49 replies to this topic

[SageNaru]

Not sure if in the right place. But anyway...What are your favorite Bleach pairings?
Mine is IchiRuki!!!


(Mods, sorry if there is already a thread for this)

[FoolishYoungling]

I still can't decide!! Its between IchiOrih and IchiRuki... both are kinda equal to me...

[Super Boom]

I guess this has been brought up in the Bleach Discussion Thread at least once, but maybe it warrants its own thread. I know different people here have different pairing preferences in Bleach, so my only concern is that it doesn't escalate into a shipping war. I think most people on this site are mature enough not to bash or bait a heated argument, but I can't speak for everyone.

As for my preferences, I ship Ichi/Hime out of the possible realistic pairings, though I guess I ship Ichi/Nel if I have the choice of crack pairings. I don't know why, but I like how the two interact, and so when she's in her true form I love that pairing. Though don't worry, I only ship them when she's in her adult form. It's too creepy otherwise.
But I guess I really don't mind any of the possible non-crack pairings. I just sort of like Orihime more than Rukia, so I root for her. Though I don't deny that Ichigo and Rukia interact more often, and that their interactions seem to be more substantial, they just don't do it for me the same way Naru/Saku does. But obviously everyone has their own preference, so don't take my opinion as fact, LOL.

But I will say this, in case anyone brings it up in the next few posts. Naruto and Bleach are substantially different, so shipping a pairing in one manga DOES NOT necessitate shipping a certain pairing in the other. I see way too many people who seem to believe that Naru/Saku = Ichi/Ruki, and Naru/Hina = Ichi/Hime, and I can't tell you how much this exasperates me. I really don't want to revive that argument, but I just thought I'd bring that up.

Really, though, there's only one pairing in Bleach I'm seriously passionate about. And it's by far the greatest pairing of them all.

Grimmjow/Story! Bring him back, Kubo!!!

Edited by Boom...Winning, 05 November 2011 - 08:16 PM.

[Phantom_999]

IchiHime, OR IchiRuki, They're both great! And I'm supporting miss soupy's UlquiHime, It kinda has an appeal to me I admit

Edited by Phantom_999, 06 November 2011 - 02:21 PM.

[LegendaryArcanine42]

I ship Hitsugaya and Omaeda...

Happy Nightmares ;D

[Miss Soupy]

It's not secret that I...fervently...ship UlquiHime. It is pretty much the only pairing in bleach I am interested in, though I used to like a fair number of Orihime pairings. Before Ulquiorra was I pretty divided between IchiHime and IshiHime, but I guess I never really had to choose one of them because Ulquiorra was just...better with her, in my eyes. So much happened for UlquiHime in such a short time that it has always made me feel spoiled as a fan. And that is saying something given how one member of the pairing is dead XD There is just so much linking them together in canon... *le sigh* I eagerly await Ulquiorra's return

But I will say this, in case anyone brings it up in the next few posts. Naruto and Bleach are substantially different, so shipping a pairing in one manga DOES NOT necessitate shipping a certain pairing in the other. I see way too many people who seem to believe that Naru/Saku = Ichi/Ruki, and Naru/Hina = Ichi/Hime, and I can't tell you how much this exasperates me. I really don't want to revive that argument, but I just thought I'd bring that up.

I agree completely with this. I've always thought Orihime was more like Sakura than Rukia is. Orihime is, without a doubt, the 'real girl' of bleach, and shares a lot of the same issues that Sakura has. But of course no character can completely mirror another in another story, that would just be boring.

Really, though, there's only one pairing in Bleach I'm seriously passionate about. And it's by far the greatest pairing of them all.

Grimmjow/Story! Bring him back, Kubo!!!

Almost as great as Ulquiorra/Story Oh how I miss the arrancar!

IchiHime, OR IchiRuki, They're both great! And I'm supporting miss soupy's UlquiHime, It kind has an appeal to me I admit

All according to plan

[Fyuria'sLeo]

I ship IchiRuki ever since I saw them together I was like yup my new favorite pair.

