Rukia Kuchiki ( , Kuchiki Rukia?) is a fictional character and protagonist in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. In the series, Rukia is a Soul Reaper in the 13th Division under Jūshirō Ukitake. Shortly after meeting 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.

Rukia has appeared in several other pieces of Bleach media, including the three featured films in the series, the two original video animations, and several video games. Rukia was one of the first characters of the series created by Kubo, her design being the one he decided to use for all the other Soul Reapers. Reaction to Rukia's character is generally positive.

Her differences from typical shōnen heroines is praised, as is her interaction with other characters. Rukia usually ranks second in Weekly Shōnen Jump's Bleach popularity polls. Several pieces of merchandise have been released in Rukia's likeness, including a plush doll and a figurine.

Bleach was first conceived from Tite Kubo's desire to draw a shinigami in a kimono, which formed the basis for the design of the Soul Reapers. Because of this, Rukia was one of the first characters of the series to be created. Before deciding that every Soul Reaper had swords, Kubo thought that they all should use guns while only Rukia used a scythe.

However, this was changed as he created the Soul Reaper kimono. Kubo also mentioned that Rukia did not seem like a lead character, so he created Ichigo Kurosaki to be the series protagonist. Ichigo's initial design had black hair like Rukia; Kubo had to modify Ichigo's appearance to contrast with hers, giving Ichigo orange hair and a trademark scowl.

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