Shinigami Information

[Akuchi]

Shinigami (Soul Reapers) are a race of spiritual beings that act as enforcers who all share similar supernatural powers. Shinigami use their Zanpakutō to perform soul burials on Pluses and to fight Hollows. They are the "good guys" of Bleach. Their arch nemesis are the hollows.

How to Become a Shinigami
There are generally two ways of becoming a shinigami. The first and most common way of becoming a shinigami is through death. Once a person dies they become a pulse, a spirit version of themselves. During this state they must wait for a shinigami to send them to Soul Society while avoiding the hollows. Once in Soul Society, they live in Rukongai. If they exhibit spiritual power above other pulses, they could try and became a soul reaper. The pulse must go through 6 years of training in the shinigami academy before they become a Shinigami and then placed into a squad of the Gotei 13.

The other way is for a shinigami to transfer their powers to another. This is illegal, however, and the shinigami will be sentenced to execution while the human given the powers would be disposed of, namely remove their powers. In certain conditions, with okay from the higher ups, this is permitted.

Shinigami: What are they?
They are souls with a high level of innate Spiritual Energy, recruited from the ranks of the residents and nobility of Soul Society. Their bodies are composed of Reishi instead of atoms. This means that just like most other types of spirits, they can only be seen by other spiritually aware entities, which excludes most Humans. Nevertheless, they are quite capable of influencing their environment. When souls with exceptional spiritual energy train their bodies, they reach the level of Shinigami. The most talented of them become affiliated with various organizations like the Gotei 13 and the Onmitsukidō. Sometimes, a Shinigami is born among the residents of the Rukongai, and in some rare cases from Seireitei.

Shinigami operations are based out of the Soul Society, where departed human souls reside. 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.

Shinigami Duties
Soul Burial (konsō): the process by which a Shinigami sends wandering Pluses (souls) in the living world and send them to their respective place. Either Soul Society if they are good in life, or to Hell if their life was full of evil acts (such as murders, theft, etc). Soul Burial is performed by using the hilt of the Shinigami's Zanpakutō, tapping the soul on the head and transporting them to the afterlife.

Hollow Cleansing: When a Shinigami slays a Hollow (evil spirit), with their Zanpakutō they cleanse their sins. Once this takes place a Hollow will return to it's former state as a Plus and is led into Soul Society. This is called sublimation. Souls that live in the Soul Society are reborn again into the human world. Not all Hollows are sent to the Soul Society. Hollows are sent to the Soul Society. Hollows that committed serious crimes when they were alive are sent to Hell.

Also, if they are destroyed by a Quincy, Hollows are completely vanquished and cannot ever return to the Soul Society.

Soul Governance: Shinigami are responsible for governing the flow of spirits between the human worlds and Soul Society. This is commonly carried out by balancing the total number of souls by moving and managing them in the human world. All of the soul-related jobs are under their authority.

The Weapon of a Shinigami
Zanpakutō are the trademark weapons of the Shinigami. Capable of cutting spiritual bodies, they are amongst the few weapons which can be used to combat Hollows. Each Shinigami carries a Zanpakutō, and each Zanpakutō is unique: as the swords are both reflections of a Shinigami's soul and power, and sentient beings unto themselves. The Zanpakutō's name is also the name of the living spirit that empowers the sword and lends its strength to the Shinigami who wields it. These beings can vary greatly in appearance and have their own distinct personalities which match their owner's. Normally, the Zanpakutō spirit can only be seen by its wielder. Otherwise, they dwell in their own "inner world", created within the minds of the Shinigami who wield them. As such, each Shinigami's inner world is drastically different from another Shinigami's and is unique to themselves. A Zanpakutō's spirit can bring its wielder into its inner world, though Shinigami can voluntarily achieve this simply by meditation.

Shikai
The Shikai (Initial Release) is the second form available to a Zanpakutō. To activate it, the Shinigami needs to learn the name of their Zanpakutō. This is not as easy as simply picking a name, as the living spirit of the Zanpakutō already has its own name. Therefore, the Shinigami must be able to communicate and harmonize with their Zanpakutō effectively, which requires being able to speak to the spirit within its world. A Zanpakutō can change size and shape depending on the spiritual strength of the owner.

