MANGA PROFILE: TITE KUBO

Manga Profile: Tite Kubo
Profession: Manga-ka
Manga: Zombie Powder, Bleach
Anime Series from the manga: Bleach
Born: Noriaki Kubo
Nationality: Japanese
Website/Blog: None, but he's on Twitter!


TITE KUBO started out with his first manga series Zombie Powder before he moved onto Bleach, the hit story of a teenage boy, Ichigo Kurosaki who becomes a Soul Reaper thanks to Rukia Kuchiki and gets to wield a huge sword at regular intervals against evil monsters called Hollows.

Tite is a quiet and reserved type who feels best when creating new chapters to Bleach, and doesn't know how to act when at conventions in the US (his non Japanese fans are more enthusiastic than he expected!) He likes to create such memorable characters as the mammorifically challenged Rangiku Matsumoto, Bonny hugging Kaien Shiba, the Jazz loving Shinji Hirako, Squinty eyed grin monkey Gin Ichimaru and all round bad guy sans glasses Aizen Sousuke.

If you read Zombie Powder, you can see the ideas flowing through the story, and though this particular manga isn't Bleach, you can also see the characters that would later be featured in Bleach such as Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. He was obviously feeling his way through how the story would look back then and had it fleshed out ready for when he created Bleach.

Think about how the character of Ichigo Kurosaki has changed, and even in the anime series how he has grown, as have his powers and the myriad plot spoilers he's coped with along the way. He's always had his friends to keep him company, Keigo, Tatsuki and Orihime - and Uryu, but there's also his goofy dad, Ishin who can knock seven bells of crap out of him and not make a dent!

With all the hype surrounding the new manga and the anime series starting soon,  Bleach is still in the minds of fans and will be for some time.