Soul Reapers

This is a list of Soul Reaper (死神, shinigami?, literally "death god") characters featured in the anime and manga series Bleach, created by Tite Kubo. Soul Reapers are a fictional race of spirits who govern the flow of souls between the human world and the afterlife.

Soul Reapers are departed human souls that have gained supernatural powers. Their bodies are composed of ectoplasm which mimics normal human anatomy. Soul Reapers can only be seen by other spiritually aware entities, which excludes most humans, but otherwise are solid entities capable of influencing their environment. Additionally, they can be injured and die like regular humans, though it takes considerably greater injuries for the latter to occur than it would in regular humans.

All Soul Reapers possess a zanpakutō (斬魄刀, zanpakutō? literally "soul-cutting sword"), a physical manifestation of their soul that takes the form of a regular sword. By learning the name of sword's spirit and learning to work with it in battle, Soul Reapers can unlock more powerful forms of their zanpakutō. The first form, known as shikai (始解, shikai? "initial release"), changes the swords appearance to better facilitate it special abilities. The second form, known as bankai (卍解, bankai? "final release"), can only normally be achieved when a Soul Reaper trains with their zanpakutō for decades. Once achieved the Soul Reaper can unlock their zanpakutō's full potential, increasing their power several times over.

Soul Reaper operations are based out of Soul Society, which is the afterlife in Bleach. Travel between the human world and Soul Society is extremely limited and monitored, but some Soul Reaper are stationed in the human world to carry out their duties and therefore must often travel between the two. In addition, it is a crime for a Soul Reaper to remain in the human world longer than directed. A Soul Reaper's duties include leading wholes (ghosts) to Soul Society in a practice called soul burial (konsō), and the cleansing of hollows (evil spirits).


Soul Reaper court divisions

The Gotei 13 (護廷十三隊, goteijūsantai?, "13 Division Imperial Guards", or "13 Court Guard Squads" (in the English dubbed version), is the central organization which most Soul Reapers join. It is split into thirteen divisions, hence the name, some of which have certain specializations. The 4th Division, for example, is the medical/supply division, while the 12th Division is the research/scientific division.

Other military-forces exist apart from the Gotei 13 and serve more specialized capacities. The Kidō Corps (鬼道衆, kidōshū?) is a reclusive group that specializes in kidō and is left in charge of the gateway connecting Soul Society to the human world. The Stealth Forces (隠密機動, onmitsukidō?, literally "hidden secret movements organization"), typically led by the captain of the 2nd Division, are tasked with surveillance, covert operations, and imprisoning potentially problematic Soul Reapers. The Zero Division, a secret group composed only of former captains, protects the royal family.

Captains

Captains (隊長, Taichō?, literally "Unit Commander") are the leaders of the thirteen divisions. Each controls a specific division with the exception of the Commander-General (総隊長, sōtaichō?, "Head-Captain" in the English dub), who acts as both captain of the 1st Division and the leader of the Gotei 13; the implication is that this is an ex officio position.

Captains are the most respected and powerful Soul Reapers in Soul Society. With one exception (Kenpachi Zaraki), all captains are able to perform the bankai of their zanpakutō. Knowing bankai gives Soul Reapers an average of five to ten times the strength of those Soul Reapers who are unable to perform it. They have also extensively trained with their bankai, allowing them to actually use the enormous power effectively in battle. To achieve the position of captain a Soul Reaper must display great expertise with Soul Reaper abilities and battle tactics, and must be approved by either their fellow captains or the members of their division. All of these factors create an extremely large gap in power between captains and lower-ranked officers, even lieutenants.

Lieutenants

Lieutenants (副隊長, fukutaichō?, literally "Vice-unit Commander") are the adjutants to the captains in each division. In terms of rank, they hold the 2nd seat in the squad. They usually only know the shikai of their zanpakutō, but are still considered the second strongest officer in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making them unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the substitute captain until another captain can be assigned.

Officers

Seated officers (席官, Sekikan?) hold ranks from 3rd Seat to 20th seat. While the single digit ranks are usually only assigned to a single officer, the lower ranks will often be held by several. Higher digit ranks may also lead secondary teams within the division; for instance, Hanatarō Yamada is the 4th Division's 7th seat and leader of the 14th Advanced Relief Team therein. The bulk of each division is made up of an unspecified number of unseated Soul Reapers, roughly equivalent to enlisted soldiers. Rukia Kuchiki of Division 13 is one notable example of an unseated Soul Reaper, among other named, but otherwise minor, tertiary characters.