Bleach features many memorable villains, although some of them didn't wind up being so evil after all. For example, Ichigo's biggest rival in the Arrancar arc, the 6th Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, was a terror of a Hollow and a fearsome fighter -- but Grimmjow had a noble side, too.
For the most part, Grimmjow was the embodiment of a wild animal, being all about carnage, power and instinct, constantly fighting to prove himself the best. This is a holdover from his days as a panther-like Hollow, and as an Arrancar, Grimmjow is winds up a mixed bag. He's ferocious and brutal, but at times, Grimmjow shows valor and fairness uncommon to his kind.
Grimmjow Demands Ichigco Fight at His Best
Ichigo was still struggling with his inner Hollow when the Espadas arrived in Karakura Town. Not long after Ulquiorra's departure, Grimmjow came one night to find and challenge this Ichigo Kurosaki he'd heard so much about -- but only in a fair fight. At the time, Grimmjow was vastly more powerful than any of Ichigo's friends, and he had a serious edge on Ichigo himself. However, Grimmjow treated the encounter like a sport and encouraged Ichigo to use Bankai and fight his hardest, almost coaching him, though Ichigo played along until his inner Hollow threatened to take control again. The fight ended early when Kaname Tosen arrived to bring Grimmjow back to Las Noches, but Grimmjow promised a rematch.
Grimmjow Saves Orihime From Loly & Menoly
Ulquiorra kidnapped Orihime and brought her to Sosuke Aizen's palace in Hueco Mundo as a prisoner. There, two Arrancars named Loly and Menoly, jealous of Aizen's interest in Orihime, decided to rough her up. Orihime refused to fight back, but just as the two got even more brutal, Grimmjow stormed right in and put a stop to it. To everyone's shock, Grimmjow pummeled Loly and Menoly into submission, then explained that he was repaying Orihime for healing his arm earlier. With his arm fixed, Grimmjow was able to reclaim his rank in the Espadas and now wanted to repay the favor. Leveraging this rescue, he then got Orihime to follow him. Grimmjow had a mission of his own, and he needed Orihime to complete it. Orihime wasn't thrilled about this, but she really was safe with Grimmjow by her side.
Grimmjow Rid Of Ulquiorra
Grimmjow was desperate to fight Ichigo once again, but he hit a little snag: Ichigo was already dead. For Grimmjow's and the story's sake alike, that was unacceptable, and Ulquiorra himself showed up once he realized what was going on. By now, Grimmjow wanted nothing to do with the other Espadas, and he defied Ulquiorra's demands that Orihime be returned to her room. Instead, Grimmjow charged up a Cero blast and fired it right at his fellow Espada, and a short scuffle broke out. The fight ended when Grimmjow used a tiny, cube-shaped artifact, a Caja Negacion, to temporarily seal Ulquiorra in an alternate dimension. Ulquiorra was Ichigo's biggest problem at the time, and for reasons of his own, Grimmjow got rid of him. That certainly gave the heroes (and Grimmjow) some breathing room.
Grimmjow Demands Another Fair Fight
This scene immediately followed Grimmjow's scuffle with Ulquiorra, when Grimmjow demanded once again that Orihime heal Ichigo at once. Once Ichigo woke up and was back in fighting shape, Grimmjow got his wish at last. The two of them had their long-awaited rematch inside Las Noches, and here again, Grimmjow demanded a fair fight, Kenpachi-style. Grimmjow could have crushed Ichigo right away with his feline form, Pantera, but he scaled his power bit by bit so Ichigo could keep up. A Gran Rey Cero blast prompted Ichigo to don his Hollow mask, and that prompted Grimmjow to release his true power at last. Grimmjow longed to prove himself the king, and he'd only be Hueco Mundo's true top dog when he defeated Ichigo fair and square. But in the end, it was Ichigo who claimed victory.
Grimmjow Fights the Sternritter
About 17 months later, well after Aizen's final defeat, a new threat appeared: the Wandenreich, the hidden Quincy empire. The Soul Reapers had their hands full with this new threat, even when some of the Sternritter turned on each other, and a few familiar Arrancars came to the rescue. First, Nelliel returned in her adult form to fight by Ichigo's side, and then Grimmjow made his reappearance, complete with a new outfit. He still longed to defeat Ichigo in a fair contest of wills, but for now, he'd help fight the Sternritter, since the Quincy empire had conquered Hueco Mundo and thrown it into chaos. Grimmjow even challenged Askin Nak Le Vaar, one of the top Sternritter, and fought him well before going down. Ichigo was impressed.
