Ichigo Biography

As the central character of the series, Ichigo's background and character has recieved the most detail and explanation. He was born on July 7 to Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki, and has twin sisters, four years younger than him, named Yuzu and Karin. By the age of three, he had already begun training in the martial arts, leading him to meet Tatsuki Arisawa for the first time. When he was nine years old, his mother was killed by a Hollow named Grand Fisher, who had drawn Ichigo in using devious tactics; he was capable of seeing spirits as clearly as normal people even at such a young age. The result of his mother's loss took a great toll on him, bringing him as far as to blame himself for the event.

By age 15, he had developed a reputation within his school as trouble; his natural hair color became a source of resentment as an oddity in a place that much perferred conformity, and associated him to gang members and other such people. As a result, he works hard to keep his grades, if for nothing more than to spite those teachers who look upon him with negative views. His tough guy attitude, combined with martial arts training and naturally gifted physique, gives him the power to fight to defend himself and those he deems important to him. The high spiritual powers he possesses also leads him to protect the memory of those spirits who linger on, defending their memorial sites from those who didn't show their respect.

Upon meeting Rukia Kuchiki, his mind was exposed to a world he didn't know; that of the Shinigami. becoming a Shinigami through the transfer of Rukia's powers into him, he learned the basics of Soul Society and the powers he possessed, but was struck down by Byakuya Kuchiki, who removed the powers Ichigo had gained with surgical strikes to his body. Under harsh, life threatening circumstances, he regained these powers under the tutelage of Kisuke Urahara, a former Shinigami Captain.

Soul Society played a key role in his development, forcing him into deadly confrontations with opponent's of increasing power. Where he had entered Soul Society as below the level of a Lieutenant, he left there as a Shinigami of high renown, having defeated four Lieutenants, as well as Captains Kenpachi Zaraki and Byakuya Kuchiki, in his short time there. As proof of his skill, he was awarded with a Medallion by Shinigami Captain, Jushiro Ukitake, signifying Kurosaki as a Substitute Shinigami, recognized by Soul Society as an ally and companion.

PERSONALITY:
On first impression, Ichigo live up to his reputation as an anti-social tough guy; while this is much unlike his true personality, he enjoys keeping that lone wolf attribute as far as the public eye is concerned. Only those who he calls friend truly knows the depths of his character, seeing him as determined, compassionate, and driven by the need to do what is right, no matter the personal loss to himself. As a Shinigami, he possesses more endurance than experience, which has led to him toppling the very same people who would scold him for his lack of skill. It is seen that his determination is his true strength, forcing him to push onward where anyone else would quit, and even to surpass his own limitations when the need arises.

Conversely, there is a darker personality at work within him; the Hollow that developed within his soul at the time he gained his Shinigami powers. This part of Ichigo fights with supreme knowledge, equal or greater to a Captain level Shinigami, and the arrogance to match. It does not fight for just cause, but for it's own enjoyment, and could be easily considered the anti-thesis of Ichigo.

ABILITIES:
As a Shinigami, Ichigo possesses extremely high levels of Reiatsu, or Spiritual Power. This can partly be explained by the Hollow within him, which grants him immense power as a desperation tactic in the Soul Society Arc, and later as a short term boost of power after training with the Vaizard. The other source, shown to us as a Ichigo with glowing blue eyes, comes from a yet unknown source. This is believed to be due to his father, a high level Shinigami Captain, and even possibly his mother, who may yet have origins unknown to us.

In battle, Ichigo carries Zangetsu (Translated as "Cutting Moon") as his Zanpakutou. As can be plainly seen, Zangetsu is in a permanent state of Shikai, thus eliminating the need to unseal his weapon before combat. Rather than a typical sheath, the long silk scarf of the handle wraps itself around the blade when placed on the back, and retracts when in combat. It's chief ability is the Getsuga Tensho (Moon Sky-Piercing Fang) which releases a heavy concentration of spiritual energy as an offensive wave. Rather than employ stronger technique, Ichigo simply concentrates further levels of Reiatsu to match up to his enemy's more powerful attacks.

His Bankai, known as Tensa Zangetsu (Chains of Heaven - Cutting Moon), is often underestimated by the enemy, due to the fact that it actually decreases the size of the blade from a giant cleaver to a mere Katana. The weapon's true power, however, lies in it's ability to enhance Ichigo himself. It possesses the same level of power that the Shikai form does, meaning it is still capable of using the same striking force, but is concentrated into a finer form, which also allows Ichigo to run at a speed beyond even Shunpo (Flash Steps.) This speed was even capable of deflecting thousands of multi-angled attacks from the Bankai of Byakuya Kuchiki, a highly respected and powerful Shinigami Captain.

It is known that Ichigo had no formal training in Kido (Demon Arts) and thus is incapable of casting incantations like even basic Shinigami, but was able to self teach himself in the art of Shunpo while training for his Bankai. Shunpo allows for high speed movements, and is employed by most Captain and Lieutenant level Shinigami as a means of evading attacks and reaching distant locations in less time. Using Flash Steps, Ichigo is skilled enough to match even a Captain level for speed.

Ichigo's latest training has been alongside the Vaizard, a group of former Shinigami, who developed the powers of Hollow, much like Ichigo himself did before the Soul SOciety Arc. There, he was able to suppress his Hollow self by facing it in combat, allowing him to begin changing at will and having access to the powers permitted to him. He is only capable of short lengths of time as of yet, but is likely to improve as the story arc continues.

NAME:
Ichigo's first name has been open to debate, as it can mean several things that relate to his character. Officially, chigo's name means "Ichi" for "One" and "Go" for "Protector", as stated by him in episode 21 of the Anime. Other versions would say that his "Ichigo" can translate to "Strawberry", as a reference to his hair, or that the separation of the name into "Ichi" and "Go" can mean "one" and "five"; this can be seen as both his age, and the number that appear on his room door.

The name Kurosaki can be broken down to mean "Dark Destination" which can apply to several things within the series. This can mean Ichigo's battle of wills with his Hollow Self, as well as the fact that his family has met with much difficulty as a result of the spirit world, which took away Ichigo's mother, and constantly threatens his family.

source:www.bleachexile.com