Rukia’s poem
It goes without saying that Ichigo’s poem in volume 49 is more talked about—and for good reason. It’s bittersweet, emotional, and packed with so much yearning in just a few words. But, in my opinion, we don’t talk about Rukia’s poem in volume 54 enough. Especially with how much it ties back to Ichigo’s poem.
I don’t presume myself to be an expert, but as someone who has read the raw serialization, I’ve always loved joining in debates as to who Ichigo was referring to in his poem. I admittedly have an advantage when it comes to linguistic context, so it’s fun to debate on stuffs like that before (as long as it stays respectful). Every poem Kubo includes in every volume is obviously thematic, but regardless of any side of the debate, I genuinely believe that Rukia’s poem is such a glaring response calling back to Ichigo’s poem, which in turn proves the fact that Ichigo was referring to her. It almost feels like a conversation, and while Kubo never included anything specific in either poems, just reading them and understanding the context feels profound enough.
It’s understood that Ichigo was vulnerable in his dedicated poem. He lost his powers, and while he had initially accepted it during his fight with Aizen, the gravity didn’t get to him until he noticed that Rukia’s presence was beginning to fade to him. That was the last time he saw Rukia for a long time, and there’s even a couple of panels of him genuinely dwelling on Rukia’s absence. Chad, Uryu, and Orihime were overly babying him too—hiding every problem to him as if it might break him if he founds out. And while Ichigo understood their intentions, it only made him withdraw into himself a bit more. He was alone in every sense of the word.
But then, after Rukia comes back, this is the poem dedicated to her, and it feels like a comforting reassurance to Ichigo’s pain from his last one.
We saw the last look Ichigo and Rukia gave each other. Rukia was obviously affected, but knowing her personality, I sincerely believed that she was more affected because she knows just how Ichigo will feel. She knows he won’t open up about it to anyone, and she knows he’ll probably do something stupid eventually just to get back his powers. For me, that look on her face conveys helplessness because she can’t help Ichigo nor reassure him enough before she fades away before his eyes.
It’s why for me, as an IchiRuki fan, Rukia’s poem holds a special place in my heart a bit more than Ichigo’s poem. Her poem feels like the words she didn’t get to say to Ichigo—her comfort to the pain he keeps hidden. Her poem is an answer to his poem.