Waifu Wednesday: Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)
Sometimes big things come in small packages, which is why we love Rukia Kuchiki so much. She’s one of the first characters introduced in Bleach and is the driving force behind the anime’s opening arcs. Even without her powers, she’s one of the best damn Soul Reapers around, which makes her an obvious candidate for the Waifu Wednesday treatment.
While she lacks some of the outlandish designs of other Bleach characters, Rukia remains at the heart and soul of the show. No one, not even protagonist Ichigo, is as much fun to watch.
Who is Rukia Kuchiki?
She might look like a frail girl, but looks can be deceiving. Rukia has a chance encounter with Ichigo in the opening episode of Bleach, resulting in him absorbing her powers as a soul reaper. This is not only incredibly inconvenient for her but it breaks all manner of regulations for the afterlife. Plus, it puts countless people at risk of being eaten by rogue Hollows, so she sticks around to teach him how to use her powers while she tries to figure out a way to get them back.
You might expect that Rukia Kuchiki would be somewhat helpless without her powers and her zanpakuto, but she manages to use her kido spells to support and protect Ichigo as he swings his sword around like a bat. Rather than despair at her situation, Rukia finds a way to protect people even without her Soul Reaper abilities. Because it is easy to be a hero when you’ve got all the power. Doing it when you’re powerless takes real bravery.
Why we love her
The pinnacle of Bleach, in my opinion, centres entirely around Rukia and her strange relationship with the Soul Society. Sentenced to death for allowing a human to use her powers, Rukia’s past is revealed to be exactly as tragic as you’d expect from an anime heroine. In many ways, her (after)life highlights the glaring inequalities of the afterlife, in which a caste system is in place and strictly enforced by those who directly benefit from it.
Death is meant to be the great equaliser. Regardless of how rich or powerful you are, you cannot escape its grasp. With Rukia’s past, Tite Kubo highlights how deeply inequality and unfairness are ingrained in the world. Rukia Kuchiki experiences an afterlife of poverty and desperation as well as one of privilege and comfort. That she escapes the former is largely due to chance encounters, a fact that she remembers when she reaches a position of power in Soul Society.
Why you’ll love her
Rukia is a wonderfully balanced character. She is seen as one of the most competent soul reapers in the show and has a cold, methodical approach to her duties, yet never slips into what could be considered tsundere territory. She’s distant but not needlessly mean. She is kind when it is necessary but firm when it is needed. In a show filled with childish antics and silly people, she plays the role of Grown Up In The Room without coming across as boring.
More than that, Rukia is someone who feels deeply, even if she doesn’t show it readily. Her bond with Ichigo is the cornerstone of the show and is what drives him toward greatness. Ichigo can only be the hero because he sees the high standard that Rukia set for him and every other soul reaper in the show.
Bleach is a show absolutely bursting at the seams with great waifus. While Rukia Kuchiki has the most grounded and realistic character design, she’s easily my favourite character in the show. You can catch the original run of the Bleach anime and the final Thousand Year Blood War arc streaming on Disney+.
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