Schutzstaffel

The is Yhwach's elite personal guard, comprising the strongest Sternritter of the Wandenreich.

Overview
It is unknown when the Schutzstaffel was formed. While the Sternritter order was created 1,000+ years ago in preparation for the Lichtreich ' s invasion of Soul Society, if the Schutzstaffel already existed then and played a role during said invasion is unknown. At least some time prior to the invasion, Yhwach already had a certain coterie of bodyguards serving him, none of whom would seemingly survive to the present; if these were a precursor to the Schutzstaffel is unconfirmed.

Among the present-day Sternritter, the five (initially three) strongest and most elite ones form the Schutzstaffel. Thus, they enjoy the most elevated status among Yhwach's army, first seen when they were permitted to stand at Yhwach's side (next to Jugram Haschwalth) during their Majesty's announcement of naming Uryū Ishida his successor; the Schutzstaffel also does not attend meetings with the lower-ranking Sternritter. Still, Haschwalth appears to outrank the Schutzstaffel as the Sternritter Grandmaster and stands closest to Yhwach as his second-in-command, adviser, and "other half"; however, Haschwalth is never seen explicitly issuing orders to the Schutzstaffel, who answer directly to Yhwach, nor was Haschwalth aware of their every action in Wahrwelt.

Sternritter "X", Lille Barro, is the Schutzstaffel's as the first Sternritter ever bestowed a Schrift by Yhwach, his status going unquestioned. The other two pre-established Schutzstaffel members are Sternritter "M" Gerard Valkyrie and Sternritter "C" Pernida Parnkgjas: the Soul King's heart and left arm respectively. While Pernida came into Yhwach's service 1,000+ years ago before the Lichtreich ' s fall, when and how Gerard came to follow Yhwach is unknown. Out of all the Sternritter, Gerard and Pernida are the only Quincy whom Yhwach never gave power via a proper Schrift, instead assigning them letters in recognition of the abilities that they have innately held since the beginning. Thus, rumors as to Gerard's and Pernida's true identities were always abound among the lower-ranked Sternritter.

In preparation for Yhwach's assault on the Soul King Palace and the battle against the Royal Guard, Sternritter "D" Askin Nakk Le Vaar was elected to become the fourth member of the Schutzstaffel, being the sole Sternritter promoted from among the lower ranks and thus spared from Yhwach's eventual Auswählen, which stripped all Sternritter left in the Seireitei of their power in order to revive and power up the Schutzstaffel during its battle against the Royal Guard. Following the defeat of the Royal Guard at the Schutzstaffel's hands, Yhwach's absorption of the Soul King, and the formation of Wahrwelt, Uryū as Sternritter "A" was accepted as the Schutzstaffel's fifth and final member at Yhwach's behest.

There appears to be a sense of mutual respect and camaraderie present between Schutzstaffel members, with the original three implied to share a history together in their service to Yhwach. As the only Sternritter "brought up from below", Askin stated that he was going to have to make a good showing to earn respect, with Gerard agreeing and telling him that he had better not fall behind lest he would personally cut him down. At the same time, Gerard was willing to aid fellow Schutzstaffel member Pernida when it was in danger of falling off the Soul King Palace, gleefully acknowledged Uryū as part of their group when the latter explained his method of protecting Yhwach, and was also shown to not be above berating his leader Lille or teasing him about his abilities failing. Lille, in turn, was shocked and unable to fathom the sight of Gerard being defeated by Ōetsu Nimaiya with a single sword stroke.

As with the rest of his followers, Yhwach sees even the Schutzstaffel as expendable, ultimately proven once he successfully absorbed Ichigo Kurosaki's Quincy and Hollow powers, when he proceeded to use Auswählen on the sole surviving Schutzstaffel member Gerard (Uryū was spared due to his immunity to Auswählen) to strip him of his power and life, declaring he had no further use for any of his subordinates.

The Schutzstaffel members all started out wearing a distinctive over their uniforms; this white, ankle-length, sleeveless cloak is fastened at the front with three buttons bearing the Wandenreich insignia and features a large, red Hagal rune on the left side.

Trivia

 * The Schutzstaffel (SS, German for "Protective Echelon/Squadron", in Japanese) was a paramilitary under Germany's Nazi Party, originally founded by Hitler in April 1925 as a personal guard unit and later, under Himmler's leadership, expanded into an elite national corps that was active throughout German-occupied Europe during WWII. This fits into the Wandenreich's overarching German motif.
 * According to Tite Kubo, the Schutzstaffel's motif is . While Kubo has not specified which Schutzstaffel member embodies which era, based on their ways of fighting one might extrapolate as follows:
 * Pernida Parnkgjas — represents the ancient era, i.e.: fighting with one's bare hands.
 * Gerard Valkyrie — represents medieval sword-and-shield combat.
 * Lille Barro — represents modern warfare with firearms, since the gunpowder revolution.
 * Askin Nakk Le Vaar — represents contemporary chemical warfare (i.e., poison).
 * In the manga, the Schutzstaffel's existence is first alluded to by Askin wondering if he will have the luck to be "chosen" while watching Yhwach prepare to ascend to the Soul King Palace, with the group's proper introduction coming once Yhwach summons them to the palace via his shadow. In the anime, the group (then only Lille, Gerard, and Pernida) are introduced much sooner following the Wandenreich's first invasion of Soul Society, standing beside Yhwach on a stage as the latter makes his announcement that Uryū is to become his successor.
 * Lille and Gerard are the only Sternritter whose fully realized Quincy: Vollständig has come in more than a single stage.
 * All four Schutzstaffel members (beside Uryū) have proven themselves immortal and/or nigh-unkillable one way or another:
 * Askin has alluded to his innate inability to die from normally fatal injuries, even surviving the loss of his heart for some time. His The Deathdealing allows him to acquire immunity to abilities, even to someone's Reiatsu itself, making it all but impossible to kill him in a fight if he is given enough time to adapt to his enemies' powers.
 * Pernida, being able regenerate, managed to reform itself even after its entire body had been blown to pieces.
 * Lille has claimed that no weapon in the world can kill him as long as he renders himself intangible via his The X-Axis ability. Eventually, he survived even Shunsui Kyōraku's Bankai, losing his head while in his Vollständig form yet recovering, and was ultimately defeated only upon having his godlike power reflected back onto him, which destroyed most of his body yet still failed to end his life.
 * A core aspect of Gerard's The Miracle is his ability to convert all physical damage he sustains into increases of his size and strength, allowing him to even revive upon being killed.
 * In Ryōgo Narita's novel Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World, Haschwalth's aide confirmed the deaths of the entire Schutzstaffel (minus Uryū) at the end of the war, with the confirmation of Lille's weakened form being eliminated during his confrontation with Izuru Kira.