How powerful is Ichigo's dad in Bleach? Isshin Kurosaki's strength, explained

Modified Aug 08, 2024 03:30 GMT

Bleach: Isshin Kurosaki's origins and strength explained (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Isshin Kurosaki from the Bleach series is one of the most intriguing characters who remained a mystery throughout the earliest parts of the series. Although he was revealed to be a captain-level Shinigami during the Fake Karakura Town arc, his actual origins were disclosed in the Thousand Year Blood War arc.

Isshin embodies the carefree but experienced mentor archetype, reflected in his playful and goofy personality throughout most of the story. However, many hints, such as his being from the Shiba clan and his status as a former captain of the Tenth Division, have led many fans to wonder just how powerful Ichigo's dad is.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for the Bleach series.

How powerful is Ichigo's dad? Explained

Ichigo's dad as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Isshin is a pure-blooded Shinigami with all the standard abilities of a Shinigami. Apart from that, he is proficient in numerous techniques, including Flash Steps, and has access to a Shikai and Bankai. The full extent of Isshin's powers and overall power level was never revealed because he never entered a serious fight against truly strong opponents.

However, his brief confrontation against Aizen, which led the Hogyoku to push Aizen into an even higher state of power, made it clear that Isshin's status as a former captain was accurate. He was at least on par with pre-Bankai Kenpachi simply due to Isshin being from the Shiba family, one of the noble Shinigami families, and his overwhelming experience and knowledge over the years.

Isshin Kurosaki's origins in Bleach, explained

Isshin Kurosaki as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Isshin Kurosaki was originally Isshin Shiba and belonged to the Shiba family, one of the original five noble families within the Soul Society. Although the Shibas were no longer part of the new four noble families like Shihoin, Kuchiki, and the other two undisclosed ones, they still commanded a lot of respect and had naturally gifted Shinigamis born within their family tree.

Isshin was the captain of the 10th Division with Rangiku and Hitsugaya serving as his second and third seats, respectively. Throughout his life as a captain, he was depicted as a more aloof and carefree person akin to Shunsui, who also depended on his subordinates to complete all of his duties.

Isshin served as a captain alongside Byakuya, Shunsui, Ukitake, and Unohana, and thus was part of a much more experienced and arguably stronger version of the Gotei 13. He eventually lost his Shinigami status and powers after sacrificing them to contain the hollow that was taking the nest inside Masaki Kurosaki's soul.

Isshin Kurosaki was a direct descendant of the Shiba family and took up the Kurosaki name shortly after becoming human and marrying the Quincy named Masaki Kurosaki. Isshin later settled down in the human world and managed to open a medical clinic with help from Urahara and Ryuken in order to support Masaki along with his son Ichigo and two daughters, Karin and Yuzu.

Isshin's powers and abilities

Expand Tweet

Isshin's lineage from the Shiba clan directly grants him a superior reservoir of reiatsu and the raw talent prevalent among the noble family members. He has also been shown to be very proficient in swordplay and hand-to-hand combat, exemplified by his fight against Aizen in the original Bleach series. He wields a standard zanpakuto named Engetsu with a Shikai release.

Although him having access to Bankai has been teased throughout numerous dialogues and his status as a former captain being the biggest indicator of it, it has never been shown in the story or the side content.

Aizen also confirmed this when he heavily injured Isshin to prevent him from releasing his Bankai during the fight against the hollow White, which was revealed during the Bleach TYBW arc anime.