Ulquiorra Cifer

is the Cuatro (4th) Espada in Aizen's army of Arrancar.

Appearance
Ulquiorra is a slender, yet fairly muscular, male Arrancar of average height with a melancholic appearance. He has fairly short, messy black hair, pale white skin, a black upper lip, and green eyes with small slit-shaped pupils, similar to a cat's. Part of his bangs falls between his eyes, and he has distinctively thick eyebrows. He has teal lines which descend from the lower part of his eyes. His facial expression rarely changes, though he is almost always frowning. He wears typical Arrancar clothes: a white jacket, black sash, and a white hakama. However, his jacket has longer coattails than others, and the collar is higher.

Like most other Arrancar, he possesses remnants of his former life as a Hollow in his appearance. His Hollow hole is located on his sternum, though the hole was initially located on the base of his throat. The remainder of his Hollow mask lies on the top-left side of his head, forming a broken horned helmet. His Espada tattoo lies on the left side of his chest.

As a Hollow, Ulquiorra was roughly the same size, with a full white mask and body, and large black wings mounted on his lower back. His mask covered his entire face, with a line, running up the middle, diverging into three near the top of his head. From ear level, two horns sprouted out.

Personality
Ulquiorra is a very cold, callous, and dispassionate figure, and is rather aloof, brooding, and indifferent, willing to harm both his comrades and enemies should they get in his way. He refers to anyone he does not find interesting as "trash", and treats them as expendable. Despite this, like most of the other top Espada, he is not particularly violent, and will only fight when provoked or ordered to by Aizen.

As stated by Grimmjow, Ulquiorra demonstrates a strange habit when killing victims he is particularly interested in; he stabs them with his bare hand in the same location as his Hollow hole. Whether he is consciously aware of this habit or not is unknown. During a speech to Orihime, he claims he does not believe in Human emotions, which he refers to as the "heart," reasoning that if his eye cannot see them, they do not exist. These words, and much of Ulquiorra's overall behavior, reflect the concepts of materialism, which connects to his aspect of death as an Espada, Emptiness. In the last seconds of his life, he seems to finally find his own "heart", and understands feelings.

His cold demeanor allows him to stay completely calm and in control in most situations, and he is not easily surprised or caught off-guard. However, he does not seem to comprehend the Human trait of fighting against all odds or the concept of the Human heart; during his final battle with Ichigo, he completely overwhelms the Shinigami after releasing his Zanpakutō, yet Ichigo continues to fight on regardless of this. Because of this, he, shouting at Ichigo out of frustration, tells him "to continue fighting is pointless." He transforms into his Segunda Etapa form in an attempt to show Ichigo "true despair". He seems to contradict himself, telling Ichigo that although it is natural for Humans to mimic Hollows to become stronger, they will never be the equal of Hollows, though the Arrancar are doing much of the same by mimicking Shinigami.

Ulquiorra is highly perceptive, cunning, and analytical. During his and Yammy's first visit to the Human World, he makes several surprisingly accurate comments on the Humans who confronted them. He theorizes Orihime Inoue's healing power is a temporal-spatial ability, which Aizen later describes as the rejection of fate, and comments on how Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai can easily cut through Yammy's defenses. He notes how Ichigo's power fluctuates, varying between very weak and stronger than his own.

Ulquiorra is very demanding, coming to Orihime's chamber and ordering her to eat a meal an Arrancar servant brought in, claiming that, for Aizen's benefit, it was her "duty" to stay alive. When Orihime hesitates, he threatens to force the food down her throat or strap her to a table and feed her via an IV. This implies that, while he prefers not to dirty his hands, Ulquiorra is fully capable of committing truly abhorrent and inhumane actions without feeling any shred of remorse or hesitation.

