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Although Keigo Asano is a minor character in the Bleach franchise, he is someone who had a brief moment to shine in the Bleach TYBW part 2 anime. Author Tite Kubo is known for his art, character designs, and battle sequences, but his capacity to come up with a lot of different characters and add them to many different points of his series is an underrated skill.
In that regard, Keigo Asano came out after years of not doing much in the series to give one of the finest moments in the Bleach TYBW part 2 anime, which has recently come out. So, it's no surprise that a lot of fans are wondering who Keigo is and what role he plays in the story.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Bleach series.
Keigo Asano maybe a minor Bleach character, but fans' admiration for him is great
Character background
Keigo Asano was one of Ichigo Kurosaki's classmates and friends. The former initially wasn't very fond of Ichigo, but that was mostly because of the rumors that were spread about the latter. There was gossip about Ichigo being a drug dealer, a thug, and overall a delinquent, which was something that scared Keigo deeply.
It is also worth pointing out that, in Japanese culture, people with Ichigo's hair color are associated with being criminals and delinquents, which was another reason why many people were judgemental of him. In that regard, Keigo was one of those people who judged Ichigo based on what he heard from others.
However, as he got to know Ichigo, he discovered that the protagonist was a nice person, which eventually led them to become friends. However, this segement was often displayed as comic relief in the early stages of the series or between arcs when Ichigo is spending his days at school.
Role in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc
Keigo Asano doesn't have a very important role to play in Bleach TYBW, but he does have one moment that was recently adapted into the anime, which made him very loved by a lot of fans of the series.
When Ichigo is cast away to Soul Society once again because of the events that are taking place in the war with the Quincy and Yhwach, Keigo wishes to find out what has happened to his friend. However, the more information he gets, the more concerned he gets regarding Ichigo's well-being and what could happen to him in these circumstances.
All of this reaches its natural conclusion when Shunsui, one of the most prominent captains of the Gotei 13, tells Keigo Asano that there is a good chance that Ichigo may never go back to the human world. This enrages Keigo and he grabs Shunsui's ropes in order to punch him. This particular moment of bravado as he goes up against a powerful Captain of Gotei 13 for the sake of his friend has made fans love and praise. Moreover, the inernet hosts several memes on this incident, highlighting the absurd power difference between these two men.
Final thoughts
As mentioned earlier, Keigo Asano is a minor character in the Bleach series. However, his little moment confronting Shunsui has become a fan-favorite moment because of the obvious difference in the two characters' strengths and how Keigo stood out for Ichigo's well-being. As a rrsult, this scene highlights one of the many human connections that the protagonist has made throughout the series.
