Orihime Inoue

is a Human living in Karakura Town. She is a student at the Karakura High School, where she is in the same class as Ichigo Kurosaki and her best friend, Tatsuki Arisawa.

Appearance
Orihime is a teenager of average height. She has brown eyes and long, waist-length burnt orange hair. Her most noticeable physical trait is her surprisingly curvaceous figure for a teenager; especially in terms of her large breasts. She wears her hair in bangs tucked behind her ears with hairpins, which she only removes to sleep, as they are worn in the memory of her brother. Orihime initially wears her hair with a full but parted fringe before pulling most of her bangs behind her ears as she was ready to leave for Soul Society, a change noted by Tatsuki.

Personality
Orihime is friendly, humorous in her own way, sensitive, caring, and kind. She comes off as naive and rather clueless, which is at odds with her exceptionally high marks in school. She is a member of the Handicrafts Club and likes to invent very ridiculous sports to play with Tatsuki (such as "base-cer," a combination of baseball and soccer). She is not very good with technology; a member of the Handicrafts Club once remarked that she is not smart enough to use a cell phone, which is why she does not have one.

Orihime likes Asian flower print clothes and comedies. Orihime cooks and eats strange food at home, although she also likes some normal food. Aside from Rangiku Matsumoto and Tessai Tsukabishi, no one shares Orihime's tastes. Her favorite food is red bean paste, and she likes putting butter on sweet potatoes. She enjoys cheese and butter most of the time. She tends to zone out with her mouth open and loses track of what she was thinking or dreaming about. She also tends to have an over-active imagination and gets carried away thinking of implausible scenarios, such as portraying herself as a futuristic and highly destructive robot in an assignment asking a student "How do you see yourself in the future?".

Orihime has also demonstrated that she is perceptive when it comes to people's mental and emotional state, mostly when it comes to Ichigo Kurosaki, able to tell what kind of driving force is pushing someone. She has a crush on Ichigo, and later falls in love with him. She has revealed these feelings both to Rangiku Matsumoto and to Ichigo himself, though he was asleep at the time. She has exhibited traits that appears to have some connection with Ichigo, such as the uncanny ability to detect Ichigo by scent and sense his Spiritual Pressure, even when masked by the Vizard, she is aware of what mood Ichigo is in, knowing at the best sense his feelings of anguish, disappointment, or worry, and even feels pain herself when she sees getting Ichigo hurt.

History
Orihime lives by herself in Karakura Town, and is supported by her relatives living elsewhere. Previously, she lived with her older brother, Sora, who was fifteen years older than her. She and her brother were raised by a drunk father and a prostitute mother, who always argued and beat their children. It is unknown if her parents are still alive.

When Sora turned eighteen, he ran away with Orihime, who was three years old, and raised her from then on. For six years, Orihime and Sora lived in harmony despite the fact that Orihime was bullied in school because of her unusual hair color. One day, Sora gave Orihime a pair of hairpins. However, Orihime refused to wear them because she said they were childish. On the same day, Sora was wounded in a car accident and died in the Kurosaki clinic. Orihime has worn the hairpins ever since. A year after Sora died, Orihime met Tatsuki, who defended her from the bullies. They became best friends.

Agent of the Shinigami arc
She initially appears with Tatsuki walking through the school corridor, discussing her odd tastes in food, which her best friend does not share. A distracted Ichigo Kurosaki collides with her and knocks her to the ground. After he apologizes, she acts strangely and begins to make excuses while fleeing the scene. Later, she is seen at her home being watched by the ghost of her brother, Sora. The next day, Ichigo and Rukia Kuchiki come across Orihime as she is walking home from purchasing groceries for dinner. When they find her, it is evident she has been in some sort of accident although she appears unsure if she was hit by a car or not. Despite this, Rukia notices a strange bruise on her leg which she later reveals she is sure was made by some form of Hollow, her theory confirmed when Acidwire attacks Ichigo who identifies him as the spirit of Orihime's brother.

Meanwhile, Orihime has Tatsuki over for dinner, revealing more of her crush when she becomes distracted by the thought of Ichigo's previous offer to walk her home. After dinner, both girls begin hearing loud noises after Orihime's teddy rips and falls from its shelf. It is then that Acidwire attacks and pulls Orihime's soul from her body, leaving the Chain of Fate unbroken so that she doesn't initially die. Horrified, Orihime witnesses the Hollow attack her best friend, who becomes scared and confused, even when Orihime touches her due to the fact Tatsuki can see neither her nor the Hollow. Ichigo soon arrives to attack the Hollow but still hesitates in finishing him off, being flung from the building in the process. Acidwire then reveals his true identity to Orihime, who is sceptical at first because she doesn't believe her brother would do such horrible things as try to hurt others, she only believes him truly when she sees his reaction to her hair-clips and thus becomes concerned when he and Ichigo begin fighting once more. Again, due to his identity, Ichigo hesitates and loses his sword as a result. Acidwire attacks Orihime and she embraces him during it, despite his exclamation that she should die for him. In the anime, Acidwire attacks Ichigo who is saved and shocked when Orihime takes the hit herself. Orihime apologizes to her brother for causing all this and results in him being able to temporarily crack his Hollow mask and regain some control over his actions. She awakens in time to bid him farewell before he sends himself to the Soul Society with a smile upon his face.

