Bleach Fantasy II Round 2: Uryu Ishida vs. Hope Estheim

Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Fantasy II where MechG & I once again collaborate on pitting the world of Bleach & the various installments of the Final Fantasy franchise. Last week, the first victory went Final Fantasy (FF leads 1-0 against Bleach), but many things can happen. Like MechG said, Bleach Fantasy II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My daily schedule of Affinity, Watch-list, WBCR, & Throwback posts will be the same as always (if delayed, posts will be on weekends). Without further ado, let's get started on Bleach Fantasy II Round 2 ~ Uryu Ishida vs. Hope Estheim. Take into account that Storyline and Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors. MechG & I will switch-off ever 3 rounds in giving the verdict. Let's jam! 

Storyline (Uryu)

Uryu Ishida is/was considered the title "The Last Quincy" for being a rare breed, an enemy of the Shinigami. This dates back to his father, who was fond of loathing Shinigami (EX: Isshin) as well as his Grandfather, Soken, who was killed by hollows and dissected by Mayuri Kurotsuchi because the reinforcements from the Shinigami came too later (under orders from Mayuri). Since then, Uryu has harbored a specific hatred for Shinigami and wants to prove that the Quincy are a superior race unbeknownst to him of the origins of the Shinigami & Quincy (later would be told). Uryu attends the same school as Ichigo and since learning of his Shinigami powers (from Rukia), Uryu treats him coldly and believes he is a nuisance, disgrace, and a mockery of Shinigami. It wouldn't be long before Uryu befriends Ichigo, but still they bicker over disputes amongst each kind. Uryu's hatred for Shinigami is personified in his merciless killing of hollows, but later - Uryu warms up to the Shinigami as not all are bad. He soon joins Ichigo alongside Chad, Orihime, Rukia, & Renji in fighting off various enemies (EX: Jirobo, Mayuri, Cirucci, & Tsukishima) before embarking on his own, alongside Yhwach, in eliminating the Shinigami for unclear purposes. Apart from being part of Team Ichigo, Uryu is notable as being the 2nd strongest member of their team and as a Quincy, is knowledgable and calculative when it comes to fighting his opponents. Currently, he's partaking in a war between the Quincy & the Shinigami. 

Storyline (Hope)

Hope Estheim’s story starts with a vacation with his mother, Nora in the city of Bodhum to see the annual fireworks display. While vacationing in Bodhum, they were unaware of PSICOM’s discovery of the Pulse Fal’Cie, Anima and they were forced to join on the Purge train. There, they were accompanied by a girl named Vanille. During the Purge train breakout, Hope escaped with Vanille while his mother stayed behind to fight PSICOM alongside the resistance group NORA and their leader Snow. Tragically, Hope’s mother died after saving Snow’s life from a heavy PSICOM attack, causing Hope to hold a grudge on Snow. After being branded a l’Cie, Hope follows Lightning and pleads with her to train him to be stronger. After controlling the Eidolon, Odin, Lightning reluctantly agrees to take Hope under her tutelage and the two would form some of sort of bond as they reached his hometown of Palumpolum. Simultaneously, Hope would attempt to exact revenge for his mother’s death on Snow, but it was cut short after both he and Snow were pinned down by PSICOM. Hope would put his grudge aside after Snow rescued him from a fall. After the battle with Barthandelus and Orphan in Eden, Hope participated in relief efforts in helping the Cocoon residence adapt to Gran Pulse’s surroundings. He then furthered his intelligence to become the leader of the Academy, an organization dedicated to rebuilding society as a whole and reviving Cocoon from its crystal pillar. Hope aided Serah and Noel in their adventure across the timeline to find Lightning and to solve a series of paradoxes while still retaining his top priority of reviving Cocoon. Centuries after Gran Pulse merged with Valhalla in a sea of Chaos, Hope becomes a symbol for mankind and makes a pact with Noel and Snow to protect the people until judgement day. Eventually, Hope goes missing and becomes Bhunivelze’s puppet, stripped of his personality and emotions. He becomes Lightning’s aid onboard the Ark once Lightning awoke from crystal stasis to save the world within 13 days. After Lightning frees Hope’s soul from Bhunivelze’s grasp, Hope comes to her aid along with Snow, Serah, Vanille, Fang, and Noel to dispatch Bhunivelze once and for all and ensuring the creation of the new world.

