The story of Bleach features a huge cast of memorable characters, most of whom are fighters. This is a classic shonen action series, meaning these characters, heroes and villains alike, are always ready to risk their lives in the field of battle. But which of them should be killed off, and which should survive, for the sake of entertainment?
Some characters in fiction are shielded with “plot armor,” meaning they are unlikely to die before they fulfill their long-running role in the story, or if the character is so well-loved, readers might revolt if the character is killed off. But other characters get no such benefits, and the plot can advance just fine even if they die. Now, whether or not they actually died in the story, which Bleach characters have thick plot armor, and which have very little?
10 THICK PLOT ARMOR: Kisuke Urahara, The Rogue Scientist Captain
On paper, the story of Bleach could have wrapped up even if Kisuke Urahara died, but that wasn’t too likely to happen during the manga’s run. For one thing, Kisuke’s advanced kido abilities helped seal away the traitor Sosuke Aizen, and Ichigo couldn’t have done that alone.
For another thing, Kisuke Urahara is a powerful, smart, and wily character, making it rather difficult for his enemies to find and kill him, even if author Tite Kubo didn’t feel very attached to him. And many readers did feel attached to him, so Tite Kubo may have been highly reluctant to kill him off for that reason as well.
9 THIN PLOT ARMOR: Captain Soi Fon Of Squad 2
In terms of her own powers and abilities, Captain Soi Fon of Squad 2 is fairly well protected, since she is an expert assassin with a shikai that can deliver instant death in just two stings. She is a Captain for a reason, but the plot won’t protect her. She must survive on her own merits.
Indeed, Captain Soi Fon survived the story of Bleach, but the plot would have proceeded just fine without her. Soi Fon is a rather peripheral character who did little to aid Ichigo directly, so her death would have had a limited impact on the story. Not that she is a boring character, though. Far from it.
8 THICK PLOT ARMOR: Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo’s Father
Isshin Kurosaki was a wellspring of “dad jokes” and other comic relief early in the story of Bleach, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. Isshin was once Captain Isshin Shiba of Squad 10, and now, he’s content to let his son carry on his will and do all the heavy lifting.
Isshin did face Aizen once, but other than that, he stays out of harm’s way, and there is little chance of him dying at the hands of a powerful foe. And given how important Isshin is to Ichigo’s life, it was unlikely that Isshin would be killed off so casually, or killed off at all. Bleach has its dramatic moments, but it’s not that dark.
7 THIN PLOT ARMOR: Zommari Rureaux, The 7th Espada
The 7th Espada is none other than Zommari Rureaux, a monk-like Arrancar who is bitter about the Soul Reaper/Hollow dynamic. Though normally rather zen, he becomes enraged when he sees or thinks about Soul Reapers slaying Hollows out of arrogant self-importance. He explained all this when he clashed with Captain Byakuya Kuchiki in clear terms.
However, Zommari served little other purpose, and his death didn’t trip up or slow down Bleach‘s story at all. In fact, it was best that he died, so Byakuya could defeat him to defend Rukia Kuchiki rather than uphold his own honor and pride. So, Zommari was allowed to die a philosophically accepted death. He wasn’t killed due to Soul Reaper arrogance at all.
6 THICK PLOT ARMOR: Rukia Kuchiki, The First Soul Reaper To Appear
Rukia was the first Soul Reaper to ever appear in Bleach, and early on, her role was to train Ichigo and teach him about spirits and Soul Reaper lore. Later, she was rescued during the Soul Society arc, then fought alongside Ichigo as a teammate of sorts. She was beloved by readers everywhere.
Many Bleach readers would have been furious if this cherished character were to die, so that may be one reason why author Tite Kubo helped her survive to the very end. Rukia had a close call against Aaroniero Arurruerie, but no way would Mr. Kubo kill her off like that.
5 THIN PLOT ARMOR: Rangiku Matsumoto, The Squad 10 Lieutenant
Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto served mainly a comic relief among the Soul Reapers, playing off of Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya well. She also has a history with Captain Gin Ichimaru, and they had a dramatic moment together during the Fake Karakura Town arc.
Rangiku is a capable fighter, especially with kido, but her role in the story wasn’t terribly impactful, so the story could afford to kill her off (though the story didn’t actually do so). And while Rangiku was fun, she wasn’t quite as beloved as Rukia, so she didn’t get much plot armor from that, either.
4 THICK PLOT ARMOR: Uryu Ishida, The Quincy Archer
Uryu Ishida is a Quincy, and a good friend of Ichigo’s. Often, shonen series will give their lead a small squad of loyal characters, from Team 7 to the Straw Hat pirate crew, and Uryu belongs to Ichigo’s “crew.” This can protect him from most enemies, even in the direst of situations.
Exceptions exist, but as a whole, the crewmates of a shonen hero are unlikely to die, since readers enjoy seeing the loyal crew of friends going around fighting powerful enemies. Bleach would have taken a dark and possibly controversial turn if Uryu were to die. Besides, Ichigo needed Uryu’s help to take down Yhwach at the very end.
3 THIN PLOT ARMOR: Chojiro Sasakibe, Squad 1 Lieutenant
Chojiro Sasakibe has been by Captain-General Yamamoto’s side for centuries, and he understands the Captain-General better than anyone. He is rather powerful for a Lieutenant, and he even had a thunderstorm-based bankai. But none of this protected him from his ultimate fate.
Chojiro was not at all vital for the plot, leaving him vulnerable to getting written out of the story. What is more, his sudden death at the hands of the Sternritter helped fuel Yamamoto’s grief and rage, which made for some excellent drama. Cold as it may sound, it’s fortunate that Chojiro was killed off, to spice up that part of the story.
2 THICK PLOT ARMOR: Masaki Kurosaki, Ichigo’s Quincy Mother (During Flashbacks)
After a point, Masaki Kurosaki’s plot armor had dropped to 0, and indeed, the villainous Grand Fisher killed her right before Ichigo’s eyes. But before that, during action-packed flashbacks, Masaki was downright indestructible with all the plot armor she had.
Masaki nearly lost her life against Aizen’s experimental Hollow, but she had to survive to have her three children, so there was no way she’d die. The question was not whether Masaki would survive this encounter, but now she came to meet and fall in love with Isshin. The flashback also explained where Ichigo’s inner Hollow came from, with Masaki being in the middle of it all.
1 THIN PLOT ARMOR: Ryuken Ishida, Uryu’s Father
Some parents in Bleach have thicker plot armor than others. Isshin had to survive to train Ichigo and remain a beloved member of the cast, while Ryuken was much more vulnerable. He did survive the story, and he helped Uryu regain his Quincy powers, but that didn’t amount to much plot armor.
Ryuken could easily have died after he helped Uryu regain his powers, and Ryuken’s death could have served as a dark but fascinating twist in Uryu’s personal arc. In fact, even if Ryuken died early on, it’s not unthinkable that Uryu could have found a way to regain his Quincy powers on his own.
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