Uryū Ishida

is a Quincy residing in Karakura Town. He is a student at the Karakura High School, where he is a classmate and friend of Ichigo Kurosaki.

Appearance
Uryū Ishida is a bespectacled teenager of average height. He has black raven-colored hair and blue eyes. In school, Uryū wears the school uniform along with a tie, while when confronting Hollows he typically dons white Quincy clothes with blue stripes representing the Quincy cross and a mantle.

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, an aspect of his sense of design forces him to add unexpected designs, such as 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 the television program Don Kanonji's "Bura-Rei" so much that he attends the live broadcast of the shot in Karakura Town.

He likes to wear a mantle, even though it serves no purpose other than to make him look 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, as seen during an omake when he starts getting irritated from 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 has also shown to be 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 when he defends Orihime Inoue during their time in Soul Society. Uryū also has a tendency to not use lethal force in battle, especially if he can win without doing so. Instead, he will simply incapacitate his opponent. Like his grandfather, Sōken Ishida, Uryū is left-handed, and he is also a great archer, capable of insane feats of archery.

History
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 don't 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 isn't the case.

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

Agent of the Shinigami arc
Uryū attends the live broadcast of Don Kanonji's TV programme in Karakura Town. When Kanonji attempts to exorcise an earth-bound Plus by placing his staff inside the partially open hole in its chest, Uryū is about to intervene when Ichigo vaults the barrier. Uryū is later seen walking down a street and staring at Ichigo Kurosaki in his Shinigami form. He saves a Plus from a Hollow and goes to a location where he can see the Plus. He then spots Ichigo again as Ichigo performs a Soul Burial on the Plus. Later in school, he is again seen near Ichigo, who is dragged off by Rukia Kuchiki to defeat a Hollow. However, Uryū defeats this Hollow before them, and when Rukia and Ichigo get there they begin arguing with each other for there not being a Hollow. Uryū approaches them and says that it is disgraceful for friends to be fighting each other. He then says good morning to them and Ichigo notes the "weird" clothes Uryū wears. Uryū asks Ichigo if he can see spirits, but Ichigo tries to deny it. Uryū then states that a Hollow is here--just before Rukia gets a message stating that a Hollow has arrived. After Ichigo asks Rukia which way the Hollow is, Uryū mocks him for not being able to sense something as simple as that and tells him he should not even call himself a Shinigami. Uryū then uses his Quincy bow, Kojaku, and shoots an arrow from it, killing the Hollow. Ichigo asks him what he is and Uryū introduces himself, stating that he is a Quincy and that he hates Shinigami. Ichigo is confused by this statement and Uryū tells him that he hates him for being a Shinigami.

Uryū is later seen in his classroom, and as he tries to leave, a girl named Michiru Ogawa hands him a ripped doll to fix. He then takes a sewing set out and easily (but with great drama) repairs the broken doll. Michiru thanks him but Uryū demurs, saying it was no big deal. As he heads home, he spots Ichigo following him. He mocks Ichigo for not being able to hide his spiritual pressure and for his inability to sense others with high spiritual pressure, the evidence being that Ichigo didn't even know of his existence until today. He then tells Ichigo that since the day he entered school, he knew of his high spiritual pressure, that he knew when he became a Shinigami and even knows Rukia's true identity. Uryū then draws out something called Reiryoku and states that it is something that compresses and visualizes the spiritual aura in the atmosphere. He again mocks Ichigo's ignorance, and, grabbing hold of Ichigo's Reiryoku, points out that those of Shinigami are colored red. He then tells him that he's a Quincy and that he holds the power to kill Hollows, and asks Ichigo to fight him to show the difference in their strength. He adds that in this world Shinigami are unnecessary. Ichigo tells him the idea of competing against him is stupid, as he has nothing to do with his grudge against the Shinigami. He tells Uryū that he's no match for him anyway, and begins to leave. However, Uryū is able to provoke him by stating that he's only a temporary Shinigami who can't even do anything without Rukia around. Ichigo tells him that he'll give this competition a shot and goes into his Shinigami form, with Kon going into his Human body. He tells Kon to stand back and watch him beat this guy to the ground and then asks Uryū for the rules of this fight. Uryū takes some Hollow bait out and states that he's going to bring Hollows into the town, and that whoever kills the most Hollows within 24 hours is the winner. However, Ichigo protests against this idea as the people in town will be put in danger but Uryū tells him that caring for others is unnecessary and that either way he should be confident enough to save them all.

