Ichihime My Love

They can never make me hate you.

[onewaysympathy]

Disclaimer about this account for you know who

I created this account to talk about/discuss/analyse/defend MY favourite ship. I will use this blog to talk about Ichihime and respond to some popular anti-Ichihime points I've seen. This is in no way to trash or insult other Bleach ships, but I am so tired of seeing some people fight every day against a ship of fictional characters, and I would actually like to discuss some misconceptions about the ship that I think are false.

I'd also like to ask that any anti-ichihimes wishing to react or respond to what I have to say do so in a respectful manner. I don't need people responding or replying just to say I am delusional or trying to self-insert with Ichigo. I also want to say I don't care if you ship Ichiruki, ishihime, ulqihime, or whatever, just that I wish people would stop pretending that Ichihime is a baseless ship with no chemistry and that it came out of nowhere.

And for the rest who love Ichihime or are just ok with it, I do aim to use this blog mostly to gush over my favourite ship, cause as a helpless romantic who somehow focuses on the ships in every genre of media, I LOVE the unique details and analysis of Ichihime. If that's not for you, you can just ignore whatever I will post, I'm just doing this cause I do have a lot to say about Ichihime.

This blog is just for fun, don't take everything too seriously.

[onewaysympathy]

Not Ulqihime's trying to use a frame of Ulquiorra with Orihime as some sort of "proof" that Kubo preferred Ulqihime over Ichihime. Can I go like, five minutes without someone else trying to "prove" Ichihime was a mistake?

It all started with this spoiler for a Bleach spinoff called Don't Bleach My Fist, which is a more "High School" version of Bleach. In this universe, Ulquiorra and Orihime are friends despite being from different schools, and Ulquiorra buys bread from her frequently.

Kubo then drew an image where Ulquiorra and Orihime are together - supposedly at this bakery where Orihime works, and where it's obvious that Ichigo and Grimmjow are having yet another face off, classic Grimmjow.

Now, this image alone has stirred up the shipping space in Bleach, where some "toxic" Ulqihime fans have decided to use it as "proof" that Kubo preferred Ulqihime over Ichihime. Yes, they came to this conclusion simply because Ulquiorra and Orihime are together in a frame...Yes, I am serious.

So obviously that means nothing, especially in comparison to how much official art there is where Orihime and Ichigo are together, if we're following the same concept of, because they're in the same frame, it's "proof" of the ship.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Kubo will not draw Ichihime together simply to prove the ship is good and his decision. He's made it clear time and time again that he had always planned for Ichigo to end up with Orihime and that other people who feel otherwise can either stfu or draw their own manga. He has zero tolerance for being bullied into doing things he doesnt want to do, and I do believe the negative discourse surrounding Ichihime's canon has further made him reluctant to draw them that way.

I usually wouldn't care for other ships, but then someone had to say that this proves that Kubo preferred Ulqihime over Ichime and that Ichihime is a "bad" ship. Notice how these people just can't even make a pro ship post without feeling the need to make it also anti Ichihime? Like they're so insecure about the fact that the ship is canon that they need to constantly let people know, "btw ichihime is trash". This behaviour is pathetic.

Now, some Ichihime fans responded to this person by saying that canon Ichihime and canon Ulqihime is so different, shipping Orihime with Ulquiorra is proof of misogyny, as you're shipping her with her abuser. Yes, you heard me, her abuser. Why do I say Ulquiorra is her abuser? Idk man, maybe because he kidnapped her against her will? Emotionally and mentally broke her down to a mental breakdown. Insulted her beliefs and made fun of her by insinuating her friends were stupid to come save her, and that their death was inevitable. Maybe it's also when he threatened to force-feed her or made her say over and over again that her entire existence is for Aizen. How about whenever Orihime was physically in danger, Ulquiorra did absolutely nothing? Or even how he mentally tortured her by deliberately killing Ichigo in front of her as an act to insult her beliefs?

I think I've made my point. Assuming all that simply goes away because of Ulquiorra's last moments, where he realised what a heart was, just shows how these are the same people who think someone's boyfriend is abusive all the time, but once in a while does something nice for her, clearly he's a good guy, and she should forgive him. Yes, Ulquiorra can be a good person, but as of his death, he has much to make up to Orihime for all the disgusting and abusive things he did to her. Learning now what a heart is doesnt absolve him of his actions and dictate that Orihime now should be with him.

Also, people "defending" his actions due to him being so cruel as it's in his nature still doesnt absolve him of the things he's done. Saying we "dont understand his character" still doesnt make it okay for him to have said and done all that he did. Would you ever tell a victim to forgive their abuser simply because they believed they weren't abusing them? No, ignorance and not understanding that your actions are bad doesnt automatically make your sins forgiven, this simply protects the abuser and invalidates the abused's trauma, but that's usually what y'all are like with Orihime anyways.

What makes toxic Ulquihime's the more "weaker" anti Ichihime ship is that Ichihime is a better ship simply due to the duality of how Ulquiorra and Ichigo are about Orihime.

Take what I've just said about Ulquiorra and what he did to her, and compare it to what Ichigo has done for her; it's basically night and day. Ichigo constantly cares and encourages her beliefs, saying she's strong for who she is. Ichigo is the one person who consistently defends Orihime's autonomy throughout the manga and constantly defends her name and honour. Ichigo cares for both her Physical and emotional well-being and is extremely stressed and/or worried when she is not well physically or mentally. He is also the first to take care of her and defend her when she's being assaulted or exhausted from working hard.