While both Tatsuki and Orihime's memories are modified by Rukia, this event enables them to start developing spiritual awareness. She once again encounters a Hollow when Uryū lures a massive number to Karakura Town for his challenge to Ichigo. At this time she tries to get her friends to run quickly from school, in actuality, to run away from the Hollow that was stalking them that they couldn't see. The Hollow, Numb Chandelier, uses her ability to control various students and forces them to attack Orihime, with a shocked Chizuru Honshō unable to prevent her left hand from clenching itself around Orihime's neck. The classmates begin surrounding Orihime and begin gripping her when Tatsuki arrives to defend her from the onslaught, confused by the actions of her fellow students. When Tatsuki tries to fend off the assaults and protect Orihime, she is controlled as well with on of the Hollow's seeds implanted within her. Seeing Tatsuki in tears brings back old memories of the days when Orihime was bullied for the color of her hair and when Tatsuki saved her, thus Orihime decides it is time for her to protect Tatsuki in return for their friendship. This desire forces a change in Orihime whose powers begin to manifest for the first time as she declares that the Hollow made a mistake in hurting her friends. Orihime then notices numerous spirit beings flying over her head discussing whether or not Orihime recognizes their existence. These six spirits, who call themselves Shun Shun Rikka, briefly explain their powers for Orihime, which she uses to defeat the Hollow and heal Tatsuki. Afterwards, Kisuke Urahara takes her and Yasutora Sado to his shop and he explains to the two about their powers.

Soul Society arc
After Rukia is taken back to Soul Society, everyone immediately forgets about her except for Orihime and the other powerful people around Ichigo. She confronts Ichigo about this and highlights for him the possibility that even if he does rescue Rukia, she may still be captured and taken back to her world once more but despite this she already knows he's made up his mind to go rescue her. Orihime decides to join Ichigo on his rescue mission along with Chad, Uryū, and Yoruichi Shihōin as their guide. For this, Yoruichi informs them that they have to train in order to go to the Soul Society and not die. Orihime asks Uryū to train with her and Chad but he declines, the situation showing that Orihime is apparently the only person not freaked out by a talking cat. Their initial lessons with Yoruichi prove difficult and they are unable to unlock their powers once more until Yoruichi asks them to remember how they felt when their powers first manifested and her powers appear again. She is then seen congratulating Chad when he finally unleashes his power and yet destroys the building, having to run away afterwards. On their last day with their friends, while the others leave with Isshin to find seats at the Fireworks Festival, Orihime stays and has a small chat with Tatsuki. Orihime chose to tell her that she was staying at her Grandmother's house when she was actually going to Soul Society and it appeared that Tatsuki knew more than she was pretending to about the situation. The two decided to enjoy their time together regardless. Orihime received the same message from Urahara as Ichigo and appeared upset that he thought she had no sense of humor. Orihime appears impressed and ecstatic when they enter the underground training facility at Urahara's Shop. Orihime, Chad, Uryū and Ichigo are lead by the cat form of Yoruichi into the Dangai Precipice World that connects both the world of the living and the Soul Society in order to achieve their goal of saving Rukia from execution.

While running to Soul Society, despite Yoruichi warning her not to, Orihime uses her shield against the Dangai cleaner, saving their lives but severely risking hers in the process, which annoys their guide somewhat due to this risk to her life. After being forced to take a back seat against the giant Jidanbō Ikkanzaka and the failed attempt at entering the Seireitei, Orihime takes over the job of healing the guardian with help of the surrounding citizens. She appears to have been very popular among the citizens for helping to heal the guardian despite her status as a Ryoka. When they reach the home of Kūkaku, it is shown that Orihime is able to create the Kidō cannonball fairly speedily and easily compared to the others. When Ichigo experiences problems in forming any sort of sphere with his Spiritual Pressure, Orihime sacrifices her own food in order to save some for him when he refuses to come for something to eat, showing how her feelings are beginning to develop even further for Ichigo. When their large cannonball begins to disintegrate, the influx throws Orihime away from the others with Uryū. She catches their fall with Santen Kesshun. Despite the use of her shield, she does obtain some injuries from the fall, having passed out, waking to find herself thinking Uryū is Ichigo before realising he would have had to administer first aid to her shoulder while she was unconscious.

For the majority of their mission, Orihime is grouped with Uryū. Despite receiving some secret attention from the beginning of their journey in the Seireitei, their time was relatively uneventful compared to the others, having only three encounters in total with the members of the Gotei 13. The first comes right after they dodge a possible encounter with Kenpachi Zaraki only to be found by Jirōbō Ikkanzaka of the 7th Division, who sneaks up behind Orihime and tries to kill her with a sneak attack, only to be prevented by Uryū's swift action. Orihime immediately takes the initiative and attempts to kill the much larger Shinigami, but her Koten Zanshun attack fails with Tsubaki even getting a little injured. Her opponent calmly deduces that while he hasn't seen such a power before, her attack had lacked killing intent and thus, would not work on a Shinigami like himself. Later, when Uryū defeats him, he changes tactics and moves to attack a defenceless Orihime who is unprepared for the attack. However, Uryū gets in between them and soundly defeats him once and for all. Orihime is impressed with her friend's progress but begins to lament about her own self-worth in battle, not feeling she achieved as much as he did in her ten days of training.

