Uryū Ishida

is a Gemischt Quincy residing in Karakura Town. He is a student at Karakura High School, where he is a classmate and friend of Ichigo Kurosaki. He is a member of the Wandenreich with the designation "A", as well as Yhwach's future successor.

Appearance
Uryū Ishida is a bespectacled teenager of average height and slender build. He has straight, chin-length raven-colored hair framing both sides of his face, and is fair-skinned with blue eyes. In school, Uryū wears the respective school uniform along with a tie. When confronting Hollows, he typically dons white Quincy clothes, with blue stripes representing the Quincy cross, and a mantle.

Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Uryū's bangs hang mostly on the right-side of his face, and the rest hang behind his left ear, due to his glasses.

Personality
Uryū is generally quiet and solitary, but tries harder to act cool when other people are around. Uryū is a member of the handicrafts club at Karakura High School, and is highly skilled at sewing. While Uryū does not mind stitching things for his friends, his sense of design forces him to add unexpected designs. For example, when he makes new clothing for Chad and Orihime, he replaces the single red line of Chad's original shirt with a red cross, saying that it was better, and since he could not copy the three white dots on Orihime's shirt, he instead adds frilly lace and two flower-like buds at the bottom. Uryū has low blood pressure and hates procrastination. The other things he hates are quite odd: buttons (despite being an expert in sewing) and the word "haphazard." His favorite food is homemade mackerel miso stew. He likes Don Kanonji's television program "Bura-Rei" so much that he attends the live broadcast of the filming in Karakura Town.

He loves wearing a mantle, even though it serves no purpose other than to make him feel cooler, despite the fact that it hinders his movement, even keeping a spare with him. He has a tendency to say things melodramatically. Uryū has proven to be gullible at times. During an omake, he starts getting irritated at the fact that a weapon (a Zanpakutō in this case) has a will of own; Ichigo tricks him into thinking that Ginrei Kōjaku has actually materialized, to which Uryū sheds a happy tear. Uryū operates on a moral ethic known as the "Pride of the Quincy" and has a strong sense of justice. He is very chivalrous, stating that he enacts justice on men who abuse or treat women badly, leading him to attempt to defend Rukia Kuchiki from Renji Abarai when he and Byakuya Kuchiki came to the Human World to arrest her, and protects Orihime Inoue during their time in Soul Society. Uryū has a tendency to not use lethal force in battle, especially if he can win without doing so. Instead, he will simply incapacitate his opponent. Like his grandfather, Sōken Ishida, Uryū is left-handed, and he is also a great archer, capable of insane feats of archery.

History
Uryū was born after Ryūken Ishida married Kanae Katagiri which happened after the infection of Masaki Kurosaki, to whom Ryūken's mother originally intended him to marry. Six years before he befriended Ichigo Kurosaki, his mother lost consciousness on the same day Masaki died, 17th June and died herself three months later as Yhwach performed his Auswählen technique and took her powers.

As a child, Uryū mostly interacted and trained with his grandfather, Sōken Ishida. His father, Ryūken Ishida, was less than enthusiastic about being a Quincy, claiming that it was not a profitable occupation. They do not appear to be on very good terms as a result, given Uryū's casual use of his father's given name. Sōken understands Ryūken's reasoning, since being a Quincy is more about justice than material rewards, and Ryūken has a family to support. Sōken told Uryū that he would someday understand his father's motives, but thus far this is not the case.

At a fairly young age, Uryū's grandfather was killed by Hollows right in front of him, and Uryū was unable to do a thing to protect him. This is one of the reasons why he hates the Shinigami, who did not come to rescue Sōken in time. It is later revealed that the current captain of the 12th Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, arranged the delay so that Sōken's soul could be collected for study.

