Onmitsukidō

"If your comrade is being defeated, you should see it as an opportunity. Rather than standing in the way, you should stab the enemy in the back. And if the enemy is so far above your level that you cannot even manage that... then you should let your comrade die. That is the way of the Onmitsukidō." — Suì-Fēng in "Ash & Salamander"

Overview

Image Gallery

Onmitsukidō
Kanji	隠密機動
English	Secret Tactics
Romaji	Onmitsukidō
Organization
Headquarters	2nd Division HQ, Seireitei
Affiliation	Soul Society; Gotei 13; Kidō Corps; Royal Guard
Purpose	Primary Internal Covert Force of Soul Society.

The Onmitsukidō (隠 (おん)密 (みつ)機 (き)動 (どう), Secret Tactics; Viz "Stealth Force"), also called the Secret Mobile Unit/Corps, Special Forces or Covert Ops, is the second largest organization that Shinigami join, and one of the three main branches of military in Soul Society.

History

Former Commander-in-Chief Yoruichi Shihōin with her guards.

Although by nature an organization separate from the Gotei 13, the clan which possessed superior abilities as Shinigami among the Four Noble Families, the Shihōin Clan, filled the role of the Commander-in-Chief throughout the generations, while also having their clan leader take the post of division captain within the Gotei 13. Having served her post as 2nd Division captain, the then Commander-in-Chief, Yoruichi Shihōin, had strengthened the image of the organization's direct influence of the 2nd Division, as every head of the five divisions have all been ranking officers within the 2nd Division.

Mission

The Onmitsukidō is one of the three forces under the direct supervision of the Central 46. If the Gotei 13 operate openly, the Onmitsukidō patrols and conducts surveillance in enemy territory and carries out top-secret operations, such as assassinations and the execution of Shinigami who have broken the law. If the Gotei 13 are considered an exterior guard, then the Onmitsukidō is an interior, covert guard.

Organization

Structure

The hierarchy of the Onmitsukidō is based on a traditional feudal model. There is a high ranking clan with attached lower ranking families under them. The organizational layout is as follows.

Noble Shihōin Clan

Lower-Level Fēng Family: any member who failed the entry test into the Onmitsukidō is exiled immediately.

Onmitsukidō

Ranks

Commander-in-Chief (総 (そう)司 (し)令 (れい)官 (かん), Sōshireikan; Viz "Supreme Commander"): who has the statuary authority to conduct all the affairs of the Onmitsukidō; while deferring to the authority of the Central 46 in matters involving the Soul Society and the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 in all military matters.

• Corps Commander (軍 (ぐん)団 (だん)長 (ちょう), Gundanchō; Viz "Unit Leader"): The rank given to each one of the five divisions of the Onmitsukidō. Given that the Onmitsukidō is currently tied with the Gotei 13's 2nd Division, each Corps Commander also holds a Seated Officer position in said division. The Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō generally also commands the top division of the Onmitsukidō, which is the Executive Militia and it is known that the lieutenant is the Corps Commander of the Patrol Corps and the 3rd Seated Officer is the Corps Commander of the Detention Unit. It may be said that the order of the five divisions also goes in order of the top five officers of the 2nd Division. (Unlike the Gotei 13 captains, the Commander-in-chief has several bodyguards, though its current Commander-in-Chief Suì-Fēng has never been seen with any.)

Divisions

The Onmitsukidō's tasks are execution and assassination as well as supervision of criminals. Five smaller divisions carry out these duties. 2nd Division seated officers serve as the leaders of these five divisions. The seat rankings of the 2nd Division are not based on ability, but based according to the division they lead.

There are five divisions within the Onmitsukidō, for which the first has the most authority while the fifth has the least. The five divisions in order of authority are:

