From the start, Tite Kubo showed us that these two were meant to be.
Ichigo and Orihime have always been a subject of ship wars. The main criticism of the couple is their limited screen time together. Some fans think that the relationship has not been fleshed out well enough throughout the long-running series. However, the manga readers know that the two were meant to end up together from the start. Bleach mangaka Tite Kubo made that abundantly clear.
Here are some signs from earlier chapters indicating that Kubo did not just hastily pair Ichigo with Orihime for the sake of adding a touch of romance to the manga’s final arc.
1. Chapter 0
Now, this is a deep cut for the die-hard Bleach fans only. In the pilot chapter of Bleach, which you can find online, there’s a scene where Rukia outright asks Ichigo if he has a crush on Orihime. Of course, he firmly denies harboring any romantic feelings for her and claims they barely know each other, but his facial expressions in the manga panels give him away. Further in the chapter, Ichigo and Orihime are shown talking to each other and blushing.
2. Chapter 3
This is one of the first chapters where the two interact with each other. It’s already established that Inoue likes him, but Ichigo’s thoughts are more ambiguous for now. After Orihime is wounded, Rukia asks her if she gets hurt often, and Ichigo replies for her: ”Almost every day!.” He then asks her to be more careful and offers to walk her home. The scene hints to us that despite his nonchalant behavior, Ichigo clearly pays attention to Orihime at school, notices that she routinely gets hurt, and already feels protective over her.
3. Chapter 76
There’s a short scene in this manga chapter where a bunch of male characters have a friendly interaction with Orihime. After she leaves, we see them gushing over her and then wondering if she’s single. In the next panel, we see Orihime walking next to Ichigo with the word bubble saying “Doubt that.” Kubo is definitely trying to tell us something here.
4. Chapter 189
In this chapter, Shinji flirts with Orihime in an attempt to rile up Ichigo. And it works. Ichigo ends up dragging Shinji away from her, demanding an apology. Shinji comments on his reaction, pointing out she’s not his girlfriend, so he has no right to be jealous.
5. Chapter 286
The chapter takes place after Ichigo finally defeats Grimmjow. At the end of this long and grueling battle, he comes up to Orihime to ask if she’s alright. This is by no means an underrated scene between the two, but we need to highlight just how shoujo-esque the entire panel is in the manga. The look he gives her in that scene is exclusively reserved for Orihime throughout the series. It’s always been made obvious to the reader that Ichigo has a soft spot for her.
As you can see, Ichigo and Orihime being endgame has been foreshadowed from the beginning. However, the showrunners knew very well that Ichigo and Rukia’s dynamic is incredibly popular, so they threw in more scenes focusing on the iconic duo. This muddied the waters for the fans who wanted to figure out the final couple.
From the start, Tite Kubo showed us that these two were meant to be.
Ichigo and Orihime have always been a subject of ship wars. The main criticism of the couple is their limited screen time together. Some fans think that the relationship has not been fleshed out well enough throughout the long-running series. However, the manga readers know that the two were meant to end up together from the start. Bleach mangaka Tite Kubo made that abundantly clear.
Here are some signs from earlier chapters indicating that Kubo did not just hastily pair Ichigo with Orihime for the sake of adding a touch of romance to the manga’s final arc.
1. Chapter 0
Now, this is a deep cut for the die-hard Bleach fans only. In the pilot chapter of Bleach, which you can find online, there’s a scene where Rukia outright asks Ichigo if he has a crush on Orihime. Of course, he firmly denies harboring any romantic feelings for her and claims they barely know each other, but his facial expressions in the manga panels give him away. Further in the chapter, Ichigo and Orihime are shown talking to each other and blushing.
2. Chapter 3
This is one of the first chapters where the two interact with each other. It’s already established that Inoue likes him, but Ichigo’s thoughts are more ambiguous for now. After Orihime is wounded, Rukia asks her if she gets hurt often, and Ichigo replies for her: ”Almost every day!.” He then asks her to be more careful and offers to walk her home. The scene hints to us that despite his nonchalant behavior, Ichigo clearly pays attention to Orihime at school, notices that she routinely gets hurt, and already feels protective over her.
3. Chapter 76
There’s a short scene in this manga chapter where a bunch of male characters have a friendly interaction with Orihime. After she leaves, we see them gushing over her and then wondering if she’s single. In the next panel, we see Orihime walking next to Ichigo with the word bubble saying “Doubt that.” Kubo is definitely trying to tell us something here.
4. Chapter 189
In this chapter, Shinji flirts with Orihime in an attempt to rile up Ichigo. And it works. Ichigo ends up dragging Shinji away from her, demanding an apology. Shinji comments on his reaction, pointing out she’s not his girlfriend, so he has no right to be jealous.
5. Chapter 286
The chapter takes place after Ichigo finally defeats Grimmjow. At the end of this long and grueling battle, he comes up to Orihime to ask if she’s alright. This is by no means an underrated scene between the two, but we need to highlight just how shoujo-esque the entire panel is in the manga. The look he gives her in that scene is exclusively reserved for Orihime throughout the series. It’s always been made obvious to the reader that Ichigo has a soft spot for her.
As you can see, Ichigo and Orihime being endgame has been foreshadowed from the beginning. However, the showrunners knew very well that Ichigo and Rukia’s dynamic is incredibly popular, so they threw in more scenes focusing on the iconic duo. This muddied the waters for the fans who wanted to figure out the final couple.
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