Post by orihime on Aug 30, 2010 23:41:50 GMT -5
Human Template
Name: Orihime Inoue
Age: 21
Gender: Female
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.
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.
Origin of Power: An encounter with a Hollow
Special Abilities: Shun Shun Rikka (盾舜六花, Six Flowers of the Hibiscus Shield; Viz: Six Princess Shielding Flowers): 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 (あやめ, Iris)
Ayame is a shy female spirit covered in a dress larger than her body. She is capable of healing together with Shun'ō.
* Baigon (梅巌, Ume)
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 (火無菊, Daisy)
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 (リリィ, Lily)
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 (舜桜, Althea)
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 (椿鬼, Camellia)
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.
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 "I reject" (私は拒絶する, watashi wa kyozetsu suru), a reference to the nature of her powers.
Powers First Stage:
* Santen Kesshun (三天結盾, Three Sacred Links Shield): 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.
* Sōten Kisshun (双天帰盾, Twin Sacred Return Shield): 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.
* Koten Zanshun (孤天斬盾, Solitary Sacred Cutting Shield): 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.
History/Background: 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 was made by some form of Hollow. This is confirmed when Acidwire attacks Ichigo, who identifies him as the spirit of Orihime's brother.
Orihime saves Ichigo by taking Acidwire's attack.
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 that Tatsuki cannot see either of them). 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 skeptical at first because she doesn't believe her brother would do such horrible things as trying to hurt others. She finally believes him when she sees his reaction to her hair-clips and thus becomes concerned when he and Ichigo begin fighting once more.[19] 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, which 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.
Orihime first uses her powers.
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 one 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, where he explains their powers to them.
Orihime sits with Tatsuki before going to Soul Society.
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 be captured again and taken back to her world. Despite this, Orihime already knows that he's made up his mind to go rescue her. She decides to join Ichigo on his rescue mission along with Chad, Uryū, and their guide Yoruichi Shihōin. 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; with this 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 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.
Orihime shows good control of her Reiatsu.
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 Yoruichi). After being forced to take a back seat against the giant Jidanbō Ikkanzaka during 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 rapidly 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 realizing he would have had to administer first aid to her shoulder while she was unconscious.
Orihime is bandaged as she sleeps.
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 [49], 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 defenseless 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.
Orihime protects Uryū and Aramaki from Mayuri Kurotsuchi using Santen Kesshun.
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 apologize 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 regret 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, something Orihime watches from bottom of the hill. In the Anime, the others try to join Ichigo in helping Rukia but are subdued by the Reiatsu of Gin Ichimaru.
Orihime and her friends depart from Soul Society, their mission there completed.
After the confrontation, Orihime's healing powers strike the interest of Yasochika Iemura of the Fourth Division making him wonder if she would join his division while he observes her healing Ichigo. Her powers also alert Retsu Unohana to the fact that the Ryoka barely need healing aid, allowing her division to focus on healing the Shinigami that were present which is a mark as to how powerful Orihime's healing abilities are. They stayed for a short while in Soul Society while the others recuperated following Aizen's escape. During this time, Uryū fashioned them all some clothes that would be more suitable for the living world, with Orihime's outfit being redesigned with lace decorations. Orihime's more overdramatic side makes an appearance once more during this time, when she concludes that Uryū must have feelings for Rukia due to the dress he'd made for her. While bringing the dress to Rukia, she finds that her room is empty and Rukia is not there. Later, Orihime displays impressive physical strength when she follows Ichigo in climbing to the third floor of the infirmary where Byakuya Kuchiki was recovering, surprising Ichigo by doing this. They continue their search for Rukia, refusing an invitation to come drink with Rangiku and the others as they headed towards the Shiba household. She is there to witness Rukia's determination to stay in the Soul Society before being shown to the Senkaimon by Ukitake the next day. Before leaving, she gives Rukia the dress Uryū had made for her insisting she have it in the process. While the rest of the Gotei 13 look on, Orihime leaves with the rest of her friends into the Dangai Precipice World and homeward.
Chizuru grabs Orihime from behind in a slightly possessive manner.
The group's return marks the beginning of the school semester. Orihime first appears as she delightfully greets Ichigo along with the others that had been in Soul Society with him over the summer. Keigo expresses his great bewilderment over the fact that Orihime, Chad and Uryū now appear to be close friends, finding this combination to be odd. Things appear to be back to normal when Orihime is ambushed by Chizuru Honshō, who has always had a crush on her, only to be kicked away when Orihime's best friend, Tatsuki, appears. Along with the others that had been to Soul Society, Orihime notices when Ichigo's badge starts to alert him to the presence of a Hollow nearby. She and Chad then fake a bathroom trip to follow Ichigo in order to see what is going on. While there, Orihime lets the others know that Uryū, who had stayed behind in class, has not been himself since the execution attempt on Rukia and that he didn't want the others to find out, although she panics when she realizes she shouldn't have said anything to them. It is then revealed that they are being watched by a mysterious new character, who appears to have some sort of power as he hovers above them in an inverted way. Orihime appears to be watching Ichigo at school, worried about him as he ponders over Uryū's loss of powers while a new student arrives in class. The next day, Orihime arrives in school and greets both Ichigo and Shinji, who seems overwhelmed that she'd remembered his name and hugs her. This causes a bit of a ruckus with the other students who express jealousy and bewilderment, with Chizuru even threatening Shinji's life before Ichigo pulls him away. Noticing the change of behavior in Ichigo, Orihime and Chad confront Shinji after overhearing his conversation with Hiyori Sarugaki. They manage to get Hiyori's name out of her but before they can learn anything, Hiyori is carried away by Shinji although Orihime tries to stop them unsuccessfully.
Yammy lashes out at Orihime when she tries to protect Ichigo.
Shortly after the arrival of Shinji, the Human World is invaded by two Arrancar, Ulquiorra Cifer and Yammy Riyalgo. From where the Vizard left them, Orihime and Chad feel the immense spiritual pressure consume the world around them and they rush towards its source to investigate. They arrive just after Yammy absorbs many souls, saving the lone survivor, Tatsuki, who was present when the two invaders arrived. Chad recognizes the huge Arrancar's strength and acknowledges that Orihime would not have a chance against him and advises her to take Tatsuki and run away. She does as he asks but stops when she witnesses the brutality with which Yammy deals with him in retaliation. She rushes back to him, realizing that he must have known the Arrancar were strong and that's the reason he'd previously asked her to run away with those that had survived the attack. Ulquiorra confirms Orihime as trash, but when Yammy goes to attack her, she uses her Santen Kesshun to block his attack unexpectedly, in an impressive display. She stands up with a determined look on her face, healing Chad to the shock of Yammy while Ulquiorra deduces her ability is more than simple healing. She decides to try and hold them off for Ichigo to arrive, determined to give him some peace of mind, using her Koten Zanshun on Yammy but to little effect. In the process, Yammy gravely injures Tsubaki, calling him little more than a fly. Ichigo arrives shortly after, as Yammy moves to try and kill her once more, saving her life with his sudden arrival. She laments to Ichigo, once again feeling useless after not being able to help everyone but he tells her not to worry and to leave the situation to him. She notices the change in Ichigo's Reiatsu following his battle with Byakuya and how it was so dark and strong it was suffocating and how it almost didn't feel like Ichigo's pressure. She runs away as instructed but again returns when Ichigo's Inner Hollow interferes with the battle and causes him to let his guard down and thus get injured by Yammy. The result is that Yammy finally lands a hit on her, smashing her away from him when she recklessly rushes to help Ichigo. The three friends sustain massive injuries, with Tsubaki, Orihime's only attacking capability, completely destroyed. They are saved by the arrival of Yoruichi and Urahara. After Yoruichi floors Yammy, she proceeds to Orihime, reassuring her that Ichigo is fine so that she could swallow the pill she was handing to her. Before she manages to attain this task, Yammy gets back up ad charges a Cero before Yoruichi realizes what he is about to do, not having the time to do anything at such close range. Despite this, both she and Orihime are saved by Urahara's ability to nullify the Espada's attack before it reached them using Benihime's special offensive ability.
