Most canon pairing

[Syphen]

Hey there, inc wall of text

Now don't get me wrong, i love ichiruki, i generally can't stand ichihime, and i'm in no way saying that it's impossible.

But look at all the situations where rukia has "ichigo moments" where she ponders him. (lots of these in the first 17 episodes) she looks out windows at him, she is caught off guard by a question regarding their relationship. She's without a doubt hiding SOME kinds of feelings.

I just don't know if it is perfectly accurate to assume these feelings are love. Try viewing it with the lens of her relationship with kaien shiba. Take note of the striking similarities of ichigo's face and kaien's. Alot of her feelings, i would assume are emotional overflow from the things that that remind her of kaien. It's this spillover effect that may cause us to misinterpret or exaggerate the extent of what she might be thinking.

Now, the only situations that this theory cannot explain are her thoughts before death. Rukia has entered situations where she was sure she was going to die. And each time, her very last thoughts were of ichigo. This is either a testament to ichigo's effect on her, or to her feelings about him.

There is something going on between ichigo and rukia. if orihime can recognize this, that means that Kubo recognizes this. however, the ichiruki relationship has become so beautifully complex over the series that it is nearly impossible to tell how it will resolve.


Here's a discussion i had with a pretty well grounded ichihime supporter that outlines plot references and answers some common questions:


Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherRoy View Post
Hello all,

I’ll be upfront and admit I do support an Ichigo and Orihime relationship in the storyline, but I’ll try to be fair with my opinion. I may be preaching to the choir and some of the following may have been said before but I don’t have the time to search through every single topic posted here since the forums conception.


hey there, if you've read my previous posts in this thread you already know that i support the ichigo and rukia pairing, however, i'm always interested in well thought out arguments such as yours. hopefully i won't come off as conceited, as that is not my desire, i really respect the points you've raised here, and responding to them is the best way i can think of to express this respect.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherRoy View Post

I think too much emphasis is placed on the heroics of Ichigo. I don’t think his character and personality is taken into account during these actions. For instance, Ichigo doesn’t like to be beaten, he doesn’t like to see people hurt whether it’s his friends or not and he doesn’t like “unjust” oppressive people. When Ichigo went to save Rukia it was on the basis of these views he believes in.


i disagree to a point on your perspective of ichigo's heroics. ichigo's character and personality are taken into account here, his nature is nothing short of heroic. he exemplifies courage in areas of everyday life, as we saw in the first season, defending people such as chad, that girl's ghost, his sisters. his life is centered upon self sacrifice. on the flip side, ichigo is a very competitive person, i see your point that some people view this as an extension of his heroic side, when in actuality, ichigo just hates to lose. also, i dont think that it is accurate to say that ichigo will stop "injustice" wherever he sees it. the only reason he came to SS was to save rukia and bring her back. take note of the episode where rukia demands that he either swears to protect all people from hollows, strangers or not, or watch that little boy die. Ichigo ignores her ultimatum, stating that he only saved the boy because "he wanted to." This is ichigo's true nature. he will stand up for what he believes is worth it to him. Ichigo didn't travel to SS to shut down the gotei 13 or the central 46 for their unjust actions, he went to save his friend. This was a change in his ideology brought on by rukia, the ichigo we met at the start didn't want to do anything about hollows, so long as they didn't hurt his family.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherRoy View Post

As far as any relationship in Bleach, I believe Kubo Tite has left it open for discussion at this point, however I do see hints of the possibility of certain intimacy between select characters. For instance, I don’t think it’s wise to deny Orihime’s confession simply because Ichigo was asleep. I believe KT put it in the story for a purpose unless he plans to never mention it again which would create a huge plot hole. Not to mention the timing of her confession and the current HM story line. I feel these things alone bring an importance to Orihime’s feelings regardless of any confession from Ichigo yet. A lot of literature starts off with the confession of one individual while the other individual grows in understand throughout the story and begins to accept his/her feelings. Personally I believe this is where KT is going in Bleach. We see hints here and there, people mentioning things, etc but no definitive evidence other than the confession of Orihime so far. A lot of people try to say the confession was done for her growth, this is true and it leads to my next point.

i completely agree with you here, it becomes tiresome to see all these conflicting examples of ichiruki vs ichihime when the fact is there is evidence for both. i don't deny orihime's confession on any account, the issue has never been whether or not orihime liked him. we find out she has a change of heart in the first 15 episodes, she used to be afraid of his face but now finds it "interesting." this change was brought on by her experiences with her brother, she saw her brother in ichigo and began to view him under a new light. Yes, this was put into the story for a purpose, but while we're on the subject of KT's purposes, let's not forget to note the other things he's included for us.