[Super Boom]

It's not secret that I...fervently...ship UlquiHime. It is pretty much the only pairing in bleach I am interested in, though I used to like a fair number of Orihime pairings. Before Ulquiorra was I pretty divided between IchiHime and IshiHime, but I guess I never really had to choose one of them because Ulquiorra was just...better with her, in my eyes.

LOL, I forgot about Ishi/Hime. I actually sort of liked that pairing during the Soul Society Arc, when they were separated together. I guess I really didn't start liking Ichi/Hime till her confession. I remember crossing my fingers that she'd go see Ishida, but when she went to Ichigo's house, it just...shook me...for some reason. It was such a somber and touching scene, I couldn't help but like the pairing after it. You'd think I'd ship Naru/Hina for the same reason, since that was also intended to be a very emotional scene, and neither confession has really been addressed since it happened, but I guess that one really didn't affect me the same way.

I'm gonna go out a limb and say this, but when Kubo wants to draw romance, I think he absolutely dominates Kishimoto. Maybe he doesn't do it as much, or it's not as out in the open, but I think the few openly romantic scenes Kubo has done really did a better job at keeping my interest than anything Kishi's done in that department. I think Kishi does a good job with developing character relationships, but when it comes to the romantic side of things, he just sort of flounders. But that's just my opinion anyway.

Almost as great as Ulquiorra/Story Oh how I miss the arrancar!

Almost?!?

But yeah, I've been having Arrancar Withdrawal for a while now. Like a lot of mangaka, Kubo seems to like to reintroduce characters mid-battle, so I'm crossing my fingers we'll see Grimm, Ulquiorra, Neliel, Harribel, and their fraccion return to save Ichigo and friends the next arc, kind of like what happened a few months ago with all the Shinigami characters.
Heh heh, then I'll cross my fingers even harder to see Pantera's Segunda Etapa.

(LOL, I've gotta stop going off on tangents with my dreams of Grimmjow grandeur...)

Edited by Boom...Winning, 05 November 2011 - 10:06 PM.

[Miss Soupy]

LOL, I forgot about Ishi/Hime. I actually sort of liked that pairing during the Soul Society Arc, when they were separated together. I guess I really didn't start liking Ichi/Hime till her confession. I remember crossing my fingers that she'd go see Ishida, but when she went to Ichigo's house, it just...shook me...for some reason. It was such a somber and touching scene, I couldn't help but like the pairing after it. You'd think I'd ship Naru/Hina for the same reason, since that was also intended to be a very emotional scene, and neither confession has really been addressed since it happened, but I guess that one really didn't affect me the same way.

The 5 lifetimes confession was very moving. Well, the whole set-up pulled at my heartstrings, stemming from Orihime's jealousy and confiding in Rangiku to the point where she states the depths of her feelings. I was definitely rooting for her and for that love to be seen, and I think you were definitely meant to. In a way though, you can also look at the other side of things in that moment, and Orihime's side of things very much resembles Hinata's. That extreme idolization is apparent, and became even more so as the arrancar arc progressed. And that she was given such a moving confession that simply wasn't heard. Is it symbolic, or simply meant to show her immaturity at the time? Not sure. I think it was very clever on Kubo's part.

I'm gonna go out a limb and say this, but when Kubo wants to draw romance, I think he absolutely dominates Kishimoto. Maybe he doesn't do it as much, or it's not as out in the open, but I think the few openly romantic scenes Kubo has done really did a better job at keeping my interest than anything Kishi's done in that department. I think Kishi does a good job with developing character relationships, but when it comes to the romantic side of things, he just sort of flounders. But that's just my opinion anyway.

