Tite Kubo was Forced to Change One Bleach Character’s Name to Avoid Fans’ Wrath
Yoruichi Shihōin has been one of the most favored female characters from Bleach, ever since she made her debut in her original form after Ichigo’s fight against Kenpachi Zaraki. While little to none was known about her background and abilities, more research into her past—including her relationship with Kisuke Urahara and the Gotei 13 as a whole—unveiled a great deal more about the reasons behind her great reverence in Soul Society.
Born into the noble Shihōin family, Yoruichi was a prodigious genius who quickly climbed through the ranks to become the Captain of the 2nd Division and the Commander of the Onmitsukido (Stealth Force).
Although she had to defect from the Gotei 13 and flee Soul Society after the Hollowfication Incident, she retained her reputation as the fastest combatant in Soul Society and Bleach as a whole.
Tite Kubo Changed Yoruichi Shihōin’s Name To Avoid Controversy
There’s no doubt that Yoruichi shares an affinity for cats. Hell, when Ichigo and the readers meet her in episode 15 of the first episode, she is introduced as a talking cat. A clever and special cat, but a cat nonetheless.
Moreover, even before transforming into her human form, Yoruichi exudes strength and power. This is probably why Tite Kubo had come up with a different name for Yoruichi initially.
Tite Kubo Made One Bleach Arc Entirely Because He Was “Trying to reboot and recreate” His Past Works
When Tite Kubo was trying to name the character of Yoruichi Shihōin, he decided a change of name was needed. At first, the character bore the name Yoruichi Shihōin Kuroneko. Kuroneko translates to ‘black cat’ in Japanese.
Given that the character is a POC, Kubo thought the name might spark a racial controversy. He just shortened her name to Yoruichi as a result.
Yoruichi Shihōin Is Appropriately Titled The ‘Flash Goddess’
Because of her extraordinary talent for Shunpo, Yoruichi is without a doubt one of the strongest characters in Gotei 13, if not the quickest. For this reason, she was dubbed the “Flash Goddess” and used her combat skill to create some of her own techniques, such as Utsusemi, in addition to a few with Hakuda such as Taketonbo and Raioken.
She has coached both Sui-Feng and Byakuya Kuchiki to some degree, so there’s little question that her skills are comparable to, if not superior to, theirs. A testament to her power and skill as a Shinigami is the fact that she was able to spar on an equal footing with Kisuke Urahara, as they frequently did during their training together as children, and even attained the rank of Captain before him.
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