Hollows begin breaking into Karakura Town and Uryū shoots the first one down. As he's doing this though Ichigo grabs him and tells him to bring the town back to normal. However, Uryū states that it's too late and that instead of focusing on him he should be focusing on the Hollows so he can save as many people as possible. He then tells him that Hollows have a tendency to go after people with high spiritual pressure and Ichigo realizes his family is in danger. He immediately runs off to save his family, missing what Uryū tries to tell him as he leaves. Uryū thinks to himself that Ichigo is foolish to believe his family is the only one with high spiritual pressure, and that this event will finally make Ichigo aware of the low level of his abilities. Uryū begins shooting Hollows from the high vantage point of a bridge, reaching up to 11 kills. After killing more and more Hollows, Uryū's shots begin to get weaker and he realizes that the numbers shouldn't be this high. He decides not to complain though and remembers his mentor, telling him he hasn't made any mistakes and that he will avenge him.

Uryū then encounters both Rukia and Kon after Kon rescues Rukia from a weak Hollow. Uryū comments on their current location being safe which prompts Kon to question him, saying that it is because of Uryū starting the fight that the town is danger. He then greets Rukia, seeing as he is speaking to her privately for the first time. He then addresses Kon, admitting that while he did start the fight, he will not allow anyone in the town to die even if Ichigo dies. He tells them that if he cannot do that then the fight has no meaning. Suddenly the weak Hollow returns to attack. As Uryū is about to shoot the Hollow, only for it to be swiftly killed by Ichigo as he arrives at the scene.

Having tracked down Uryū without Rukia’s Soul phone, Ichigo tells him that he needs to trash Kon first. He demands to know what took the mod-soul so long and blames him for having to wander the entire town. The two argue over the situation and cause Rukia to join in while Uryū looks on. Uryū tries to attract their attention by shouting but fails. Irritated that they will not stop arguing, Uryū fires an arrow at Ichigo, who blocks it. Ichigo then insists that it is a battle between him and Uryū, and that the amount of Hollows they beat is irrelevant. Before Uryū can respond, Kon points out that there is a large crack forming in the sky, and Uryū notes that the Hollows are converging upon it. Uryū begins to fire arrows into the group of Hollows, prompting Ichigo to tell him there are too many and that they need to come up with a strategy. Uryū asks him if he is afraid and charges towards the Hollows, shouting that the last Quincy will be their opponent.

After Ichigo learns of fall of the Quincy at the hands of the Shinigami, he runs after Uryū and attacks several Hollows around him. Ichigo tells him that he does not know or care about whether the Shinigami or Quincy were right and expresses his frustration at Uryū’s methods, but is interrupted by him. Uryū tells him that he thought the Shinigami were correct, until his sensei was killed in front of him. Uryū tells Ichigo of his sensei’s attempts to convince the Shinigami to work together with the remaining Quincy, but he died fighting a group of Huge Hollows without achieving that goal. Uryū says that he must prove the strength of the Quincy to the Shinigami. Ichigo complains that his story is too long to remember all of it and kicks his head into a Hollow, dazing it. Ichigo points out that his sensei’s wish was to work together, not to prove the Quincy’s strength and asks if he will do that now, saying that fighting back to back is the best way to deal with the situation.

As Uryū dismisses the idea as nonsense, Ichigo attacks a Hollow that had come up behind Uryū, who kills another Hollow. Uryū insists that he is not co-operating, but that he simply had to kill it or else he would have been killed. Ichigo tells him that that is good enough. Ichigo reveals that he does not know much about the Shinigami, nor does he have much pride in doing Shinigami work - he simply wishes to defeat Hollows. He attributes this to his mother's death and his desire to prevent others experiencing what his family went through. Ichigo tells him that his approach to their fight is endangering the people he wants to protect and says that he will not forgive him for that, but it is not the time to talk about such things. Stating his own reluctance to work with Uryū, Ichigo asks him if he will co-operate. Uryū kills another Hollow in reply, saying that his story is rather long as well. The pair agree to beat each other up after the Hollows have been dealt with, but as they are about to attach the horde of Hollows,a Menos Grande rips apart the sky. After they argue about how to deal with the Hollows and the Menos, Ururu Tsumugiya, Tessai Tsukabishi, Jinta Hanakari and Urahara arrive to fight the Hollows. Uryū remarks on how strong Urahara's group as the number of surrounding Hollows swiftly decreases. Uryū's attention is then turned to the emerging Menos Grande and he comments on how being is so large is ridiculous. Both he and Ichigo are shocked to see the Menos Grande eat the other Hollows gathering around it. As Ichigo chuckles a bit, Uryū asks him what is so funny. He tells Uryū that there is no way they can figure out how to fight such a monster and that they will have to simply cut it repeatedly until it succumbs to its injuries. He charges towards the Menos, calling for Uryū to accompany him despite Uryū request for him to wait. Ichigo attacks the Menos' leg, cutting it, but he is knocked back by the unfazed Menos. Uryū fires an arrow at the Menos' neck but does little damage, confirming his self thoughts on how he will not be able to do much damage. He then checks on Ichigo's status and asks what was he thinking.In response to Uryū's questions, Ichigo tells him that he is alright and that he thought he could cut its feet off and work his way up to the head and kill it that way. Uryū complains about his way of thinking and places his hand on Ichigo's Zanpakutō as he insists that they need to rethink their battle plan. While Ichigo thinks to himself that there was no plan to begin with, Uryū notices that Ichigo's power is flowing into his bow. Thinking about the differences between the fighting styles of the Quincy and Shinigami, Uryū comes up with an idea to make use of Ichigo's large amount of power. As Ichigo is shocked to see the increased size of Uryū's bow and asks what happened to it, Uryū tells him his idea.

