Royal Guard: Zero DivisionThe Royal Guard is a special organization that performs services for the Royal Family. It has a considerable amount of fighting, organizational, and executive power compared to other organizations.
Since serving the royal family is the primary purpose of the Royal Guard, they do not interfere in Gotei 13's affairs and the defense of Soul Society, even against major threats like Aizen and his Arrancar. They are known to do whatever is required by order of the Soul King.
The Royal Guard's authority supersedes the authority of all within Soul Society. Each member of the Royal Guard have had the power of the Ōken imparted onto their bones by the Soul King. They also each have a city of their own at the Soul King Palace.
The Royal Guard is known to promote former captains of the Gotei 13 to their ranks. The Royal Guard has no soldiers, and it only has 5 members, all of which are former captains. Their total power far surpasses the power of all the 13 Divisions together. Ichibē Hyōsube is the commanding Shinigami of the Royal Guard.
Squad Zero MembersLeader : Ichibē Hyōsube
Members : Senjumaru Shutara, Oetsu Nimaiya, Kirio Hikifune, Tenjirō Kirinji
Gotei 13The Gotei 13 is the organization which most Shinigami join, and one of the three main branches of military in Soul Society. It is split into thirteen divisions, with several divisions having certain specializations. The Gotei 13 is subservient to the edicts of the Central 46 Chambers. They also have no jurisdiction over any of the noble families. The symbol of the Gotei 13 is a rhombus, all the 13 Divisions symbols are placed within the rhombus on the back of the Captains haori.
The Gotei 13, in contrast to the normal operations of modern-day militaries, does not operate as a cohesive unit normally. The command of the divisions are generally left to the discretion of its particular Captain, who commonly runs it whatever way he/she sees fit, allowing for the change of a division's traditional duties to an entirely new set and even the creation of a separate institution connected to the division.
The only general authority to call forth a combined front would be that of an edict from the Central 46 Chambers, or more often the Captain-Commander. It is not uncommon for Captains to not see each other as a entire group for long periods of time, except for cases involving a threat to all of the Soul Society, a Captain's punishment, or to a lesser degree, a Captain's promotion. On a regular bases, the Captains are spread out all across the Soul Society doing their divisions' duties, whatever they may be. They are, in fact, so far spread out that getting the Captains together as a group, or even getting their lieutenants together as a group, could normally take a day to accomplish.
Due to the lack of cohesion, it is also not uncommon for lieutenants to know one another, but be entirely unfamiliar with each other's Captain if they are relatively new. Also, unless specifically ordered by the Captain-Commander, Captains can choose whether or not to attend meetings (at their own risk) or not even involve themselves in the daily situations of the Soul Society. Captains are not allowed, without permission, to carry out activities outside of their normal jurisdiction or their division. The Captain of one division can punish the subordinates of another Captain if warranted.
RanksAs with any army, the Gotei 13 has ranks. There are 20 ranks for officers but no ranks for non-officers. The lower the number is, the higher the rank. The ranks and their descriptions are below, from highest to lowest in terms of strength.
Captain-Commander
The Captain-commander (総隊長, sōtaichō; Captain-Commander) is the leader of the Gotei 13 and the Captain of the 1st Division; the implication is that this is an ex officio or a primus inter pares position. The first holder of this title was Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, however this RP takes place after his death, and as such, the current Captain-Commander is Shunsui Kyoraku
Captain
A Captain (隊長, Taichō; lit. Unit Commander) is the leader of one of the thirteen divisions (with the special case of the Captain-Commander). A single Gotei 13 "unit" is estimated at about 200-500 troops.
Captains are generally the most respected Shinigami within the Soul Society, with the Kidō Corps, and Onmitsukidō leaders possibly being on equal status. With one exception, all captains are able to utilize the final stage of their Zanpakutō, and are more powerful than even their lieutenants. Knowing Bankai gives captains an average of five-to-ten times the strength of Shinigami who are unable to perform it. They have also extensively-trained, if not mastered, their Bankai, allowing them to actually use the enormous power effectively in battle. Most captains are also skilled in the use of Flash Steps, Kidō, and generally have extensive knowledge of Shinigami history and battle tactics. All of these factors create a huge power-gap between captains and lower-ranked officers.
It is not commonly stated but in truth the power of the Soul Society lies in the Captains of the Gotei 13, as they are the leaders of its military arm. With them at full strength Soul Society is safe and near unbeatable, if they are broken their strength dwindles making them highly vulnerable.
There are three different ways to become a Gotei 13 captain:
Captain proficiency test : A test which requires the ability to perform Bankai. Presumably, most Shinigami become captains using this method. At least three existing captains, including the Captain-Commander, have to witness the test.