Rukia forces Ichigo to apologize to an injured Orihime.
Five days later, Orihime's appearance alarms her fellow peers due to the fact that both her head and the whole of her left arm are bandaged heavily thanks to her injuries. Orihime brushes off their concern, however, merely making it as though she had just fallen down the stairs instead of confronting two of the Espada. Ichigo arrives and appears worried and conflicted however, Orihime tries to seem as though her injuries don't bother, her, cheerfully greeting him as if nothing had happened. She has been trying to relieve Ichigo of his stress and guilt over the fact she got hurt, and gets upset when he refuses to do this.
This event prompts Soul Society to send a group of Shinigami to help defend the Human World, Rukia among them, who recognizes Ichigo's guilt and after getting him to defeat a hollow, drags him towards Orihime and forces him to apologize for his inability to protect her and for his depressing behavior. Orihime appears shocked at her return and later glad as Ichigo vows to get stronger to protect her, welcoming Rukia back in the process. While the return of Rukia helps to cheer up a depressed Ichigo, Orihime becomes conflicted with gratefulness and jealousy, feelings she expressed to the memorial picture she has of Sora in her living room, seeming upset. Meanwhile, the other Shinigami decide they can't stay at Ichigo's so Rangiku decides she's going to stay with Orihime and tries to persuade her captain to come with her. Although initially shocked, she lets Rangiku stay at her house while the Shinigami gets over excited and starts suggesting baths. While the Shinigami is in the bath, Orihime tells Rangiku about her jealousy, confiding in her about her feelings of inadequacy through the door after checking if the water was warm enough. This results in Rangiku immediately getting out of the tub and hugging Orihime, calling her a fool for feeling that way, hovering over her as she advised the girl not to be jealous of Rukia nor to let those feelings get the better of her as she is as equally as important to him as she is. They have fun after Orihime cooks and surprisingly Rangiku enjoys her food and they both have Ice Cream together.
Orihime heals Hitsugaya after he defeats the 11th Arrancar.
During this time, a second invasion of Karakura Town occurs, this time led by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez as he leads his subordinates to destroy anyone in the town with even an ounce of Spiritual Power so Rangiku asked her to look after her Gigai so that she won't interrupt the battle. Instead, Orihime tries to run to her guests, however she is held back by the Mod Soul inside of Rangiku's Gigai. Following Hitsugaya's win, Rangiku rushes to get Orihime for her healing powers to heal her captain. She is seen healing Hitsugaya when Ichigo's fight with the Sixth Espada finally concludes. While healing Rukia, she can't help but notice Ichigo watch on in concern, sadly closing her eyes afterwards. Rukia comment upon how greatly Orihime has improved her powers, following the speed she healed after being impaled by Grimmjow during the fight, although Orihime denies this.
During this time, a second invasion of Karakura Town occurs, this time led by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez as he leads his subordinates to destroy anyone in the town with even an ounce of Spiritual Power so Rangiku asked her to look after her Gigai so that she won't interrupt the battle. Instead, Orihime tries to run to her guests, however she is held back by the Mod Soul inside of Rangiku's Gigai. Following Hitsugaya's win, Rangiku rushes to get Orihime for her healing powers to heal her captain. She is seen healing Hitsugaya when Ichigo's fight with the Sixth Espada finally concludes. While healing Rukia, she can't help but notice Ichigo watch on in concern, sadly closing her eyes afterwards. Rukia comment upon how greatly Orihime has improved her powers, following the speed she healed after being impaled by Grimmjow during the fight, although Orihime denies this.
Orihime discovers what Hitsugaya and Rangiku have done to her Living Room.
After the second assault on the human world, Orihime becomes a little gloomy wondering if Ichigo is ok, but knows that he will be fine because, unlike the others, like Rukia, she can sense his Reiatsu if she concentrates. She realizes that at the moment, everyone is seeming gloomy, including Tatsuki and decides she needs to spend some time with her. However, her neighbor pulls her out of these thoughts when she is informed that her guests have brought something large into her living room. She stands enthralled by the large screen they brought into the room as the Commander of Soul Society finally informs them that they've figured out the true agenda of Sōsuke Aizen. She tries to leave what she considers to be an important meeting but is stopped by Yamamoto who states that she should stay as this involves humans as well. At the mention of the Royal Key Orihime becomes confused until Rangiku explains that Soul Society has a King and that he lives in an alternate dimension from the Souls and Shinigami. She is also horrified to learn of the creation for the Royal Key to be over one hundred thousand human souls. However, she further learns that Aizen intends to use Karakura Town and it's civilians to create the key, thus wiping most of them out. Yamamoto them entrusts with her the job of telling her people about this revelation so they can start preparing for the worst in the Winter War to come. She is able to track down Ichigo, who is at the Vizard base which is a feat within itself given that he was shielded and others could not sense him. She is then able to show her great intellect by deducing the barrier's abilities and how powerful it is. Furthermore, she manages to pass through the Vizard's barrier without much effort greatly surprising them when she arrives and is just a human. This feat amazes and impresses the Vizard Hachigen Ushōda, who created the barrier. She manages to inform Ichigo of Aizen's plans and is amazed to find that he is with the Vizard in an attempt to get stronger to stop him. She also marvels at how strong he is getting mentally and how his Reiatsu doesn't feel as dark nor as scary anymore.
Hachigen heals Tsubaki for Orihime.
Orihime is then met by Yoruichi outside the barrier and she brings her to meet Urahara at his shop. Urahara excitedly greets her but Orihime proves to be edgy wondering what exactly he wants her for. She observes Sado and Renji training, a little shocked that they were doing so already. There, she is asked to not participate in the coming battle as Tsubaki has still not been restored and so she has little offensive capabilities. Though part of the reason is Orihime's lack of combat ability, Urahara is really trying to prevent her from attracting Aizen's interest. When she runs off, Sado tries to run after her but Renji reminds him that her demeanor isn't suited for battle and killing other beings. Discouraged briefly, Orihime regains her confidence after talking to Rukia who states that it's not lacking power but lacking resolve in battle that's important. Rukia talks her into both of them helping one another to train. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of the Vizard, Hiyori, who grabs Orihime and drags her off to the Vizard base. Hachigen examines her then, looking her over and in one instance turns her head until she thinks it's going to come off. He deduces that her hairpins are the source of her powers and act much like the Zanpakutō of a Shinigami. He also notices one is broken and Orihime tells him of how Tsubaki was shattered but despite this, Hachigen offers to fix him, shocking her. Hachigen also explains that Orihime's more powerful than she imagines as her powers are similar to his and she should be able to restore Tsubaki without any fragments needed to do so. Hachigen then restores Tsubaki to life, much to Orihime's surprise and happiness, expressed by trying to hug the disgruntled spirit despite his attempts to kick her away. Hachigen then advises her not to fight since he is not suitable for fighting either but still, gives her advice on how she approach situations as they present themselves to her. When she leaves, she sees Rukia who appears happy to know that Ichigo is safe with the Vizard. Then, determined to be an asset in the upcoming war, Orihime leaves for Soul Society with Rukia in order to train and improve her abilities.