With Ichigo's Zanpakutō tied to his head, Uryū instructs a dubious Ichigo to increase his power to its maximum so that he can shoot an extremely large arrow at the Menos Grande. Ichigo points out that he never controls his energy output and that if people say that his power is great then it must be at maximum all the time. Uryū notes that Ichigo must be a "monster" to have power at maximum all the time and be so rested. When the Menos starts to charge a Cero, Uryū calls for Ichigo to connect his Zanpakutō to his body again but is surprised to find Ichigo rushing towards the Menos. Uryū notes to himself that Ichigo is idiotic to be rushing in without a plan and using only his overwhelming power because the Menos will not allow him to hit it again. Surprisingly Ichigo blocks the Cero with his Zanpakutō and Uryū notes that Ichigo's power increases as he resists the Cero. Ichigo repels the attack, injuring the Menos in the process. As the Menos retreats from the Human World, Ichigo yells "Victory" and asks Uryū whether he is going to thank him for his help before collapsing. Ichigo notes that he cannot move and his Zanpakutō begins to destabilize, losing its form. The energy released from Ichigo and his Zanpakutō causes Uryū's bow to grow again, this time without having to touch it. Noting that it will explode, Uryū begins to fire arrows into the sky to release the excess power and so stabilize Ichigo, injuring himself. Ichigo tells him not to over do it, as he will lose his arm. Uryū tells him to make sure that he lives so that they he can beat him later. Uryū realizes his mistake for misunderstanding his sensei and for being so useless, asking to be forgiven for his mistake.

However, their actions attract the attention of Soul Society. When Uryū returns to school the next day, his injuries attracts attention of his classmates. Later Ichigo invites Uryū to join his group for lunch. He initially refuses but changes his mind upon hearing that Keigo Asano will treat them. The atmosphere turns out to be very tense. Uryū asks why Ichigo invited him, questioning Ichigo's motives. The two then start mildly bickering with each other. As Rukia is confronted by Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki who had been dispatched to capture or kill her, Uryū intervenes. As he confronts the two Shinigami, Rukia asks why he is here. He then gives a lie on it being pure coincidence and how he had sensed the Shinigami as he was going to a 24 hour clothing store. Uryū is quickly surprised by Renji who asks who he is again. Uryū then decides to give his name so that Renji can know who defeated him. Unfortunately, Uryū fails and is badly injured by Renji. Renji then gives his name as he is about kill Uryū only to be stopped by Ichigo. After they return to Soul Society with Rukia, Uryū is treated on the spot by Urahara. Before leaving, he expresses his concern for Ichigo and tells Urahara to please heal him. He realizes that he is not as strong as he thought he was as he comes to believe that the only one who can save Rukia is Ichigo.

Soul Society arc
Wanting to go and save Rukia, Uryū trains to better equip himself for the next time he needs to battle a Shinigami. He goes to a secluded spot by a waterfall to do so. However, he is quickly surprised by Yasutora Sado, Orihime Inoue who were able to find him because of Yoruichi Shihōin. He learns from Orihime that both she and Sado are going to take lessons to be able to go to Soul Society. She had come to find him because she figured that she might as well as ask him to join them if they were going to take lessons. Uryū replies back on how he had noticed their spiritual powers increasing significantly so suddenly but did not realize that it was because they were taking lessons to go to Soul Society. He then asks who would their master be to train them. Both Orihime and Sado find it difficult to give a proper answer but Orihime points out that their master had been next to Uryū the whole time. Searching for this person, Uryū questions the possibility of a human being that stealthy. However, he finds that it is actually the black cat who is their master. Uryū is utterly surprised to find a talking cat. He questions what Yoruichi is, to which both Orihime and Sado answer confusedly that it is a talking cat. Uryū points out that anyone can see this, clarifying that he was asking how a cat could be a talking. He then regains his composure and apologizes for his rudeness. Yoruichi accepts his apology and insults Uryū for making a fuss over a talking cat. He tries to swat Yoruichi but misses. Yoruichi then tells Uryū to hear him out as the subject of Yoruichi being a talking cat is not the main issue. Orihime affirms again on how a talking cat is not a big deal and again encourages Uryū to take Yoruichi's lessons, believing that he also wants to rescue Rukia. Uryū, however declines her offer. Orihime wonders why, pointing out that she and Sado were only able to find Uryū because of Yoruichi's ability to sense reiatsu. Uryū explains, saying that the issue is not that he doesn't have faith in Yoruichi's abilities but that he has to train alone. He gives a lie on howt he had never thought of actually rescuing Rukia but was only training as he could not forgive himself for losing to the Shinigami. Thinking that there is no point in dallying with someone with no desire to go to Soul Society, Yoruichi beckons both Sado and Orihime to leave. Sado also leaves, calling for Orihime to come. Orihime also follows suit after telling Uryū that she would be waiting for him if he ever changes his mind. Uryū then quietly mutters an apology to Orihime, stating that his training cannot be seen by anyone. He then opens the box he had carried, which contains the Sanrei Glove.

