The Kurosaki Shiba clan?

[tetsusyga]

I searched but didn't find anything, but this has been bothering me for awhile.

Not only does Ichigo look like Kaien, but Isshin looks a little like Ganju and Kukaku has a slight similarity to Karin. Most would chalk it up to the basic resemblance of all anime characters in Bleach but there are some resemblances I think are beyond coincidence.

I think it's possible that Isshin comes from the Shiba clan, or is related to them at the least.

Good theory, who knows, I'm on drugs? What? Discuss.

[speedphantom]

Haha, I've heard this one before. It is highly possible. There's nothing which really rules it out but I guess we'll have to see more about Isshin's history to know whether or not he is related. Since the Shiba clan were exiled from Seireitei and Isshin exiled himself too.

I'd like to think there's a connection there, it would be much more interesting than Ichigo just coincidentally looking like Kaien.

[Hiraeth]

Oh I'm not getting into this again. It was discussed in detail in the IchiRuki thread, I might just go find the posts and quote them in here.

Actually there was too much, nevermind. The crux of my argument was- why didn't anyone remember the name Kurosaki?

Ryuuken knew Isshin when he had his powers, meaning Isshin must have been a full shinigami some time in the past fifty years since Ryuuken must age like a regular human. That puts him in the same timeframe as Urahara and Yoruichi, whom people obviously remember. So why didn't anyone bat an eyelid when Ichigo told them his name was Kurosaki?

[Saffire]

The idea is usually that Isshin is/was a Shiba, and so Kurosaki is a name he assumed when he went to the living world. So there'd be no reason for anyone to recognize the name.

We never hear anything about the Shiba parents, just the siblings, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

[Primera Espada]

I'd like to point out that Isshin was very surprised when Ryuuken called him Kurosaki.

I personally like to think that Isshin is Kaien, Kuukaku, and Ganju's father, but honestly, that doesn't hold much water. Since we have no reason to believe Isshin is much older than Urahara, and Kuukaku is a longtime friend and associate of Urahara, it's not likely she's that much younger than him.

So if Isshin is a Shiba, it asks the question not "why didn't anyone recognize the name kurosaki" rather, "why did no one mention another shiba, in fact, a CAPTAIN shiba"

Though it would be interesting if Isshin has been gone from being a captain for 20 years, and we know that kaien died sometime in the last 40. What if Kaien's death was connected to Isshin leaving and getting a loss of power?

So many options.

I do think there's too many visual similarities, however one important difference is that Isshin doesn't have the shiba eyelashes.

I could entirely see Isshin just being another noble, who's somewhat related to the shibas. Perhaps the shibas mother was isshin's sister, for instance.

[tari101190]

I'd like to point out that Isshin was very surprised when Ryuuken called him Kurosaki.i think i wrote that somewhere...anyway that makes so much sense anyway. ryuuken is like ishida...so they would always call ppl like him by their last name i guess, and if kurosaki is his last name, why would isshin be suprised...unless he previously called him shiba!

i doubt he's kaien's dad though...related to the shiba clan sure...maybe cousins...but not neccarily their dad.

i dnt think isshin is connected to anything important personally...i think all that will be revealed is that he is related to the shiba clan...anything more will be too much like an american soap...'lon lost dads and twin brother with different clour hair'....

anyway...isshin is a shiba...a former captain...
oh, there will be sumtin important about why he left of course...

[Syn]

As I wrote in the FC, there is an impossibility with those two facts:
*Isshin is a Shiba (named Shiba and all)
*Isshin was a captain
Those two can't co-exist, because if that was the case, we'd heard of it when the focus was on Ganju.

But, let's come back on Isshin was a Shiba: if he was, I'd say he's related, not the siblings' father. Yes, I insist on that. Can you seriously picture Isshin being the dad of other kids? Married to someone else than Masaki? I don't think so. I don't picture him like this, really. So I say it's a possibility, but only related to, like an uncle or a cousin, something like this.