Onmitsukidō Divisions
Division	Corps Commander	Division Function	Appearance
Executive Militia (刑 (けい)軍 (ぐん), Keigun; lit. "Punishment Force")	Suì-Fēng	The first branch of the Onmitsukidō. It is ranked the highest of the five branches in the division. The Executive Militia carries out missions that involve combat. They specialize in the unarmed combat technique known as Hakuda and is able to operate silently and in secrecy. Their main duty is to carry out missions requiring the use of force. Their responsibilities include punishment and assassination of ex-comrades who break the law and acting as scouts during battle against Hollows. Its members are dressed all in black and are known for their cold-bloodedness. It is normally headed by the Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō.
Patrol Corps (警 (けい)邏 (ら)隊 (たい), Keiratai; lit. "Security Force"; Viz "Expedition Unit")	Marechiyo Ōmaeda	The second branch of the Onmitsukidō. Intelligence gathering within the Seireitei. Their appearances are unknown in order to preserve confidentiality. Specifically they are assigned mainly to the Seireitei area and gathers data on uprisings. In the event of those under house arrest escaping they also are tasked with finding and apprehending them.
Detention Unit (檻 (かん)理 (り)隊 (たい), Kanritai; lit. "Management Force"; Viz "Confinement Unit")	Unknown	The third branch of the Onmitsukidō. The Detention Unit is responsible for the imprisonment and supervision of all criminals within the Seireitei. They also have another duty known as Special Detention, which concerns those who joined the Gotei 13 but were judged to be a danger to their fellow Shinigami. They investigate, apprehend, and keep these individuals sealed away from the rest of Soul Society within the Special Underground Detention Facility, aka. the Nest of Maggots. It should be noted that those few who are kept in the Maggots' Nest have not actually committed any crime but have been identified by the laws of Soul Society as "Dangerous Elements". This unit acts somewhat similar to a prison and mental rehabilitation center. The activities of this division are shrouded in mystery and remains virtually unknown to the majority of the public as well as most Gotei 13 members up to the level of lieutenant.
Unknown Division	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Inner Court Troop (裏 (り)廷 (てい)隊 (たい), Riteitai; Viz "Secret Remote Unit")	Unknown	The fifth branch of the Onmitsukidō. The Inner Court Troop serves as the information transmission unit within the Seireitei. A special ops unit that is mobilized whenever a mission is urgent and requires secrecy. Many of its members are masters of Shunpo.

Notable Members

Onmitsukidō
Rank	Name	In Office	Division
Commander-in-Chief Corps Commander	Yoruichi Shihōin	? - 1901 A.D.	Inner Court Troop
Commander-in-Chief Corps Commander	Suì-Fēng	? - Current	Executive Militia
Corps Commander	Marenoshin Ōmaeda	? - ?	Patrol Corps
Corps Commander	Marechiyo Ōmaeda	? - Current	Patrol Corps
Corps Commander	Kisuke Urahara	? - 1890 A.D.	Detention Unit
Unknown	Eikichirō Saidō (anime only)	? - Current	Patrol Corps
Unknown	Shūsuke Amagai (anime only)	? - 2001 A.D.	Patrol Corps
Unknown	Makoto Kibune (anime only)	? - 2001 A.D.	Patrol Corps

Onmitsukidō Uniforms

Executive Militia Uniform

Overall, the Executive Militia uniform resembles a ninja uniform. It has no visible white undergarments and the sash is dark as opposed to white. A headpiece covers the bottom part of the face and sometimes the top, but not the eyes; they wear no sandals, but long jika-tabi, and tight bands are on the legs and arms to keep the clothes from moving too much, which both are presumably for silence of movement. Members of the Executive Militia also wear their head covering on the top, not just the bottom and wear a black sash.

Executive Attire

Battle dress approved solely for the Corps Commander of the Executive Militia, known as Keisen Shōzoku (刑 (けい)戦 (せん)装 (しょう)束 (そく), Punishment War Attire). Its backless and sleeveless design is unique. This is to prevent the fabric from being ripped away by the high-density Kidō produced by the fighting style Shunkō (瞬 (しゅん)閧 (こう), flash cry), an advanced technique that combines hand to hand combat and Kidō, causing high spiritual pressure to accumulate at the shoulders and back, blasting away the fabric at said places.

Inner Court Troop Attire

The Inner Court Troop Shinigami wear a maroon kimono over the black form-fitting legging and long sleeved tops. They also wear hats and carry a backpack.

Correctional Attire

The Correctional Force uniform is radically different. The soldiers wear a white uniform, a long piece of headgear, and a backpack.

Equipment

To better execute their duties, many of the Onmitsukidō's divisions are equipped with a number of specialized items that are catered specifically to their individual roles.

• Tsūdentō (通 (つう)伝 (でん)刀 (とう), Transmittal Blades): These small double-edged swords, carried exclusively by the Inner Court Troop, are used to assist communication in situations where circumstances make it impossible to convey messages effectively to units in the field, achieved thanks to a two-way radio built into the sword's hilt. Due to their small size and sharp blades, they can be rapidly deployed in essential areas once in throwing range, significantly reducing the time messengers need put themselves in danger as a result.

Trivia

• While the Executive Militia are supposedly unarmed, when arresting Kōga Kuchiki, they were seen wielding sasumata.