The hit anime series Bleach may be packed with action scenes between Soul Reapers and Hollows, but there's more to it than that. Fans also love this series because the shonen hero Ichigo Kurosaki has a good heart despite his aloof, punkish attitude, and suitably, he forms heartfelt friendships with Uryu Ishida, a Quincy, and Yasutora "Chad" Sado.
These friendships mean a lot, but which of them is more consequential? Ichigo relies heavily on both of these friends (and others) in battle, such as during the Hueco Mundo invasion arc, but it could be said that Ichigo's friendship with Uryu is even more essential than his friendship with Chad. This isn't to say that Chad is unimportant, though.
Chad Sado Provides A Helping Hand To Ichigo
Ichigo's first major friendship was with Chad who, like Ichigo, had a great deal of strength but refused to abuse it (after a point). In Chad's youth, while he lived in Mexico with his grandfather Oscar, Chad was bitter, alone and felt rather lost, so he took it out on others and bullied the neighborhood kids with his formidable strength. This was when Chad was taught the true meaning of strength by his grandfather; the conviction to stand up for what's right and to prevent harm from falling upon others. Chad learned this lesson well and realized that he must use his strong body to shield others, rather than harm them. But after Oscar died, Chad was all alone again.
Fast forward a few years, and Chad was back in his birthplace, Japan, where he carried on his grandfather's teachings, even when classmate bullies tormented him by the river. Ichigo saw this scene and rushed over to help, knocking out the thugs and extending the hand of friendship to the tall, silent Chad, who had taken a beating without complaint. Ichigo swore that he and Chad would look out for one another, and Ichigo agreed that misused strength was no strength at all.
This new friendship cheered Chad up a great deal and reaffirmed his heartfelt lesson. But other than that, Ichigo and Chad were really just confirming their worldviews with each other, nothing more. Ichigo's most consequential and symbolic friendship was still ahead of him.
Ichigo Built Bridges With The Quincy
Ichigo, by the time he was halfway through his first year of high school, entered the world of Soul Reapers and Hollows at last when Rukia Kuchiki lent him her powers and transformed him into a Soul Reaper himself. Ichigo truly had the power to protect his friends from Hollows and the like, but he wasn't the only Hollow hunter around. Uryu Ishida had formidable spiritual powers too, and at first, he was determined to live up to the Quincy/Soul Reaper rivalry and show Ichigo who was boss. It didn't take long, though, for Uryu to realize that despite his personal distaste for Ichigo, the two of them were better off as allies than enemies. Ichigo felt the same way, though his tsundere streak prevented him from speaking out about it.
This friendship practically formed itself, and it was a historic first in the modern era. Uryu wanted to hate the Soul Reapers because of the fate of his beloved grandfather, but he soon realized that hate toward the Soul Reapers would get him exactly nowhere. Ichigo wasn't to blame for Soken Ishida's fate, and neither were most Soul Reapers in general (only Captain Kurotsuchi could be blamed).
Ichigo and Uryu were almost ambassadors of their respective sides to each other, and Uryu ended up on Ichigo's team when the time came to storm the Soul Society to rescue Rukia. The same happened when the gang needed to rescue Orihime from the palace of Las Noches.
Uryu had even been told by his father not to "associate with the Soul Reapers anymore," but in fact, Ryuken was an associate and a loose ally to Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father and himself a Soul Reaper in disguise. The Quincy and Soul Reapers were slowly reconciling, and Ichigo's and Uryu's friendship led the way.
Of course, this sentiment didn't extend to the Wandenreich, the hidden empire of pure Quincy and Sternritter, but those Quincy were the enemy, beyond all redemption. Uryu represented the true future of the Quincy, and it was all thanks to the brave steps he and Ichigo took to join hands and face true evil together. Both boys, and their respective sides, ended up better for it.
