Bleach: Here’s How Uryu Ishida Got His Powers Back!
Uryu Ishida is a character who’s finally gotten more screen time in the anime but has been a constant presence since the beginning. Despite his firm Quincy ideals, Ishida went with Ichigo and their friends to Soul Society to help save Rukia, a Shinigami. There, after his epic battle with Mayuri Kurotsuchi, he lost all of his powers, but as you know quite well, he managed to regain them later. In this article, we are going to tell you how Ishida managed to get his powers back in Bleach.
After his epic duel with the 12th Division’s Captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, in which he used Quincy: Letzt Stil to gain a significant power bust, but at a grave cost, Uryu Ishida lost all of his Quincy powers. Although he believed it was permanent, his father, Ryuken Ishida, would soon show him that the loss was not permanent and that his powers could come back. He then took him to a secret underground training facility, where he exhausted him so much and then used a Heilig Pfeil to hit him in the chest, just at the right spot, which reactivated his powers and helped Ishida fight the Arrancar in Hueco Mundo.
The rest of this article will be about Ishida losing and regaining his powers and abilities in Bleach. This is a truly interesting story, especially in light of what is happening now in the anime series, so we thought it would be best if we simply went over the events as they happened, which will help you understand the situation better and which is going to enable you to connect all the dots in Ishida’s story. Of course, the article will be filled with many spoilers, so be careful how you approach it.
Ishida lost his powers when he fought Mayuri but regained them after training with his own father
Before we actually tell you how Ishida regained his powers, we, of course, need to tell you how he lost them in the first place, and that story takes us back to the Soul Society Arc, when Ichigo and his friends – Ishida included – went to the Seireitei to save Rukia from being executed. There, they split up, and Ishida fought the creepy Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the Captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13. Here’s what happened.
When they sneaked into Soul Society, the group became separated. Ishida ended up with Orihime, and after they defeated Jirōbō Ikkanzaka, who wanted to kill them, they walked around Seireitei disguised in Shinigami clothing. But their cover was blown, and they were pursued by a new, stronger enemy, the Captain of the 12th Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Uryu helped Orihime escape, after which a fierce battle broke out between Uryū and Mayuri, with Mayuri also receiving support from his Lieutenant, Nemu.
Seeing how Mayuri was treating Nemu and even injuring her, Ishida decided to protect her from Mayuri as well. During the fight, it also turned out that Mayuri sent the Shinigami, who could have helped Uryū’s grandfather too late so that he could later research Uryū’s grandfather’s body. This realization completely changed Uryū’s view of the Shinigami, as he no longer hated everyone but only Mayuri.
In a fit of rage, Uryu broke part of his Sanrei Glove to kill Mayuri and, in the process, activated his Quincy: Letzt Stil, increasing his powers many times over. He almost succeeded in defeating Mayuri, but instead of hitting him in the head, he hit Mayuri in the upper body.
So, he was able to escape at the last second, leaving Uryu and Nemu behind. Nemu then gave Uryu an antidote to cure the poisoning he received from Mayuri’s Bankai in battle.
Unfortunately, destroying the Sanrai Glove and the resulting Quincy: Letzt Stil came at a great cost, as Uryu now lost all of his spiritual powers. Still, he tried to keep fighting to free Rukia and helped as much as possible based on the circumstances. But he was surprised by Tosen and was taken to Soul Society prison.
He sat there with Ganju and Chad for a while until they were freed by Orihime, who had gotten reinforcements from Kenpachi, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. After Rukia was rescued, Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, and Orihime returned to their world.
At the time, Ishida thought that his loss of powers was permanent, so he closed himself off from his friends and spent less and less time with them. However, they worried about him. They were all aware of the fact that there was little they could do, so they simply decided to be there if and when he ever needed them. At the same time, Ishida was mulling over his fate and was not the best company then.
One night, as he was walking in town, he was attacked by a Menos Grande. Ishida still had some Quincy equipment and weaponry left, so he tried to use them to fight off his enemy, but he ultimately failed, and it seemed that he was about to die. Suddenly, a Heilig Pfeil appeared, and the Hollow was easily destroyed, as it had never been there. Ishida is surprised to see his father, Ryuken Ishida, there.
Ryuken was disappointed in his son’s weakness, and he then offered to help him get his powers back. Ishida claimed it was impossible, but Ryuken convinced him there was a way to do it. Still, he had one condition – Ishida should never again associate himself with the Shinigami. Of course, Ishida agreed, but both of them knew, at the time, that he would not keep his end of the bargain. So, what happened then?
Ryuken brought Uryu to a secret training facility under the hospital, and the two of them began training there. The training involved Ryuken testing Ishida’s limits, with Ishida being in constant danger of being killed by one of Ryuken’s attacks. Sure, he still could use Quincy’s weaponry with him, but they were useless against his powerful father, and he used them simply to delay his inevitable defeat.
At one point, when Ishida was at his limit and was on the brink of giving up, Ryuken fired a Heilig Pfeil right into his chest, near his heart, and with that, the training was complete, and Ishida had regained his powers and abilities.
The training thus consisted of Ishida being pushed to his limits and then, in such a state, being hit with a Heilig Pfeil very close to the heart; it was risky, as a false hit would have killed him, but Ryuken would never make such a mistake. After regaining his powers, Urahara found Ishida, who recruited him for their upcoming Hueco Mundo mission, whose primary goal was to save Orihime, and Ishida gladly accepted. Later, when he talked to Isshin, his father revealed that he knew that Uryu would not listen to him.