Shinigami (Bleach)

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Modèle:Animanga-in-universe

Modèle:Nihongo are a fictional race of beings in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. In the English dub of the series, they are known as Soul Reapers. They are enforcers and psychopomps who all share similar supernatural powers. They are based on the Grim Reaper of Japanese belief associated with the same name.

Shinigami are departed human souls that have gained supernatural powers. As such, their bodies are composed of Modèle:Nihongo and they can only be seen by other spiritually aware entities, which excludes most humans. In the series, shinigami, as well as most other types of spirits, are quite 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.

The most prominent power possessed by a shinigami is their zanpakutō, a sword generated from the shinigami's soul. Shinigami also naturally give off spiritual energy, which varies greatly in magnitude with the strength of a shinigami. A zanpakutō is a physical manifestation of this force concentrated into a blade.<ref name="Blade">Bleach anime; episode 36, as explained by Kenpachi Zaraki.</ref>

Shinigami 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 shinigami 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 shinigami to remain in the human world longer than a certain time limit. A shinigami's duties include leading Pluses (ghosts) to Soul Society in a practice called soul burial (konsō), and the cleansing of hollows (evil spirits).<ref name="Duties">Bleach manga; chapter 1, pages 19-20.</ref> Later in the series, shinigami duties are clarified further, and it is revealed that they are also responsible for governing the flow of spirits between the human world and Soul Society.

Sommaire 1 Training 2 Combat 2.1 Kidō 2.2 Hand-to-hand combat 2.3 Agility 2.4 Swordsmanship 3 Mission aids 3.1 Gigai 3.2 Artificial souls 3.2.1 Modified souls 3.3 Memory replacement 3.4 Mobile phone 4 Government and law 4.1 Judiciary 5 Army 5.1 Kidō Corps 5.2 Special forces 5.2.1 Ranks 5.2.2 Uniforms 5.3 Gotei 13 5.3.1 Ranks 5.3.1.1 Commander-General 5.3.1.2 Unit Commander 5.3.1.3 Vice-unit Commander 5.3.1.4 Seated officers 5.3.2 Uniforms 5.3.3 Insignia 5.3.4 Captain and lieutenant listings 6 See also 7 References

Training

The majority of training for individuals wanting to become shinigami is done through the Shinigami Academy. It is a six-year academy, during which time its students learn to fight hollows and perform soul burial duties. While it is not clear, this academy seems to have been founded by Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai about 2000 years before the Bleach storyline.

Combat

The shinigami have four forms of combat: kidō, hand-to-hand combat, foot combat, and swordsmanship.

Kidō

Main article: Kidō

Modèle:Nihongo are a type of sorcery used by shinigami. They can be used for various purposes, such as healing, attacking, and restraining. Healing seems to be a more general skill, while attacking and binding require an incantation to be recited beforehand. Demon arts spells are divided into two major groups: Modèle:Nihongo, used for direct attack, and Modèle:Nihongo, which are spells that restrain someone or have other effects. These forms of demon arts spells are performed by calling out a complicated and often long-winded incantation followed by the name of the spell, which causes an effect once the name has been recited. Lesser versions of the spells can be used by calling out the name alone, but their effectiveness is reduced when used in such a fashion.<ref name="High Kidō">Bleach manga; chapter 176, page 13.</ref>

Hand-to-hand combat

Modèle:Nihongo in Bleach is not elaborated upon. Special forces troops, especially those of higher ranks such as Soifon, are known to be well-trained in this field.

Agility

Modèle:Nihongo, like hand-to-hand combat, is not elaborated upon. Flash steps (shunpo), a movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow, is implied to be part of this category.<ref>Bleach anime; episode 61.</ref> Another skill, though not necessarily related, is the shinigami ability to walk on air using spiritual power. By collecting and solidifying spiritual particles beneath their feet, shinigami can gain traction on thin air to either freely move about or to stop themselves from falling.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

Swordsmanship

Main article: Zanpakutō

Modèle:Nihongo is the most used form of combat among shinigami, since their zanpakutō is the most effective way of dispatching any given opponent. As the name suggests, it involves using a zanpakutō and its various special abilities to attack an opponent. In addition to its basic form, each zanpakutō has two enhanced forms: shikai (始解, initial release) and bankai (卍解, final release), which change the sword's form to unlock its potential and that of its user.