The next time the pair of them are seen, they are dressed in Shinigami uniforms. It is revealed that Orihime had an idea of stealing the uniforms from unsuspecting members of the Gotei 13 so that she and Uryū could move around more freely. She attracts the attention of Toshimori Umesada of the Ninth Division, who invites her back to his quarters and begins to make her feel uncomfortable until Uryū gets in between them and he is later called off by his squad members. Around this time it is revealed that Orihime has some skills in Karate, having been able to knock out two Shinigami on her own without any aid from Uryū. The pair renew their search for Rukia, unaware that they are being stalked by the Captain of the Twelfth Division, who reveals himself to have been hidden within the walls of buildings around them.

While running through the Seireitei, Orihime reveals that Tsubaki is still injured and that she is having trouble healing him from their previous confrontation with Jirōbō Ikkanzaka. It is then the pair are discovered by Makizō Aramaki of the Eleventh Division, who seriously questions their identities after they claim to be in his division, but are without their Zanpakutōs. They are saved by members of the Twelfth Division, who seem to want to look out for them. Uryū gets suspicious and figures out something is wrong, warning Orihime of the danger at the last minute before the members of the Twelfth Division explode. It is revealed that Orihime managed to perform Santen Kesshun just in time to protect herself, Uryū, and Aramaki from these explosions. Aramaki becomes confused as to why Orihime saved him and why she became upset with the loss of those that had pretended to help them earlier, noting that it wasn't out of fear that she cried. She refuses to run away to save herself when her companion demands it due to Kurotsuchi's interest in her abilities. However, Uryū threatens Aramaki into running away with her in his arms to get her away from the impending battle between him and Kurotsuchi, although the latter initially tries to prevent his target from getting away.

Orihime and Aramaki are found by Yachiru Kusajishi and brought back to the Eleventh Division quarters where she is questioned by its members. The whole group, with Orihime travelling upon Kenpachi Zaraki's back with a jealous Yachiru, run for the barracks where Uryū, Chad and Ganju Shiba are being held and break them out of jail. Orihime and her friends witness Kenpachi challenge Sajin Komamura, Kaname Tōsen and their vice-captains to battle before being dragged off by Yachiru in order to find Ichigo.

They travel to Rukia's execution grounds but only arrive when Ichigo is battling Byakuya Kuchiki, they notice the large Reiatsu on the way and Orihime automatically identifies it to be that of Ichigo's. Aramaki then displays his confusion over how the group of friends are doing all this to save Rukia and Orihime steps in to save about how she's not just a friend and that she change Ichigo's life forever. Uryū tries to get Orihime to leave the dangerous area but she refuses to do so, wanting to wait until the battle was finished, despite the angry frissons of Spiritual Pressure caused by the battling pair and the extreme destructive power their clash brings with it. . When the fight concludes, Orihime runs to Ichigo as he is falling only to have him hurt himself on her head as he did so, leading to her to panic and apologise repeatedly for the mishap. She gets over excited when Ichigo enquires if she was hurt at all and replies that she was useless and everyone had had to protect her. With tears in her eyes, she expresses her regreat that she was unable to help Ichigo in any substantial capacity and that she was simply glad that he was alive following the dangerous events, for which Ichigo thanks her for her concern. Orihime also doesn't hear Isane Kotetsu's transmitted message to all the highly ranked officers and Ryoka, which Chad states that it is probably due to her not being in contact with the Fourth Division while the others, whom had been injured, had been healed by them at some point. While they manage to save Rukia, they are unable to stop Sōsuke Aizen, the mastermind behind the entire scheme, from departing for Hueco Mundo.

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

In the anime, Orihime returns to school where she finally starts to talk to Tatsuki Arisawa again. During that morning, Renji Abarai turns up outside in a Gigai calling for Ichigo, who runs out of class. Later that evening, Orihime is visited by the spirit of her dead brother, who assures her that he got to Soul Society safely and he will never become a Hollow again. Meanwhile, Renji's phone picks up a spiritual anomaly near Orihime's house and he informs Ichigo of this. Chad and Uryū also sense this. Back at Orihime's house, her brother starts to behave strangely and suggests going outside. When Renji, Ichigo, Chad and Uryū arrive, there is a huge door (which somewhat resembles the Gates of Hell) floating outside Orihime's house. She is then sucked in while three shadowy figures stand on the rooftops laughing. The next day, everybody at school, including Tatsuki, seems to have lost their memories of her existence.

The shadowy figures rope Ichigo and the others into playing their "games" to get their friend back, eventually kidnapping Chad instead of returning Orihime. One of the shadowy figures impersonates Orihime beforehand, and turns into a tall thin man with a mustache, glasses, and top hat who reveals himself as Kurōdo. Next, a thin teenager with a zipper hood appears and introduces himself as Noba, and finally comes the girl who was phoning them, named Ririn. Chad is then sucked through the gates leaving the group down to three.

After some more games, the three strangers are revealed to be modified souls in Gigai forms. They return both Orihime and Chad, but insist that one of their group has been replaced by an impostor in the process. The next game involves them finding the impostor over the course of the school day as their classmates disappear. The impostor is eventually revealed to be Chad. The final challenge involves rescuing Chad. Ichigo eventually realizes that Urahara is behind the whole thing.

