The anime adaptation of the final arc of Tite Kubo’s iconic manga, Bleach, is one of the highlights of the Summer 2023 anime season. Returning alongside Bleach: TYBW Part 2 is its main protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, whose romantic life fans are wondering about. So, who does Ichigo end up with in Bleach?
Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the Bleach manga!
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Do Ichigo and Rukia End Up Together?
As the anime progressed, several fans speculated that Ichigo might romantically end up with the female protagonist of the series, Rukia Kuchiki.
However, if we look closely at the storyline, the duo was meant to be friends and nothing more.
The pairing of Ichigo and Rukia was never intended to be romantic. They were more like comrades or friends.
Ichigo owed Rukia for helping him realize his potential. Rukia and Ichigo’s relationship was platonic, to say the least.
Throughout the story, the bond between Rukia and Ichigo strengthened as they went on several missions together.
Despite their usual banter, Ichigo never thought of Rukia as a potential lover.
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Who Does Ichigo End Up With?
As a character, Ichigo is shown as someone who doesn’t really care about the idea of romance.
But things turned out to be different toward the end as he spent more time with Orihime Inoue.
Several fans believed that Ichigo’s caring nature toward Orihime was just because of their friendship.
In the series, even Orihime suspected that Ichigo never considered her a love interest.
Orihime had a massive crush on Ichigo, and the latter went all out to protect her from dangerous situations.
In fact, it was Rukia who came up with a plan to make Ichigo formally vow to protect Orihime after she was badly wounded.
Kubo played with the idea of Orihime and Ichigo’s relationship but only started addressing it in the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc in the manga.
Ichigo’s interactions with Orihime were mostly warm, and they looked wholesome together.
So, Ichigo did end up with Orihime toward the end of Bleach.
Does Ichigo Get Married?
After a 10-year time skip in the final arc, the Bleach manga concluded with Ichigo taking charge of his father’s clinic and getting married to Orihime.
Eventually, the two of them had a son named Kazui Kurosaki.
On the other hand, Rukia, who is now the Captain of Squad 13, got married to her childhood friend and fellow Soul Reaper, Renji Abarai.
Rukia and Renji also had a child together named Ichika Abarai.
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