Orihime Inoue

"Kurosaki-kun, you know I had a lot of things I wanted to do... I want to be a teacher... I also want to be an astronaut... and also make my own cake shop... I want to go to the sweets bakery and say 'I want one of everything'... Ohhhh, I wish I could live life five times over. Then I’d be born in five different places, and I’d stuff myself with different food from around the world... I’d live five different lives with five different occupations... and then, for those five times... I’d fall in love with the same person..."

- Orihime admitting her love to an unconscious Ichigo.

"Maybe it's impossible to feel exactly the same way as another person, but it's possible for people to care about one another and to place their hearts as close together as they can manage. I'm sure that's what it means to make your hearts as one."

- Orihime to Ulquiorra Cifer.

Orihime Inoue is the tritagonist of the anime/manga series ''Bleach. ''She is a childhood friend of Ichigo Kurosaki and also his love interest (later girlfriend and wife), as well as a student at Karakura High School.

She is voiced by Yuki Matsuoka in the Japanese version of the anime and Stephanie Sheh in the English version.

Appearance
Orihime is a teenager of average height. She has brown eyes and long, waist-length, burnt orange hair. Her most noticeable physical trait is her slender yet curvaceous figure for a teenager, especially in terms of her large breasts, remarked by many. She wears her hair in bangs tucked behind her ears with hairpins, which she only removes to sleep, as they are worn in the memory of her brother. Orihime initially wears her hair with a full but parted fringe before pulling most of her bangs behind her ears as she was ready to leave for Soul Society, a change noted by Tatsuki.

Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Orihime's hair becomes fuller and wavier. Her bangs naturally frame her face without her hair clips and also hang over her ears. She stops wearing her hair clips and instead keeps them clipped onto the left collar of her school uniform.&#91;9&#93;

Personality
Orihime has a very bubbly personality. She is very sweet and is a good friend to almost everyone. She can be clumsy and she sometimes studders or blushes when she is around Ichigo but started to be more comfortable around him. Her crush on Ichigo started to turn into pure, unconditional love for him. When she was leaving to Hueco Mundo, Orihime almost kissed Ichigo's sleeping form but couldn't bring herself to do so and she tearfully confessed her feelings for him. She is somewhat jealous of Ichigo's and Rukia's relationship and she confessed to Rangiku Mastumoto about how she felt bad for thinking that way and that she cares so much for both Ichigo and Rukia and that she should be happy. She is known to invent some of the strangest foods with the combinations of different condiments, in pretty much everyone's disgust. When it comes to situations in which it involves her friends, she does whatever she can to get strong enough so that she would not be a burden to them and tries to protect them

History
Orihime was born from an unnamed couple, she had an older brother named Sora, bigger than of her fifteen years.

Orihime and her brother, Sora, were raised by a drunken father and a prostitute mother, who always argued and beat their children. By the time her brother turned 18 years old, he and Orihime ran away and Sora took care of her and became a father figure to her. When Orihime entered middle school, she was teased a lot because of her natural colored red hair and a bully even put scissors to her hair and cut a small portion of it and Orihime cut the rest of it to match. Her brother asked her why she cut her hair, she told him that she wanted to change her look, but in truth, she didn't want her brother to know that she was bullied. When Orihime turned 12 years old, Sora gave Orihime a gift of flower hairclips, but Orihime didn't want them because she thought they made her look too childish. They ate dinner in silence and didn't even say a word when Sora left for work that morning which was the last day they ever seen each other. Sora was in a terrible car accident, but the Kurosaki Clinic didn't had enough equipment to save him and Sora died that night with Orihime crying and begging him not to go. A few months later, a girl named Tatsuki Arisawa came along and protected her and became her best friend. As Orihime entered high school she made many friends and she fell in love with Tatsuki's other best friend, Ichigo Kurosaki.