Personal Recommendation: To have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval from at least three of the remaining seven.
Trial by Combat: To defeat a captain one-on-one with at least 200 witnesses from the captain's division. Kenpachi Zaraki is the only known current captain to have achieved his rank using this method. This method is seen as being the exceedingly rarer of the three as well as the least refined. The method is commonly looked down upon by some captains as barbaric compared to the other refined methods. This method also allows one to bypass having the mastery of bankai or other possible abilities that a captain would otherwise be required to have knowledge of, as it allows no judgement from captains who would require those skills as a prerequisite to join their ranks.
LieutenantA Lieutenant is the 2nd seated officer in a division. Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. They (along with their captains) are not assigned to one specific squad. They generally only know the Shikai of their Zanpakutō, but are still the second strongest in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the "substitute captain" until another can be assigned.
Seated OfficersSeated officers are the remainder of the officers in the Gotei 13 that hold ranks at or below 3rd Seat. Captains and lieutenants have the ranks of 1st and 2nd Seats, respectively. Next to that, there are 18 more seats (3rd-to-20th). These ranks are somewhat analogous to junior officers or non-commissioned officers in modern military. There seems to be a distinction between senior and junior seated officers, just like in real-life armies. In the Gotei 13, only one person can hold a senior officer rank (such as 3rd or 5th seat), but there are several holders of junior officer ranks (e.g. 20th seat). This may vary from division to division however, as there are two 3rd Seats in the 13th Division. Seated officers often lead subunits within each division.
DivisionsDivision SpecialtyIt has been shown that the 13 divisions and the Kidō Corps may each specialize in a certain area, but only a few division and their respective specialities have been made known.
Division
Division Specality
1st Division
No special duties have been noted for the 1st Division, other than their Captain being the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. It is assumed that they handle most of the administrative duties and keep the law around the Seiretei.
2nd Division
Squad 2 is directly tied in with the Onmitsukidō, each of the top 5 seated officers is in charge of a certain division of the latter. For example the 3rd Seat is in charge of the Detention Unit
3rd Division
No special duties have been noted for the 3rd Division.
4th Division
Squad 4 is the medical/supply division. They are responsible for both treating the injured and doing most manual labor such as cleaning Seireitei. Because of this, they have keys to most of the buildings and know the underground sewer system well. According to various members of the 11th Division, 4th Division members are rather weak at combat instead using their power to heal. The 4th Division is further divided into teams that have various unknown yet specific assigned jobs.
5th Division
They are the messenger squad of the Gotei 13, and many of its members appear to be the most adept in Kidō.
6th Division
No special duties have been noted for the 6th division.
7th Division
No special duties have been noted for the 7th Division.
8th Division
No special duties have been noted for the 8th Division.
9th Division
Squad 9 is known to be in charge of the Seireitei news magazine. All the Lieutenants of the Divisions of Gotei 13 hand in their publicity reports to them.
10th Division
No special duties have been noted for the 10th Division.
11th Division
Squad 11 is the melee combat Division with a specialization in swords-only combat, forgoing the other Shinigami arts. It is mentioned that it is tradition for the current Kenpachi, the title held by the best swordsman in Soul Society, to hold the position of Eleventh Division Captain.
12th Division
Squad 12 is connected to the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. Members are tasked with research and collection of data and samples, and the Captain is the President of the RDI.
13th Division
Squad 13 seems to be in charge of the Communications department in the Soul Society. It also seems to assume most of Earth's protection against hollows.
InsigniaEach of the 13 divisions in Gotei 13 have their own symbol that represents the division's primary role, which all seem to be based on flowers. When a power limit is placed on a captain or lieutenant, their symbol appears on a certain part of their body until the limit is lifted. Each symbol also has a specific meaning.
1st Division
Chrysanthemums : Truth and Innocence
2nd Division
Tulip : Seek Nothing
3rd Division
Marigold : Despair
4th Division
Bellflower : Those Who Grieve Are Loved
5th Division
Lily of the Valley : Sacrifice, Danger, Pure Love, Humility, Sweetness
6th Division
Camellia : Noble Reason
7th Division
Iris : Courage
8th Division
Bird of Paradise : Everything is Obtained
9th Division
Buttercup : Oblivion
10th Division
Daffodil : Mystery, Egoism
11th Division
Yarrow : Fight
12th Division
Thistle : Vengeance, Strictness, Independence
13th Division
Summer Snowflake : Hope
Kidou CorpsThe Kidō Corps is a separate branch of Soul Society's military that excels in the art of Kidō. It takes students from the Shinigami Academy that excel in Kidō and trains them to further their abilities in said area. Its operations are executed in absolute secrecy, little else is known. During an incident one hundred years ago Jūshirō Ukitake noted how rare it was to see anyone from the Kidō Corps, especially the captain.