And now Ulquihime's wanna try to say that Ulquiorra is a better man for her than Ichigo? Yeah, not a chance. Look, I don't care who people ship with (unless it's those that are inappropriate, like any ship involving Aizen) just so long as you leave us alone. But no, the fact that Ichihime is canon is such a bad thing to these people who desperately want to see their favorite ship be canon that they feel the need to take any and every chance to shxt on Ichihime. If they just said that this image was cute and they're happy to see Ulqihime together in official art after all these years, trust me, no sane Ichihime would care, but because you decided to attack Ichihime first, you're going to be hit with a nuke of facts.

Now these very same Ulqihime are crying that Ichihime's are always toxic and that Ichihime just can't let other people enjoy their ship in peace, sounds like projecting to me. You were the one who brought up Ichihime, and therefore, you deserve every pushback we give you for being stupid. Crying victim when you're the one who started it is classic toxic mentality. We do not gaf about other ships, we're just sick and tired of people constantly harassing Ichihime as some desperate attempt to convince yourselves and others that Ichihime being canon was a "mistake".

Even now on Tumblr, there are so many recent anti Ichihime posts, and for what, you still say the same factually incorrect things, you still tag anti Ichihime in every pro ship post you make. This should've made these people realise that they are insecure about their ship and so have to constantly attack our ship simply because it was canon. It's childish and toxic, and it needs to stop.

[onewaysympathy]

Ichigo anytime someone tries to talk about Ichigo and Orihime in a relationship.

Look how nervous he gets lol.

[onewaysympathy]

Personally I like that Ichiruki isnt canon solely because we rarely get male and female friends who stay that way. Rukia and Ichigo being each others platonic Ride or dies is refreshing to me at least.

Ugh, yes, the dreaded, "a male and female character can't possibly have a close relationship without it meaning they are in love with one another."

From Ichiruki to Zutara, I've seen it all. Ichigo and Rukia's relationship is one of a kind, and the way they influence one another is beautiful. It's only natural, I guess, for people to want to ship the main male and female lead, but to go so far as to diminish the possibility of it being platonic simply for shipping sake is called being crazy.

It's like when people say a man and a woman can't be friends because at least one of them intends to have a relationship with the other at some point, which just diminishes genuine m/f friendships. I have many friends across different genders, and I can assure anyone that you can be friends with a guy and not have feelings for him or have him not have feelings for you.

[onewaysympathy]

Just saw someone mention how the anime downplayed ichihime and added IR stuff, and an IR couldn't resist jumping in to say they read the manga and still shipped IR and that Kubo is a misogynist who can't write women because IR is the "feminist" ship. 🤦‍♀️

"feminist ship" and yet Ichigo calls her a bxtch, hits her, and insults her, and Rukia does the same. People think it's such a feminist ship simply because Rukia shxts on Ichigo a lot. People nowadays think feminism is female superiority, which is just the female version of patriarchy.

Like, I find it hilarious that these people claim it's a feminist ship while saying Ichihime is anti feminism because....what? Orihime is a PART TIME stay at home mum? Because Orihime is a "typical male wife"? Because she's soft? Because she needs saving even though she doesnt want to, but can't help but need to be saved? Like these people don't realise the real anti feminists are themselves. Feminism, at its core, is the ideology that women, ANY KIND OF WOMAN, can decide their fate regardless of what it is. Whether she wants to be the CEO, a mum, or both, it should be HER CHOICE to be WHATEVER she wants, but people are so intimidated by femininity that they end up turning on women who choose femininity.

Ichihime is a great m/f ship and is a great example of a feminist ship, as explained by this post. But these people would rather ignore what we say, live their fantasies, and say the most incorrect things online to one another and have each other further firm their delusions.

Even hypocritical for them to call the writer of Bleach a misogynist, and yet he created the characters and relationship of their precious ship. So which is it? Is he a misogynist, or a feminist writer? He can't be both.

[onewaysympathy]

Toxic Ichiruki logic: Ichihime is trash because they have no development together, there is no dynamic between them and they don't even spend any time together

Also toxic Ichiruki fans when Kubo makes Ichihime scenes where they do exactly what they complain about: Why did Kubo waste time forcing scenes with Ichihime, he should've just had more Ichiruki scenes, UGH.

[onewaysympathy]

So I’m going to drop this one petty point then leave. As someone who ships Grimmichi, and since a lot of the yaoi fans (no shade as again Grimmichi) like Rukia it makes me wonder if a lot of the toxic IchiRukia fans only like Rukia because she’s not as feminine looking as the other girls (to be clear I think Rukia is a great character and a strong female character but they way they hate on Orihime and her softer more feminine attributes I can’t help but raise an eyebrow). And they’re coping because it’s the closest there will get to Bleach having a canon gay ship. I only say this because the way they act is like every super toxic yaoi fan girl I’ve ever met.

So I'm not all that educated on the yaoi community in terms of toxicity, but you do make a good point about Rukia being an unconventional love interest. For a while, many stories often had the MC's love interest be the soft, pacifist, big-breasted woman, and that has created an impression that women are desirable if they exhibit those traits. However, many women, including myself, are not soft spoken and feminine in a traditional sense, so naturally, when we see a character like Rukia who is a more "accurate" representation of women in general, people are drawn to that as it secures them in who they are.

But then some take it too far and reflect their insecurities about not being the "man's type" onto other women who do fit that image. There is a sense of envy in women like that, which is rooted in insecurity. If you can convince yourself that what is conventional is bad, it makes an unconventional person feel better about themselves, kinda like how bad singers watch bad singing auditions to make themselves feel better about the fact that they can't sing.

