Shinigami
From Inga no Kusari wiki
A shinigami (death god) is a human spirit who has displayed the ability to generate amounts of reiatsu so as to be able to push it outwards to some effect. They are trained in the Shinigami Academy within Soul Society's Seireitei and enlisted into the Gotei 13, Soul Society's military organisation.
Their purpose is to protect Soul Society from outward threats, as well as police it, and ensure the souls of the dead make it safely to there. To this end, they actively go out hunting and purifying hollows, so as to restore them to their human forms and send them on to the afterlife.
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Four Pillars of Discipline
The shinigami are a military group, and thus undergo training to enhance their combat abilities. The combat techniques of the shinigami fall under four main categories. Zanjutsu involves learning to use weaponry, generally swords, but it may involve more exotic items, such as the released state of zanpakutō, which are not always commonplace in form; the shinigami's Weapons points show their familiarity with the use of their weapon, and thus their attacks become more fluid and more graceful, and all the more deadly, as that stat rises. Hakuda involves unarmed combat skills. It also covers small handle-less weapons like claws, brass knuckles, punching daggers, and so on; as the shinigami's Melee points rise, their movements become increasingly controlled and forceful, smooth and dangerous. Hohō is the training of the shinigami to be nimble and quick in movement, and includes the art of shunpo (flashsteps), which allow the shinigami to move at blinding speeds. Kidō allow the shinigami to manipulate their reiatsu in a variety of ways, producing many, often unpredictable, effects.
At the higher levels of mastery of these skills, the shinigami may learn to fuse two disciplines into one, combining elements of both.
Zanpakutō
A shinigami wields a weapon known as a zanpakutō (soul-cutting sword). It can, as its name suggests, cut the flesh of souls. Each zanpakutō is unique to its shinigami, bearing an individual and separate spirit within the blade, as the shinigami grows in power, so does their zanpakutō spirit. If the two are train enough, they can unleash special abilities, the zanpakutō spirit's outward projection into the world.
Asauchi
Asauchi (Shallow Hit) is the generic name for the nameless zanpakutō wielded by the shinigami who have not yet attained their releases. These katana are mass-produced by the Muramasa swordsmiths and are given to every graduate of the Shinigami Academy; while stronger than the strongest of mortal-made katanas, they are still weaker than the weakest named zanpakutō. Through training, an asauchi will gradually begin to absorb reiatsu from their wielder and eventually gain sentience. Upon learning the name of the sentient asauchi, it becomes a zanpakutō.
Sōkyoku
The Sōkyoku (Second Death) is a huge zanpakutō in the shape of a halberd that rests at the centre of Seireitei, it is the gotei 13's execution tool. Though it apparently has no owner, able to be released by any shinigami at captain-level, it is believed to be the zanpakutō of the Soul King himself. The Sōkyoku's release is a great bird composed of flames, and anything touched by the creature's feathersis turned to ash and utterly destroyed. Any spirit struck by the Sōkyoku's release does not become reincarnated in the mortal world, it is destroyed completely. The Sōkyoku is bound by thirteen cords, each of which can only be untied by a release phrase known by one of the gotei's captains.
Abilities
Shikai
The first ability a zanpakutō can bestow upon its bearer is known as a shikai (initial release), with this, the shape of the sword changes, sometimes radically, and the power hidden within the blade becomes the shinigami's to wield. A shikai has three abilities usually, following a general theme linked somewhat to the zanpakutō spirit's appearance.
In order to gain shikai, the shinigami typically has to project themself into the world that their zanpakutō spirit inhabits, there they are set some sort of test or game to complete. Doing well at this test earns the zanpakutō spirit's trust, and with that trust comes knowledge of the spirit's name, an element which is essential for calling forth the power of shikai.
Bankai
With a great amount of training, a shinigami can earn a second favour from their zanpakutō, that of bankai (final release). The bankai is far more powerful than the shikai, not limited to simply the sword's appearance and abilities, it reaches further. The average bankai possesses two abilities.
To attain bankai, the shinigami must summon their zanpakutō spirit out of the blade and subjugate it. It is still a relationship based on trust and co-operation, but now the sword's spirit must learn to respect its bearer, and be willing to turn over all the secrets that it possesses.
Senkai
At this point the shinigami and the zanpakutō have gone through enough together to firmly cement the master-weapon relationship, and through this strong relationship the zanpakutō is forced into a third form, the senkai (focused release). The senkai is above bankai the way bankai is above shikai; the sword's appearance and abilities change to best serve its master, and may go so far as to alter the physical surroundings with it. The senkai grants just one ability (hence the name).
