Bleach confirms Ichigo's first friend is a traitor

The Quincy attack puts Ichigo's Quincy friend Uryu in a dilemma, as if he's finally made up his mind on whose side to take.

Warning: Spoilers for Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Episodes 12 & 13

Recent events in Bleach have shaken Uryu quite a bit, and his entire world has been turned upside down by the news that Quincy still exists. Torn between his allegiance to his friends and people, Uryu has struggled for a while with what to do now, and the midseason finale's post-credits scene has now made it clear that he won't be on Ichigo's side this time around.

Oolong believes his family is the last of Quincy's, and that he himself may well be the last Quincy to be born. He was warned to stay away from Shinigami, but finally befriends Ichigo who is far from ordinary Shinigami. Despite the horrible things soul reapers like Mayuri did to his people, Oolong still worked with Ichigo to defeat the menace that threatened humanity and the Soulworld, helping them indirectly on many occasions. However, his father has always been against this, and it is for this reason that Oolong was reluctant to be involved with the broken face at the beginning of the season.

In the midseason finale of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Uryu is Shown at Quincy Fort, close to Yhwach. Uryu is welcomed as a comrade in arms, and Yhwach states that they will now fight together. That concludes the episode, with dramatic reveals hanging in the balance for the rest of the season. This is the culmination of Uryu's (little) arc this season. He remembered his father's order not to get involved with the Soul Reaper, and chose once. He finds a book in his father's study about the Quincy family's past in Reaper, who actually died 1,000 years ago instead of just 200 years ago. Considering this revelation seems to be the decisive factor which leads Uryu to this new path, against Ichigo and his other friends.

Uryu's Not Wrong to Side Against Bleach's Soul Society

The exact nature of the conflict between the Soul Reaper and Quincy in Reaper was unclear for a long time. The Soul Reapers sound like they can't reason with Quincy, and the damage they've done to the cycle of reincarnation by destroying hollow souls is too great for them to continue. Judging by everything revealed throughout the season, However, it is clear that nothing is so clear-cut. The way the world works doesn't seem all that good to anyone; Soulworld is full of impoverished souls living a miserable afterlife, apart from being separated forever from family and friends now. Humans live and die at the urge of beings far more powerful than they are, and the Quincy family is the only exception to that fact simply because they are capable of doing something about it. However, Yhwach and his Quincy are very different today than they were in the past. Compared with the soul world, Yulong may regret getting involved with them more.

Whether or not this is the right move, Uryu of Bleach seems to have made up his mind, and given the way Yhwach treats his other followers, there probably won't be much chance of defecting. With Uryu and Ichigo turning against each other is upon us, Bleach fans can only hope that the pair walk away safe and sound.

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