1. Orihime and ichigo holding hand's at the end of the HM arc (symbolic, yet clouded with mystery of intent. we know what it means for hime, but what does it mean for ichigo?) Furthermore, this scene doesn't appear in the manga, although i prefer to take a more gestalt approach to viewing the series.

2. Orihime's feeling that rukia was more special or more important to ichigo than her. her feelings that rukia had an effect on him that no one else had. (KT is showing us what we should be seeing through orihime's eyes, if she is wondering if there is something going on between them, then that means KT is hinting that we should wonder as well.) Another example of this is how orihime notices ichigo's reaction to the unconscious rukia as hime heals her wounds (after the first battle with grimmjow.)

I agree with you that this confession was done as part of her growth. up til now orihime has remained a stock character. she portrays the role of the "somewhat ditsy, always cheerful, and wacky" girl that has a good attitude despite her lack of power and faith in her friends. This role is seen many many times in other anime, and there is no doubt that bleach needed this character, especially for the SS arc. Her pairing with ishida in the SS arc is what gave the story a less linear feel.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherRoy View Post

In the current Hueco Mundo arc we begin to learn about Orihime’s rejection ability. It start as a significant piece of the plot with her abduction, however as of #314 we learn from Aizen that he only kidnapped her to cause panic among Soul Society. We also learn this didn’t work as well. Instead Soul Society used the kidnapping to deploy the troops so to speak. Nevertheless, we learn from Aizen that Orihime’s ability is “new” in his own words and “bestowed upon no other man.” Therefore despite Aizen downplaying the importance of Orihime’s kidnapping he still maintain the importance of her ability. I believe if you compare this with Ichigo’s growing strength and importance in the story you can see a comparison between him and Orihime. The only argument I see against this is the importance of both Ishida and Chad as well, if that does occur in the near future.


It looks like you already covered my response, i've seen this point mentioned before, and you're right in that if we are to surmise such things as "growing importance" in plot, i think it's less of a stretch to say that the 4 main human characters are the ones receiving the development. To focus orihime and ichigo as the only ones developing powers of significance is a narrow argument at best. We can't base pairing potential on something [power/importance] so ambiguous, so fluctuating, and so distant from the feelings of the characters themselves. Story importance is something that varies in each new arc, we can see which characters are more important based on the openings and endings of the episodes. Characters that get more air time are more relevant to the plot at that time.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherRoy View Post

With that said…contrast this with the Soul Society arc and Ichigo saving Rukia as a “coming of age” test. I believe the introduction of Rukia in the beginning and the passing of shinigami abilities, if you want to call it that was simply a plot device to jump start the storyline. Anyone can see that in my opinion. I bring this up because I briefly read claims that this points to the importance of their relationship. I don’t see how with the new knowledge of Ichigo’s father Isshin and his shinigami abilities. Unless you want to make the claim that Isshin gained these abilities in a similar way to Ichigo I don’t think Rukia really passed powers to Ichigo…she just caused them to awaken.


I dont think that it's plausible to relate the SS arc to a coming of age test, here's why. Bleach, during it's first season, was not the smashing hit it is now, it was only during the middle of the 2nd season that it spread like wildfire. look at KT's intent on the series, the conclusion that we see from the SS arc compared to the open ended bound arc and HM arc. The SS story could easily be it's own stand alone anime if KT had not continued on due to it's intense popularity. I also don't think it's safe to say that rukia's character is a plot device. During the beginning of bleach, her character received nearly as much introverted screen time as ichigo, and in some cases more. It would be unnecessary character development to put us in rukia's thoughts as much as we were. A rescuee only needs to be important to the rescuer, for it to be important to us. KT made sure that rukia was important to us before she was important to ichigo.

