How is Ichigo related to Kaien Shiba?

Kuchiki Rukia's Biggest Regret bleach The story centers around her inability to save and the subsequent murder of 13th Lieutenant Shiba Kaien, whose loss has profound repercussions for the future of the story. Although it wasn't her fault, her guilt for participating in his death is why she accepts her fate when she is captured and prepared for execution for giving her powers to humans.

When Ichigo arrives at Soul Society, the 13th Captain Jūshirо̄ Ukitake's already pale skin becomes even paler upon seeing him, with Byakuya Kuchiki interjecting that he is not who Ukitake might think he is. So, what is the relationship between Ichigo Kurosaki and Kaien Shiba?

relevant

BLEACH: Ichigo and Rukia's relationship, explained

Learn more about the various mechanisms that informed Ichigo and Rukia's friendship throughout BLEACH (and why they could never become a couple).

Who was Shiba Kaien?

Former head of the Shiva tribe

Shiba Kaien was the 13th Lieutenant when Rukia first joined the Gotei 13th, and had a very positive influence on the other members of the unit. His personality is strangely similar to Ichigo in that he is stubborn but incredibly sincere despite his impetuous temperament. At first, Rukia was afraid of being treated differently from the rest of her class due to her connection to the Kuchiki family, but Kaien treated her just like everyone else.

He was highly regarded by his squad mates and captain. However, he would become one of the many victims of Sо̄suke Aizen's Hollowfication experiments, a victim of a Hollow known as Metastacia, which can take over a target's body and eat from the inside.

Kaien's battle against Metastacia was difficult because the Hollow had the special ability to dematerialize and consume Zanpakutо̄. This means that Kaien must fight with his bare hands, which is how he gets his opponents to touch the tentacles on the top of his head. It is a conduit for the ability to take over the body.

When the possessed Kaien charged at Rukia, the knife she was holding stabbed him, killing him, leaving her severely traumatized at that moment. The Hollow absorbed Kaien's personality and was eaten by a stronger Hollow, and Kaien was “resurrected” with a personality that allowed him to control the body of the Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Aaruruerie, through the Legion.

The connecting point is Kurosaki Isshin

Ichigo's father was originally Isshin Shiba before marrying Quincy, Masaki Kurosaki. However, as revealed in the “Everything But the Rain” episode of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood WarIsshin is only a member of the Shiba family, so he has a somewhat indirect relationship with Kūkaku, Ganju, and Kaien, but his relationship with them is still bloodline. They most likely call each other cousins, which would make Kaien Ichigo's uncle, although somewhat removed since they are a large family, it is unknown how many standard deviations they are from the main family Isshin's point of origin.

Regardless of how removed Isshin is from the main branch of the Shiba family, Ichigo's complete resemblance to Kaien Shiba indicates a kinship between him and Isshin. They may appear to be children or copies of distant grandparents.

It can be theorized that Rukia's willingness to risk the death penalty to give Ichigo his power was more than a practical decision made in desperate times, but rather an emotional decision due to the shock of seeing a young boy who looked exactly like someone she greatly admired. . He died by her sword. During her first encounter with the Hollow, rather than being practical and using Ichigo as bait, Rukia jumps between him and the Hollow and is seriously injured. Rukia, the ignorant master of the Hogyoku, sought to escape the guilt she felt over Kaien's death and saw in Ichigo a respected friend who had died by her own hands and was ready to give her own life to make amends for what had happened. She did. When she was on death row, she remembered the worst night of her life and came to terms with her approaching death to some extent, unable to forgive herself for what happened to Cayenne, and she believed her execution was just dessert.

Your changes have been saved.

Based on Tite Kubo's Battle Shonen manga, Bleach centers around Ichigo, a high school student who is dragged into the world of Soul Reapers. The original animation was completed in 2012, but was revived in 2022.