Shinigami Racial Information

What are Shinigami? When souls train their bodies, they reach the level of Shinigami. They possess high Reiryoku and a body of Reishi. They are invisible to those without spiritual powers. The most talented of them become affiliated with various organizations like the Gotei 13. Sometimes, a potential Shinigami is born among the residents of the Rukongai, and in some rare cases from Seireitei. They purify Hollows who do evil in the World of the Living and ensure the safe crossing of souls - the Pluses who have lost their way after death - by giving them a soul burial.

Shinigami Appearances: Most Shinigami appear like average Humans. There are, however, a few Shinigami who are less Human-like in appearance. For example, there are much greater variations in body-sizes between Shinigami than between Humans, with smaller Shinigami at 43 inches (3'7) and tall and giant ones at 113 inches (9'5) tall. The main uniform in the Gotei is known as the Shihakushou. It is customary to wear a white undergarment underneath. Some wear bright colored scarves with it or shorten the sleeves. They commonly carry their Zanpakutō, which is in most cases tied to their obi sash.



Longevity: Shinigami do not visibly age at the same rate as Humans and tend to maintain a youthful appearance for centuries. Shinigami can live for much longer than Humans, with some Shinigami being, at maximum, 4,000 years old.

Enhanced Durability: While Shinigami can be injured and killed like regular Humans, it takes considerably greater injuries to kill a Shinigami than it would to kill Humans. Decapitation is the only guaranteed method of killing a Shinigami.

Reiryoku: Shinigami naturally possess high levels of Spiritual Power, which varies greatly in magnitude with the strength of a Shinigami. The more power a Shinigami has, the sharper their movements will be. A consequence of having Spiritual Power is that unlike powerless spirits, Shinigami need to eat.




Hakuda: Hakuda is a close-combat style of fighting, in which one is unarmed and uses only one's body. It seems to be a combination of several martial arts, and thus general unarmed skill is determined by this rank on the skill sheet.

Hohō: Hohō  is the name given to one of the four combat skills of the Shinigami and relates to footwork. Hohō is an important skill for most Shinigami, and is one of their four basic fighting styles. The agility and speed of Hohō can be enhanced and improved through concentration, training, and mastery of it. The foremost practitioners of this technique are those assigned to the 2nd Division. Shunpo is the greatest expression of the Hohō technique. However, there are variations even within Shunpo which only master Hohō practitioners can use.

Kaidō: Also known as healing Kidō. These spells 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. When one heals with regular healing Kidō, they perform Reiatsu restoration first. By doing so, one can attempt to recover the physical body using the patient's restored reiatsu and the healer's external reiatsu. Therefore, restoring the reiatsu when the physical body is in a fully healed state is no trouble at all.

Kidō: Kidō is a form of Shinigami combat based on advanced spells. These spells are produced with strong Reiryoku and fall into two categories: Hadō for direct attacks, and Bakudō for battle support. It is one of the techniques in the Zankensoki, the group of Shinigami primary combat skills. Kidō spells are triggered by an incantation. Experienced users can trigger them without an incantation, though the effectiveness of the spell will be diminished. Most spells are graded on a scale from 1 to 99, spells of the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. To use Kidō, a Shinigami must recite the specific incantation for the spell, which is often long and requires a few seconds to speak. To use a Kidō, you must have up to that number in your Kidō rank on the skill sheet. Once you reach Rank 80, you may know all numbered Kidō. Kidō can be broken down into three categories:

• Bakudō: Supplementary spells which can immobilize an enemy or have an effect besides a direct strike. They may seem subtle, but these spells can give their users a tactical advantage when used properly. These are a broad category of defensive spells which block/repel attacks or freezes enemies in place.
  
  
• Hadō: Offensive spells which inflict direct damage to the enemy. Their effectiveness differs depending on the user. It is said the effectiveness of the higher-ranked spells are beyond imagination
  
  

Zanjutsu: Zanjutsu is the fighting style for the Zanpakutō and is one of the four basic fighting styles of the Shinigami. It can be adapted to other shapes of swords and some similar bladed weapons. Like Hakuda, it seems to be a mixture of many different martial arts—thus, skill in Zanjutsu applies to general weapon skill.




Artificial Souls: 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. It is commonly called Soul Candy, as the Shinigami Women's Association complained that the name "Artificial Soul" was not cute and had it changed.

Denreishinki: A vital tool for any Shinigami stationed in the Real World, this variation on a cell phone functions both as a regular phone and as a communication line with the Soul Society. It receives information about the time and exact location of a Hollow's emergence via 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).

