They reply they’re from Squad 11, but despite his inebriation, the shinigami is observant enough to notice that they’re wearing Squad 12 uniforms, and that they’re not carrying zanpakutos.īefore things escalate, some Squad 12 members happen by, and hit the shinigami over the head. While trying to make some progress under the cover of night, they have an unfortunate encounter with a drunken shinigami, who is immediately suspicious of them, and asks them what squad they’re from. As seen in the incident directly following, she even has a caring attitude towards enemy combatants, abhorring any kind of pain or injury inflicted on others. It’s also quite interesting that the one fairy that specialises in direct attack is the one that proved ineffective in this regard, and was injured as a result of it. It’s during this time that Uryu comes to the conclusion that Orihime’s personality is not suited for any kind of fighting or conflict, and her powers and abilities seem to bear this out as well, being more geared towards the care and healing of others.

During this time, the two characters have gotten to know each other a little better, and Orihime is currently in the process of healing her fairy, Tsubaki, after his disastrous run-in with Jirobo in Episode 28. Things have been fairly quiet for them recently, as they’ve taken to successfully ( most of the time) impersonating shinigami, in order to avoid suspicion and detection. The focus this time is squarely on the still slightly awkward, isolated duo of Orihime and Uryu.

The episode title, ‘ The Despicable Shinigami’, says it all. This episode, we encounter one of the most disturbingly amoral and sadistic characters in the Gotei 13, and probably in all of Bleach. ‘Don’t go parading your creepy sense of justice around here.’ Mayuri Kurotsuchi

Bleach episodes 43