Attainment of senkai requires the shinigami to be able to project their inner world onto the exterior, together with the zanpakutō spirit, and to maintain this feat for three days and nights; the purpose of this is to force the shinigami to be able to draw on their spirit's energies in any condition. When this is completed, the zanpakutō and the shinigami are fully one in battle, sharing instincts and thoughts.
Noble Families
The Soul Society exists with a very class based culture, with nobles at the top of this social food chain. Just as there are two distinct parts to the Soul Society (Seireitei and Rukongai), so there are two types of nobles. The Seireitei nobles hold the most power of the upper classes, being as they are from military and political families. There are only four Seireitei noble families, the Reatrea clan, the Yamazaki clan, the Nakashima clan, and the Dokisuru clan. The Rukongai nobles are often awarded their status for great deeds their family has done in the past, or due to some office of local government they hold. The Rukongai nobles are far more numerous.
The Reatrea family is involved in the central government of the Soul Society, with their elders always holding three seats on the Central 46. Currently, the former Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, Sabrina Reatrea, sits as head, alongside her brothers Ryu and Shirou.
The Yamazaki family have the privelage of being the commanders of the Soul King's royal guard and secretaries of the royal family's affairs. Their members are typically trained in the Gotei 13 to be elite warriors before being elevated to guardsmanship, and those unfit for fighting act as advisers and attendants for the royal family.
The Nakashima family oversee and fund the running of the Shinigami Academy. Their humanitarian influence on the Soul Society is great, going further than merely the Academy, they also run correctional institutions and soup kitchens for the poorer districts. Their family grounds are open to the public, with a vast ornamental garden taking up a large part of the southeastern quarter of the Seireitei.
The Dokisuru family oversee the trade and economy of the Soul Society, it is said there is not a package in transit that they don't know of. Because of this, they are for a large part involved in the running of the fourth division, organising the gathering of logistics where needed and making sure the spirit world's economy travels a straight and steady line.
The Muramasa swordsmiths are a minor noble family who rose to prominence some five-hundred years ago. Founded by the legendary Japanese swordsmith Muramasa Sengo, the family have lived within the tenth division barracks for centuries, with the lieutenancy of the Tenth Division being a hereditary position for the head of the family. They are responsible for crafting the empty asauchi blades given to all students of the Shinigami Academy, which eventually become sentient and earn the title of zanpakutō.
Hierarchy of Seireitei
The shinigami do not operate autonomously; there are rules, policies, and duties to perform that they do not decide on for themselves.
Central 46
Every policy and rule within Seireitei was made by these men and women. They elect their own successors, and their identities are unknown to any person within Soul Society apart from themselves. They have no families, no possessions, and nothing that could possibly be used to influence their judgment. Their living habits and living quarters are kept as a high-level secret by the Seventh Division, and trespass within that area means immediate death, no questions asked.
They are the only court able to pass sentences on Captains, and an order from them supersedes one given by any Captain.
Gotei 7
Expanded to the Gotei 13 in 2001 BCE to deal with an increasing number of shinigami forces.
Gotei 13
The current military arm of Soul Society, they are a collection of the most powerful spirits on Soul Society. They are divided into 13 Divisions, hence the name; and each Division has different duties and specialties, although some overlap or cooperate over certain matters. Each Division has one Captain and one Vice-Captain, up to ten seated members, and countless unseated members.
Captain
These are the most powerful of the shinigami, each of them having mastered one or more of the Four Pillars as well as having obtained bankai; having near-absolute power over the division they lead, an angry captain is a fearsome being indeed.
There are only three ways to become a captain: to use bankai in the presence of at least three other captains including the captain-commander; to have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval (or neutrality) from three others; or to defeat a captain in a one-on-one battle with at least 200 witnesses.
Lieutenant
A sufficiently strong seated member, or indeed any member at all of a division, may be promoted to lieutenant to assist the captain in the running of the division. When appointed, both the captain and the potential lieutenant must agree; otherwise the selection process begins again.
Seated Member
Each Division has twenty ranks beneath the Lieutenant, of which the Third Seat is the nearest to Lieutenant-level and the Twentieth Seat the farthest; the limit on the number of concurrent holders of the same rank varies from Division to Division. The assignment of these seats are the sole jurisdiction of the Captain, and can only be interfered with by express instructions from the Central 46.
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