In a week's time he is able to master the Sanrei Glove. With his powers augmented a bit, he joins Ichigo and the rest of a rescue team in going to Soul Society. Hearing Sado's comment on how he thinks Uryū might not come, he retorts back on how he needed to train because of his lost to the Shinigami and will go anywhere to win. He also tries to convince Orihime of her "misunderstanding", as she thinks that he changed his mind on rescuing Rukia. He also addresses Ichigo, telling him that he wants him to see how strong he has become. Ichigo, however simply notes that he is astounded Uryū would come all the way in such a "weird" outfit which Uryū takes offense to. Urahara then brings them all in to explain how to get to Soul Society. As Urahara prepares to gives his explanation, he separate Ichigo from his body. The others are surprised at this phenomenon. Furthermore, Uryū and Orihime are surprised at the appearance of Kon who they see as a talking toy. Sado meanwhile mildly annoys Uryū and Ichigo by his actions upon seeing Kon again (having a soft spot for cute things). After hearing Urahara's explanation, they follow Yoruichi and rush through the Senkaimon. Their journey is not completely problem free as Uryū is almost dragged in by the Kōryū before being saved by Sado while in the Dangai Precipice World and everyone is almost caught by Kōtotsu. They are able to get through to Soul Society intact around the Rukongai but with a rough landing. Uryū notes his disappointment at having to use his backup cape so soon. As they survey their surroundings, Ichigo foolishly rushes towards Seireitei. He is soon stopped by activation of the entrance's Sekkiseki walls and the arrival of Jidanbō Ikkanzaka.

Uryū questions who the large guardian is, to which Yoruichi answers him. He is surprised at just how powerful Jidanbō is when he swings his axe down and stops both Sado and Orihime by creating a wall from the ground. He then begins arguing with Ichigo about Ichigo's decision to fight Jidanbō one-on-one. However, Ichigo reveals that he had been engaging in intense training for the past five days and is now armed with inexhaustible energy and courage for the first time. Ichigo proceeds to battling Jidanbō. As they battle, Uryū wonders with the others on what is happening as Jidanbō launches a series of powerful attacks on Ichigo. Jidanbō's attacks are powerful enough to destroy the wall that was blocking their view of the battle and they are surprised to see that Ichigo is still standing without a scratch. Jidanbō then decides to pull out a second axe but Ichigo quickly claims victory by destroying the axes. The shock of the event sends Jidanbō falling back, causing Uryū to question what just happened. As Jidanbō notices that he is only holding his axe handles, he begins to become agitated and wonders where the blades are. Overwhelmed that his axes had been destroyed, Jidanbō breaks down and cries while the Uryū looks on in disbelief. Even so, Jidanbō grants Ichigo and his friends permission to pass through the gate. Uryū questions to confirm this, to which Jidanbō assures him because Uryū's "boss" defeated him. Uryū quickly gets agitated by Jidanbō's comment, implying that Ichigo is his leader. Although Jidanbō opens the gate, Uryū and the others cannot advance due to the arrival of Gin Ichimaru. They soon decide to try to

Their group is split up soon after their arrival, forcing Uryū to sneak around Soul Society with Orihime Inoue to avoid detection. Despite their efforts, the two are found by Jirōbō Ikkanzaka of the 7th Division. After a short battle, Uryū dispatches him fairly easily. Orihime then gets the idea to steal a pair of Shinigami uniforms to blend in. When two possible candidates from the 12th Division show up, Uryū merely watches as Orihime takes them down single-handedly. However, when they come face to face with the captain of 12th Division; Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who quickly takes a special interest in Orihime's abilities, Uryū forces another Shinigami, Makizō Aramaki of the 11th Division, to carry her away from harms way, and battles Mayuri himself in order to buy her time.