Afterwards, Urahara reveals to the group that Uryū has lost his powers. Yoruichi appears and tells them that Bounts have appeared. Urahara explains to the group about the Bounts and because they have high spirit powers, they might be targeted. He also tells them that the three mod souls have Bount detectors inside them. He then pairs Orihime up with Kurōdo who takes him home, in pill form, and puts him into a rabbit bag. As she is admiring him, Kon, Chad, and Noba (inside a turtle plushie) turn up. As they are talking, Noba and Kurōdo detect a Bount and the two run off to stop it from absorbing somebody's soul. The find that they are too late and are confronted by Ryō Utagawa who then walks off. They sense Ichigo is in trouble and run to find him just after Ryō Utagawa has carried off Yoshino Sōma. Orihime realizes Rukia Kuchiki has come back to the real world and she invites her to come to a restaurant while Ichigo and Chad exchange confused looks.

After the three bring Rukia up to date with the situation, they go back to Ichigo's house and talk, during the middle of which Renji barges in. Orihime then continues to help Ichigo and the group fight the Bounts and help rescue Uryū, who the Bounts have taken a liking to and claim they need. Orihime later has to fight Rukia, who is possessed by the Bount Mabashi's doll, Ritz. Though reluctant to harm either Rukia or the Bount, Rukia's momentary ability to overpower the doll gives Orihime enough motivation to free Rukia from the doll's control.

Orihime later accompanies Ichigo and the group to Soul Society after the Bounts go there to get revenge for their creation. In Soul Society, the group split up to search for the Bounts in Rukongai. While searching, Orihime finds Ichigo. While they are speculating over where the Bounts might be, they sense Rukia is in trouble. The two of them arrive to help Rukia in the aftermath of her fight with Yoshi and accompany Byakuya Kuchiki back to his house, where they are told Rukia's life is not in danger.

Later, the group get information of the Bounts' whereabouts, but they get split up when Ichigo and Uryū sense Jin Kariya, who is fighting Byakuya Kuchiki, and separately go to investigate. Orihime and Chad later reappear when Maki Ichinose tries to stop the group (which now includes Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Renji Abarai and Rangiku Matsumoto). Ichinose tries to kill the group but Kenpachi Zaraki soon shows up and engages Ichinose. The group then return to Seireitei where they find gatekeeper Jidanbō injured after losing to the Bounts. Orihime then decides to stay behind and heal Jidanbō. Later on, Orihime meets up again with Ichigo and the others, and heals both Chad and Uryū's injuries.

Arrancar arc
The group's return marks the beginning of the school semester. However, the arrival of a new student, Shinji Hirako, brings along many troubling issues. Noticing the change of behavior in Ichigo, Orihime and Chad confront Shinji after overhearing his conversation with Hiyori Sarugaki. Before they can learn anything, Hiyori is carried away by Shinji.

Shortly after the arrival of Shinji, the Human World is invaded by two Arrancar, Ulquiorra Cifer and Yammy Riyalgo. Orihime and Chad manage to save Tatsuki, who was present when the two invaders arrived. Ichigo arrives shortly after, but is then neutralized when his inner Hollow interferes with the battle. The three of them sustain massive injuries, with the spirit for Orihime's attack ability, Tsubaki, completely destroyed. They are saved by the arrival of Yoruichi and Urahara.

This event prompts Soul Society to send a group of Shinigami to help defend the Human World, Rukia among them. While the return of Rukia helps to cheer up a depressed Ichigo, Orihime becomes conflicted with gratefulness and jealousy. She lets Rangiku Matsumoto stay at her house. While at Orihime's, Orihime tells Rangiku about her jealousy and Rangiku gets out of the bathtub naked. She goes on top of Orihime and tells her not to be jealous of Rukia.

After the second assault on the human world, this time by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and five other Arrancar, Soul Society finally figures out the true agenda of Sōsuke Aizen and requests Orihime deliver this information to the Human defenders. She is able to track down Ichigo, who is at the Vizard base, and manages to pass through the Vizard's barrier without much effort. This feat amazes and impresses the Vizard Hachigen Ushōda, who created the barrier.

Orihime is then summoned to meet Urahara at his shop. There, she is asked to not participate in the coming battle. Though part of the reason is Orihime's lack of combat ability, Urahara is really trying to prevent her from attracting Aizen's interest. Discouraged briefly, Orihime regains her confidence after talking to Rukia. She is further helped when Hachigen restores Tsubaki for her. She then joins Rukia in her training in Soul Society.

Unfortunately, Orihime's ability does spur Aizen's attention. Upon seeing footage brought back by Ulquiorra, he decides to have her captured. A third invasion of the human world is ordered, intending to lure Orihime out. The plan is a success, with Ulquiorra intercepting Orihime as she passes through the tunnel. Threatened with the lives of those she cares for the most, she has no choice but to go to Hueco Mundo.

Orihime is given a chance to bid farewell to one person, and she uses the chance to make a tearful love confession to a sleeping Ichigo. She comes close to kissing him but cannot bring herself to do it. Before leaving the Human World, she writes a cryptic line in a notebook, "Goodbye halcyon days."

Hueco Mundo arc
As she arrives in Las Noches, the fortress of the Arrancar, Orihime is ordered by Aizen to demonstrate her power to the rest of the Arrancar by restoring Grimmjow's missing arm. After she recreates it, Grimmjow also asks her to restore his number six tattoo, identifying him as one of the Espada. Upon completion of this task, Grimmjow butchers Luppi to get his rank back, much to Orihime's horror.



