Rukia Kuchiki

Rukia Kuchiki (朽木 ルキア, Kuchiki Rukia?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. In the series, Kuchiki is a Soul Reaper in charge of slaying evil spirits known as Hollows. At the beginning, after a brief meeting with the main protagonist of the series, Ichigo Kurosaki, who can see supernatural beings such as Soul Reapers, she is forced to give him her powers in order to fulfill her duties as a Soul Reaper. Kuchiki has appeared in several other pieces of Bleach media, including the four featured films in the series, the two original video animations, and several video games.

Kuchiki was the first character of the series created by Kubo, her design being the one he decided to use for all the other Soul Reapers. Reaction to her character is generally positive. Her differences from typical shōnen heroines is praised, as is her interaction with other characters. As a result, she usually ranks second in Weekly Shōnen Jump's Bleach popularity polls, and is consistently the most popular female character in those polls. Several pieces of merchandise have been released in Rukia's likeness, including a plush doll and a figurine.