Schutzstaffel

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

Overview
It is unknown when the Schutzstaffel was formed. During the days of the Lichtreich 1,000+ years ago (prior to its invasion of Soul Society), Yhwach already had a coterie of bodyguards serving and protecting him, none of whom would survive to the present.

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. Still, Haschwalth appears to outrank the Schutzstaffel and to stand closest to Yhwach as the Sternritter Grandmaster (Yhwach's 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, and his status goes unquestioned; Lille has proclaimed himself to be Yhwach's "greatest creation" and the "man closest to God". The other two pre-established 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 to designate 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 the Sternritter left in the Seireitei of their power in order to power up the Schutzstaffel. Following the defeat of the Royal Guard at the Schutzstaffel's hands, Yhwach's absorption of the Soul King, and the creation 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 initially stated that he was going to have to make a good showing to earn that 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, yet was also shown to not be above berating Lille or teasing his leader about his abilities failing. Lille, in turn, was shocked and unable to fathom the sight of Ōetsu Nimaiya cutting down Gerard with a single sword stroke.

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 firearm warfare 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 been shown to come in more than one 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 to otherwise 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 can heal itself, having 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 and later survived even Shunsui Kyōraku's Bankai, losing his head while in his Vollständig yet recovering, before ultimately being defeated only upon having his godlike power reflected back at him, which destroyed most of his body yet still failed to end his life.
 * Gerard's ability is to convert all physical damage he sustains into strength and size increases, allowing him to even revive upon being killed.