Orhime and Rukia spar with one another in Soul Society to get stronger.
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. In the meantime, Orihime is training with Rukia within Soul Society, at the old training grounds of the Thirteenth Division. While doing so they are being watched by Rukia's Captain, Jūshirō Ukitake, who states that it is a beautiful thing that Rukia was able to make a friend in Orihime no matter that she was a human.[196] When the third invasion commences, Soul Society alerts Ukitake who in turn alerts Orihime and Rukia. Orihime tries to hurry home with Rukia but is reminded that she doesn't have a Hell Butterfly and will need to wait for the journey to be made safe for her, which Ukitake is already on top of. The Senkaimon is finally completed mid way through the battle, and Orihime leaves Soul Society with two chaperone Shinigami. Ulquiorra intercepts her and her allies in the Dangai Precipice world, just as she was believing in her new found strength and will. Ulquiorra cuts down one of her escorts only to have Orihime immediately prepare to heal him and advise the other one to run away only to have him cut down as well, forcing Ayame to extend the healing shield to both of them, greatly showing her improve abilities. Ulquiorra is amazed by this but demands that she come with him, showing her the images of her injured friends and stating that she will agree or he will kill them. Threatened with the lives of those she cares for the most, she has no choice but to go to Hueco Mundo.
Orihime tearfully says goodbye to Ichigo after confessing her feelings towards him.
Orihime is next seen making a list of chores for Rangiku and Hitsugaya to follow while she is in captivity in Hueco Mundo, knowing they would be useless without her instructions. It is then revealed that Ulquiorra gave her a bracelet that covers her in a Spiritual Membrane to prevent anyone except the Arrancar to sense her Reiatsu while she is still in the World of the Living. He has given her twelve hours to get her effects in order and allows her to say goodbye to only one person during that time and that they are not to discover her presence as she is doing so. Meanwhile, Rukia is trying to call her, assuming she is still within Soul Society's domain but is unable to do so. Orihime decides to say goodbye to Ichigo and arrives as he is unconscious, healing, with his sisters asleep on his bedroom floor. She admits that there were many she could have said goodbye to, and lists her friends but picked him instead. She admits that this is the first time she has ever been in Ichigo's room and she comes close to kissing his sleeping form but cannot bring herself to do it. Instead, she breaks down into tears and admits that she has fallen in love with Ichigo and would love to do so five times over. She then heals his hand, thanks him and bids him farewell before leaving. Before going to Hueco Mundo, she writes a cryptic line in a notebook, as a message to the others, "Goodbye halcyon days."
Orihime healing Grimmjow's lost arm.
Unlike the others, who follow her, Orihime is taken straight to Aizen's throne room in Las Noches without travelling across Hueco Mundo. After confirming her name, from upon his throne, Aizen requests that she demonstrates her power for the benefit of the others present. Meanwhile Orihime is terrified by the complete loss of strength she feels in the presence of Aizen himself because of his immense powers. It is revealed that a beaten up Luppi Antenor is unhappy that their entire fight with the Shinigami had merely been a plan to lure Orihime out and get her to Hueco Mundo. Aizen then requests that Orihime heals the left arm of Grimmjow that had been completely destroyed by Tōsen after he'd disobeyed orders previously. Luppi is disbelieving, telling Aizen that it is impossible to heal an arm so completely destroyed into nothingness. Despite this, Orihime cast's her Sōten Kisshun spell upon the area Grimmjow's arm used to exist with Luppi continuing to yell threats at her as the arm begins to regenerate in front of everyone's eyes. This shocks everyone except Aizen and Ulquiorra, Luppi commenting he'd never seen anything like it. It is then that Aizen explains her abilities as the Rejection of Events, leading her to be able to trample upon the even the horizons that God himself has set in place. Following this, Grimmjow then demands that she heal a scar upon his back. Much to Luppi's horror, she does as Grimmjow asks in order to reveal the old 6 that had been rubbed out previously, with Luppi asking what he was up to. Grimmjow butchers Luppi to get his rank back, stabbing him in the abdomen with his hand and using a Cero to blow away everything from his waist upwards much to Orihime's dismay.
Orihime's appearance during the Hueco Mundo arc.
Orihime is assigned to a modest room as Ichigo, Uryū, and Chad begin their rescue attempt by travelling to Hueco Mundo, wondering why she was told to sit quietly when there was nothing to do anyway. She also questions whether allowing herself to be captured for the sake of her friends' lives was the right choice as she knows using her powers to aid Aizen's forces would make the upcoming war harder for her friends anyway. She decides to try and make herself appear worthwhile until her friends are ready for the war, only to be speechless when she feels the Reiatsu of her friends as they arrive in Hueco Mundo to save her. In the meantime, as the others make their way towards her, she receives a new outfit similar to that of an Arrancar, something that Ulquiorra remarks as looking good on her. He comes to her new quarters in order to advise her of the arrival of her friends in Hueco Mundo, by now including Renji and Rukia, and of their desire to save her from Aizen. Orihime appears shocked at this revelation despite Ulquiorra's insistence that it won't change anything because she was already their 'comrade'. He references her clothes as a representation of this and forces her to admit that her purpose now belongs to Aizen to use as he sees fit. Nnoitra Jiruga then approaches Ulquiorra to discuss Orihime's imprisonment and how she has been placed under the Fourth Espada's care. Ulquiorra states that Aizen did not need Kyōka Suigetsu in order to place Orihime under a spell and force her to come to Hueco Mundo, but allowing her to say goodbye to one person allowed her to believe she had some measure of control over the entire situation when she really hadn't and that her will to escape should start to melt away. He states that regardless if she had fallen for the trap, the result would be the same as to Aizen, Orihime's imprisonment is little ore than a game and she has little will or control over it all.
Orihime views the Hōgyoku up close and decides to destroy it.
It is then revealed that Aizen has taken his manipulation of Orihime and the situation at hand one step further. He had Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia bring Orihime to his chambers and to leave them alone despite their heightened protests not to do so. The two Arrancar storm off and it is clear that they feel great animosity for Orihime, especially Loly. Aizen then reveals his reasons for summoning her and progresses to show her a slightly deteriorated form of the Hōgyoku. He claims that showing her this is a token of his trust in her as his plans cannot be achieved without its powers. He marvels at her powers, carefully asking whether or not she was going to use her powers for him or not in a coaxing fashion. His ruse doesn't fool Orihime, she knows he doesn't trust her but the episode allows her to decide that there is something that only she can do and that's erasing the Hōgyoku from even existing in the first place.
Ulquiorra tries to convince Orihime to eat after Sado's defeat.
