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Reiryoku (霊力, Spiritual Power) is a power aligned with the spiritual sensitivity and willpower of the user. It is used by Shinigami and other spiritual beings to provide power for their various abilities.[1]

Overview[]

Every spiritual being and every Human has a certain amount of Reiryoku. If this amount is higher than a certain degree, it grants the person superhuman abilities.[1] Those with such an above-average level of Reiryoku are very rare among living Humans. The most basic ability that Humans with a higher level of Reiryoku have is the ability to see ghosts: Pluses, Shinigami and Hollow alike.[2] Shinigami are essentially Souls in Soul Society with very high levels of Reiryoku who receive special training to utilize their powers.[3] Reiryoku is most quickly increased when a Soul is in a life-or-death situation.[4] Hollows and other spirits use their Reiryoku to catch their prey.

Spiritual Power Levels[]

Power Level
Level Description
Basic Spiritual Power This level of Spiritual Power corresponds to those possessing a level of Spiritual Power that is minimal. This level of power is common among those who may or may not be spiritually aware to a small degree but otherwise have no real Spiritual Power. This is also a common level of power for a regular human. (Below Average-class)
Average Spiritual Power This level of Spiritual Power corresponds to those possessing an average level of Spiritual Power. This level of power is common among those of significant spiritual awareness and may even possess powers of their own but the power levels can vary among individuals. This is also a common level of power for a low ranking Seated and Non Seated Members of the Gotei 13 or lesser power individuals. (Average-class)
High Spiritual Power This level of Spiritual Power corresponds to those possessing an above average amount of Spiritual Power, which is finely controlled. This level of Spiritual Power is common among those of an average Lieutenant rank and high ranked Seated Officers. (Lieutenant-class)
Great Spiritual Power This level of Spiritual Power corresponds to those possessing a large amount of Spiritual Power which is finely controlled. This level of Spiritual Power is common amongst those of an average Captain rank. (Captain-class)
Immense Spiritual Power This level of Spiritual Power corresponds to those possessing an enormous amount of Spiritual Power which is finely controlled. This level of Spiritual Power is reflected in its ability to enhance a user during combat as well as its ability to affect the surrounding environment on a controlled level, allowing the wielder to use it in combat to startling degrees. (Advanced Captain-Class)
Immeasurable Spiritual Power This level of Spiritual Power corresponds to those possessing a colossal amount of Spiritual Power, which can be controlled to varying degrees depending on the individual. This level of Spiritual Power is very rare and reserved for the strongest beings. (Beyond Captain-Class)


Sensing Reiryoku[]

Another basic ability that beings with higher-than-average levels of Reiryoku possess is the ability to sense other spiritual beings without relying on their five basic senses. This is possible because every spiritual being emits a certain amount of his/her own Reiryoku in the form of Reiatsu, which can be sensed. This ability apparently requires some innate skill, but can be increased with training. Initially, Ichigo Kurosaki's ability to sense the Spiritual Power of others was very poor, but gradually grew much more proficient in it, even being able to use various high-level techniques to locate or detect particular people, such as his close friends.[5][6][7]

Every spiritual being has a unique pattern to his/her emitted Reiryoku. One can recognize the pattern of their friends and acquaintances after some time, being able to sense their presence and their physical and mental state from relatively great distances.[8] Sudden changes in Reiryoku pattern can mean that the person in question is in great stress (i.e. fighting) or has received a grave wound.[9][10][11]

Different types of spiritual beings have greatly different patterns, the Reiryoku pattern of Hollows for example is easily distinguishable from that of Pluses or a Shinigami. The Visored are a special case, because when their Hollow mask is donned, their pattern of Reiryoku resembles that of a Hollow, rather than that of a Shinigami.[12][13]

There are a few possibilities to block Reiryoku. One is the usage of Sekkiseki, a special kind of stone that completely blocks Reiryoku from both sides. The walls of Seireitei, and the walls of the Senzaikyū are built from this stone. As Sekkiseki blocks even the strongest Reiryoku emissions, it does not just inhibit the sensing of one's Reiryoku pattern, but effectively closes out most unwanted visitors in the case of Seireitei, and prevents the escape of even the strongest prisoner from the Senzaikyū.[14][15]

Another means of blocking Reiryoku is a special garment invented by Kisuke Urahara, which completely hides any emission of Reiryoku coming from the wearer, enabling him/her to escape from somewhere or approach someone while being impossible to notice via sheer sensing of Reiryoku.[16]

Any being with an extremely high Reiryoku will not have their Reiatsu be sensed at all by less powerful beings, without needing to conceal it; in a combat situation, this has only been shown by Sōsuke Aizen during his second fusion with the Hōgyoku in his battle with Isshin Kurosaki, Yoruichi Shihōin, and Kisuke Urahara, and once again by Ichigo Kurosaki after his Dangai training against Aizen himself.[17][18]

Controlling Reiryoku[]

The aforementioned emission of Spiritual Power is a common and natural phenomenon, but a spiritual being can also control the degree of this emission, this usually requires a certain amount of skill and training.[19] By completely blocking his/her Reiryoku "pouring out", one can completely hide his/her presence from other spiritual beings and spiritually aware humans.[20] On the other hand, amplifying this emission is known as Reiatsu (霊圧, Spiritual Pressure), is considered a show of force, a means of intimidation or can even be an attack in itself.[19] It can indeed paralyze opponents and cause direct damage to the surrounding individuals and inanimate objects alike.[21][22]

