In the popular manga series Bleach and its subsequent anime adaptation, the villainous Sosuke Aizen leads an army of unmasked Hollows known as the Arrancar against the Soul Society. In this fearsome force that opposes the heroes of the series is an elite group known as the Espada. Ulquiorra Cifer is one of the Espada, one of the ten most powerful Arrancar, who's technically its fourth highest ranked member.
As mysterious as he is deadly, Ulquiorra is the most haunting member of this elite ensemble and especially formidable against Ichigo and his allies. Now, CBR is breaking down everything you need to know about the melancholy villain.
Ulquiorra's History
Unlike most Hollows, who possess a dark complexion, Ulquiorra is pale which causes his fellow Hollows to ostracize him. Preferring a life of isolation over constant ridicule, Ulquiorra largely keeps to himself and wandered the countryside alone lamenting his situation and very existence. Upon finding a skeletal tree, Ulquoirra admired it for its emptiness and collapses into it, breaking his mask as a Hollow.
Some time later, Sosuke comes across Ulquiorra and recruits him into his Arrancar army where he quickly rises through the ranks and becomes an Espada. With each of the Espada representing a different facet of death, Ulquiorra represents emptiness, maintaining a detached, cold perspective and largely unable to comprehend human emotions. With his past antagonistic history with other Hollows, Ulquiorra still usually keeps to himself and has no qualms destroying other Hollows if they interfere with his mission.
Ulquiorra's Powers and Abilities
Like many of his counterparts, Ulquiorra is a master hand-to-hand combatant and an especially gifted swordsman, often gouging his opponents in the chest in the same general location as his own Hollow. What really sets Ulquiorra apart from the other Espada is his blindingly fast speed, and he moves so quickly that even Ichigo has trouble tracking his movements. Like his fellow Espada, Ulquiorra possesses hardened skin, can project visual images, can track spiritual energy and fire pale green energy blasts. Rather than vastly augment his strength like most Arrancar, Ulquiorra instead decided to focus his energies in developing an especially accelerated healing factor which he uses to great effect.
When releasing his true potential to transform, Ulquiorra takes on a bat-like form aptly named Murcielago. In this state, Ulguiorra grows two leathery wings with all his already incredible abilities receiving a power boost including the ability to use his energy blasts to hail down like a destructive rain or form lances. Ulquiorra can further transform into a second stage of this state, granting him an additional power boost and a long tail that he uses to whip and strangle his opponents.
Ulquiorra's Role in Bleach
Ulquiorra is one of the first Arrancar introduced in the series, as he tracks down Ichigo with Yammy Riyalgo on Sosuke's orders. The two choose not to kill Ichigo after witnessing his power level, though Ulquiorra speculates that Ichigo may become a serious threat in time and vows to kill himself if necessary s.
Over the course of the series, Ulquiorra continues to serve Sosuke and maintains his position as Ichigo's superior when the two fight again. During an epic battle with the Soul Reavers at Las Noches, Ulquiorra fights Ichigo one last time, this time using his full power. Initially believing that he has defeated Ichigo yet again, Ichigo transforms into a semi-Hollow state and mortally wounds Ulquiorra by targeting the one area he cannot fully regenerate: his internal organs. After Ichigo refuses his request to finish him off, Ulquiorra quietly begins to comprehend human emotions with his dying breath before his body crumbles and blows away in the wind.