Bount arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Arrancar arc
Back in Karakura Town, Uryū is attacked by a Menos Grande. He attempts to use some Quincy equipment to defeat it, but is ultimately unsuccessful. It is not until the arrival of his father, Ryūken Ishida, that the Hollow is vanquished. Disappointed by Uryū's weakness, Ryūken offers to restore his Quincy powers, on the condition that Uryū never associate with Shinigami again. Uryū agrees, and trains with his father in Karakura Hospital's secret training ground whilst Arrancar continue to attack Karakura Town. Before the third Arrancar Invasion begins, Uryū regains his powers, ending his training.

Hueco Mundo arc
As Uryū is resting from his training, he is visited by Urahara, and learns that Orihime has been captured by the Arrancar. He then accepts Urahara's offer to help Ichigo rescue her. Before leaving the hospital, Uryū takes a few Seele Schneider from his father's storehouse. Later that day, he joins Ichigo and the others to organize a rescue team to save her. Because Soul Society has abandoned Orihime, Ichigo is technically not acting as a Shinigami, giving Uryū a loophole with which to accompany them. As Ichigo, Chad, and Uryū enter Hueco Mundo, they are immediately detected by Aizen and attacked by two Arrancar, Demoura Zodd and Aisslinger Wernarr. Ichigo is told to stay back, and simply watches as Chad and Uryū engage the two Arrancar by themselves. Once they are victorious, the room and passageway collapse around them, forcing the trio to race outside, where they see their destination, a castle in the middle of a barren desert.

They encounter a childlike Arrancar named Nel Tu accompanied by Dondochakka Birstanne, Pesche Guatiche, and their pet Bawabawa, who decide to join them. The group is then attacked by a sand-based Hollow, Runuganga. The Hollow is immune to their attacks, but the group is saved by Renji and Rukia, the latter of which freezes Runuganga in a circle of ice.

Once they manage to get inside the fortress, their group splits up, and Uryū is joined by Pesche Guatiche. As Uryū goes through Las Noches, he is attacked by Cirucci Sanderwicci. Seeing Uryū is in a bad situation, Pesche tries to help him, but quickly realizes he will be no match for Cirucci. Cirucci notices Pesche as she is about to launch a finishing blow at Uryū, and subsequently launches the attack against him. Though Pesche continues to annoy Uryū, he proves invaluable in defeating Cirucci with Uryū, who activates his Seele Schneider. The Privaron Espada is easily defeated, but Uryū decides to spare her.

As they continue on their way, they meet Renji Abarai as he is about to be killed by the eighth Espada, Szayelaporro Granz. Uryū intervenes, briefly driving Szayelaporro off with Renji's help using his Sprenger technique, but Szayelaporro soon returns completely unharmed. Eventually, they are defeated by the Espada's Voodoo doll technique, and after Pesche and Dondochakka's Cero Sincrético fails, the four are left at Szayelaporro's mercy.

Just as their last hope of winning fades, Mayuri arrives to fight Szayelaporro. He reveals that during their time at Soul Society, he planted bacteria upon Uryū's person to monitor his action, much to Uryū's chagrin. Uryū and Renji watch the battle between the two scientists and witness Mayuri's ultimate victory over Szayelaporro. He then asks Mayuri if he is okay, as his Zanpakutō was broken, to which Mayuri responds that it is a suitable punishment for defying its master.

When Mayuri opens Szayelaporro's specimen vault, a shocked Uryū sees two bodies hanging from the ceiling. Not long afterwards, Uryū strongly opposes Mayuri's method of healing him by injecting a green liquid into him (while being restrained by Nemu). Nemu silences him by lowering her breasts onto his face, causing him to pass out.

The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc
While Ichigo is fighting the Hollows that attacked Ryūnosuke Yuki and Shino, Uryū arrives with Orihime and Sado, and they help him in the fight. Uryū comments that Ichigo's attack was dangerous. Two days later, they arrive at Ichigo's house, Uryū remarking that Ichigo has no etiquette. When Ichigo asks how he got in, he replies that Yuzu Kurosaki let him in, and asks him to get plates for the bread Orihime brought. He and Ichigo bicker over him ordering Ichigo around. Later, they begin to eat the bread Orihime brought, and he leaves the bread that he doesn't want for Ryūnosuke. Uryū questions if Asguiaro Ebern is an Arrancar, since it looked like he had part of a Hollow mask on his face. . After Akon informs Ryūnosuke of Chōjirō Sasakibe's death, he remarks that the Soul Society probably gave Ryūnosuke that information to let Ichigo know what's happening.