Projecting is also an issue; if people see themselves in Rukia, there is an element of them wanting Ichiruki to be canon to want to have that romance fantasy where they're the unconventional love interest. However, they can still get the conventional male lead. But ofc, this applies to Ichihimes as well, but the way toxic Ichiruki talks about Orihime and her body makes you wonder if all this applies to them.

Even now, recently, someone just felt the need to body shame Orihime and blame her for getting in the way of Ichiruki, when the reality is, Rukia was never an option, and Ichigo loved her for who she was; her being conventionally attractive was a bonus.

I even push back on the toxic Ichihime's that say, of course Ichigo would pick Orihime over Rukia because she is "hotter" than Rukia, it's all the same. You can make an argument that people want to project their need for a queer couple via Rukia, as she could be seen as a male if you really wanted to, but this issue is more self-insecurity that grows to bitterness towards the conventional. Again, I don't know much about the yaoi community, but it could be the case for some toxic Ichirukis, honestly, anything goes nowadays.

[onewaysympathy]

"Orihime is selfish about Ichigo."

I always thought I'd seen the worst of anti ichihime arguements, but this one actually shocked me so much. There are more parts to this topic, but I'm focusing on the major one, about Chapter 58: Blank. This post is a response/thoughts on this post. It's basically a criticism that Orihime didnt in fact, motivate Ichigo to go save Rukia, but that she was actually trying to dissuade Ichigo from going to save her, and that she only went as well "behind his back" to "insult" his decision to save Rukia by her wanting to protect him??

I just don't know what to say, then what in the absolute heck, because wow, this is SUCH a hot take, but let's go into why. Also, a disclaimer, I don't mean to come off as rude, and I am not attacking the people who share this opinion at all, but of course I'm going to think the points are stupid,d so please don't take anything personally.

"Ori questions Ichi’s intentions and the results, and when he’s about to explain himself, Ori admits that she knows nothing would be able to change his mind as it was already set on a goal: saving Rukia and bringing her back. This is also the first time it’s mentioned Ichi intends to bring her back to Karakura with him.

It seemingly helps Ichi dissipate any lingering doubts he had before this conversation about Rukia’s place in the world because ultimately he wanted her back in his life.

However, Ori is not the driving force for Ichi to save Rukia. He wanted that all along, from the moment Urahara informed him there was a way into SS. She just helps him reaffirm his goal. Now he has no doubts and can go train with Urahara.

He leaves to go to his training, and Ori watches him leave.

This is not an I//H moment.

It’s a conversation between friends at most.

Narratively, it works as a way to establish Ichi’s main goal.

And, even if it were an I//H moment, isn’t it weird to you that it’s basically Ori cheering him on to save another girl?"

No its not weird for Ichihime's to see Orihime cheer Ichigo to save Rukia because guess what, YOU CAN HAVE FREINDS OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER AND NOT BE INSECURE ABOUT IT, so no its not weird in fact it further showse that Orihime never tried to insert herself into his life or remove other women from him, in fact Orihime is close friends with other women who care for Ichigo as well, she's best friends with Rukia and cried for Riruka and loves Nel, so not its not weird, but then again if you only ever see the "other woman" as competition you may feel this way.

It's also a good Ichihime moment because, as I will discuss below, it showcases how well Orihime knows Ichigo and how much Orihime's words mean to Ichigo.

"Hey, have you considered you might not be doing the right thing?” Even though I know literally nothing about the situation at hand and am talking out my ass, criticizing you for assuming while myself making assumptions!"

Orihime never questioned if he's doing the right thing, she is mirroring HIS OWN thoughts about the situation, Ichigo is thinking about what happens next and what he will do once he saves her, and Orihime is just saying the same thing, where did she even say what he may be doing is wrong? And if you see she is, then guess what, Ichigo is also questioning if this is the right thing to do, so then get mad at Ichigo as well for doubting to save Rukia. He may not outright say "why go then" but he is doubtful about going.

They BOTH are saying Rukia is not from here, Ichigo isn't as emotionally mature as Orihime, meaning he isn't as one with his feelings as she is, so of course, Orihime will go into more detail. You can literally see that what Orihime is saying is what Ichigo is ALSO thinking; you can tell this by his reaction.

He is shocked by her words and then gives a weak response because HE FEELS THE SAME WAY. He is initially shocked because he didnt think Orihime would think the SAME way as he did. He is ALSO doubtful about going to save Rukia because he says the same thing ffs. It's like something therapists do; they hear what you think and repeat what you think to you, so you can hear your own thoughts about something. It's a way to help someone actually think about how they feel and learn what the problem actually is.

The other person says she "interrupted" him, but actually, if you notice the actual words, "Well...." those ellipses (...) are a narrative tool used to show that the words are being dragged out, most commonly used when there is doubt in what the person is going to say, they're still thinking about it. For example, "I dont think" versus "I dont think...." it shows doubt as the sentence is being dragged out, like if your teacher asked what the answer was and you didn't know, narratively you'd say "Well..." while trying to think of an answer. Ichigo said "well...." because he doesnt know what to say, not that he was going to protest, and then she interrupted him. Ichigo is also a brash and rude person sometimes. You think if he was going to deny what she said, he wouldn't outright do it? So why then did he not deny it? It's because HE FEELS THE SAME WAY.

If Ichigo didn't feel the same way, and by what some people would claim as "Orihime being a bad friend to downplay Ichigo's own reasons", Ichigo should've reacted more angrily and denied what Orihime was saying, right? Wrong, because he feels the EXACT same way as she does.

