As determined by the poll, the first Bleach Battle Analysis we'll be diving into is Ichigo vs Ulquiorra. I'll limit the spoilers to being anime only, but please feel free to mute this thread if you're fearful of spoilers or Bleach threads.

Not going to waste much time on the "ass pull" misconception you hear about every now and then with this fight. If you've read/watched the series and think that, it's just willful ignorance. Chapters 64, 100, and 165 all foreshadow this "ass pull" before the vizards even appear.

Without further ado, on to the fight. I'm thankful I get to analyze this clash first because it's my absolute favorite. Ulquiorra is the perfect character foil to Ichigo and Orihime. The inverse progression the former two undergo throughout the Arrancar Saga is unmatched for me.

If you're a fan of HxH's Chimera Ant arc, you'll especially see why I find the character dynamics between these two so compelling. Much as I love CA, I prefer Bleach's tackling of humanization since its structure allowed for a more subtle and this p shot is anythin

This seems an ideal way to begin our analysis, as this very point is teased ever so briefly at the start of their final bout. Feeling accomplished at having finally gotten a cut in on Ulquiorra, — who has been a wall for him — it is Ichigo who first hints at this development.

Quick to disparage Ichigo and his banter, Ulquiorra takes the offensive, giving the substitute soul reaper no room to breathe as Orihime is abused by arrancar spectators who begrudge her their last encounter. All the while, he watches the two humans, studying their resolve.

Ulquiorra tends to put more effort into observing his adversary than he does into fighting them. Not only that, he makes a show of how effortless an affair it is for him to counter his opponents. This aids in his clear preference of crushing a foe's spirit over their body.

There's also an evident desire to defeat his enemy at their very best so that they harbor no doubt as to the hopelessness of their situation. When unable to get Ichigo to go all out, Ulquiorra often resorts to provocations to get the job done. Mentioning Orihime is his go-to.

However, Ichigo is reluctant to rely on hollowfication again in front of Orihime. Though she overcame her PTSD when he hollowfied against Grimmjow, Ichigo knows embracing that power is something of a trigger for her now and is hesitant to use it unless he has to.

But Ulquiorra's not an opponent he can hope to best with a handicap, so once Ishida returns from dealing with Yammy and can watch Orihime in his stead, Ichigo is able to oblige the Espada and go at him with everything he's got. Since he forced Ichigo to hollowfy, Ulquiorra has

maintained the position of power in their battle, for both Ichigo and the audience know he still has a Resurrection he's yet to use. Making Ichigo play his best hand first lends itself well to Ulquiorra's goal of showing the disparity in power between them. So he leads Ichigo up.

Up above the canopy of Las Noches, to be specific. And there he finally reveals his Resurrection, showering Ichigo with a brief and dense rain of spiritual pressure tinged with dread and despair. From here on, Ichigo is utterly helpless and unable to fight back.

Yet his resolve never falters. Ulquiorra cannot fathom why. He's more than proven his superiority several times over, but Ichigo remains steadfast and fights on, as if willing to do so until his body turns to dust. It's the most frustrating kind of opponent for the Espada.

Like Grimmjow before him, Ulquiorra is clearly vexed by the unyielding fire in Ichigo's eyes. He doesn't understand how a body can endure such punishment without leaving so much as a dent in the spirit.

So he continues the relentless onslaught, eyes on Ichigo's grip with every attack. If he were to drop it and submit, the pain would end swiftly. That would be the logical course. The sword he wields is little more than a feather to this foe. Yet still he wields it.

Ichigo elucidates the matter for him, confirming that there's nothing the Espada can do to make him yield. But Ulquiorra doesn't buy that answer. It's illogical. He's convinced it's an issue of ignorance on Ichigo's part. Surely it's just that the human doesn't know despair.

And so Ulquiorra concludes that he'll educate him. A decision that will prove to dramatically impact both of their character arcs. But we'll get to that in Part 2 since apparently threads have limits. See you guys on the other side! (End of Part 1/2)

Ulquiorra vs Ichigo Analysis (Part 2/2)
As with the first thread, feel free to mute this one if you fear anime spoilers or don’t care for the subject. As for the rest of you, let’s continue!

Frustrated with Ichigo’s meaningless struggling, Ulquiorra reveals that he has a second release at his disposal, one which the soul reaper couldn’t even justify him using with his comparatively meager strength. Ichigo is frightened but there’s still fire in his eyes.

Determined to validate his nihilistic views, the 4th Espada returns to his tried and true method of demolishing his target to an excruciating degree with effortless grace. Despite his training, Ichigo isn’t remotely capable of fighting back against the pure ideal Arrancar.

