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The are a fictional sect of exorcists in the Manga and Anime series '' Bleach ''. Originally a mixture of survivors of Hollow attacks and those who'd lost loved ones to hollows, the Quincy developed a variety of supernatural powers to hunt and kill hollows before they attacked humans (and to destroy those who already had), including the ability to control spiritual energy. The Quincy are nearly extinct due to extermination by the '' Shinigami '' about 200 years before the main ''Bleach'' storyline. At present, the only known living Quincy are Uryū Ishida and his father, Ryūken Ishida . OVERVIEW Unlike the ''shinigami'', who use a sword as their primary weapon, the Quincy's weapon of choice is a bow. It is constructed from spiritual particles drawn from their surroundings, also unlike the ''shinigami'', who rely on their own innate spiritual energy. (As a reflection of this, Quincies have white spirit threads like normal humans, while ''shinigami'' have red spirit threads.) Flashbacks in the anime show earlier Quincy using Longbow s or Crossbow s and firing spiritual arrows from them. Quincy bows are summoned using an artifact called a Quincy Cross. The only limit to a Quincy's ability to create and fire arrows is their own stamina and ability to absorb ambient spirit particles. Quincy also have various tools and battle aides that can increase their power or serve as secondary weapons. Another contrast between the ''shinigami'' and the Quincy are their methods. While ''shinigami'' purify hollows, thus preserving the balance of souls between the two worlds, the Quincy destroy hollows, former soul and all. In doing so, the balance between the worlds is slowly tipped towards one side, endangering both worlds. This danger led to a Quincy-''shinigami'' war, which ended in victory for the ''shinigami'' and the deaths of many Quincy. The Quincy line was closely monitored over the decades, as their numbers continued to dwindle. Later Quincy advanced the idea that since they were already among the living and still more numerous at the time, they could act as "first responders" to hollow attacks, protecting humans until the less-numerous ''shinigami'' could send a representative to finish the hollow off. Embittered by the recent war, the ''shinigami'' refused to participate, opting instead to allocate their limited resources to reacting to the most dangerous hollows and current hollow attacks. This caused great enmity towards ''shinigami'' by Uryū Ishida , Ichigo's classmate and a Quincy, whose grandfather (the last advocate of the Quincy plan) had been slain by a team of hollows before the ''shinigami'' could arrive. The final point of contrast between Quincy and ''shinigami'' is their respective choice of uniform. While the ''shinigami'' wear traditional, black, flowing hakama, the Quincy wear white, form-fitting, high-collared tunics. These bear some resemblance both to Mandarin Chinese dress and to the Cassock s of Catholic priests. This gives the Quincy a distinctly "foreign" or "Western" style compared with the ''shinigami''. One peculiar recurring motif of Quincy is that of a Cross , which appears frequently on their uniforms and artifacts. The cross is not the same shape among all Quincy (e.g. Uryū uses a Celtic Cross , while Ryūken uses a Pentacle ). There is also a six-pointed cross that appears on the back of Uryū's Quincy tunic. In the Christian church of the late Roman era and early Dark Ages, the Latin Cross had not yet come to dominate church imagery, and all three of these symbols would have been in use. This, combined with their attitude and goals, gives the Quincy much in common with medieval Knight s, or, more specifically, Crusader s. While the differences between Quincy and ''shinigami'' in costume and iconography are minor compared to the differences in weaponry and ideology, a few chapter cover images have exploited the black/white contrast to create a Yin-yang motif, most notably chapter 189, "Resolve". KNOWN QUINCIES
Ryūken is the son of Sōken Ishida and father of Uryū Ishida . The Director of Karakura Hospital, he is also known as the last Quincy , a status contested by his son. He appears to be a cold, work-oriented man, and is estranged from both his father and son. Ryūken detests being a Quincy on the grounds that it does not enable one to make a proper living, and would rather focus on saving the living instead of the dead. He even goes so far as to state that the Quincy would become extinct once Sōken's generation died out, urging Uryū not to follow in his grandfather's footsteps.''Bleach'' manga; chapter 124, page 06-07. This makes him relatively unusual among the ''Bleach'' characters aware of the spiritual world, who generally give it higher priority than the living world. Strangely enough, Ryūken also shares a relationship with Isshin Kurosaki not unlike that of their sons. He comments on Isshin's newly regained powers when the latter pays him a visit, and the two exchange banter about their sons and parenting styles. Kisuke Urahara also appears to know who and what he is. Even though Ryūken scorns his status as a Quincy, he dresses in white and his tie has blue crosses all over it, an obvious reference to the Quincy cross. During the anime's Bount arc, there are blue crosses all over