Summary
The first thing that people know about Bleach is that it is a battle and action-based manga and anime, making it a classic example of the Shonen genre. It does not center around romance and would be unlikely to focus on romance a lot. In fact, mangaka Tite Kubo himself has stated that he did not wish to focus on romantic relationships, as there were other interesting and exciting things happening.
Nevertheless, throughout the series, fans got many hints of romantic feelings between the now-canon couples: Ichigo/Orihime and Rukia/Renji. How things ended was a point of contention for IchiRuki fans, but a closer look at their various relationships showed that the final pairings were the best option available.
Updated August 18, 2023, by Ajay Aravind: While not nearly as intense as the battle of who deserves Subaru between Rem and Emilia in Re:Zero, many Bleach fans were disappointed that Rukia and Ichigo didn't end up together. With the show having returned for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, it's worth reiterating that both Rukia and Ichigo ended up with their ideal partners in the end.
15 Ichigo Set Aside His Wants For Orihime
One thing always consistent about Ichigo was how stubborn he could be about fighting. If someone was in danger, he was going to rush in to try to save the day — and more often than not, that meant going in without a plan. What's glossed over is how willing he was to set aside his wants and fears outside of combat if it meant helping others. An example is when Orihime invited him to go see Spirit Hunters, the Don Kanonji television show. Ichigo Kurosaki has always hated ghosts, a fact Tatsuki had to explain to Orihime, but it didn't stop him from going anyway. He always wanted her to be happy at the end of the day.
14 Orihime Knew That Kon Wasn't The Real Ichigo
It takes quite an emotional connection to know when someone isn't acting like themselves. That's what Orihime managed to do when Kon was running wild inside Ichigo's body and being his exaggeratedly lustful self. He jumped into Ichigo's classroom, made a move on Orihime, and then kissed Tatsuki before being forced to flee. Orihime knew right away that wasn't the real Ichigo, forgiving him of actions that would have got him in hot water with any other girl. It's a testament to how much Orihime cared about him. That said, Ichigo would have never acted that way in the first place.
13 Renji Makes His Feelings For Rukia Apparent
Renji's feelings towards her have always been apparent, as far back as when they were kids. As they originally met around 150 years before the Bleach timeline, they've been around each other for quite a while. One evening, the two of them were unsuccessfully attempting to catch fish when Renji finally managed to snare one. When he turned around triumphantly, he saw the rest of his friends staring at Rukia longingly. As anyone with a crush themselves would do, Renji admonished his friends for looking at her with love-struck eyes.
12 Ichigo & Rukia Contributed To Each Other’s Respective Romances
It is interesting to note that both Rukia and Ichigo have worked to bolster each other's romantic relationships. Rukia was the one who dragged Ichigo to apologize to Orihime. Rukia was the initial reason why Ichigo and Orihime came closer together and were more expressive of their desire to protect each other. At the same time, Ichigo was the catalyst for Rukia and Renji to become close again after decades of avoiding each other. Ichigo was not meant to interfere in their relationship as a third party, but to help them realize the complete range of their feelings for each other.
11 Ichigo Resembles Kaien Too Much
Ichigo looks like Kaien Shiba, Rukia’s mentor and the man that she viewed as an older brother and clearly platonic friend. Due to this, even Byakuya himself understood why Rukia would feel a connection for Ichigo. Further, Rukia realized the parallels between Kaien’s last fight with Ichigo’s battle against Grand Fisher, the Hollow that had killed Masaki Kurosaki. As such, she views them as similar and so would be unlikely to have romantic feelings for someone resembling her late mentor. In fact, she keeps comparing Kaien and Ichigo throughout the Soul Society arc.
10 Ichigo & Rukia Are Literally Different Species
Given the sheer scope of the supernatural in Bleach and despite Ichigo's extraordinary abilities and powers, it's easy to forget that Ichigo is a human being. Even though he becomes a Shinigami, he is not technically a Soul. He was not born in Soul Society and he never died to go there. If he wanted to be with Rukia, he would either have to wait and die from old age or die right away and part with everyone else way too soon. Rukia is a Soul who ages extremely slowly and will probably never die. Their families are in different worlds and their priorities are incompatible.
9 Ichigo & Orihime’s Romance Had Foreshadowing
Orihime’s crush on Ichigo was evident from the first few chapters; she even had trouble being articulate in front of him, although part of her character development was how she gained confidence in herself. As for him, he was ready to sacrifice his life for her from the first arc, when he put himself between her and her Hollowified brother Sora. He almost always singles her out, speaks up for her, and he defends her. On the contrary, Ichigo and Rukia's relationship perfectly fits the best bud dynamic in anime, with tons of teasing, joking around, and faux fighting.
