‘Bleach’: Did Ulquiorra Like Orihime? Relationship Explained!

Although not always beloved by the fans, Orihime Inoue is one of the most important characters in Tite Kubo’s Bleach. A character that has grown a lot since her debut in the manga and anime, she had a very interesting development as a character, despite being perceived as an appendage of Ichigo’s by a lot of fans. And while Kubo did type-write her in a lot of scenes, Orihime actually did get a lot of important standalone scenes, and she had a very interesting relationship with Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuatro Espada. Did Ulquiorra like Orihime? What kind of relationship did the two of them have? This is an interesting question for Bleach fans, and in this article, we are going to explain the essence of their relationship to you.

Ulquiorra was interested in Orihime, but he did not like her, nor did Orihime like him. Orihime felt sorry for him and, being kind-hearted as she is, she cared for him because she saw his pain and his loneliness, but there was no romance between them. Ulquiorra himself found her interesting, but as he was incapable of having any romantic feelings toward anyone, he did not really like her. He just wanted to understand her and, through her, what it meant to have a heart.

The rest of this article will further explore the relationship between Orihime Inoue and Ulquiorra Cifer, which was a very specific one in the context of the series, as we will bring you all the relevant narrative details, as well as what actually happened between them and whether there were any romantic feelings between the two at any point in the story. And while the topic is not exactly new, those of you who haven’t read or seen Bleach have to be careful, as the article will have many spoilers.

Orihime and Ulquiorra had a special relationship, but there was absolutely no romance between the two of them

To understand how the relationship between the two of them evolved, we have to tell you about Ulquiorra’s personality. Namely, Orihime’s personality is known – she was kind, caring, emotional, and very kind-hearted; she wanted to find something good in everyone, so she cared for some villains as well, even if they hurt her.

This is why it is not so surprising that she bonded with Ulquiorra. On the other hand, Ulquiorra’s bonding with her was much more surprising.

Ulquiorra has a very calm, stoic demeanor and hardly ever changes his facial expression. He is very dutiful, as shown by the fact that Ulquiorra won’t let anyone stop him from carrying out an order from Sousuke Aizen.

He would even attack a fellow combatant to get Aizen’s attention. Ulquiorra sees anyone who doesn’t interest him or who is too weak as worthless and, therefore, expendable. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques states that Ulqiuorra likes to stab his opponents in the chest (in the same spot where his hollow hole is).

When Ulquiorra is interested in a fight, he is very analytical; for example, he almost immediately recognizes the background behind Orihime’s abilities. Also, he doesn’t seem to kill people unnecessarily, as evidenced by the fact that he spared Ichigo and Orihime because he wasn’t ordered to kill them.

However, when he wants to eliminate his enemies, he shows no mercy and seems inclined to demonstrate to his opponents the often enormous difference in power between himself and them.

The Espada is not particularly interested in the welfare of other Arrancar and takes their deaths coldly. One aspect that is somewhat paradoxical to his quiet character is that he tends to talk a lot, which Ichigo once mentioned.

When he explains something to other people or questions a fact, he often talks a lot or – if the last point applies – asks a lot of questions, which often confuse or unsettle his opponent. However, with the exception of Aizen, he also seems to have a tendency to look down on those around him.

Ulquiorra can be viewed as a lone fighter, as he tends to refuse help and will not come to the aid of the other Arrancar who are in a fight, instead preferring to watch their fights and only intervening once the opponent has completely gained the upper hand and the life of the Arrancar could be in serious jeopardy, such as with Yammy and Grimmjow.

Even in the situation where Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia used violence against Orihime, but Ichigo wanted to intervene, and Ulquiorra stopped him, he explains that he only did that because Ichigo had to end his fight with him first before he turned to a new opponent.

He doesn’t seem to be able to show any feelings that people normally feel with their hearts, as evidenced by his death aspect, Emptiness. He doesn’t understand people like Orihime, who often show feelings but are interested in discovering exactly what a heart is. There was only one moment when Ulquiorra threw a tantrum. This was related to the fact that he didn’t understand Ichigo’s will to win. Towards the end of his life, you see that Ulquiorra may have had a good side as well.

So, as you can see, Ulquiorra was a very specific character as far as his personality was concerned. He was one of the coldest Espada, if not the coldest (Starrk is similar to him as well, but he was lazy more than he was actually cold), and it seemed like he was simply obeying Aizen’s orders. On the other hand, he was exceptionally intelligent and is one of the rare Espada that actually pondered complex questions about the nature of (their) existence. This is why he was so specific.

Still, even a person like him, who was cold and distant, took a lot of interest in Orihime. It wasn’t because of her powers, as he quickly deduced their nature, but rather because of her nature. He could not understand her optimism, her belief in her friends, and her love for them; this was incomprehensible to him because she was actually faced with utter despair.

She was kidnapped and forced to live in a world that was foreign to her. She was afraid… yet, she did not lose hope. She was, for Ulquiorra, the embodiment of the heart, not in the literal sense, he understood what an organ was, but in the metaphorical sense, and he wanted to comprehend it as well.

In Orihime, Ulquiorra perhaps saw a way out of his own emptiness and loneliness. He believed that if he understood her, he could escape his own hell, which seemingly happened in the end. No, Ulquiorra did not have any romantic feelings toward Orihime, nor did Orihime have any romantic feelings toward him.

She saw that he was in pain and wanted to help him, but there was no romance between them. Just before he died, Ulquiorra seemingly understood what the heart was, thanks to Orihime, and the two of them shared a close moment as Ulquiorra was disappearing into oblivion forever.