Kidō

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is the technique that Shinigami use to focus their Spiritual Energy into a wide variety of magic spells that can serve many purposes, such as healing, defense, or combat. According to Sōsuke Aizen, it is one of the four basic Shinigami combat forms.

The Kidō Corps is a branch of Soul Society's military which excels in the mastery of Kidō.

Kidō Mechanics
Each spell is graded on a scale from 1 to 99, the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. The scale is a measure of difficulty, as there can be multiple spells which share the same level. To use Kidō, a Shinigami must recite the specific incantation for the spell, which is often long and requires a few seconds to speak.

The power of a spell relies on the power of the user, as even a low-level spell can be utterly devastating when utilized by a high-class Shinigami.

Kidō can also be used for practical purposes as well. Renji Abarai has demonstrated that a kidō spell can be used to light a dark hallway if the spell is tweaked in the right way.

Kidō Types
There are three main types of Kidō: binding spells, destruction spells, and healing spells.


 * These are a broad category of defensive spells which block/repel attacks or freezes enemies in place. This class of spells include Kidō Barriers & Seals.


 * These are offensive spells which harm an enemy or cause damage to objects.


 * Healing spells: These do not have known names, numbers, or incantations to cast, and simply heal the target. As the user holds his/her hands above the patient's wounds, his/her palms glow with green spiritual energy to facilitate healing. The mechanics of this healing technique involves the replenishment of the patient's Reiatsu first, then using the body's Reiatsu with the healer's Reiatsu in order to heal the patient's body.

Sub-Types
While not a type in themselves there are forms of classification for specific Kidō spells.


 * Forbidden Kidō: a form of classification for Kidō spells that are considered illegal by the Soul Society. The use of such spells will commonly result in some form of lengthy imprisonment. The only known Kidō spells that fall under this class are those that involve the manipulation of space and time.


 * Sacrifice Hadō: a form of classification for Hadō spells that are highly dangerous to use as they require the practitioner to sacrifice something (most likely an appendage) in order to enact the spell.

Kidō Classes of Incantation

 * : a class of Kidō Incantation where the Kidō practitioner forgoes using a spoken incantation at all. While it decreases the time needed to release the Kidō, it drastically weakens the spell. While anyone well versed in Kidō can use this technique, it is most effective when done by a skilled practitioner, otherwise the spell could utterly fail (i.e.: the spell explodes in the user's face). The most skilled experts are capable of using this technique to amazing effect.


 * a class of Kidō Incantation where the Kidō practitioner mixes the incantations of two entirely separate Kidō spells together to save time and confuse ones' opponent at the same time.


 * : a class of Kidō Incantation where the incantation is recited after initiating the spell in order to power it up. So far, only Hachigen Ushōda has been seen using this technique, in order to reinforce the nature of his Ryūbi no Jōmon during his fight against Baraggan Louisenbairn.

Kidō Combat
Though Kidō is commonly used by Shinigami in combat, it has several weaknesses that make it difficult to use for that purpose. All of the spells have fairly long incantations and require concentration; because of this, the person using the Kidō leaves themselves open to attack during the duration of the incantation.

In addition, if an opponent is familiar with Kidō, there is the possibility of them identifying the spell by its incantation before it can even be used. However, highly skilled Kidō users can use various techniques to counter these weaknesses, such as Eishōhaki, Kōjutsu Eishō and Nijū Eishō.

A rarer use of Kidō is mixing various spells (such as Bakudō and Hadō together) for unique effects, which is the mark of a skilled user.

Kidō is commonly seen used in instances of surprise attacks, rather than all-out assaults, being most effective when one's opponent doesn't see it coming. Kidō is also usable with just the spell name and no incantation or spell number.

Uncategorized Spells
These spells are either not explicitly stated to be in one category or the other or have no known number.

Unnamed Spells
Spells that have not been named or otherwise classified.

Kidō-based Weapons

 * — In Bleach: Memories of Nobody, the Kidō Cannon is a high-intensity energy weapon powered by Kidō. It consists of a crystalline focus point attached to the top of a massive pole, with several smaller crystal structures circling up towards the main one. It is powered by hundreds of Shinigami working in concert, creating an energy blast capable of obliterating a small dimension. The blast forms into several animal shapes which roar just before contact. The power of the blast is such that, in addition to destroying its target, it also causes a small amount of damage to both the Human world and Soul Society. Despite its power, it is not a reusable weapon, as it burns into a pile of scrap after being fired.


 * Kidō Gun — This weapon was developed by the Bount creator, Ran'Tao. It is similar to the Kidō Cannon. However, unlike the Kidō Cannon, which can only be fired once, this weapon holds more resemblance in functionality to a shotgun. It fires concentrated spheres of spiritual energy that can be quite harmful, as it was capable of severely injuring Jin Kariya. It is unknown as to where the Kidō Gun's energy source is derived from.

Trivia

 * In the English dub of the anime, "Kidō" was originally mispronounced as if it was spelled "Kaidō."

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