VS.
Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Hakusho (MAIN EVENT PART 1) where I pit the worlds of Bleach & Yu Yu Hakusho (YYH abbreviated). So far, YYH leads against Bleach 3-1, but within September, anything can happen. Bleach Hakusho 2 Fight Night posts will be on Mondays & Fridays all throughout September. Without further ado, let's start off the 4th Matchup ~ Rukia Kuchiki vs. Yoko Kurama. Take into account that Storyline & Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors in these Fight Night posts. Let's jam!
Storyline (Rukia)
150 years prior to the storyline, Rukia's older sister, Hisana, were brought up together in the 78 District of Rukongai, Inuzuri. Unable to take care of her sister, Hisana abandoned her and so a majority of Rukia's life was spent alone up until she met Renji. Rukia's chance meeting Renji & his friends flourished into a dynamic relationship ~ creating a little family, but things went downhill for the two when Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki clan by Byakuya, later found out to be Rukia's adoptive brother & Hisana's husband. Rukia enrolled in Shin'o Academy in order to become a Shinigami alongide Renji & other Lieutenants and eventually found herself in the 13th division under Captain Jushiro Ukitake (she was admitted into the 13th division without taking an entrance exam). From here on, she developed a little crush on her lieutenant and admirer, Kaien Shiba. When Kaien Shiba became under the control of a Hollow, Kaien asked Rukia to do the unthinkable - Kill him. Following his lieutenant's request, Rukia killed both Kaien & Hollow controlling him and up until the rescue arc, had to live with the idea that she was Kaien Shiba's killer. Her relationship with Kaien is much like her relationship with Ichigo - Dynamic in the sense that both encouraged one another and have gotten stronger in terms of utilizing their Zanpaktou & becoming incredibly strong Shinigami.
During her stay and commission in Karakura Town, she met with Ichigo (who could see spirits and thus kicked Rukia). Her meeting with Ichigo, as said above, is much like Kaien Shiba's. However, her stay in Karakura Town with helping out Ichigo in fighting hollows & her Gigai body, were in jeopardy as the 6th Division Captain & Lieutenant, Renji (childhood friend) & Byakuya (older brother), took her in for her stay in the Human World. It wouldn't be until later where she learned that her Gigai body that Kisuke Urahara gave her was only a shell to hide Aizen's target - The Hogyoku. Rukia was eventually saved by Ichigo & his friends and though she's grateful for life being saved, she was ready to face execution without any regrets. After Ichigo & Byakuya's intense and badass one-on-one battle, Byakuya explained to Rukia the origins of her past - him being Rukia's adoptive older brother & of Hisana's fate. Soon after, Rukia would play a pivotal role in Bleach as Ichigo's right-hand. During the Arrancar Arc, she showcases her Zanpaktou for the first time - Sode no Shirayuki against D-roy (but was no match for 6th Espada, Grimmjow) and beating the 9th Espada, Aaroniero (who utilized Kaien's Zanpaktou and kept appearance from hollow). She helped out in Hueco Mundo by fighting Rudborrn & Yammy, but later would be saved by Ichigo's friends, Byakuya, & Kenpachi. After Ichigo loses his powers, Rukia is last seen disappearing from Ichigo's sight (this indicates that Ichigo can no longer see spirits). However, it wouldn't be long before Rukia reappears once more when Rukia restores Ichigo's power with a sword imbedded with the reiatsu of the Shinigami from the Gotei 13. She plays a more pivotal role during the bloody war between the Shinigami & Sternritter as she finally achieved Bankai ~ defeating As Nodt in the process as a result of her stay with the 0 Division & training intensely to help out Ichigo & his allies.
Storyline (Kurama)
Long before Kurama was named Shuichi and met the Spirit Detective Yusuke Urameshi, he was the leader of a group of bandits. A renowned demon, Kurama power is fear amongst the demons as he is regarded as a legend. However, to escape persecution from Spirit World's security, he placed his soul in the unborn child of Shiori Minamino and for 14 long years, learned about love, compassion, understanding, and what it means to have morals and values apart from his previous life. At first, Kurama was using his human mother as a host, but soon grew attached to her and she became the single most important person in Kurama's life. It was a 2nd chance for Kurama, but also made his escape possible. It wouldn't be long before his mother turns ills and he had no other choice but to team up with other demons (Hiei & Goki) in order to save his human mother. From then on, he met our hero, Yusuke, and Kurama has sworn to befriend the Spirit Detective for his compassion and in saving his mother's life - once strangers now become best of friends, for better or for worse. And soon after, Kurama joins Yusuke alongside Hiei, Kuwabara, & Genkai in facing off various demons.
Kurama, for the most part, is an integral member of Team Urameshi, but later on, is forced to join the ranks of Lord Yomi, his childhood friend because if he doesn't, his human mother and brother will be in danger. Both Yusuke & Hiei were summoned by Raizen and Mukuro as successors for the throne of the 3 Demon Kings. Kurama later becomes 2nd-in-command under Yomi (after dispatching his former guard) and serves as his strategist. Despite not wanting to serve under a man he finds repulsive, he'll only do so if it weren't for his mother & brother being in danger. Later, turns out that the demon who was under the strings defected to Kurama's side and Kurama reluctantly joined Yusuke once again to thwart Yomi's plan to remain in power.