“Haha, just kidding! I’m definitely not trying to shake your resolve, I already know you are resolved!” Even though that makes the shit I just said completely meaningless, unless I did it for some other reason, like to try and dissuade you even though I knew it was pointless to try!"

It's not pointless, it's a narrative decision from Kubo to show you Ichigo's own internal conflict, like I said, what a therapist does, it just frames Ichigo's concerns in a different point of view, and because of Ichigo's reaction, we can see what Orihime said is something Ichigo feels as well. That's why she immediately says it doesnt matter because she is motivating Ichigo to push past his concerns because deep down he doesnt actually care about these things, it's more of an excuse he is using to validate his insecurities about not being good enough to protect the people he loves.

Orihime understands Ichigo on a different level, no, I don't mean "better", I mean "different", grow up. She could tell Ichigo was kind for going with his family to that ghost show, even though Ichigo didn't see it that way; that's because Orihime sees him on a more emotional level. We all know Ichigo; despite his punk attitude,he is a kind person, and Orihime sees him that way. She understands him so well that she knew something was wrong, despite not knowing it was his mom's death anniversary. Just like those times, here Orihime shows how well she understands him by helping him build his resolve and mimicking his manners perfectly. She knows him and so is trying to help him understand himself better.

This scene is supposed to emphasize both their character, Ichigo's innate desire to protect his friends, and Orihime's emotional maturity and her connection to Ichigo, but then again, if you're biased to a certain ship and believe deep down how Ichihim is the "wrong" ship, I can see why that may have flown over people's heads.

“Go do the thing and good luck with it!” ‘I don’t want my friend to die either’, I said, so you’d remember I gave you a token cheering on while not offering to lift a single finger to help you!"

Not Pictured: Oh, but fuck, if he goes off on his own, who is going to keep an eye on him I mean, “protect” him?! I guess I really should intrude on his affairs without telling him or asking permission to, to do something he never asked me to do!"

Funny how these people criticize Orihime for not offering to help, but then say she is a bad person for thinking Ichigo needs her help, what the heck. Anyways if you wanna know why Orihime didnt offer to help its because she knows Ichigo wouldnt want it anyways, he also shoves people to the side to just sit there while he does everything and, shocker, because she knows this she doesnt offer to help, also btw, Ichigo doesnt know Orihime has powers so her offering to help him would be stupid because he doesnt know, and before you say "tHeN wHy DiDnT sHe TeLl HiM" its because thats not what this moment is about, its about Ichigo and helping him push past his own concerns so that he has the full resolve to go save Rukia.

Also, "ask his permission". What is this, the 1800s? Orihime doesnt need Ichigo's permission to go help him if she wants to. She also clearly decided to go to the Soul Society AFTER speaking with Chad, so when did she have the time to go find Ichigo and tell him, hey I have powers and I want to come help? Like, you people can't be serious.

"Orihime is tacitly trying to get Rukia killed, whether she is aware of it or not, and does not actually care at all what her situation is. (Much like she asked Tatsuki about Ichigo’s history, rather than asking Ichigo, she has never investigated [and will never investigate!] Rukia’s past.) She is genuinely trying to persuade Ichigo not to go, despite knowing he intends to. She is trying to shake his confidence. Saying what she does serves no other purpose. That is all she really cares about here."

There's so much nonsense that it's starting to stink in here. You're telling me Orihime wants Rukia to get killed so that her "competition" is eliminated and Ichigo will be with her? You have got to be so demented or blind to think this way. If she didn't care about Rukia, then why did SHE approach Ichigo to ask where she was and why people forgot about her? Why would she still tell Ichigo to go save her, because she too doesn't want her friend to die? Even your precious Rukia realised Orihime was there for her as well and even noted that her presence was important for Rukia to be saved, but then again your so convinced Orihime is the "devil" that you can't see anything she does as a good thing.

You also claim she is a "bad person" because she didn't directly ask Ichigo about his mother's death? Are you insensitive or what? Ichigo obviously wasn't his usual self, and Orihime is not a pushy person, imagine this, Ichigo upset cause his mother's death anniversary is comming up, his classmate Orihime comes to ask, "Oh btw, I know your mom's death anniversary is comming up, care to tell me what happened?" and you say she is a bad person? Tatsuki even told her only after school because I dont think Ichigo would take too kindly to people talking about his mom's death when he's right there, also btw a narrative decision from Kubo cause if Ichigo had to say what happened it wouldnt be as impactful as the way Tatsuki said it because Ichigo would downplay what happen, I mean look at how he told Rukia about it.

"She shows her hand, revealing that she knows that is exactly what she’s doing. She is aware of her own intent in doing this. She covers it with some platitudes and flattery which, if she truly believed them, would have meant she never would have questioned his intentions."

Yeah, guys, can't you see how horrible a person Orihime is? She says exactly what Ichigo is thinking and tells him it doesn't matter and that deep down he's made his mind up and should go save Rukia, pfft, what a horrible person.

"She then puts herself in a position where, in the words of Trump, she doesn’t “take responsibility at all.” She has no interest in going to save Rukia, or what could or will happen to her. Not her problem. Finally, seeing that her gambit has failed, only then does she call Chad and agree to his plan to follow after Ichigo, behind his back, in order to “protect” him (which she will then proceed to absolutely fail to do). She will later affirm to Yoruichi that she has no interest in rescuing Rukia. That is not at all her priority."

Wow, you compare her to Trump of all people, you must really not like her lmao. You assume Orihime doesn't care about Rukia because she said she wanted to go and protect Ichigo? Wow, it's not like she asked Ichigo about Rukia and even cried her heart out when she thought Rukia had died during the Hueco Mundo arc, yeah, that literally never happened. If you think she doesn't care about Rukia because she went for Ichigo, then I guess both Chad and Uryu don't care either, correct? Chad didn't say why he went, and Uryu said he was only going to get back at the soul reapers, so I guess they don't care about Rukia either, guys.