Mission aids

To aid in their missions, particularly when said missions involve more than simply dispatching a hollow, shinigami have a number of unique items to assist them in their duties. In addition, it should be noted that all shinigami captains and lieutenants have their spiritual energy reduced by about 80% when they enter the human world by use of a spiritual limit, represented by a seal resembling the symbol unique to their division, in order not to cause unnecessary influence while there. In extreme cases where their full power is needed, they can request a limit release.

Gigai

In certain circumstances, a shinigami will need a way to stay in the human world for long periods of time, interact with the living, and/or recover their powers when the need arises, all of which they can't do in spirit form. Thus, the gigai was developed.

A Modèle:Nihongo is an artificial body that allows shinigami to remain in the human world for an extended period, either due to temporary loss of powers or extended missions. While the body is synthetic, it functions and operates exactly like a natural one, including but not limited to blood flow and the like. Unlike the normal shinigami body, a gigai is detectable by humans who are not spiritually aware.

Artificial souls

Modèle:Nihongo, as the name suggests, are souls designed by shinigami scientists to separate a shinigami's spirit from a gigai, should they be inhabiting one, or to evict stubborn spirits from their corpses if necessary. When ingested, it forces the soul out of the body and takes control of it, operating in a pre-programmed manner until removed by the shinigami. It is commonly called Soul Candy, as the Shinigami Women Organization complained that the name gikongan wasn't cute and had it changed.<ref>Bleach manga, Volume 2, Page 122.</ref> To fit with the more informal name, Soul Candy is contained in PEZ-like dispensers with cartoon characters on top. The souls themselves apparently have personalities to match the cartoon character in question; for example, Rukia's favorite version, Chappy the Rabbit, is a hyperactive character that tries to restrain Ichigo when given control of Rukia's gigai and even speaks in a cutesy baby talk manner.

Modified souls

Because there are far more hollows than shinigami, the modified soul (mod soul) project was born in an attempt to even the gap. Modèle:Nihongo are artificial souls designed to enhance regular human physiology, making them capable of battling hollows equally. For example, one modsoul may be able to run many times faster than a regular human while another may be many times stronger than normal.<ref>Bleach manga; chapter 15, page 9.</ref> Kon, a recurring modsoul, has enhanced leg-strength. The modsouls are condensed into tiny, candy-like orbs and placed into corpses to achieve their function as soldiers to combat hollows. They are also more independent to fit with their purpose.

The modsouls were exterminated after the experiment was halted due to ethical reasons, since they were intended to be used to reanimate human corpses to use as weapons against the hollows. Kon was somehow mixed into a batch of regular artificial souls (Soul Candy) and shipped to Kisuke Urahara's shop, where Rukia and Ichigo obtained him and unknowingly let him loose. Despite a standing order to dispose of all modified souls, they kept Kon and placed him into the body of a lion plushie. Rukia and Ichigo use Kon to possess Ichigo's body when his soul is expelled from his body to fight as a shinigami.

Memory replacement

In some cases, a human witnesses a shinigami purify a hollow or affect his surroundings in a significant way. To keep the incident a secret, shinigami perform memory replacement with an item called kikanshinki. In function, it operates almost exactly like the neuralizer in the Men in Black films. When used, a bird's head pops from the top of the device and produces a puff of smoke. The human it is used on is knocked unconscious and wakes up a while later with a new memory. However, the new memory that the human acquires is random and often based on the limits of what they themselves will believe. For example, Ichigo's family merely believed they slept through a truck crashing into their house when it was used on them. Conversely, Orihime Inoue, who has a much more active imagination, believed that her house was attacked by a gun-toting sumo wrestler (a Yakuza gunman in the manga).

Mobile phone

A vital tool for any shinigami stationed in the real world, this variation on a mobile phone functions both as a regular phone and as a communication line with Soul Society. It receives information about the time and exact location of a hollow's emergence via Global Positioning System (GPS). A shinigami's kills are also recorded in the phone and can be used as currency (according to the bounty placed on each hollow).<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

Government and law

The main authority of the shinigami are the Modèle:Nihongo, who serve the shinigami royalty (the ruling class of all Soul Society). The Central 46 Chambers are made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges. They are sealed into an enclave in Seireitei called Modèle:Nihongo which no one else may enter, regardless of their military or civilian status. The decisions of the 46 Chambers are final and unquestionable, regardless of what the decision may involve.

