Soul Society

is the afterlife (also called the spirit world in a Bleach-related context) in the anime and manga series Bleach. It is meant to correspond to heaven or Nirvana in human belief systems.

Overview
While Rukia Kuchiki initially describes Soul Society as something of a paradise, where nine out of ten times it is better than the living world and hunger is never a problem, Soul Society is portrayed as anything but sublime (having died as a baby, Rukia's lack of knowledge regarding the human world may have influenced her viewpoint). In fact, aside from the slowed aging and aforementioned lack of hunger, life there is much like that in the living world. Soul Society consists of two portions: Rukongai (Rukon District in the English version), a massive group of cities where most people live; and Seireitei (lit. Court of Pure Souls), a walled castle where the spirit world nobility and the shinigami live.

Though Soul Society is considered the afterlife, people are not immortal by any means, though aging is slowed to such an extent that lifespans of 2000 or more years are not unheard of. Such ages, however, are usually limited to shinigami or other Soul Society dwellers capable of manipulating spirit energy. Children can even be born as they are in the human world. People can also be killed as regular humans are, though they are capable of surviving wounds that would normally be considered fatal. A soul that dies in Soul Society is reincarnated on Earth as a new human with no past memories.

Accessing Soul Society
Shinigami come and leave Soul Society by unlocking the senkaimon (穿界門, lit. world penetration gate) using a Hell Butterfly (地獄蝶 jigokuchō). Pluses, on the other hand, enter Soul Society through the ritual of Soul Burial (魂葬 konsō).

Intruders can pass through the senkaimon in the same manner, but only in soul form. This allows spiritual beings, such as Ichigo in his shinigami form, to enter without permission. Humans can also use such a gate through the use of reishihenkanki (霊子変換機, lit. spirit exchangers), which convert solid matter into spirit particles. While this method uses the same gate, the lack of a Hell Butterfly forces intruders to pass through the dangai (断界, lit. prohibiting world), a bordering dimension between the human world and Soul Society (not to be confused with Hueco Mundo). This is much more dangerous to do, as souls that cannot pass through before the gate to Soul Society closes are trapped there forever.

Finally, hollows can also directly rip a hole to Soul Society from Hueco Mundo, or in the case of arrancar, using their ability, garganta.

Government
Soul Society is ruled by a royal family, which is protected by a royal guard. Further down, Central 46 Chambers serves as a supreme judiciary and legislative that is second only to the royal family. The shinigami enforce order in Soul Society as a sort of executive and military branch. All of the above, except the royal family and guard, reside in Seireitei.

The king and the royal family reside in a separate dimension in the very core of Soul Society, which can only be opened with a tri-pronged golden key fittingly named the. The location of this key is passed down verbally from one Gotei 13 Shinigami Commander-general to the next, the current holder being Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai. The king's practical role is unknown, as the shinigami are governed largely by the Central 46 Chambers, nor has the king been implied to participate in any of their deliberations. According to Rangiku Matsumoto, no shinigami in the Gotei 13 has ever seen the king.

Rukongai
Rukongai (流魂街 lit. wandering soul city) is the largest portion of Soul Society and the most populated. It is divided into 320 districts (80 in North Rukongai, 80 in West Rukongai, etc.), each numbered in descending order on how far they are from the center; this results in the higher-numerated (and farther) districts decaying into slumss. Thus, while District 1 is peaceful and lawful, much like the antiseptic lifestyle of early-Edo Era Kyoto, District 80 is a hardscrabble, violent, crime-infested area that more depicts Heian era Kyoto. There is no indication that the shinigami or any other agencies patrol the streets of Rukongai, and as a result, the citizenry are mainly responsible for their day-to-day welfare.

So far, only five names of Rukongai districts are known:
 * 1 - Junrinan (潤林安), part of West Rukongai
 * Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Momo Hinamori, and Jidanbō, the West Gate Keeper, came from here. When Ichigo comes to Soul Society, the spirit of Yūichi Shibata, the boy who inhabited Yasutora Sado's cockatiel, also comes to reside here. According to Sōsuke Aizen, West Rukongai is also the "headquarters" of Kisuke Urahara.
 * 3 - Hokutan (北端), part of West Rukongai
 * Kaien Shiba trained Rukia Kuchiki here on Mt. Koifushi.
 * 78 - Inuzuri (lit. howling dog), the South Alley of Flowing Spirits
 * Hisana Kuchiki was sent here with Rukia when they died. Both Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai grew up here.
 * 79 - Kusajishi (草鹿), the North Alley of Loitering Spirits
 * Yachiru Kusajishi was found here by Kenpachi Zaraki.
 * 80 - Zaraki (更木), the North Alley of Loitering Spirits
 * Captain Kenpachi Zaraki originated from here.

Seireitei
Seireitei (瀞霊廷, lit. court of pure souls) is in the center of Soul Society, a circular shiro with four main entrances, each guarded by a Gate Guardian. The walls are made of deathstone, a material known to sap all spiritual and psychic energy when one portion is faced in a particular direction, similar to magnetic lodestones. The deathstone also forms a spherical barrier around the city, preventing anyone from entering anywhere other than the four gates.

The majority of the residents of Seireitei, nobility and shinigami alike, do not interact with the citizens of Rukongai. However, residents of Rukongai, like Renji and Rukia, are allowed to apply for the shinigami academy, which is often the only escape from the poorest conditions of Rukongai. Some Seireitei residents, such as ex-commander of the Shinigami Special Forces, Yoruichi Shihouin, and the Shiba clan, do maintain residences outside the castle.

At the center of Seireitei are the Shrine of Penitence (senzaikyū), a white tower, and Sōkyoku (双殛) Hill, where executions take place.