien Shiba in looks and personality, both Ganju and Kūkaku, Kaien’s siblings, have yet to comment on that.
 * Ichigo's battle theme, according to Darknesslover5000, is Battle of Omega.