Gotei 13

The is the organization which most Shinigami join, and one of the three main branches of military in Soul Society. It is split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. The Gotei 13 is subservient to the edicts of the Central 46 Chambers. They also have no jurisdiction over any of the noble families. The symbol of the Gotei 13 is a rhombus, all the 13 Divisions symbols are placed within the rhombus on the back of the Captains haori. The Kidō Corps, not officially considered as part of the Gotei 13, is still under the authority of the Central 46, and works together with Soul Society, it is why it is actually here, but officially, both Kidō Corps and Onmitsukidō are not part of the Gotei 13.

General Operation
The Gotei 13, in contrast to the normal operations of modern-day militaries, does not operate as a cohesive unit normally. The command of the divisions are generally left to the discretion of its particular Captain, who commonly runs it whatever way he/she sees fit, allowing for the change of a division's traditional duties to an entirely new set and even the creation of a separate institution connected to the division.

The only general authority to call forth a combined front would be that of an edict from the Central 46 Chambers, or more often the Captain-Commander. It is not uncommon for Captains to not see each other as a entire group for long periods of time, except for cases involving a threat to all of the Soul Society, a Captain's punishment, or to a lesser degree, a Captain's promotion. On a regular bases, the Captains are spread out with their divisions doing their duties all across the Soul Society. They are, in fact, so far spread out that getting the Captains together as a group, or even getting their lieutenants together as a group, could normally take a day to accomplish.

Due to the lack of cohesion, it is also not uncommon for lieutenants to know one another, but be entirely unfamiliar with each other's Captain if they are relatively new. For example, at the time of Ichigo's invasion, Renji is completely unaware that Rangiku's captain is Hitsugaya. Also, unless specifically ordered by the Captain-Commander, Captains can choose whether or not to attend meetings (at their own risk) or not even involve themselves in the daily situations of the Soul Society. Captains are not allowed, without permission, to carry out activities outside of their normal jurisdiction or their division. The Captain of one division can punish the subordinates of another Captain if warranted.

Ranks
As with any army, the Gotei 13 has ranks. There are 20 ranks for officers but no ranks for non-officers. The lower the number is, the higher the rank. The ranks and their descriptions are below, from highest to lowest in terms of strength.

Captain-Commander
The is the leader of the Gotei 13 and the Captain of the 1st Division; the implication is that this is an ex officio or a primus inter pares position. The first and current holder of this title is Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

Captain
A is the leader of one of the thirteen divisions (with the special case of the Captain-Commander). A single Gotei 13 "unit" (隊) is estimated at about 200-500 troops.

Captains are generally the most respected shinigami within the Soul Society, with the Kidō Corps, and Onmitsukidō leaders possibly being on equal status. With one exception, all captains are able to utilize the final stage of their zanpakutō, and are more powerful than even their lieutenants. Knowing bankai gives captains an average of five-to-ten times the strength of shinigami who are unable to perform it. They have also extensively-trained, if not mastered, their bankai, allowing them to actually use the enormous power effectively in battle. Most captains are also skilled in the use of Flash Steps, Kidō, and generally have extensive knowledge of shinigami history and battle tactics. All of these factors create a huge power-gap between captains and lower-ranked officers.

It is not commonly stated but in truth the power of the Soul Society lies in the Captains of the Gotei 13, as they are the leaders of its military arm. With them at full strength Soul Society is safe and near unbeatable, if they are broken their strength dwindles making them highly vulnerable.

There are three different ways to become a Gotei 13 captain:
 * 1) : A test which requires the ability to perform Bankai. Presumably, most shinigami become captains using this method. At least three existing captains, including the Captain-Commander, have to witness the test.
 * 2) Personal Recommendation: To have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval from at least three of the remaining seven.
 * 3) Trial by Combat: To defeat a captain one-on-one with at least 200 witnesses from the captain's division. Kenpachi Zaraki is the only known current captain to have achieved his rank using this method. This method is seen as being the exceedingly rarer of the three as well as the least refined. The method is commonly looked down upon by some captains as barbaric compared to the other refined methods. This method also allows one to bypass having the mastery of bankai or other possible abilities that a captain would otherwise be required to have knowledge of, as it allows no judgement from captains who would require those skills as a prerequisite to join their ranks.

List of Captains




Lieutenant
A is the 2nd seated officer in a division.

Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. They (along with their captains) are not assigned to one specific squad. They generally only know the shikai of their Zanpakutō, but are still the second strongest in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the "substitute captain" until another can be assigned.

Seated Officers
Seated officers are the remainder of the officers in the Gotei 13 that hold ranks at or below 3rd Seat. Captains and lieutenants have the ranks of 1st and 2nd Seats, respectfully. Next to that, there are 18 more seats (3rd-to-20th). These ranks are somewhat analogous to junior officers or non-commissioned officers in modern military. There seems to be a distinction between senior and junior seated officers, just like in real-life armies. In the Gotei 13, only one person can hold a senior officer rank (such as 3rd or 5th seat), but there are several holders of junior officer ranks (e.g. 20th seat). This may vary from division to division however, as there are two 3rd Seats in the 13th Division. Seated officers often lead subunits within each division (for example, Hanatarō Yamada is leader of 4th Division's 14th Advanced Relief Team).

Others
This is a list of unseated Shinigami and (if known) their respective divisions.


