He was their only protector, yet he didn't ask for anything in return.
He was a strange figure, an abnormality in a world of odd happenings. He was human. He was not. No one knew what exactly he was, the only certainty being that he was their defender.
The Soul Reapers always claimed to be the defenders of all life. They claimed that they committed atrocities for the greater good. He hadn't, yet he still managed to preserve the safety of mankind. Why did the Gotei 13 believe that it was committing heinous acts to defend us when he made it clear that such things were not necessary? Such was the view of the law in the law's eyes, never guilty of its crimes for it made such things crimes. He was not the law, he was too chaotic to be truly lawful.
Yet he wasn't a seeker of true chaos. The Hollows were such, devouring the souls of millions simply because they could grow stronger. They thrived in a world of the fittest preying on the helpless. He had their power, yet he did not kill indiscriminately. He struck only when pushed, only when provoked, always in defense of the living. No, he was not a being of chaos, he simply held himself to his own laws.
Still, he did not come to blows with the Soul Reapers over beliefs like the Vandenreich had. At first, the Quincy had been persecuted and killed instead of reasoned with, another of the Soul Reapers' inhumanities. Now, a thousand years later, when the Soul Reapers least expected it, the Quincy revealed themselves and struck back with a form of barbarity that could be formed from systematic beatings and bullying. They wanted vengeance for wrongs committed because of their differing beliefs but they had fallen low, to the same level as their tormentors. He did not come to fight for the Soul Reapers, he came to stop a vicious cycle of contradicting beliefs. He had realized that sometimes, the enemy of his enemy was his friend, and that while they held different philosophies, they could work together for mutual survival.
This put him so close to being human, an unaware being that could hold such great wisdom. Yet he could never live out his existence with them, for he was too dissimilar. Born a simple human, he could no longer return to his previously mundane lifestyle as he held too much power and would always outlive those around him. He could only watch from afar as the people formed families and died while he seemed to remain ageless. He learned that eventually, for him to carry on his duties, he would have to leave all he knew behind.
So he became a new being, a protector. One who watched over all yet belonged to none. He was the first of many, the rallying figure that so many gathered to. Soul Reaper, Vizard, Hollow, Quincy, and spiritual-aware human alike flocked to his self-developing cause. He never made himself leader of the group, and that was why he was the most capable to lead it. The members simply followed because they believed he was doing the most good with the least amount of necessary evil. They gathered together and followed the symbol he had become without any input of his own.
Ichigo was a strange figure, an abnormality in a world of odd happenings. He was human. He was not. No one knew what exactly he was, the only certainty being that he was their defender.
While I don't care as much for Bleach as I did when I was a little bit younger, Ichigo still strikes me as a true hero. He does not limit himself to a certain group or people, he simply does good for all which is where a lot of 'heroes' fail. He never asks for repayment , with any that comes to him being of the choice of those he aided.