As Ichigo's group separately make their way through Las Noches, along with the others she senses Chad's defeat at the hands of Nnoitra Jiruga. Ulquiorra walks in to her room, observing that she has also noticed that the Fifth Espada got impatient despite his orders but Orihime insists her friend is still alive. He does not reply to this, but merely summons the caterers to bring a food tray into her room. As he tries to convince her to eat, even going so far as to threaten to shove it down her throat advising it is her duty to stay alive for Aizen, she repeatedly insists that Chad is still alive. Frustrated, Ulquiorra tells her that whether Sado was dead or alive shouldn't matter and that all her friends are eventually going to be defeated soon enough anyway. He states that they should have known this from the start and that had they been his friends, the knowledge that they'd broken into Hueco Mundo without first testing their powers would infuriate him. Emotionally angry, Orihime responds with a slap across Ulquiorra's face. The Fourth Espada does not respond to this action but merely turns away, stating that if she has not eaten the food in an hour, he would bind her and force feed it to her. Ulquiorra leaves as Orihime breaks down and starts crying over the whole situation.
Orihime's impressive abilities resurrect Menoly.
Later, Orihime senses Ichigo's defeat at the hands of Ulquiorra when he is impaled through the chest. Before she has a chance to react, her room is broken into by Loly and Menoly who claim they are going to have some fun with her. Loly proceeds to attack Orihime, berating the weakness of humans and the strength of Arrancar when holding her up by the hair. She gets even more angry when her victim shows no reaction to the attack, punching her further only to be told to quiet down by Menoly who is keeping watch close by. Just then, they are all surprised by a random explosion that signals the sudden arrival of Grimmjow who has come to Orihime's aid. He kicks Loly angrily when he goes for him, severely injuring her in the process. Menoly proceeds with an attack of her own that is caught and countered by Grimmjow's massive Cero, vaporizing most of her body and killing her instantly. Not finished, Grimmjow continues to beat on Loly, ripping off her leg while she screamed at him. He states that he does this to repay Orihime for returning his arm to him. His debt paid, he grabs her by the scruff of her neck and demands she come with him on an errand.
Even Orihime's powers struggle to heal Ichigo after Ulquiorra's attack on him.
Before leaving, he asks her to fix her face but she takes the opportunity to heal Loly's leg, despite her protests, that got quite physical. She then rushes to Menoly and brings her back to life, her body rematerializing in front of everyone's eyes. For this, Loly refers to her as a Monster because of her extreme powers. After chaining her arms together to prevent her from escaping, Grimmjow drags Orihime to Ichigo, casting her towards his prone body, deeply shocking her because of his current lifelessness. Grimmjow then sits himself down expectantly, demanding that she heals his rival. Orihime experiences some trouble in doing so, while Nel Tu screams beside her, due to the large amount of leftover spiritual pressure from the attack on Ichigo. She demands to know who did it, surprised when Grimmjow informs her that it was Ulquiorra as he can tell it is a little signature attack of the Fourth Espada's. Eventually, Ichigo begins to show signs of life, Orihime's powers finally getting through to heal his wounds. When he awakens, he shows confusion as to why Nel is sitting on Orihime's shoulder while the two of them are relieved that's he's alive following his ordeal. Orihime is shocked to learn that the reason Grimmjow wants Ichigo healed is so that he can just settle the score. Before she can complete the healing process, Ulquiorra arrives at the scene. When Ulquiorra begins to advance into the area, demanding to know what Grimmjow was doing and what exactly he was planning causing Orihime to feel uncomfortable when he looks at her. When no reply is had, Ulquiorra demands that Grimmjow let her go as she was put in his care by Aizen but Grimmjow tells him where to go. Grimmjow then attacks him over the issue and results in him using a Caja Negación to imprison him.
Ichigo protects both Nel and Orihime from one of Grimmjow's powerful attacks.
Following this, the Sixth Espada has Orihime finish what she's doing when it comes to healing Ichigo. At first, Orihime stands her ground, not wanting to heal Ichigo just so Grimmjow can fight and injure him once more. As a result, he grabs her by the scruff forcibly and demands that she do it. When she still refuses, Ichigo comes in between them, demanding that he let her go. Ichigo then asks her to him and to heal Grimmjow of the injury he incurred from his short battle with Ulquiorra so they can both fight on equal ground. When she does heal him, he reassures both her and Nel that he will win it and to have confidence in him. After the two begin to battle, Orihime consoles Nel, telling her that Ichigo will win if he says he will and that was because he promised he would win. She assures Nel that the two of them should wait to see what happens and that they should believe in him. When Ichigo refuses to go full power against him, Grimmjow fires the large Gran Ray Cero at him, which happens to be in Orihime and Nel's general direction. After Ichigo dons his Hollow mask to protect her from the attack, she becomes shocked at the appearance of the mask, so much so that he has to reassure her over it and that she should be afraid of him, that using the mask he was going to finish this. When Grimmjow releases his Pantera, Ichigo advises her to use her powers to protect both her and Nel. Despite his encouragement, Orihime becomes unsure if it's really him under the mask due to his ruthless fighting style and dark power in their form. When he protects her from another of Grimmjow's attacks, she finds herself unable to look into his Hollowfied eyes without appearing terrified to do so, something that Ichigo notices before he resumes battle. She tries to mentally reassure herself over and over again not to be scared of him in this form, but she remembers how she can't even see her own reflection in his eyes and it gives her chills.
Orihime calls out for Ichigo not to die against Grimmjow.
Nel becomes worried as she notices a difference in Ichigo, as she had never seen him be at a disadvantage while he was wearing his mask and she deduces it to be of some result of the effect Orihime's fear was having upon him and begins to yell her support and berate Orihime for not doing the same. To Orihime's surprise, Nel reminds her of the words she'd spoken before the fight began, about how Ichigo was kind and would use his power to win this no matter what. She states that Ichigo had gained this power to protect his friends and was now fighting the Sixth Espada in an all-out battle just to save her, suffering for her selflessly, to save her and he needed her to be on his side, to support him as well. This reminds Orihime that she'd originally come to Hueco Mundo to prevent the slaughter of her friends in the first place. She reflects that when she'd heard her friends had come to save her, she'd been happy and yet when she'd first seen the mask, part of her thought he actually hadn't come to Hueco Mundo for her despite the previous information. After this encouragement from Nel, Orihime is able to lend her full support to Ichigo, yelling for him not to die here. With tears in her eyes, she asks him not to get hurt anymore than he already was. This support allows Ichigo to have an increase in morale and to get back on form and to prevent Grimmjow from ending the battle. In the end, the support gives him enough resolve to block Grimmjow's most powerful attack so he can take his friends out of Hueco Mundo.
Ichigo lifts Orihime, who is worried about her weight.
After Ichigo stabs through Grimmjow and ends the fight, he floats up to her, asking if she was hurt in anyway causing her to be glad that he was back to normal. After Nel exclaims her happiness, Ichigo expresses his relief that Orihime is ok as well, to which Orihime reacts in her old, cheerful way, smiling excitedly. Ichigo interrupts her by lifting her over his shoulder (extremely embarrassing her) in order to bring her down from the tower she's been on. Orihime insists she's heavy but Ichigo says that she's not as heavy as he'd thought she'd have been, prompting Nel to bite his leg for speaking that way to a lady. As she continues on about speaking to Ichigo about women and their weight, Orihime asks her to be quiet as she's depressing her even more. Ichigo states that he's about to take them with him as he goes to get Rukia and Chad. However, they are interrupted when Grimmjow gets to his feet. Orihime tries to stop Ichigo from fighting again but realizes he's thrown his sword away. Despite this, their encounter is interrupted by the Fifth Espada, Nnoitra Jiruga, who now wants to fight Ichigo, calling Grimmjow weak and pathetic for losing and to just die already.
