30 Days of Anime – #18 My Favourite (Female) Supporting Character

#18 Who Is Your Favourite (Female) Supporting Character?

Yoruichi Shihouin

Bleach has many, many flaws, including its overpowered protagonist, its sheer volume of filler, and its inability to tell a concise story (though these issues are by no means unique to this anime). Regardless, I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for it, partly due to the time I spent watching it (keep tuning into an anime every week for years and it’s bound to grow on you) and partly due to its amazing cast of diverse, lovable characters. Yoruichi, the free-spirited former captain of Soul Society’s 2nd Division is, by far, my favourite of these characters as well as my all-time favourite female supporting character. Here’s why!

The last time I checked I’m not into women (my husband can vouch for this), but there’s just something about Yoruichi that is so sexy. It’s not just her appearance, though her long, slender legs, perma-smirk, big, golden eyes, and dark skin are beyond gorgeous, but the way in which she carries herself. Yoruichi has this confident, self-assured gait and is in no way ashamed to flash the flesh. In fact, she often uses her naked body to her advantage, completely disarming the men (and often the women) around her. I tend to adopt a policy of modest dress myself, but, at the same time, it’s kinda refreshing to see an anime character own their sexuality as opposed to having it foisted on them during scenarios like the “accidental boob grab” or the “oops, I walked in on you changing/taking a bath”!

On a less superficial note, Yoruichi is also extremely fun to watch! She’s an incurable prankster who often uses her powers, e.g. her lightning speed or her ability to transform into a cat, to trick or tease other characters. It’s immensely satisfying to watch Yoruichi make a fool out of otherwise straight-laced and uptight characters, like Soi Fon, Ichigo, and Byakuya.

Something else that I like about Yoruichi is that she is dead mysterious. For literally hundreds of episodes you know next to nothing about her, like the extent of her powers, what the deal between her and Soi Fon was, and why she deserted such a cushy post for a life of mooching off of Urahara. Bleach gradually answers these questions as its story unfolds, but these initial mysteries only add to Yoruichi’s allure.

Artist: Murder Princess

Finally, I just love the relationship that Yoruichi has with Urahara. Because they’ve been close friends for literally hundreds of years, there’s this beautiful ease between them. Yoruichi eats all of Urahara’s food and lounges about his home in just her underwear while he looks on in amusement. This is something that you don’t see too often with characters of the opposite sex, who usually get flustered just by looking in the other’s direction. It’s also extremely fun to speculate on whether or not they are an actual couple, given that, despite what might seem like solid evidence to suggest that that is the case (see above), there’s absolutely zero on-screen hanky panky between the two.

Although, saying that, indecisive as I am, I’m also pretty fond of the relationship that Yoruichi has with her kohai, Soi Fon! You can’t help but feel sorry for Soi Fon when her, blatantly romantic, borderline obsessive, feelings are completely and deliberately ignored for the billionth time. It’s a situation that most of us are familiar with! You don’t see too many gay (albeit borderline in this instance) relationships in mainstream anime, which makes this one pretty unique and interesting.

It’s these qualities: her sexiness, her playfulness, the mystery surrounding her, and the relationships that she has with other characters, that makes Yoruichi, by a long shot, my favourite female supporting character.