
The final choice for a Soul Reaper is to slay the captain that hold the seat that they want. To pass the exam the requires the Soul Reaper to perform their Zanpakuto's final release in the presence of the Commander General (who resides over the 1st Division) and two other existing captains.Ī Soul Reaper's second option would be to get recommendations from six of the thirteen captains and at approval from three of the remaining captains. The first option for promotion is to take the promotion's exam. The Soul Reaper's captain seats can only be filled when one of three conditions are met. The Soul Reaper use black swallow tailed moths to signal when they have arrived or leave a place. The basic uniform for the Soul Reapers is a black martial arts uniform that is very loose and baggy. The Special Forces is smaller than the Gotei 13 and respond to attacks and Hollows that are too powerful for the regular guard to handle.Īll Soul Reapers carry a Zanpaku- to, a sword that has multiple forms that base themselves off of the power that the sword and the owner carry. The Demon Arts Division is responsible for opening and closing the gates between the living world and the Soul Society.Īll other activities that the Demon Arts Division carry out are strictly classified and kept to the members of the team. The Demon Arts Division is made up of the Soul Reapers that are best at Demon Arts. Under each captain is a lieutenant who communicates directly between them and the lower ranks.Įach unit is different and some of these units aren't even combat capable, but instead are medical specialist. The Gotei 13 is the regular army and has 13 units that are led by 13 Captains. Within that army there are three main branches, the Gotei 13, the Demon Arts Division, and the Special Forces. Since their beginning the Soul Reapers have been working to protect humans from Hollows by using their large army of Soul Reapers. The only time a Soul Reaper sends a Soul or a Hollow to Hell is if that person committed great crimes while they were alive.

When a Soul Reaper executes a hollow that didn't commit great crimes in life they purify the soul and return it to the Soul Society. Soul Reapers also have the task of destroying Hollows, evil spirits that have lost their connection to humanity.

Soul Reapers travel to the world of the living to perform soul burials on spirits that have yet to find peace and pass on to the Soul Society. The Soul Reapers known as Shinigami in Japanese are spirit beings that inhabit the center of the Soul Society in the manga Bleach.
