hime

   

Tatsuki's best friend is her classmate Inoue Orihime. Although an attractive and kind (if somewhat dense) girl, Orihime nevertheless had a sad childhood. The whereabouts of her parents are unknown; her elder brother was the only family she had. Orihime's brother meant the world to her, and she would wear her hair long because he loved its warm and beautiful color. Unfortunately, Orihime was a bully magnet in middle school; a group of third year students forcibly cut off her hair, and she told her brother that she wanted a change to avoid telling him the truth. Not long after, her brother died, leaving Orihime completely alone. She became even more quiet and introverted, but the bullying didn't stop – until Tatsuki came along. She berated Orihime for not standing up for herself and started to look out for her. Tatsuki has been her guardian ever since, promising to make hell for anyone who makes Orihime cry. Tatsuki brought Orihime out of her funk, and Orihime was once again able to grow her hair out long. Now, Orihime says, she will always wear her hair long as a testament to her faith in Tatsuki.

Like Tatsuki, Orihime’s spiritual powers began to develop after they were attacked by the Hollow of Orihime's dead brother brother (Volume 1). However, Orihime was found by the ex-Shinigami Urahara and trained, whereas for a long time no one (except Orihime) knew Tatsuki possessed any power at all. Orihime first used her power to fight a Hollow that had attacked Tatsuki and Chizuru at school; remembering how Tatsuki had stood up for her, it was Orihime felt it was her turn to stand up for Tatsuki. From what little has been discussed about Orihime's childhood, it's clear that before meeting Tatsuki she was lonely and unconfident. Meeting Tatsuki not only helped Orihime move on after her brother's death, but also to gain the confidence she needed to stand up and fight for herself. Without Tatsuki, Orihime would never have been able to fight the Hollow at school or survive her ordeal in the Soul Society.

When first introduced, it was immediately clear that Tatsuki and Orihime were opposite personalities. Tatsuki is dry, level-headed, and down-to-earth, whereas Orihime was excitable, bubbly, and something of an air head. However, since being trained in her spiritual powers and fighting with Ichigo, Orihime has lost the ditzy part of her personality. As one of the main characters, she has long had a crush on Ichigo that she has yet to confront him about. Although she doesn't see the appeal herself, Tatsuki tries to support Orihime by telling her that she needs tell him how she feels. She may not be popular with the fans, but Orihime is a sweet girl who has come a long since her first appearance; "Bleach" is just as much of a coming-of-age story for her as it is for the other characters.

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