After Ichigo's Hollow form overwhelms and strikes him down during his last battle, Ulquiorra, maintaining his composure, calmly berates himself for being defeated by a "Human-turned-Hollow." Believing he no longer has a purpose in life since he was quickly defeated by his opponent, he, demanding Ichigo kill him, compliments Ichigo when he decides to use a point-blank Cero to kill him, claiming the lack of mercy is "rather Hollow-like." This is a marked departure from most of his fellow Arrancar, who died cursing their enemies or with an abject fear of death.

History
As a Hollow, Ulquiorra felt alone in the world, being white while those around him were black. He wandered Hueco Mundo alone, lamenting his existence, until one day he came across a white tree with many sharp spines. Ulquiorra, finding it satisfying due to its emptiness, sank into it, destroying part of his mask, finally at peace. An unspecified amount of time later, he was recruited by Aizen into the Espada.

Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsman: Though he rarely engages in it, Ulquiorra is highly skilled in swordsmanship. He possesses flawless precision, and uses his speed to inflict lethal attacks without much effort. Ulquiorra prefers to wield his sword with his right hand, leaving the other hand free, though it usually remains in his pocket. He fended off Ichigo using his Hollow mask-enhanced Bankai long enough to reach the top of Las Noches, though his Zanpakutō was nearly broken.

Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Ulquiorra mostly relies on hand-to-hand combat, rarely drawing his sword at all. Ichigo speculates he only draws his sword against opponents he considers "worthy". Ulquiorra seems to prefer an off-the-ground method of combat, often attacking opponents from aerial standpoints, such as when he attempted to use his Cero on an offending Grimmjow by attacking him from the air above his head, or when he jumped upwards with Sonído in an attempt to catch Ichigo off-guard during their most recent confrontation. His trademark attack towards prey he likes is to impale them in the chest, gouging a hole in them in the same place as his own.

Sonído Master: One of Ulquiorra's more noticeable traits is his tremendously skillful speed. He caught up with Ichigo after kicking him from a tower in a few moments. He can skillfully keep up with Ichigo's Bankai speed. Ulquiorra moves at an excessively fast speed in combat, so fast Ichigo found it hard to even discern his movements at first. He remained able to use Sonído while being burdened with the absence of most of his left leg.

Cero: Ulquiorra can fire Cero from his fingers with excessively destructive power. His Cero can be charged and fired relatively fast, and is green instead of red, which is the most common color of a Cero. The force of the blast can send an opponent hurtling long distances, effectively destroying any obstacle in its path at great range. He can fire it from either hand.

Keen Intellect: In addition to his remarkable combat prowess, Ulquiorra is gifted with great insight and understanding of situations at hand. His intelligence is something Aizen, a man arguably best known for his intellect, harbors respect for, as he sent Ulquiorra to investigate Ichigo's power and threat level. With his calm and collected nature, Ulquiorra is highly perceptive and analytical, deducing the basic idea of his opponent's skills to figure out their strengths and weaknesses.

Bala: This technique hardens the user's spiritual pressure and fires it like a bullet from their fist. Ulquiorra's Bala is red, and is powerful enough to blast a huge hole into two unseated Shinigami.

Enhanced Hierro: The hardened skin of the Arrancar, which is a result of their compressed spiritual power. Ulquiorra's skin is highly durable, even by Arrancar standards. He can deflect attacks of similar power barehanded. He can defeat Ichigo with his Bankai and Hollow mask on without unsheathing his sword, rendering Ichigo defenseless with two attacks and not sustaining injuries of any kind. The best example of his Hierro's might is him taking a direct slash from Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu with only a minor cut on his chest, while his fellow Espada Yammy Llargo lost an arm from the same opponent.

Enhanced Pesquisa: The Arrancar ability to sense spiritual energy. While any Arrancar can learn it, Ulquiorra possesses impressive skill with it. From a single glance at his opponent, Ulquiorra can immediately determine how powerful his opponent is. He can comprehend the flow and concentration of the person's energy, instantly noticing Ichigo's energy was fluctuating due to his inner Hollow.

