As one of the Big Three, Bleach is one of the most successful anime and manga series of all time. Fans love Bleach because of its impressive character designs and power systems, and they adore the action scenes. Main character Ichigo Kurosaki started off as an ordinary human, but by the end of the series, he possesses Soul Reaper, Hollow, and Quincy powers.

Like many Shonen protagonists, Ichigo has a lot of friends. All of Ichigo's closest friends have spiritual power of some kind, and several of them are humans that he grew up with. Several of his friends are Soul Reapers — who are spirits that fight Hollows and guide souls to the afterlife. Some of his friends actually started off as enemies, but no matter what, they all enrich the story.

10 Nelliel

As the former 3rd Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck is one of the strongest Hollows in Bleach. She gained her child-like appearance because Nnoitora Gilga gave her a serious head wound that caused her spiritual power to leak out. Ichigo and his friends ran into Nel and her friends while they were running to Las Noches.

Nel believes that Soul Reapers are evil, but she became attached to Ichigo as soon as they met. While she is in her child form, Ichigo is like an older brother to her. When she reverts to her adult form, she becomes a loyal and diligent warrior, but with Ichigo she remains cheerful and affectionate.

9 Kenpachi Zaraki

Kenpachi Zaraki is the Captain of Squad 11. The first time he met Ichigo, they had a fight to the death. Fortunately, neither of them died. Ichigo and his friends were intruders at the time, and Kenpachi searched for Ichigo specifically because he wanted to fight the strongest opponent.

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Ichigo was the first person to beat Kenpachi in centuries, and from that moment on, he considered Ichigo to be part of his squad. Every time Kenpachi sees Ichigo, he mentions how much he wants a rematch. When he was sent to Hueco Mundo, he personally went to Ichigo's location to save him from Nnoitora.

8 Renji

Renji is the Lieutenant of Squad 6, and he is known for being a smug and determined fighter. Ichigo and Renji were enemies when they first met, and their fight in Soul Society was hard and bloody. They agreed to set their differences aside to save Rukia, but they did not become friends until Aizen revealed his betrayal.

There are times when Ichigo and Renji do not get along, but they will always help each other out. Renji and Rukia both went to Hueco Mundo without permission to help Ichigo rescue Orihime from Aizen and the Espada.

7 Keigo

Keigo is known for his goofy and hyperactive personality, and he can be overly dramatic at times. He likes to slack off, but he is a good-natured teenager. When he learned that he was going to the same high school as Ichigo and Chad, he got stressed because he thought they were gamblers and drug dealers. He almost had a nervous breakdown when he learned they were all in the same class.

When the real bullies started beating Keigo up, Ichigo and Chad saved him, and he admitted that they were actually good guys. Captain Commander Shunsui Kyoraku comes to Karakura Town to tell Ichigo's friends about his departure, and Keigo is there. He gets angry at Kyoraku for getting Ichigo involved in another one of Soul Society's conflicts.

6 Mizuiro

Mizuiro is resourceful and level-headed, and he was able to keep his cool while being in the presence of Sosuke Aizen. He met Ichigo and Chad on his first day of high school. At the time, he was a bit wary of them because there was a rumor that they were thugs and bullies.

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That being said, he went to introduce himself, and in doing so, the real bullies turned on him and Keigo. Ichigo and Chad fought them off, and Mizuiro went on to praise Keigo. Ichigo told Mizuiro that he was good at making excuses, and asked him to make up an excuse that would keep him and Chad from being suspended. They have been friends ever since.

5 Uryu

When Uryu first met Ichigo, he was antagonistic towards him because he hated all Soul Reapers. He challenged Ichigo to a Hollow killing contest, which led to a Menos Grande appearing in Karakura Town. They teamed up to stop it, and the next day Ichigo invited Uryu to join his friend group for lunch.

From that moment, the two became good friends. Uryu helped to rescue Rukia and Orihime, and he tried to save Ichigo when his mind was overwhelmed by his Hollow form. He fought Kugo with Ichigo, and during the Thousand-Year Blood War, he pretends to join Yhwach in order to help his friends. He also saves Ichigo from an empowered Haschwalth.

4 Chad

Chad does not get a lot of screen time, which is unfair since he is one of Ichigo's closest friends. When Chad moved back to Japan, he helped Ichigo when he was being attacked by thugs. During another altercation, Ichigo came to Chad's defense, and he learned about Chad's upbringing. He also learned that Chad's coin was a memento from his dead grandfather.

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When Chad gets abducted by thugs, one of them threatens to destroy his coin, but Ichigo intervenes again. Not only did Ichigo risk his life for Chad, he risked it for the coin as well. When the fight was done, he and Ichigo made a pact to always help and protect each other.

3 Orihime

Orihime Inoue is an independent woman, and she is known for being caring and optimistic. When Rukia is taken back to Soul Society to be executed, Orihime agrees to help Ichigo save her. Ichigo later risks his life to rescue her from Aizen in Hueco Mundo. They have a very close connection, and Ichigo goes out of his way to protect her.

When Ulquiorra blasted a hole through Ichigo's chest, it was Orihime's voice that ultimately brought him back from the dead. Orihime had a crush on Ichigo, and they do end up getting married. But even before they were romantically involved, he considered her to be a close friend for the majority of the series.

2 Rukia

Many Bleach fans wanted Rukia and Ichigo to become a couple, but they are nothing more than very good friends. They met in the first episode, and after getting injured by a Hollow, she gave her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo. Their friendship grows in the subsequent episodes. They fight Hollows and go to school together, and she joins his human friend group.

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There are times when they get on each other's nerves in comedic ways, but their bond is very strong. Ichigo was willing to take on all of Soul Society to save her, and she has helped him on numerous occasions.

1 Tatsuki

Tatsuki is Orihime's best friend, but she is also Ichigo's childhood friend. They met at a karate dojo when they were both four years old, and she loves to say that she was the first person to make him cry when she hit him. That was how their friendship began, which means that Tatsuki is Ichigo's oldest friend.

She kept beating him at karate for two years, and when Ichigo finally beat her, they decided to stop fighting each other. Ichigo's mother died when they were nine, and Tatsuki searched for him when he started skipping school. They were also karaoke partners.

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