Race Guide - Shinigami

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What is a Shinigami?
A shinigami, also known as a Death God or Soul reaper is a race of spiritual beings that govern the flows of souls between the human world and the afterlife realm known as the "Soul Society"

Shinigami are generally departed human souls that have gained supernatural powers. They can only be seen by other spiritually aware beings, which excludes most humans. Additionally, they can be injured and die, like regular humans, though it takes considerably greater injuries to die than it would for regular humans. It is a rule that in order to be a Soul Reaper a person must have been human to begin with, though there have been a few exceptions.

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Zanpaktou, The power of a Shinigami's Soul
Zanpakutō are the trademark weapons of the Shinigami. Capable of cutting spiritual bodies, they are amongst the few weapons which can be used to combat Hollows. Each Shinigami carries a Zanpakutō, and each Zanpakutō is unique: as the swords are both reflections of a Shinigami's soul and power, and sentient beings unto themselves. The Zanpakutō's name is also the name of the living spirit that empowers the sword and lends its strength to the Shinigami who wields it. These beings can vary greatly in appearance and have their own distinct personalities which match their owner's. Normally, the Zanpakutō spirit can only be seen by its wielder. Otherwise, they dwell in their own "inner world", created within the minds of the Shinigami who wield them. As such, each Shinigami's inner world is drastically different from another Shinigami's and is unique to themselves. A Zanpakutō's spirit can bring its wielder into its inner world, though Shinigami can voluntarily achieve this simply by meditation.

A Zanpakutō is generated by its wielder upon the solidification of their Reiryoku into the sword's form. Commonly, when a Shinigami graduates from the training academy, he/she gains his/her own unique weapon.

Shikai
The Shikai is the second form (or first "upgraded" 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, as the living spirit of the Zanpakutō already has its own name. Therefore, 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

Achievement of the Shikai is a mark of control of a Zanpakutō, and it appears to be a requirement for advancement within the Shinigami ranks, as presumably most seated officers are capable of Shikai. It is also required in order to achieve the rank of lieutenant; as it is a requirement most captains look for. After first learning the Zanpakutō's name, the Shikai can be performed at will simply by speaking a command followed by the Zanpakutō's name. 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.

Bankai
The 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. Instead the wielder needs to summon the Zanpakutō's spirit into the physical world. It usually takes 10 years or more to achieve, plus the experience needed to master it.

The power and forms of Shikai and Bankai are dependent on the Zanpakutō. They also vary according to the wielder's strength and training. But in general, one's power can grow 5 to 10 times greater. Only the strongest Shinigami can use it. It is also the ultimate technique of a Zanpakutō. Even the Four noble families, whose members are always exceptionally talented, have a member capable of Bankai only every few generations. Those who achieve Bankai always have remarkable roles in the history of Soul Society.

Kidō
Kidō is the technique that Shinigami use to focus their Spiritual Energy into a wide variety of magic spells that can serve many purposes, such as healing, defense, or combat. It is one of the four basic Shinigami combat forms.

Each spell is graded on a scale from 1 to 99, the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. The scale is a measure of difficulty, as there can be multiple spells which share the same level. To use Kidō, a Shinigami must recite the specific incantation for the spell, which is often long and requires a few seconds to speak.

This weakness can be negated by Shinigami capable of using Eishōhaki (Incantation Bypass), a technique that releases Kidō without a spirit chant. While it decreases the time needed to release the Kidō, it drastically weakens the spell. While anyone well versed in Kidō can use this technique, it is most effective when done by a skilled practitioner, otherwise the spell could utterly fail (ie: the spell explodes in the user's face). The most skilled experts are capable of using this technique to amazing effect.

Another method of circumventing the necessity of uttering an incantation for a Kidō is something called Kōjutsu Eishō (Delayed Incantation), where the incantation is recited after initiating the spell to power it up.

The power of a spell relies on the power of the user, as even a low-level spell can be utterly devastating when utilized by a high-class Shinigami.

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. The agility and speed of Hohō can be enhanced and improved through mastery of it, concentration, and training. The foremost practitioners of this technique are those assigned to the Onmitsukidō. Shunpo is the most commonly used Hohō technique. However, there are variations even within Shunpo and other Hohō techniques that only master Hohō practitioner can use.

