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A Bleach fan reportedly asked Tite Kubo for Zennosuke Kurumadani merchandise on his fan club, Klub Outside on July 10, 2023. The creator's answer to the question took the entire fandom by surprise as it seemed like Kubo himself had totally forgotten about Zennosuke.
In Bleach, there are numerous characters that seem rather forgettable and redundant. One of them has to be Zennosuke Kurumadani, a soul reaper, who replaced Rukia Kuchiki as the guardian of the Karakura Town. Even though he seems to be forgotten by the majority of the fandom, one individual showed the character some love and wished to buy Zennosuke merchandise.
Zennosuke Kurumadani from Bleach gets no love from the creator
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@JaymesHanson, a huge Bleach fan, on Twitter, shared the screenshot of Q487 from Klub Outside and the creator's answer, as posted, on July 10, 2023. The fan penned down a note expressing their love for Zennosuke and asking the creator for merchandise as they wrote:
"I really like Zennosuke Kurumatani, but I haven't seen much of his merchandise...I looked it up, but I only found one from BLEACH Soul Card battle...I'd like to see a sticker or anything else. My dream is to someday buy Zennosuke Kurumatani goods."
They added:
"Also, Mr. Kubo, what kind of goods do you think Zennosuke Kurumatani can be commercialized? I would like you to tell me if you don't mind."
Tite Kubo then replied saying that one simply cannot make a profit if only one person buys the merch, indirectly roasting his own Bleach character. Even Kubo seems to be aware that Zennosuke is not an essential character in the series. Furthermore, he also went on to add that Kurumadani wasn't drawn at the original art exhibition.
"You can't make profit because you only buy one. Come to think of it, I don't think Kurumadani was drawn at the original art exhibition," he wrote.
Klub Outside is the official blog where fans can interact with Tite Kubo through Question/Answer sessions. This official Tite Kubo fan club also allows individuals to check recent status reports and new illustrations by Tite Kubo.
Zennosuke Kurumadani, the Soul Reaper from the 13th Division
Zennosuke Kurumadani appeared for only eight seconds in the first season of Bleach TYBW. Fans may recall that he was called up as the substitute for Rukia Kuchiki, to guard Karakura Town and kill Hollows. Known as Afro-San, Kurumadani is a soul reaper and a member of the 13th division.
He considers himself elite and has an upright attitude. However, he gets annoyed to find out that many people in Karakura town see and defeat Hollows. It is important to note that Kurumadani took his position seriously, and even considered fighting against a Hogyoku-infused Aizen in Bleach, to protect humans.
Fans react to the Klub Outside Q/A
Many fans took to social media to share their thoughts about the recent interaction between a fan and Tite Kubo. The fact that Kubo indirectly called the individual the only fan of Zennosuke took fans by surprise as they began roasting Zennosuke Kurumadani as well in the comments section of @JaymesHanson's post.
As a soul reaper, Zennosuke had the guts and courage to face Aizen, knowing that he would lose.
