Shinigami Information

Mon Oct 28, 2019 10:47 am

死神・The Death Gods, Shinigami

[Shinigami] are souls with a high level of innate Spiritual Energy, recruited from the ranks of the residents and nobility of Soul Society. Without a physical body to speak of, they are entirely composed of Reishi, and thus, normal humans cannot see them - despite that, they are very much capable of influencing the environment. Shinigami govern the balance of souls and are tasked with the purification of hollows and guiding lost souls to the after life. A soul with exceptional spiritual energy can reach the level of a shinigami by receiving the proper training, and most of them do so through the Spiritual Arts Academy. Most Shinigami are part of the Gotei 4 and some of the most talented may join various organizations in Soul Society, such as the Onmitsukidou or the Kidou Corps.

死神・Shinigami Abilities and Releases

Due to being spiritual beings, Shinigami have a plethora of supernatural abilities at their disposal. While they can age and die of natural causes or as a result of physical injury as regular humans, Shinigami have extended life-spans and it is not uncommon for one to live for thousands of years. Although they can be injured and die like regular humans, it takes considerably greater injuries for the latter to occur than it would in regular humans.

Shinigami also naturally give off Spiritual Energy, which varies greatly in magnitude with the strength of a Shinigami. Additionally, unlike humans, they do not have to eat anything to sustain themselves, though they engage in the act none the less as Shinigami and other spiritual beings only become hungry when they used too much Spiritual Energy within a short amount of time.

They also have access to [Kidou], techniques that Shinigami use to focus their Spiritual Energy into magic spells of various powers. They are ranked by numbers in ascending order -- they range from 1 to 99 and are divided into Hadou (offensive spells) and Bakudou (Defensive/utility spells). The higher the number, the more powerful and complex the spell.

Lastly, Shinigami also have access to [Hohou], a variety of techniques associated with movement, including jumping and [Shunpo] (flash step).

斬魄刀・Zanpakutou Releases

[Zanpakutou] are the trademark weapons of the Shinigami. Capable of cutting spiritual bodies, they are among the few weapons which can be used to combat Hollows. Each Shinigami carries a Zanpakutō, and each Zanpakutō is unique: the swords are reflections of a Shinigami's power and soul, and sentient beings unto themselves. The Zanpakutō's name is the name of the living spirit which 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 are similar to their owner's.

The Zanpakutō of low-ranking Shinigami are called Asauchi and do not have names, but the Zanpakutō of high-ranking Shinigami do have names. In its sealed state, a Zanpakutō has the form of a Japanese sword. Such weapons are unique swords generated from their owner's souls. Its shape differs depending on its owner.

[Shikai] is the first release available to a Zanpakutou. To activate it, the Shinigami needs to learn the name of their Zanpakutou and call it out via a command. This is not as easy as simply picking a name, for the living spirit of the Zanpakutou already has its own name. The Shinigami must be able to communicate and harmonize with their Zanpakutou effectively, which requires being able to speak to the spirit within its world. The blade changes shape and gains special abilities by chanting the command. The commands vary between users and range from a simple imperative verb to a short poem. This step may be bypassed by expert Shinigami who have learned how to use their Bankai.

[Bankai] is the second upgraded form of a Zanpakutou. To achieve Bankai, one must be able to materialize and subjugate their Zanpakutou spirit. Materialization means the opposite of getting dragged into the Zanpakutou's inner world: the wielder needs to summon the Zanpakutou's spirit into the physical world. It usually takes ten years or more to achieve, plus the experience needed to master it. Even though Bankai is the final stage of a Zanpakutou, it does not mean the Shinigami's growth ends there. A Bankai, especially one recently obtained, can evolve even further as its Shinigami gets stronger.

[Toukai] is the final form of a Zanpakutou. To achieve Toukai, the shinigami must go through the extremely risky process of not only materializing the zanpakutou into the physical world, but its inner world as well. As the porccess subjugates the physical world and turns it into a manifestation of the inner world, it is extremely taxing on the user's reserves. As such, Shinigami that can reach Toukai are extremely rare, and even among the ones that CAN use it, they take a considerable amount of time to do attain it and master it.

The power and forms of Shikai, Bankai and Toukai are dependent on the Zanpakutou, and vary according to the wielder's strength and training. But in general, one's power can grow several times greater by releasing these forms. Only the strongest Shinigami can use them, and it is the ultimate technique of a Zanpakutou. Even the four noble families, whose members are always exceptionally talented, only have one member capable of releasing all three stages every few generations. Those who achieve the release trio always have remarkable roles in the history of Soul Society.