You've been drawing Bleach
since 2001, seven years now.
Has it changed dramatically
from what toi thought this
story would be when toi first
started drawing it?
Tite Kubo: At first, I didn't plan that
there would be Taicho, the head
Captain of the Soul Society. The
captains, they didn't exist at first.
ICHIGO, CHAD, URYU AND KON:
CREATING THE MANY CHARACTERS
OF BLEACH
Q: What comes first? the
characters, ou the story's plot?
Tite Kubo: (emphatically) Characters
first!
Q: Bleach has so many
characters with so many
different powers, weapons,
personalities and
relationships! How do toi come
up with them?
Tite Kubo: I really don't intend that
characters have certain personalities
when I come up with them.
Sometimes I can't think of any new
characters. Then other times, I come
up with 10 ou plus new characters.
Q: Are there any characters that
toi thought fans would love
but didn't, ou a character that
caught on with fans in a way
that toi didn't expect?
Tite Kubo: I don't really recall any
characters that I've created that I
thought fans would l’amour but didn't,
but usually I notice that when I start
describing a character's personality
ou back story, the fans start to really
respond to them, and really start
liking them.
However, in the case of Suhei Hisagi
(Lieutenant / jouer la comédie Captain of Squad
9), fans got hooked on him before I
even started describing his
personality, so that was very
unusual.
Q: Are there any characters that
are most like you?
Tite Kubo: I feel like all the
characters have a little bit of me in
them! (laughs)
Q: How do toi come up with the
clothes for the characters in
Bleach?
Tite Kubo: I just put the characters in
the clothes I wish I could buy, but
can't find in stores.
Q: What do toi consider to be
Ichigo's greatest strength and
his greatest weakness?
Tite Kubo: His strength is that he is
always considerate and thoughtful.
He always thinks about other
people's needs. That is a great
strength, but it's also his greatest
weakness, because worrying about
his Friends puts him in danger too,
sometimes.
Q: Speaking of Ichigo's
relationships with his friends,
there seems to be a love
triangle between Ichigo, Rukia
and Orihime. Do toi delve more
into this in later volumes?
Tite Kubo: (laughs) I get asked about
that a lot! I don't want to make
Bleach into a l’amour story because
there are much plus exciting things
about their personalities and things
that they can do instead of getting
into the romance aspect of their
relationships.
Q: Your male characters are
great, but your female
characters are also very strong,
interesting women. Are you
influenced par strong women in
your life when toi create these
characters?
Tite Kubo: I have quite a few female
Friends who are not physically
strong, but mentally, they are really
very strong people.
Q: Do toi have a favori female
character in Bleach?
Tite Kubo: Hmm. Yoruichi and
Rangiku! Their attitude is like, they
just don't care what people think of
them! (laughs) I have a lot of fun
drawing them and creating stories
with them.
Q: What inspired toi to have a
Mexican character like Chad and
to include Hispanic culture in
Bleach?
Tite Kubo: It wasn't something
intentional. When I designed Chad,
he looked like he had a Mexican
heritage, so I just wrote that in.
Q: How did toi come up for idea
of the Quincies?
Tite Kubo: I created Qunicies to be
Ichigo's rival characters, so i put
Uryu in white clothing (compared to
the black kimono worn par the Soul
Reapers). Qunicies use arrows
because they're long range weapons,
so it's difficult for Ichigo to fight
them with his sword, which is more
for short range combat.
The Quincy traverser, croix has 5 points, kind
of like the the Japanese 5-pointed
star. 5 points, quintet, Quincy!
Quincies use arrows, so if toi call
them Qunicy archers, it sounds like a
name, so I kind of liked that.
Q: Is the Kon doll based on
anything from your childhood?
Tite Kubo: I wanted to create
something that looks fake, that
looks like something that was just
aléatoire things put together.
Normally toi don't have a sewing
line in the middle of a stuffed doll's
face unless it's done to make the face
look plus three-dimensional. But
look at Kon! His face is flat so that
line is unnecessary -- so I kind of like
that fact.
Ichigo and Rukia first find Kon on
the street, so I made up a back story
about how he got there. At a festival,
a child wanted a stuffed animal, but
since the one that he wanted was too
expensive, so the parent bought a
cheap one instead. The child didn't
like it and threw it away, so that's
why the Kon doll was found on the
street!
BLEACH STORY DEVELOPMENT
AND THE FUTURE OF BLEACH
Q: One thing your fans love
about your manga is that you
always keep them guessing. Do
toi plan very far ahead how
your characters will interact
with each other, and the
various plot twists toi throw
into your stories?
Tite Kubo: After i finished drawing
chapter one, I already knew that
Ichigo's dad Isshin would be a Soul
Reaper. At the time, I didn't plan on
having leaders in the Soul Society,
so I didn't plan on him being one of
the leaders.
Q: Will toi feature a back story
about Isshin?
Tite Kubo: Yes, I will draw it!