Powers/Abilities (Rukia)
Rukia's Zanpaktou, Sode No Shirayuki, is a ice-based Zanpaktou allows her to bring her body temperature to temperatures below zero and anything her sword comes in contact with freezes. She is able to temporarily fight in a "Dead" state due to her Zanpaktou abilities. Her Zanpaktou has a variety of attacks relating to ice called "Dances" and each has different and unique abilities such as freezing someone within her field of vision or firing ice directly at her opponents. She also has Bankai (Hakka no Togame), which allows her to reach temperatures below zero and everything around her is covered in ice (As Nodt's demise). She is also seen being proficient in Kido, Shunpo, & has gotten exceptionally stronger - going from a lower seat in the 13th Division to eventual Lieutenant.
Powers/Abilities (Kurama)
Yoko Kurama wields a rose whip, capable of slicing demons of any caliber. However, his true power is derived from his demon form - his rose whip capable of cutting through most things and is power level exceeding that of his human state. What makes Kurama such an interesting character aside from his abilities is his innovation, intelligence, and precision. In fighting demons, he is quick to learn of his opponents strengths and weaknesses. Some prime examples is planting a seed inside Roto, who had threatened to kill his human mother or finding the weak point in Genbu's recovery. Kurama pinpoints and strikes at home his opponents, merciless or not, in hopes they submit or die. Kurama has taken down demons of all kinds (EX: Karasu, Ura Urashima, Toya, and Gama), but knows that there's also limitations because of his human side (lost to Shigure and was weak after defeating Toya and Gama). He is capable of striking fear in his opponents, creating opportunities in fighting his opponents, and discerning their next move before they can make it. Human or Demon, Kurama's intellect compliments his calm demeanor as he is not to be underestimated by any means.
Verdict
And the winner is... (Photo courtesy of Ikuzze)
So far in BH2, YYH has won 3x whereas Bleach has only won 1 Round. There are 10 Matchup(s) all throughout September and, like I've said before in the intro, anything can and will happen. I would have to thoroughly evaluate the two characters and give my impression on who has the better story, the more impressive powers/abilities, and overall their impact on their respective franchise. Now Kurama & Rukia have had a profound influence on the main characters. Both have served as their advisors, allies, & more importantly friends. Kurama's upbringing was filled with pillaging and creating notoriety whereas with Rukia, her upbringing was bittersweet. She was abandoned by her older sister, grew up with total strangers, and was adopted into a powerful & rich clan without having any sort of memory on who she really is. Once she does find out the reasoning behind her abandonment and her adoption into the Kuchiki clan, it became all the more clearer on she is and where she came from. With Kurama, I didn't really get the sense of why he started becoming a bandit in the first place. He was well-respect, feared, and renowned throughout the Demon World, but after escaping persecution and hiding himself within a human host ~ it was all sunshines & rainbows. With Rukia, you never got the sense that everything, from the get-go, was picture perfect. Kurama would eventually learn the importance of family & what it means to protect whereas with Rukia, she already has that purpose the moment she met Renji's crew. Even though they never knew one another until that moment, Rukia made a bold statement by protecting & successfully escaping all the shady stuff in South Rukongai (Inuzuri). Rukia became a irreplaceable member of Renji's crew and before we knew it....all except Renji & Rukia died. The two vowed to join the Gotei 13 and become Shinigami. With Kurama, his turn changed for the better ~ he learned about human kindness. However, that's not to say Kurama hit some bumps throughout YYH. Hiei & Goki enlisted Kurama to help them steal some artifacts from the Spirit World, but Kurama was saved by "human kindness" thanks to the efforts of Yusuke Urameshi. Since then, Kurama is pulled into a world where he wants to preserve the human world he's grown accustomed to and to fight off demons who pose a threat to it. With Rukia, it's clear that her objective was just to monitor Karakura Town for any abnormalities, but once she stumbled across Ichigo ~ their fates intertwined and, much like Kurama & Yusuke, would form a friendship that'll stand still the test of time. So in terms of story, I feel like Rukia's has more depth and has layers. Rukia is a staple character in Bleach and, to me, is the reason why Bleach started. Tite Kubo started drawing Shinigami, but his final illustration of a Shinigami was a girl wearing a Shihakusho and that's where it began. For powers/abilities ~ it's Ice vs. Vegetation. As much as I love Kurama, I think Rukia has the better powers/abilities. To put it in perspective, Rukia can freeze anything she touches....this makes Kurama's abilities nonexistent because despite having fought many opponents and overcoming the odds, Kurama hasn't really fought an antagonist that was.....antagonizing. They were all easy pickings for Kurama and though some took some thinking & luck, I don't think Kurama would stand a chance against Rukia in her Bankai form. He'd have to plant a seed inside of Rukia, but Rukia wouldn't feel it since in her Bankai form, her body temperature would just freeze the seed and thus preventing it from doing any damage. Rukia is the superior character ~ has more depth in both storyline & powers/abilities.
So who do you think won this matchup? Yoko Kurama from YYH or Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach? Comment below & let me know. Look forward to BH 2 posts on Mondays & Fridays all throughout September. Until then, you stay classy. Here's the current score:
1) Sojiro Kusaka vs. Shinobu Sensui ~ YYH
2) Aaroniero Arruruerie vs. Elder Toguro ~ YYH
3) Renji Abarai vs. Kazuma Kuwabara ~ Bleach
4) Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez vs. Younger Toguro ~ YYH
5) Rukia Kuchiki vs. Yoko Kurama ~ Bleach
YYH still leads 3-2 against Bleach.
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