it's unreasonable to make such claims about isshin gaining his powers in the same way with the information we currently have.

i fully disagree with you here. rukia did in fact pass her shinigami powers to ichigo. KT has gone to great leangths not only to differenciate between the shikai/bankai of a sword but also it's sealed form. you can take note of this by looking at the hilt of his substitute shinigami zanpakuto. it carries the same design as rukia's and byakuya's.

any powers that were gained from rukia were subsequently destroyed by byakuya's two attacks, as he stated he shattered his soul sleep and soul chain, remarking that even if he survived, his newfound spiritual powers would cease to exist. Ichigo's own shinigami powers, the ones passed on to him by bloodline are awakened by urahara. his steps are what force ichigo to either become a shinigami or die trying. we notice here that ichigo's old zanpakuto, the one he carried from rukia's powers, is destroyed. making way for his own sword, born of his own powers.



Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherRoy View Post

That said, I believe Ichigo and Orihime will play an important role together in coming events. Sure I could be wrong…if so Oh well it’s just a story. I just think downplaying certain events to fit a belief system or elevating them to fit a belief system regarding IchiRukia or IchiHime won’t get us anywhere. I try to see the story for what it is. I thought long and hard on this and I’ve developed these views as I both watched and read the manga. Initially sure, I thought Ichigo was all for Rukia at first and I thought KT was going that direction especially with Rukia living in Ichigo’s room. However, nothing came of that and sooo much has happened. Their relationship has not progressed in anyway…in fact I challenge any proponent of IchiRukia to find a confession of love anywhere from Rukia? In fact you find the opposite from Rukia. She looks at Ichigo as a student at first, then a friend whom she feels is in danger because of here…after that with slight admiration but still with little hints of doubt here and there. Let alone, Ichigo caught the vibe from Renji that he had strong feelings for Rukia. So I don’t see this as proof.


i agree with you here as well, ichigo and orihime will definetly play an important role in the upcoming episodes. she is replacing rukia in alot of different sense. even in the fillers rukia is becoming more and more the stock character that orihime was at the start of the series, although filling a different role. however, orihime has yet to develop as well. I'm the same way, i want to see the story for how it is, and right now it is trending towards ichihime. But based on what we know of KT's writing style, he's mostly creating evidence for both sides, so that discussion can be bred and the story sensationalized even more.

I wouldn't say that nothing came of the experiences in the SS arc. Take a look at every near death experience rukia has, there are at least 3. At each one, the last person, and most prevalent, remains ichigo. this is significant because it underlines the complexity of her feelings for ichigo. looking specifically at episodes 13-17 in the anime we can see that rukia obviously cares for ichigo, not at all romantically (although her reaction when questioned if she has a crush on him indicates that she has at least considered it) but rather a mix of guilt, friendship, and love (in a familial sense). Rukia would not stop talking about ichigo to hanataro, there is no way she expected him to come rescue her, in fact she spoke of him as if he were dead. KT includes these things to give us a better portrait of rukia's feelings for ichigo. they're murky at best because she is a very wishy washy character when it comes to committing herself, most likely out of fear that she will suffer like she did when she lost kaien's companionship. if you don't think that there is more than a student/teacher relationship, or at least hints of one, then i suggest watching the first seasons once more, there's more there.


In regard to the rukia x renji reference, i believe that this is more of a brotherly love. Rukia and renji grew up together as part of a makeshift "family." they were all brothers and sisters. when in the academy they argued like siblings and competed like siblings. however, the turning point arrived when rukia was adopted into the kuchiki clan. this is where renji felt like his sister was stolen from him, and also vividly describes his need to defeat byakuya, her "new" brother. he needs to prove his worth and "take her back" as he said when he first found out, but at the time all he could do was lament at his own lack of power. there are countless examples where parallels between renji and byakuya are drawn, but i won't go into them here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherRoy View Post

I’m sure some of this has been said before over and over and over again…oh well. I wasn’t around when they were said.