Initially, Uryū is little match for the captain-level Mayuri, who, in addition to being able to regenerate his limbs and use his body parts as weapons, can paralyze his opponents with the Shikai of his Zanpakutō. He even uses his own lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi, to disable Uryū long enough to land a hit. Mayuri's callous disregard for his own lieutenant, as well as kicking her for asking for medical assistance, angers Uryū. Mayuri reveals that he created Nemu and mocks his sympathy as part of the meaningless "Quincy pride" they speak about until their last breath. He recalls the last Quincy he researched who kept on calling out the name of his student and shows Uryū a photograph, which depicts none other than his own grandfather. Driven by anger, Uryū vows to defeat Mayuri at any cost, Uryū uses "Ransōtengai" to move his paralyzed body and removes his Sanrei glove, invoking the "Quincy: Letzt Stil", greatly increasing his Quincy powers at the cost of losing them shortly thereafter. Though more than powerful enough to defeat Mayuri in this form, Uryū is ultimately unsuccessful. After Mayuri uses his Bankai to poison Uryū, earning an arrow through the chest in return, he escapes by reducing himself to a liquid state.

After Mayuri is gone, Uryū realizes that he is going to die until Nemu calls out for Uryū. She tells him that behind her Lieutenant insignia there is an antidote hidden. Kneeling down next her, Uryū finds it and tells her to drink first, to which Nemu says that she is made in the same way as Mayuri and is unaffected by the poison. Uryū then questions her intentions, but as she explains that he is already dying and that it is in gratitude for not shooting her creator and father in the head, which would have been fatal and she even offers to take some herself to prove it. Uryū says that he intended to kill him, claiming that he missed and takes the antidote.

Leaving Nemu, he finds his way up the stairs to the Shrine of Penitence and feeling pain, Uryū realizes that he has truly lost his Quincy powers as his grandfather had warned him would happen.

He is then confronted by Kaname Tōsen, who uses his Shikai to render Uryū unconscious. Uryū is placed in a holding cell and healed by the 4th Division, where he finds himself with Ganju Shiba and Chad. After a short argument with Ganju, Uryū decides it would be best to wait for either Ichigo or Orihime to free them. They are, however, freed by Kenpachi Zaraki and reunited with Orihime. Kenpachi's lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi, leads the group to the execution stands, where they wait as Ichigo and Byakuya fight. After Byakuya is defeated, the group tends to Ichigo. They later learn of the elaborate conspiracy surrounding Rukia's execution, masterminded by Sōsuke Aizen.

After Aizen escapes to Hueco Mundo, Uryū, Chad, Ichigo, and Orihime depart for the living world during which Uryū sews clothes for Chad, Orihime and Rukia. When Uryū departs for his house, he reminds Ichigo that they are still enemies.

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

With his Quincy powers gone, Uryū is of little use during the initial stages of the Bount invasion. He accompanies Ichigo and the others from battle to battle, but is unable to make any major contributions. During the arc, he is rescued and befriended by the Bount Yoshino Sōma, who rebelled against the other Bounts. According to Uryū, Yoshino reminded him of his mother and developed a close relationship with the former despite the brief amount of time they had together. Uryū falls into a depression after Yoshino is sacrificed and becomes the Bitto, but finally snaps out of it after Nemu pays him a visit to give him the Quincy Bangle. Needing access to his former abilities in order to help his friends, Uryū strikes a deal with Mayuri; if Uryū lets the Bount into Soul Society, Mayuri will briefly restore his Quincy powers. Uryū complies, giving the Bount access to the Soul Society, and receives a Quincy artifact for his troubles: The Quincy Bangle. Though inexperienced with it, Uryū is able to use the artifact to kill Yoshi, reaching his and the artifact's limit by doing so. He later assists Ran'Tao in her battle with Jin Kariya, gaining the upper hand on Jin for a moment. However, Ran'Tao's life is put at risk, and through saving her, the Quincy Bangle is destroyed. Once Kariya and the remaining Bount are defeated, Uryū returns home.

Arrancar arc
Back in Karakura Town, Uryū is attacked by two incomplete Arrancar. He attempts to use some Quincy equipment to defeat the two, but is ultimately unsuccessful. It is not until the arrival of his father, Ryūken Ishida, that the Arrancar are 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. After the third Arrancar invasion ends, Uryū regains his powers, ending his training.

Hueco Mundo arc
After learning that Orihime had been captured by the Arrancar, Uryū joins Ichigo and the others 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. After they arrive in Hueco Mundo and their group splits up, Uryū is joined by Pesche Guatiche. Though Pesche continues to annoy Uryū, he proves invaluable in defeating Cirucci Sanderwicci with Uryū, who activates his Seele Schneider in the process despite thinking that he had to use the weapon later on in Hueco Mundo. The former 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, Szayel Aporro Granz. Uryū intervenes and is briefly able to drive Szayel off with Renji's help, but Szayel soon returns. Eventually they are defeated by the Espada's Voodoo doll technique, and after Pesche and Dondochakka's combination attack fail the four are left at Szayel Aporro's mercy.