The only shinigami forces which do not answer to the Central 46 Chambers are the Modèle:Nihongo, which is said to have considerable power and tactical knowledge, and the Shinigami Academy.<ref name="Charbook">Bleach Official Character Book SOULs; page 98.</ref>

It is also implied that shinigami receive salaries, like workers in the real world.<ref name="salary">Bleach Colorful Bleach Omake 4.</ref>

Judiciary

The Central 46 Chambers act as the shinigami judiciary and are responsible for judging and sentencing shinigami who have committed serious crimes, such as murder or treason. Punishments for less serious crimes may be given by other authorities, such as shinigami captains. It is implied that the Central 46 Chambers mostly deal with capital offenses. With their deaths at the hands of Sōsuke Aizen during the Soul Society arc, General Yamamoto has taken over their normal duties. There are several forms of executions in Soul Society, although only two have been revealed:

• Spirit-sealing pit: The spirit-sealing pit is an ancient form of execution in which shinigami criminals are thrown into a pit walled with deathstone – a type of stone that absorbs spiritual power, preventing those nearby from using their powers. Hollows are then thrown into the pit with the criminals as the means of execution. The practice was considered too barbaric and discontinued.<ref name="Execution">Bleach manga; chapter 87, page 5.</ref>
• Modèle:Nihongo: Sōkyoku is a form of execution usually reserved for those with extremely strong spiritual powers, namely shinigami captains. The Sōkyoku is a giant halberd that utterly destroys a soul on contact. When released, Sōkyoku takes on the form of a phoenix, its true form, called Kikōō.<ref name="Kikouou">Bleach manga; chapter 150, page 15.</ref> The Kikōō has the destructive power of one million zanpakutō, and that power is multiplied by a factor of 10 at the moment it pierces its victim.<ref name="MilSC">Bleach manga; chapter 131, page 2.</ref>

Army

The shinigami army consists of three unique elements: the Gotei 13 (Thirteen Court Divisions), the Kidō Corps, and the special forces.

Kidō Corps

There is currently little information on the Modèle:Nihongo, except that it takes students from the Shinigami Academy that excel in demon arts and that its operations are executed in absolute secrecy.<ref name="Charbook"/>

The Kidō Corps is responsible for opening the Modèle:Nihongo between the human world and Soul Society.<ref name="Warp gate">Bleach manga; chapter 231, page 4.</ref>

Special forces

Also called the Secret Mobile Unit/Corps or Covert Ops, the Modèle:Nihongo has five divisions. The top rank is the Modèle:Nihongo, the second is the Modèle:Nihongo,<ref>Bleach manga; chapter 247, page 1.</ref> and the fifth division is called the Reversal Counter Force or Modèle:Nihongo.<ref name="Charbook" /> The other two division names or functions are unknown. There is little information about the operations of the special forces.

The special forces are currently run by Captain Soifon of the Gotei 13's 2nd Division. She succeeded Yoruichi Shihouin, who departed Soul Society 100 years before the start of the Bleach storyline.

Ranks

The head of the special forces is called Modèle:Nihongo. The leaders of each on the five divisions are ranked as Modèle:Nihongo, the real-life equivalent being Lieutenant General. Although it is unknown how other ranks work in the special forces, like in Gotei 13, the leader of the forces generally also commands its top division, which is the Executive Militia, but unlike in the Gotei 13, the force commander has several bodyguards.

Uniforms

Although the general special forces uniform appears to be the standard shinigami uniform, the Executive Militia uniform is different from the Gotei 13. Overall, it resembles a ninja uniform. It has no visible white undergarments and the sash is dark as opposed to white. A headpiece covers the bottom part of the face and sometimes the top, but not the eyes; they wear no sandals, but long tabi boots, and tight bands are on the legs and arms to keep the clothes from moving too much, which both are presumably for silence of movement. In the anime, members of the Executive Militia also wear their head covering on the top, not just the bottom and wear a black sash instead of a white one.