Enhanced Strength: Ulquiorra is deceptively mighty for his slim build. He can physically injure Yammy, an Espada known primarily for his physical strength, with no visible effort. He can upturn huge portions of rock floor with a single strike at the ground with his sword. With a single kick, Ulquiorra sent Ichigo flying a tremendous distance away.

High-Speed Regeneration: Despite having great speed, durability, and attack power, Ulquiorra's greatest strength lies in his regenerative power. This power allows him to regenerate his eye after using his Solita Vista ability. During his battle against Ichigo's new Hollow form, he is even able regenerate his arm after having torn off. Ulquiorra states it is his greatest power, one which most Arrancar give up in return for greater strength. He explains he can quickly regenerate any part of his body except for his brain and internal organs.


 * This ability allows Ulquiorra to replay events he has seen to others by removing and crushing an eye, which turns into dust and flows around those he intends to use it on. The dust relays his sight and feelings.

Immense Spiritual Power: His spiritual power is immensely high. As the fourth Espada, he is forbidden to release his Zanpakutō within Las Noches, as such a release could destroy the fortress. During his first visit to Karakura Town, he compared his spiritual power to that of Ichigo Kurosaki, a Shinigami with exceedingly high spiritual energy, and states Ichigo's energy at its peak is higher than his own, but fluctuates. His Reiatsu is green.


 * A technique used by Espada-level Arrancar, and sometimes others, to open a Garganta between the Human World and Hueco Mundo.


 * Garganta Broadcast: Ulquiorra can create a visual broadcast, similar to a television screen, using individual Garganta portals. He uses this technique to show the current predicament of Orihime's friends (Ichigo, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and Rangiku Matsumoto) fighting their respective battles.

Zanpakutō

 * Ulquiorra's Zanpakutō is a standard sized katana with a green handle and sheath. The guard has two curved extensions from its long sides with a line going through both sides, giving it an eye-like appearance.


 * Resurrección: Its release command is . Murciélago unleashes a black and green burst of spiritual energy, which falls around Ulquiorra as green rain. In his released state, Ulquiorra becomes bat-like in appearance. While in this form, large, black bat wings form on his back, his hair grows longer and wilder, and the remains of his Hollow mask centers atop his head, with two large horns extending outward to the sides towards the front. The lines on his face become black, broader, and more triangular, and his fingernails lengthen. His Arrancar attire becomes more form fitting and closed at the top, becoming more like a robe towards the bottom. In this form, he can use his wings for flight.


 * Resurrección Special Ability: He gains even greater physical abilities in this form. Ulquiorra has the unique ability to enter a second released form called Resurrección: Segunda Etapa.


 * He can generate green energy javelins. He can use them as ranged weapons, throwing them at an opponent, and as a melee weapon. It can be used in his Segunda Etapa form.


 * Enhanced Speed: His speed is greatly enhanced, moving great distances in an instant as if to displace himself, and pushing Ichigo to the point where his Hollow mask-enhanced Bankai has difficulty keeping up.


 * Enhanced Hierro: His Hierro has vastly increased in strength, to the point where a Getsuga Tenshō with Ichigo's mask activated has no effect at all.


 * Enhanced Spiritual Power: Though already possessing immense spiritual power, in his Resurrección, his black and green spiritual energy permeates the area. It is intense enough to create a profound effect on others and coalesce into green rain which falls in the surrounding area when he releases.


 * It is a black Cero with a green outline, which Ulquiorra states to be similar to Ichigo's black Getsuga Tenshō. Ulquiorra's Cero Oscuras is powerful enough to blast Ichigo's mask away and destroy a large part of the city-sized Las Noches' dome. Ulquiorra refers to it as "our Cero". It can be used in his Segunda Etapa form.


