Reception
Byakuya ranked 7th in the most recent popularity poll with 4,010 votes, edging out Orihime Inoue by 35 votes. In 2007, he was one of 4 Bleach characters to place in Newtype Japan's top 100 anime character listing. Dan Woren, Byakuya's English voice actor, liked how his character is able to deal with anything while staying cool. He also noted his need to stick to the rules but found it tragic due to the fact he becomes determined to execute Rukia Kuchiki, his sister.
IGN praises his character's faults and contrasts with Ichigo shown during their climatic battle, stating that "his problem... is that he's arrogant." The battle was "made better by the fact that these two characters have such different personalities and they really seem to be bringing the best out of each other." His lack of truly villainous characteristics as an antagistic role was also praised; in the same review, IGN notes that Ichigo and Byakuya are both "just two people fighting for what they think is right. Ichigo for friendship, and Byakuya for honor and Soul Society pride. Instead of the usual evil vs. good battle, it becomes more about whether honor and rules should come first before saving a friend." At the end of the Soul Society arc, moments showing Byakuya's changes in character were heralded as being some of "the best in the episode"; IGN writes "while Byakuya has changed, he still enjoys some of the traditions of the Soul Society."
Read more about this topic: Byakuya Kuchiki
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