Ulquiorra faults the human notion of a heart as to why a human would meaninglessly suffer to such an extent. The rational thing would be to accept death when it firmly grasps you; Not to flail in its hand like a captured bug.

Ichigo admits he has no sensible reason to prolong this battle. He is carrying on purely out of duty. An unbreakable loyalty to his friends. He’ll gladly die even a meaningless death if it means he gets to fight for their sake. But I’ll tell you what’s truly brilliant about this.

Ulquiorra’s understanding of the heart is a companion piece to Kaien’s heart depiction in Rukia’s flashback. When recalling this dialogue, you understand exactly what Ulquiorra can’t grasp about the heart. He expects something tangible within the realm of logic. That’s his world.

Ulquiorra doesn’t understand such abstractions. Ironically, he’s a lot like Bleach’s staunchest critics: Only able to appreciate surface level provable physical phenomenon. It’s a shallow and cynical worldview. It’s why he’s lived a void existence. And it’s why he’s so afraid.

Ulquiorra Cifer fears and derides the heart because it gives others purpose. He’s never known such a life. Having nothing means having nothing to lose. Having lived a life predicated on the supposition that there is no inherent meaning in life has made him fear the abstract.

That’s why he desires nothing more than to snuff out the embers of Ichigo’s willpower. Ulquiorra won’t be swayed by an ideology that not only invalidates his life prior, but can’t even produce results for those who adhere to it. He wants to break Ichigo and Orihime.

In poetic spite, Orihime’s crying heart then produces something Ulquiorra can see clearly. Ichigo’s subconscious spurs him on and his inner hollow takes the fight on in his place. But this fight is characterized in stark contrast to what came before. Ichigo has gone feral.

Just as Ulquiorra has become more human, so to has Ichigo become more inhuman. His inner hollow fights with a brutality that exceeds even that of the most bloodthirsty Arrancars we’ve seen. The 4th Espada is given an unpleasant taste on the medicine he’s been doling out.

The battle dynamic is flipped and now it’s Ulquiorra who futilely struggles, unable to believe what’s happening. However, Ulquiorra shows us where he differs from Ichigo in how he responds to the strength disparity between he and the feral hollow.

He acquiesces. He offers no resistance after it becomes clear he has no hope of achieving victory. This battle is about the price of fighting without humanity. Without heart. For it’s when we’re heartless that we wind up succumbing to brutality to our collective detriment.

It is also when we’re void that we’re most prone to giving up. Once defeated, even the minimalist meaning he’d found in servitude was proven threadbare. There was nothing he desired to cling to. After all, why would he fight the inevitable?

Violence without a heart to guide it is a disease. And so after viciously defeating Ulquiorra, the savage hollow soon turns on Ichigo’s friends and continues spreading that disease. This transformation may have been triggered by something human, but now the inhuman is unbound.

And so what better irony is there than to have the ultimate savior of the situation be the dying antagonist, committing their most human act yet by pulling off a sneak attack and saving the humans who’ve influenced him?

Seeing as he was already dying, doing this was meaningless by Ulquiorra’s established standards. Yet still he acted. The eyes speak volumes all throughout this encounter. From start to finish, they’re telling a story and having their own discussions.

Surprised to see Ichigo return to normal, Ulquiorra does something else strange and requests that they finish their fight. He’s actually invested in this battle. Even though he’s dying, the Espada wants to see this through. Not very hollow-like, is it?

However Ichigo continues to surprise him with notions of honor and fairness. Since the entity that reduced Ulquiorra to this state was an inhuman entity he had no control over, Ichigo is willing to balance the scales with his own flesh and blood.

But Ulquiorra’s run out of time. He begins to turn to ash, signaling Ichigo will forever be denied the chance to finish this the right way. The human way. We’re not used to seeing Shōnen heroes denied the fruit of their long labor. Yet Ichigo pays that price for his failure here.

Because he couldn’t win on his own, Ichigo can’t spare this foe as he has others. It’s an agonizing realization for him. So in an uncharacteristic spirit of consolation, Ulquiorra offers Ichigo the kill, so he can at least have that closure. But Ichigo still surprises him.

His request denied, Ulquiorra turns to Orihime, the one who infected him with the budding humanity we’ve seen slowly bloom. He then poses her the question he once did. Metaphorically asking if she’s afraid of meaninglessness. For he’s always been afraid of meaning.

Orihime answers him firmly. Even after everything, his nihilistic despair hadn’t proved contagious. Their humanity had. Ulquiorra tried to destroy Orihime’s worldview all throughout his time in the series in order to validate his own. Yet it was his that burned away.

Reaching out in one final gesture that Orihime matches, Ulquiorra finally comes to understand what a heart is. And the answer he arrives at seems to be the very same as Kaien’s depiction to Rukia. What a beautiful through line. (End of Part 2/2)