Alessa

Well at least a pairing that I like will actually happen. That's the only reason I'm saying that. My ships always sink or are just crack pairings.

And then Kubo decided to go with an open ending.....

Yeah Renji and Rukia are childhood friends and its been hinted that he may have feelings for her. There's been no hints that Rukia and Ichigo have romantic feelings for eachother. Tite Kubo himself confirmed their relationship wasn't romance.
IchiHime really is pretty obvious with the Grimmjow/Ulquiorra fights and the latest chapter with Ichigo blushing over Orihime's new outfit lol.

I don't think the scene with Orihime's outfit showed something new and special. Ichigo blushed when he saw a lot of other female characters (like Yoruichi, Matsumoto and the girl he worked for if I'm not mistaken). There is nothing new that Ichigo reacts to sexy female body.

 

 

Note; She fights more than Orihime but not on PAR with most of the other male characters. Which of course would be true since Orihime is not a fighter unless PUSHED to be one. 

Orihime has had power ups, and her power is virtually unlimited as far as we know. Their powers and skills are different but that doesn't make Orihime less important then Rukia because she's support roled. If anything Support is the most important thing in a team. -plays mmorpg's-

If you don't have a Cleric/healer you are SOL. You can only tank for so long without someone to negate the damage and buff against further injury. Sakura is technically a SUPPORT role oriented character. Rarely is she meant ( and woefully so) to bust a move and K.O people, but it doesn't make her less needed than more physical characters.

Given Orihime's continued prevalence in the story, I'm still pretty sure she and Rukia share the MFC role, but to each their own. 

Ships don't matter to me in bleach, because I like crackships best but I think Ichihime is more likely. 

 

Never disrespected the role of support. Just noted that Orihime is one. And still the importance of Rukia in the manga is sang in ballads by Kubo (i've read them somewhere). She was the one who pushed the whole manga to happen, she was the catalyst. She made the hero who he is now, though Orihime influenced him too just like his other friends.

Exactly!! And I ship Ichiruki but Orihime is one of my favorites in the series lol. Never liked Chad tho <_< Let's just hope Kubo doesn't pull a Kishi and end Bleach horribly (even though the series isn't doing too well)

I do think that we might get some kind of hint on who ended up with who, but I will fight anyone who will say that Ichigo already holds some kind of romantic feelings towards any female - Rukia OR Orihime. He has never shown any kind of hints that he considers Orihime more than just a friend. And in terms of friendship there is no one more close to him than Rukia.

orihime was never meant to be a fighter, but a healer, which she excels at. bringing ichigo back from the dead was one of her greatest feats.

Well, in my opinion her healing abilities where never portrayed as something she had to work on significantly. I don't know, it always looked like a general static ability that happened without hard work (though she was shown to train other aspects of her power).