Bleach is a mega-popular shonen action series that features an unforgettable cast of characters, starting with protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends. Then, in season 1, Ichigo met the eccentric but brilliant Kisuke Urahara, a shop owner who knows a lot more than he lets on. He soon became one of BleachThe most essential characters.
Only gradually was the full extent of Kisuke Urahara’s role in the plot revealed, and by the end of the story, Bleach fans got to appreciate just how much Kisuke did to impact the story, both for better and for worse. Kisuke did it all: he invented innovative new gadgets, trained other characters in the ways of combat, took on the strongest villains, and more.
10 Kisuke helped free the young Mayuri Kurotsuchi
Kisuke Urahara impacted the plot of Bleach in many ways about a century before the main events of the story, during the “swing the pendulum back” flashback. For example, the new Captain of Squad 12, Kisuke Urahara, visited Maggot’s Nest Prison and freed Mayuri Kurotsuchi from her cell.
Mayuri was then invited to work in Kisuke’s lab at Squad 12 Headquarters, with Kisuke promising that this lab would belong only to Mayuri if anything happened to Kisuke. This helped establish Mayuri’s position as Soul Society’s top researcher for decades to come.
9 Kisuke invented the Hogyoku
One of the most significant McGuffins in the history of Bleach it is a peculiar little orb called Hogyoku, about the size of a chewing gum. Kisuke invented it in the years leading up to the main events of Bleachand in doing so, he shaped the entire plot in ways he could never have predicted.
Kisuke never intended to use Hogyoku to harm anyone, but then-Lieutenant Sosuke Aizen did. Aizen’s own Hogyoku was faulty, so he stole Kisuke’s during the Soul Society story arc, leading to the creation of his own Arrancar army.
8 Kisuke interfered with Aizen’s experiment.
During the climax of the “push back the pendulum” story arc, Aizen finally made his move and Hollowfied several Soul Reapers, including Captain Shinji Hirako and the troublemaker Hiyori Sarugaki. Aizen declared the results a failure and attempted to kill Hollowfied’s victims, but Kisuke interfered.
Aizen managed to escape, but Kisuke’s intervention ended Aizen’s experiments for the time being, and Kisuke had the Kido Corps perform a forbidden kido to help the eight victims. But this altruistic act would have unintended consequences later on.
7 Kisuke forced Yoruichi Shihoin to lose her rank
Kisuke saved Hollowfied’s eight victims from doom, but hardly anyone thanked him for it. In fact, Central 46 blamed Kisuke for Aizen’s crimes, and Captain Urahara was unable to clear his name on his account. He also couldn’t cover for Tessai, who also took some of the blame for this mess.
So, then-captain Yoruichi Shihoin stepped in and rescued Kisuke and Tessai at the cost of becoming a rogue outlaw herself. But he did not regret this, and willingly gave up his rank as Captain of Squad 2 to protect his two friends from twisted justice.
6 Kisuke saved Masaki from Hollowfication
Many years later, the teenage Masaki and then-Captain Isshin Shiba came into conflict with Aizen’s artificial Hollow known as White, and though these unlikely partners defeated their foe, the problem remained. Masaki, as a young Quincy, could not handle the Hollowfication taking place in his body.
Kisuke, who had experience with such things, came over and volunteered to help. He used his experience to remove the Hollow from Masaki’s body, but needed the Soul Reaper’s essence to do so. Upon request, Kisuke used Isshin’s Soul Reaper powers to finish the job, and Masaki was saved.
5 Kisuke led the creation of the Kurosaki family
Kisuke Urahara had only intended to save Masaki’s life from White’s poison, but his actions led to a whole new development that was both unintentional and quite moving. Isshin had lost his Soul Reaper powers to save Masaki, so he had to remain in Karakura Town as some kind of human.
Isshin and Masaki had already bonded over their fight against White, and when Masaki was a few years older, they married and settled down. They then had a son, Ichigo, who inherited a large amount of power from both parents, and then they had twin daughters Yuzu and Karin, who had small spiritual powers.
4 Kisuke helped Ichigo unlock Zangetsu.
near the end of BleachIn Ichigo’s first season, he lost resoundingly to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and was unable to prevent Rukia’s arrest. In fact, Ichigo nearly died until Kisuke came to help him, and then Kisuke went the extra mile by offering to train Ichigo.
Kisuke, with the help of Ururu and Jinta, helped Ichigo manifest his true zanpakuto, Zangetsu, and finally unlock his true power. Until then, Ichigo had been using a weak and nameless zanpakuto, and that wouldn’t be enough for the battles to come.
3 Kisuke helped the heroes enter Hueco Mundo.
When Ichigo’s good friend Orihime was captured by the Arrancars, the Soul Reaper officers refused to do anything to rescue her, so Ichigo and his allies were unable to use the Senkaimon gates to enter Hueco Mundo. Fortunately, Kisuke Urahara was nearby to help.
Kisuke can create all kinds of portals and gateways, and that includes a gorge, the kind of portal Hollows and Arrancars use to get around. He opened a few gorges to allow Ichigo’s three-man team into Hueco Mundo, then opened another one so Rukia and Renji could back up Ichigo’s team.
two Kisuke helped seal Aizen
The final battle against Sosuke Aizen was tough to say the least, but Kisuke Urahara isn’t the type to just give up, especially since he holds a grudge against Aizen and kido spells to do anything about it. Once Ichigo unlocked the final Getsuga Tensho, the time had come.
Together, Kisuke and Ichigo took the fight to Aizen and finally got the upper hand, and then Kisuke used some childish tricks to capture Aizen once and for all. Ichigo did much of the heavy lifting, but it was Kisuke who finished the job when no one else could.
1 Kisuke forced The Sternritter to hand over his stolen Bankai.
Kisuke continued to play a supporting role in the story of Bleach when the final story arc of the manga was released. At one point, the deadly Sternritter used their medallions to steal the bankai of several Soul Reaper captains, including those of Toshiro Hitsugaya and Byakuya Kuchiki, putting the Soul Reapers at a serious disadvantage.
Fortunately, Kisuke was at work. He concocted a handful of black pills that, when used, would hollow out stolen bankai, making those bankai poisonous to the Sternritter who used them. Immediately, the Sternritter returned the stolen bankai, which leveled the playing field very much.
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