Well while browsing the internets using the mighty Google i found some info i felt i wanted to share with you guys, so here it is:
Kubo´s comments on characters:
Kurosaki Ichigo
When Ichigo goes to the hair dresser, people ask him about his hair color and since he hates that, he doesn't go to the hair dresser. Normally, Yuzu cuts it.
Kuchiki Rukia
Sometimes people ask me this, in book 5 they announced the semester's final exam scores and regarding Rukia's rank, out of 322 people in the 1st grade, she's 302nd. Besides Japanese, she flunked most of it.
Kon
The plushie body of his is the fake copy of the main character of the popular TV show, "Carnivor Kingdom" named "Ponkichi". It was a prize from the shooting game in the Karakura Town Festival.
Inoue Orihime
Tied with Ichigo, her face is the hardest to draw. She's going to be a very important character later on so, I want to get used to drawing her faster.
Sado Yasutora
He likes music so he rarely watches TV, but the only program he likes the "Carnivor Kingdom" that starts at 8 AM on Sundays. He likes it so much that he bought the DVDs for it.
Ishida Uryuu
The TV program he likes is Don Kanonji's "Bura-Rei". It's not mentioned in the comic, but in chapter 29, the shadow that tried to jump in before Ichigo was Uryuu.
Urahara Kisuke
The rare candy sold only in Urahara shouten, "Space candy". From the name, it sounds like it'll have some strange taste, but inside is only a coca cola tasting candy.
Shihouin Yoruichi
Yoruichi-san cannot drink so much alcohol. She likes milk the most. When she's tired, first she starts with milk. As long as there's milk, she's in a good mood.
Zangetsu
Zangetsu was the most difficult to decide for the appearance. After nitpicking on his hair style and his clothes, the only thing that remained from the original sketch were his shades.
Shiba Ganjyu
He looks good with goggles, so every time he came out with new clothes, I put a new goggle hanging from his neck, but by the next week I forget to draw it.
Ichimaru Gin
In my opinion, I was trying to draw him all creepy since his first appearance, but for some reason he is a man who is very popular amongst women. I envy him.
Kuchiki Byakuya
Within the Seireitei, there're only four major noble families including the Kuchiki family that are considered high class noble men. Besides them, the life style of the other nobles are not much different from normal city people.
Zaraki Kenpachi
Tied with Tousen Kaname, out of the BLEACH characters, he has the hardest hair style to draw. I think I'll continue to regret eternally for giving him that hair style.
Hitsugaya Toushirou
He's from the West Rukongai 1st area "Jyunrinan". He is actually friends with Jidanbou and was the one who taught him the "city rules".
Abarai Renji
All his sunglasses are from Seireitei's popular glasses store "Silver Dragonfly Glasses Store" (megane no gin tonbo). Every time he wears it, he gets it broken, but that costs half a year worth his paycheck.
Kira Izuru
All of Seireitei's shinigami are all considered "nobles", but it also has a high, middle, and low class and Izuru is from a low class noble family. He's had a pretty tough time.
Hinamori Momo
I had a tough time trying to decide her name. The name "Hinamori Momo" was decided right before drawing the official comic. During the sketch stage, she had a totally different name.
Yamada Hanatarou
A rather pitiful Hanatarou whose birthday lies on April Fools. Every year, on his birthday a bunch of people keep tricking him the entire day."
Shounen Jump Interview
SJ: What are Rukia’s favourite manga?
KT: She loves horror manga, shojo-orientated horror titles. She’s from the afterlife, but there’s actually nothing scary to read in the afterlife.
SJ: How involved are you in making the Bleach animated series?
KT: I’m involved with the character designs. Usually the character designs are done with manga artists just overseeing, but in my case I actually draw what all the characters should look like – I am essentially drawing all of the characters that appear in the anime. It is very rare for the artist to be involved this much.
SJ: What would your dream cast be fore a live-action Bleach movie?
KT: If it were possible to do Bleach as a live movie, then I wouldn’t have drawn the manga. I want to draw something that can only be done as manga.
SJ: Is there a character that you enjoy drawing especially?
KT: I tend to prefer characters that are rough and tough. They seem more three-dimensional. I'd say someone like Kenpachi. Komamura's fun to draw, too. Behind his headgear, he's got the face of the wolf -- something you normally wouldn't think to draw.
SJ: So you like fierce characters?
KT: Yes, I like characters that aren't typical or a bit unusual. I enjoy drawing secondary characters. It's also fun drawing Mayuri.
SJ: If you could switch places with one of the characters for a day, who would it be and why?
KT: I'd switch places with Kon. He seems so carefree, and everybody loves him in one way or another.
SJ: What items from the human world does Kisuke sell in his shop?
KT: Basically lots of candy and snacks, and household items. Small things, like detergent.
SJ: Could we find copies of SJ there?
KT: You won't find SJ. Kisuke doesn't have a distribution channel. But he does buy copies from himself at a nearby convenience store. [Laughs]
SJ: Are kimono easy to draw?
KT: Initially I wasn't all that interested in a traditional Japanese look, so it was hard at the start, but I got used to it. I wanted a kimono style that was slightly different from the usual. For instance, I wanted some decoration along the edges and sleeves that fluttered a lot to make the action scenes gorgeous to watch.
SJ: Do you use models or have one of your assistants pose for you? Have you ever dressed as a Soul Reaper and posed for a drawing?
KT: I don't do such things. I know in my head pretty much what a character is going to look like, so for any action scene I'll make the character move around in my head, choosing the angle I want and drawing from there.