Orihime, Sado, and Uryū return to Ichigo's house at his request to hear from Nel Tu and Pesche about the Wandenreich's conquest of Hueco Mundo and capture of various Arrancar, including Dondochakka. Uryū states that he cannot accompany them, prompting Ichigo to say that he knew that, but called him anyway to avoid him sulking.

Sometime later, Haschwalth brings Uryū to Yhwach, who welcomes him to his palace and proposes the two of them fight together. He is later welcomed by Yhwach, in front of the other Sternritter, who express shock that he is even on the same podium as Yhwach himself. Uryū is then declared Yhwach's successor, to the uproar of the Sternritter. After the announcement he is taken to Yhwach's chambers, who declares Uryū will soon awaken his powers and bestows upon him a Schrift, the same letter as that of Yhwach himself, "A". Commenting on the discord caused by Yhwach's decision to name him his successor, Uryū asks why the Wandenreich leader has done so. Replying that he was glad to hear his followers weren't so dependent that they'd follow his decisions blindly, Yhwach goes on to explain that it is because there must be a reason Uryū was still alive despite his Auswählen killing all of the Gemischt Quincy nine years prior. Surmising that it must be because Uryū possesses something which surpasses his own power, Yhwach states that he shouldn't over-analyze things and instead just follow his lead.

Shortly after the Seireitei vanishes, Uryū emerges on one of the new buildings beside Yhwach and Haschwalth. Yhwach then asks him if he is familiar with the song, "Kaiser Gesang", to which Uryū confirms by reciting it. The Wandenreich leader then reveals that the song has an additional verse, in which the king acquires the world after nine days.

Uryū and Yhwach, as they observe Cang Du and BG9 being defeated, discuss the turning of events. Uryū asks if Yhwach predicted the captains recovering their Bankai, which Yhwach confirms.

Later, as Yhwach is sleeping, Uryū tries to go to Yhwach's room. However, he is interrupted by Haschwalth before he can enter. Uryū, being questioned by Haschwalth regarding his intentions, states that he doesn't need to tell him about what he's going to ask Yhwach. Uryū then proceeds to note that Haschwalth is different from how he was during the day, prompting the Sternritter Grandmaster to state that he and Yhwach are different sides of the same scale, and that when Yhwach becomes the father of the Quincy, Haschwalth is given the mask of the ruler.

After Haschwalth tells him that all Quincy are connected to Yhwach and explains Yhwach's unique power and the way he can carve an initial directly into a person's soul, Uryū questions how this is possible, leading Haschwalth to say that Yhwach has already carved an initial into Uryū's soul through having him drink the cup filled with his blood. A shocked Uryū is pinned to the wall by Haschwalth who states that there is no way out of this for Uryū, and that even though he only joined the Wandenreich to avenge his mother he hasn't had any way out since the beginning. Uryū then listens to Haschwalth as he explains Yhwach's need for battle and death and that all Sternritter live and die for their emperor. Later, when Ichigo arrives in the Seireitei, Yhwach notes his appearance and informs Haschwalth and Uryū that they will begin. As Uryū looks on as Haschwalth summons "the key", Yhwach says that they should be thankful to "the one" who brought them to the light.

Equipment

 * The Quincy cross is the source of a Quincy's power. As Uryū's power grows, so does his cross. Originally a simple cross, it later became a pentacle after regaining his powers.

Seele Schneider: Uryū is highly capable of using the soul-cutting sword with great proficiency, easily defeating Cirucci Sanderwicci with it, despite his lack of practice beforehand (Uryū had just recently stolen the weapons from his father's storage room).


