Michael B. Jordan's interview claiming Ulqiorra from Bleach as his favorite anime villain resurfaces

Bleach, considered one of the big three shonen series, has gained recognition internationally, as evidenced by the fact that American actor Michael B. Jordan is a huge fan. In an interview, he stated that his favorite anime villain is Ulqiorra from Bleach and a clip of the same has been doing the rounds on social media.

Ulquiorra is one of the fan favorites, mostly due to the complexities of his character. In retrospect, for an actor who has also performed in the role of a complex villain and received the same kind of love from fans, the choice seems obvious.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga.

"He's my guy" - Michael B. Jordan shared his love for the Bleach villain Ulquiorra Cifer

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In an interview with Rooster Teeth in 2019, Michael B. Jordan was asked about his favorite anime villain. While the actor could not recall the character's name, he did mention that it was the fourth Arrancar, indicating that he knew exactly who he was talking about. He was referring to the villain from Bleach, Ulquiorra Cifer, a key member of the Espada.

He said:

"He's my guy because first, four is my favorite number. When Ichigo was fighting all the Arrancar and they got to him — when he transformed into this winged beast — I remember this fight and the first time Ichigo let his Hollow side really take over and he went on a rampage. I remember that battle being super epic."

Jordan himself played the role of a villain named Killmonger in the 2018 Marvel superhero film Black Panther, and he also appeared in its 2022 sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He has lent his voice to the character of Julian Chase in the animated television series Gen:LOCK as well.

The 36-year-old actor clearly loves anime and revealed his top five anime recommendations, which include One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, and Hunter X Hunter. He also revealed that his latest film, Creed III, contains anime influences.

Who is Ulqiorra?

Ulquiorra Cifer as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Ulquiorra is one of the most interesting villains who first appeared in Bleach episode 113. He used to be a Hollow and experienced a sense of alienation from the rest of the world until the day he came across a white tree covered with several sharp spines. He found it pleasing and sunk into it, destroying a portion of his mask and becoming an Arrancar as a result.

Ulquiorra was later recruited by Aizen and soon became the 4th Espada in the Arrancar army. It was still his nihilism that set him apart from the rest, as it rendered him emotionless and cruel to everyone. He claimed to be unconcerned about human emotions and presented himself as a thorough materialist.

Ulquiorra demonstrated tremendous spiritual power, and unlike most other Arrancars, he could transform into a second release form known as Segunda Etapa. He also possessed other abilities including Sonído Master, Cero, Bala, Enhanced Hierro, Enhanced Pesquisa, Descorrer, and High-Speed Regeneration.

He was severely injured by Hollow Ichigo's Cero and was thus unable to regenerate. He urged Ichigo to kill him and end the conflict, but the latter refused. Thus, the Arrancar simply turned to dust. Nonetheless, he seemed to have grasped what it was to have feelings in the final seconds of his life, thanks to Orihime's efforts.

Bleach fans are now looking forward to cour 2 of Thousand-Year Blood War, which will release in July 2023. In the meantime, to hype up the series, a new key visual featuring Ichigo’s Zanpakuto has been revealed. Mangaka Tite Kubo has also released a new sketch of Ichigo.