The greatest hope of the Quincy! Uryū Ishida is Ichigo’s longstanding rival: matching the Soul Reaper’s blade with his spiritual arrows. They’re a counterpart in all things: sword vs bow, black vs white, hot headed passion vs cool logic. But who is Uryū Ishida? What role does he play in this final arc? Well, that’s what we’re here to explain! Let’s get to it. Nothing can sum up Uryū’s life quite like one key moment. As a child, he had to watch his father perform a thorough autopsy on his dead mother. That would be traumatic for anyone to deal with, but Dr. Ishida was never that great at emotional matters. The young Uryu begged his father to stop, but [Ryūken Ishida] didn’t listen. He didn’t say one word to his son. He just kept cutting. After going through something like that,.

It’s unsurprising the two have a…questionable relationship. Uryū doesn’t have much respect for his father. The man was a wealthy, successful doctor, but to Uryu he was always that butcher. It’s one more point that the Quincy shares with Ichigo, though neither brings it up. Kurosaki also lost his mother at a young age: within a few months of Uryu, as things turned out. But Ichigo had a supportive family beyond that. His father was annoying but emotionally open and deeply supportive. His siblings are there for him, a constant source of support. Ichigo wouldn’t trade his family for anything. The threat to them is what first made Ichigo become a shinigami. Uryu just had an emotionally distant man he couldn’t interact with. There was no chance of the young man sharing that kind of relationship with Ryuken. .

It’s not really a surprise Uryū ended up latching onto his grandfather as a role model instead. [Sōken Ishida] was everything his son was not. Spiritual, calm, and, above all, approachable. While Uryū’s father was less than happy with his Quincy heritage, Sōken still practiced their ancient ways more actively. It’s probably also Soken who taught Uryu what the Quincy even are. With Ryuken rejecting the Quincy path of monster hunting, Uryu was naturally driven to embrace it. He learned all he knows about combat from his grandfather. Soken rejected the Wandenreich’s advancements, maintaining the Letzt Stil and teaching it to Uryu. We never saw much of the old Quincy, but it’s clear Uryu cared for him deeply. Unfortunately, their time together didn’t last. Soul Reapers ended up deliberately leaving the old man to die. Uryu lost the one emotional support he.

Had in life. It’s only natural that he’d grow more withdrawn after that. Ironically, he ended up more like Ryuken, the father he can barely tolerate. When his grandfather was slain, Uryū was set to avenge him. Not through something as direct as killing those he held responsible. He would prove the Soul Reapers wrong. He would show the value of the Quincy, demonstrating to them that Soken’s ideas of coexistence were possible. And that effort was what led him to [Ichigo Kurosaki.] Uryū first saw him as a rival: someone he could prove his skills against. But that changed during the course of the challenge. Ichigo pointed out that working together was the better way to deal with the Hollows. Uryu was reluctant, but fighting the Hollows together was what created the initial bond between the two young men. Now, before we get into more detail on Uryū,.

Make sure you’ve subscribed, hit the like button, and rung the bell for that sweet dose of Plot Armor. It’s useful stuff in the Thousand Year Blood War. Now, let’s get back to the life and times of our favorite Quincy. Uryū attaches a lot of his identity and feelings of self worth to his heritage as a Quincy. His people were almost extinct: the young Ishida was one of the last remaining on Earth. Given Quincy powers are in part a manner of bloodline, there’s no chance of bringing more Quincy into the fold any time soon. Everything that Uryu does reflects on the name of his people. That gives him a massively oversized burden: he’s got a lot to prove literally all the time. Every failure, every disgrace, isn’t just something for Uryu to deal with. It’s a blot on the legacy of the Quincy. .

Most of the time, this sets Uryu up for a fall. His need to prove himself drives him towards making mistakes and not thinking situations through. He always tries to approach matters logically, but underneath those glasses, he’s every bit as overly emotional as Kurosaki. Still, the bond between them is mutually helpful. Uryū is an old school shounen rival: Ichigo’s counterpart, and one of his greatest friends. They push each other to excel. They may bicker, but the two trust each other closely. Uryu can’t process how much power and skill Ichigo is able to manifest just through his natural talent. Everything he worked so hard for, that Strawberry-topped shinigmai just got for free. Uryu’s not bitter over it though. If his rival pulls ahead, that’s just more reason to push himself further to keep up. .

As much as he tries to project a cool, broody “rival” persona, Uryu is very firmly heroic. He’ll take on two powerful foes for the sake of defending someone who can’t fight for themselves. He’d love it if you saw him as a cool, badass hero. That’s certainly the image he gives off most of the time. In truth, however, he’s a bit of a nerd. He takes his sewing pretty seriously, remaking his friends’ outfits when given the chance. Uryu loves his fashion: improving his friend’s clothes and being proud of his own. The Quincy robes are fundamentally cool: can you blame him for being proud of them? Uryu has an excuse to wear cosplay style fashion whenever he wants! Uryū’s abilities are many and varied. From bottling spiritual energy to needlework repairs on a stuffed toy,.

