Bleach: Does Ichigo ever use Kido spells?

Bleach, one of the most successful manga series in recent history, continues its epic narrative in the ongoing Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War. Kubo's incredible worldbuilding contributed heavily to the story, reaching the status it enjoys today.

Since its release in 2001, fans have been invested in Ichigo Kurosaki's journey to becoming one of the strongest Soul Reapers in Soul Society and have had a plethora of questions and doubts regarding the story.

One of them is whether Ichigo has ever cast a Kido spell and whether he is capable of doing so.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Bleach manga/anime.

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Why has Ichigo not used Kido in Bleach?

Over the years, a slew of theories has been put forward online by the Bleach fandom explaining why Ichigo Kurosaki never learned to use Kido.

The most widely accepted theory entails that he simply did not have the talent and time to master this highly advanced skill that only a handful of soul reapers had managed to become proficient at. Before we further dive into the theory and break it down, let us first take a look at what a Kido exactly is.

Kido is a part of Zankensoki, a primary combat technique employed by shinigamis, which is based on advanced spells powered by an entity’s Reiryoku, or Spiritual Power. Ideally, the spells are cast through incantations, although they can be accessed without one as well, but the resulting kido wouldn’t be as strong.

A shinigami is said to truly master the art of Kido when they can effortlessly cast a spell without even chanting the respective incantation and also possesses the ability to construct their own spells. These masters include Byakuya Kuchiki, Sosuke Aizen, Genryusai Yamamoto, Kisuke Urahara, and so on.

Soul Reapers like Rukia Kuchiki, Yoruichi Shihoin, and Toshiro Hitsugaya are mid-level Kido experts who are quite knowledgeable in the art and can cast a number of powerful spells but are not as proficient as the Masters.

Learning how to use Kido begins very early on in the training of a Soul Reaper in the Soul Reaper Academy, and the extent to which one becomes able to master it depends largely on the individual’s natural talent for it, coupled with the sheer strong willpower to learn it. It makes sense for Ichigo to not have learned and use Kido.

Ichigo is not a normal true born Shinigami. From what he has recently learned, he is a rare breed of entity who has not only Shinigami blood but also that of a Hollow and Quincy thanks to his heritage. Despite having such a powerful bloodline, Ichigo has been introduced to his heritage after a really long time, as opposed to normal Shinigamis who begin their training from a very early age.

Ichigo’s lack of talent in casting a Kido was demonstrated when he did a very poor job of conjuring a cannonball when he and his friends tried to infiltrate the Seireitei to save Rukia. Only after help from Ganju did he succeed, showing that he has limited control over his Spiritual Pressure.

That begs the question, did he not improve eventually, given his rapid development as seen from attaining Bankai very early?

Learning the Kido takes a lot of time and immense focus, which Ichigo could not afford to spare. Besides, the entirety of the Bleach narrative took place over a span of a few years, which means that even if Ichigo wanted to learn the Kido, he simply did not have enough time to do so.

Many fans have opposed the idea that Ichigo doesn’t have the talent for it and expressed their wish to see him cast a Kido spell at least once in the narrative and some even hope that the speculative Hell Arc will feature him doing so. However, any predictions regarding that would be weak at this point.

Bleach TYBW is speculated to return this year in July 2023.

Stay tuned for more updates on the release dates and streaming details.