The Kidō Corps is responsible for opening the senkaimon, the gate between the human world and Soul Society
List Of Kidou Corps RanksCaptain : Unknown
Lieutenant : Unknown
OnmitsukidoThe Onmitsukidō also called the Secret Mobile Unit/Corps, Special Forces or Covert Ops was originally a separate branch of Soul Society's army, traditionally tied to the Shihōin family. When the Commander-in-Chief would gain a title within the Gotei 13, the Onmitsukidō would become attached to that division as well. The Special Forces is generally commanded by a member of the noble family Shihōin, though the last member to hold this position was Yoruichi Shihōin before she departed Soul Society around 100 years before the main story line. Since that time, the Special Forces seem to be highly merged with the Gotei 13's 2nd Division.
A strike unit under the command of the Central 46 Chambers. Five total divisions handle various missions. Details concerning second to fourth division are top secret and aren't talked about much. If the Gotei 13 are the exterior guard, the Onmitsukidō is an interior, covert guard.
The head of the Onmitsukidō is called Commander-in-chief. The leaders of each of the divisions are ranked as Corps Commander. Given that the Onmitsukidō is currently tied with the Gotei 13's 2nd Division, each Corps Commander also holds a Seated Officer position in said division. The Commander-in-chief of the Special Forces generally also commands top division of the Special Forces, which is the Executive Militia and it is known that the 3rd Seated Officer is the Corps Commander of the Detention Unit. It may be said that the order of the five divisions also goes in order of the top five officers of the 2nd Division.
Onmitsukido UniformsAlthough the general Onmitsukidō uniform appears to be the standard Shinigami uniform, the Executive Militia uniform is different from the Gotei 13. Overall, it resembles a ninja uniform. It has no visible white undergarments and the sash is dark as opposed to white. A headpiece covers the bottom part of the face and sometimes the top, but not the eyes; they wear no sandals, but long jika-tabi , and tight bands are on the legs and arms to keep the clothes from moving too much, which both are presumably for silence of movement. In the anime, members of the Executive Militia also wear their head covering on the top, not just the bottom and wear a black sash instead of a white one.
The leader of the militia wears the same uniform, except that the shoulders and back are exposed. The reason for the empty space is the eventual usage of Shunkō, an advanced technique that combines hand to hand combat and kidō, causing high spiritual pressure to accumulate at the shoulders and back, blasting away the fabric at said places.[8]
The Correctional Force uniform is radically different. The soldiers wear a white uniform, a long piece of headgear, and a backpack
List Of Onmitsukido RanksCommander-in-chiefSoifon inherited both the title of Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō and that of the Captain of the 2nd Division after the departure of Yoruichi.
Special Forces Divisions: There are a number of divisional departments within the Onmitsukidō, for which the first has the most authority, and the fifth has the least. The five divisions in order of authority are:
1. Executive Militia : The first branch of the Onmitsukidō. It is ranked the highest of the five branches in the division. Their responsibilities including punishment and assassination of ex-comrades who break the law and acting as scouts during battle against hollows. Its members are dressed all in black and are known for their cold-bloodedness. They specialize in combat using Hakuda. It is normally headed by the the Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō.
Current Corps Commander
The Captain of Squad 2 is the current Corps Commander for the Executive Militia.
2. Patrol Corps : Their apparent job is to patrol the Seireitei. In the event of those under house arrest escaping they also are tasked with finding and apprehending them. Externally they patrol the various lands and dimensions to combat dangerous Hollows and other enemies of Soul Society.
Current Corps Commander
The Lieutenant of Squad 2 fills this role.
Unit members
Eikichirō Saidō
3. Detention Unit : The Detention Unit is responsible for the imprisonment and supervision of all criminals within the Seireitei. They also have another duty known as Special Detention, which concerns those who joined the Gotei 13 but were judged to be a danger to their fellow Shinigami. They investigate, apprehend, and keep these individuals sealed away from the rest of Soul Society within the Special Underground Detention Facility, aka. the Maggot's Nest. It should be noted that those few who are kept in the Maggots' Nest have not actually committed any crime but have been identified by the laws of Soul Society as "Dangerous Elements". This unit acts somewhat similar to a prison and mental rehabilitation center.
The 3rd seat of Squad 2 fills this role.
4. Un-named : The fourth unit's name and function are unknown.
Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:10 pm by ignis_ray