the floors and walls of Ryūken's hospital, as well. Sōken suggests to Uryū in flashback that he has hidden motives the boy does not understand yet. Ryūken also helps to restore Uryū's lost Quincy powers on the condition that he never associate himself with '' Shinigami '' again, even if they were his friends. To Uryū's surprise, despite his lack of enthusiasm for the Quincy Clan, Ryūken is extremely powerful. His skill level as a Quincy surpasses that of his son, who is considered a genius by the avid Quincy researcher Mayuri Kurotsuchi .''Bleach'' manga; chapter 124, page 4 In fact, he possesses all the Skills And Techniques known to the Quincy, having inherited his father's power and his Quincy Cross.Bleach Episode 110. When he first appeared as a combatant during the Arrancar arc, Ryūken defeated two incomplete Arrancar with three shots: one to rescue Uryū, and one to kill each arrancar. He has also constructed a secret training chamber underneath Karakura Hospital which hides spiritual energy.''Bleach'' manga; chapter 186, page 11. Like all Quincy, Ryūken uses a bow as his primary weapon. He also has detailed knowledge about Hollows and their abilities, such as high speed regeneration. Unlike other Quincy seen thus far, however, Ryūken is capable of willfully changing the size of his bow and can fire multiple shots at once. He can also fire arrows one-handed and at rapid-speed. His bow is white, rather than blue.''Bleach'' manga; chapter 186, page 1 (sidetext). In the anime, it has a more metallic look to it and is solid, compared to most Quincy bows. Ryūken uses a Pentacle to create his bow, although the artifact is still called the .''Bleach'' manga; chapter 186, page 8.
The mentor of his son, Ryūken, and grandson, Uryū, Sōken (born March 22 ) was a kind old man whom Uryū admired. He preached an unusual variant of Quincy philosophy advocating cooperation with the Shinigami, so that the Quincy could operate as a first-response squad, defending humans while they waited for the ''shinigami'' to arrive. Sōken was killed by hollows while ''shinigami'' forces were purposely held back by Mayuri Kurotsuchi so he could study Sōken's soul for his research. His death is the primary reason Uryū hates the ''shinigami'', although after learning of the conspiracy Uryū's hatred has become less for ''shinigami'' in general than for Mayuri in particular. COMBAT Unlike ''shinigami'', who use their inner spiritual power to fight, the Quincy fuel their abilities by absorbing the spiritual energy of their surroundings. They primarily absorb spiritual energy from the atmosphere, and have an easier time collecting this energy in environments with higher concentrations of spiritual particles, such as Soul Society or Hueco Mundo . To a sufficiently powerful Quincy, there is no difference between spiritual particles and spiritual energy as a source of power. The Quincy can also use the energy they gather, or use silver tubes filled with spiritual energy (''gintō''), to perform various offensive, support, and defensive techniques similar to the ''shinigami'' '' Kidō ''. A Quincy's power can be significantly enhanced using the glove. A Quincy needs to complete a week of intense training in order to be able to use the glove. The glove operates by repelling spirit particles, making it far more difficult for the Quincy to summon their bow. Any Quincy who is able to successfully utilize their powers while wearing the glove can thus reach much higher levels of power. This training is also the basis for the Quincy final form. A Quincy who wears the ''sanrei'' glove may remove it in desperate cases, entering a state known as the Quincy final form. By removing the artificial repulsion to spiritual energy that the glove placed on them, the Quincy will experience an abrupt increase in power, along with a change in appearance. While in this form, the Quincy will absorb energy from their surroundings at such an alarming rate that they can actually deconstruct spiritual objects. In such a state, the Quincy is able to fight with extreme strength and speed, and can completely overwhelm an average ''shinigami'' Captain . However, the final form is a double-edged sword, as no human body is capable of handling the immense power the form comes with. After a short period of use, the Quincy's body will forcibly seal itself off from all spiritual power in self-preservation, effectively robbing the Quincy of their abilities. The final form is only used as a last resort because even though it is possible to regain Quincy powers afterwards, the process is exceedingly dangerous. The only way for a Quincy to regain their powers after using the final form is to first exhaust themselves both mentally and physically, then be hit exactly 19 mm to right of their heart with a spirit arrow. After this, a pentacle-shaped scar will form on the point of impact, and their powers will be restored.''Bleach'' manga; chapter 226, page 15 Quincy items The Quincy possess numerous artifacts and equipment which help them in different ways. Below are the ones that have been shown:
Silver tube techniques A list of techniques that utilize silver tubes (''gintō''):
Quincy techniques To go with their bow, the Quincy have a number of special techniques to give them an edge in combat:
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