Story


At school, a distracted Ichigo Kurosaki collides with Orihime, knocking her to the ground. After he apologizes, she acts strangely and begins to make excuses while fleeing the scene. The next day, Orihime encounters Ichigo and Rukia Kuchiki on the street. She states that she is uncertain of whether or not she was hit by a car and has a bruise on her leg caused by a Hollow. Ichigo offers to walk her home, but she declines. Later, Orihime has Tatsuki over for dinner, revealing more of her crush when she becomes distracted by the thought of Ichigo's offer to walk her home. After dinner, they are attacked by Acidwire, who pulls Orihime's soul from her body, leaving the Chain of Fate unbroken so that she doesn't initially die.&#91;24&#93;

Horrified, Orihime witnesses the Hollow attack Tatsuki, who is unable to see either of the spirits and becomes scared and confused. Ichigo attacks the Hollow, but is flung from the building. Acidwire then reveals to Orihime that he is Sora. Orihime is initially skeptical as she doesn't believe Sora would do such horrible things, but finally believes him when she sees his reaction to her hair-clips. As his fight with Ichigo continues, Orihime places herself between the pair, resulting in Acidwire wounding her. She embraces himand apologizes to her brother for causing all this. Sora then purifies himself with Ichigo's Zanpakutō as Orihime bids him farewell.

While both Tatsuki and Orihime's memories are modified by Rukia, this event enables them to start developing spiritual awareness. After introducing Ichigo to Uryū Ishida, she once again encounters a Hollow when Uryū lures a massive number to Karakura Town for his challenge to Ichigo. She tries to get her friends away from danger, but the Hollow, Numb Chandelier, uses her ability to make various students attack her. As the students endanger Orihime, Tatsuki arrives to defend her from the onslaught.&#91;29&#93; However, Tatsuki soon falls under Numb Chandelier's control and is forced to turn on Orihime. Seeing Tatsuki in tears brings back old memories of the days when Orihime was bullied for the color of her hair and when Tatsuki saved her, thus Orihime decides it is time for her to protect Tatsuki in return for their friendship. This desire forces her powers to manifest for the first time.&#91;30&#93; Orihime then notices her Shun Shun Rikka flying over her head and with their guidance, she uses them to defeat the Hollow and heal Tatsuki.&#91;31&#93; Afterwards, Kisuke Urahara takes her and Yasutora Sado to his shop, where he explains their powers to them.

As she and Sado watch Ichigo and Uryū fight a Menos Grande, Orihime reveals that she had not forgotten what happened with Acidwire. After Rukia is arrested and taken to Soul Society, Orihime asks Ichigo why nobody seems to remember her. After Ichigo explains the situation to her, she asks him what he is planning to do about it. After he leaves, she swears not to let him get hurt.&#91;34&#93; Along with Sado, she accepts an offer to begin training her abilities under the guidance of Yoruichi Shihōin, the cat. Orihime asks Uryū to train with them, but he declines. During their training, she manages to activate her powers after remembering how she felt about protecting Tatsuki.Orihime lies to Tatsuki about where she is going and spends her last day in Karakura Town with her and promises to return.&#91;38&#93;

Soul Society arc
Orihime received the same message from Urahara as Ichigo and appeared upset that he thought she had no sense of humor. Orihime is impressed and ecstatic when they enter the underground training facility at Urahara's Shop. Orihime, Chad, Uryū and Ichigo are led by Yoruichi into the Dangai as they journey to Soul Society. Despite Yoruichi's warning, Orihime uses her shield against the Kōtotsu to save her friends, putting herself at risk. She heals Jidanbō Ikkanzaka after Gin Ichimaru prevents them from entering Seireitei. When they reach the home of Kūkaku Shiba, Orihime proves able to create the Kidō cannonball needed to break through the Shakonmaku fairly easily compared to the others. She sacrifices her own food for Ichigo when he experiences problems with the technique. When the group uses the cannonball to enter Seireitei, she is blown away with Uryū when the ball disintegrates. Despite using Santen Kesshun to break their fall, she is knocked unconscious. Dreaming of Ichigo, she wakes up to find that Uryū had applied first aid to her injured shoulder. Orihime spends most of the mission in the Seireitei with Uryū, and is noticed early on.The two manage to avoid Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, but are confronted by Jirōbō Ikkanzaka of the 7th Division. Orihime proves attempts to help Uryū defeat him, but her lack of killing intent renders her offensive ability ineffective, resulting in Tsubaki being injured. Nonetheless, Uryū defeats him with ease, saving her. Although happy with her friend's powers, Orihime laments her own lack growth through training.&#91;51&#93; The pair steal Shinigami uniforms on Orihime's influence after she defeats weaker members of the Gotei 13. She attracts the attention of Toshimori Umesada of the Ninth Division, resulting in Uryū protecting her from his advances before he is called off. The pair renew their search for Rukia, unaware that they are being stalked by the captain of the Twelfth Division.

