Why IchiOri is (and Forever Will Be) One-Sided: Ichigo's Feelings
IchiOris have a difficult time proving Ichigo has feelings for Orihime (no doubt due to the lack of eyesmex, as I mentioned in another post), so they resort to saying that "Ichigo's feelings haven't been revealed yet." To this, I say:
Do you realize what you’re saying when you claim that? Kubo wants to “hide” Ichigo’s feelings from us so that he can have a big reveal at the end. That’s utter nonsense because that’s not how people write. A good writer (as I believe Kubo is) develops characters and relationships, he doesn’t just randomly throw them in at the end.
The fact of the matter is, because the manga is largely from Ichigo’s perspective, we see into Ichigo’s thoughts a lot. When Rukia disappeared, we got flashback after flashback of her leaving, something that upset Ichigo greatly:
He certainly gets upset when Orihime disappears and Yama-ji suggest she is either dead a traitor, but these pained flashbacks of her are missing. The one panel IchiOris think is about Orihime is this one:
But where is Orihime in this panel? Something like this would fit perfectly here:
But...it's not there! The reason for that is because Ichigo isn't thinking about the loss of Orihime in this panel, he's thinking of the loss of the support of his friends. This chapter is called "Eagle without Wings," which IchiOris famously and hilariously suggested was Ichigo without Orihime. Putting aside the fact that saying Orihime is as essential to Ichigo at this point as wings are to an eagle is complete nonsense, the very next chapter, where Ichigo's friends Chad and Ishida join him, is called "Winged Eagles."
IchiOris also love to say that Ichigo freaked out over Orihime being kidnapped and refused to believe she was a traitor, when this is standard Ichigo behavior. In fact, it's standard behavior for anyone when one of their friends is in danger. How do I know that? Because everyone else in the group also freaks out:
Look at how Rukia freaks out in the first panel...and in the second, she is willing to break SS's rules, including the order of the Captain Commander to go rescue Orihime! IchiOris like to make a big deal out of the fact that Ichigo was willing to go against SS...SO?! Did you miss all of the SS arc?! Ichigo literally charged in there and was ready to break any and all rules to rescue Rukia, is it really such a surprise that he wouldn't listen to them telling him not to go after Orihime as well? It's a way bigger deal that Rukia was willing to break the rules. I'm honestly surprised more IchiOri shippers don't multi-ship RukiHime, since by their logic Rukia has secret, un-acknowledged feelings for Orihime.
When Rukia disappears, we get Ichigo's freak-out alone. There is no one else around to make his reaction look like the standard friend reaction.
He talked about how he MUST rescue her in the SS arc over and over again, and everyone wondered how he, who barely knew her for three months, be so dedicated to saving her:
Don’t give me that crap about his “debt” to her, he said himself that he WANTED to save her.
And you can tell it even if he hadn’t from his reaction to winning the fight against Byakuya.
Now compare that with his perspective on Orihime. IchiOris like to say that this arc is about his promise to protect her. That’s interesting, since this promise never comes up again, ever. Not even one little mention in the entire arc. Now isn’t that strange since this promise is supposedly what was driving him, according to some IchiOris? On top of that, people kept questioning his resolve. In SS, no one had trouble believing he was there to save Rukia. But in HM, for some reason his motivations aren’t as clear.
On top of that, he doesn’t have even one inner monologue about Orihime, and how he has to save her under all costs. Isn’t that bizarre, since he’s supposedly so dedicated to protecting her that he especially promised, and only to her (nevermind the fact that she was the only one he actually failed, since he got there too late to help Chad and Tatsuki)? Not once does he mention how he must save her under all costs, not once does he even have a single thought about her.
Well, that’s not quite true. He does think about her a total of one time:
Read that carefully. What is he thinking here? It’s a commentary on her feelings about Ulquiorra’s death. The one time he actually spares her a thought, and it’s an UlquiHime moment.
There have been plenty of hints of Ichigo’s feelings, but IchiOris deny them because all of them are IchiRuki hints. When it comes to Orihime, Ichigo has been polite (as he has with Chad, Nel, and his sisters), he has been protective (as he has with…everyone), and he has made some puppy-dog eyes at her (as he has at Nel and others), but he’s never had any significant moment with her.
With Rukia, on the other hand:
Every time I have presented an IchiOri with this scene, they say, “THEY’RE JUST FRIENDS!!!! THAT’S A FRIENDLY FACE!!! HE’S SAAAAAD!!!!!!!” Please, stop lying to yourselves. Ichigo had never, ever made a face like that for anyone except Rukia. If you think he would have made the same face at Orihime, you are wrong. He doesn’t have a bond like that with Orihime. He didn’t marvel at how strange it was that life went on without her after she disappeared. And Kubo just doesn’t draw scenes like that with Orihime. You can tell yourself that he’s “saving it” for later, but you are going to be waiting a very long time, long after the manga has ended.
Ichigo’s feelings are clear if you’re reading the manga without shipping googles on. The person who he is closest with, the person he needs in his life, the person he is reluctant to part with, the person who dries his rain every time they are reunited, that is the person whom he has feelings for. And it’s not Orihime.