Aside from controlling the amount of emitted Reiryoku, most spiritual beings and some of Ichigo's spiritually-aware Human friends are capable of performing many superhuman feats with the help of their Reiryoku. These feats usually require a certain level of concentration, and they tend to tire the person after some time, or after performing some of them in quick succession.[23][24] It is also known, that after excessive usage of Reiryoku, Shinigami need food to replenish their strength, while on the other hand, the regular Souls that dwell in Soul Society that do not use their Reiryoku do not need to eat.[25][26]

For high-level Shinigami, such as Captains and Lieutenants, their Spiritual Pressure is so high, they can cause undesirable ripples in the Human World. As such, a seal is automatically placed onto them whenever they pass through the Senkaimon from Soul Society to the Human World, limiting their strength to 20% of their maximum output.[27] Under critical situations, such as the battle against the Espada, the seal is not applied even when the Captains and Lieutenants pass through the Senkaimon.[28] Similarly, due to the Royal Guard's vast Spiritual Pressure greater than the entire Gotei 13's combined, four of its five members use a Blood Oath's Seal to prevent their collective power from destabilizing not just Soul Society, but the Human World and Hueco Mundo as well. Should their power be needed, three members sacrifice their lives to allow one member to reach their full potential.[29]

  • Aside from Spiritual Pressure, Shinigami and Visored generally use their Reiryoku to:
    • cast Kidō spells.[23][3]
    • increase their speed (Hohō).
    • use the special abilities of their Zanpakutō.
    • increase their physical strength and power.
  • Hollows and Arrancar have other abilities, namely Cero and Bala, that are condensed Reiryoku fired towards the opponent. In the case of the former, it is done in a laser-like manner; in the latter case, the fired Reiryoku is bullet-like.[30] Hollows and Arrancar can also increase their mobility like the Shinigami above, and the usage of their Zanpakutō also relies on the usage of Reiryoku, albeit in a different manner. Hierro is also a move that uses an Arrancar's Reiryoku for defense.[31]
  • Quincy can also increase their mobility, and form a weapon (usually a bow) with their Reiryoku. In their usage of Reiryoku, however, there is a fundamental difference from spiritual beings – they primarily rely on collecting Reishi from the environment, and use this collected Reishi to fight.[32][33] They can even collect and store Reiryoku in various special items.[34]

Appearances in Other Media[]

The novel Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World establishes that the energy permeating the three worlds is known as Reimyaku (霊脈, Spiritual Pulse; Viz "Ley Line(s)");[35][36] this is what certain Kidō spells like Hadō #99. Goryūtenmetsu tap into when forming their energy constructs.[36] Each world's Reimyaku is different, with Hueco Mundo's having affected Yasutora Sado to the point of drawing out his Fullbring's true form, completely unlike that of the Human World and Soul Society.[37] In addition, the atmosphere of Hueco Mundo also serves as nourishment for smaller Hollows and acts as a replacement for devouring actual Souls.[38] Likewise, the Ōken of the Royal Guard are linked to the Reimyaku of the Soul King Palace, preventing them from dying as long as the palace itself exists.[39] In addition, in the feature film Bleach: The Hell Verse, the atmosphere of Hell had an adverse effect on Ichigo Kurosaki and dangerously affected his Hollow powers, resulting in the uncontrolled manifestation of Ichigo's Hollow form.[40]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 59, page 15
  2. Bleach manga; Chapter 1, page 13
  3. 3.0 3.1 Bleach Official Character Book Souls, page 97
  4. Bleach manga; Chapter 60, page 17
  5. Bleach manga; Chapter 34, pages 16-17
  6. Bleach manga; Chapter 35, pages 14-18
  7. Bleach manga; Chapter 417, page 5
  8. Bleach manga; Chapter 102, page 10
  9. Bleach manga; Chapter 334, pages 3-8
  10. Bleach manga; Chapter 269, page 17
  11. Bleach manga; Chapter 108, pages 22-23
  12. Bleach manga; Chapter 282, pages 5-6
  13. Bleach manga; Chapter 237, page 8
  14. Bleach manga; Chapter 104, page 10
  15. Bleach manga; Chapter 116, page 30
  16. Bleach manga; Chapter -101, pages 17-18
  17. Bleach manga; Chapter 406, page 2
  18. Bleach manga; Chapter 418
  19. 19.0 19.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 117, pages 9-10
  20. Bleach manga; Chapter 168, page 11
  21. Bleach manga; Chapter 168, pages 12 & 16-17
  22. Bleach manga; Chapter 409, pages 20-21
  23. 23.0 23.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 80, page 11
  24. Bleach manga; Chapter 105, pages 11
  25. Bleach manga; Chapter 81, pages 4-5
  26. Bleach Official Character Book Souls, page 96
  27. Bleach manga; Chapter 210, pages 7-9
  28. Bleach manga; Chapter 355, pages 8-12
  29. Bleach anime; Episode 392
  30. Bleach manga; Chapter 234, page 12
  31. Bleach manga; Chapter 195, pages 2-3
  32. Bleach manga; Chapter 49, pages 2-3
  33. Bleach manga; Chapter 241, page 2
  34. Bleach Official Character Book 2 MASKED, page 44
  35. Bleach Can't Fear your own World Volume I First Prologue
  36. 36.0 36.1 Bleach novel; Can't Fear Your Own World, Chapter 13
  37. Bleach manga; Chapter 260, pages 1-2
  38. Bleach manga; Chapter 245, page 16
  39. Bleach Can't Fear your own World Volume I First Prologue
  40. Bleach movie: Bleach: The Hell Verse

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