Orihime is assigned to a modest room as Ichigo, Uryū, and Chad attempt to rescue her. She receives a new outfit similar to that of an Arrancar and is informed by Ulquiorra that Ichigo and his group (which now includes Rukia, Renji, and a trio of friendly Arrancar) are attempting a rescue on her behalf. She appears to have converted to Aizen's side and as a supposed token of his trust in her Aizen shows her the Hōgyoku, which he explains is necessary for both the creation of Arrancar and the royal key. However, this only gives Orihime a sense of purpose, and she resolves to destroy the orb with her powers by erasing its existence altogether.

As Ichigo's group separately make their way through Las Noches, she senses Chad's defeat at the hands of Nnoitra Jiruga as Ulquiorra walks in to her room. As he tries to convince her to eat, she repeatedly insists that Chad is still alive. Frustrated, Ulquiorra tells her that all her friends are eventually going to be defeated and that only fools come into Hueco Mundo with their powers untested. Orihime responds with a slap across Ulquiorra's face. Ulquiorra leaves as Orihime breaks down and starts crying.

Loly and Menoly later break into Orihime's room to torture her, only to be killed by Grimmjow shortly thereafter. Orihime is at a loss as to why he'd do such a thing, so Grimmjow explains that he's returning the favor for his arm. Grimmjow then grabs Orihime by the collar of her uniform and hoists her up, explaining that she now owes him another favor. Before they depart, Orihime revives the two Arrancar he killed, leading them to refer to her as a monster because of her ability to bring back the dead. After chaining her arms together to prevent her from escaping, Grimmjow drags Orihime to Ichigo, wanting her to restore him to full strength so they can have a fair battle. Orihime has trouble doing so due to the large amount of leftover spiritual pressure from Ulquiorra's attacks.

Ulquiorra himself arrives in short order, having discovered Grimmjow's plans. Grimmjow uses a Caja Negación to imprison him, then has Orihime finish what she's doing. Though reluctant at first, Ichigo tells her to obey Grimmjow so they can fight. After the two begin to battle, Orihime consoles Nel, telling her that Ichigo will win if he says he will. After Ichigo dons his Hollow mask, she becomes shocked at the cold, vicious fighting style Ichigo displays and wonders if it really is him. With encouragement from Nel, Orihime is able to lend her full support to Ichigo allowing him to gain the upper hand and deal a damaging blow to Grimmjow. After Ichigo stabs through Grimmjow and ends the fight, he grabs Orihime and prepares to leave to find Rukia and Chad. However, they are interrupted by the appearance of Nnoitra Jiruga, who slashes the defeated Grimmjow in order to take over the battle. She attempts to assist Ichigo only to be tackled by Tesla, who prevents her from trying to break free by threatening to shatter her Shun Shun Rikka. After Nnoitra gets hit by a double Cero blast from Nel, Tesla rushes to his aid releasing Orihime, she in turn rushes to Ichigo's side only to see Nel comically hug Ichigo. Orihime tells Nel that if she keeps hugging Ichigo like that he is eventually going to pass out, which he does shortly after. Not long after that Ichigo wakes up and goes to aid Nel in her battle against Nnoitra, only to have Tesla recapture Orihime shortly after he leaves.

After Nel falls, Ichigo goes up against Nnoitra, but is stopped by Tesla, who releases his Zanpakutō. Nnoitra then grabs her, and sticks his fingers in her mouth telling her not to scream and watch as Ichigo gets killed. Tesla, however, is swiftly cut in half upon the arrival of 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, and Nnoitra immediately throws her aside to face Zaraki.

Shortly after Kenpachi finishes Nnoitra off, Orihime rushes to heal him, only to be stopped by Coyote Starrk and brought back to Aizen. Aizen explains that his reasons for kidnapping her have always been to draw the Shinigami to Hueco Mundo, keeping them preoccupied while he destroys Karakura Town. Her purpose fulfilled, he leaves her behind, giving her permission to reunite with her friends, this however is not made possible due to Ulquiorra who stands between her and Ichigo who has come to take her back. Orihime is now witnessing the battle between the two.

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.

Fake Karakura Town arc
During the ensuing battle, Ulquiorra is seemingly evenly matched with Ichigo, until he finally cuts him. As a result, he remarks how it must feel good to keep up with him even when he's at "this level," Ulquiorra proceeds to increase his reiatsu and attacks Ichigo with more strength and speed than ever before. Ichigo is about to be dealt a powerful blow when Ulquiorra is repelled by Orihime, staring him down with a determined look upon her face. It should be noted that during this battle Loly and Menoly are on their way in order to bring Orihime down from her pedestal as they put it.

After putting up a shield to protect Ichigo, Ulquiorra starts to mentally harass her. Ichigo then intervenes and thanks her but tells her to stay back for safety. Afterwards, Loly and Menoly arrive and attempt to torture Orihime again, ripping her clothes and threatening to rip her eyes out. Ichigo tries to save her but Ulquiorra stands in his way alongside a recently arrived Yammy. Yammy defeats Loly easily, and asks Ulquiorra if he can kill Orihime now. Before he can act, Uryū Ishida arrives and uses a land-mine (specifically developed Mayuri Kurotsuchi to be used on Arrancar) against him. Yammy falls several levels below, and as Ichigo returns to his battle with Ulquiorra, he tells Uryū to guard Orihime with his life. The battle then intensifies as Ichigo unleashes his Hollow mask and the two go above the dome of Las Noches. Orihime is seen expressing grave concern towards Ichigo's safety, as Ulquiorra finally releases his Zanpakutō. She later becomes even more concerned after Ulquiorra fires his "Cero Oscuras," and asks Uryū to take her up above the dome, to which he reluctantly agrees.

