This is a list of Soul Reaper (死神,
shinigami?, literally "death god") characters featured in the anime and manga series
Bleach, created by Tite Kubo. Shinigami are a fictional race of spirits who govern the flow of souls between the human world and the afterlife. The story is about how Ichigo Kurosaki becomes the deputy Shinigami substituting for Rukia Kuchiki in Karakura Town. He assumes her duties to protect souls and put them to peaceful rest, as well as to fight against creatures called Hollows, which are souls that could not rest. As the series progresses, however; Rukia is arrested by the Shinigami organization
Soul Society for giving her powers to Ichigo, and they prepare to execute her. Ichigo and his friends go to save her and are forced to fight against many of the Soul Society's Court Guard Companies. However the Captain of 5th Company, Sōsuke Aizen defects from the Soul Society during the rescue and starts a plan to overthrow the king of the Soul Society and usurp it.
Bleach was first conceived from Tite Kubo's desire to draw a
shinigami (term which is changed to Soul Reaper in the English adaptation) in a kimono, which formed the basis for the design of the Soul Reapers. Before deciding the use of kimono, Kubo thought of giving black suits to male Soul Reapers 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, who would use a scythe. Seeing that guns are not suitable for kimono, he changed them with swords. When asked which of the 13 Court Guard Company Captains and Assistant Captains were his favorites, Tite 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.
Soul Reapers are departed human souls that have gained supernatural powers. Soul Reapers can only be seen by other spiritually aware entities, which excludes most humans. Additionally, they can be injured and die like regular humans, though it takes considerably greater injuries for the latter to occur than it would in regular humans. It is a rule that in order to be a Soul Reaper a person must have been human to begin with. Komamurra is the exception to this rule and Captain Yamamotto apparently is able to make an exception for him with Central 46 to which he has always been grateful.
All Soul Reapers possess a
zanpakutō (斬魄刀?, literally "soul-cutter sword"), a weapon which reflects aspects of their soul and personality. Some zanpakuto spirits even possess certain physical traits of their wielders such has hair color and eye markings. 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
shikai (始解?, "initial release"), changes the sword's appearance to better facilitate its special abilities. A shikai also acts like a binding contract between a Soul Reaper and the sword and assures that no one but the owner of the weapon can use it to the fullest. The
shikai is usually released when the owner of a
zanpakutō calls out their unique command or phrase followed by the name of the
zanpakutō. The second transformation, known as
bankai (卍解?, "final release"), can only normally be achieved when a Soul Reaper trains with their
zanpakutō for decades. Once achieved, the Soul Reaper can unlock the full potential of their
zanpakutō, increasing their own power several times over. Though rare, it is not impossible 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.
Many Soul Reapers are able to use
kidō (鬼道?, literally "way of the demon"), a form of magic that can be performed by reciting a specific incantation. Most of the
kidō spells seen in the series have been 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 of 1 to 99, indicating their complexity and overall power. However, even low-level spells can do quite a lot of damage when used by skilled
kidō users, such as Byakuya Kuchiki.
Source:
Wikipedia