I’m done.
yeah, all points have been made before, by others to others and will be said again and again until resolution is given. but hey, it's all about expressing our thoughts to one another, through our collision of ideas we both come out with a slightly different perspective of the show.




WALL OF TEXT CRITS U FOR 9001

[ruote]

Originally Posted by Finalfantasyfan55

But I guess those types of relationships are fun to watch to some people. -_-

*Kills Kagome, Sakura and Akane*

I dislike these female characters... now i'm wondering why I like rukia...
maybe because Rukia is not interested in any kind of romantic relationship. NOT a Lovesick character.
that's why most of her pairings are only based on their deep friendship (with renji, ichigo, kaien and so on. most of them has potential to be something more.)
No blushing, no jealousy, no mushy confession.... it seems that love is the last thing on her mind.

[ryuutohime]

I'd vote for Renji and Rukia, if it was there - but mostly from Renji's side. Not all, though There's just the history of it. They have something.

Yoruichi and Urahara was cemented for me in the (horribly uncanon) animation at the end of the OVA where she gets out of a limo onto a red carpet helped by Urahara, and there;s Soi Fon as a badly disguised bridesmaid kind of type.

I think there's quite a bit of evidence for certain characters' affection towards others, but actual reciprocal pairings...very few conclusive moments that cement them in stone :P

Ryuu

[ZGoten]

I´d prefer YoruichixRukia...with Yoruichi teachin Rukia one thing or another...^^'

However from the poll possibilities I choose IchigoxRukia.

[Amray]

Orihime and Tatsuki. Because they had a lovely night under the stars and fireworks along with a heart-warming chat to one-another. They obviously deeply care for eachother.

Note that this is what I genuinly think. So if you see this as rubbish then just simply ignore it, although I tend to agree with myself on this.

[Yosei]

No, that sounds pretty reasonable to many around here.

[Langus]

Originally Posted by Amray

Orihime and Tatsuki. Because they had a lovely night under the stars and fireworks along with a heart-warming chat to one-another. They obviously deeply care for eachother.

Note that this is what I genuinly think. So if you see this as rubbish then just simply ignore it, although I tend to agree with myself on this.

*thumbs up* I couldn't agree more. I see more connection between those two than most other characters in this show.

[BleachOD]

Originally Posted by Finalfantasyfan55

Ichigo&Rukia is so typical! "OMG we yell at each other, insult one another, do things to deliberately upset one another , but deep down we actually care a lot about each and have the deepest bond that no one else in the show has!!" Therefore we deserve to be together. It's so gargh! Why do boys always for the girls who treat them like crap? Nice girls always finish last too. -_-

But I guess those types of relationships are fun to watch to some people. -_-

*Kills Kagome, Sakura and Akane*

Actually they share more than that. They argue and yell but that's because of their personalities. Ichigo is too brash. With Orihime he couldn't really be himself because she is too fragile. She'd probably slit her wrists if he raised his voice louder than a whisper.

Just because people argue does not mean they have chemistry. Ichigo and Rukia support each other. They have shared parts of themselves that haven't shared with anyone else. They have laughed together, shared pain together. They tease each other. They worry and put each other first. They are selfless when it comes to the other. They think about each other. They worry about the other. Ichigo needs Rukia. She healed the hole in heart. He has friends but he is aloof. He only shares a part of himself. With Rukia she has seen all his sides.

Their relationship is more than just arguing. I like couples who have real development and not those who just look good together.

They behave as if they are in love with each other. Love is an emotion that is reflected through your behavior. (Expressions, gestures, actions and verbal communication) It how a person behaves towards another that love is apparent.

Ichigo is really quite selfish. He does what he wants because he wants to. He's not as noble as some people think he is. What he wants more than anything is Rukia in his life.(CHAPTER 181 "AND THE RAIN LEFT OFF") Her safety matters more than everyone. HE was willing to risk all of his friends lives (Even Orihime) to save one person RUKIA. He tried to leave everyone to save Orihime. Both girls were in the same situation.
He turned around when Rukia fell and not when Chad who is the next person closest to him after Rukia.

When he sees Rukia he is overcome with emotion and the lower half of his face is shown. He shows a myriad of emotions when he sees her at the Soukyoku Cross.