Name: Orihime Inoue
Age: 21
Gender: Female
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.
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.
Origin of Power: An encounter with a Hollow
Special Abilities: Shun Shun Rikka (盾舜六花, Six Flowers of the Hibiscus Shield; Viz: Six Princess Shielding Flowers): 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 (あやめ, Iris)
Ayame is a shy female spirit covered in a dress larger than her body. She is capable of healing together with Shun'ō.
* Baigon (梅巌, Ume)
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 (火無菊, Daisy)
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 (リリィ, Lily)
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 (舜桜, Althea)
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 (椿鬼, Camellia)
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.
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 "I reject" (私は拒絶する, watashi wa kyozetsu suru), a reference to the nature of her powers.
Powers First Stage:
* Santen Kesshun (三天結盾, Three Sacred Links Shield): 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.
* Sōten Kisshun (双天帰盾, Twin Sacred Return Shield): 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.
* Koten Zanshun (孤天斬盾, Solitary Sacred Cutting Shield): 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.
History/Background: 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 was made by some form of Hollow. This is confirmed when Acidwire attacks Ichigo, who identifies him as the spirit of Orihime's brother.
Orihime saves Ichigo by taking Acidwire's attack.
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 that Tatsuki cannot see either of them). 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 skeptical at first because she doesn't believe her brother would do such horrible things as trying to hurt others. She finally believes him when she sees his reaction to her hair-clips and thus becomes concerned when he and Ichigo begin fighting once more.[19] 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, which 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.
Orihime first uses her powers.
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 one 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, where he explains their powers to them.
Orihime sits with Tatsuki before going to Soul Society.
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 be captured again and taken back to her world. Despite this, Orihime already knows that he's made up his mind to go rescue her. She decides to join Ichigo on his rescue mission along with Chad, Uryū, and their guide Yoruichi Shihōin. 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; with this 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 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.
Orihime shows good control of her Reiatsu.
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 Yoruichi). After being forced to take a back seat against the giant Jidanbō Ikkanzaka during 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 rapidly 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 realizing he would have had to administer first aid to her shoulder while she was unconscious.
Orihime is bandaged as she sleeps.
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 [49], 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 defenseless 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.
Orihime protects Uryū and Aramaki from Mayuri Kurotsuchi using Santen Kesshun.
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 apologize 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 regret 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, something Orihime watches from bottom of the hill. In the Anime, the others try to join Ichigo in helping Rukia but are subdued by the Reiatsu of Gin Ichimaru.
Orihime and her friends depart from Soul Society, their mission there completed.
After the confrontation, Orihime's healing powers strike the interest of Yasochika Iemura of the Fourth Division making him wonder if she would join his division while he observes her healing Ichigo. Her powers also alert Retsu Unohana to the fact that the Ryoka barely need healing aid, allowing her division to focus on healing the Shinigami that were present which is a mark as to how powerful Orihime's healing abilities are. They stayed for a short while in Soul Society while the others recuperated following Aizen's escape. During this time, Uryū fashioned them all some clothes that would be more suitable for the living world, with Orihime's outfit being redesigned with lace decorations. Orihime's more overdramatic side makes an appearance once more during this time, when she concludes that Uryū must have feelings for Rukia due to the dress he'd made for her. While bringing the dress to Rukia, she finds that her room is empty and Rukia is not there. Later, Orihime displays impressive physical strength when she follows Ichigo in climbing to the third floor of the infirmary where Byakuya Kuchiki was recovering, surprising Ichigo by doing this. They continue their search for Rukia, refusing an invitation to come drink with Rangiku and the others as they headed towards the Shiba household. She is there to witness Rukia's determination to stay in the Soul Society before being shown to the Senkaimon by Ukitake the next day. Before leaving, she gives Rukia the dress Uryū had made for her insisting she have it in the process. While the rest of the Gotei 13 look on, Orihime leaves with the rest of her friends into the Dangai Precipice World and homeward.
Chizuru grabs Orihime from behind in a slightly possessive manner.
The group's return marks the beginning of the school semester. Orihime first appears as she delightfully greets Ichigo along with the others that had been in Soul Society with him over the summer. Keigo expresses his great bewilderment over the fact that Orihime, Chad and Uryū now appear to be close friends, finding this combination to be odd. Things appear to be back to normal when Orihime is ambushed by Chizuru Honshō, who has always had a crush on her, only to be kicked away when Orihime's best friend, Tatsuki, appears. Along with the others that had been to Soul Society, Orihime notices when Ichigo's badge starts to alert him to the presence of a Hollow nearby. She and Chad then fake a bathroom trip to follow Ichigo in order to see what is going on. While there, Orihime lets the others know that Uryū, who had stayed behind in class, has not been himself since the execution attempt on Rukia and that he didn't want the others to find out, although she panics when she realizes she shouldn't have said anything to them. It is then revealed that they are being watched by a mysterious new character, who appears to have some sort of power as he hovers above them in an inverted way. Orihime appears to be watching Ichigo at school, worried about him as he ponders over Uryū's loss of powers while a new student arrives in class. The next day, Orihime arrives in school and greets both Ichigo and Shinji, who seems overwhelmed that she'd remembered his name and hugs her. This causes a bit of a ruckus with the other students who express jealousy and bewilderment, with Chizuru even threatening Shinji's life before Ichigo pulls him away. Noticing the change of behavior in Ichigo, Orihime and Chad confront Shinji after overhearing his conversation with Hiyori Sarugaki. They manage to get Hiyori's name out of her but before they can learn anything, Hiyori is carried away by Shinji although Orihime tries to stop them unsuccessfully.
Yammy lashes out at Orihime when she tries to protect Ichigo.
Shortly after the arrival of Shinji, the Human World is invaded by two Arrancar, Ulquiorra Cifer and Yammy Riyalgo. From where the Vizard left them, Orihime and Chad feel the immense spiritual pressure consume the world around them and they rush towards its source to investigate. They arrive just after Yammy absorbs many souls, saving the lone survivor, Tatsuki, who was present when the two invaders arrived. Chad recognizes the huge Arrancar's strength and acknowledges that Orihime would not have a chance against him and advises her to take Tatsuki and run away. She does as he asks but stops when she witnesses the brutality with which Yammy deals with him in retaliation. She rushes back to him, realizing that he must have known the Arrancar were strong and that's the reason he'd previously asked her to run away with those that had survived the attack. Ulquiorra confirms Orihime as trash, but when Yammy goes to attack her, she uses her Santen Kesshun to block his attack unexpectedly, in an impressive display. She stands up with a determined look on her face, healing Chad to the shock of Yammy while Ulquiorra deduces her ability is more than simple healing. She decides to try and hold them off for Ichigo to arrive, determined to give him some peace of mind, using her Koten Zanshun on Yammy but to little effect. In the process, Yammy gravely injures Tsubaki, calling him little more than a fly. Ichigo arrives shortly after, as Yammy moves to try and kill her once more, saving her life with his sudden arrival. She laments to Ichigo, once again feeling useless after not being able to help everyone but he tells her not to worry and to leave the situation to him. She notices the change in Ichigo's Reiatsu following his battle with Byakuya and how it was so dark and strong it was suffocating and how it almost didn't feel like Ichigo's pressure. She runs away as instructed but again returns when Ichigo's Inner Hollow interferes with the battle and causes him to let his guard down and thus get injured by Yammy. The result is that Yammy finally lands a hit on her, smashing her away from him when she recklessly rushes to help Ichigo. The three friends sustain massive injuries, with Tsubaki, Orihime's only attacking capability, completely destroyed. They are saved by the arrival of Yoruichi and Urahara. After Yoruichi floors Yammy, she proceeds to Orihime, reassuring her that Ichigo is fine so that she could swallow the pill she was handing to her. Before she manages to attain this task, Yammy gets back up ad charges a Cero before Yoruichi realizes what he is about to do, not having the time to do anything at such close range. Despite this, both she and Orihime are saved by Urahara's ability to nullify the Espada's attack before it reached them using Benihime's special offensive ability.
