Ichigo got married to Orihime, his longtime classmate and very close friend. They went on to have a son together named Kazui Kurosaki in the epilogue of the Bleach series.
Ichigo ending up with Orihime is a bit of a controversial outcome amongst fans of Bleach. While some believe that the romance came out of nowhere and didn’t have any basis, others argue that Ichigo should have ended up with Rukia, the female Shinigami from which he got his powers.
Ichigo Ended Up With Orihime at the End of Bleach Manga
Much of Bleach manga focuses on the various battles that Ichigo and his fellow soul reapers wage against different enemies, but there is still a bit of a romance weaved in, and one of them is that between Ichigo and his long-time friend and classmate, Orihime. The romance between the two is slow-burn in nature and progressively develops throughout the series.
When Ichigo and Orihime first met in school, Orihime immediately developed a crush on Ichigo. With time, this crush developed into love as she was impressed with how Ichigo fought hard to protect his loved ones. He, on his own part, seemed to be unaware of her affections, but as the story winds down, they have no choice but to face what has been simmering between them. In the epilogue of the Bleach manga, which is set 10 years later comes around, Ichigo and Orihime are already married and have a son together.
Unlike her husband, who is a soul reaper, Orihime is a mere human without any remarkable powers. She was raised by her beloved brother after they ran away from the house of their abusive parents. Her brother later dies, and an aunt enrolls her in school. Despite not having many powers, Orihime often joins Ichigo in some of his missions. Her active participation later enables her to develop some spiritual-like abilities.
Ichigo and Orihime’s Romance Has Angered Some Bleach Fans
Ichigo and Orihime’s love story is a bit of a controversial one with fans of Bleach manga, as some believe that Ichigo should have ended up with Rukia. Rukia is the soul reaper who gave Ichigo her powers so that he can work on her behalf. This breaks the code of the soul reapers, and she is punished for her actions with Ichigo coming to her aid.
The duo would fight several more battles together and, as such, closely interacted with each other. Some of their interactions were quite emotional and intense. The mindset of a good number of Bleach fans was that the writer was setting Rukia and Ichigo up for a romance. They, therefore, felt blindsided when that turned out not to be the case. Ichigo got married to Orihime, while Rukia struck up a romance with Renji Abarai and has a child with him.
#BLEACH20thAnniversary ichigo and rukia are back!!! pic.twitter.com/O40kL6HxUg
— ???? (@floppydisk7000) August 6, 2021
For the naysayers, they believe that the romance between Ichigo and Orihime came out of nowhere. They point to all the bickering between Rukia and Ichigo as a potential sign of love. They also point out that Ichigo went to great lengths to rescue Rukia when she was imprisoned.
There are, however, those who fully support Ichigo and Orihime. They point out the fact that any perceived romance between Ichigo and Rukia only came in the anime, while the manga, which is the source of the work, focused on Ichigo and Orihime. For them, any perceived love interest between Ichigo and Rukia is filler and not canon.
Happy birthday Kazui Kurosaki, son of Ichigo and Orihime ???????? pic.twitter.com/aLhbD2xsGI
— daily karakura team (@teamkarakura) April 29, 2023
Who is Ichigo’s Son, Kazui Kurosaki?
Kazui Kurosaki is the son of Ichigo and his wife, Orihime. He is described as a carefree kid with a taste for adventure. He resembles his mom facially and has the same hair color as his dad, orange. Ichigo’s son is human but also has Shinigami powers.
Even at his young age, he is a soul reaper who helps dead souls find their way to their permanent destination. Kazui also finally extinguished the last remnants of Yhwach’s spiritual pressure/force known as reiatsu which manifested a decade after the death of the evil progenitor of the Quincy race.