Summary
-
The characters' poems in Bleach reflect their inner thoughts and add depth to their personalities.
-
The poems highlight themes of love, loss and pride and provide insight into the characters.
-
The poems offer emotional reflections, suggest relationships, and emphasize the themes of the series.
At the very beginning of each volume Bleach and in the closing moments of the recent The Thousand Year Blood War episodes, there is always a short poem said by one of the series' characters. Sometimes they're just small hints of what's to come next, but many of them are much more thought-provoking and also deal with the deeper themes of the series.

Related
Bleach: The 9 Best Manga Covers, Ranked
Bleach manga covers always focus on a single character, but which portrait is considered the most iconic of them all?
It means that these particular poems represent the character's inner thoughts and how they personally see the world from their own perspective. As a result, these lines can give fans deeper insight into these characters and their personalities by highlighting thoughts they may never intend to say out loud. All of these incredible poems are worth exploring, but in terms of memorability and impact, these particular ones are among the best.
8
“Knowing sadness is not scary.” What's scary is knowing you can't go back to the happiness you could have had” – Rangiku
Rangiku Reflects On The Lost Happiness Her And Gin Never Got To Share
Rangiku's relationship with Gino is full of tragedy. After Aizen stole part of her soul from her, Gin, Rangiku's childhood friend, devised a plan to act as one of Aizen's henchmen to finally get his revenge. This poem seems to focus on Rangiku's acceptance that she and Gin can never go back to the past after all that has happened, which eventually becomes a “terrifying” thought for her.
Whenever the show flashed back to Rangiko and Gino when they were younger, they always had big smiles on their faces and seemed like they were really comfortable with each other. There have also been many subtle hints that the two might develop a romantic relationship, which makes this poem feel like an even bigger gut punch because they will never be able to live out that dream of happiness.
7
“Those who do not know what love is, compare it to beauty. Those who claim to know what love is like ugliness” – Gin
A rare insight into Gino's emotional view of love
Gin often speaks in riddles whenever he appears in Bleach series, so it's hard to even deduce what exactly the former captain is thinking. However, this poem hits straight to the heart of Gino and his true emotions as he talks openly about the “ugly” side of love that many people who have never experienced it may not be aware of.
In order to protect and avenge Rangika, Gin ends up pushing everyone away and even killing many people during his journey of revenge. He ends up sacrificing his entire life for his love for Rangiku, this line sums up how much damage it can do to a person in some cases. It's a rare sign of emotion from Gin that surprisingly comes very early in the story in Volume 20.
6
“The heart burns even when the rain falls” – Yamamoto
Yamamoto's stomach poem sums up his burning hatred for the Yhwach
A short but also incredibly emotional quote when put into context, this line comes from Yamamoto after his intense battle with Yhwach, which ended with the former being cut in two. The “fire” Yamamoto refers to here does not only refer to his flame-based Bankai, but also refers to his deep hatred for Yhwach and the Quincy who took everything from him and Soul Society.

Related
Bleach: 9 Characters Whose Appearances Changed The Most
It's hard to tell these Bleach characters from the last story arc because of how much their appearance has changed.
However, after it is revealed that Yamamoto was tricked by Yhwach, he is seen standing in the rain for several seconds before being defeated, as if simply accepting his own fate. Despite the rain, along with the sadness and regret that engulfs him at that moment, Yamamoto's heart still rages at the destruction caused by his age-old rival, Yhwach.
5
“My child's hand, so lost. Wandering In Search Of Me. Close but far, I take your hand We will go to the end together.” – Mayuri
Mayuri's complex relationship with Him is at the core of this beautiful poem
Although this poem appears in volume 71, which features Nemu on the cover, it appears that Mayuri said it during his fight with Pernida, where he truly begins to reflect on his relationship with his lieutenant. Despite Nemu being simply another of his many experiments, Mayuri eventually begins to recognize Nemu's impressive growth over the course of the series, and even though he's treated her pretty horribly in the past, it means he's at least starting to consider her one of his own. own daughter by the end of their time together.
This complex relationship is at the heart of this poem where Mayuri basically sees himself as the father of this “lost” child that he has to take care of. The last line suggesting they'll make it to the end “together” is also a neat reference to the last line Mayuri ever said to Nemo, making it even more heartfelt.
4
“If I were rain, could I connect with someone's heart, because Earth can unite the eternally separated Earth and Heaven?” – Orihime
Orihime thinks about how she can express her love through an adorable metaphor
This is a beautiful line from Orihime that appears early in the series and elegantly emphasizes the love she has for both her late brother and Ichigo. Kubo represents this by drawing the readers mind to the rain and how it is in a sense the only connecting factor between heaven and earth. Could Orihime also make such a connection if she were to become the rain itself?

Related
Bleach: 8 Soul Reapers Who Never Used Bankai
For one reason or another, these Soul Reapers in Bleach never chose to release their Bankai, prompting much fan speculation as to what they might be.
Although Orihime cares deeply for many people, her shy and awkward personality can often prevent her from expressing how she truly feels. As a result, it feels like a poem that Orihime would come up with while thinking about all of this in her room, using a beautiful metaphor to describe how difficult it must be to bridge such a seemingly impossible chasm.
3
“If it rusts, it can never be trusted.” If the owner can't control it, it will chop it up. Yes, pride is like a blade” – Zangetsu
Zangetsu's poem is full of references to the series and its underlying themes
For most of the series, Zangetsu has always been a guiding light for Ichigo, teaching him about his abilities and preparing him for future battles. This thought provoking poem by Zangetsu was therefore able to relate to his role in the story while emphasizing the idea of pride and how it can affect a warrior in battle.
Having the instinct to kill and not letting pride get in the way has always been an underlying theme for many Bleach fights, including Ichigo's match with Kenpachi, which is where Zangestu first reveals himself. At the same time, this poem also openly talks about the nature of a Zanpakuto and how its owner must not only accept it, but also trust it in order to form a bond between them.
2
“We fear what we cannot see” – Ichigo
The very first poem could be the tagline for the entire Bleach series
The very first poem in the story returns to an early main theme Bleach: The Mystery of the Afterlife. Ichigo can see ghosts, but he would have no idea that this other world would also be full of Soul Reapers, Arrancar, and bloodthirsty Hollows, which is always a terrifying sight.
Kubo has always liked toying with the idea that there is a whole other world out there that ordinary people don't even know about, and the idea of it can be absolutely terrifying. This short but powerful quote that opens the series could easily be considered a tagline.
1
“All humans, ape imitations. All gods, imitations of humans” – Aizen
Aizen's hierarchy of humanity is expressed through his thought provoking poem
Aizen's goal after becoming the main villain was always to transcend the limits of humanity and eventually become powerful enough to destroy the Soul King himself. As a result, he considers himself a pious being who still holds a bit of humanity in his heart, as shown in this poem that is said at the end of the story as Aizen prepares to harvest the souls of Karakura Town.
It also adds to the idea of godly hierarchy that Aizen explains to Shinji a few chapters ago when he states that humans created gods to channel their faith into because they were weak-minded. As a result, Aizen considers himself the top of the food chain, having supremacy over all of his human servants.

- Release date
-
September 6, 2006
- Season
-
16
- Creator
-
Tite Kubo