Shinigami

**Shinigami** (*Soul Reaper(s)* in the Bleach English dub) are guardians of the souls who are going through the circle of transmigration. In ancient times, they were knowns as **Balancers**. They purify Hollows who do evil in the Human World and ensure the crossing of souls - the Pluses who have lost their way after death - by giving them a soul burial. Shinigami are the opposite of Quincy.

## Overview

Shinigami are unearthly beings living in a world ruled by a different logic than the Human World. They possess high Reiryoku and a body of Reishi. They are invisible to those without spiritual powers.

When souls with exceptional spiritual energy train their bodies, they reach the level of the Shinigami  The most talented of them become affiliated with various organizations like the Gotei 13 and the Onmitsukidō. Sometimes, a potential Shinigami is born among the residents of Rukongai, and in some rare cases from Seireitei.

Shinigami receive salaries, like workers in the Human World and also earn bounties for defeating Hollows.

All Shinigami have vents at their wrists which release their Reiatsu. If they are blocked off, the Shinigami in question would be incinerated by their own Reiatsu from the inside out. If a Shinigami's **Saketsu** (*Chain Binding*) and **Hakusui** (*Soul Sleep*) are pierced, their spiritual powers are sealed up and they most likely can never regain their lost powers again.

Shinigami have a number of supernatural abilities:

* **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, such as Retsu Unohana, being over 1,000 years old and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto being at least 2,100 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.
	+ **Reiatsu**:
* **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.

## Appearance

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 small childlike Shinigami such as the 109 cm tall Yachiru Kusajishi and giant Shinigami such as Sajin Komamura, who is 288 cm tall. Variations do not just occur in size but in overall appearance, too, the most notable example being Captain Komamura, who is an anthropomorphic wolf.

**Shihakusho** (*Garment of Dead Souls*): The black kimono worn by Shinigami  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.

## Duties

### Human World

* **Konso** (*Soul Burial*): 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.). Konso is performed by using the hilt of the Shinigami's Zanpakutō, tapping the soul on their forehead and transporting them to the afterlife.
* **Hollow Cleansing**:
* **Soul Governance**:

## Training

**Shinoreijutsuin** (*Spiritual Arts Academy*):

## Combat

**Zankensoki**: Basic Soul Reaper fighting techniques.

* **Zanjutsu**: Sword fighting techniques for the Zanpakuto. The most basic fighting technique.
* **Hakuda**: An unarmed fighting technique that makes use of one's own body in a fight.
* **Hohō**: The name for all high-speed fighting movements based on the art of Shunpo.
* **Kidō**: Advanced spells that require strong spiritual power:Hadō and Bakudō.

## Mission Aids

To aid in their missions, particularly when said missions involve more than simply dispatching a Hollow, Shinigami have a number of unique items to assist them in their duties:

* **Gigai**: The temporary bodies that Shinigami use in the World of the Living.
* **Jigokucho**
* **Spiritual Limiter**
* **Denreishinki**
* **Zajiku**
* **Gokon Tekko**
* **Artificial Souls**
* **Modified Souls**

## See Also

* Gotei 13
* List of Shinigami
* Onmitsukidō
* Soul Society
* Kidō Corps