Bleach: Will Ichigo ever become a captain in the Gotei 13? Explained

Ichigo Kurosaki as seen in Bleach (Image via Studio Pierrot)
Ichigo Kurosaki as seen in Bleach (Image via Studio Pierrot)

In Bleach, Shinigamis are regarded as powerful spiritual entities who purify the hollows who intend to wreak havoc upon humanity and to ensure the safe crossing of souls. These Shinigamis reside in the Soul Society and their hierarchy is based on their ranks in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads or the Gotei 13, a military organization of Shinigamis.

Among the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, the captains are the most powerful Shinigamis who possess tremendous Spiritual Powers, making them an unstoppable force. With the upcoming Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War arc, fans are curious to know if the protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, will make it to become the captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.


Will Ichigo become the captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads in Bleach?

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Unfortunately, Ichigo will never become the Captain of Bleach and there are multiple reasons for it. First of all, he is a Substitute Shinigami, a human who became a Shinigami by obtaining the powers of another Shinigami. This process was deemed forbidden by the captain-commander Genryusai Yamamoto, the founder of Thirteen Court Guard Squads and Central 46.

This was the reason why Rukia Kuchiki was sentenced to death in the Soul Society. Ichigo cannot become a lieutenant in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. There could have been a high chance of him becoming a captain if he was born inside the Seireitei as a pure soul, or if he dies in the human world.

Even if he was granted the position of captain, he still would not make the cut, as he lacks discipline and the principles of Shinigami. As noted by Retsu Unohana, Ichigo retains massive spiritual powers and is as strong as a captain-level Shinigami. One of the reasons behind Ichigo’s overwhelming spiritual powers in Bleach is his father, Isshin Kurosaki.

Isshin was the captain of the 10th division of Thirteen Court Guard Squads before he left to protect his wife Masaki Kurosaki from her hollowfication. Isshin belonged to the Shiba clan, which is one of the four noble clans of the Soul Society in Bleach. Also, Ichigo’s mother was a powerful Quincy, which is also a reason behind his tremendous powers.

Ichigo’s potential can surpass all of the captains, which is why he could be the perfect candidate to become a captain. Like Kenpachi Zaraki, Ichigo can overthrow a captain and obtain their title. He will never do that in a million years, as he never really wanted the title of captain ever in his life.

Becoming a Shinigami was never a choice for him, as he did it to protect Rukia. Due to his strong sense of justice, he accepted all the jobs given to him as the Substitute Shinigami. He was the one to defeat Sosuke Aizen, an accomplishment that not even the captain-commander Genrusai Yamamoto could manage to attain.

Ichigo is not bound by the rules and acts on his own instincts. He hates to be followed around and is not a good fit to lead any of the divisions of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad. Moreover, a captain’s title is not a merit badge, it is the job of the person to lead the individuals of their division and to follow all the orders given to them by their captain-commander.


Be sure to follow for more anime updates and manga news as 2023 progresses.

This article was modified on Tuesday, July 11, at 3:19 pm.

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Edited by Saman
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