Rukia forces Ichigo to apologize to an injured Orihime.
Five days later, Orihime's appearance alarms her fellow peers due to the fact that both her head and the whole of her left arm are bandaged heavily thanks to her injuries. Orihime brushes off their concern, however, merely making it as though she had just fallen down the stairs instead of confronting two of the Espada. Ichigo arrives and appears worried and conflicted however, Orihime tries to seem as though her injuries don't bother, her, cheerfully greeting him as if nothing had happened. She has been trying to relieve Ichigo of his stress and guilt over the fact she got hurt, and gets upset when he refuses to do this.
This event prompts Soul Society to send a group of Shinigami to help defend the Human World, Rukia among them, who recognizes Ichigo's guilt and after getting him to defeat a hollow, drags him towards Orihime and forces him to apologize for his inability to protect her and for his depressing behavior. Orihime appears shocked at her return and later glad as Ichigo vows to get stronger to protect her, welcoming Rukia back in the process. While the return of Rukia helps to cheer up a depressed Ichigo, Orihime becomes conflicted with gratefulness and jealousy, feelings she expressed to the memorial picture she has of Sora in her living room, seeming upset. Meanwhile, the other Shinigami decide they can't stay at Ichigo's so Rangiku decides she's going to stay with Orihime and tries to persuade her captain to come with her. Although initially shocked, she lets Rangiku stay at her house while the Shinigami gets over excited and starts suggesting baths. While the Shinigami is in the bath, Orihime tells Rangiku about her jealousy, confiding in her about her feelings of inadequacy through the door after checking if the water was warm enough. This results in Rangiku immediately getting out of the tub and hugging Orihime, calling her a fool for feeling that way, hovering over her as she advised the girl not to be jealous of Rukia nor to let those feelings get the better of her as she is as equally as important to him as she is. They have fun after Orihime cooks and surprisingly Rangiku enjoys her food and they both have Ice Cream together.
Orihime heals Hitsugaya after he defeats the 11th Arrancar.
During this time, a second invasion of Karakura Town occurs, this time led by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez as he leads his subordinates to destroy anyone in the town with even an ounce of Spiritual Power so Rangiku asked her to look after her Gigai so that she won't interrupt the battle. Instead, Orihime tries to run to her guests, however she is held back by the Mod Soul inside of Rangiku's Gigai. Following Hitsugaya's win, Rangiku rushes to get Orihime for her healing powers to heal her captain. She is seen healing Hitsugaya when Ichigo's fight with the Sixth Espada finally concludes. While healing Rukia, she can't help but notice Ichigo watch on in concern, sadly closing her eyes afterwards. Rukia comment upon how greatly Orihime has improved her powers, following the speed she healed after being impaled by Grimmjow during the fight, although Orihime denies this.
During this time, a second invasion of Karakura Town occurs, this time led by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez as he leads his subordinates to destroy anyone in the town with even an ounce of Spiritual Power so Rangiku asked her to look after her Gigai so that she won't interrupt the battle. Instead, Orihime tries to run to her guests, however she is held back by the Mod Soul inside of Rangiku's Gigai. Following Hitsugaya's win, Rangiku rushes to get Orihime for her healing powers to heal her captain. She is seen healing Hitsugaya when Ichigo's fight with the Sixth Espada finally concludes. While healing Rukia, she can't help but notice Ichigo watch on in concern, sadly closing her eyes afterwards. Rukia comment upon how greatly Orihime has improved her powers, following the speed she healed after being impaled by Grimmjow during the fight, although Orihime denies this.
Orihime discovers what Hitsugaya and Rangiku have done to her Living Room.
After the second assault on the human world, Orihime becomes a little gloomy wondering if Ichigo is ok, but knows that he will be fine because, unlike the others, like Rukia, she can sense his Reiatsu if she concentrates. She realizes that at the moment, everyone is seeming gloomy, including Tatsuki and decides she needs to spend some time with her. However, her neighbor pulls her out of these thoughts when she is informed that her guests have brought something large into her living room. She stands enthralled by the large screen they brought into the room as the Commander of Soul Society finally informs them that they've figured out the true agenda of Sōsuke Aizen. She tries to leave what she considers to be an important meeting but is stopped by Yamamoto who states that she should stay as this involves humans as well. At the mention of the Royal Key Orihime becomes confused until Rangiku explains that Soul Society has a King and that he lives in an alternate dimension from the Souls and Shinigami. She is also horrified to learn of the creation for the Royal Key to be over one hundred thousand human souls. However, she further learns that Aizen intends to use Karakura Town and it's civilians to create the key, thus wiping most of them out. Yamamoto them entrusts with her the job of telling her people about this revelation so they can start preparing for the worst in the Winter War to come. She is able to track down Ichigo, who is at the Vizard base which is a feat within itself given that he was shielded and others could not sense him. She is then able to show her great intellect by deducing the barrier's abilities and how powerful it is. Furthermore, she manages to pass through the Vizard's barrier without much effort greatly surprising them when she arrives and is just a human. This feat amazes and impresses the Vizard Hachigen Ushōda, who created the barrier. She manages to inform Ichigo of Aizen's plans and is amazed to find that he is with the Vizard in an attempt to get stronger to stop him. She also marvels at how strong he is getting mentally and how his Reiatsu doesn't feel as dark nor as scary anymore.
Hachigen heals Tsubaki for Orihime.
Orihime is then met by Yoruichi outside the barrier and she brings her to meet Urahara at his shop. Urahara excitedly greets her but Orihime proves to be edgy wondering what exactly he wants her for. She observes Sado and Renji training, a little shocked that they were doing so already. There, she is asked to not participate in the coming battle as Tsubaki has still not been restored and so she has little offensive capabilities. Though part of the reason is Orihime's lack of combat ability, Urahara is really trying to prevent her from attracting Aizen's interest. When she runs off, Sado tries to run after her but Renji reminds him that her demeanor isn't suited for battle and killing other beings. Discouraged briefly, Orihime regains her confidence after talking to Rukia who states that it's not lacking power but lacking resolve in battle that's important. Rukia talks her into both of them helping one another to train. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of the Vizard, Hiyori, who grabs Orihime and drags her off to the Vizard base. Hachigen examines her then, looking her over and in one instance turns her head until she thinks it's going to come off. He deduces that her hairpins are the source of her powers and act much like the Zanpakutō of a Shinigami. He also notices one is broken and Orihime tells him of how Tsubaki was shattered but despite this, Hachigen offers to fix him, shocking her. Hachigen also explains that Orihime's more powerful than she imagines as her powers are similar to his and she should be able to restore Tsubaki without any fragments needed to do so. Hachigen then restores Tsubaki to life, much to Orihime's surprise and happiness, expressed by trying to hug the disgruntled spirit despite his attempts to kick her away. Hachigen then advises her not to fight since he is not suitable for fighting either but still, gives her advice on how she approach situations as they present themselves to her. When she leaves, she sees Rukia who appears happy to know that Ichigo is safe with the Vizard. Then, determined to be an asset in the upcoming war, Orihime leaves for Soul Society with Rukia in order to train and improve her abilities.