There’s little he can’t do. But what can he bring to the battlefield? A whole lot it turns out! First and foremost, we have the Quincy spiritual weaponry. Quincies fight primarily by manipulating rishi, spiritual particles in the air around them. They use this energy to form holy arrows, the [Heilig Pfeil], that are the basis of most Quincy attacks. In spiritual realms such as Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, all Quincy have a lot of energy to work with. Their ranged combat style has a substantial range advantage against the shinigami, at least prior to the release of bankai. Quincies form a bow to focus the Heilig Pfeil. The exact form of this bow is unique to each Quincy: some go with more of a melee weapon or shield. Uryu’s had a few bows as his power has grown. The Thousand Year Blood War sees his weapon grow to a new height: a cool double-bow,.

Ready for that final confrontation. The bow isn’t limited to conventional fire, however. Quincy use the imagery of a bow, but it’s more metaphor than literal weaponry. As such, they aren’t restricted to one arrow at a time. Uryu can let fly with rapid fire shots, enough to counter an enemy with a similarly rapid attack. The total rate of fire at this point was approximately [1,200] Pfeil in a single volley. Given his accuracy, that would be ludicrous in a large-scale battle. Uryu would be a force of nature, wiping out his enemies in a handful of seconds. With his obvious focus on ranged attacks, an enemy might think melee is Uryu’s weak spot. All you have to do is ambush him up close, and they’ll score an easy win, right? They’d be very disappointed if they tried. Uryu is more than capable of using the Quincy’s.

Sole bladed weapon, the [Seele Schneider]. It’s a useful trick: he can use the spiritual weapon to decouple particles, giving him more rishi to draw upon. Anyone who thinks that a Quincy is going to be easy to fight in melee will be in for a terrible surprise going up against Uryu. That said, the archer is more than able to keep his distance when he wants to. Uryu’s mastery is strong enough to help him keep up with even the fastest foes. Unlike shinigami, Uryu’s technique allows him to create a platform to carry his friends with him. This is useful when fighting with a group. Uryu can convey his comrades across the battlefield while they focus on fighting, healing, or whatever else is needed. He can also perform the Quincy version of Kido, casting various spells through the manipulation of spiritual energy. Uryu doesn’t use these.

Frequently. He’s a very direct person who prefers to end fights as efficiently as possible. Thus, direct attacks are his default. Still, spells provide Uryu with additional versatility when facing strong enemies. He can seal foes with a binding spell, and if given time to prepare, he can pull off some downright insane finishing moves. If you get on Uryu’s bad side, you could end up very badly broken. Further, in the final arc, Uryu gains a new power: a potent ability gifted to him by Yhwach. may be enough to win Uryu a fight on its own. Even by the standards of the , Yhwach’s letter based abilities, it’s quite impressive. When activated, Antitheses allows Uryu to swap his circumstances with those of a target. His wounds are transferred to them, wrecking an opponent in an instant..

You’d need a power equal to his to even stand a chance against the Antithesis. [Role in the Final Arc] Uryū has warmed up to Ichigo and his friends over time. He’s gone from bitterness and antipathy to being a straight up member of the gang: sharing bread and banter with his friends. But the Thousand Year Blood War is going to push him to his limits and test his bond with the other protagonists. It might even finally break that connection. Because this time, the enemies are his people. Uryu can’t deny what the Wandenreich are. Whatever evil acts they commit, they are his kin. They’re Quincy. What’s more, they’re Quincy, who can trace their roots back before the great purge the Soul Society carried out 200 years ago. In some sense, they’re more “true” than he is..

The Wandenreich are the Quincy he’s admired. They’re living, breathing history. They’re led by Yhwach, the progenitor of all Quincy. This has to have been Uryu’s dream. For as long as he can remember, he’s been the Last of his people: the only one who can carry that burden forward. His grandfather is gone, and his father doesn’t care. The idea of so many other Quincies surviving has to be Uryu’s wildest dream come true. Someone else can carry his burden forward. It’s not all on him any more. He’ll finally have room to relax, to fail, to be less than perfect. He can even learn more about the ancient Quincy, things even his grandfather wasn’t familiar with. But that dream turned to ash as soon as he read his grandfather’s journal. The Wandenreich are a disgrace to what Uryu’s always tried to make the Quincy name mean. To.

The young Ishida, the Quincy are great monster hunters. Their legacy was all about trying to protect humanity from Hollows. They stuck to their guns, refusing to stay out of the fight even when it led to the Shinigami slaughtering them for it. Back during his first confrontation with Ichigo, all Uryu wanted was to prove his combat skill. The archer put the entire town in danger just to try and show that he was better at fighting Hollows than a Soul Reaper could ever be. It was reminding Ishida of the potential human cost that made him view Ichigo Kurosaki as something more than just a substitute Shinigami. But the Wandenreich don’t really care about human life. They share Uryu’s feelings towards Hollows in general, but rather than viewing them as an evil to be dealt with, Ywhach’s men view the creatures more as tools..