In

Spoiler for 218:

He just looked at Orihime and then had Eye Smex with Ulq and Orihime fades away. That has never happened in a scene with Rukia.

Ichigo argues with Ishida and Renji (who he's been paired with in yaoi fandom) but he doesn't have the same bond with them he does with Rukia. There is more than just yelling. Rukia's yelling is actually what he needs and she knows when to do it. Ichigo suffers from instant gratification and he doesn't always apply common sense. There are times when a kick and scolding does wonders for him whereas gentile tears will not do. Not for his personality.


Anyone can say "I love you" it's actions that tell how a persons feels about you.

With Kaien it's obvious Rukia admired him may have had a crush on him. However even with Kaien she held herself back. There was a line they did not cross. With Ichigo there is no such line. She is her true self when she is with him.

Rukia found in Ichigo what she wanted all along. A home , friendship,and love

For Ichigo Rukia is the balm that healed his soul. She became his world. There can be no other. She changed his life all other girls will pale in comparison. For Rukia it is the same. What she gets from Ichigo she hasn't gotten anywhere else. For her there can be no other.

Renji loves Rukia. I agree. However she does not return his feelings. She loves him but is not in love with him. There is a difference between the two.
Just like with Kaien. Because you can love someone and not be in love with them.

Her relationship with him is unlike any other she has had with anyone, and likewise it's the same for him.


Ichigo and Rukia are the most Canon. I don't understand how people see all these others couples and not the most obvious. Not liking them as couple I can understand but to deny it exists baffles the hell out of me...

P.S. No way in hell are Kagome and Sakura the same type of characters. *Kicks* How dare you malign my Kagome like that!

[StrawRabbi]

Originally Posted by BleachOD

Actually they share more than that. They argue and yell but that's because of their personalities. Ichigo is too brash. With Orihime he couldn't really be himself because she is too fragile. She'd probably slit her wrists if he raised his voice louder than a whisper.

Just because people argue does not mean they have chemistry. Ichigo and Rukia support each other. They have shared parts of themselves that haven't shared with anyone else. They have laughed together, shared pain together. They tease each other. They worry and put each other first. They are selfless when it comes to the other. They think about each other. They worry about the other. Ichigo needs Rukia. She healed the hole in heart. He has friends but he is aloof. He only shares a part of himself. With Rukia she has seen all his sides.

Their relationship is more than just arguing. I like couples who have real development and not those who just look good together.

They behave as if they are in love with each other. Love is an emotion that is reflected through your behavior. (Expressions, gestures, actions and verbal communication) It how a person behaves towards another that love is apparent.

Ichigo is really quite selfish. He does what he wants because he wants to. He's not as noble as some people think he is. What he wants more than anything is Rukia in his life.(CHAPTER 181 "AND THE RAIN LEFT OFF") Her safety matters more than everyone. HE was willing to risk all of his friends lives (Even Orihime) to save one person RUKIA. He tried to leave everyone to save Orihime. Both girls were in the same situation.
He turned around when Rukia fell and not when Chad who is the next person closest to him after Rukia.

When he sees Rukia he is overcome with emotion and the lower half of his face is shown. He shows a myriad of emotions when he sees her at the Soukyoku Cross.

In

Spoiler for 218:

He just looked at Orihime and then had Eye Smex with Ulq and Orihime fades away. That has never happened in a scene with Rukia.

Ichigo argues with Ishida and Renji (who he's been paired with in yaoi fandom) but he doesn't have the same bond with them he does with Rukia. There is more than just yelling. Rukia's yelling is actually what he needs and she knows when to do it. Ichigo suffers from instant gratification and he doesn't always apply common sense. There are times when a kick and scolding does wonders for him whereas gentile tears will not do. Not for his personality.


Anyone can say "I love you" it's actions that tell how a persons feels about you.

With Kaien it's obvious Rukia admired him may have had a crush on him. However even with Kaien she held herself back. There was a line they did not cross. With Ichigo there is no such line. She is her true self when she is with him.

Rukia found in Ichigo what she wanted all along. A home , friendship,and love

For Ichigo Rukia is the balm that healed his soul. She became his world. There can be no other. She changed his life all other girls will pale in comparison. For Rukia it is the same. What she gets from Ichigo she hasn't gotten anywhere else. For her there can be no other.

