Masaki Kurosaki

Masaki Kurosaki (黒崎真咲) was an Echt Quincy, and she is also the late wife to Isshin Kurosaki.

She is the late mother of Ichigo Kurosaki, Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki. She was killed 9 years ago trying to protect her son from the evil Hollow known as the Grand Fisher. However she is also the late mother in law of Orihime Inoue, and lastly is the late grandmother of Kazui Kurosaki.

Background

Masaki Kurosaki was born on the day of June 9th and her early childhood is a complete mystery. When Masaki was a young teenage girl in high school, it was reveal that she was the last of the Kurosaki family. She was taken in by Ryuken Ishida's mother so that she would be protected as one of the last pure blood Quincy, so that one day she would marry Ryuken, and keep the Quincy Bloodline of the Ishida family pure, due to the Quincys being an endangered race. She was scolded by her aunt at least once because of her slow progress in training.

Sensing two powerful sources of very high Reiatsu drawing near by, Masaki, while running into the hallway, was stopped by Ryuken, who asked her where she was going. When Ryuken told her that she should care more about herself and how the pure blooded Quincy should not fight for just any reason, Masaki, after sensing the explosion created by the Hollow creature fighting a Cero, started running again. When being told by Ryuken to stop, she told him that even though she liked how he thought of everyone else before taking action, if someone died because she was forced to follow a custom, then she could not live with herself or forgive herself.

Masaki eventually came to the injured Isshin Kurosaki's rescue by firing at the "Black Hollow" he was facing attracting its attention. When she realized that the creature was too fast for her to accurately aim at, she therefore allowed it to get in too close and bite her so that she could shoot it from point blank range.

This defeats the Hollow, but before she can react, the Hollow self-destructs, with her emerging unscathed due to Isshin taking the blast in her place. After saving him from a Hollow, she introduces herself and also says that she is a Quincy, when he asked her how she could possibly have defeated him. After this encounter, she realizes the Shinigami are not what she had thought of them to be. She spends the night and the next day thinking about Isshin. As she was walking and talking with friends, she suddenly feels faint as she unknowingly walks by Kisuke Urahara. When she recovers, she says to him that she's fine.

Later on that same evening, she is confronted by her aunt, who begins scolding her for going against Quincy traditions. However, during this time, Masaki out of no where collapses in serious pain. Ryuken and his mother then notice what appears to be a Hollow hole forming on her chest. Seeing this, Ryuken immediately takes her and leaves the house with his mother calling him. Her condition is eventually discovered by Isshin, who gets into an argument with Ryuken, and Urahara, who claims he has a solution.

At his shop, Urahara reveals that since his expulsion from the Soul Society, he has been studying Hollowfication and recognizes the symptoms in Masaki. He warns Isshin and Ryūken that the process was originally developed to strengthen Shinigami and while it failed, it was not developed for a Quincy, like Masaki and while he could help save her life, he could not return her to how she was before. Isshin agrees to save her life by giving up his life as a Shinigami, the opposite of a Qunicy and become a Human, the opposite of a Hollow, thus tethering her life to his own until the Hollow left her or if she passes away. Meanwhile, Masaki imagines she is falling down a dark hole but is not alone. The Hollow spirit approaches her but vanishes when Isshin appears, catching her and declaring that he is going to protect her. Isshin then uses Getsuga Tensho to kill the Hollow. With the Hollow gone, Masaki begins frantically questioning Isshin. In the physical world, Urahara silently proclaims that he successfully connected their souls.

Kurosaki family — Masaki with her family.

After she graduated high school, Masaki moved out of the Ishida household, and Isshin had opened up a small clinic. When Masaki started attending a college university, while visiting Isshin, he told her that the reason why he lost his powers was because of a blunder that got him exiled from the Soul Society; however, she realized that he was lying to her. Years later, she married Isshin, and have had giving birth to three children. First a son named Ichigo Kurosaki who was born on July 15th, and 4 years later two fraternal twin daughters named Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki who both were born on May 6th.

She would pick Ichigo up from a martial arts dojo and had befriended Tatsuki Arisawa who was his sparring partner. Masaki enjoyed her life with her new family, and would always love seeing Ichigo smile.

On the day of June 17th in the year of 1994, at night time the Grand Fisher, a Hollow, used the forms of Humans who he had devoured (mostly women) to attract other Humans with high spiritual energy. Ichigo, who was nine years old at the time could not tell the difference between the living and the dead. Ichigo had accidentally saw the Grand Fisher's lure, in the form of a woman about to jump into a rushing river, and ran after it. Masaki, realizing the danger, went after Ichigo to protect him. However, she was unable to use her Quincy powers, as Yhwach had stolen them from her, and therefore she died as a result.