"Behind his back", ah yes Chad, let's train really hard to get stronger even by a little bit so we can...do what exactly? Be there for him? Help him if we can? Try to get between him and Rukia? You're delusional. If his friends want to help him, they have their own right to do so Ichigo isn't their king, and he didn't say he didn't want their help and even if he did its not Ichigo's decision and its not like Orihime or Chad ever got in Ichigo's way or tried to stop him from saving her, ya'll are crazy. Or are you saying that it's insulting to Ichigo for them to come help? Oh, the horror.

"I’ve been trying to give Ori the benefit of the doubt. But I can’t disagree with any of this.

Obviously, she’s not Rukia’s friends. And she didn’t go there to save her or anything. Chad and Ori went to SS just for Ichigo and that’s it.

The conversation rubbed me the wrong way as well in the manner you explained it. But, narratively, it did strengthen Ichigo’s ressolve, so it’s funny to me that Ori’s plan backfired spectacularly lmao."

She isn't her friend? Right, not like she hung out with her, worried about her, spoke to her, cried for her, fought for her, yeah, that never happened? In fact, they're so NOT friends it would be crazy for Rukia to call Orihime her best friend- Oh wait.

Also, what plan? To stop Ichigo from going to save Rukia? Like, other than this moment, which I'd even say is a hot take to assume she wanted to stop him from saving her, Orihime never did anything like this, so I don't know when it got into these people's heads to say Orihime wants to get rid of every other woman in Ichigo's life. And backfired? She says, "go save her," and think to yourselves, "Ah, yes, Orihime is actually embarrassed she didn't break Ichigo's resolve because he was oh so confident about going to save her this entire time, right, guys?"

Ah, yes, he's so confident about his decision, guys, he really was about to tell Orihime to stfu and she "interrupted" him. Right. Lmao anyways these are obviously just my thoughts, if you don't agree that's fine. I obviously disagree with this take, not because I'm a "delusional" Ichihime, but I hope I did explain why I disagree.

[onewaysympathy]

....Ichigo...spared Orihime....no thoughts?

This person, and people who feel the same way, must be trying to rage-bait people because how can one be so confident about something so wrong?

If Ichigo didn't give two shxts that Orihime was taken, then do tell me why the title of the chapter where Ichigo finds out she was taken away is called EAGLE WITH NO WINGS. Literally, the chapter title is all you need to see how important she is to him. To have the audacity to ignore this while claiming, "Oh, look how important Rukia is because the chapter title was named blank", but then ignore this chapter title is beyond me.

And then to showcase panels where Ichigo cares for Rukia but then say he didn't care for Orihime is also just stupid, DOES HE LOOK LIKE HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HER?

I'm going to spell this out like people are babies. Ichigo.Had.BAGS.Under.His.Eyes.AFTER.He.Found.Out. That.Orihime.Was.Taken.Away. Even more so I saw some people say his bags under his eyes were because Rukia went back to the soul society and not because of Orihime?? Hello?? Ichigo literally ignored her when she tried to talk to him.

He was upset because ORIHIME WAS TAKEN AWAY. Any person with half a brain can see that, but because people are so desperate for their ship to be canon, their brains literally stop working because how do you see these chapters and think to yourself, "Nah Ichigo dgaf about her"?? People love to overestimate Rukia's ability to cheer up Ichigo and underestimate Orihime's. Yes Rukia is often the one to help Ichigo out of his funk but there have been plenty of times where her prescence didnt help ichigo even though she tried just like with this one. Ichigo is still a kid and, shocker, his life doesnt revolve around Rukia, there are times where she can help, and there are times where she can't help, just like with Orihime.

"It didn't even rain." Bxtch the rain represents Ichigo's internal struggle with his desire to protect people not whether or not Bae is near. It stems from HIS MOTHER DYING TO PROTECT HIM. Ichigo even says, "I was spared again", not "Oh no Rukia," or "Rukia I failed you," or "Rukia you saved me", he says I was spared AGAIN. It rained because this moment reflects when his mom saved him, the same way Rukia saved Ichigo from dying by Byakuya's sword. Because guess what? Bleach is a shounen anime, NOT a romance anime, so of course the main focus is on Ichigo as a character and his internal demons, which is basic shounen anime, but like I said, everything HAS to revolve around ichiruki right? Everything MUST be romantic, right?

And then to showcase Ichigo literally saying the rain has stopped when Urahara comes, as if that doesn't prove my point. The rain isn't a symbol of ROMANCE, it's a symbol of Ichigo's internal struggle with being a protector, I guess IchigoXUrahara is viable by that logic. Ichigo says the rain has stopped because with Urahara's help, he can regain his powers, a.k.a, regain his ability to protect; the rain is NOT A ROMANTIC symbol.

When Urahara says "dont use her (Rukia) as an excuse to k!ll yourself" he says that because Ichigo is so upset over his mom's death, because SHE had to protect HIM, he obviously, as an angsty teenager, wants to D!E to protect someone to "make" up" for "failing" to protect his mom. How is any of this romantic?? Here, Rukia is being taken away, and Ichigo is thinking about his mother.

And the whole fullbring arc, I mean, of course Ichigo would miss Rukia like what? He'll never see her again, and they've been through so much. That scene where he thinks about her, I'd like to point out, he speaks about "pride" not "love", and even then, he thought of Orihime TWICE, losing his powers meant losing Rukia too, he can care for Rukia while still being in love with someone else, by the way. I'm not even going to count the movies (yes, even the hell one where Orihime hugs Ichigo grow up).