Renji loves Rukia. I agree. However she does not return his feelings. She loves him but is not in love with him. There is a difference between the two.
Just like with Kaien. Because you can love someone and not be in love with them.

Her relationship with him is unlike any other she has had with anyone, and likewise it's the same for him.


Ichigo and Rukia are the most Canon. I don't understand how people see all these others couples and not the most obvious. Not liking them as couple I can understand but to deny it exists baffles the hell out of me...

P.S. No way in hell are Kagome and Sakura the same type of characters. *Kicks* How dare you malign my Kagome like that!

I agree with you. I don't get how people contantly deny the moment Ichigo and Rukia have.

[HayashiTakara]

SoifongYoruichixHalibelxRopexWhipxStrap-ons

Now thats whats up!

[TwilightHack]

Originally Posted by StrawRabbi

I agree with you. I don't get how people contantly deny the moment Ichigo and Rukia have.

It's not so much denying IchiRuki as it is acknowledging IchiOri. Even as much as IchiRuki is accepted as canon, you can't deny that IchiOri do have their moments.

And that leave the crack in the door just a little.

But lets face it, here we are talking about canon pairings even though Ichigo is a blockhead in the romantic sense.

[BleachOD]

Originally Posted by TwilightHack

But lets face it, here we are talking about canon pairings even though Ichigo is a blockhead in the romantic sense.

First things first. Ichigo is not a Blockhead!!! He just doesn't always use common sense. He's got intelligence aplenty. He just sometimes slow to apply it. He rushes into things and then he thinks about it

This isn't romantic?...
I don't about you but his "Actions" says "" LOUD AND CLEARLY to me.(Very romantically I might add)

Originally Posted by TwilightHack

It's not so much denying IchiRuki as it is acknowledging IchiOri. Even as much as IchiRuki is accepted as canon, you can't deny that IchiOri do have their moments..

...I can't acknowledge what doesn't exist in the first place. No; we have Ori moments and one "Kurosaki-kun! Please...don't...die" <---That hardly constitutes a pair.

Originally Posted by TwilightHack

And that leave the crack in the door just a little.

Hack? The door is closed!! There is no room for her. A crack is not enough. The door must be opened for success. That's why Orihime's arc has heavy emphasis on "Friendship"."SIX(<---*Woohoo not just one*--->) Hearts..."

Compare that to the Rukia's arc epic battle "That who changed the world"
Orihime/IchiOri=FAIL!


For the record in my eyes. IchiOri has never existed and is only loved by the fans of that pair. Moreover, as far as I am concerned this was the official death of what can never be

Spoiler for 218 "Five Towers Four Pillars:

SEE THAT? Do you see Orihime? No you don't. You know why? Because they are not the focus of this arc because there is no THEY. Is there any mention of her or reference to her or Ichigo or this crackthat she has? Ichigo and Ulquiorra are having the moment

[HayashiTakara]

Originally Posted by BleachOD

First things first. Ichigo is not a Blockhead!!! He just doesn't always use common sense. He's got intelligence aplenty. He just sometimes slow to apply it. He rushes into things and then he thinks about it

This isn't romantic?...
I don't about you but his "Actions" says "" LOUD AND CLEARLY to me.(Very romantically I might add)


...I can't acknowledge what doesn't exist in the first place. No; we have Ori moments and one "Kurosaki-kun! Please...don't...die" <---That hardly constitutes a pair.


Hack? The door is closed!! There is no room for her. A crack is not enough. The door must be opened for success. That's why Orihime's arc has heavy emphasis on "Friendship"."SIX(<---*Woohoo not just one*--->) Hearts..."

Compare that to the Rukia's arc epic battle "That who changed the world"
Orihime/IchiOri=FAIL!


For the record in my eyes. IchiOri has never existed and is only loved by the fans of that pair. Moreover, as far as I am concerned this was the official death of what can never be

Spoiler for 218 "Five Towers Four Pillars:

SEE THAT? Do you see Orihime? No you don't. You know why? Because they are not the focus of this arc because there is no THEY. Is there any mention of her or reference to her or Ichigo or this crackthat she has? Ichigo and Ulquiorra are having the moment

Delusional as always.