As she arrived, she watched in horror as Ulquiorra tells her to watch as he kills Ichigo, the person she put all her faith in. She pleads for him to stop as he blows a giant hole in Ichigo's chest. After Ulquiorra throws a seemingly dead Ichigo down the tower Orihime rushes to rescue her nakama but Ulquiorra appears before her telling that Ichigo can't be healed even by her powers. Thinking quickly, Uryū shoots an arrow that Ulquiorra blocks with his wing giving enough time for Orihime to heal Ichigo while Uryū holds Ulquiorra off. Despite using her Sōten Kisshun on Ichigo, the hole doesn't appear to be closing, and upon witnessing Uryū defeated by Ulquiorra and losing his left hand, she panics. Orihime desperately calls for Ichigo to tell her what she should do, however Ichigo slowly begins to move as his hair grows longer, almost resembling a mane.

Ichigo hears Orihime's voice and tries to move to protect her and Uryū once again as Hollow Ichigo. However, both Orihime and Uryū see that Ichigo has transformed into a new state. Ulquiorra turns his attention back to Ichigo once again and the two of them resume their fight. However, both Uryū and Orihime are concerned about Ichigo's current state, for he does not react to anything that is said to him, nor does he speak. Uryū, in an effort to stop Ichigo from killing Ulquiorra in cold blood, restrains him with his hand but is stabbed through the stomach.

Using the last of his power, Ulquiorra uses a Lanza del Relámpago to sever one of Hollow Ichigo's horns, causing Ichigo's Cero to disperse skyward, shattering Hollow Ichigo's mask and restoring him to normal. Ichigo awakens fully unaware of the events that have happened and attempts to finish his fight with Ulquiorra. However, the latter is unable to move and quietly fades into the sands of Hueco Mundo after reaching briefly for Orihime's hand.

Orihime is still on top of the dome, healing Uryū's injuries, as related by Ichigo.

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

When Rukia arrives in the living world after sustaining injures from her rogue Zanpakutō, Orihime is called to heal Rukia. Later, when the man responsible for Soul Society's chaos, Muramasa, appears in Karakura Town, Orihime finds him. Muramasa attacks her, but faints due to his failing health. She then heals him, even though she knows that he is Ichigo's enemy. Orihime then notes that Muramasa's spiritual energy is similar to an Arrancar and that he is suffering great emotional pain. Ishida and Sado arrive on the scene and begin fighting Muramasa. Senbonzakura arrives to help Muramasa. Orihime watches as the fight continues Muramasa tries to use his powers to attack Ishida, but Orihime uses her Santen Kesshun, which is shown to be able to block his attack. Shortly thereafter, Rukia and then Ichigo also arrive on the scene.

When Muramasa succeeds in freeing his partner Kōga Kuchiki, Muramasa is attacked by Kōga, who claims Muramasa is no longer of any use to him. This devastating event causes Muramasa to lose control of his power, causing the vast number of Hollows he absorbed to be unleashed. Shortly afterwards, Muramasa unstable energy attracts all the Hollows in the area on to him, merging with him and resulting in him becoming a Hollow. While appearing mindless and rampaging, Orihime sees that Muramasa is still inside, trying to fight for control despite the emotional pain he is going through. She tries to reach Muramasa, but to no avail. Muramasa attacks her, but she blocks him with her barrier. As Muramasa makes another attack, Ichigo intervenes. The two clash for a short period until Ichigo appears the victor. Muramasa then undergoes another transformation, into a giant dome-like structure that swallows Ichigo. Orihime, wanting to help but devastated in knowing she can't, if forced to watch outside and have faith in Ichigo. Later, Ichigo breaks free from the dome with a defeated and dying Muramasa. After Muramasa apologizes for his mistakes, he fades away. While Orihime is saddened by this, Ichigo assures her that Muramasa died with his pride as a Zanpakutō.

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

After Muramasa's defeat, Orihime is visited by Rangiku and her still manifested Zanpakutō spirit, Haineko. After learning about a new threat called the Tōjū, Orihime offers to help. She lends some of her clothes to the now Gigai-clad Haineko so she can see the living world. During their fun, they are attacked by one of the Tōjū, now transformed after fusing with a Hollow. Orihime uses her shield to protect them, before they are saved by Ichigo and Hitsugaya.

Powers

 * Orihime's power manifests itself as these six fairy-like creatures that reside in her hair-clips (shaped like six-petaled flowers, each fairy is two points on a given clip) when inactive. Through various combinations of the six fairies, Orihime has the power to reject fate by denying or undoing events in various forms. This power can be used for attack, defense, or healing (depending on the combination). Orihime's mood directly influences the effectiveness of her powers. Feelings like doubt or worry make them weaker, while conviction makes them stronger. At their height, her powers resemble those of a deity in strength.

The Vizard Hachigen Ushōda comments that her hair pins, being the physical manifestation of her powers, is very much like the Zanpakutō of a Shinigami and that her powers resemble his own powers. The Arrancar, Tesla, when holding Orihime captive, warns her not to try to attack him as he can easily break the physical container of her Shun Shun Rikka, the hair pins themselves, stating that they are ridiculously weak.