 * Rikichi - Shinigami of the 6th Division
 * Rin Tsubokura - Shinigami of the 12th Division.
 * Hiyosu - Shinigami of the 12th Division.
 * Akon - Shinigami of the 12th Division.
 * Rukia Kuchiki - Unseated Shinigami of the 13th Division due to her brother's influence, but powerful enough to qualify as a lieutenant
 * Zennosuke Kurumadani - Rukia's replacement as watcher of Karakura Town, his Division number and rank is unknown.
 * Jidanbō Ikkanzaka - The keeper of the West Gate leading into Seireitei.
 * Ashido Kanō - A Shinigami that was stranded in Menos Forest of Hueco Mundo (Anime-Only)
 * Senna - A character in Bleach: Memories of Nobody
 * Eikichirō Saidō - A shinigami sent to find Rukia (Anime-Only)
 * Ran'Tao - Leader of the research team that created the Bounts (Anime-Only)
 * Baishin - A former shinigami and the antagonist in the OVA ''The Sealed Sword Frenzy
 * Ganryū - Leader of The Dark Ones in Bleach: Memories of Nobody (Deceased)
 * Sōjirō Kusaka - The main antagonist in Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion (Deceased)
 * Matsuri Kudo - A Shinigami of the 5th Division (Videogame-Only)
 * Fujimaru Kudo - A Shinigami of the 5th Division (Videogame-Only)

Division Specialty
It has been shown that the 13 divisions and the Kidō Corps may each specialize in a certain area, but only a few division and their respective specialties have been made known.

Insignia
Each of the 13 divisions in Gotei 13 have their own symbol that represents the division's primary role, which all seem to be based on flowers. When a power limit is placed on a captain or lieutenant, their symbol appears on a certain part of their body until the limit is lifted. Each symbol also has a specific meaning.

Uniforms
Most Gotei 13 personnel wear the standard Shinigami uniform, called - a white shitagi, a black kosode and hakama, and a white hakama-himo. Lieutenants sometimes also wear an armband which carries their division symbol and its number, usually on their left arm. They are required to do this when they are summoned to a meeting but apart from this it seems that it is rarely compulsory; at the time the series takes place, the use of the armbands was noted to have fallen out of fashion.

Captains wear a white haori over the usual black Shinigami clothes, with the number of their division on the back, inside the Gotei 13 symbol (a rhombus). Some captains have long sleeves, while the others do not. It also seems that the color of the underside is division-, or at least captain-specific, as every captain has a different color of it.

List of colors by captain:


 * Yamamoto - Royal purple
 * Soifon - Orange
 * Ichimaru - Light bluish-white
 * Unohana - Grayish pink
 * Aizen - Light green
 * Kuchiki - Blue
 * Komamura - Brownish tan
 * Kyōraku - Rose pink
 * Tōsen - Brownish orange
 * Hitsugaya - Dark green
 * Zaraki - Deep purple
 * Kurotsuchi - Dark greenish blue
 * Ukitake - Dark rose pink
 * Amagai - Light green
 * Yoruichi - Orange
 * Urahara - Dark green
 * Suzunami - Emerald green

Gotei 13 officers, particularly captains and lieutenants, often customize their personal appearance or that of their uniform. Some of these modifications include:
 * Captain Soifon of the 2nd Division wears a sleeveless and backless Shinigami outfit (when she is fighting) under her haori, which is standard issue for the head of the Onmitsukidō. She also wears a yellow sash a layer above, but slightly lower than her white one.
 * Captain Retsu Unohana of the 4th Division wears an obi sash rather than a standard one.
 * Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of the 6th Division wears an extremely expensive scarf named ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu and a white ceremonial hairpiece symbolizing his noble lineage.
 * Captain Sajin Komamura of the 7th Division wears shoulder guards over his haori and large gloves which go up to his arms. He also wore a helmet to hide his appearance, but he later removed it.
 * Captain Shunsui Kyōraku of the 8th Division is probably the most flamboyantly dressed of the captains, always seen wearing a straw hat and a gaudily-colored kimono over his uniform.
 * Captain Kaname Tōsen formerly of the 9th Division wears an orange scarf with his outfit, a sleeveless kosode as well as white boots.
 * Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya of the 10th Division wears a green sash pinned with a star around his shoulder to hold his sword.
 * Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of the 11th Division wears a jagged edged haori, which was taken from the previous captain.
 * Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division wears a bloated purple cravat and a hat decorated with two horizontal spikes, he later changes the hat.
 * Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe of the 1st Division wears a jinbaori over his Shihakushō.
 * Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi of the 9th Division wears a sleeveless kosode and black choker.
 * Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto of the 10th Division wears a top that is deliberately loose and hangs open to reveal her ample bosom. She also wears a pink scarf (or stole), and wears her lieutenant's badge around her waist with her sash, tied in a bow.
 * Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division has a very abbreviated outfit: the hakama is absent, leaving her with a mini-skirt version of the kosode that is belted at the waist.
 * All known members of the 9th Division wear kosode without sleeves, including the former captains.

Triva

 * The only shinigami captains and Lieutenants that did not attack a fellow shinigami are: Retsu Unohana, Nanao Ise, Yachiru Kusajishi, and Nemu Kurotsuchi (Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku may or may not also be in this list since they only released their Zanpakutō against Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto but did not performed any kind of offensive move.