It isn't every day that an anime character can come along and appear completely unique from every other anime character out there. Bleach's Ichigo is a protagonist that fans can actually relate to. He doesn't always have the normal sappy characteristics that make anime protagonists look silly or out of touch with reality.

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When he fights, he actually has to overcome, instead of just being insanely powerful. Of course, this can also be his greatest drawback as he doesn't always stand out.

10 Unique: Has Fullbringer and Soul Reaper Capabilities

Since the very beginning, Ichigo has been a source of confusion for the inhabitants of Soul Society. His strength challenges even the upper-level captains and his ability to adapt makes him difficult to battle. His abilities stem from being a Fullbringer along with having Shinigami blood in him as well. In a way, he is the best of both worlds as his unique skill set allows him to constantly be on an upward projection power-wise compared to the other Shinigami whose power is stagnant.

9 Generic: Standard, Boring Anime Protagonist Goals

Anime protagonists are not always the most original of people. In fact, some of them come off as downright cheesy when it comes to how they portray their goals in life. If fans have heard it once, they will hear it a million times more with the anime protagonist who fights to protect his friends. Though to be fair, it isn't like Ichigo takes it to Naruto standards with the whole friends somehow make me stronger garbage that most anime peddles.

8 Unique: Has Unique Appearance

Way too many anime characters' appearance blends in with other anime characters. There just isn't that much of a call for creators to create unique, original looking characters. Ichigo is the exception with his long thin frame, boyish good looks, and bright orange hair.

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Even in his most gothic look, he keeps the appearance of what a protagonist and hero should look like. It is this attention to Ichigo's appearance that makes him stand out among the countless bland protagonists that flood anime these days.

7 Generic: Too Deep Of Lineage

It used to be that heroes came out of the most ordinary of situations. They weren't bred for success, instead, they were geared towards mediocrity and that was what was so special about them. Ichigo's lineage as having a mother who was a Quincy and a father who was a Shinigami and high-ranking captain just makes Ichigo's success seem all so expected. It takes away reasons for fans to feel a connection to his character and to root for his overall success.

6 Unique: Part Human Allowing Him To Adapt

One of the problems with Shinigami is that while they can increase their power over a specific length of time, someone like Ichigo who is part human can adapt and evolve his power while on the fly. In the majority of his fights, Ichigo is stronger at the end than he was at the beginning. Making him a poor match for a Shinigami who lacks such a powerful tool. His ability to adapt makes him special in that it brings a sense of the unknown to each fight scene.

5 Generic: Relies Too Much on his Zanpakutō

Nobody likes to see a character just keep doing the same move time after time on each enemy he faces. After a while, this becomes increasingly stale, resulting in lowered expectations for the character's progression and overall fight scenes.

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Ichigo falls into this category simply because he has a bad habit of being a one-trick pony in that he relies almost solely on his Zanpakutō defeat his many enemies. This leads to the same tiresome moves fans have grown accustomed to.

4 Unique: His Mother Was A Quincy

 

Having Ichigo's mother as a Quincy is a double-edged sword. Yes, it does give him a uniqueness since he comes from a powerful Shinigami line that happened to marry a Quincy. Yet, at the same time, it makes him appear a little too powerful and unique when compared to characters that only have one or no traits that make them special. Luckily, so far, it hasn't provided him with an easy reason to dominate the enemies that he faces.

3 Generic: Too Realistic Of A Character

There just seems to always be these underlying versions of protagonists in anime series. They are either lovably lazy, where that fans can find them approachable or they are over-enthusiastic with a high moral compass that makes just as many fans gag as it does make them cheer. Ichigo suffers from being a little too realistic as he has a tendency to complain way too much throughout the series. While this fits the profile of a regular teenager it doesn't bode too well for heroes.

2 Unique: Evolved As A Character

Too often in many anime series, the protagonist continues the same rate of progression that fans expect. Whether this is personal growth or levels of ability. As far as personal growth goes, Ichigo has evolved into a realistic character who learns from his previous mistakes and seeks to correct them the next go around.

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At the beginning of the series, he was brash, now he is more calculating allowing his enemies to come to him, instead of taking them on blindly.

1 Generic: Allows Circumstances Or Others To Drive The Plot Forward

It is just something about Ichigo that makes him appear overly lazy and not in a funny sort of way. He never takes an active approach as a protagonist to further the plot forward, instead, he relies on more interesting characters or events to do the job for him. This isn't always a bad thing as sometimes the plot does need to be coerced by someone other than the protagonist but it would be interesting for once if he would take on a more proactive approach.

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