Just as their last hope of winning fades, Mayuri arrives to save them. 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. With the release of Mayuri's Bankai, it appears that the battle with Szayel has drawn to a close. However, Szayel revives himself through Nemu with his Gabriel technique, only to be affected by the Superhuman Drug inside of Nemu and killed by Mayuri with relative ease.

Uryū witnesses Mayuri healing Nemu in a sexual manner. Uryū ridicules the 12th Division captain, only for Mayuri to counter that he is quite perverted for thinking such things. When Mayuri opens Szayel'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.

Fake Karakura Town arc
While Ichigo Kurosaki and Ulquiorra Cifer are fighting, Yammy Riyalgo suddenly appears. After dealing with Menoly Mallia and Loly Aivirrne, he makes his way towards Orihime, but Uryū arrives and knocks him down with one of his arrows; though, he notes that the arrow didn't pierce him. When Yammy tries to retaliate, a landmine Uryū uses (which was developed by Mayuri, specifically designed for Arrancar) explodes and heavily injures him. However, Yammy is not dead yet, and is barely hanging on to the crumbling floor. Uryū tells him it's too bad the Espada ran into him, as he could have fought a little longer. He then says "Mala Suerte" (bad luck) as he shoots an arrow into Yammy, making him fall through every floor of Las Noches since Uryū broke all the pillars on the way up. Uryū then takes over protecting Orihime as Ichigo continues to finish his fight with Ulquiorra. Elsewhere, Uryū saved Loly by shooting her onto the side of the tower.

Shortly after Ulquiorra attacks Ichigo with his Cero Oscuras, releasing an unbelievable amount of reiatsu, Orihime begins to worry even more. She asks Uryū to take her above Las Noches' dome, to which Uryū reluctantly agrees. Oddly enough, he thinks to himself that, "It was easy enough to guess what she would ask. I couldn't say no. But, I would immediately regret agreeing." This seems to imply that he is thinking back on his decision. He then takes Orihime up to the top of the dome using the same method of Hirenkyaku as he did while passing through the Garganta. He comments that the reiatsu above the dome (Ulquiorra's) is so strong it doesn't feel like normal reiatsu at all, as if there's an ocean in the sky. They arrive just in time to see Ulquiorra send an Instantaneous Cero Oscuras through Ichigo's chest, seemingly killing him. In order to buy Orihime time to heal Ichigo, Uryū faces off against Ulquiorra and fires a thousand arrows. They have no effect, to which Ulquiorra remarks how he thought Uryū was the calmest of all Ichigo's friends. Uryū states that he is fighting him because he is calm. During his fight with the Espada he suffers great injuries, including the loss of his left hand. However, Uryū had already applied anesthesia and stopped the bleeding from his injury. Telling Orihime to focus on Ichigo, Uryū draws out a Seele Schneider and continues to fight. Ulquiorra shoots him with a variation of Cero to knock him out, and Orihime panics. What they both fail to notice is that the seemingly dead Ichigo is moving, and his hair is extending into a mane.

During their battle, Uryū, Orihime, and Ulquiorra notice Ichigo has risen and appears in a new form. Ulquiorra turns his attention towards Ichigo and begins to fight him. However, because of Ichigo's new state, as well as his supposed inability to communicate, they wonder about Ichigo's condition. Ichigo then proceeds to blast a close range Cero at Ulquiorra. He survives, albeit losing one of his wings, right arm and both legs. Ichigo then goes to finish him off, when Uryū stops him saying that there is no need to carve up his corpse, since he's already won. Hollow Ichigo then stabs him in the abdomen with Zangetsu, revealing that he was willing to attack even his friend in this state. He then prepares a Cero to attack Uryū. Ulquiorra then appears slightly regenerated and cuts off one of Ichigo's horns. A large explosion occurs over Ichigo's head, saving Uryū and restoring Ichigo to his normal state. When Ichigo comes to, he is horrified to see his sword lodged in Uryū's abdomen. Though Uryū is badly injured, he is clearly pleased to see his friend returned to normal, even smiling through his pain. When Ichigo sees that he also cut off Ulquiorra's arm and leg while a Hollow, he asks Ulquiorra to cut off his arm and leg to make it a fair fight, to which a shocked Uryū yells in protest. However, Ulquiorra was mortally wounded in the fight, and begins to fade away into dust before any action can be taken. With the battle against Ulquiorra over, Ichigo goes off to help their friends while Uryū stays behind with Orihime so she can heal his injuries.

