If there's one thing The Big 3 have in common, is that their worlds are populated by a vast assortment of interesting characters. Some are good, some are evil, and are somewhere in between. You'll definitely find all three in Bleach. The globally popular series by Tite Kubo has given the anime community dozens of quirky characters. Now, fans will see these characters again once the final season arrives.
Unfortunately, there are some characters who won't be returning. And one of those characters is the ghostly pale Ulquiorra Cifer. The monotoned Arrancar sadly dissipated away just when he discovered a ray of hope in his dim world. While he may be gone, his memory will live on through these 10 amazing cosplays!
10 A Grey Area
Ulquiorra lives in a perpetual state of sadness, his existence mired by a vast sea of loneliness. Through his eyes, he sees no color or joy, only grey and misery. This cosplay by SmartCasualTrousers captures Ulquiorra's melancholic mentality so closely. The photo, taken by SmartCasualTrousers's own cousin Finking-Mansblonde shows SmartCasualTrouser standing in front of what looks to be a tombstone.
A fitting addition since before he became an Arrancar, Ulquiorra was a Hollow, a creature that consumes living and deceased human souls. Did you know this is actually a gender-bent cosplay? That's how close SmartCasualTrousers's cosplay looks to the character!
9 Winter Underworld
Here's another gender-bent cosplay you didn't know was genderbent until it was brought up. Ulquiorra is known amongst his fellow Arrancar for his cold, calculating, and heartless nature. This cosplay by Laraiya Hunter looks appropriately melancholic. The location was chosen brilliantly.
It was clear Laraiya Hunter put a lot of thought into the location as the snowy background quite literally reflects Ulquiorra's ice-cold nature. Laraiya Hunter needs to be commended for her pure dedication. It must have been freezing out there and yet she still managed to pull off a strong, cool pose. Pun intended.
8 Look into my eyes
Spanish cosplayer Xhiraira decided to take this selfie to emphasize one of Ulquiorra's most overlooked features, his big green eyes. Those eyes shine so gloriously that they look like big jade gemstones.
Xhiraira didn't just focus her efforts entirely on the eyes. She also made sure to include small details such as the remains of Ulquiorra's hollow mask and the cascading teal lines that give the impression he's always crying.
7 Side by Side
Spirit Gun! No, wait, wrong attack. The cold-hearted Espada's arsenal contains many dangerous attacks. One that you really don't want to get hit by would be his Cero attack. Russian cosplay akage_roy pays homage to this destructive attack beautifully. The glaring green special effects look so convincing that if this wasn't fake, you would probably be running away by now.
The special effects definitely compensate for the lack of Zanpakuto. akage_roy looks ready to unleash a devastating attack, exactly like when Ulquiorra faced off against series protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki.
6 Wholly Hole
"I'm pretty sure there's a hole where his heart should be." - Itsuka Kendo (My Hero Academia)
Ulquiorra has no heart, literally and metaphorically. Without a heart, the Espada cannot feel any emotions. In fact, Ulquiorra does not even comprehend emotions at all. You can really connect to Ulquiorra's lack of feelings when you gaze upon this image featuring cosplayer Levi.
The faint smoke effects and white background are excellent visual additions to the image. They really accentuate the utter despair and nihilism that permeate Ulquiorra's bleak existence. Levi posing with his eyes closed looks so eerily similar to Ulquiorra trying to feel his own heart that we can't tell the difference between the two.
5 Walk in the Mist
This photo by Margo is astounding and the cosplay by Hannah is equally amazing. Their combined efforts encapsulate the mindset of Ulquiorra. Despite being in a group of fellow Arrancar who've undergone similar experiences as him, Ulquiorra still chooses to walk the path of a lone wolf.
The visual edits really emphasize Ulquiorra's lone wolf mentality. The mists were a nice addition as well. If you press the right arrow on the image you can also find Выбравшая тьму cosplaying as Orihime Inoue, the only person in his life that truly means something to him.
4 "Her heart was... right in my hands"
Hannah and Выбравшая тьму appear again! Only this time they now share the image. Ulquiorra and Orihime have a very complex relationship. Initially, Ulquiorra only saw Orihime as her captive. He held no sliver of emotion for Orihime since she's an ally to his enemies. But, as he was dissipating away, he finally understood what a heart truly was. And it was because of Orihime. This image by these two skilled cosplayers is a poignant tribute to that exact moment when Ulquiorra saw Orihime as the first person to bring hope into his dreadful existence. Their physical closeness references Orihime telling Ulquiorra that she's no longer afraid of him.
3 Second Stage Resurrection, Engaged
Of course, this list wouldn't be complete if Ulquiorra's Second Stage Resurrection wasn't included. To celebrate the return of the Bleach anime, Italian cosplayer Kaede Shiranui Cosplay decided to dress up as Ulquiorra in his Second Stage form. She did a spectacular job of recreating the Arrancar's demonic appearance.
The horns stand menacingly upwards, the wings are black like Ulquiorra's soul, and she even tried recreating the hole in the Arrancar's chest. Furthermore, the cosplay looks even more visually impressive when paired with those colorful lights and smoke effects. Feel free to head on over to her Instagram page to see more of her outstanding work.
2 Electrifying
Cosplayer Anna Rammsteiner and photographer Alexandra Moroz pool their skills together to bring you this electrifying work of art. This is hands down one of the most visually impressive cosplay photos on this list. Alexandra Moroz has recreated Ulquiorra's Lance of the Lightning attack in spectacular detail. It looks so faithful to the anime.
This is what Ulquiorra and his lightning attack would look like if the live-action Bleach film ever receives a sequel and it introduces him. These two artists must be commended for their great efforts. Make sure to check out more of their other works on their Instagram pages.
1 Undead Lancer
Finishing off the list is another Second Stage Ressurection cosplay, one by 4 espada cosplay. You see that green scepter he's holding? That's Ulquiorra's Lance of Lightning after it has formed into its actual lance form. While the green color is a bit darker than the one seen in the anime, it still looks great.
His cosplay looks equally amazing and it's evident he put a lot of time and effort into crafting the wings. The black background is a wise choice, as the dark shadows really accentuate the eerie green glow of the lance.