They’re disgusting to the Wandenreich, but the Hollows are things to be captured, controlled, and thrown against their enemies. They purged the creatures from the mortal realm, but that was more about trying to destabilize Soul Society. Their grudge is purely with the Shinigami. And they’ll do anything to win that centuries old war.Even something as brutal and unforgivable as slaughtering mixed blood Quincy to empower Yhwach. Learning that must’ve been the final kick in the teeth for Uryu. His mother died not because of some illness or accident but because of some distant despot who was hungry for power. For the first time, he has a target for his feelings beyond his father. But they’re out of his league. The Wandenreich are Quincy who have spent.

1000 years perfecting their abilities. They have a new form that beats the Letzt Stil without having to deal with its downsides. He can’t hope to keep up with them or deal with the Wandenreich on his own. He’s going to need to think through how best to deal with them. So Uryu thinks outside the box. He joins the Wandenreich. He even abandons his Quincy robes to adopt their military uniform. It was the only way he could find the strength for what he needed to do. Uryu’s always been willing to make questionable choices if he needed to in order to grow as a fighter. He’d even listen to his father for the sake of power. The Wandenreich may be corrupt, but their techniques aren’t inherently evil. If Uryu can learn from them and figure out how they manipulate rishi, he can develop his Quincy abilities to a mighty point..

He can get tough enough to truly join Ichigo in the fight against Yhwach and the hidden empire. Of course, that’s the plan. Nothing says that it’s going to work. The Wandenreich aren’t fools and know the basics of Uryu’s history. They can guess that he’s not being entirely sincere with his request to join them. Still, they aren’t worried about his betrayal. Yhwach has mastery over the souls of Quincies. Even if Uryu initially planned to take down the Quincy king, given time, he may be forced into loyalty. Even if, in the end, it means he’ll have to actually fight Kurosaki. As much as they’ve bickered in the past, the two have never come to blows up to now. With this great war between Shinigami and Quincy, that may finally change. There’s too much at stake here. Both Ichigo and Uryu have a strong personal investment in taking.

Down Yhwach. We can’t get through the Blood War without some kind of fight between these two. Let’s hope there are no hard feelings afterwards [Uryu’s Future] The Thousand Year Blood War leaves its mark on Uryu. Beyond the catharsis of finally facing his mother’s killer, he learned something vital. Ryuken Ishida truly cared about her. That nightmarish autopsy? The Quincy Doctor had been working to extract magical silver from his wife’s heart. He forged this into an arrowhead, which he handed to his son during the final battle. Uryu used that to rob Yhwach of his powers at a crucial moment, enabling Ichigo to finally slay the tyrant. Even if the Shinigami was the one who struck the final blow, Uryu was the one who made it happen. That has to have been a cleansing moment..

Yhwach was gone, as were his Quincy. The Wandenreich and their stain on the race’s name had finally been erased. And it was thanks to his father that Uryu was able to do all of this. A moment like that is enough to make you reconsider your past beliefs. It’s a chance to finally let go and grow as a person Ten years down the line, Uryu is working at his father’s hospital. Now he’s Dr. Ishida: crisp, clean, and a consummate professional. He’s saving lives and making the world a better place, just like Ryuken did before him. He hasn’t forgotten his friends, though now he’s busier than most of them. He can’t get out of work to attend their reunion. All he can do is take a break on the roof and think of his friends having fun. That’s enough for Uryu. In the manga, that was all we saw. It was a nice.

Moment, enough for the fast pace of that final chapter, but it left us with so many unanswered questions. Does Uryu still fight as a Quincy, or has he hung up his bow? Did he find a significant other, or is he single? We don’t like to force characters into pairing off, but it’s a big question with Uryu given his heritage. The decision to continue the Quincy line or finally let it rest is a big character point for him. And it’s one that’s ultimately not discussed in the manga: leaving things on a very ambiguous note. We could absolutely see some expansion on this with the anime adaptation. Even if there’s not much, a short scene during the final episode would do wonders. Imagine Uryu at home, getting to talk to his wife and child. Perhaps even training his kid, just like his grandfather trained him. We might even get some great comedy from Ryuken:.

The stone-faced doctor having to adjust to life as a grandfather. It would be nice to see everything come full circle with Uryu stepping into Soken’s role as a friendly tutor. He’d do well at it: he has all the logic of his father and all his grandfather’s love of honor. If we close on the same note as the manga, introducing Ichigo and Rukia’s kids, it’d suck if we didn’t get to see a successor to the Quincy. It’s a simple expansion, and one I think we could very well get. A new Ishida would be Uryu’s chance to solidify his legacy and make the Quincy traditions something to carry forward into the future. Well, that’s Uryu Ishida explained. Do you prefer him or Ichigo? Would you like to see his role expanded in the anime adaptation of the Thousand Year Blood War? Let us know.

In the comments below! Thanks for watching; I’ve been Anthony Phan. Have an awesome day.