Despite being about the struggles of the Soul Society, Bleach is much more than just the central issue. It has comedy, tragedy, and all sorts of other elements that make it a universally lovable series.

Yet, fans are obsessed with one angle of the story that Tite Kubo has never elaborated on, Ichigo’s love life. Throughout the series, the guy is more occupied with surviving rather than romance. In an interview, Tite Kubo finally expressed his opinion on the matter.

Tite Kubo Crushes All Hope of Romance in Bleach

Ichigo and Rukia in Bleach | Studio Pierrot

In an interview in San Diego, Tite Kubo was questioned about his opinion on the love triangle between Ichigo, Rukia, and Otohime. Tite Kubo had a loud and resounding ‘no’ for an answer.

I get asked about that a lot! I don’t want to make Bleach into a love story because there are much more exciting things about their personalities and things that they can do instead of getting into the romance aspect of their relationships.

Spoiler Alert!Bleach Ending Spoiler

At the time of the interview, the author had decided that Bleach would not have many elements of romance in it. However, in the finale of Bleach, Ichigo ends up with Orihime. This made fans confused as throughout the show, Ichigo was seen building chemistry with Rukia. In fact, both spent a significant amount of time together while trying to save the Soul Society.

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This confusing love triangle between Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime has always been a matter of debate and Tite Kubo has put an end to it by declaring that love isn’t the main subject of Bleach and he is right.

Ichigo and Orihime | Studio Pierrot

Bleach is full of obstacles like Aizen and Yhwach, evil masterminds who love putting the world under unrest. Tite Kubo probably did not want a love life to interrupt the important missions of the Soul Society. Additionally, any romance plot is bound to distract the audience from the original traits of a character.

Tite Kubo’s Inspiration for Strong Female Characters in Bleach

The interviewer further questioned Kubo about how he created such strong female characters in Bleach. Tite Kubo replied that the women in Bleach are loosely based on the few female friends he has. The author recounts that his female friends aren’t physically very strong, but mentally they are extremely formidable.

Ichigo and Orihime | Bleach | Studio Pierrot

Tite Kubo admitted that his favorites were Yoruichi and Rangiku. This choice has a very specific reason and it’s because of their attitude towards others. Both women are excellent fighters and most of the female characters are exceptionally strong. All of them have their own duties and are rarely thinking about romance.

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Kubo himself admitted that he loves to draw and create stories for female characters, which isn’t romance. Of course, fans of the series ship all kinds of Bleach characters with each other due to their chemistry together. Just because Kubo did not want to include romance in the plot does not mean fans will abide by it.

You can read Bleach on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
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