Summary
Yasutora Sado or “Chad” is Ichigo Kurosaki’s best friend inBleach. He’s a gentle giant who desires to use his extraordinary natural strength for good. He’s known Ichigo for years and is always there to support him. However, Chad also represents a respectful and heartfelt example of Latino representation in anime. Chad’s Mexican heritage is massively important to him, and his abuelo’s influence defines his outlook on life.
Tite Kubo was a young Japanese artist starting out in the industry,and back in 2002, animeor manga rarely included POC characters in their stories, and when they did, fewer times it was done well. Japan has had a difficult grasp on other cultures and ethnicities, and somehow, Chad’s characterization is full of the utmost respect for Latinos. He’s one of the most beloved Latino characters in the medium andBleach, and for good reason.
How Bleach Tackles Different Cultures
Different Factions, Different Languages
It’s no secret that Tite Kubo has the habit of assigning each major faction in the world of Bleach a different language or culture. The Soul Reapers and the Soul Society are coded in Japanese, making all their names and powers in Japanese. Then the Arrancar are introduced, who are full of Hispanic names and details.The Espada are all named after European artists or architectsTite Kubo admires. All of their abilities and world-building details are in Spanish.
Their world is named “Hueco Mundo” (Hollow World), their palace is “Las Noches” (The Nights) and their flash step technique is “Sonido” (Sound). Then Ichigo meets XCution and the Fullbringers, who are named in English. “Book of the End”, “Cross of Scaffold” or, “Time Tells no Lies” are some of their abilities. And finally,there’s the Wandenreich, the Quincy Army, who are named in German. With abilities like “Sankt Altar”, “Vollständig” and “Blut Vene”.
Tite Kubo likes to represent multiple cultures and their languages. And composer Shiro Sagisu understands this, composing Spanish Flamenco for the Arrancar and German military anthems for the Quincy. While each faction is not a full-fledged representation of their namesakes, it shows Kubo’s approach to people outside of Japan.
Yasutora Sado, Latino Pride
Embracing Your Heritage in the Face of Discrimination
Yasutora Sado is the son of a Japanese father and a Mexican mother. He was born in Japan but moved with his parents to Mexico at a young age. After his parents died, he was adopted by his grandfather, Oscar Joaquín de la Rosa. Yasutora was incredibly violent as a child and got into fights constantly, probably because of the death of his parents. His abuelo would often try to get him to stop fighting and change his ways, while the boy wouldn’t listen. One day, a gang of kids attacked Yasutora and his abuelo stepped between them, taking their attacks without retaliating. This inspired Yasutora and his abuelo told him to only use his strength to protect others and gifted him a Mexican coin with the words “Republica Mexicana” engraved on it. The boy treasured this coin, and after his abuelo died, he moved back to Japan.There, he met Ichigo, who would give him the nickname “Chad”, and would quickly become his best friend.
I understand, Abuelo. My giant fists are not for the sake of causing pain. My giant body is for the sake of protecting others.
Chad is incredibly tall, dark-skinned, and has wavy brown hair. He’s very distinctly Mexican. He’s designed as a strong and handsome Mexican man, immediately standing out among most other characters in Bleach, especially in anime. Chad is also a Fullbringer, ahuman with spiritual powersthanks to being born with residual Hollow reiatsu from his mother. Fullbringers draw out their powers from a precious object or aspect of their person. Chad’s Fullbring is his dark skin. This is because he’s been discriminated against because of it in Japan, and still, thanks to his Abuelo, he takes pride in his heritage and distinct appearance. Often, Mexican or Latino characters in anime are shown to either be caricatures or just have their ethnicity as an afterthought. But Chad’s heritage is the source of his powers and something he takes great pride in while living in a country that is often not kind to foreigners.
Chad’s powers are also named in Spanish while not being an Arrancar. Moreover, he was the first character to have Spanish namingmuch before the Arrancar were introduced.His main powers are named “Brazo Derecho del Gigante” (Right Arm of the Giant) and “Brazo Izquierdo del Diablo” (Left Arm of the Devil). While his ultimate technique is “La Muerte” (Death). Not only are Chad’s powers named in Spanish, but they also subtly reference elements of Mexican culture. Mexico is a deeply Catholic country and the concept of The Devil is very prominent in their beliefs. They also have a distinct outlook on death and the afterlife, having a holiday called “Día de Muertos” (Day of the Dead), where they pray for their deceased relatives and loved ones. Chad’s La Muerte is also recognized by its skull imagery, which ties back to Día de Muertos, which is known for its abundant skull imagery.
Chad’s character is made with respect to Mexican culture and heritage, and in 2002,this shows how Tite Kubo was really ahead of his time, even in this aspect. Positive Latino representation is more common in the modern era of anime, but back then it was rarely seen, making Chad particularly special. Chad stands tall as a beacon of how to do POC characters right.
Bleach
Cast
Based on Tite Kubo’s battle shonen manga, Bleach centers around Ichigo, a high school student who is dragged into the world of Soul Reapers. The original anime ended in 2012, but it was revived in 2022.
