Uryu Ishida
From Bleach
Uryu Ishida is a main character of Bleach, one of the last Quincies, a proud archer who destroys Hollows with a bow of spirit energy instead of a Soul Reaper's blade, and Ichigo's classmate and rival. He is voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama in Japanese and Derek Stephen Prince in English.
About Uryu Ishida
Uryu Ishida is one of the last Quincies, a proud archer who fights Hollows with a bow of spirit energy rather than a Soul Reaper's blade. Ichigo's classmate and rival, Uryu distrusts the Soul Society for its old war against his people. In the Thousand-Year Blood War, Yhwach names him his successor, placing Uryu inside the enemy's court with motives nobody around him can read.
Appearance
Uryu is a slim teenager with straight black hair worn in a neat, severe cut and dark blue eyes behind rectangular glasses, which he adjusts constantly. At school he wears his uniform perfectly; in battle he switches to the white uniform of the Quincy, with its high collar and blue trim, and the five-pointed Quincy cross at his wrist from which his bow forms. He carries himself like a tailor's mannequin, precise, tidy and faintly disapproving of everyone else's stitching.
Personality
Everything about Uryu is precise. Top marks, perfect uniform, sentences that come out fully formed even in the middle of a battle. He sews. He plans. He adjusts his glasses before delivering bad news. The pride underneath all that neatness is Quincy pride, and at the start of the story it comes with a genuine grudge against Soul Reapers for what they did to his people. Call it a pose and you'd be wrong. But watch who he prepares for. Every contingency, every rescue, every last-minute save is for the friends he'd never describe that way out loud. The rivalry with Ichigo is real. So is the rest of it.
Background & Story
Uryu grew up in Karakura Town as one of the last surviving Quincies, taught the bow by his grandfather Soken, who dreamed of Quincies and Soul Reapers working together. Soken was killed by Hollows while Soul Reaper help arrived too late, a death arranged by the Soul Society's own researchers, leaving Uryu with his skill, his pride and a deep distrust of the Seireitei. At school he was the quiet sewing-club ace in Ichigo's class; a Hollow-hunting contest between them spiralled into a Menos attack that forced the rivals to fight back to back. From there Uryu joined the rescue of Rukia and every campaign after, even as the returning Quincy king Yhwach named him his successor and pulled him into the enemy's court.
Powers & Abilities
- Kojaku and Ginrei Kojaku: His spirit bows, first a simple energy bow, later a five-limbed bow that can fire over a thousand arrows at once.
- Licht Regen: A storm of spirit arrows released in a single volley, raining down on a whole battlefield.
- Sprenger: A trap of Seele Schneider blades arranged in a pentagon that detonates in a huge explosion of spirit energy.
- Hirenkyaku: The Quincy equivalent of Flash Step, riding a stream of spirit particles to move at extreme speed.
Key Relationships
- Ichigo Kurosaki: Classmate, rival and comrade, the Soul Reaper who slowly earned the Quincy's trust.
- Orihime Inoue: A classmate he quietly looks out for; they protected each other during the invasion of the Soul Society.
- Yhwach: The Quincy king who named Uryu his successor, placing him at the heart of the enemy in the final war.
Quick Answers
What is a Quincy in Bleach?
Quincies are humans who fight Hollows with bows made of spirit energy. Unlike Soul Reapers, who purify Hollows, Quincy destroy them completely, the reason the Soul Society went to war with them.
Who voices Uryu Ishida?
Noriaki Sugiyama voices Uryu in Japanese, and Derek Stephen Prince voices him in the English dub.
Why does Uryu hate Soul Reapers?
His grandfather Soken died fighting Hollows after Soul Reaper aid was deliberately delayed. Uryu grew up blaming the Soul Society, though working beside Ichigo softens his view.