[BleachOD]

Originally Posted by HayashiTakara

Delusional as always.

* In constant state of denial.* Still the same as ever...

Ichgo... there is a <--STALKER behind you. Run!

[HayashiTakara]

Originally Posted by BleachOD

* In constant state of denial.* Still the same as ever...

Talking about yourself? Glad to see we're on the same page

[Kakashi]

Originally Posted by BleachOD

Hack? The door is closed!! There is no room for her. A crack is not enough. The door must be opened for success. That's why Orihime's arc has heavy emphasis on "Friendship"."SIX(<---*Woohoo not just one*--->) Hearts..."

That's strange, wasn't Rukia one of those hearts? Is she exempt from the rule somehow?

Compare that to the Rukia's arc epic battle "That who changed the world"
Orihime/IchiOri=FAIL!

The funny thing, though, is that later on we learn that Rukia really didn't change Ichigo's world after all. More and more the whole thing became some elaborate plot by Urahara and Isshin to turn Ichigo into a shinigami/vizard and that Rukia was just another pawn in the grand scheme of things.

[CENTER]SEE THAT? Do you see Orihime? No you don't. You know why? Because they are not the focus of this arc because there is no THEY. Is there any mention of her or reference to her or Ichigo or this crackthat she has? Ichigo and Ulquiorra are having the moment

And after Ichigo's epic battle with Byakuya, who did we see kneeling beside Ichigo at the end? The whole fight appeared to be for Rukia's sake, but who was close by throughout the whole thing? Orihime. Same thing with Grimmjow and it's about to be the same situation with Ulquiorra. Why would Kubo have Orihme instead of Rukia be by his side throughout all these tough and character building battles? The bread and butter fights which pay Kubo's bills (ie. the epics) have all referenced Orihime's involvement.

[Amy corE]

The funny thing, though, is that later on we learn that Rukia really didn't change Ichigo's world after all. More and more the whole thing became some elaborate plot by Urahara and Isshin to turn Ichigo into a shinigami/vizard and that Rukia was just another pawn in the grand scheme of things.

"That's right! Nothing else can change my world!" (c)
See, Kakashi, the reason for Ichigo to die, get shikai, bankai or vaizard's abilities is always Rukia. She is his motivation. He gets stronger in order to protect. Rukia is the one who drives him to get stronger. "She is his ray of light.", she is "the rotator" when his life/destiny is "the sand". Oh, yeah, I love these quotes.

And after Ichigo's epic battle with Byakuya, who did we see kneeling beside Ichigo at the end? The whole fight appeared to be for Rukia's sake, but who was close by throughout the whole thing? Orihime. Same thing with Grimmjow and it's about to be the same situation with Ulquiorra. Why would Kubo have Orihme instead of Rukia be by his side throughout all these tough and character building battles? The bread and butter fights which pay Kubo's bills (ie. the epics) have all referenced Orihime's involvement.

That's a good question, actually. Orihime is always observing Ichigo, yet fails to understand him, help him. Ichigo vs. Grimmjow fight is an excellent example. Inoue's attempt to cheer for Ichigo failed, and he won because he remembered every one of his nakama. Ichigo doesn't get what's the point of fighting without winning and *cough* without getting hurt. Rukia doesn't have to observe Ichigo's every move to have a great effect on him.

The focus of this arc is not on Ichigo's relationship with Inoue and even Inoue herself. The focus is on a nakama bond, the bond which ties six hearts together. The arc does not contain any romance, too. Oh, the horrors. I'm a sucker for the passionate and corny Ichigo. Sadly, this Ichigo still stays in SS-arc.
And, yes, they all are nakama. Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, Renji, Ishida, Inoue. It doesn't mean that they can't have a deeper bond with each other. Like Ichigo and Rukia, for example. Or feel strongly for the other. Like Inoue's feelings for Ichigo. Or Renji's for Rukia. Or Ishida's for Inoue. Or Chad's for... ah, well.

