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" - "The Antithesis", one of Yhwach's, and his future successor.

Appearance
Uryū Ishida is a bespectacled teenager of average height and slender build. He has straight, chin-length black 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. After joining the Wandenreich, Uryū wears a white, double-breasted trench coat underneath a long white cape. The coat is fastened by three buttons emblazoned with the Quincy Zeichen on either side and a white belt with a silver buckle around the waist. Its shoulders are clasped to its neck, and the inside of the collar features a rectangular sigil on either side. Uryū also wears a pin shaped like a winged star circled by a halo on his right breast.

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.

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, June 17th, 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. This was compounded as Uryū would watch Ryūken dissect Kanae's dead body, and he begged his father to stop. That day, he decided he would never become a doctor.

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. After entering the Soul Society, he discovers that Mayuri Kurotsuchi had bribed certain Shinigami into not protecting the Quincy that they had been assigned to protect so that he could take their Souls for research at the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. He also learns that Sōken died screaming out Uryū's name while being dissected by Mayuri causing Uryū to transfer his pent up anger towards the captain.

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.

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.

Leiden Hant (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 a Shinigami captain. 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
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.

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.


 * Attack Negation: 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.

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 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.

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 has also read a German book.

Spirit Weapon
,: After joining the Wandenreich, Uryū wields a new, light-colored bow. It is roughly as tall as he is and has semi-straight arms tapering off into points, with the handle being significantly thinner than the rest of the bow is. While facing Jugram Haschwalth later on, Uryū uses a bow with four long prongs and two spikes extending from the center.


 * As with his previous bows, Uryū can draw Reishi from the surrounding area and form arrows with it. However, his Heilig Pfeil are significantly different; they have noticeable arrowheads, and their ends are shaped like a Quincy Zeichen with the arms bent back.


 * Uryū no longer needs to visibly collect Reishi along his left shoulder in preparation for using this technique, and can unleash a barrage of Heilig Pfeil upon his target near-instantaneously.

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

 * In the anime, Uryū's hair is "raven-colored" instead of black, as depicted in the manga.


 * 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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