The story of Bleach has a huge and very diverse cast of characters, and the shonen hero Ichigo Kurosaki has a squad of friends he'd risk his life for. His classmates include Orihime Inoue, Uryu Ishida and Yasutora "Chad" Sado, and they have grown very close. In fact, some romantic feelings have blossomed between them, and Orihime is right at the center of it.
Orihime looks up to Ichigo as her hero and protector, and she has given him her heart, though for the longest time, she had a tough time speaking up about it. Uryu, meanwhile, definitely had a soft spot for his gentle friend Orihime, and all things considered, Ichigo and Uryu would each be a great match for her. Who should be Orihime's soulmate, and why?
10 Ichigo Is Better: Opposites Attract
Ichigo and Orihime play off each other fairly well, and Ichigo has almost as much chemistry with Orihime as he does with Rukia Kuchiki. Ichigo and Rukia are similar for both being hard-headed, while Ichigo's tough demeanor contrasts nicely with Orihime's gentle disposition.
They are like two halves of the same whole, and Ichigo's stern personality can be softened somewhat when he's around Orihime, meaning he becomes better-rounded when he is with her. It's good to see more than one side of Ichigo like that, and Orihime brings out the best in him.
9 Uryu: Sewing Master
On a light note, Uryu is quite good at sewing, and he has a steady, practiced hand with threads and needles. He was mainly seen sewing things early in the series just for fun, but even by the end of the Soul Society arc, he was still at it.
Uryu fashioned new clothes for all his friends, and Orihime volunteered to deliver a hand-made dress for her friend Rukia. It would be a lot of fun to watch charming fluff scenes where Uryu and Orihime have fun tailoring stylish clothes for each other and browsing tailor shops together.
8 Ichigo: He Risked It All For Her
Ichigo infiltrated the Soul Society to save Rukia's life, and before long, he did the same thing in the harsh desert of Hueco Mundo retrieve Orihime from the grip of the traitor Sosuke Aizen. Ichigo defied the will of the entire Soul Society to go rescue her.
Seeing how far Ichigo went and how much he risked to save Orihime's life, it makes sense that they would end up together, rather than just have Orihime say "thank you!" and go her own way. After all this, they're inseparable.
7 Uryu: He Gets Charmingly Flustered
For the most part, Uryu is stoic and calm, and he is the classic goody two-shoes type with glasses and a bookish personality. But when he's around Orihime, he tends to get flustered and becomes much more expressive. Like Ichigo, he shows another side to himself when his good friend Orihime is around.
More than once, Uryu went cherry-red when Orihime did or said something around him, such as that time she absent-mindedly started to get changed right in front of Uryu. Chemistry like that can go a long way.
6 Ichigo: The Almost-Kiss Scene
Partway through the Arrancar arc, Orihime was cornered by Ulquiorra Schiffer, who demanded that she turn herself in to Aizen as a prisoner of war. Until then, though, she could say good-bye to one person, and she chose Ichigo out of all her friends. Not even Tatsuki herself ranked above Ichigo in Orihime's mind.
Ichigo was already asleep, so Orihime took this chance to confess all of her pent-up feelings to give herself some closure, and she very nearly kissed Ichigo until drawing back at the last second. But that wouldn't be the last time she got so close to him.
5 Uryu: She Was His Soul Society Partner
During the Soul Society arc, the four friends joined a few locals such as Yoruichi Shihoin and Ganju Shiba, then split up into smaller groups. Ichigo went with Yoruichi, while Uryu kept Orihime close by his side, eager to protect her from the Soul Reapers.
They made a great team together, and they both stole Soul Reaper robes and walked in broad daylight to fool everyone around them. And when Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi attacked, Uryu fiercely camed to Orihime's defense, risking it all to keep the Captain away.
4 Ichigo: He Saved Orihime's Brother's Soul
Orihime once had a much older brother named Sora Inoue, who looked after her when their parents exited the picture (the manga and anime differ on the details). Sora lost his life one day, and his anguished soul eventually turned into a Hollow.
Sora became known as Acidwire, and he returned home to try and devour Orihime's soul, until Ichigo intercepted him and drove him off. Ichigo finally defeated Sora and gave his soul peace, and in so doing, helped Orihime get some closure, too.
3 Uryu: He's A Bit Lonely
Uryu Ishida has some family, but that isn't saying a lot. His father Ryuken wants nothing to do with the Quincy tribe anymore, and Uryu lost his grandfather Soken Ishida years ago. For years, Uryu largely kept to himself, a lone Quincy in a world that didn't understand him.
He was a bit lonely at school too, but all that changed when he got closer to Orihime and realized how special she was to him. Now, if he could get together with her romantically, he wouldn't have to face another lonely day ever again.
2 Ichigo: He Married Her
This is a big one. In the manga's final chapter, it is revealed that Orihime and Ichigo decided to give up their adventuring days for good and settle down. After all, Yhwach and the Sternritter had been defeated, so it was time to savor the peace.
Ichigo and Orihime made a happy household in the years following their victory, and they were the very image of domestic bliss, as Rukia and Renji Abarai saw for themselves when they visited. Orihime even had a son with Ichigo, the young Kazui Kurosaki.
1 Uryu: Complementing Personalities
Orihime's bright, carefree personality plays well off of Ichigo's punkish attitude, but Orihime's bubbly ways might contrast even better with Uryu's own personality. Uryu is calculating, confident and a bit high-strung, and he can get rather tense at times. He might even lose perspective.
But not if Orihime is his best friend or girlfriend. Orihime helps counter-balance the heaviness in Uryu's thoughts, and her spontaneous, fun-loving personality is the right contrast and counter-balance for Uryu's own personality. This gives them strong chemistry.