| Rukia Kuchiki | |
|---|---|
| Bleach character | |
 Rukia Kuchiki as seen in the manga | |
| First appearance | Bleach #1 "Death & Strawberry" (2001) |
| Created by | Tite Kubo |
| Portrayed by | Hana Sugisaki |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Soul Reaper |
| Family | Hisana Kuchiki (older sister, deceased) Byakuya Kuchiki (brother-in-law, adoptive brother) Soujun Kuchiki (adoptive father, deceased) Unnamed adoptive mother (deceased) |
| Spouse | Renji Abarai (husband) |
| Children | Ichika Abarai (daughter) |
| Relatives | Ginrei Kuchiki (adoptive grandfather) |
Rukia Kuchiki (Japanese: 朽木 ルキア, Hepburn: Kuchiki Rukia) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. In the series, she is a Soul Reaper, (死神, Shinigami, literally 'Death God'), in charge of slaying and eradicating corrupted souls whose unfortunate fate lies destined for ruthless killing and feeding of living beings. We call these lost souls hollows. Along with eradicating hollows, Rukia's primary objective as a Shinigami is to pass on the souls of those who have failed to pass on those who have yet to cross by means of konso. At the beginning, after a brief meeting with the protagonist of the series, Ichigo Kurosaki, who can see supernatural beings such as Soul Reapers, she transfers her powers to him in order to fulfill her duties as a Soul Reaper. Rukia has appeared in several other pieces of Bleach media, including the four feature films in the series, the two original video animations and several video games.
Rukia was the first character of the series created by Kubo, her design being the one he decided to use for all the other Soul Reapers.[3] Reaction to her character is generally positive. Her differences from typical shōnen heroines is praised,[4] as is her interaction with other characters.[5] Additionally, she usually ranks second in Weekly Shōnen Jump's Bleach popularity polls, and is consistently the most popular female character in those polls.[6] Several pieces of merchandise have been released in Rukia's likeness, including a plush doll and several figurines.[citation needed]
- ^ TV Tokyo, Dentsu, Studio Pierrot (October 5, 2004). "死神になっちゃった日". Bleach. Episode 1. TV Tokyo.
- ^ Mays, Jonathan (July 22, 2006). "Comic-Con: Bleach Cast Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
About 1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Harper, Melissa (2007-01-22). "Bleach DVD 1 - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- ^ Beveridge, Chris (2006-11-28). "Bleach Vol. #01". Mania Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ^ Kubo, Tite (2008). Bleach, Volume 24. Viz Media. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-4215-1541-0.