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

After Muramasa appeared in Karakura Town, Uryū and Chad appeared to confront him after Inoue healed Muramasa. Uryū, not quite recognizing Muramasa's reiatsu questions him on what he is. To that, Muramasa then replies back by questioning who they were and whether they were allied with the Shinigami. Uryū and Chad begin to battle Muramasa and are almost able to successfully flank him, but Senbonzakura arrives to block the attack. As Uryū begins battling Senbonzakura, he launches several attacks that are consistently blocked by Senbonzakura. Uryū moves to avoid Senbonzakura's attack and is about to be hit by an attack of Muramasa that is then block by Orihime's Santen Kesshun. Rukia Kuchiki arrives, having followed her brother's reiatsu and fills them in on who Muramasa is. Uryū then asks why Muramasa was in the living world and where Ichigo was. Muramasa responds that Ichigo was most likely burning in Ryūjin Jakka's flames and summons Hollows with an unknown ability. Uryū then attempts to stop Muramasa from escaping but is once again intercepted by Senbonzakura. Uryū takes note of the energy being released from Muramasa's spell and is attacked by Senbonzakura but blocks with Seele Schneider. The two have a brief sword duel and as Senbonzakura attempts to finish Uryū off, he is surprised to see his reishi being absorbed. Making use of the extra reishi, Uryū successfully hits Senbonzakura. Uryū tries to go help Rukia but Senbonzakura still stands in his way.

After Muramasa revives his master, Kōga Kuchiki, the ancient Shinigami stabs Muramasa and rejects him, causing Muramasa to lose control of his powers, eventually turning him into a Hollow. As Muramasa's powers cause havoc on the living world, Uryū uses his powers to stop more Hollows from merging with Muramasa and attempts to defeat Muramasa himself. Muramasa however proves too fast, easily evading of Uryū's arrows. After Muramasa's second transformation starts attracting more Hollows, Uryū joins Sado in destroying them to prevent Muramasa's power from growing. Fortunately, several Shinigami and their recently restored Zanpakutō spirits arrive to help. Soifon initially goes after the dome-like Muramasa, but Uryū stops her with a small barrage of intentionally-missed arrows, telling her that Ichigo is trapped inside. While Uryū fails to convince Soifon, Hitsugaya suggests an alternate idea of concentrating on the Gillians first, which Soifon agrees to. Later, the dome collapses. Uryū goes with his friends to investigate and finds Ichigo and a dying Muramasa. After Muramasa apologizes for his actions and dies, Ichigo says that Muramasa kept his pride as a Zanpakutō.

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

Quincy Bangle (Former): During the Bount Arc, Uryū received 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.

Seele Schneider: Uryū is highly capable of using the soul cutting sword with great proficiency, and was able to defeat Cirucci Sanderwicci easily after its use, despite the lack of practice beforehand. (Uryū had just recently stolen the weapons from his father's storage room.)

(Former) - Generated by his Quincy Cross, Uryū bow was made of blue spiritual energy. Its size is dependent on the amount of energy flowing through it. With this bow, Uryū is able to kill most Hollows in a single strike. As preparation for his travel to Soul Society, Uryū later masters the Sanrei Glove, greatly increasing his abilities. In this state, his Kojaku is solid and covered in an intricate pattern. It is attached to his glove by a series of thin struts. This new bow allows Uryū to fire several shots simultaneously. By removing the glove, Uryū attains the Quincy: Letzt Stil. This gives him a vast increase in power, enough to defeat a captain class Shinigami with Bankai in only one shot. All the extra energy collects on his right shoulder, much like how a quiver is worn. As a result of removing the glove, however, the Quincy: Letzt Stil uses too much power for Uryū's body to handle, causing his body to block his Quincy powers completely after it wears off.


 * (Current) - After Uryū regains his powers with the aid of his father, he uses this new Quincy cross, this one resembling a pentacle, and a variant of his original bow. This bow was first used during his battle with the Arrancar Iceringer, and several of its special abilities were later shown in his fight against Cirucci Sanderwicci. Unlike his original bow, this bow is shaped like a spider's web. Using this bow, Uryū demonstrates the ability to fire up to 1,200 shots consecutively, ricochet individual shots against the walls inside Las Noches to enable him to shoot around corners and make the direction of his attacks unpredictable, and to change the direction of his shots while in flight. Uryū has also been shown using it as a temporary shield to block. Uryū also acquires new battle accessories, one of which is a new Quincy arrow called the that can double as an energy sword in melee combat.


 * Quincy Cross- As the series continues, Uryū's bow changes its appearance a total of three times, each after an increase in power. He's even gained a new Quincy Cross, in the form of a Pentacle.


 * Hollow Bait: Typically used by the Quincy to aid in the extermination of low-level Hollows by attracting 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.

Powers & Abilities
Reiryoku Absorption & Manipulation: Uryū as a Quincy 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 spiritual particles, such as Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. To a sufficiently powerful Quincy, there is no difference between spiritual particles and spiritual energy as a source of power. He can manipulate spiritual energy for offensive purposes. Uryū most 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.


 * Quincy Bow & Spirit Arrows: As his power increases, Uryū can fire higher amounts of spiritual arrows. His current limit of consecutive arrows is 1,200.