Powers/Abilities (Uryu)

Uryu, when it comes to his bow and arrows, is precise, much like a marksman. He is able to stand on par with Captain class Shinigami Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Espada Yammy, and Bount Yoshi. Next to Ichigo, Uryu is the 2nd strongest member of Ichigo's group. What makes Uryu such a formidable opponent is his ability to discern, much like Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho, opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Prime examples was figuring on former Espada Cirucci Sanderwicci's attack patterns when in her Resurreccion, Bount Yoshi's abilities in her Doll, or planning ahead a booby trap for Espada Yammy. Uryu was at his strongest when he fought Mayuri, but since then, he's grown stronger, mastering Reishi absorption, Hirenkyaku (speed), Ginto (similar to Kido), and is versatile in the utilization of his bows and arrows. Uryu, however, has had his fair share of losses - Kaname Tosen & the 4th Espada, Ulquiorra. As a proud Quincy, Uryu prides himself in his abilities and it clearly showcases that he isn't someone to underestimate, considering he holds the highest title in the Sternritter. 

Powers/Abilities (Hope)

It’s pretty easy to put Hope as the weakest character among FFXIII’s “sinister six (technically they’re not sinister at all).” He possesses the lowest strength stats possible, but his high magic stats make up for his weak strength stats. He has the highest magic stats out of all the characters, able to learn the highest level of elemental magic (ex: Firaga, Thundaga, Waterga, Blizzaga). The three Paradigm roles Hope excels in are: Ravager (magic-based attacks), Synergist (stat buffing), and Medic (healing). As a Synergist, Hope can cast defensive-based stat buffs on the party or on himself like Protect and Shell and he can cast Haste. His ATB skill, Last Resort is a Ravager-type ATB Skill that deals significant non-elemental magic damage. His weapon of choice is a boomerang that he can use for close combat or from long range. His Eidolon, Alexander is one of the strongest Eidolons in XIII, possessing a full arsenal of weapons that deal immense physical damage. In XIII-2, since Hope possesses great intellect and leadership skills storyline-wise, it can be safe to assume he can use that as an advantage in battle.  

Verdict (By MechG)

And the winner is...

Oh boy, let’s just get this out of the way will we? Since “hate” is a strong word, Stillmattic is not a big fan Uryu, I am not a big fan of Hope. Let’s do this quickly. Personally, evaluating both characters, I originally wanted to give it to Uryu because I totally don’t want to contradict any of my points from evaluating him as the victor over Kung Lao in the Bleach Kombat collab. But in terms of how both Hope and Uryu developed as characters storyline-wise, Uryu is a lot one-dimensional compared to how Hope developed in the XIII trilogy and I think that’s what sets Hope apart from Uryu. Don’t get me wrong, I still think Hope is one of the most useless characters that I’ve ever used in the FF franchise (my personal opinion), but his character growth from being a weak and incompetent little brat to a young man with great intellect and leadership skills can’t be overlooked. From XIII to Lightning Returns, Hope’s role in the storyline just gradually increased to the point he was actually relevant. In terms of powers/abilities, I think Hope’s ability to cast high-tier dark magic spells (Ravager) and defensive-minded white magic spells (Medic and Synergist) is able to offset most of Uryu’s projectile attacks. Not to mention, Hope has the luxury of having a brute in Alexander as his Eidolon, one of the stronger Summons in the FF series. I was close to giving it to Uryu, but Hope just offered more in my eyes and that’s why takes the cake here.

So who do you think won this matchup? Uryu Ishida from Bleach or Hope Estheim from Final Fantasy XIII-Lighting Return? Comment below and let us know. Reiterating again, Bleach Fantasy Round II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays w/MechG & I interchanging every 3rd matchups on giving the verdict. Bleach Fantasy Round II standings (2-0):

1) Yoruichi Shihoin vs. Prishe ~ Final Fantasy
2) Uryu Ishida vs. Hope Estheim ~ Final Fantasy

P.S. There'll be Back-to-Back WBCRs since I was unable post last week's review. Until then, stay classy as always!