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Ichigo Kurosaki is a rough-and-tumble teenager who has always had the special ability to see spirits. The story begins with the sudden appearance of an oddly-dressed stranger in Ichigo's bedroom. This stranger is the shinigami Rukia, who is surprised at his ability to see her. Their resulting conversation is interrupted by the appearance of a hollow, an evil spirit. After Rukia is severely wounded during battle while trying to protect Ichigo, she decides to transfer half of her powers to Ichigo, hoping to give him the opportunity to face the hollow on an equal footing. Ichigo unintentionally absorbs all of Rukia's powers instead, allowing him to defeat the hollow with ease.

The next day, Rukia appears in Ichigo's classroom as a transfer student. Much to his surprise, she now appears to be a normal human. She theorizes that it was the unusual strength of Ichigo's spirit that caused him to fully absorb her powers, thus leaving her stranded in the human world. Rukia has transferred herself into a gigai — an artificial human body — while waiting to recover her abilities. In the meantime, Ichigo must take over her job as a shinigami, battling hollows and guiding lost souls to the afterlife.

Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎 一護, Kurosaki Ichigo^?) Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

The primary protagonist of Bleach, orange-haired high school freshman Ichigo Kurosaki is forced to become a substitute shinigami after unwittingly absorbing all of Rukia's powers. His cynical nature at first makes him ill-disposed towards the duty, but with the passage of time he comes to accept and welcome it, recognizing that even if he is not able to save everyone, he can at least use his skills to protect those close to him. Later, when Ichigo loses his powers as a substitute, he chooses to risk death in an attempt to become a full-fledged shinigami.

Rukia Kuchiki (朽木 ルキア, Kuchiki Rukia^?) Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)

Rukia Kuchiki is a shinigami who was sent on a hollow extermination patrol in Ichigo Kurosaki's hometown. Though her physical appearance is that of a teenage girl, in reality she is over 100 years old. Rukia is forced to transfer her power to Ichigo and assume a temporary lifestyle as a regular human. She registers at the local high school and takes up residence in Ichigo's closet, while teaching him how to be a substitute shinigami in her place.

Orihime Inoue (井上 織姫, Inoue Orihime^?) Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)

Orihime Inoue is a long-time classmate of Ichigo, closely linked to him by mutual friend Tatsuki Arisawa. She is effectively an orphan, as she and her elder brother Sora ran away from their abusive home at a young age, and her brother later died. Though initially devoid of spiritual powers, she begins to develop spiritual awareness and later possesses one of the most powerful healing abilities in the Bleach universe, able to completely restore a body to its previous state regardless of how severely it is wounded.

Yasutora "Chad" Sado (茶渡 泰虎, Sado Yasutora^?) Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese), Jamieson Price (English)

Yasutora Sado, better known as Chad, is one of Ichigo's few friends at school. He is a half-Japanese, half-Mexican student who towers over his classmates. Despite his imposing appearance he is quite meek, and refuses to fight unless it is for the sake of another. He does not have awareness of ghosts at first, but when he witnesses a group of children being attacked by a hollow he discovers a unique ability that strengthens and armors his right arm, enabling him to fight hollows.

Kisuke Urahara (浦原 喜助, Urahara Kisuke^?) Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese), Michael Lindsay (English)

A mysterious and cheery man, Kisuke Urahara runs the Urahara Shop, a candy store that also sells supernatural items to shinigami. Despite his sanguine nature he is one of the most significant figures in the Bleach universe, bearing immense knowledge of the spiritual realms which he uses to mastermind the operations of the protagonists.

Uryū Ishida (石田 雨竜, Ishida Uryū^?) Voiced by: Noriaki Sugiyama (Japanese), Derek Stephen Prince (English)

Though on the surface nothing more than the solitary class genius, Uryū Ishida is actually a Quincy, descendant of a line of priest-like hollow-hunting archers. He bears a deep grudge against all shinigami, including Ichigo, but comes to view Ichigo differently over time, eventually becoming an ally and friendly rival.

Renji Abarai (阿散井 恋次, Abarai Renji^?) Voiced by: Kentaro Ito (Japanese), Wally Wingert (English)

Renji Abarai is an elite shinigami bearing the rank of 6th Division lieutenant, making him second in command of a sub-branch of the shinigami armed forces. Although first introduced as a deadly enemy, he has conflicting loyalties between his job and Rukia, with whom he grew up. A brash and driven man, he holds both a deep respect and animosity towards his immediate superior, 6th Division captain Byakuya Kuchiki.