Sōsuke Aizen, in his explanation of the Hōgyoku, says that her powers were actually awakened from the Hōgyoku when she cursed her powerlessness with all her heart and the Hōgyoku answered her desire.

The fairies are separate manifestations of Orihime's spirit, each with its own unique appearance and personality, and each named after a flower:

Ayame

 * Voiced by,Tomoe Sakuragawa, English Philece Sampler
 * Ayame is a shy female spirit covered in a dress larger than her body. She is capable of healing together with Shun'ō.



Baigon

 * Voiced by, Kiyoyuki Yanada, English: Liam O'Brien
 * Baigon is a bald male spirit with a mask that covers the bottom of his face. He is brawny and has a large body. He is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Hinagiku and Lily.



Hinagiku

 * Voiced by, Daisuke Kishio, English: Kirk Thornton
 * Hinagiku is a male spirit with a large eyepatch that ends in a horn and is highly energetic. He is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Baigon and Lily.



Lily

 * Voiced by Rie Kugimiya, English: Kate Higgins
 * Lily is a female spirit with bright pink hair, transparent yellow goggles, and a blue bathing suit. She has a tattoo on her backside. She is capable of shielding Orihime from attacks along with Baigon and Hinagiku.



Shun'ō

 * Voiced by, Junko Noda, English: Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Latin American Spanish: Javier Olguín
 * Shun'ō is a friendly young male spirit (who appears to be female in the anime) with a topknot. He and Tsubaki are usually the ones who talk to Orihime. He is capable of healing together with Ayame.



Tsubaki

 * Voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa, English: Wally Wingert, Latin American Spanish: Jorge Ornelas
 * Tsubaki is a fiery male spirit who is the only Shun Shun Rikka capable of direct attack. He often strikes anyone who gets on his nerves (including Orihime). Because he is primarily focused on attacking, he is vulnerable to counter-attacks and has been injured several times. The stronger Orihime's anger and killing intent, the more powerful he becomes. However, Orihime's timid nature limits his overall power and has contributed to his injuries in the past. At one point, Tsubaki was killed by the Espada Yammy Riyalgo, who crushed Tsubaki into tiny pieces. Orihime was distraught by this, and since the pieces were too small to find, she couldn't bring Tsubaki back. But due to meeting Hachi, who said Orihime's powers were similar to his, Tsubaki is restored by Hachi despite having no pieces of him.

Techniques
Orihime's techniques involve incantations manipulating the Shun Shun Rikka into three different groups. Though Orihime initially needed to recite their kotodama to use her techniques, further training has rendered this unnecessary. Her kotodama consists of voicing the names of the members involved, followed by the technique name and the phrase, a reference to the nature of her powers.


 * is Orihime's defensive technique. The incantation arranges Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon into a triangle, forming a barrier capable of repelling anything on the far side. Because the barrier rejects negative events, it can also function as an airbag of sorts, allowing Orihime and anyone else nearby to survive a potentially lethal fall unharmed. It would seem her powers with this technique have improved as she was able to block an attack from Ulquiorra Cifer, the 4th Espada, in order to protect Ichigo Kurosaki. Despite the barrier breaking it was still an impressive feat.


 * is Orihime's healing technique, though it goes well beyond simple healing. The incantation summons Ayame and Shun'ō to form a half-oval barrier around whatever or whomever Orihime wishes. While active, the barrier repels all negative events inflicted upon anything within the barrier. No matter how extensive the damage may be (whether used on living beings or inanimate objects), the barrier can restore it to full working order, making it as if the object was never damaged in the first place. It can even resurrect the dead. The technique takes longer for more serious injuries, like losing a limb or an organ. Also, while Orihime can heal wounds quickly, it takes her longer to replenish the patient's Reiatsu. Large amounts of foreign spiritual pressure also make healing more difficult.
 * This is the aspect of her power that piques Sōsuke Aizen's interest in her since, in Aizen's words, she "violates the realm of gods." It is suggested by Hachigen Ushōda that Orihime should be able to restore anything she wants without actually having a piece of it. Ichigo has noted that while inside the oval, he was unable to exit it, leaving him wondering if her Shun Shun Rikka had been able to do this before.


 * is Orihime's offensive technique. The incantation summons Tsubaki, who forms a thin barrier to either side of himself. By flying at an enemy, the barrier can reject anything to either side of it, thus cutting through enemies like a sword. While Tsubaki can cut through basically anything, Orihime's general dislike of combat and hesitance to use lethal force degrades the effectiveness of the technique, making him easy to counter and equally easy to injure.

Abilities
Spiritual Power: Orihime is at least strong enough to survive separate assaults by Loly and Menoly, which involved physical attacks and the use of Bala, and minor assaults by Nnoitra and Tesla. Orihime is also able to get close to several battles between powerful opponents without being overwhelmed, such as the battles between Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, as well as Ichigo and Ulquiorra. In addition, during her basic training in Kidō with Kūkaku Shiba, it was shown that Orihime has a natural talent for precise spiritual energy control as she quickly mastered the technique.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: While a pacifist by nature, Orihime has shown to have a natural talent for martial arts. She reveals that Tatsuki has trained her somewhat in karate. According to Tatsuki, Orihime has the fighting skill of a black belt. Orihime was at least strong enough to incapacitate two unseated Shinigami soldiers.

Memory Chikan Resistance: Orihime was able to recall the event of her brother fighting Ichigo Kurosaki, even though the memory chikan has been used on her by Rukia.