Orhime and Rukia spar with one another in Soul Society to get stronger.
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. In the meantime, Orihime is training with Rukia within Soul Society, at the old training grounds of the Thirteenth Division. While doing so they are being watched by Rukia's Captain, Jūshirō Ukitake, who states that it is a beautiful thing that Rukia was able to make a friend in Orihime no matter that she was a human.[196] When the third invasion commences, Soul Society alerts Ukitake who in turn alerts Orihime and Rukia. Orihime tries to hurry home with Rukia but is reminded that she doesn't have a Hell Butterfly and will need to wait for the journey to be made safe for her, which Ukitake is already on top of. The Senkaimon is finally completed mid way through the battle, and Orihime leaves Soul Society with two chaperone Shinigami. Ulquiorra intercepts her and her allies in the Dangai Precipice world, just as she was believing in her new found strength and will. Ulquiorra cuts down one of her escorts only to have Orihime immediately prepare to heal him and advise the other one to run away only to have him cut down as well, forcing Ayame to extend the healing shield to both of them, greatly showing her improve abilities. Ulquiorra is amazed by this but demands that she come with him, showing her the images of her injured friends and stating that she will agree or he will kill them. Threatened with the lives of those she cares for the most, she has no choice but to go to Hueco Mundo.
Orihime tearfully says goodbye to Ichigo after confessing her feelings towards him.
Orihime is next seen making a list of chores for Rangiku and Hitsugaya to follow while she is in captivity in Hueco Mundo, knowing they would be useless without her instructions. It is then revealed that Ulquiorra gave her a bracelet that covers her in a Spiritual Membrane to prevent anyone except the Arrancar to sense her Reiatsu while she is still in the World of the Living. He has given her twelve hours to get her effects in order and allows her to say goodbye to only one person during that time and that they are not to discover her presence as she is doing so. Meanwhile, Rukia is trying to call her, assuming she is still within Soul Society's domain but is unable to do so. Orihime decides to say goodbye to Ichigo and arrives as he is unconscious, healing, with his sisters asleep on his bedroom floor. She admits that there were many she could have said goodbye to, and lists her friends but picked him instead. She admits that this is the first time she has ever been in Ichigo's room and she comes close to kissing his sleeping form but cannot bring herself to do it. Instead, she breaks down into tears and admits that she has fallen in love with Ichigo and would love to do so five times over. She then heals his hand, thanks him and bids him farewell before leaving. Before going to Hueco Mundo, she writes a cryptic line in a notebook, as a message to the others, "Goodbye halcyon days."
Orihime healing Grimmjow's lost arm.
Unlike the others, who follow her, Orihime is taken straight to Aizen's throne room in Las Noches without travelling across Hueco Mundo. After confirming her name, from upon his throne, Aizen requests that she demonstrates her power for the benefit of the others present. Meanwhile Orihime is terrified by the complete loss of strength she feels in the presence of Aizen himself because of his immense powers. It is revealed that a beaten up Luppi Antenor is unhappy that their entire fight with the Shinigami had merely been a plan to lure Orihime out and get her to Hueco Mundo. Aizen then requests that Orihime heals the left arm of Grimmjow that had been completely destroyed by Tōsen after he'd disobeyed orders previously. Luppi is disbelieving, telling Aizen that it is impossible to heal an arm so completely destroyed into nothingness. Despite this, Orihime cast's her Sōten Kisshun spell upon the area Grimmjow's arm used to exist with Luppi continuing to yell threats at her as the arm begins to regenerate in front of everyone's eyes. This shocks everyone except Aizen and Ulquiorra, Luppi commenting he'd never seen anything like it. It is then that Aizen explains her abilities as the Rejection of Events, leading her to be able to trample upon the even the horizons that God himself has set in place. Following this, Grimmjow then demands that she heal a scar upon his back. Much to Luppi's horror, she does as Grimmjow asks in order to reveal the old 6 that had been rubbed out previously, with Luppi asking what he was up to. Grimmjow butchers Luppi to get his rank back, stabbing him in the abdomen with his hand and using a Cero to blow away everything from his waist upwards much to Orihime's dismay.
Orihime's appearance during the Hueco Mundo arc.
Orihime is assigned to a modest room as Ichigo, Uryū, and Chad begin their rescue attempt by travelling to Hueco Mundo, wondering why she was told to sit quietly when there was nothing to do anyway. She also questions whether allowing herself to be captured for the sake of her friends' lives was the right choice as she knows using her powers to aid Aizen's forces would make the upcoming war harder for her friends anyway. She decides to try and make herself appear worthwhile until her friends are ready for the war, only to be speechless when she feels the Reiatsu of her friends as they arrive in Hueco Mundo to save her. In the meantime, as the others make their way towards her, she receives a new outfit similar to that of an Arrancar, something that Ulquiorra remarks as looking good on her. He comes to her new quarters in order to advise her of the arrival of her friends in Hueco Mundo, by now including Renji and Rukia, and of their desire to save her from Aizen. Orihime appears shocked at this revelation despite Ulquiorra's insistence that it won't change anything because she was already their 'comrade'. He references her clothes as a representation of this and forces her to admit that her purpose now belongs to Aizen to use as he sees fit. Nnoitra Jiruga then approaches Ulquiorra to discuss Orihime's imprisonment and how she has been placed under the Fourth Espada's care. Ulquiorra states that Aizen did not need Kyōka Suigetsu in order to place Orihime under a spell and force her to come to Hueco Mundo, but allowing her to say goodbye to one person allowed her to believe she had some measure of control over the entire situation when she really hadn't and that her will to escape should start to melt away. He states that regardless if she had fallen for the trap, the result would be the same as to Aizen, Orihime's imprisonment is little ore than a game and she has little will or control over it all.
Orihime views the Hōgyoku up close and decides to destroy it.
It is then revealed that Aizen has taken his manipulation of Orihime and the situation at hand one step further. He had Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia bring Orihime to his chambers and to leave them alone despite their heightened protests not to do so. The two Arrancar storm off and it is clear that they feel great animosity for Orihime, especially Loly. Aizen then reveals his reasons for summoning her and progresses to show her a slightly deteriorated form of the Hōgyoku. He claims that showing her this is a token of his trust in her as his plans cannot be achieved without its powers. He marvels at her powers, carefully asking whether or not she was going to use her powers for him or not in a coaxing fashion. His ruse doesn't fool Orihime, she knows he doesn't trust her but the episode allows her to decide that there is something that only she can do and that's erasing the Hōgyoku from even existing in the first place.
Ulquiorra tries to convince Orihime to eat after Sado's defeat.
