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"Division Zero doesn't have any ordinary soldiers. It has only five members, all of them Captains. And what's more... The combined power of those five is greater than that of the entire Gotei 13."

Shunsui Kyōraku in "THE FIRE"
Royal Guard
517Zero Division Insignia
Kanji 王属特務
English Royal Special Task Force
Romaji Ōzokutokumu
Organization
Founder(s) Unknown
Headquarters Soul King Palace
Leader(s) Ichibē Hyōsube
Senior Member(s) Kirio Hikifune, Senjumaru Shutara, Tenjirō Kirinji, Ōetsu Nimaiya
Affiliation Soul King, Soul Society
Purpose Protecting the Soul King, the Royal Family and the Royal Palace

The Royal Guard ( (おう) (ぞく) (とく) (), Ōzokutokumu; translated as "Royal Special Task Force" in the English dub, literally translated as "King Subordinate Secret Service") also known as the Zero Division ( (ゼロ) (ばん) (たい), Zerobantai; "Squad 0" in the English dub), is an organization that is dedicated to the protection of the Soul King, the Royal Family, and the Soul King Palace.

Overview[]

The Royal Guard is a special organization that performs services for the Royal Family. It has a considerable amount of fighting, organizational, and executive power compared to other organizations.[1]

They are also charged with slaying Menos, though the circumstances under which they do so are unknown.[2]

Since serving the royal family is the primary purpose of the Royal Guard, they do not interfere in Gotei 13's affairs and the defense of Soul Society, even against major threats like Aizen and his Arrancar.[3] They are known to do whatever is required by order of the Soul King.[4]

The Royal Guard's authority supersedes the authority of all within Soul Society.[5] Each member of the Royal Guard also has the Ōken imparted into their bones by the Soul King[6] and a city of their own at the Soul King Palace.[7]

Blood Oath's Seal[]

Because each individual member of the Royal Guard possesses exceedingly vast amounts of Reiryoku, they can destabilize the three worlds by themselves should they unleash it all without restraint. Therefore, Kirio Hikifune, Senjumaru Shutara, Tenjirō Kirinji, and Ōetsu Nimaiya normally use each other's lives as seals to prevent their true power from being released; this also prevents them from being able to use their Bankai. To unlock this "Blood Oath's Seal" ( (けつ) (めい) (ふう) (いん), Ketsumei no Fūin), three of the members have to take their own lives in order to enable the lone survivor to use their full power.[8]

History[]

Due to their status as a secret organization, the history and very existence of the Royal Guard is not commonly known.[9]

Mission[]

The Royal Guard serves as guardians with the primary responsibilities of:

Transportation[]

The Royal Guard commonly stays within the Soul King Palace, but when they do travel, their preferred method of transportation is a huge pillar called the Tenchūren ( (てん) (ちゅう) (れん), Heavenly Pillar-Palanquin). This pillar enters from the inner dimension and lands with significant force upon its arrival.[11] The Tenchūren, however, does not have the ability to return to the palace on its own, and relies on Kūkaku Shiba's cannon to launch it back.[12] Ōetsu Nimaiya also has the ability to open a portal within the Soul King Palace that can send someone directly to the Human World.[13] Someone can be returned to the Soul King Palace if the Chōkaimon ( (ちょう) (かい) (もん), Super World Gate) is opened, but it can only be opened by syncing the arrival and departure times.[14] They are able to take stairs down to the Seireitei, though it will take anywhere from half a day to a week of travel to get there.[15]

Organization[]

The Royal Guard is known to promote former captains of the Gotei 13 to their ranks.[9] The Royal Guard has no soldiers, and it only has 5 members, all of which are former captains. Their total power far surpasses the power of all the 13 Divisions together.[16] Ichibē Hyōsube is the commanding officer of the Royal Guard.[17]

Admittance[]

All the members of the Royal Guard are Shinigami acknowledged by the Soul King to have made significant contributions to the history of Soul Society.[18]

Notable Members[]

Royal Guard
Name Rank Title Creation
Ichibē Hyōsube Leader of the Zero Division Monk Who Calls the Real Name Names
Tenjirō Kirinji Divine General of the East / Zero Division 1st Officer Hot Spring Demon Kaidō
Kirio Hikifune Divine General of the South / Zero Division 2nd Officer Ruler of Grain Artificial Soul
Ōetsu Nimaiya Divine General of the West / Zero Division 3rd Officer God of the Sword Zanpakutō
Senjumaru Shutara Divine General of the North / Zero Division 4th Officer Great Weave Guard Unknown


Insignia[]

Like the divisions of the Gotei 13, the Royal Guard has a unique symbol that represents the division's primary role, which is in its case based upon the Winter Daphne ( (ジン) (チョウ) (), Jinchōge). This symbol is placed inside the Gotei 13 symbol of a rhombus to form the division's complete insignia, which is displayed upon each member's haori.[19]

Appearances in Other Media[]

Trivia[]

  • According to Q&A #586 by Tite Kubo on his fansite "Klub Outside", there can only be a maximum of 5 Royal Guard members at any given time.[22]

References[]

  1. Bleach Official Character Book Souls, page 98
  2. 2.0 2.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 48, page 8
  3. Weekly Shōnen Jump; Bleach section, Issue 8 (2012)
  4. Bleach manga; Chapter 517, pages 10-13
  5. Bleach manga; Chapter 517, pages 10-17
  6. Bleach manga; Chapter 519, pages 2-3
  7. Bleach manga; Chapter 519, page 7
  8. Bleach anime; Episode 392
  9. 9.0 9.1 Bleach manga; Chapter -108, pages 15-16
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Bleach manga; Chapter 223, page 7
  11. Bleach manga; Chapter 516, page 14
  12. Bleach manga; Chapter 518, pages 14-15
  13. Bleach manga; Chapter 527, page 17
  14. Bleach manga; Chapter 538, page 6
  15. Bleach manga; Chapter 555, pages 6-7
  16. Bleach manga; Chapter 516, pages 14-15
  17. Bleach - The Dagger #2
  18. Bleach manga; Chapter 521, page 18
  19. Bleach manga; Volume 58, sketches
  20. Bleach novel; Spirits Are Forever With You, Chapter 2
  21. Bleach novel; Can't Fear Your Own World, Prologue 1
  22. Klub Outside official site

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