The leader of the militia wears the same uniform, except that the shoulders and back are exposed. The reason for the empty space is the Modèle:Nihongo technique, an advanced technique that combines hand to hand combat and kidō and causes high spiritual pressure to accumulate at the shoulders and back, blasting away the fabric at the shoulders and back.<ref name="Shunko">Bleach manga; chapter 158, pages 15-16.</ref>

The Correctional Force uniform is radically different. The soldiers wear a white uniform, a long piece of headgear, and a backpack.<ref name="Charbook"/>

Gotei 13

The Modèle:Nihongo is the organization which most shinigami join. It is split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. The 4th Division is the medical/supply division, the 11th Division is the combat division (specialization in swordsmanship), and the 12th Division is the research/scientific division. The 9th Division was shown, in a Shinigami Cup extra, to be in charge of newspaper and magazine-related duties. It's unclear if the other divisions are specialized, as the four above are the only ones who receive any significant attention apart from their members.

Ranks

As with any army, the Gotei 13 has ranks. There are 20 ranks for officers but no ranks for non-officers. The lower the number is, the more important. The ranks and their descriptions are below, from highest to lowest in terms of strength.

Commander-General

The sōtaichō (総隊長, lit. commander-general, dubbed as head-captain) is the leader of the Gotei 13 and the captain of the 1st Division; the implication is that this is an ex officio or a primus inter pares position. The current holder of this title is Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

Unit Commander

A Modèle:Nihongo, commonly referred to as Captain, are the leaders of the thirteen divisions (with the special case of the Commander-General). While "captain" is not an accurate translation of the rank, it's appropriate considering the size of the unit they lead. A single Gotei 13 'unit' (隊) is estimated at about 200-500 troops. Viz renders the units as 'companies' rather than 'divisions' because captains lead companies in real life. However, given that each Captain in Bleach leads a major part of a military wing or corps, they could be division commanders or Generals. Most literally, the name simply means 'unit commander', which could be practically any officer rank.

Captains are generally the most respected shinigami in Soul Society, with the Central 46 Chambers, Demon Art Corps, and special forces leaders possibly being on equal status. With one exception (Kenpachi Zaraki), all captains are able to perform the bankai of their zanpakutō and are generally much more powerful than even their lieutenants. Knowing the bankai gives captains an average of five to ten times the strength of shinigami who are unable to perform it.<ref name="Bankai power">Bleach manga; chapter 120, page 10.</ref> They have also extensively trained, if not mastered, their bankai, allowing them to actually use the enormous power effectively in battle. Most captains are also skilled in the use of shunpō, kidō, and generally have excellent knowledge of shinigami history and battle tactics. All of these factors create a huge power-gap between captains and lower-ranked officers.

There are three different ways to become a Gotei 13 captain:<ref name="Becoming captain">Bleach manga; chapter 146, page 1.</ref>

1. To take the Modèle:Nihongo, which requires the ability to perform the bankai. Presumably, most shinigami become captains using this method. At least three existing captains, including the Commander-General, have to witness the test.
2. To have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval from at least three of the remaining seven.
3. To defeat a captain one-on-one with at least 200 witnesses from the captain's division. Kenpachi Zaraki is the only known captain to have achieved his rank using this method.

Vice-unit Commander

Modèle:Nihongo, more commonly referred to as Lieutenants, are the 2nd seated officers in each division. Because captain describes the unit commander, vice-captain is the most literally accurate translation some have used. The Viz manga translation renders the rank as the similar but somewhat longer "assistant captain", while the English dub of the anime uses the term "lieutenant". Although this does not apply to modern armies, in historical real-life armies the lieutenant has been the adjutant of the captain, as is the case for fukutaichō and taichō in Bleach. Therefore, lieutenant is a correct real-life equivalent of this rank. Holders of this rank in Gotei 13 have also been called adjutants.

Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. They (along with their captains) are not assigned to one specific squad.^[1] They generally only know the shikai of their zanpakutō, but are still the second strongest in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the substitute captain until another can be assigned.

Seated officers

Modèle:Nihongo are the remainder of the officers in the Gotei 13 who hold ranks at or below 3rd Seat. Captains have the rank of 1st Seat and lieutenants are 2nd Seat. Next to that, there are 18 more seats (3rd to 20th). These ranks are somewhat analogous to junior officers or non-commissioned officers in modern militaries. There seems to be a distinction between senior and junior seated officers, just like in real-life armies. In the Gotei 13, only one person can hold a senior officer rank (such as 3rd or 5th seat), but there are several holders of junior officer ranks (e.g. 20th seat). This may vary from division to division however, as there are two 3rd Seats in the 13th Division. Seated officers often lead subunits within each division (for example, Hanatarō Yamada is leader of 4th Division's 14th Advanced Relief Team).