 * Typically used by Quincy to aid in the extermination of low-level Hollows. It attracts them when the flat, round tablet is crushed and scattered. Uryū uses it to summon Hollows to Karakura Town during his duel with Ichigo Kurosaki.


 * A silver wire that Uryū conceals around his right arm after losing his powers to the Quincy: Letzt Stil. Uryū uses it to fight a Menos Grande that attacks him.


 * After rescuing Uryū from Szayelaporro, Mayuri Kurotsuchi gives Uryū a landmine he created, which is designed for use against Arrancar. Once its sensors pick up an Arrancar's Reiatsu, it detonates violently. Uryū subsequently uses it on the Espada Yammy Llargo, critically injuring the Arrancar in his sealed state; the explosion was very powerful.

Sanrei Glove (Former): In order to match more powerful opponents he would face in Soul Society, Uryū trained using his grandfather's gift: the Sanrei Glove. Upon completing the necessary week of endurance training wearing the glove, his power drastically increased. He manifested a different bow and increased all of his attributes, easily overpowering mid to low-tier Shinigami. The glove dissipated upon removal.

Quincy Bangle (Former): During the Bount Invasion, Uryū receives this Quincy artifact from Nemu in order to regain his former powers. After a battle where Uryū was pushed to his limit, he figured out how to use this accessory without the risk of it self-destructing. He was able to master its use in a very short amount of time, surprising and impressing Ran'Tao. The artifact was destroyed in his fight against Jin Kariya.


 * Putting the Anti-Arrancar Mine developed by Mayuri to practical use, Uryū detonates the landmine in a such a manner that it not only inflicts significant injury to an opponent, but also destroys the ground beneath them. When used against Yammy Llargo, in order to maximize the damage and protract the Espada's subsequent fall, Uryū weakened the lower levels of the structure that they were in.

Powers & Abilities
Master Archer: When a Quincy becomes more skilled using their Bow and Heilig Pfeil, they gain more power and precision with their arrows. This is similar to how a marksman gains skill and hits the target more frequently. Uryū Ishida has greatly increased his power and skill throughout his association with Ichigo Kurosaki, and is a prime example of this growth. He has great accuracy, able to instantly kill Hollows with one arrow. During the Ryoka Invasion, he fights Jirōbō Ikkanzaka, another projectile-type user, and easily defeats him. After defeating him, Uryū fires two arrows through his soul chain and soul sleep, preventing him from ever harming anyone again (he attempted to attack Orihime Inoue).


 * Path Control: When Uryū fought Cirucci Sanderwicci in Las Noches, he was able to curve his arrows' path after firing them, putting stress on the former Espada. This effectively makes the Quincy's Heilig Pfeil similar to miniature heat-seeking missiles, but instead of locking on to heat, they target whatever enemy they have. It is unknown how long Uryū can control the arrow's path, or if there is a limit to how many can be under his control. So far, he has only fired 3 simultaneously using this method.


 * Negation of Attacks: Uryū can fire his arrows with pinpoint precision to the point where they negate another attack on impact. To do this, he charges the arrows with a sufficient amount of power and fires them to strike an incoming projectile. He has used his Heilig Pfeil in this way twice: once against Aisslinger Wernarr's Uña Tirotear attack, and a second time against Cirucci's Golondrina. It was especially useful against Aisslinger, since the Arrancar could only fire 108 projectiles at once, almost 1/12th the amount of arrows Uryū can fire.

Reishi Manipulation: as a Quincy he primarily absorbs spiritual energy from the atmosphere, and combines it with his own spiritual energy to form weapons. He has an easier time collecting this energy in environments with higher concentrations of Reishi such as in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. He can manipulate spiritual energy for offensive purposes. Uryū commonly reshapes spiritual particles into various types of bow and arrows, but can also concentrate spiritual energy into the form of swords (Seele Schneider) or Gintō.


