Despite the anxious eight-year delay, The Thousand-Year Blood War continues to make waves online, captivating several fans due to its stunning animations. Tite Kubo’s Bleach is one of the most recognized anime in the community and has earned its spot in the Big Three of shonen anime alongside, One Piece and Naruto.
Not to forget that the anime’s iconic catchphrase, ‘Bankai,’ has become a global sensation, continuing to resonate with fans and create buzz online. Ichigo Kurosaki is recognized as one of the most beloved fictional characters and many credit Masakazu Morita, the voice behind Ichigo, for bringing him to life. Surprisingly, Morita almost lost the iconic Ichigo’s role, and the revelation may truly astonish you.
Bleach‘s Ichigo VA Shares Close Call That Almost Cost Him the Legendary Role
Despite the prequel’s last episode release in 2012, Tite Kubo‘s work has managed to captivate viewers for over a decade. Thanks to the classic Bleach‘s immense success, The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc became an instant hit despite the long eight-year delay.
Although Bleach‘s return received tons of support from the fandom, the staff had to overcome several challenges to meet the high-end expectations. Masakazu Morita, Ichigo’s VA, also opened up about their initial struggles behind the scenes. Surprisingly, Morita often used to find himself alone during the production of The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, which ultimately led them to find a shocking resemblance to Ichigo’s character.
Translated the latest interview given by Masakazu Morita, in case anyone’s interested.
byu/scheneizel inbleach
Shockingly, the loving voice behind Ichigo, Morita almost lost the iconic role not just once, but twice. In an interview, Ichigo’s VA shares:
As a voice actor, I first came across BLEACH when I was in an audition I had been assigned to by the agency for about six months. I heard about the date of the audition from the office and since I was free the day before, I strolled out on my bicycle. I was preparing to go outside while watching TV.
Then the manager called me and said “What are you doing? You’re auditioning for BLEACH today!” I thought it was strange, because the date was the following day. The schedule that was shared with me turned out to be incorrect, so I rode my bike hurriedly to the venue to give my audition. I always loved BLEACH, but since I arrived three hours late, I thought I failed.
Despite arriving three hours late, Morita was relieved to move forward to the second round of the audition. During the second round, Morita was again blessed with fate as he almost lost the opportunity to audition for Ichigo in Bleach. He adds:
Then someone called, “Is Morita-san still here? Please come into this booth so we can take your audition.” That’s how I was able to play. If I had gone home and not waited, I wouldn’t have been able to play the role of Ichigo Kurosaki. For me, waiting for Ishikawa-san and Sugiyama-kun was fateful.
The voice actor’s shocking revelations have left the entire fandom in disbelief. Morita has always poured his heart and soul into bringing every aspect of Ichigo’s character to life. Interestingly, Ichigo’s VA faced most struggles in his career while working on The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc.
Ichigo’s VA struggles with Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc
Owing to its prequel’s immense success, Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War took the internet by storm. Several manga readers didn’t feel the closure with the anime’s epilogue and were fascinated after the announcement of Bleach‘s return. Besides the fandom’s high expectations, the staff and voice actors overcame many challenges to deliver a cinematic masterpiece.
Interestingly, Morita opened up about his struggles while working on The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. The voice actor disclosed he couldn’t cope with Kurosaki’s personality in The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. Since Tite Kubo showcased much importance in Ichigo’s mental training, Morita felt distressed about failing to portray our beloved protagonist’s emotions on screen.
Bleach is available for streaming on Crunchyroll