But to say that Ichigo didn't care that much/at all over Orihime's abduction is just pure delusion. This man had bags under his eyes, moped along all day, and put on a fake smile because Orihime was taken away. Compare that to Rukia's abduction, which is a joke. Mans awas more upset that Rukia had to save him than the fact that she was taken away from him. Every day I wake up and see more evidence on how a person's desires can literally warp reality into a fantasy.

[onewaysympathy]

The fact that some people refuse to believe Ichihime and Renruki were ALWAYS planned to be endgame is baffling, especially when these people say they've read the manga. Let me explain to you why with a simple parallel.

When Rukia was going to die after defeating Aaroniero, the Espada who pretended to be Kaien, everyone in Las Noches knew she was going to die or at least was in danger. This was Ichigo's reaction to finding out that Rukia had been killed by that Espada.

And this was Renji's.

Szayelaporro had nothing to do with Rukia's attack, but Renji lashed out anyway. You wanna know who else lashed out for the girl they loved.

Ichigo was shocked to learn Rukia was in danger, and he calmly walked away from Ulquiorra to go save her, but when he learned Orihime was brought to Hueco Mundo by Ulquiorra, he immediately attacked just like how Renji, who IS in love with Rukia, attacked Szayelaporro.

Ulquiorra didn't even say he hurt Orihime, just that he brought her here and to Ichigo; that was more of a reason to fight Ulquiorra than to ignore him to go save Rukia, who was literally dying. If Ichigo were in love with Rukia, Ulquiorra would've antagonized him by insulting Rukia, but Kubo chose to have Orihime be the catalyst for an extremely emotional reaction from Ichigo.

Kubo made it so obvious, but people just wanted Ichiruki to be canon so badly that they ignored the signs. How are you gonna read two chapters that happened right after each other, showcasing how emotional Renji is about Rukia and how Ichigo is emotional about Orihime, and think to yourselves, nah, Ichigo is definitely in love with Rukia and not Orihime?

[onewaysympathy]

Antis will say that Orihime only loved the fake, fantasy version of Ichigo in her head, as if her coming to understand the person he really is better and falling even harder wasn't a thing that happened.

Exactly! Orihime's growth as a character is also about her growth with Ichigo. Initially, she was infatuated with him; she felt like he was a prince and nothing bad would happen if he was there. She became "complacent" in relying on Ichigo even when the odds are against him.

But she overcomes this, and that's what these antis will never recognize. When he lost his powers, she and Chad had faith that he could regain them, and when he did, Ichigo wouldn't have to worry about them and instead could learn to rely on them. She even tells Riruka that she will train her hardest so that if Ichigo ever gets beaten to death, she will revive him no matter what.

There is literally a panel in this scene of when Ichigo was defeated by Ulquiorra to showcase Orihime growing from that moment. I will never believe that Orihime's powers were not powerful enough to save him when that happened. SAhe couldnt because of the mental abuse she suffered from Ulquiorra. You dont tell a 16 yerar gil that she isn't good enough and then be shocked when she believes that too. Orihime grew from that and learned to strengthen herself so that something like that would never happen again.

The fact that Ichigo inspired Orihime to do her best despite her own opinions about herself is so beautiful, but these people won't see that. All they see is a big-breasted damsel in distress who took Ichigo away from Rukia; it's just the truth.

[onewaysympathy]

"Ichigo doesn't like spending time with Orihime."

Ah yeah, he totally doesnt, guys. He's always so mad whenever she's near him.

He NEVER tried to prolong their conversations.

Didn't ever want to hang out with her.

He never initiated spending time together.

In fact, Ichigo and Orihime aren't really friends, like they don't even share manga with each other.

It's not like he ever asked Orihime for her time to confess; that literally never happened.

[onewaysympathy]

"Ichiruki are parallels to Isshin and Masaki"

I'm going to put this post here to show you what I mean when I say, No, they're not.

Anyway, a lot of Ichiruki's users use the "parallels" between Ichiruki and IsshiMasa as "proof" that they were supposed to be canon (even though when we Ichihime's do the same thing, suddenly its wierd to say Ichigo likes Orihime because she reminds him of his mom because of inc3st). Although if you asked me, Orihime and Ichigo's relationship and dynamics are closer to Isshin and Masaki's relationship, especially since Orihime is so similar.

One of the parallels I keep seeing is when Ichigo collapsed after fighting Grand Fisher, and Masaki defeated White. Apart from composition and mood, the scenes really don't scream, "parallels" to me, although I can see why people would think it is. But a part of me believes it's because Kubo recycles certain compositions for an effect like this one that he uses a lot.

Another is when Masaki is about to be swallowed up by white, and Isshin comes to save her, and how Isshin holds Masaki, and how Ichigo holds Rukia when he saved her during the Soul Society arc.

Well, seeing as Masaki's naked, I think that was the only way Isshin could've respectfully held her, we literally could've just had her wear something, Kubo, but ok. I mean, this scene isn't really that similar? I don't see how this is a "reason" that Ichigo and Rukia were meant for each other. Also, thereafter, Isshin and Masaki started hanging out together, whereas Ichigo threw Rukia at Renji like a sack of potatoes.

Like I mentioned before, their dynamic is similar to Ichihime's. Ichigo and Rukia have a very childish relationship. What I mean is they make fun of each other, Ichigo has called her a bitxh before, and they constantly physically mess with each other. Can you imagine Isshin and Masaki behaving the same way? I can't.