Travel Capabilities
Traveling within the Soul society is considering a quick and free action and Shinigami are allowed to go to any area freely as long as their clearance is high enough to be their.

Traveling to the human world requires you to at least be a level 20+ Officer and 2 hours(real Time) in order for the proper Senkaimon to be prepared. Traveling to Hueco Mundo requires you to be level 30+, 8 hours(real time) in which a Garganta safe for Shinigami to travel through is created as well as authorization from your Squads Captain or Lieutenant which will most likely not be obtained outside of war times, though Rogue Shinigami may obtain methods of creating both on their own.

Shinigami Player Notes
The hardest part about playing a Shinigami are the various rules and regulations they are restricted by. Not to mention the personal rules of your Squads captain regarding certain events. Being a Rogue or a Vaizard, is difficult in itself as you may turn many olds friends against your or just plain be hunted down depending on how influential your character is.

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Creation Details
(Link to Shinigami section of the creation guide)

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The 13 Division Imperial Guards or the Gotei 13 is the primary military branch of Soul Society. It is also the main military organization that most Shinigami join after the academy. The Gotei 13 serves as a military force with its primary responsibilities consisting of the defense of the Seireitei, the center of Soul Society, the deployment of Division members into enemy territory for combat operations, and the deployment of Task Forces as defensive measures in the world of the living.

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 or 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 Gotei 13's main duty is to defend the Seireitei but they are also allocated districts in Rukongai to defend. In addition to these duties, Shinigami also have to deal with the business of being assigned to the Human World.

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 whole 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 basis, 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.

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 cannot punish the subordinates of another captain.

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Shinigami Student
A student level shinigami is still learning how to control their spirit energy. They barely know much about the nature of their powers, or how to wield them. Fear not though for as a student your job is to learn, and the you will be taught how to defend yourself and make yourself of use to the Soul Society.

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Shinigami Trainee
Fresh from their days as as student, those of this rank have just truly earned the title of shinigami and are just now being assigned to squads for training, so that they may effectively learn their duties and grow stronger as they do so.

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Shinigami Officer
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

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Shinigami Lieutenant
Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. 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.

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Shinigami Captain
A Captain is the leader of one of the thirteen divisions (with the special case of the Captain-Commander).

Captains determine the course, organization, tactics and policy of their division. The power a captain has over his/her division is absolute and cannot be questioned by subordinates or the captains of the other divisions. A captain can choose to change the division specialty. Due to captains having supreme authority in their respective division the divisions have become separate entities and not a cohesive military. In this way they only have the right to punish the actions of their subordinates and not those of other divisions unless in the instance that the division in question has no current captain or the subordinates actions are against the laws or rules of Soul Society.

Although not commonly stated, the true 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, the Soul Society is safe and almost unbeatable. If they are broken, their strength dwindles, making them highly vulnerable.

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Exiled Shinigami:
Outcasts shinigami, either they are thrown out of Soul Society never to return for breaking it's forbidden laws and taboos, or they leave of their own accord not returning from a mission or maybe they simply disappear. One thing is certain however, once you are labeled an exile don't expect the Soul Society to welcome you back with open arms. Depending on the severity of your crime you can be exiled to the Human world, or worse the dismal fate that is Hueco Mundo.

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Vizard [Forbidden]
Shinigami who have committed the Taboo of gaining hollow powers. Whether unintentionally or by choice in the end the Soul Society can't turn the other cheek and leave your cursed powers unchecked, so don't expect a warm welcome from any Shinigami that is still associated with the Gotei 13. Making friends in the human world with others like you or some of the different races may be the safest way to live from now on.

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Ascending The Ranks

Student
Requirements: -
Max Level: 5

Trainee
Requirements: Level 5, Two or more RP Skills
Max Level: 20

Officer
Requirements: Level 15, Achieved Shikai
Max Level: 38

Exiled Officer:

Vizard Officer:

Lieutenant
Requirements: Level 30, Captain's Approval
Max Level: 45

Exiled Lieutenant:

Vizard Lieutenant:

Captain
Requirements: Level 38, Proficiency Test (must be witnessed by at least 3 PC's, typically a display of Bankai and other skills is needed to pass)
Max Level: 50

Exiled Captain:

Vizard Captain: