Nothing is better than a stoic character completely submitting himself to love and compassion; and Byakuya Kuchiki’s transformation in Bleach was exactly that. Throughout the story, Byakuya plays an important role, initially as an antagonist and then as an ally. His transformation was interesting to witness, and by the end of the Soul Society arc, he was already a fan-favorite character.
To this day, he easily ranks among the most popular characters in Bleach. This is no surprise, considering how Tite Kubo was preparing us for Byakuya’s transformation all along. As interesting as his character arc was, there were subtle hints all along that revealed his true feelings.
Byakuya’s character development in Bleach
Byakuya was initially introduced as a cold-hearted Shinigami, who prioritized his duties over everything. Whether he had to be tough on his vice-captain or his own sister, there was no limit to how far he would go to uphold his duties. The moment he ruthlessly declared Rukia’s execution was enough to evoke intense hate in fans.
So, it’s safe to say that Byakuya started out on a rough note. Even then he was extremely cool and had an interesting ability. Yet, what made the greatest difference was how phenomenally Tite Kubo executed his character arc, turning him into a beloved character.
Byakuya went from stern and unforgiving to a loving big brother. He was experiencing internal turmoil, as he had to choose between his duties and his only family. The portrayal of this inner conflict and his flashback helped his character a great deal.
None of this would have been possible, if Kubo didn’t show us hints of Byakuya’s kindness during his fight against Ichigo. The mangaka was preparing us all for Byakuya’s true feelings, which completely changed fans’ perception of him.
The scene that revealed Byakuya’s true feelings
From the get go, it was shown that Byakuya was onboard with Rukia’s execution as she betrayed the Soul Society. He was willing to kill her himself, but Ichigo’s arrival challenged Byakuya’s strength and beliefs. Ichigo’s unwavering conviction allowed Byakuya to retrospect and change himself. Plus, it was a voluntary change on his part.
A Reddit comment explains how Byakuya willingly lost against Ichigo by analyzing what would surely fail against Ichigo’s reiatsu.
Comment
byu/PitchOutrageous1563 from discussion
inbleach
During his fight against Ichigo, Byakuya voiced how upholding the law was more important to him than protecting his own family. At the same time, he was intrigued by Ichigo’s conviction and how he liberated himself from the Hollow to fight Byakuya fair and square. As a result of how dedicated Ichigo was, Byakuya used an attack that was clearly inferior to Ichigo’s Bankai.
By choosing that attack, he came to a conclusion regarding the conflict he was facing in his head. Even though he was dead set on upholding the law, he chose to let Ichigo win and chose Rukia, in turn. It was admirable to see such a proud and stoic character revise his own ideals so honestly, and that’s also what makes Byakuya so popular.
Bleach is available to stream on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