So no, I don't really see the parallels between the two. In fact, it's more comparable to Ichihime. Both Masaki and Orihime are the same in many ways.

They're both like the sun, always happy and positive. Everyone who meets them loves them in some way. They also both give off, "looks like a puppy but would kill you if you hurt their friends". And if that's not enough for you, here are some real parallels.

Now this is a better parallel for several reasons. For starters, Ichigo is awake and can see Orihime's care for her. Although this isn't really their first meeting i'd like to argue that it kind of is? Up to this point, Ichigo and Orihime arent really friends, more like friends of a friend; they're not extremely close, due to their own insecurities.

This, for me, is the turningpoint for their relationship. Ichigo sees just how much he means to Orihime for her to cry about his safety; it warms his heart and makes him happy. This is like their "first meeting", the first time they connect face to face, the same way Masaki and Isshin did. It's a bit of a hot take, as I've been told, but I thought it was cute. In any case, Isshin and Masaki are definitely more like Ichihime than Ichiruki.

[onewaysympathy]

The most recent anti-ichiruki post (from early October) isn't even all that anti-ichiruki. It's just a series of (questionable) "hot takes" on Bleach and Ichigo's ending. It comes off more positive about IR than IH, and the poster clearly doesn't like Orihime (Ichigo had a crush on Rukia/Rukia saw Ichigo as Kaien but they grew apart vs. Ichigo pities Orihime and her love is superficial). Surprisingly positive about renruki though. Rant over.

I noticed that too; most anti-ichiruki posts are very respectful. Either they dont like the age gap issue, or they think Rukia is overhyped, but there's no unnecessary name-calling or labeling. They're mostly respectful; there are, of course, plenty of toxic Ichihime's, but like I said, toxicity is like 100 to 1; it's very one-sided.

I also say that confidently as an objective Bleach fan. Initially, when I watched Bleach, I never considered shipping, and I never thought Ichigo would end up with Orihime. However, that was mostly because it was a shounen anime, so I didn't actively look for romance in the anime. I didn't even like Orihime initially lol, but after rewatching it in 2022 fairly, I realized she was an amazing character. Even before I was an Ichihime fan, I knew of the toxicity of Ichiruki; they just seemed to be obsessed with their pairing being canon more than anything else, even if it meant being delusional, hypocritical, and toxic, so long as they justified to themselves that Ichiruki was better than Ichihime.

[onewaysympathy]

My next post wasn't even going to be about this, but damn, these Ichiruki's dont know how to let things go. The audacity of Ichiruki fans to play victim, knowing damn well how toxic their fanbase can be, is just pathetic. Do you think we care about your ship? No, we don't, we're tired of ya'll harassing us every day, and how you feel the need to say "IcHiHiMe iS tRaSh" every single day.

Newsflash, just because you think the ship sucks doesnt mean it actually sucks. You can just say it's not your cup of tea, but you go out of your way to insult us again. By saying you believe the ship is bad, you are unintentionally insulting those of us who like the ship by saying we like bad romances, which is not true.

But then again, you Ichiruki's always have this superiority complex where you think you're better than everyone and that you "know what good writing looks like," give me a break.

For every one toxic Ichihime, there are like 100 toxic Ichiruki's; the level of toxicity is not the same, babes. You guys harassed the VA and Kubo, you burned bleach merch, made fan art where Orihime d!es so Ichruki could happen. You made comics where Ichigo and Rukia cheat with each other on Orihime and Renji, where Ichigo m4rders Renji to be with Rukia, and where a girl jumped into the universe to "fix" the ship with their kids right there. You've made comics where Kauzi d!es, you hoped Orihime would d!e because she "threatens" your ship. You even got an artist banned for her Ichihime art because you hated it so much that you lied that she plagiarized someone else when making that art, and it wasn't true.

You've harassed Ichihime fans way more than Ichihime fans have harassed you, and yes, you need to acknowledge that if you really want to talk about toxic Ichihime. Almost every day on Tumblr, there are some salty ass Ichiruki's who STILL feel the need to trash on the ship that got canon because you're sad you didn't get your ship to be canon? Grow tf up. You STILL write essays on how the ship is bad, and most, if not all, your points are just wrong, sexist, or just you being a hater. You can scream "because it's canon doesnt mean it's good" all you want, you're convincing no one but yourselves, because guess what? Just because it's not canon doesnt mean it's good.

Are there toxic Ichihime's? Of course, there are bad apples in every fandom. One of the more toxic points Ichihime would use was that Orihime was"hotter" than Rukia, or that Rukia is a p3d0 for liking Ichigo when he's underage. Look, I get it's weird but age differences in Bleach are finicky anyways. But to sit and cry victim is just showcasing how you're ignoring your own problems in your own fandom just to give yourself room to say "Ichihime is a bad ship". Like I said before, just because you don't like it, doesnt mean it's objectively bad, but you guys are so far up your own egos you can't fathom the idea that you dont like a ship just because it was made canon and your ship didn't become canon.

The fact that there are still Ichiruki fans obsessing over Ichihime because they think it's objectively bad is all you need to see that you guys have issues and you need to learn to accept what happened and move on, it's a fictional ship ffs. "Oh BuT iF iChIhImE dIdNt bEcOmE cAnOn YoU'd AlSo Be UpSet" that's the same mentality of saying if I was a p3d0 I'd defend it, like that's not the point. Us Ichihime's as a MAJORITY dont gaf about Ichiruki. We dont care that people have non-canon ships, and we're not out here making essays upon essays upon essays on why your ship is bad. You can Google right now anti-ichihime posts and get a million of them, but searching for anti-ichiruki posts is like finding gold in the sand.

