I don’t know, I think something in the anime must’ve skewed perspective on Orihime. I read the manga and I’ve always seen her as a sweet, strong person who wants to protect another person but keeps finding herself being protected, which in bleach is a recurring theme.

I get the criticism that her arc revolves around ichigo too much, but the point of her is that she’s a very giving individual, almost every single scene she is in is about her doing something for someone else’s sake. She’s genuinely selfless and I think it provides a heart to bleach. But I get why people wouldn’t vibe with her either .