I think it comes down to what sort of romance you like to see. I agree with you; Kubo has a better style when it comes to romance. To me, it is more poetic, and does not focus so much on the negatives as Kishimoto tends to. The unrequited love is not so extreme, but usually, merely a reflection here and there. Kubo also uses his volume poems to reflect on the inner thoughts of the characters and their feelings. For example, Gin's last volume poem was about his love for Rangiku.

You are becoming a snake tomorrow.
And as you start to devour people,
With that mouth that has eaten others,
You cry your love to me.
And the same as today, I do wonder.
Will I be able to say my love to you?

Orihime's first deep thoughts about Ichigo:

If I were rain
That joins sky and earth that otherwise never touch,
could I join two hearts as well?

Or the way Ichigo's poem to the start the new arc was focused on Rukia:

I wonder if I can keep up with the speed of the world without you.

And my favorite, Ulquiorra's of Orihime:

I envy, because of the heart.
I glutton, because of the heart.
I covet, because of the heart.
I am prideful, because of the heart.
I sloth, because of the heart.
I rage because of the heart.
Because of the heart, I lust for everything about you.

I think Kubo adding little things like this let's you know he is thinking about these characters and their feelings, and, at least it gives me, this feeling that he understands how exactly he is making his romance appear to the reader and has a purpose for it. With Kishi, sometimes I feel he puts in pointless romance and does not always have a clear purpose.

Almost?!?

But yeah, I've been having Arrancar Withdrawal for a while now. Like a lot of mangaka, Kubo seems to like to reintroduce characters mid-battle, so I'm crossing my fingers we'll see Grimm, Ulquiorra, Neliel, Harribel, and their fraccion return to save Ichigo and friends the next arc, kind of like what happened a few months ago with all the Shinigami characters.
Heh heh, then I'll cross my fingers even harder to see Pantera's Segunda Etapa.

(LOL, I've gotta stop going off on tangents with my dreams of Grimmjow grandeur...)

I wouldn't mind the arrancar popping up in the classroom like the shinigami did before the arrancar arc XDD I would find that highly amusing. Given Kubo's penchant for mirroring prior arcs, I do find that scenario likely.

[alexander]

The 5 lifetimes confession was very moving. Well, the whole set-up pulled at my heartstrings, stemming from Orihime's jealousy and confiding in Rangiku to the point where she states the depths of her feelings. I was definitely rooting for her and for that love to be seen, and I think you were definitely meant to. In a way though, you can also look at the other side of things in that moment, and Orihime's side of things very much resembles Hinata's. That extreme idolization is apparent, and became even more so as the arrancar arc progressed. And that she was given such a moving confession that simply wasn't heard. Is it symbolic, or simply meant to show her immaturity at the time? Not sure. I think it was very clever on Kubo's part.

While I agree that Orihime onesided love resembles a lot Hinata's, there is an major difference between them, being that unlike Hinata that only watched Naruto from afar and couldn't even do something as simple as talking to him, Ohirime aways stood as Ichigo friend and in a way they aways had been very close, too bad Ichigo is as dense as an shonen protagonist can get XD

While for my preference, well, it's rather silly to admit, but I just want Orihime to get what she wants. As I was caught by this clutz hypnosis, I just rooted for her to get laid I mean lucky from whoever she wanted, but Ichihime started to have an special appeal to me, and now that's my favourite ship on the series.

[Phantom_999]

I have a new one . Ishida and Nemu! XD

[peanutbutter126]

I never considered pairings in Bleach, but I guess Orihime and Ulquiorra, and even Orihime and Grimmjow would make an interesting pair. To me, Ichigo would go most realistically with Rukia, although I'm alright with it if Kubo doesn't explore it. Kyouraku and Nanao would be pretty fun though!