Ichigo Kurosaki
Ichigo is a friend and classmate of Orihime's. The two do not seem to interact much until Ichigo becomes a Shinigami, Orihime’s own powers awaken, and they have to defend Karakura Town from approaching dangers. The crush she had on Ichigo from the beginning of the series eventually develops into love, which she confesses to him before leaving for Hueco Mundo, while the latter is asleep.

Tatsuki Arisawa
About a year after her brother, Sora, died, Orihime became friends with Tatsuki. Tatsuki protected her from bullies who bothered her about her long hair and men who asked her out on dates, and as a result, they soon became best friends. Tatsuki taught her karate up to a black belt level (yellow belt in the English dub) for her own protection. Orihime has stated that the length of her hair is a symbol of her friendship with Tatsuki, and that she will never cut it again.

Ulquiorra Cifer
Ulquiorra is put in charge of abducting Orihime and taking care of her during her stay in Las Noches. Ulquiorra attempts to tear down Orihime's resolve during the imprisonment, especially during the start of her nakama's rescue, culminating in her slapping him in the face for insulting her friends (and Orihime breaking down into tears after being left alone). Ulquiorra does not understand the concept of the human heart and questions Orihime about it when they end up alone in the fifth tower. Before he dies, Ulquiorra reaches for Orihime's hand and, through her returned gesture, discovers what a heart is.

Rangiku Matsumoto
Rangiku seems to have a strong relationship with Orihime. She often takes Orihime under her wing and tries to cheer her up when she is depressed, and Orihime can usually open up to Rangiku, in one instance even confessing her feelings for Ichigo and her emotional turmoil to her. Also, Rangiku is one of only two people who seem to like Orihime's cooking, with the other being Tessai.

Yasutora Sado
Orihime and Sado have a somewhat strong relationship. When he first fought Yammy Riyalgo, knowing that he could not defeat the Espada, Sado told Orihime to hide with Tatsuki in order to keep her away from the fight. When Sado is defeated, Orihime returns to heal and protect him. When Urahara attempts to remove Orihime from the front lines, Sado strongly objects to this, saying that she has been very helpful and that her healing and defensive powers are vital to them. Sado's relationship is also shown in the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc, when she worries for him when he passes out from Muramasa's ability.

Trivia

 * According to her character profile by Tite Kubo, her theme song is T'en va pas by Elsa.


 * She ranked 8th in the most recent Bleach popularity poll (she placed highly in previous polls placing 5th, 12th and 10th).
 * Her Shun Shun Rikka came 33rd tying with 2 others in the Zanpakutō popularity poll.

Quotes

 * "I was proud of my hair color that my brother admired. I was happy to be told such things, so I grew my hair out ever since I was little. Soon after I entered middle school, 3rd years said they didn't like my hair color and cut it. I had no choice but to cut the rest short to even it out. I couldn't tell brother. "I felt like changing it" is what I said to dodge the question. Then my brother died soon after. I became alone. I stopped talking, even at school, and became more alone than ever before. The one who stopped me from being that way was Tatsuki-chan. Tatsuki-chan yelled at me for backing down and she looked out for me. I could grow my hair out again thanks to her. I will never have short hair again, because my long hair is proof of my faith in Tatsuki-chan."


 * (To Numb Chandelier) "'I will not forgive those who hurt Tatsuki!"


 * (Thinking about Tatsuki Arisawa) "Thank you, Tatsuki. Please do not worry, Tatsuki. because Tatsuki will come find me, that's why I can go anywhere without worry. If the place I'm going is somewhere Tatsuki can't go, then please wait for me here, I will come back for sure. Come back to Tatsuki's side."


 * (To Rukia Kuchiki) "It's not frustrating at all. It's just... it's going to be lonely, not being able to fight alongside everyone. But being lonely isn't nearly as bad as being in the way. If I'm just going to be a hindrance to Kurosaki-kun, to everyone, then it's far better to be lonely"


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki, who is asleep) "Kurosaki-kun, you know I had a lot of things I wanted to do... I want to be a teacher... I also want to be an astronaut... and also make my own cake shop... I want to go to the sweets bakery and say 'I want one of everything'... Ohhhh, I wish I could live life five times over. Then I’d be born in five different places, and I’d stuff myself with different food from around the world... I’d live five different lives with five different occupations... and then, for those five times... I’d fall in love with the same person..."


 * "I don't believe that he showed me the Hōgyoku because he trusts me... but, at least I have learned the location of the Hōgyoku... and... about my own power, too. Everything that has occurred... it reverses it all, and destroys the very event itself. Thank you, Kurosaki-kun, for coming to save me, but I've found something I must do here. And it's definitely...something only I can do. With my power... I will return the Hōgyoku to before it ever existed!"


 * (To Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck) "''Kurosaki-kun... doesn't assure us he is going to win for that reason. Kurosaki-kun is a kind person. Whenever he uses strong words, it's like he's making a promise. I believe that, he makes a promise to himself. I think that he expresses his feelings in words so that he will follow through. So that's why it's okay. When Kurosaki-kun says he is going to win, he'll win for sure. So...so that's why we should wait and believe in him.


 * (To Ulquiorra Cifer) "Maybe it's impossible to feel exactly the same way as another person, but it's possible for people to care about one another and to place their hearts as close together as they can manage. I'm sure that's what it means to make your hearts as one."