Character Profile: Kon

Kon is a real interesting story. It all started when Rukia came to Kisuke's shop in order to obtain some substitute soul pills called Ginkongan. The idea was that Ichigo could take one should the need arise for him to become a soul reaper and no one's around to provide the assist. Not only would the substitute soul allow his own soul reaper soul to come loose so he could fight Hollows, but the substitute would stand in and keep up appearances, so to speak.

What Rukia didn't know was that the package she gave Ichigo was defective. Kisuke's helper, Ururu, had pulled a package from the wrong box (pulling from the Defectives box rather than the New Arrivals box). The pill Ichigo eventually took actually contained what is known as a Mod Soul [Mod Konpaku]. The result of a Soul Society experiment called Project Spearhead, a Mod Soul is an artificially-crafted soul intended to be placed into corpses and the like and used to fight Hollows. However, on the very day this particular soul was made, the project was stricken down because the idea of using corpses was thought to be repugnant and immoral, and the Mod Souls were ordered destroyed. Somehow, this one managed to slip through the cracks and ended up in the pill bottle. When the Mod Soul found itself inside Ichigo's young and fit body, it did what any hotshot with a new ride would do: take it out for a spin. As a Mod Soul, he'd been specially modified to have superhuman physical capabilities when inhabiting a body. In the case of this one, he's got extra power in his legs, so he runs very fast, jumps very high, and kicks like a hangover from hell.

After a wild afternoon adventure which involved running around town, giving Tatsuki a total gross-out, and wowing (and eventually saving) three kids while fighting a Hollow, Kisuke intervened and forced the Mod Soul out. Under orders from the Soul Society, Kisuke was supposed to destroy it, but Rukia insisted on keeping it. When she had told Ichigo about the project, he had been pretty livid about their fate. She decided to let him decide what to do.

Turns out Ichigo and the soul had had a chat after exorcising the Hollow. The soul explained that all he wanted was to live--a chance the other Mod Souls never got. He also explained his philosophy--that no one should possess the right to take the life of another (it was why he had saved the kids despite jeering them earlier). So after learning what to do, Ichigo decided to give the soul that chance--and an earful for the bearing his body endured during his "joyride". Since there were no corpses handy, he stuffed the pill into a stuffed toy lion found near a construction site, and the lion indeed came to life with the soul in it. Ichigo named him Kon (short for Konpaku), and Kon--attitude and all--had to live with it. At least he was actually alive.

The two of them may have their disagreements, but at least they understand each other. And the more adventures they endure, the closer they become. Perhaps that's why Ichigo eventually trusts Kon to fill in for him in his body while his soul (as a soul reaper) is out on his cases. This proves especially critical as Ichigo decides on a lengthy trip to the Soul Society so as to rescue Rukia.