As Ichigo's group separately make their way through Las Noches, along with the others she senses Chad's defeat at the hands of Nnoitra Jiruga. Ulquiorra walks in to her room, observing that she has also noticed that the Fifth Espada got impatient despite his orders but Orihime insists her friend is still alive. He does not reply to this, but merely summons the caterers to bring a food tray into her room. As he tries to convince her to eat, even going so far as to threaten to shove it down her throat advising it is her duty to stay alive for Aizen, she repeatedly insists that Chad is still alive. Frustrated, Ulquiorra tells her that whether Sado was dead or alive shouldn't matter and that all her friends are eventually going to be defeated soon enough anyway. He states that they should have known this from the start and that had they been his friends, the knowledge that they'd broken into Hueco Mundo without first testing their powers would infuriate him. Emotionally angry, Orihime responds with a slap across Ulquiorra's face. The Fourth Espada does not respond to this action but merely turns away, stating that if she has not eaten the food in an hour, he would bind her and force feed it to her. Ulquiorra leaves as Orihime breaks down and starts crying over the whole situation.
Orihime's impressive abilities resurrect Menoly.
Later, Orihime senses Ichigo's defeat at the hands of Ulquiorra when he is impaled through the chest. Before she has a chance to react, her room is broken into by Loly and Menoly who claim they are going to have some fun with her. Loly proceeds to attack Orihime, berating the weakness of humans and the strength of Arrancar when holding her up by the hair. She gets even more angry when her victim shows no reaction to the attack, punching her further only to be told to quiet down by Menoly who is keeping watch close by. Just then, they are all surprised by a random explosion that signals the sudden arrival of Grimmjow who has come to Orihime's aid. He kicks Loly angrily when he goes for him, severely injuring her in the process. Menoly proceeds with an attack of her own that is caught and countered by Grimmjow's massive Cero, vaporizing most of her body and killing her instantly. Not finished, Grimmjow continues to beat on Loly, ripping off her leg while she screamed at him. He states that he does this to repay Orihime for returning his arm to him. His debt paid, he grabs her by the scruff of her neck and demands she come with him on an errand.
Even Orihime's powers struggle to heal Ichigo after Ulquiorra's attack on him.
Before leaving, he asks her to fix her face but she takes the opportunity to heal Loly's leg, despite her protests, that got quite physical. She then rushes to Menoly and brings her back to life, her body rematerializing in front of everyone's eyes. For this, Loly refers to her as a Monster because of her extreme powers. After chaining her arms together to prevent her from escaping, Grimmjow drags Orihime to Ichigo, casting her towards his prone body, deeply shocking her because of his current lifelessness. Grimmjow then sits himself down expectantly, demanding that she heals his rival. Orihime experiences some trouble in doing so, while Nel Tu screams beside her, due to the large amount of leftover spiritual pressure from the attack on Ichigo. She demands to know who did it, surprised when Grimmjow informs her that it was Ulquiorra as he can tell it is a little signature attack of the Fourth Espada's. Eventually, Ichigo begins to show signs of life, Orihime's powers finally getting through to heal his wounds. When he awakens, he shows confusion as to why Nel is sitting on Orihime's shoulder while the two of them are relieved that's he's alive following his ordeal. Orihime is shocked to learn that the reason Grimmjow wants Ichigo healed is so that he can just settle the score. Before she can complete the healing process, Ulquiorra arrives at the scene. When Ulquiorra begins to advance into the area, demanding to know what Grimmjow was doing and what exactly he was planning causing Orihime to feel uncomfortable when he looks at her. When no reply is had, Ulquiorra demands that Grimmjow let her go as she was put in his care by Aizen but Grimmjow tells him where to go. Grimmjow then attacks him over the issue and results in him using a Caja Negación to imprison him.
Ichigo protects both Nel and Orihime from one of Grimmjow's powerful attacks.
Following this, the Sixth Espada has Orihime finish what she's doing when it comes to healing Ichigo. At first, Orihime stands her ground, not wanting to heal Ichigo just so Grimmjow can fight and injure him once more. As a result, he grabs her by the scruff forcibly and demands that she do it. When she still refuses, Ichigo comes in between them, demanding that he let her go. Ichigo then asks her to him and to heal Grimmjow of the injury he incurred from his short battle with Ulquiorra so they can both fight on equal ground. When she does heal him, he reassures both her and Nel that he will win it and to have confidence in him. After the two begin to battle, Orihime consoles Nel, telling her that Ichigo will win if he says he will and that was because he promised he would win. She assures Nel that the two of them should wait to see what happens and that they should believe in him. When Ichigo refuses to go full power against him, Grimmjow fires the large Gran Ray Cero at him, which happens to be in Orihime and Nel's general direction. After Ichigo dons his Hollow mask to protect her from the attack, she becomes shocked at the appearance of the mask, so much so that he has to reassure her over it and that she should be afraid of him, that using the mask he was going to finish this. When Grimmjow releases his Pantera, Ichigo advises her to use her powers to protect both her and Nel. Despite his encouragement, Orihime becomes unsure if it's really him under the mask due to his ruthless fighting style and dark power in their form. When he protects her from another of Grimmjow's attacks, she finds herself unable to look into his Hollowfied eyes without appearing terrified to do so, something that Ichigo notices before he resumes battle. She tries to mentally reassure herself over and over again not to be scared of him in this form, but she remembers how she can't even see her own reflection in his eyes and it gives her chills.
Orihime calls out for Ichigo not to die against Grimmjow.
Nel becomes worried as she notices a difference in Ichigo, as she had never seen him be at a disadvantage while he was wearing his mask and she deduces it to be of some result of the effect Orihime's fear was having upon him and begins to yell her support and berate Orihime for not doing the same. To Orihime's surprise, Nel reminds her of the words she'd spoken before the fight began, about how Ichigo was kind and would use his power to win this no matter what. She states that Ichigo had gained this power to protect his friends and was now fighting the Sixth Espada in an all-out battle just to save her, suffering for her selflessly, to save her and he needed her to be on his side, to support him as well. This reminds Orihime that she'd originally come to Hueco Mundo to prevent the slaughter of her friends in the first place. She reflects that when she'd heard her friends had come to save her, she'd been happy and yet when she'd first seen the mask, part of her thought he actually hadn't come to Hueco Mundo for her despite the previous information. After this encouragement from Nel, Orihime is able to lend her full support to Ichigo, yelling for him not to die here. With tears in her eyes, she asks him not to get hurt anymore than he already was. This support allows Ichigo to have an increase in morale and to get back on form and to prevent Grimmjow from ending the battle. In the end, the support gives him enough resolve to block Grimmjow's most powerful attack so he can take his friends out of Hueco Mundo.
Ichigo lifts Orihime, who is worried about her weight.
After Ichigo stabs through Grimmjow and ends the fight, he floats up to her, asking if she was hurt in anyway causing her to be glad that he was back to normal. After Nel exclaims her happiness, Ichigo expresses his relief that Orihime is ok as well, to which Orihime reacts in her old, cheerful way, smiling excitedly. Ichigo interrupts her by lifting her over his shoulder (extremely embarrassing her) in order to bring her down from the tower she's been on. Orihime insists she's heavy but Ichigo says that she's not as heavy as he'd thought she'd have been, prompting Nel to bite his leg for speaking that way to a lady. As she continues on about speaking to Ichigo about women and their weight, Orihime asks her to be quiet as she's depressing her even more. Ichigo states that he's about to take them with him as he goes to get Rukia and Chad. However, they are interrupted when Grimmjow gets to his feet. Orihime tries to stop Ichigo from fighting again but realizes he's thrown his sword away. Despite this, their encounter is interrupted by the Fifth Espada, Nnoitra Jiruga, who now wants to fight Ichigo, calling Grimmjow weak and pathetic for losing and to just die already.
