List of Soul Reapers in Bleach

This is a list of Soul Reapers (死神, Shinigami; literally, "death gods") featured in the manga and anime 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 realm called the Soul Society.

The series tells of how Ichigo Kurosaki becomes a Substitute Soul Reaper in Karakura Town in place of Rukia Kuchiki. He assumes her duties to protect souls and put them to peaceful rest, as well as to fight against dangerous and lost souls unable to find rest, called Hollows.

As the series progresses, Rukia is captured by the Soul Society's Soul Reaper military for giving her powers to Ichigo and sentenced to death. Ichigo and his friends journey to the Soul Society to save her and are forced to fight against many of the Court Guard Squads. Sousuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tōsen—the captains of squads Five, Three, and Nine respectively—eventually defect from the Soul Society at the time of Rukia's rescue, effectively interrupting Ichigo's battles, and enact a plan to gain greater power with the Arrancar. Aizen is brought into focus as the story's main antagonist. However, in the series' final arc, the real main antagonist is revealed to be Yhwach, the son of the Soul King and father of the Quincy.

Creation and conception

Bleach was first conceived from Tite Kubo's desire to draw Shinigami ("Soul Reaper" in the English adaptations) in a kimono, which formed the basis for the design of the Soul Reapers. Before deciding on the use of kimono, Kubo thought of giving black suits to male Soul Reapers and any forms to female Soul Reapers, but thought that it was too generic and changed it to a kimono. Several characteristics from them, such as the kidō spells and the zanpakutō swords are also based on Japanese literature. Instead of using zanpakutō, Kubo wanted to give the Soul Reapers guns, with the exception of Rukia Kuchiki, who would use a scythe. Seeing that guns are not suitable for kimono, he changed them to swords. When asked which of the Court Guard Squad captains and assistant captains were his favorites, Kubo answered by saying that he liked "all of them" and that he likes to "support" characters "disliked by readers." Early plans for the story did not include the hierarchical structure of the Soul Society, but did include Ichigo's Soul Reaper heritage.

Characteristics

Soul Reapers can only be seen by other spiritually aware beings, which excludes most humans. They age at a much slower rate than humans and can be injured and die, yet are able to resist most injuries unless considerably great.

All Soul Reapers possess a zanpakutō (斬魄刀; lit. "soul-cutting sword"), a katana which reflects aspects of the user's soul and personality. A zanpakutō has a symbiotic connection with its owner, its spiritual embodiment possessing similar traits to its owner and evolving to reflect its Soul Reaper's power. By learning the name of the sword's spirit, and through training, Soul Reapers can unlock more powerful transformations of their zanpakutō. The first transformation, known as a shikai (始解; lit. "initial release") which acts like a binding contract between a Soul Reaper and the sword, changes the zanpakutō's appearance to so the owner can facilitate its special abilities to its fullest. The second transformation, known as bankai (卍解; lit. "final release"), is an ability normally seen in Soul Reaper captains that requires ten years minimum to master. Once achieved, the Soul Reaper can unlock the full potential of their zanpakutō, increasing their own power several times over. Though rare, it is possible for two people to manifest the same zanpakutō and spirit. This is considered the ultimate taboo of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the individuals who manifest the spirit are forced to fight to the death to determine the zanpakutō's true master, as in the plot of Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion (2007). Many Soul Reapers manage to use kidō (鬼道; lit. "way of the demon", also "demon arts"), a form of magic that can be performed by reciting a specific incantation. Most of the kidō spells seen in the series are used as attacks, defensive measures, or to bind others, though they can also serve more specialized needs such as healing wounds or communication over long distances. Spells are ranked on a scale from 1 to 99, indicating their complexity and overall power. Low-level spells can, however, be very effective when performed by a skilled kidō user, such as Byakuya Kuchiki.

Soul Reaper operations are based out of the Soul Society, which is an afterlife realm in Bleach maintained by a being known as the Soul King. Travel between the human world and the Soul Society is extremely limited and monitored, but some Soul Reapers are stationed in the human world to carry out their duties. If this Soul Reaper is an assistant captain or a captain then they will have a Gentei Reiin, or a Spirit Restriction Seal, on some area of their body. This seal will limit their spiritual powers to one-fifth of their full power and it can only be released in a state of emergency. In addition to these laws, it is a crime for a Soul Reaper to remain in the human world for longer than directed. A Soul Reaper's duties include leading wandering spirits to the Soul Society by giving a Konso (魂葬 (こんそう), konsō; "soul funeral") to souls yet to become hollows and defeat those who have. High-level Soul Reapers and similarly powerful beings are able to levitate by standing on the spiritual energy in the air. The No Breathes From Hell one shot explains that Soul Reaper captains are given a last rites ritual as their Reishi is transferred to another realm due to being too dense to properly diffuse in the Soul Society. The ritual is revealed to actually send the deceased Soul Reaper captains to Hell instead, rather than ease their passing.

Soul Reaper court divisions

The Gotei Thirteen (護廷十三隊, Goteijūsantai; "Thirteen Court Guard Squads" in the English dubbed version) is the central organization, and main military power, of the Soul Society that most Soul Reapers join. Initially created to enforce law and order and composed of the deadliest killers in all of the Soul Society, the Gotei Thirteen became more peace-oriented in nature over time. It is split into thirteen squads, each symbolized by a flower whose floriography is indicative of the squad's designation or special responsibilities.