[Darth Krypt]

While I agree that Orihime onesided love resembles a lot Hinata's, there is an major difference between them, being that unlike Hinata that only watched Naruto from afar and couldn't even do something as simple as talking to him, Ohirime aways stood as Ichigo friend and in a way they aways had been very close, too bad Ichigo is as dense as an shonen protagonist can get XD

Was about to write the same thing. I completely agree with you. Anyone comparing Inoue and Hinata isn't really thinking hard enough. There's no need to even delve into how she supports Ichigo. The very fact that she is able to hold a proper and very normal conversation with him without fainting is enough to destroy the comparison. For some reason, I like Inoue. She's just so lovable with that cute, clumsy thing going on. I don't like her just for the boobs though I wish hers would shrink abit. Ichigo and Rukia's interaction is cute but as Boom said, Ichihime is much more realistic. So its a narrow win for Ichihime to me.

[LegendaryArcanine42]

Was about to write the same thing. I completely agree with you. Anyone comparing Inoue and Hinata isn't really thinking hard enough. There's no need to even delve into how she supports Ichigo. The very fact that she is able to hold a proper and very normal conversation with him without fainting is enough to destroy the comparison. For some reason, I like Inoue. She's just so lovable with that cute, clumsy thing going on. I don't like her just for the boobs though I wish hers would shrink abit. Ichigo and Rukia's interaction is cute but as Boom said, Ichihime is much more realistic. So its a narrow win for Ichihime to me.

Eh? i honestly think IchiRuki is more realistic for the same kind of reasons NaruSaku is... Sakura/Rukia keeps Naruto/Ichigo grounded and knowing Ichigo and his problems? He needs it more than Naruto XD

But then again, I think RenRuki would be even more ideal and because of that IchiHime will have to do... Either that or Ichigo and Mayuri...

Happy Nightmares again :3

[Miss Soupy]

While I agree that Orihime onesided love resembles a lot Hinata's, there is an major difference between them, being that unlike Hinata that only watched Naruto from afar and couldn't even do something as simple as talking to him, Ohirime aways stood as Ichigo friend and in a way they aways had been very close, too bad Ichigo is as dense as an shonen protagonist can get XD

It is true that Orihime has a much more realistic chance than Hinata does to be with the guy she is in love with. But, I still think the two pairings are extremely similar in that there is a...to me...over the top devotion. Prior to the Arrancar arc I had no problem with IchiHime. It was what happened in the Arrancar arc, and specifically the Dome scene which really drove hard this idea of negativity related to the way Orihime hero-worships Ichigo. In contrast, Ichigo is so overprotective, wanting no help what-so-ever from her, it was really a horrible setup between the two of them. Ichigo certainly doesn't see Orihime the same way Ishida does, and even Ishida is too overprotective of her most of the time. The only person she has really been strong in front of is Ulquiorra, and that's why I consider Ulquiorra the type of personality Orihime needs to really stand up for herself. She cant against Ichigo at this point.

While for my preference, well, it's rather silly to admit, but I just want Orihime to get what she wants. As I was caught by this clutz hypnosis, I just rooted for her to get laid I mean lucky from whoever she wanted, but Ichihime started to have an special appeal to me, and now that's my favourite ship on the series.

It's so refreshing to find so many people who love Orihime! She is one of the more hated characters in bleach, and I'm so used to people saying she is too weak or boring. I've always loved her, even with her faults, and it's really upsetting to see all the hate directed at her. Though, I guess, that isn't much different than the hate directed at Sakura. I should be used to it. I like that both Orihime and Sakura are works in progress rather than being Mary Sues.

But then again, I think RenRuki would be even more ideal and because of that IchiHime will have to do...

With Renji's sudden surge of hotness, it might me nice to read some RenHime fics again XDD Hey, they both have unrequited love! I only would support it for crack purpose though

[alexander]

It's so refreshing to find so many people who love Orihime! She is one of the more hated characters in bleach, and I'm so used to people saying she is too weak or boring. I've always loved her, even with her faults, and it's really upsetting to see all the hate directed at her. Though, I guess, that isn't much different than the hate directed at Sakura. I should be used to it. I like that both Orihime and Sakura are works in progress rather than being Mary Sues.

