Bleach: 5 Times Ichigo Was the Bad Guy

Bleach's Ichigo Kurosaki is more of an anti-hero than other shonen protagonists like Monkey D. Luffy and Naruto Uzumaki. In some ways, he's comparable to Yusuke Urameshi, being a tough punk with a good heart and some unique supernatural ancestry. At times, however, Ichigo takes the "anti-hero" act too far and ends up feeling more like a villain. The following five times took Ichigo's dark side to the extreme.

When Ichigo Tormented Some Skaters

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Ichigo's very first on-screen appearance made a poor first impression. He was introduced kicking around some skaters who had knocked over the roadside shrine of a recently deceased girl, and even when the skaters tried to make amends, Ichigo tossed them around some more while yelling at them. He's a total thug; while Ichigo is supposed to be a rough, punkish anti-hero, this is a bit much. The skaters didn't even do anything that bad -- who deserves a kick in the face just for knocking over some flowers?

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When Ichigo Started A Feud With Ganju Shiba

ichigo vs ganju bleach

Ganju Shiba and Ichigo butted heads as soon as they met. Both were hard-headed and petty, and Uryu, Orihime and the rest of Ichigo's team were aghast at their schoolyard tussling. Later, when Ichigo met Kukaku Shiba and saw Ganju again, they chased each other across the room, and in the process, Ichigo stepped on and snaps Kukaku's favorite pipe. Fed up, Kukaku fired up a kido spell and blasted everyone away, and Ichigo and Ganju were forced to make peace. It's astonishing that Ichigo let it come to this.

When Ichigo Threatened The Visoreds

shinji hirako bleach

After Ichigo survived the Soul Society arc, he had a new problem on his hands: the emergence of his inner Hollow, a beast that was going out of control. He needed help, even though he tried to sweep this under the rug. Ichigo finally went to visit the Visoreds at their hideout for help, but the two parties didn't get along well because Ichigo didn't want to play by the Visoreds' rules. Ichigo was giving them a real headache - he even threatened to beat them all up so they'd do things his way instead. It's true that the Visoreds aren't the nicest people around, but Ichigo was being highly antagonistic, and no one could blame the Visoreds for responding in kind. Ichigo is lacking a lot of tact.

When Ichigo Tried To Leave Without His Friends

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As Ichigo got stronger, he also developed a bad habit of underestimating his friends. After Ulquiorra kidnapped Orihime, Ichigo launched a solo mission to rescue her in Hueco Mundo, trying to do this behind Chad and Uryu's backs. Both friends arrived at the last minute before Ichigo departed, and they were a bit hurt that Ichigo had tried to leave them out of it. To make their strength and resolve clear, Uryu and Chad each made a show of force, and Ichigo finally accepted them into his party. Once the gang arrived in Hueco Mundo, Ichigo yet again underestimated them when two Arrancars showed up, so Uryu and Chad had to insist on fighting to prove their worth. Can't Ichigo have a little faith in his friends?

When Ichigo Blew Off A Very Concerned Tatsuki

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Orihime's good friend Tatsuki Arisawa was no Soul Reaper, but she had faint spiritual powers and was highly protective of her friend. When Orihime was kidnapped, Tatsuki realized that she could no longer sense Orihime's spiritual energy from afar and panicked. Tatsuki didn't know what was going on, but she had come to realize that Ichigo's and Orihime's strange behavior was linked, so she turned to Ichigo for answers one day after school. Tatsuki demanded to know what was happening, and Ichigo just blew her off, insisting that he didn't know.

Even when Tatsuki hit him in frustration and cried out in rage, Ichigo didn't say a thing. Tatsuki felt that Ichigo was scorning their friendship, and she wasn't entirely wrong. Tatsuki isn't delicate or foolish; Ichigo could have taken her somewhere private and explained it all. The truth would have shocked Tatsuki, but at least she'd be in the loop and been somewhat comforted. Tatsuki deserved answers.

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