SJ: How can Ichigo swing a sword that looks heavier than he is? Is he secretly working out at home?
KT: Well, no. To begin with, a zanpaku-tou isn't something you'd swing with your muscles. Ichigo's zanpaku-tou comes from inside him, so he wouldn't find it heavy. If Ichigo tried to wield Renji's zanpaku-tou, Zabimaru, he'd find it heavy.
SJ: So it depends on the person?
KT: Yes. Zabimaru looks pretty heavy, too. Ichigo wouldn't be able to wield him. Renji would probably find the same thing with Ichigo's zanpaku-tou, Zangetsu.
SJ: The relationships between siblings mean a lot in Bleach. Do you have any brothers or sisters yourself?
KT: Yes, I'm the eldest of three children. I have a younger sister and a younger brother.
SJ: If you could choose a character as a sibling, who would it be?
KT: I'd choose Rangiku, I wish she were my older sister. [Laughs] Well, that's because you can count on her when you're in trouble.
SJ: And you want to be Kon, too?
KT: Hey, I didn't mean that! [Laughs]
SJ: Could you tell us which characters you would want to see fight each other?
KT: Hmm...I'd pick Shunsui and Ukitake.
SJ: Why is that?
KT: Because they're both nitouryuu [two-handed swordmen] which would make for fantastic visuals. Also because I can't imagine a reason they would fight each other in the story. They get along so well; they have been best friends for so long. I'd want to see what I fight between them would be like. If I had to pick one that's simply impossible, then I'd choose Ichigo and (dundundun! ) Kaien. Kaien being dead, that is.
SJ: Bleach is increasingly popular in the U.S., now that the anime is airing on TV. What aspect of the anime do you want readers of the manga to enjoy the most?
KT: I think what's fun in the anime and what's fun in the manga are two different things. What's fun to see in the anime is, of course, the way things move and sound. What I recommend most is to read the manga first then watch the anime. You'll discover and enjoy how a particular scene in the manga is transformed and how the action is portrayed. Some things in the manga have evolved into something new or have been shown in a way only the anime can achieve. These are the things that I hope readers will enjoy most when watching the anime.
SJ: Do you have a message for our readers?
KT: I never imagined when writing Bleach that it would be eventually published in the U.S., so I'm really glad that American readers have taken to it and enjoyed my work. Please continue to support Bleach. I've also been told that I should visit America someday.
SJ: There's a lot of Spanish in Bleach How did you get interested in the language?
KT: Spanish has always sounded bewitching and mellow to me.
SJ: Bleach uses and amazing number of special terms, like he names of the different zanpaku-tou (swords) and hadou (spells). When we interviewed you a while back, you told us that they were inspired by ancient Japanese literature. Where did you get the inspiration for the Arrancar names? They're so distinctive.
KT: This isn't something I normally do, but I got the idea of the Arrancar names from those of architects and designers. There is, in fact, a furniture designer named Ulquiiorra. And Grimmjow is inspired by an architect named Niicholas Grimshaw.
SJ: You have such unique character designs that it's always easy to tell who's who, even with all the new characters in the Arrancar-Vizard storyline. How do you come up with so many designs, and do you have any tips for us?
KT: I don't have any tips (laughs). I've discussed this with other mangaka who've asked me the same thing. I can't figure it out myself. It could be because I like observing peoples' faces... that might have something to do with it. I've been doing that since I was young.
Other Interview:
Q: You've been drawing Bleach since 2001, seven years now. Has it changed dramatically from what you thought this story would be when you first started drawing it?
KT: At first, I didn't plan that there would be Taicho, the head Captain of the Soul Society. The captains, they didn't exist at first.
Q: What do you consider to be Ichigo's greatest strength and his greatest weakness?
KT: His strength is that he is always considerate and thoughtful. He always thinks about other people's needs. That is a great strength, but it's also his greatest weakness, because worrying about his friends puts him in danger too, sometimes.
Q: One thing your fans love about your manga is that you always keep them guessing. Do you plan very far ahead how your characters will interact with each other, and the various plot twists you throw into your stories?
KT: After i finished drawing chapter one, I already knew that Ichigo's dad Isshin would be a Soul Reaper. At the time, I didn't plan on having leaders in the Soul Society, so I didn't plan on him being one of the leaders.
Q: Will you feature a back story about Isshin?
KT: Yes, I will draw it!
Q: One thing I enjoy about Bleach is that there are many moments of humor as well as drama. Is that intentional to break up some of the heavier moments in the story?
KT: I don't really plan on it, but when I get bored drawing battle scenes, then I throw in a joke or two to make it more fun for me.
Q: How do you draw your action scenes? Do you have models?
KT: Nobody poses for me -- I just have rock music going in my head and just imagine the action scenes. I pause the action and rotate the characters and find the best angle, and then I draw it.
Q: What part of the creative process do you enjoy most?
KT: When I think about the story, if it's something I've wanted to draw for a long time, it's fun.
I usually have this rundown of scenes I want to draw in my head. My job is to try to make it interesting. When it comes to drawing a scene I really want to do it's fun. When I draw the connecting scenes, I try to make it lively. And when it comes to inking, I really enjoy doing that work too.
Q: You're already up to 33 volumes of Bleach -- how much longer do you think this story will go?
KT: I can't really say how long this story will be by the time it ends, but I have a few more stories that I want to tell, so this series will go on for a while. (laughs)
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