This is somewhat very ironic, because before seeing Orihime character, I used to find shy moe girl types extremelly irritating, and for some reason everybody loved these same characters in the fandoms, but when it comes to Orihime, I think her appeal is that while she is a little shy, at least she knows how to be outgoing and so full of life in whatever she does, argh, apart from that is kind of hard to describe why I like her character.

[Super Boom]

I never considered pairings in Bleach, but I guess Orihime and Ulquiorra, and even Orihime and Grimmjow would make an interesting pair.

LOL, Grimm/Hime is one my favorite crack pairings, simply due to them being my favorite male and female characters.
I think they'd be a pretty amusing couple, since I can see Grimmjow getting exasperated by her sometimes ditzy personality, or just at her not reacting the way he wants her to. LOL, I can see her just befuddling him while he's in a bad mood (or just his usual mood) by scratching him behind the ears or something. I'd love to see his reaction.
I guess I like Grimm/Nel too for the same reasons. They haven't really interacted that much, but I think it could potentially work if Grimmjow reforms if/when the Arrancar characters return.

But I suppose I don't really care who Grimmjow ends up with, as long it's not Ichigo. I mean, come on, enough with the yaoi already. Can't two male characters in a shounen story be rivals without being paired up? Ugh...

Eh? i honestly think IchiRuki is more realistic for the same kind of reasons NaruSaku is... Sakura/Rukia keeps Naruto/Ichigo grounded and knowing Ichigo and his problems? He needs it more than Naruto XD

To be honest, the scene where Rukia cheers Ichigo up at the beginning of the Arrancar Arc was nice, but I felt like the whole thing came back to Orihime's perspective. When she noticed how Rukia was able to cheer him up after getting his butt kicked, Orihime was clearly upset by it. So as a reader, I was more inclined to sympathize with Orihime than celebrate Ichi/Ruki.

To be honest, this is one of the biggest differences I've noticed between the pairings in Naruto and Bleach, were readers to assign the stereotype roles to each character. After noticing Naruto and Sakura's bond after the Pein Invasion, we see that Hinata isn't bothered in the least by their relationship. Or if she is, she's clearly not showing it. With Ichi/Ruki, we see first-hand how Orihime reacts to the thought of them being together, and it seems anything but positive. I think that's one of the biggest reasons I've sort of 'cross-shipped' characters in these two stories.

But as I mentioned earlier, the stories are completely different, so it's sort of an irrelevant point.

But then again, I think RenRuki would be even more ideal and because of that IchiHime will have to do.

I actually like Renji/Ruki, but I guess it's one of those things I really don't care too much about. I guess I have a tendency to like childhood friend pairings, so I was inclined to like Renji/Ruki, Toshi/Momo, Gin/Ran, Kisuke/Yoruichi, (dang there's a lot em) etc, when I read the characters' backstories. I suppose by that logic I should be shipping Ichi/Tat, but I guess I might have broken my habit there.

I will say though, in Bleach, I really don't mind what happens as far as pairings go. In Naruto, some of the pairings actually bother me, based on how much negative development, or just lack of development, some of the pairings have. In Bleach, I'm not quite sure why, but very few of the non-crack pairings actually bother me, and I feel like the few that do (like Nel/Noitora) wouldn't really make me irked at the author, like a few would in Naruto. But that's just my personal opinion.

Edited by Boom...Winning, 06 November 2011 - 09:33 PM.

[Phantom_999]

I ship Hitsugaya and Omaeda...

Happy Nightmares ;D

Me, Hitsugaya and Rangiku

[CloudMountainJuror]

I'm an IchiRuki fan myself, though I wouldn't be bothered if IchiHime or something else ended up happening.

Grimmjow/Story! Bring him back, Kubo!!!

Yes, that too
But...isn't he confirmed dead?

Edited by zacrathedemon5, 16 November 2011 - 10:43 PM.

[Amy-chan]

Im a big IchiRuki fan so yeah im not much into the other pairings.