Gin Ichimaru (市丸 ギン, Ichimaru Gin?) is a fictional character and a major antagonist in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. He is the captain of the 3rd Division in the Gotei 13 until he betrays Soul Society, and after that he becomes a commander in Sōsuke Aizen's arrancar army. His lieutenant was Izuru Kira.

Gin's most distinguishing characteristic is his expression; with his slitted eyes and ever-present grin, his face looks like that of a fox. Ichigo derisively nicknames him "fox-face" in their first meeting because of this (in the English dub, he instead replies with a more generalized insult). He also has unusual silver hair, which has a purple tint to it in the anime; his name refers to his hair color, gin (銀, "silver"). Gin rarely removes his smile or opens his eyes; in the case of the latter, such moments serve to identify when he is significantly annoyed or angry. There are only a few times when he opens his eyes: once in a flashback when he and Aizen rescued Momo Hinamori and other students from hollows, and the other during a battle with 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya. His eyes are alternately portrayed as light green/blue,[2] blood red,[3] and yellow.[4] By contrast, there are far more moments when he stops smiling, those usually being lesser degrees of annoyance, genuinely apologetic moments, or in deep thought of a sudden epiphany.

Gin's constant happy façade tends to have the opposite effect on those he meets, making them instantly distrust him. His use of sarcasm only further encourages this, especially in those who have known him for a long time. Rukia comments on how she felt like snakes were wrapping around her neck whenever Gin spoke, despite the fact that he was speaking to her brother at the time. Kaname Tōsen notes that Gin has a similar effect on just about everyone when explaining Wonderweiss Margera's frightened reaction to Gin. In the anime, Gin speaks with a distinct Osaka dialect, which is indirect and polite. His English dubbed voice is also formal and polite, but with a rather mocking and facetious undertone.


Gin, in his new outfit, alongside Aizen (center) and Tōsen (right).After betraying Soul Society, Gin switches his captain's attire for a similar but unmarked garment. He now wears a long, white robe over his normal Soul Reaper hakama. The hilt of his zanpakutō is visible sticking out from under the robe through the opening down to his waist. Later, Ichimaru is seen wearing a white hakama like the arrancar, instead of the black one he first appears in. Gin wears his robe open in a narrow 'V' down to his waist, closed to below the hips, then open again to the hem, which falls about mid-calf. His robe has long bell sleeves, into which he hides his hands like one does with kimono sleeves. The lining of the robe and edges or layers of the under-robe(s) appear to be black. From other examples, it is likely he is also wearing black tabi with white waraji. His zanpakutō is not visible with this outfit.

Rangiku Matsumoto (松本 乱菊, Matsumoto Rangiku?) is the lieutenant of the 10th Division. She has strawberry-blonde hair and large breasts. She makes no effort to conceal the latter, wearing loose-fitting robes that expose much of her cleavage, using them to try to win over male characters, and using them as a topic in casual conversation. She is very carefree and lazy, usually avoiding the jobs of a lieutenant so that she can sleep or go drinking. Despite her avoiding her responsibilities, Matsumoto can be serious when need be, and often gives important and useful advice. Matsumoto has known Gin Ichimaru since they were children, and spent much of their childhood living together and looking out for each other. They remain close after joining the Soul Reapers, though she is surprised when he later betrays Soul Society. She recruited her captain, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, into the Soul Reapers and the two have grown close ever since. She has an unwavering loyalty and devotion for him and frequently tries to get him to lighten up and have some fun. Matsumoto's zanpakutō is Haineko (灰猫, Haineko? literally "ash cat"). Its guard is in the shape of a cat's head. When released, the blade dissolves into ash. In combat, Matsumoto can control the movement of the ash, and cut anything it lands on by moving the hilt. Series creator Tite Kubo identifies Rangiku as one of his two favorite female characters in the series, citing that he "has a lot of fun drawing her and creating stories with her."