 * Upon his transformation, Ulquiorra states he is the only Arrancar among the Espada who can reach a second Resurrección form, and even Aizen has not seen him in this form. Ulquiorra refers to his second state as "True Despair", both before and after its release, because the immensely dense spiritual pressure it releases instills despair upon those around him. While he retains his black wings (which he can use defensively and offensively), his long white coat is gone, revealing his slender white torso, with his bare chest patterned so his Hollow hole (which has become larger) appears to be dripping black, blood-like liquid. His waist becomes covered in something similar to black fur, which covers his arms and legs. His fingers grow claw-like extensions, and his feet resemble talons. The irises of his eyes turn yellow, and the sclera become green. The tear-like marks under his eyes increase in size and turn black. Ulquiorra's mask is completely gone. He has two large bat ears, and the #4 Espada tattoo is no longer visible on his chest.


 * He can use his very long, thin, and powerful tail as a whip or to lift, strike, and strangle a victim.


 * Overwhelming Reiatsu: Ulquiorra's already immense spiritual power significantly changes its Reiatsu's nature upon entering his second stage. Even being within the vicinity of his release instills despair on those who can sense it. Uryū Ishida, a Quincy who is an expert at sensing Reiatsu, noted that the density of Ulquiorra's spiritual power was so vast it could hardly be identified as Reiatsu.


 * Ulquiorra creates a javelin-like weapon using his spiritual power. It is quite like his original energy javelins, with the only, if quite noticeable, difference being the energy flowing off of each end in a fashion similar to flames, making it look more arrow-shaped. He can use this weapon as a projectile or as a melee weapon. When thrown, it produces an incredibly destructive explosion on impact, which dwarfs the fortress of Las Noches in height. Ulquiorra prefers to not use the attack at close range, most likely because the resulting blast would damage himself as well as Las Noches. While he can use these spears in rapid succession, he has difficulty controlling their trajectory. Ulquiorra can use this attack as a blade, and he can use it to either disintegrate material upon impact, striking away his own amputated arm Hollow Ichigo had just thrown at him, or to cut, severing one of Hollow Ichigo horns to prevent him from using a Cero.

Censorship
In the manga, during his fight with Hollow Ichigo, the latter throws his amputated arm at him. In the anime however, a large boulder is thrown instead.

Appearances in Other Media
Ulquiorra is the first Arrancar to be featured in a Bleach video game, appearing in the Bleach: Heat the Soul 3, Bleach: Heat the Soul 4, Bleach: Heat the Soul 5, and Bleach: Heat the Soul 6 installments of the Bleach: Heat the Soul series for the PlayStation Portable. He appears in the Wii fighting game Bleach: Shattered Blade, and is playable in the recent Bleach: Versus Crusade in which he remains unchanged from the prequel. His Resurrección: Segunda Etapa is playable for the first time ever in Bleach: Soul Carnival 2 on PSP, and again later in Bleach: Heat the Soul 7. He has a cameo and artwork in Bleach: Dark Souls, and is featured in the Bleach DS game Bleach: The 3rd Phantom. In Bleach: The 3rd Phantom, he is capable of using a skill called, a powerful technique where a black 'X' is formed which damages not only his foes, but himself as well if he gets caught in it, with an aftermath of holding down his opponents who are in range of the attack. In Bleach: Soul Resurrección, Ulquiorra is playable in his Segunda Etapa form, and can use, where he rapidly flies around the enemy in a circle while leaving damaging green energy behind him, and , where he flies forward and loop-de-loops before surging forward, damaging all enemies in his path. Ulquiorra has his own character album as part of the Bleach Beat Collection 3rd Session. The three vocal tracks are titled CRUSH the "WORLD" DowN, Our World, and "Voice Message". In Bleach: The Hell Verse, Ulquiorra is featured briefly in the opening, as a flashback to his fight with Ichigo is re-enacted.

