Rukia Kuchiki is a Soul Reaper who is assigned hollow extermination duties in Ichigo's hometown. The heroine of the story. Though her physical appearance is that of a teenage girl, in reality she is ten times older than Ichigo. At the opening of the story, Rukia is forced to transfer her powers to Ichigo and assume a temporary lifestyle as a regular human.She registers at the local high school and takes up residence in Ichigo's closet, while teaching him how to be a substitute Soul Reaper in her place.She is shown many times kicking Ichigo in the face and using similar, slightly comical tactics to "wake him up."