Isshin being a captain? Possible. And possible too that he was something else. As far as we know, he has a cloak, not a haori, with no number on it. So it's possible that he was part of another organisation in SS. The Gotei 13 isn't the only organisation, remember, there were two others. You can also include the Isshin was a Royal Guard in these other possibilities.

As for Ryuuken calling Isshin Kurosaki, I always thought that it was that before, he called him 'shinigami', refusing him any right to be called by a name :p I always had the theory that they met while studying medecine XD

Isshin must have been missing around the same time as Urahara. He can't have been part of SS during the last 50 years, because else wise, Rukia would have known him, somehow.
He stopped being a shinigami 20 years ago, using that reiatsu-sucking gigai. Probably for Masaki, may I add.

[Primera Espada]

honestly, syn, the fact that none of the shinigami recognized Isshin indicates to me that it's quite likely Isshin IS part of the royal guard. He'd be stationed in Kurakara town possibly? It would explain why he's unfamiliar to all those noobs, but he could still have been an active shinigami up until 20 years ago.

However, there's always the chance that Rukia just never met him. I mean, do you think Rukia's met every single captain before, just because her brother was a noble? She specifically said that Gin saught out Byakuya, so I get the impression Byakuya did not interact with other captains much. Especially as he appears to not know much about kenpachi as well. In fact, if you think about it, very few captains seem to interact with each other.

The only issue is, I figured that Isshin was the former 10th captain. I was pretty sure Hitsu would have noticed though XD.

[Syn]

The captains are like idols for the normal shinigami; everyone knows them and their vice-captains, at least. So of course she would have known Isshin.

Also in the manga, Isshin meets up only with Urahara and Rukia; no other shinigami saw him so it's difficult to tell who would have recognized him. I'm especially thinking about Rangiku who seems to be there longer than the others.

[Ruffy GEAR 2]

As I wrote in the FC, there is an impossibility with those two facts:
*Isshin is a Shiba (named Shiba and all)
*Isshin was a captain
Those two can't co-exist, because if that was the case, we'd heard of it when the focus was on Ganju.

1.) TK never knew what exectly would happen after SS, so he made Isshin a captain-class shinigami. he had not thought of this before so he must find a way to clean the mess he started up. The best way to do so is make the Kurosakis Shibas/relatives. the therory that Isshin is Kaien's, Kakku's and Ganju's father is also wrong because TK said in a Golden Cup that Urahara and Kakku are the same age. so Kaien had to a lot older.

2.) my theroy: Isshin is Kaien's oncle and the reason why the two other Shibas can't remember is because they were too young. Isshin exiled himself from SS and took another name, Kurosaki.

[Primera Espada]

Kubo didn't say ANYTHING in a golden Kup, I believe that was just a line in the anime filler arc.

Though it probably still holds true for kuukaku, we do not know if Kaien was Kuukakus OLDER or YOUNGER brother, so it doesn't mater that much.

[Rain]

My opinon, the Kurosaki family has no relation to the Shiba family. Ichigo looks like Kaien, that is all, no more no less:D

I suppose it isn't impossible for them to be related, but it doesn't really fit with what we've seen so far, and personally I don't think it would be such a major impact to the story, so there isn't much reason for it

[tetsusyga]

I think if he's related the closest would be a brother or something. I don't think he'd be their father, as I don't think Isshin would abandon a family if he already had one.

I think when Isshin left SS he probably got a new name. Then the rest of the people who knew him, or heard of him wouldn't know who Ichigo was or his relation to Isshin. Up until recently Isshin has kept a pretty low profile.

[the_cobbinator]

I disagree.

If Issin was Shiba, everyone would know. Shiba = nobles, everyone knows about nobles.

If no one else, Byakuya would know if that would be the case. He treated Ganju with "respect" and released the shikai for him once he introduced himself. Ichigo got so such welcome.

His daddy wasn't a noble and Ichigo certainly isn't too.

Ichigo being Kaien's bro would be way too cliche.

[Rain]

diamondedge- but everyone could know that Isshin is/was a Shiba, but they'd have no way of knowing that Ichigo is.

I do agree that they aren't related (and as diamondedge said it would be way to cliche), but as I said it isn't impossible