Gigai: The temporary bodies that Shinigami use in the World of the Living. They were created by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

Gokon Tekkou: A glove which has a skull symbol on it, which can be used to force the soul out of a body. It does NOT work on humans with power. Using this without permission or knowledge of the definite survival of the subject is a punishable crime.

Hell Butterflies: The butterflies that Shinigami use to lead them to the World of the Living. They are also used as messengers in Soul Society.

Kikanshinki: A memory substitution device used on humans who have seen Shinigami or Hollows. Also called Kiokuchikan. 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 will believe.

Spiritual Limiter: 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 called the Gentei Reīn, which resembles the symbol unique to their Division, in order not to cause unnecessarily high damage while there. In extreme cases, where their full power is needed, they can request a limit release. The command to release the seal is Gentei Kaijo.

Zanpakutō: A Shinigami weapon, its shape is typically similar to a Japanese katana. Low ranking officers are issued an Asauchi sword, but high-ranking officers arm themselves with unique swords generated from their own souls. A Zanpakutō is a physical manifestation of this force concentrated into a blade. All Shinigami have a Zanpakutō, but not all of them carry one with them. Its shape differs depending on its owner. Zanpakutō are always embodiments of the user's soul. This means that a Zanpakutō needs to reflect the users.

Zajiku: Similar in function to a Denreishinki, this scroll-like object lists a Shinigami's targets and instructions for their mission.




Asauchi: Asauchi are the nameless Zanpakutō which all low-class Shinigami wield. Shinigami who are still in training - those who do not yet belong to any of the Gotei 13 - and Shinigami who are unable to communicate with their Zanpakutō all wield generic Zanpakutō. There are over 140,000 members of the Gotei 13, all of whom are loaned one of these nameless Zanpakutō upon first entering the academy, and this same blade is officially given to them upon joining a division. All Shinigami must spend every waking moment with their own Asauchi, and as they progress in their training, they slowly and methodically imprint the essence of their soul into their Asauchi. This is how they guide and mold their own unique Zanpakutō.

Hollow Cleansing: When a Shinigami slays a Hollow with their Zanpakutō, they cleanse their sins. Once this takes place, a Hollow will return to its former state as a Plus and is led into Soul Society. This is called sublimation. Souls that live in Soul Society are reborn again into the Human World. Not all Hollows are sent to the Soul Society. Since Zanpakutō are only capable of cleansing sins committed after becoming a Hollow, Hollows that committed serious crimes when they were still Human are sent to Hell when they are slain.

Konsou: the process by which a Shinigami sends wandering Pluses in the Human World to Soul Society if they are good in life or Hell if their life was full of evil acts (such as murders, theft, etc.). Konsou is performed by using the hilt of the Shinigami's Zanpakutō, tapping the soul on their forehead and transporting them to the afterlife.

Sealed:Most Zanpakutō look like regular swords, with slight variations between them as one would expect between different swords. Zanpakutō can also be disguised as other objects, though such objects seem to need to be of similar proportions to the sword itself. A Zanpakutō will return to its sealed state when its wielder is knocked unconscious

Shikai: Shikai is the first 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, for the living spirit of the Zanpakutō already has its own name. 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.  The blade changes shape and gains special abilities by chanting a release phrase.

Release Phrase: Using the release phrase, followed by the name of the Zanpakutō, activates Shikai. It is crucial to memorize each phrase, for every Zanpakutō has a different incantation. 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. Occasionally, Shinigami who did not learn Bankai can release their Zanpakutō simply by saying its name. Achievement of the Shikai is a mark of control of a Zanpakutō, and it is a requirement for advancement within the Shinigami ranks, for most seated officers are capable of Shikai. It is required in order to achieve the rank of Lieutenant, for it is a requirement which most Captains look for.

Bankai: Bankai  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: the wielder needs to summon the Zanpakutō's spirit into the physical world. The power and forms of Shikai and Bankai are dependent on the Zanpakutō, and vary according to the wielder's strength and training. But in general, one's power can grow 5 to 10 times greater by attaining it. Only the strongest Shinigami can use it, and it is the ultimate technique of a Zanpakutō.

Weakness of Bankai: The biggest flaw of Bankai lies in the overwhelming power it releases. Its power and form are often far beyond those of a normal weapon. No Bankai should be used in battle before this period of time has been reached. A broken Bankai can never be returned to its former state. A Bankai's form and strength is determinant on how much the spirit recognizes its wielder. If the Zanpakutō does not fully recognize its wielder, then it may not give its Bankai's true name. The result is the Bankai not being in its true form and therefore weaker.