8 Ichigo & Orihime Go To Extremes To Protect Each Other
Ichigo Kurosaki literally comes back from death for Orihime during his fight with Ulquiorra, all because she begged him not to die. Orihime also places her body between Ichigo and Acidwire to protect Ichigo. Ichigo puts himself between Grimmjow’s Ceros and Orihime without hesitation. Orihime more than willingly goes to fight Yhwach alongside Ichigo, serving as the latter's defense. Fans should remember that many of Ichigo’s enemies noticed this — Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Nnoitora all mocked him for wanting to protect her and underlined how she was the motivation for him to fight more fiercely.
7 Renji Showed How Much He Cared About Rukia
Rukia and Renji grew up together as orphaned Soul children in Soul Society. They shared the same experiences, jointly discovering the gift of Reiatsu that earned them a place in the Shin’o Academy. Their mutual goal was to become Shinigami, gain higher ranks, and grow stronger. When Rukia tells Renji the Kuchiki clan wants to adopt her, he acts happy but is deeply upset because he predicts they will grow apart. Still, he tries to repress his sadness because Rukia finally has a family. Unfortunately, Renji falsely believes that he's not important to her anymore.
6 Renji Was Willing To Sacrifice Everything For Rukia
Ichigo may have gone to Soul Society to save Rukia from execution, but that was out of strong friendship and gratitude that Rukia gave him the means to protect his family. Renji almost lost his life and put everything on the line for Rukia. If things had taken a different turn and Ichigo hadn’t managed to save Rukia, maybe he would escape and he’d still have a home and family to return to. But such an outcome for Renji would be devastating; he’d have lost Rukia, as well as his position as a Shinigami, his standing in the Seireitei, and possibly his life since he unashamedly defied his superiors.
5 Rukia & Renji’s Romance Was Also Foreshadowed
When Rukia announced her adoption to Renji, he expressed nothing but happiness for her. While this saddened Rukia, he only reacted in the way he believed was best for her, and that ended up making him feel guilty about her potential execution. Chapter 98 was devoted to how Renji considered Rukia an unattainable “star” that he, a “tramp,” could never reach. If he just wanted friendship, why did he feel he had to stay out of Rukia’s way? If she just wanted friendship, why did she expect him to protest? The answer is simple: Her adoption didn’t get in the way of friendship, but in the way of the “something more” that they wanted.
4 Renji & Rukia Grow Emotional Around Each Other
These are some other examples of Rukia and Renji showing their devotion to each other. There is the time Renji swallowed his pride and begged Ichigo to save Rukia. There's also the moment when Rukia was ready to give up and follow Aizen so that Renji would be spared. Moreover, Renji's extreme reaction upon Szayelaporro telling him that Rukia and Aaroniero had killed each other seems rather similar to how Ichigo reacts when Orihime is in trouble. And, finally, when Renji warmly thanked Ichigo for helping him and Rukia become close once again.
3 When Orihime Confessed Her Love To Ichigo
This must have been the most obvious and blatant foreshadowing event in Bleach. When the Espadas allow Orihime to say goodbye to one person before she is taken to Hueco Mundo, she picks Ichigo (even though he is still unconscious from an earlier fight). She explains how she could have picked one of the others, but Ichigo was the person she needed to see one last time. Orihime says how there were so many things she wished she had gotten to do and how she would like to live five times to try multiple different things, but that she'd always fall in love with the same person: Ichigo.
2 Rukia Has Always Been In Love With Renji
Renji's feelings for Rukia are crystal clear, even when he doesn't acknowledge them. In other words, he basically wears his heart on his sleeve. On the other hand, Rukia finds it difficult to express her emotions, especially after joining the Kuchiki clan. However, there are numerous instances that prove her love for Renji beyond the shadow of a doubt. In fact, Rukia obviously cares for Renji even after he attacks Ichigo in the Agent of the Shinigami arc. Although Ichigo and Rukia also love each other, their friendship is considerably less intense than her lifelong attachment for Renji. Rukia ends up with Renji; they now have a daughter named Ichika.
1 Ichigo and Orihime's Son Has Unique Powers
Ichigo ends up with Orihime — they eventually get married and have a son, Kazui Kurosaki. Most IchiHime shippers had seen this coming from the very beginning, but IchiRuki fans were left disappointed. While the fact that Ichigo and Orihime start a family isn't exactly evidence that they were destined to be together, shonen series treat destiny differently. Kazui is born with powers presumably greater than his father's, making this six-year-old child capable of constructing portals to the Soul Realm. Not even Ichigo could dream of having such unique abilities. Most importantly, Kazui's existence leaves open the possibility for a Bleach sequel, much like Boruto.