Achievement of the Shikai is a mark of control of a Zanpakutō, and it appears to be a requirement for advancement within the Shinigami ranks, as presumably most seated officers are capable of Shikai. It is also required in order to achieve the rank of lieutenant; as it is a requirement most captains look for. After first learning the Zanpakutō's name, the Shikai can be performed at will simply by speaking a command followed by the Zanpakutō's name. The commands vary between users and range from a simple imperative verb to a short poem. They often relate to the Zanpakutō's signature ability, or hint at the nature of its spirit. This step may be bypassed by expert Shinigami who have learned how to use their Bankai.

Bankai
The Bankai (Final Release) is the second and final upgraded form of a Zanpakutō. To achieve Bankai, one must be able to materialize and subjugate their Zanpakutō spirit. Materialization means the opposite of getting dragged into the Zanpakutō's inner world. Instead the wielder needs to summon the Zanpakutō's spirit into the physical world. It usually takes 10 years or more to achieve, plus the experience needed to master it.

The power and forms of Shikai and Bankai are dependent on the Zanpakutō. They also vary according to the wielder's strength and training. But in general, one's power can grow 5 to 10 times greater.[33] Only the strongest Shinigami can use it. It is also the ultimate technique of a Zanpakutō. Even the Four noble families, whose members are always exceptionally talented, have a member capable of Bankai only every few generations. Those who achieve Bankai always have remarkable roles in the history of Soul Society

Magical Abilities
Kidō (Demon Arts) is the technique that Shinigami use to focus their Spiritual Energy into a wide variety of magic spells that can serve many purposes, such as healing, defense, or combat.

Each spell is graded on a scale from 1 to 99, the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. The scale is a measure of difficulty, as there can be multiple spells which share the same level. To use Kidō, a Shinigami must recite the specific incantation for the spell, which is often long and requires a few seconds to speak.

The power of a spell relies on the power of the user, as even a low-level spell can be utterly devastating when utilized by a high-class Shinigami.

There are three main types of Kidō: binding spells, destruction spells, and healing spells.

Bakudo
These are a broad category of defensive spells which block/repel attacks or freezes enemies in place.

Barriers: Focused spiritual energy formed into a solid form of energy. This energy can take on many shapes or colors as determined by the user. Barriers are protective in nature and can be as simple as barrier only protecting one direction or encompass all sides of an area. Barriers also use for containment while some barriers can be used offensively. Barriers are also capable of masking spiritual pressure and can make one spiritually and physically invisible. A strength of a barrier is depending upon the power of the user. Weak barriers are easily breakable while strong ones can last centuries. Barriers created by noble blood are said to unbreakable by those of lesser status. Certain barriers can be placed beforehand and activated later, while others require certain artifacts and time to activate.

Seals: Are somewhat similar to barriers but are far more powerful and require far more preparation to create. Seals are only possible to use by those of sufficient spiritual power being that are meant to hold the most powerful or dangerous artifacts or beings. Seals are commonly hard to break.

Hadō
These are offensive spells which harm an enemy or cause damage to objects.

Healing spells
These do not have known names, numbers, or incantations to cast, and simply heal the target. As the user holds his/her hands above the patient's wounds, his/her palms glow with green spiritual energy to facilitate healing. The mechanics of this healing technique involves the replenishment of the patient's Reiatsu first, then using the body's Reiatsu with the healer's Reiatsu in order to heal the patient's body.

Gotei 13
The Gotei 13 is the primary military branch of Soul Society. It is also the main military organization that most Shinigami join after the academy.

The Gotei 13 serves as a military force with its primary responsibilities consisting of:

• The defense of the Seireitei, the center of Soul Society.
  
• The deployment of Division members into enemy territory for combat operations.
  
• The deployment of Task Forces as defensive measures in the world of the living.
  
• The guiding of souls to the Soul Society.
  

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