Soul Reaper

**Soul Reapers** 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 World of the Living and ensure the crossing of souls - the Pluses who have lost their way after death - by giving them a soul burial. Soul Reapers are the opposite of Quincy.

## Overview

Soul Reapers are unearthly beings living in a world ruled by a different logic than the World of the Living. 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 Shinigami. The most talented of them become affiliated with various organizations like the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the Stealth Force. Sometimes, a potential Soul Reaper is born among the residents of the Rukongai, and in some rare cases from Seireitei.

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

All Soul Reapers have vents at their wrists which release their Reiatsu. If they are blocked off, the Soul Reapers in question would be incinerated by their own Reiatsu from the inside out. If a Soul Reaper'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.

Soul Reapers have a number of supernatural abilities:

* Longevity: Soul Reapers 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 Soul Reapers, such as Retsu Unohana, being over 1,000 years old and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto being at least 2,100 years old.
* Enhanced Durability: While Soul Reapers can be injured and killed like regular Humans, it takes considerably greater injuries to kill a Soul Reapers than it would to kill Humans. Decapitation is the only guaranteed method of killing a Shinigami.
* Reiryoku: Soul Reapers naturally possess high levels of Spiritual Power, which varies greatly in magnitude with the strength of a Soul Reapers. The more power a Soul Reaper has, the sharper their movements will be. A consequence of having Spiritual Power is that unlike powerless spirits, Soul Reapers need to eat.
* Zanpakuto: A Soul Reaper 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 Zanpakuto is a physical manifestation of this force concentrated into a blade. All Soul Reapers have a Zanpakuto, but not all of them carry one with them. Its shape differs depending on its owner.

## Appearance

Most Soul Reapers appear like average Humans. There are, however, a few Soul Reapers who are less Human-like in appearance. For example, there are much greater variations in body-sizes between Soul Reapers than between Humans, with small childlike Soul Reapers such as the 109 cm tall Yachiru Kusajishi and giant Soul Reapers 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 Soul Reapers. It is customary to wear a white undergarment underneath. Some wear bright colored scarves with it or shorten the sleeves. They commonly carry their Zanpakuto, which is in most cases tied to their obi sash.

## Duties

### Human World

* Konso (*Soul Burial*) - The process by which a Soul Reaper 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 Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto, 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.
* Hoho - The name for all high-speed fighting movements based on the art of Shunpo.
* Kido - Advanced spells that require strong spiritual power: Hado and Bakudo.

## Mission Aids

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

* Gigai - The temporary bodies that Soul Reapers use in the World of the Living.
* Jigokucho
* Spiritual Limite
* Denreishinki
* Zajiku
* Gokon Tekko
* Artificial Souls
* Modified Souls

## See Also

* List of Soul Reapers
* Soul Society
* Thirteen Court Guard Squads
* Stealth Force
* Kido Corps