 * Hirenkyaku Expert: Uryū is highly skilled in the use of the technique, keeping up with Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who complimented his skill, stating it was a skill that was hard to master, especially at such a young age. Uryū has also learned a variation of the technique, which creates a platform of Reishi under the user's feet. Originally used while traveling to Hueco Mundo, he has found use for it outside of the Garganta, and can carry others with him on the platform.


 * A high level technique which is quite rare among the Quincy. Uryū is well versed in the use of this ability, which was not possessed by a good majority of the former living Quincy. It allows the user to use spirit energy to manipulate their own body in the case of paralysis.

Gintō Expert: He is able to use the spiritual energy stored in the silver tubes to create similar effects to Kidō; Uryū can even use his own energy rather than the energy stored in the silver tube. Gintō was his primary weapon of choice, albeit only, against an incomplete Arrancar during the Arrancar Invasion. He was only able to injure it before his father saved him, but this feat alone was great, as he could not use any of his Quincy abilities at the time.

Excellent Intellect & Athleticism: Aside from his Quincy powers, Uryū is well-trained in both body and mind, having substantial athletic abilities and a genius intellect. He uses his intelligence to find weak points in his opponents, even overcoming disadvantages he has through thinking on his feet. Due to keeping his physical abilities at their peak, Uryū can easily hold out against all but the most resilient opponents during a battle. He is able to deduce Ichigo's spiritual level, that Ichigo acquired his Shinigami powers in mid-May, and Rukia Kuchiki's real identity.


 * Multilingual: He possesses some knowledge of Spanish, as he understands the Spanish terms used by the Arrancar. Uryū told Yammy upon his defeat,"Mala Suerte," which means tough luck, before the latter fell through Las Noches. He is seen reading a German book.

Expert Swordsman: During his fight with Cirucci Sanderwicci, Uryū uses Seele Schneider as a sword expertly, and easily defeats her with it. Even though it is really an arrow, and his main prowess lies in archery and Quincy techniques, it is clear that Uryū has some ability with the sword. He also uses his Seele Schneider against Senbonzakura, and successfully holds his ground for a short time.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: While preferring to fight at mid to long-range to make full use of his Quincy powers, Uryū is also a highly capable close-range and bare-handed fighter. When a street gang came to Karakura High School to cause trouble, Uryū calmly approached them, and showed his skill by easily subduing them (albeit with some assistance from Ichigo). Like his weapon style, Uryū's bare-handed style is more about precise strikes than brute force.

Spiritual Awareness: As a Quincy, Uryū can sense Hollows at a significant distance. He sensed a new Hollow in an area before either Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki sensed its arrival. He also knew which direction it was in.

High Spiritual Power: Uryū has displayed a high amount of spiritual energy. He has obviously mastered the Quincy ability of Reiryoku absorption, taking in spirit particles and spirit energy alike. This, on top of his own energy reserves, lends him plenty of strength in combat. When his father restored his powers, Uryū's spiritual force proves so great that it took them a week or so to finish, and his father still needed to draw out a stronger arrow (as opposed to shooting him single-handedly) to restore his powers and exhaust him completely. His Reiatsu is light-blue.

Spirit Weapon

 * After Uryū regains his powers with the aid of his father; he uses this new Quincy cross, this one resembling a pentacle, and a variant of his original bow. This bow is first used during his battle with the Arrancar Aisslinger Wernarr, and several of its special abilities were later used in his fight against Cirucci Sanderwicci. Unlike his original bow, this bow is shaped like a spider's web.


 * Uryū can gather Reishi from his surroundings and shape it into arrows. With Ginrei Kojaku, Uryū can fire up to 1,200 shots consecutively. He can fire hundreds of arrows all at once, which Ichigo Kurosaki compares to "bug spray" after he uses it on a swarm of Hollows.


 * Arrow Ricochet: Uryū can ricochet individual shots off of walls to shoot around corners, make the direction of his attacks unpredictable, and change the direction of his shots while in flight.


