Bleach’s Most Unique Character was the Culmination of a Sad Backstory that Would Make His Loud Behavior a Little Tolerable
When people think about Bleach, usually the names and faces of warriors, both good and evil, pop up in their minds. However, there is another important character who doesn’t engage in a lot of fighting but is a friend of the protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, but is often forgotten. And that character is Kon.
Introduced early on in Bleach, Kon is a Mod-Soul, which means an artificial spirit designed to weaponize vacant bodies. Gikongans, which resemble pills, are home to Mod-Souls, which are not the same as the typical “Soul Candy” that Shinigami utilize to draw spirits from their bodies.
Due to a coincidental mix-up between a batch of regular Gikon and the pill containing Kon, Kon was spared the mass execution of the original Mod-Souls when the project was shelved due to moral dilemmas.
Tite Kubo Revealed That Kon Has a Sad Backstory
Despite the original programming of the Mod-Souls and his numerous helpful skills, Kon provides comic relief most of the time. One could argue that Tite Kubo intended Kon’s character to serve as the series mascot, given that, following his introduction, he assumed the appearance of a plushie for the majority of the series. This notion is further supported by Kon’s rather unique interaction with female characters like Rukia and Orihime.
Despite his comedic leanings and perverted behavior, Tite Kubo revealed that Kon actually has a sad backstory. The character’s designer was inspired to create the figure after witnessing a young child discard a cheap stuffed animal. The boy was apparently upset that his father had not made the purchase of a more expensive item. As such, Kon was brought to Bleach as a stand-in soul chosen for eradication; nevertheless, Ichigo ultimately gave the loud-mouthed bass newfound hope.
Tite Kubo Made One Bleach Arc Entirely Because He Was “Trying to reboot and recreate” His Past Works
It doesn’t end here; Kon has a sad backstory in the series as well. It is revealed that Kon knew what would happen to his peers who were wiped off while he was among the regular Gikon pills. Kon was devastated after seeing and surviving the extinction of his fellow Mod-Souls. He lived his entire existence fearing he would be eliminated until he met Ichigo Kurosaki and crew, who embraced him for who he was.
Because of his terrible experience, Kon has a profound regard for life, which guides his belief that every life is valuable. Kon showed how strong this virtue was when he offered Ichigo’s corpse in addition to his own life to spare several ants from being squashed by a Hollow.
What Happened To Kon In Bleach?
Despite enjoying immense popularity during the time of Bleach‘s initial poll ranking, Kon’s popularity seemed to drop as time passed, and in the final character popularity poll Kon’s rank dropped to 40th, receiving a mere 135 votes. However, the main cogs of Bleach‘s storyline had barely begun to turn by the first poll’s release, as the series had yet to establish the future characters.
That being said, it was only natural for Kon’s popularity to drop to make space for the other staple characters considering his gradual loss of screentime in the face of the series’s main juggernauts and elevated stakes. To put it in simple words, there was no longer a space for a character like Kon in arcs when there were villains like Aizen or the Quincy army out for blood.
Kon is last seen in Soul Society with Ichigo and Orihime. Following this appearance, Kon entirely vanishes from the series. While it makes sense that Kubo could not devote as much attention to Kon as Bleach developed, the absence of all information regarding his eventual fate is unfortunate and leaves a bitter aftertaste.
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