Revolving around the struggles in Soul Society, Bleach also has elements of humor, tragedy, and more, making it a beloved series worldwide.
In particular, Bleach fans are obsessed with an angle of the story that Tite Kubo has never mentioned, which is Ichigo's love life. Throughout the series, the main character is more concerned with survival than with romance. In an interview, Tite Kubo finally expressed his views on this matter.
Tite Kubo crushes all hopes of romance in Bleach
The confusing love triangle between Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime has always been a controversial topic and Tite Kubo put an end to it by stating that love is not the main theme of Bleach and he was right.
During an interview in San Diego, Tite Kubo was asked about his opinion on the love triangle between Ichigo, Rukia, and Otohime. Tite Kubo answered with a resounding “no”.
“I get asked about that a lot! I didn't want to turn Bleach into a love story because there's more to their personalities, what they can do, rather than delving into the romantic aspect of their relationship.”Bleach author shared.
At the time of the interview, the author had decided that Bleach would not have many romantic elements in it.
The Bleach story is filled with obstacles like Aizen and Yhwach, evil masterminds who enjoy causing chaos in the world. Tite Kubo probably doesn't want his love life to interfere with the important missions of Soul Society. Plus, any romantic plot can distract the audience from a character's original traits.
However, in the ending of Bleach, Ichigo ends up with Orihime. This confused fans because throughout the show, Ichigo was seen building chemistry with Rukia. In fact, the two spent a significant amount of time together while trying to save Soul Society.
Tite Kubo's Inspiration for Strong Female Characters in Bleach
The interviewer went on to ask Kubo how he created such strong female characters in Bleach. The author replied that the women in Bleach were based on a few female friends he had. The author recounted that his female friends were not physically strong, but mentally, they were extremely formidable.
Tite Kubo admitted that Yoruichi and Rangiku are his two favorite characters. This choice has a very specific reason, which is because of their attitudes towards others. Both women are excellent fighters and most female characters are extremely strong. They all have their own missions and rarely think about romance.
Kubo himself admits that he enjoys drawing and writing stories for female characters, rather than romance.
Despite this, fans of the series still love pairing Bleach characters together because of their chemistry with each other. Just because Kubo doesn't want to include romance in the plot doesn't mean fans will follow suit.