 * Uryū first used this technique in conjunction with his new spirit bow Ginrei Kojaku. A large amount of Reiryoku is gathered at Uryū's left shoulder, much like when he used the Quincy: Letzt Stil. He then fires a volley of arrows at a single target.


 * Reishi Shield: Though it is not meant to be used in this manner, Uryū is able to use Ginrei Kojaku as a temporary shield to block some attacks.

New Bow: 17 months after the defeat of Aizen, Uryū has a new bow. It is smaller in size, resembling his father's. An arrow forms down the middle of each side of the bow, with a line that crosses it near the center.


 * Heilig Pfeil: Just like his previous bows, Uryū can gather Reishi from his surroundings and shape it into arrows. According to Quilge Opie, Uryū's Heilig Pfeil should not be weaker than his own.

Appearances in Other Media
Uryū appears as a playable character in Bleach: Soul Resurrección, where he fights with his Seeleschneider, bow and Gintō attacks. Uryū appears in the Bleach movies Memories of Nobody, The DiamondDust Rebellion, and The Hell Verse. In the latter, Uryū uses a technique called Gert Sprenger. This involves Uryū firing a single Seele Schneider at the intended target, which then stops in mid-air, surrounding the opponent with a high density barrier of Reishi. Minuscule cuts created by Seele Schneider cause Reishi to flow out of the target's body. Uryū throws a Gintō at the Seele Schneider, causing the barrier to implode, culminating in an enormous explosion.

Censorship
Ulquiorra's attack on Uryū was significantly toned down in the anime. In the manga, Ulquiorra manages to sever Uryū's left hand, while in the anime, Uryū's left hand was just severely injured and burnt. Despite the anime damage showing no bleeding at all, Uryū still states similar lines about having stopped the blood flow to a worried Orihime, and he loses the use of his left arm in both versions.

Trivia

 * Uryū ranked 5th in the most recent character popularity poll. In previous polls, he placed highly: in the first he came 3rd, in the second, he came 8th, and in the third, 15th.


 * His weapons have ranked highly in the Zanpakutō poll, with his Ginrei Kojaku placed 11th, his Seele Schneider 21st and his Kojaku placing 22nd.


 * His theme song, as chosen by Tite Kubo, is "Idioteque" by Radiohead.


 * In the Bleach best bout poll, Uryū's fight with Mayuri came in eighth place.

Quotes

 * (To Jirōbō Ikkanzaka) "You want an attack full of "killing intent"? Then come get me. My bow is full of it."


 * (To Sōken Ishida) "Sensei, I want to get stronger. I'll become a very strong Quincy and then protect everyone from Hollows. Then father will definitely agree with the way of the Quincy."


 * (To Mayuri Kurotsuchi) "I swear on the pride of the Quincy, I will kill you."


 * (To Mayuri Kurotsuchi) "Apologize to everyone and never appear in front of me again, then I will spare your life. If you don't, I will shoot you again with three times as much power as the last shot."


 * (Thinking during the fight between Ichigo and Byakuya) "She knows that if she tries to help, she'll just be in the way. Plus, even if she is able to help Kurosaki wouldn't want her to. She knows all of this, but she is still clenching her whole body, as if trying to stop it from taking action. Inoue is waiting, praying that you will be safe, believing you will return. Don't lose Kurosaki. If you lose, I will never forgive you!"


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "You're asking if this is a bow? Of course it is. You think I would use anything else?"


 * (To Aisslinger Wernarr) "I have not exterminated you so that you can relay a message to Aizen. Tell him the Quincy are here, and that in reality, it's not the Shinigami he should fear, but rather the Quincy!"


 * (To Pesche Guatiche about Cirucci Sanderwicci) "The right to choose life or death lies with the victor, and the victor of this battle is me. From her perspective, my leaving her alive here might seem like an insult, but I have no intention of doing things their way."


 * (To Ulquiorra Cifer regarding Uryū being clear-headed) "I am. That's why I'm ready to do battle with you!"

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