Tōshirō Hitsugaya

Appearances

Toshiro Hitsugaya was raised by his grandmother alongside Momo Hinamori, a person he regards as a very close friend. His performance at the Soul Reaper academy was exceptional, and he went on to become the youngest captain in Soul Society's history, taking command of Squad 10. Once part of the Gotei 13, he grew suspicious of Squad 3 captain Gin Ichimaru as the situation around Rukia Kuchiki's execution grew more tangled. After Hinamori was tricked into believing Hitsugaya had killed Sousuke Aizen, Hitsugaya went after Gin, convinced he had deceived her.

The clash ended when Hitsugaya knocked Hinamori unconscious and was stopped by his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. Seeking to halt the destructive execution, Hitsugaya turned to Chamber 46, only to find that Aizen, who had faked his death, had killed every member. Later, Hitsugaya led Soul Reapers defending Karakura Town from Aizen's Arrancar, defeating Shawlong Qufang and Luppi Antenor. When he learned Orihime Inoue had gone to the Arrancar's world, he returned to Soul Society to ready for war.

At Karakura Town, he fought the Espada Tier Halibel until Aizen fatally wounded her. Hitsugaya then faced Aizen, who tricked him into stabbing Momo in the chest and severed his left limbs. After Aizen's defeat and his own recovery, Hitsugaya committed to training so he could more freely use his bankai to protect Hinamori.

Reception

Hitsugaya has been highly popular in Weekly Shōnen Jump's Bleach popularity polls, ranking in the top ten most of the time. In early 2008, he was voted the most popular character in the series, replacing Ichigo. His zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru, won the series' zanpakutō popularity poll. In the 2007 Japanese Newtype magazine character polls, he was voted the 9th most popular male anime character.

In the 28th Annual Animage Readers' Poll, Anime Grand Prix, he was voted the eighth most popular male anime character, and he also appeared in similar Animage monthly polls. In surveys titled "The Character I Want to Be My Groom" from Recochoku, Hitsugaya ranked eighth in 2008 and third in 2009. To promote the second Bleach film, the trailer included the line "Execute Hitsugaya!"; Kubo admitted it was his own idea to surprise viewers, but he and Masakazu Morita received many letters from worried fans, prompting Kubo to apologize.

Various merchandise has been created based on Hitsugaya's appearance, including action figures, plush toys, and key chains. Publications from manga, anime, and other media have offered both praise and criticism. He has been noted as one of the most common "fan favorite" characters. Carl Kimlinger from Anime News Network praised Steve Staley for giving an interesting variation of his voice and commented that Hitsugaya's unresolved personal issue was a good part of the Soul Society story arc's climax, also praising the animation of his bankai.

However, Kimlinger later criticized the bankai, saying it made him look like "an arthritic blue crow." IGN's Ramsey Isler lamented that his first fight against an Arrancar was not entertaining and that his character did not "get a chance to shine." Isaac Hale from Pop Culture Shock criticized early appearances for focusing too much on Hitsugaya and Matsumoto's gags, but Chris Beveridge of Mania Entertainment noted that in a later arc he "has a pretty good arc" and "shine[s] brightly" facing Aizen.

Holly Ellingwood of Active Anime praised his appearance in DiamondDust Rebellion, finding his motivations and back story "involving and intriguing."