I even checked right now on Tumblr the latest "anti Ichiruki" and "anti Ichihime" tags, and guess what I found? NO anti-ichiruki posts in the last few months and TONS of anti-ichihime posts in the last 2 weeks. This toxic war is extremely one-sided, but you hate Ichihime so much you dont care about toxicity, all you care about is being right about a fictional ship (I censored the ads for me, that's why there are black spaces).

Anti Ichiruki search filled with pro Ichiruki posts.

For the anti-ichihime tag, on the other hand.

It's honestly sad and pathetic to see the same people saying the same crap over and over again. Even when you specifically go search for the tag, the anti-ichiruki posts are months old, whereas the anti-ichihime posts (I'll ignore the one just posted) are like 2 weeks old. We don't care about your ship as much as you think we do.

Enjoy your ship, and we'll enjoy ours. I dont think for a moment that if someone feels the need to make an anti-ichihime post this often that they're confident in their ship, you're just salty your ship didn't get canon and because you dont know how to respect other peoples opinions and likes, so you need to trash on us and lie about us while also downplaying youre fandoms toxicity which even non-bleach fans have acknowledged it as a problem. Grow up.

[onewaysympathy]

You mentioned salty IRs in the ask about Ichigo's feelings, but I also think it stands to mention that there's now a small contingent of ich*shi shippers saying that Ichigo doesn't have special regard for Orihime. Which is kind of repeating the IR pattern in a funny way.

TYBW arc is to ich*shi what the SS arc is to ichir*ki. Ichigo is heavily focused on the friend who also happens to be the second most plot-relevant non-antagonist and people choose to interpret that as romantic. But of course, Ichigo and Orihime during the HM arc have no romantic overtones whatsoever 🙄 because Kubo is a "bad writer" who "fumbled" when setting up his romantic and platonic relationships.

I have noticed more Ichishi shippers making more anti-ichihime posts recently, which is hilarious because that would imply they think Ichishi is a better canon ship than Ichihime. I say it's hilarious because if there is a ship that's the weakest in terms of what's canon, at least to me, it's Ichisihi. I noticed most people who are anti-ichihime, whether they are ichiruki or ichishi, tend to follow the same talking points and approaches.

I agree with what you've said. People tend to overestimate a scene between two people and assume it means romance. While Ichigo was hurt by Uryu's "betrayal," his main focus was to beat Yhwach; he even leaves Uryu behind to fight Haschwalth while he goes to fight Yhwach. Their "reunion" is a bit rushed tbh, Ichigo is confused why Uryu is working for Yhwach, and then Uryu reveals he's not, and Ichigo is happy and moves on....yeah so romantic.

While they do try to say we, as Ichihime's, do the same, we don't actually. Ichigo and Orihime's connection is built up throughout EVERY arc. While Hueco Mundo was a huge Ichihime arc, their relationship has had substantial moments throughout the story. Every arc has a significant section dedicated to their relationship, whether it be on their shared feeling of "one-way sympathy" or Orihime's role in Ichigo's growth; their relationship is important to the story overall. There are arcs where Ichiruki/Ichishi have no substantial scenes.

Like I mentioned before, I don't think it matters why someone is anti-ichihime, they're methods and points are about the same. They claim Kubo is bad at romance, and yet he created the most beautiful romance between Ichigo and Rukia/Uryu/Literally anyone else. They say this arc was dedicated to the pair's romance, and yet the actual arc dedicated to Ichihime is thrown out the window. They say Ichigo doesnt care for Orihime, yet use the reasons we say he cares for her to say he loves other characters, it's all hypocritical and nonsensical.

I don't care who people want to ship who with, I respect non-canon ships, and I like some too. I have a problem with salty shippers and Orihime haters trying to bash Ichihime just because they're sad their ship didn't get canon, because if we really want to look at what's canon, they don't stand a chance, respectfully. But yes, their points are all the same, no real difference between a salty Ichiruki or a salty Ichishi.

[onewaysympathy]

People are still saying that Kubo needed to make Ichigo having feelings for Orihime blatant for the IH ending to "make sense." I don't agree with that take. I think the way Ichigo interacts with Orihime and treats her slightly different than his other friends was enough to prove he could fall in love with her. I also think it's okay that he may not realize he likes her romantically until after TYBW, when his toughest battles are finally over. Bleach isn't a romance manga after all, and Ichigo is still a teenager with a lot of emotions and coming of age stuff to process.

I'm wondering what your opinion is, though.

I 100% completely agree with your points; they're very similar to my own, actually. I was planning a post on Kubo's showcase of Ichigo's feelings, so I won't yap about it now.

I think most people who are anti-Ichihime are from Western countries, where there's a heavy emphasis on overt romantic interactions like kissing to prove a relationship. This is even more true for underage characters, for some reason. Liking someone and showing it is dependent on that character's culture, setting, and personality, which Kubo did amazingly for Ichigo.

As you said, Bleach is a shounen anime, so romance is secondary. Expecting more is unrealistic, and if people really want to, they can watch a shojo anime then. I'm a hopeless romantic myself and would've loved to see more romance between them, but that's not what Bleach is. Kubo is the mangaka; he decides what and how things are, and if we don't like it, we can make our own manga, it's that simple.

The reality that these people won't accept is that there was plenty of evidence suggesting that Ichigo liked Orihime back, particularly from the Hueco Mundo arc. Their denial either comes from being a salty Ichiruki shipper or expecting a "westernised" version of romance from a shounen Japanese anime.