Soul Society

is the afterlife (also called the spirit world). It is meant to correspond to Heaven or Nirvana in human belief systems. It is the place where most departed souls and the Shinigami dwell.

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 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 using a. Pluses, on the other hand, enter Soul Society through the ritual of.

Spirits can be born in Soul Society as much as in the living world with the shinigami acting to balance the souls.

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, which convert solid matter into Reishi's. While this method uses the same gate, the lack of a Hell Butterfly forces intruders to pass through the , 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.

When people die they are assigned a number to a part of Soul Society according to when they died. Spirits can be born in soul society as much as in the living world with the shinigami acting to balance the souls.

Government
Royalty (King of Soul Society & family): Soul Society is ruled by a royal family, which is protected by a royal guard. 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 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.

Royal Guard
Also known as the Zero Division, it is made up of former captains of the Gotei 13 who have been promoted to this level. Only captains of the Gotei 13 know of their existence. They are said to have considerable power and tactical knowledge. Only the Royal family presides over them, the Central 46 have no say in them what so ever.

Executive & Judiciary
''': The Central 46 Chambers serve the Shinigami royalty (the ruling class of all Soul Society)They are made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges, selected from all of Soul Society. They are sealed into an enclave in Seireitei called which no one else may enter, regardless of their military or civilian status.: They serves as a supreme judiciary and legislative that is second only to the royal family. They are responsible for judging and sentencing Shinigami who have committed serious crimes, such as murder or treason. Punishments for less serious crimes may be given by other authorities, such as Shinigami captains. It is implied that the Central 46 Chambers mostly deal with capital offenses. The decisions of the 46 Chambers are final and unquestionable, regardless of what the decision may involve. The Shinigami enforce order in Soul Society as a sort of executive and military branch. Another duty of the Central 46 is the execution of capital offenders.

There are several forms of executions in Soul Society, although only two have been revealed:


 * Spirit-sealing pit: The spirit-sealing pit is an ancient form of execution in which Shinigami criminals are thrown into a pit walled with deathstone – a type of stone that absorbs spiritual power, preventing those nearby from using their powers. Hollows are then thrown into the pit with the criminals as the means of execution. The practice was considered too barbaric and discontinued.
 * ': Sōkyoku is a form of execution usually reserved for those with extremely strong spiritual powers, namely shinigami captains. The Sōkyoku is a giant halberd that utterly destroys a soul on contact. When released, Sōkyoku takes on the form of a phoenix, its true form, called Kikōō'. The Kikōō has the destructive power of one million zanpakutō, and that power is multiplied by a factor of 10 at the moment it pierces its victim.

Laws

 * By ancient law two Shinigami cannot hold the same zanpakutō, they must fight for the honor of bearing the spirit, with the spirit going to the winner.


 * It is forbidden for a Shinigami to acquire hollow powers.


 * It is against the law for a Shinigami to use forbidden Kido.


 * It is against the law for a Shinigami to give their spiritual power to humans.


 * It is against the law for any citizen of Soul Society to create weapons of a dangerous nature not sanctioned by the feudal government, to do so is treason.


 * It is against the law to attack a captain, to do so is treason.


 * It is against the law to commit terrorist action or attempt overthrow of the balance of Soul Society, to do so is treason.


 * It is against the law to commit murder.

With their deaths at the hands of Sōsuke Aizen during the Soul Society arc, General Yamamoto has taken over their normal duties.

The only Shinigami forces which do not answer to the Central 46 Chambers are the, also called the Zero Division (Squad Zero in English), and the Shinigami Academy.

Another part of the government are the, especially four of them, which are considered to be the highest of them all. The lower noble houses all serve one of the four each. Known Houses include:

Four Noble Families
1.) Shihōin Family: by tradition the head of the shihōin family leads the Special Forces, if they attain a Captain seat in the Gotei 13 the Special Forces are are lead under that Captainship as well. The 22nd Head of the Shihōin clan and former Captain of the 2nd Division and General Administrator Commander of the Special Forces is Yoruichi Shihōin.

2.) Kuchiki Family: There is reason to believe that the Captainship of the 6th Division runs in the Kuchiki family, as at least 2 members have held the title Captain. The 28th Head of the Kuchiki clan and the Captain of the 6th Division is Byakuya Kuchiki. Another member is Byakuya's adopted sister/sister-in-law Rukia Kuchiki of the 13th Division. Past members include Byakuya's grandfather and former Captain of the 6th division Ginrei Kuchiki and Byakuya's wife Hisana Kuchiki.

3.) Unknown

4.) Unknown

Lower Noble Houses

 * Fon Family: traditionally serves the Shihōin family by joining the Special Forces. Any member who doesn't pass the test to get into the special forces is immediately exiled from the family. The only known member of the house is Soifon, current Captain of the 2nd Division.


 * Kyōraku Family: an old, prestigious and high-ranking noble family. The only known member of the house is Shunsui Kyōraku, current Captain of the 8th Division.


 * Ukitake Family: a low-class aristocratic family. The only known member of the house is Jūshirō Ukitake, current Captain of the 13th Division.


 * Ōmaeda Family: a aristocratic, rich family. The only known member of the house is Marechiyo Ōmaeda, current lieutenant of the 2nd Division.


 * Kira Family: a lesser noble family. The only known member of the house is Izuru Kira, current lieutenant of the 3rd Division.


 * Kasumiōji Family: a high-ranking noble family. That is just below the four great noble families in status, commenting that their circumstances are a bit "special". The Kasumiōji is well known as master forgers in the art of weapons crafting, making the finest weapons in all of Soul Society. The family is traditionally lead by a female. The only surviving member of the house is Rurichiyo Kasumiōji.


 * Kannogi Family: a high-ranking noble family. The only known member of the family is Shū Kannogi.

Former Noble Houses

 * Shiba Family: The family was apparently the 5th Noble Family, having prestige along the lines of the Kuchiki and Shihōin family, for whatever reason the Shiba family fell from their high status position after the death of its most prominent member the former lieutenant of the 13th Division Kaien Shiba. The only surviving members of the house are Ganju Shiba and Kūkaku Shiba.

Army
The armed forces of Soul Society consist of three independent main branches: the Gotei 13 (Thirteen Court Divisions), the Kidō Corps, and the Special Forces.

Gotei 13
The is the organization which most Shinigami join. It is split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. The 4th Division is the medical/supply division, the 11th Division is the combat division (specialization in swordsmanship), and the 12th Division is the research/scientific division. The 9th Division was shown, in a Shinigami Cup extra, to be in charge of newspaper and magazine-related duties. It's unclear if the other divisions are specialized, as the four above are the only ones who receive any significant attention apart from their members. Additionally, it should be noted that Soifon is in charge of both the 2nd Division and the "Secret Mobile Corps." It is unknown if the 2nd Division has any official ties to the corps, or if Soifon is mearly the leader of both.

Kidō Corps
There is currently little information on the (known as the Kido Force in English), due to the secrecy in which they operate.

Special Forces
There is little information about the operations of the special forces. They are currently lead by Captain Soifon, who is also the Captain of the Gotei 13's Second Division. She succeeded Yoruichi Shihōin on both posts.

Rukongai
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.)

Seireitei
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 Reiryoku, similar to magnetic lodestones.