[HayashiTakara]

Fails to understand him? Sorry, but you need to lay off the pipe sister.

Inoue's issue is that she is failing to see how Ichigo behaves towards her and only paying attention to how he's acting towards other people. Its contributed through her low self-esteem.

And Ishida for Inoue? again.. lay off the pipe.

[Scarlett_Rain55]

I say we wait until the Ulquiorra battle to start ripping each other into threads. Unless I see Ichigo throw Orihime to Ishida like a footbal than I'll finally give up on Ichihime. But Orihime has to have some sort of role in this battle, her feelings for Ichigo aren't just meant to be tossed out like that, it's going to have a major role in this battle, I can feel it. I just hope she doesn't die and then confessed to him. That would suck. =/

And I don't why people think the girls who change the heroes world=they should be canon. That happens so much, it isn't even funny! I can only imagine Ichigo's date profile must be: Must change my world, must abuse me and argue with me, must be really short and must be a strong kick ass fighter.

There's also the fact that Orihime resembles Ichigo's mother a lot, the kind and gentle woman, the woman that was his ray of sunshine, like how Orihime is referred the sun countless times! I've read that men usually tend to go after woman who act like their mothers, anyone else find it strange how Orihime is the only one with an umbrella, in the manga and the spreads? hmmmm? Maybe Orihime is going to be the one to "dry the rain". Orihime's insecurities and her doubts are going to play a role in the future, once she realizes that she's worthy in everyone's eyes, and that Ichigo "needs" her as stated by Matsumoto, then I believe she'll be able to be Ichigo's "ray of sunshine" in the future.

BTW Sun>>>>>>>Light.

[Amy corE]

@HT

Fails to understand him? Sorry, but you need to lay off the pipe sister.

Yes, fails. If she did understand him, than she would have been the one who got Ichigo out of depression during the struggle with his hollow. It doesn't even require knowing about the exact hollow to help him. All she needed to do was to tell him to get stronger, fight and defeat whoever tries to hurt him and his nakama. And if she did understand him than it would have been her words that made Ichigo defeat Grimmjow.
Fail.

Inoue's issue is that she is failing to see how Ichigo behaves towards her and only paying attention to how he's acting towards other people. Its contributed through her low self-esteem.

Nothing about Ichigo's behaviour towards her is extraordinary. She is jealous of Ichigo's and Rukia's relationship. She can't grab his attention, like Rukia does. She can't act independant like Rukia does. She doesn't affect Ichigo like Rukia does. She can't make him happy when Rukia can easily. I dare to say, she wants to be in Rukia's shoes.

And Ishida for Inoue? again.. lay off the pipe.

Is it so unrealistic to you? Re-read SS-arc, then. It's as apparent as Renji --> Rukia. HM-arc will help you, too, I guess.
Or those are your personal preferences kicking in?


@Scarlett_Rain55

And I don't why people think the girls who change the heroes world=they should be canon. That happens so much, it isn't even funny! I can only imagine Ichigo's date profile must be: Must change my world, must abuse me and argue with me, must be really short and must be a strong kick ass fighter.

lol.
Bleach is a character driven manga. Ichigo can't develop feelings towards Inoue out of blue. She doesn't affect him at all, so why should he requite her love? Because she is a sweet, pretty, fragile princess and loves him so desperately? Ugh.
Rukia changed Renji's world, too. But those who changed hers were Kaien and Ichigo.
A character must have an impact on another character and vice-versa, to develop a mutual bond, romantic or not.

Now, now, I don't even want to talk about Masaki. You want Inoue to be Ichigo's romantic interest or his second mother?

Rukia is his "ray of sunshine", Rukia gave him powers to protect and because if her he could get stronger, Rukia has stopped the rain in his soul, Rukia already did all that. Now, now, you want Inoue to be in Rukia's shoes or have her own impact on Ichigo?
Oh, I know your "future". Orihime has already realized... that Kubo intended her arc's theme to be... "NAKAMA".

BTW Sun>>>>>>>Light.

It's "=", dear. And who said that Inoue is Ichigo's Sun?
How much more IchiOri want to steal from IchiRuki? The uniqueness of the bond, the poem... what else? The popularity?