Later on, Orihime attempts to heal Tsubaki's injuries but proves to have difficulty doing so. The pair are then confronted by Makizō Aramaki of the Eleventh Division, who sees through their disguises. They are saved by members of the Twelfth Division, but they abruptly explode. Warned beforehand by Uryū, Orihime manages to use Santen Kesshun just in time to protect him, herself, and Aramaki. Orihime sheds tears over being unable to save the Shinigami, confusing Aramaki. When Mayuri Kurotsuchi appears and expresses interest in her abilities, she refuses to run away to save herself. However, Uryū threatens Aramaki into running away with her in his arms to get her away from the impending battle between him and Kurotsuchi, although the latter initially tries to prevent his target from getting away.

Orihime and Aramaki are found by Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi and brought to the Eleventh Division quarters where she is questioned by its members. The whole group, with Orihime traveling on Zaraki's back with a jealous Yachiru, run for the barracks where Uryū, Chad and Ganju Shiba are being held and break them out of jail. Orihime and her friends witness Kenpachi challenge Captains Sajin Komamura, Kaname Tōsen and their vice-captains to battle before being dragged off by Yachiru in order to find Ichigo.

Orihime identifies Ichigo's huge Reiatsu when they arrive during the climatic battle between their friend and Byakuya Kuchiki. Orihime explains their reasons for rescuing Rukia to a confused Aramaki. She refuses to leave the area when Uryū advises her to do so, staying despite the danger. Following his battle, Ichigo hurts himself by colliding heads with Orihime and is reassured that she was not injured at all during the mission. She tearfully informs him that she regrets not being able to help him, but Ichigo thanks her anyway for her concern.&#91;60&#93; Because she isn't healed by the Fourth Division, she is the only person in the Seireitei who does not hear Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu’s message about Sōsuke Aizen’s betrayal.&#91;61&#93; Aizen escapes as Orihime watches helplessly with her friends at the bottom of the hill, though Rukia survives the ordeal.Afterwards, she uses her abilities to heal Ichigo, drawing the Fourth Division's attention.

Orihime stays in Soul Society for a week while the others recuperate following Aizen's escape. After receiving new clothes for the return home from Uryū, Orihime suspects that he has a crush on Rukia due to the dress he made her, before discovering that her Shinigami friend is not in her quarters. She reports this to Ichigo after attempting to search for Rukia herself. They both search for her, with Orihime climbing up to Byakuya's window and having to decline an invitation to a drink with Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto; this leads them to the Shiba household, where they find Rukia. When Rukia decides to stay with the Gotei 13, Orihime gives Uryū's dress to her anyway, despite her not needing it in Soul Society. While many Shinigami officers look on, Orihime enters the Senkaimon with her friends to return to the World of the Living.

Part 2
Seventeen months later, Orihime is now 17 years old and is working at a bakery shop.

Trivia

 * Kyrie_orihime_by_nero91kg-d4secc3.png Orihime bears resemblence to Kyrie of Devil May Cry 4. Similarities are voiced by Stephanie Sheh, having the same hair color and personality. The Arrancar dress she wears resembles Kyrie's dress.
 * In the live action film, she is portrayed by Erina Mano. Sheh reprises her role as Orihime for the English Dub of the live action film.