According to Ichigo and her husband, Masaki was the center of the family and everything that went on with the family revolved around her. Due to this fact, Ichigo's family was greatly devastated by her sudden and untimely death. In which all three of her children have changed after her death. With Ichigo no longer smiling, while Karin had stop crying and with Yuzu taking over Masaki's role of being a housewife.

Live Action Film

Her past is still largely the same except that Masaki ran after Ichigo when he saw the Grand Fisher's lure as a little Japanese girl. When Ichigo went unconscious, Masaki basically got two small slashes on her back when she died protecting Ichigo from the hollow. She also had a bit of blood running down her lips when she was attacked by the Grand Fisher.

Personality

BabyIchigo — Masaki caring for Ichigo when he was an Infant

Though not much was seen of her personality, her family has described her as being a very loving mother, and wife who didn't discipline her children. She also found men who smoke to be attractive. Her view of "caring about herself" is to do everything she can daily in order to survive. If she lets people die because of a custom her family upholds, she would never allow herself to live it down.

When she was a teenager, she was shown to put out a strong, confident front around others (like Orihime), though she was nervous around her adoptive mother and cried when she was alone. She also had a sassy personality, as shown with her interactions with Ryuken Ishida. And like Orihime, she would daydream and change the subject by talking about something that wasn't apart of the conversation. Karin and Yuzu admit that Orihime reminds them of Masaki.

Live Action Film

Her personality is largely the same, however she found her husband drinking beer to be attractive. Ichigo described her as the center of the family, and that everyone loved her so much. Isshin also describes her as someone doing the right thing to protect someone that she loves from any harm. Including that she won't forgive Isshin if he blamed her death on Ichigo.

Appearance

Masaki Kurosaki is a woman of average height. She had fair skin, thick eyebrows and long, light, wavy brown hair down to her back. Which she usually had tied in a knot in the back, and bangs down to her chin in the front. She typically wore plain dresses and wore lipstick on occasion. She has brown eyes.

Live Action Film

In the live action film, her appearance is largely the same except that she has long black hair.

Abilities

Reishi Absorption

As a Quincy, Masaki can absorb spiritual energy from the atmosphere, combining it with her own spiritual energy to form weapons and use different techniques.

Blut

Blut (血装 (ブルート), buruto; Japanese for "Blood Guise"): An advanced Quincy technique which grants one inhuman defensive and offensive capabilities by making Reishi flow into the user's blood vessels. As a pure-blooded Quincy, Masaki has possessed this ability since birth.

Blut Vene

Blut Vene (静血装 (ブルート・ヴェーネ), buruto vene, Japanese for "Stilled Blood Guise"): Masaki's defensive form of Blut has been noted by Isshin to be exceptionally powerful, preventing her from suffering any wounds from Hollow attacks after her fight with White.

Reishi Bow

Like most Quincy, Masaki uses a bow as her primary weapon. She can generate a uniquely small bow similar in size to a handgun, which can fire Heilig Pfeil with the same force and power as an average sized bow.

Heilig Pfeil

Heilig Pfeil (神聖滅矢 (ハイリッヒ・ブファイル), Hairihhi Bufairu; Japanese for "Sacred Destruction Arrows"): By further condensing Reishi, Masaki can form spiritual arrows.

Bleach (Anime)

The Agent of Shinigami arc

During the start of the series; six years later when the Kurosaki family visited Masaki's grave, the Grand Fisher returned as he could sense their high spiritual power. During the fight, when Ichigo began to lose, her memory upon being killed was released from Grand Fisher's lure, by telling Ichigo her last thoughts before she died. All she could think about was how much fun they all had together, and for Ichigo to never stop smiling. Her spirit gave Ichigo the strength to nearly kill the Hollow, forcing him to retreat.

The New Captain Shusuke Amagai arc

Bleach 178-080 — Masaki before she part ways with her son.

Masaki reappears when Ichigo Kurosaki faces off against Hanza Nukui. Hanza Nukui uses his Bakkoto, Saiga, to look into Ichigo's memories, to see what Ichigo fears most. He then tortures him with the memories of the death of his mother. Hanza makes it so she tries to choke Ichigo, so this way Ichigo can't harm her or fight back. Before Ichigo chokes to death, the pleasant memories he had with his mother rise up from deep within him. A twister of Reiatsu surrounds them.