Uniforms

Most Gotei 13 personnel wear the standard shinigami uniform, called Modèle:Nihongo - a white kosode, a black kimono and hakama, and a white obi sash. Lieutenants sometimes also wear an armband which carries their division symbol and its number, usually on their left arm. They are required to do this when they are summoned to a meeting but apart from this it seems that it is rarely compulsory; at the time the series takes place, the use of the armbands was noted to have fallen out of fashion.

Captains wear a white haori over the usual black shinigami clothes, with the number of their division on the back, inside the Gotei 13 symbol (a rhombus). The Captain's Haori comes in two styles: sleeve and no sleeve. Gotei 13 officers, particularly captains and lieutenants, often customize their personal appearance or that of their uniform. Some of these modifications include:

• Captain Soifon of the 2nd Division wears a sleeveless and backless shinigami outfit (when she's fighting) under her haori, which is standard issue for the head of the special forces. She also wears a yellow sash a layer above, but slightly lower than her white one.
• Captain Retsu Unohana of the 4th Division wears an obi sash rather than a standard one.
• Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of the 6th Division wears an extremely expensive scarf named ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu and a white ceremonial hairpiece symbolizing his noble lineage.
• Captain Sajin Komamura of the 7th Division wears shoulder guards over his haori and large gloves which goes up to his arms. He also wore a helmet to hide his appearance. He later removed the helmet.
• Captain Shunsui Kyōraku of the 8th Division is probably the most flamboyantly dressed of the captains, always seen wearing a straw hat and a gaudily-colored haori over his uniform.
• Captain Kaname Tōsen formerly of the 9th Division wears an orange scarf with his outfit, a sleeveless keikogi as well as white boots.
• Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of the 10th Division wears a green sash pinned with a star around his shoulder to hold his sword.
• Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of the 11th Division wears a jagged edged haori, which was taken from the previous captain.
• Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division wears a bloated purple cravat and a hat decorated with two horizontal spikes.
• Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe of the 1st Division wears a jinbaori over his shihakushō.
• Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi of the 9th Division wears a sleeveless keikogi and black choker.
• Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto of the 10th Division wears a top that is deliberately loose and hangs open to reveal her ample bosom. She also wears a pink scarf (or stole), and wears her lieutenant's badge around her waist with her sash, tied in a bow.
• Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division has a very abbreviated outfit: the hakama is absent, leaving her with a mini-skirt version of the kimono that is belted at the waist.
• All known members of the 9th Division wear keikogi without sleeves, including the captain.

Insignia

Each of the 13 divisions in Gotei 13 have their own symbol that represents the division's primary role, which all seem to be based on flowers. When a power limit is placed on a captain or lieutenant, their symbol appears on a certain part of their body until the limit is lifted. Each symbol also has a specific meaning, but not all of them have been revealed. The 11th Division symbol means 'fight' while the camellia symbol of the 6th Division means 'noble reasoning'.

Captain and lieutenant listings

Modèle:Seealso Below are the names of all captains and lieutenants in the Gotei 13.

	Captain	Lieutenant
Division 1	Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai	Chōjirō Sasakibe
Division 2	Soifon	Marechiyo Ōmaeda
Division 3	Formerly Gin Ichimaru	Izuru Kira
Division 4	Retsu Unohana	Isane Kotetsu
Division 5	Formerly Sōsuke Aizen	Momo Hinamori
Division 6	Byakuya Kuchiki	Renji Abarai
Division 7	Sajin Komamura	Tetsuzaemon Iba
Division 8	Shunsui Kyōraku	Nanao Ise
Division 9	Formerly Kaname Tōsen	Shūhei Hisagi
Division 10	Tōshirō Hitsugaya	Rangiku Matsumoto
Division 11	Kenpachi Zaraki	Yachiru Kusajishi
Division 12	Formerly Kisuke Urahara Mayuri Kurotsuchi	Nemu Kurotsuchi
Division 13	Jūshirō Ukitake	Formerly Kaien Shiba (deceased)

See also

• List of Bleach shinigami

References

Notes

Modèle:Bleach infoes:Shinigami (Bleach) fr:Gotei 13 it:Shinigami (Bleach) ms:Shinigami (Bleach) ja:護廷十三隊 pl:Shinigami (Bleach) pt:Shinigami (Bleach) vi:Shinigami (Bleach) zh:护廷十三队