Spiritual Awareness: As a Qunicy, Uryū can sense Hollows at a significant distance. His skill allows him to sense a new Hollow in an area before either Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki was able to sense its arrival. He was also able to tell the direction it was in.

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

Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: During his fight with Cirucci Sanderwicci, Uryū uses Seele Schneider as a sword expertly. 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 engages his Seele Schneider against Senbonzakura, and successfully blocks some attacks.

Excellent Intellect & Athleticism: Aside from his Quincy powers, Uryū is well-trained in both mind and body, 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 prowess at its 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 the truth of Rukia Kuchiki's real identity.


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

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 s a silver tube. Gintō was his primary weapon of choice, albeit only, against an incomplete Arrancar during the Arrancar Arc. 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.

Techniques
Ransōtengai (乱装天傀; lit. Japanese, "Heavenly Wild Puppet Suit", Viz translation, "Disheveled Paradise Puppet") A high level technique known to be quite rare to ever be encountered. Uryū is well versed in the use of this ability, which was not possessed by a good majority of the former living Quincy.

Hirenkyaku Expert (飛廉脚; lit. "Flying Screen Step/God Step", Viz translation, "Flying Bamboo-Blind Leg") Uryū is highly skilled in the use of the technique. Even 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 recently shown a new 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.

Licht Regen - Uryū first used this technique in conjunction with his new spirit bow "Lone Sparrow on a Silver Cliff". A large amount of Reiryoku is gathered at Uryū's left shoulder, much like when he used the Quincy: Letzt Stil. Here he fires a volley of 1,000 arrows, just under his limit, at a single target.

Quincy: Letzt Stil: Uryū was shown using this transformation once at the cost of his powers. It greatly enhanced his power to the point where he easily overwhelmed Mayuri Kurotsuchi, nearly killing him before his escape. Currently he cannot use this technique ever again.

Relationships
Uryū Ishida is a protagonist of Bleach and has encountered several characters throughout the series, though not nearly as much as Ichigo. The most prominent of these relationships are listed below:

Ichigo Kurosaki
Uryū initially had an intense hatred for the Soul Society, especially Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, due to the fact that they were responsible not only for his grandfather's death, but for the decline of his entire species, and directed his anger towards Ichigo despite being entirely innocent on that matter. Ichigo, likewise, viewed him with contempt and disdain for endangering his friends lives by "calling forth" an army of Hollows to his school. However, after his defeat, Uryū and Ichigo now consider themselves friends, despite Uryū's usually cold demeanor and Ichigo's short-tempered persona. The two have a fairly good understanding of each other, and are closer than they let on, often concerned about the other's well-being during a particularly bad fight, or when the other appears in poor condition.

Orihime Inoue
At first, Uryū and Orihime didn't know each other very well, even when both being in the school's Handicrafts Club. During the Soul Society arc, the two got to know each other after being forcefully separated from the rest of their group when attempting to rescue Rukia. In the Arrancar arc, when Uryū learned that Orihime was taken to Hueco Mundo, he was willing to go rescue her by himself. Uryū has shown that he seems to have an understanding of Orihime's feelings towards Ichigo, like when he was fighting Byakuya and Ulquiorra. It also seems as though Uryū has a soft spot for her.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi
Uryū has a strained relationship with Mayuri. Initially meeting as enemies, Uryū learned that Mayuri had tortured and killed his grandfather, Sōken Ishida, as well as many members of the Quincy race. Uryū tries to kill Mayuri upon learning this, but Mayuri escapes. Mayuri later saves Uryū from Szayel Aporro Granz and heals him. While Uryū's previous anger at Mayuri over his past actions has faded, they continue to antagonize each other.

Ryūken Ishida
Uryū does not hold his father, Ryūken Ishida, in high respect; he calls his father by his given name which is considered very rude in both Japanese and Western society. Despite this, in the anime, Uryū seems mildly offended when Rukia commented that Ryūken's hospital (his father being the present director) is falling apart and Renji replies tactlessly that the hospital is only for show. The omake chapter of episode 235 showed Ryūken looking deeply at a picture of Uryū as a child, suggesting that he still loves and cares very much for his son. Ryūken even went as far as attacking Isshin when he started bragging about his kids and teased Uryū about being in a "rebellious stage", blaming Isshin for Ichigo's influence on Uryū.

Censorship
Ulquiorra's damage 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, Uryū still states similar lines about having stopped the blood flow to a worried Orihime and he loses the use of his left arm in both versions.

Trivia

 * Uryū ranked 5th in the most recent character popularity poll, following Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez with 277 votes difference. In previous polls, he placed highly, in the 1st he came 3rd, in the 2nd, he came 8th, in the 3rd, 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 Iceringer) "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) "I am composed, that's why I've got some leeway when fighting against you."