For longtime fans of the Bleach series, the return of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was met with an overpowering sense of nostalgia. Ten years later, the anime adaptation revived the franchise once again by bringing new levels of production quality. However, with this return came a wave of scrutiny, especially regarding the voices of the characters to the point that fans initially thought the entire voice-acting cast had been changed.
Ichigo Kurosaki’s voice was the subject of one of the main debates, with some fans complaining that Ichigo’s Japanese voice actor, Masakazu Morita, had changed Ichigo’s delivery in ways that did not meet their expectations. The creator of Bleach, Tite Kubo firmly defended these changes in the face of criticism, providing his own viewpoint on the characters and the series’ development.
Tite Kubo and Masakazu Morita’s Perspective on Bleach Characters’ Changed Voices
Upon the release of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Tite Kubo, and Ichigo’s voice actor Masakazu Morita reflected on their journey throughout the series in an interview in 2023 via Viz Media. During this interview, both Kubo and Morita addressed the criticisms head-on, as well as provided insights into the behind-the-scene process.
Tite Kubo revealed that he is well aware of the issues regarding the voice alterations, however, he didn’t catch the changes himself initially. The modifications were pointed out by his family, who felt that Ichigo’s voice had evolved. He stated,
I didn’t even notice that Morita-san changed his voice. So when I questioned if it really was that different, they said, “It’s completely different. How could you not notice it?”……But if you ask me, Ichigo in Thousand-Year Blood War is supposed to sound this way.
However, Kubo remained steadfast in his belief that this evolution was a natural part of the character’s growth and defended the changes as fitting for the story’s new direction.
Morita, for his part, explained that the changes in his performance were intentional. For instance, Morita specifically mentioned how he altered his pronunciation of Ichigo’s signature move, “Getsuga Tensho“,
I’m taking a different approach to the way I deliver my lines. For example, “Getsugatensho.” Like the sound of the “ga” in “Getsugatensho,” or adding variety to the sounds I couldn’t make before. Especially at the end of consonants, where I’m adding a few embellishments. Also, I slightly increased the volume of my mid-baritone. I tried to slightly increase my range and make it reverberate a little more.
Additionally, he stated that to make it sound more imposing, he lengthened the time it takes to pronounce “ge”, “tsu”, and “ga”. He noted that over the years, he had refined his approach to voicing Ichigo, adding subtle details that better reflected Ichigo’s maturity and the intensity of the situations he was facing in this arc.
Tite Kubo’s Unwavering Vision and Masakazu Morita’s Relentless Dedication throughout Bleach
Masakazu Morita‘s commitment to Ichigo is obvious in the lengths to which he went to understand the character’s development. Morita made it clear that he wanted Ichigo’s transformation from a hot-headed teenager to a more collected confident leader to be reflected in his performance. His voice, the way he delivered important phrases and even his subtle tone shifts were all designed to fit Ichigo’s journey.
Despite being nervous about stepping back into the role after so many years, Morita believed that Ichigo’s voice had to grow. Just as the character had matured, so too had his voice. And though some viewers struggled with this change, Morita remained proud of his work, knowing that he had delivered a performance that stayed true to the character’s essence while acknowledging the passing of time.
In the end, the glorious return of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was largely due to Tite Kubo‘s unshakable vision and Masakazu Morita’s dedication to Ichigo’s growth. For Kubo, it was not about reliving the past but about moving forward and delivering a more mature conclusion to the Bleach saga. And no matter what, Kubo stood by his choices to ensure Thousand-Year Blood War stayed true to the spirit of Bleach while also acknowledging the passage of time.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is currently available to watch on Hulu.