Trivia

 * Ulquiorra's name is sometimes romanized as Ulquiorra Schiffer.
 * He was voted the 10th most popular character in the most recent popularity poll with 3751 votes.
 * His theme song, as chosen by Tite Kubo, is "Moonshield," on the album "The Jester Race" by the group "In Flames."
 * Ulquiorra's aspect of death is Emptiness.
 * Ulquiorra's name stems from that of Patricia Urquiola, a Spanish architect and designer.
 * Ulquiorra's first appearance in the manga was considerably different from his later appearances in the manga and the anime. He had thinner eyelashes, a lack of black borders on his coat, a higher Hollow hole, a longer Hollow mask remnant with a notable crack, and shorter hair. He was more prone to making facial expressions, conflicting with his melancholic demeanor.
 * Ulquiorra appears to have dark-colored nails in the manga, but in the anime, they appear to be normal-colored.
 * Ulquiorra's death was voted the most impactful scene of the year by the fans, and was played on the screen in Jump Festa 2009, with Tite Kubo present.
 * In the Bleach best bout poll, Ulquiorra's final fight with Ichigo came in second place.

Quotes

 * (To Orihime Inoue) "The fact that you only have two escorts is a bit anticlimactic, but having those annoying walls fixed in place suits me just fine, since rushing a conversation isn't really in my nature."


 * (To Orihime Inoue) "Do not ask any questions. Do not say anything. You have no rights. What you hold in your hand is the rope to the guillotine above your friends' necks. Nothing more. Understand, girl. This is not a negotiation, it's an order."


 * (To Orihime Inoue) "What would you have me say? 'Don't worry, I'm sure he's still alive'? Ridiculous. I am not here to comfort you. I don't understand: why are you so fixated on life and death? At any rate, your friends will soon be annihilated. So what if that's one step closer? They should have seen this coming from the start. If they couldn't see it coming, the fault lies in their own foolishness. Laughing them off as a group of idiots would be sufficient. Why can't you do that? If it were me, and my friends entered Hueco Mundo without first gauging their strength, I'd be infuriated by their stupidity."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "Even if you rise up a thousand times, there will be no victory for any of you."


 * (To Orihime Inoue) "Hearts, you say? You Humans are always so quick to speak of such things. As though you carry your hearts in the very palms of your hands. But this eye of mine perceives all. There is nothing that it overlooks. If this eye cannot see a thing, then it does not exist. That is the assumption under which I have always fought. What is this "heart"? If I tear open that chest of yours, will I see it there? If I smash open that skull of yours, will I see it there?" 


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "Do not allow yourself to be shaken. Do not weaken your stance. Open your senses. And do not let your guard down for an instant."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "No matter how your appearance and techniques may resemble those of an Arrancar, it is as distant from us as the Earth from the sky. It is an understandable route for humans and Shinigami who wish to obtain power to imitate Hollows. However, it will never allow you to stand upon the same level as Arrancar."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki before entering the Segunda Etapa) "Your words are those of a man who knows not true despair. If you know it not, then allow me to teach you. This is the face of true despair."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "You are a fool, Ichigo Kurosaki. You willingly seek to challenge an opponent so much more powerful than you that it strikes a primal fear into your being. Incomprehensible. If this is the work of the 'heart' that you people speak of, then it is because you possess this 'heart' that you humans bring hurt upon yourself, because you possess this 'heart' that you lose your lives."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki before getting shot point blank by his Cero) "I see. So you show no mercy. Just like a true Hollow. I care not. Defeated by you as I stand, my existence holds no further meaning. Do it." *


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "Kill me. Make it quick. I no longer have the strength left in me to even walk. If you do not cut me down now, then this will go unsettled for eternity."


 * (While dying) "I see. So this is it. It lies here within this palm. The heart."

Battles & Events

 * The Cold War
 * Visored Training
 * Patros' Rebellion (anime only)
 * Good Bye Halcyon Days
 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez: Round Two (interrupted)
 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Ulquiorra Cifer
 * Ichigo Kurosaki & Uryū Ishida vs. Ulquiorra Cifer: Final Fight

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