Ichigo then tells his mother how much everybody misses her, and how much he managed even without her. Before she vanishes, she smiles after Ichigo thanks her for protecting him that day; even though he couldn't protect her.

Film Appearances

Bleach movie 2

She is mention by Ichigo during his conversation with Zangetsu, and appears in a flashback.

Bleach movie 4

She appears in a photograph but Ichigo tells Isshin to really get rid of the huge memorial photo of her.

Memories in the Rain OVA

2018 Japanese Live Action Bleach Film

She appears in two photos, one in the living room and one in Ichigo's bedroom. Her role is largely the same as the anime and manga.

Legacy

The Kurosaki family now visits her grave every year, and that is the only day in the year Isshin smokes. The reason he smokes in front of her grave was because when they had first started dating, Masaki complimented him about how cool he looked while smoking. He also added that was the first and last time she complimented him about his appearance. Isshin hung up a large poster of her in his home, displaying the phrase "Masaki Forever", and he frequently talks to it as if it were the real Masaki.

According to Tatsuki Arisawa, Ichigo stopped crying every time he saw his mother. She claimed Ichigo had the most beautiful mother ever, and he took it upon himself for her death. Isshin also thought it was his own fault his wife died. His reason was: he could not get there in time to protect her from Grand Fisher. When Ichigo asked him why nobody ever blamed him for his mother's death, Isshin explained to him that he was "the woman I fell in love with was a woman I fell in love with gave her life to save". He also added that when they meet each other again, if he had ever blamed Ichigo, Masaki would not be able to forgive him.

Quotes

(To Ryuken Ishida) "I understand how you're always thinking about your mother and the Quincy as a whole. Always considering what's best for the future, taking into account all the consequences of your actions. And I honestly admire the way you're able to do that. But you see, I'm not you, Ryuu-chan. To me, "taking proper care of myself" means making sure I do what I can in the here and now. Because if I decided not to take action because of rules and customs and somebody died because I did nothing, I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself for that".

Live Action Film

My hero
I was hoping you say that

Relationships

Her Aunt

Isshin Kurosaki

Ichigo Kurosaki

Karin Kurosaki

Yuzu Kurosaki

Tatsuki Arisawa

Ryuken Ishida

Knownable Relatives

Unnamed Parents (Dead)
Unnamed Aunt
Isshin Kurosaki (Husband)
Ichigo Kurosaki (Son)
Karin Kurosaki (Daughter)
Yuzu Kurosaki (Daughter)
Orihime Inoue (Daughter in law)
Kazui Kurosaki (Grandson)
Uzumaki Kushina (True Counterpart)
Quasimodo's Mother (Partnal Counterpart)

Trivia

Her birthday was June 9, but her bloodtype is unknown.
Her star sign is a Gemini.
In the live action film, Masako has black hair instead of light brown hair.

Masaki has many similarities with Uzumaki Kushina from Naruto Shippuuden.

Both are the mothers to the main characters. (For Kushina : Naruto, and for Masaki : Ichigo)
Both of their past is reveal in the franchise.
Both loved their son, and risked their own life to save him.
Both get killed by a demon. (For Kushina : Kurama and for Masaki : Grand Fisher)
Both died after protecting their sons from their true murder.
Both gave a happy message to their son before dying.
Both of their sons can see them in ghost form.
Both of their past on how they meet their husband is revealed.
Both of their sons inherited their personality.
Both of their deaths have a huge effect on their sons.
Both of their sons thanked them for protecting them on the day that they died.
Both of them are present on the day that their sons are born.
Both are seen happily holding their sons when they were an Infant.
Both wanted their son to be happy before they died.
Both of their sons know the Anniversary of their death.
Both loved their husband, and family very much.
Both had a horrible past, in which they try to forget.
Both of their son cherish the memories that they had with them, in order to keep them alive in spirit.
Both are seen being rescued by their future husband. (For Kushina : Minato and for Masaki : Isshin)
Both of them can be seen in photo's or flashback throughout the franchise.
Both of their sons be having visions or Illusions of them til this very day.

Masaki also has many similarities with Quasimodo's Mother from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Both are the mothers to the main characters. (For Masaki : Ichigo, and for Quasimodo's Mother : Quasimodo)
Both are seen holding their sons when they were an Infant.
Both are seen risking their own life to save their son.
Both loved their son dearly, and only wanted to make sure that he was safe from enemies.