Wandenreich

"When my Quincy were defeated in battle, a thousand years ago, with nowhere left to run... They fled the human world and sought refuge in the place where you were the least vigilant... Seireitei itself. Within Seireitei they created hidden spaces from Reishi for themselves in all the city's shadows... And they named this realm our "hidden empire": the Wandenreich." — Yhwach in "THE LAST 9DAYS"

Overview

Image Gallery

Wandenreich
Kanji	見えざる帝国 (ヴァンデンライヒ)
English	German for "Walled Empire" Japanese for "Invisible Empire"
Romaji	Vandenraihi
Organization
Founder(s)	Yhwach
Headquarters	Silbern, Wandenreich City Wahrwelt
Leader(s)	Emperor Yhwach
Senior Member(s)	Sternritter
Other Members	Asguiaro Ebern, Luders Friegen, Guenael Lee
Affiliation	Quincy, Arrancar
Purpose	United Authority of the Quincy

The Wandenreich (見えざる帝国 (ヴァンデンライヒ), Vandenraihi; German for "Walled Empire", Japanese for "Invisible Empire") is a hidden empire of the Quincy that were at war with Soul Society.

History

After losing the war with the Shinigami 1,000 years ago, the Quincy escaped from the Human World into the Seireitei, the place they believed to be the most unguarded. In doing so, they used Reishi to create space in the "shadows". This is what was called the Wandenreich, the "Invisible Empire". Their plan was to use the abundant Reishi that was only to be found in Soul Society as the source of their power, so they hid and waited for 1,000 years while gathering their power.

Sometime after the defeat of Sōsuke Aizen, the Wandenreich conquered Hueco Mundo, capturing Tier Harribel in the process. In addition, they conscripted numerous Arrancar into their service and killed many Hollows.

Organization

The Wandenreich is ruled by Yhwach, their emperor. Jugram Haschwalth is his adviser, and his substitute while asleep. Uryū Ishida is Yhwach's successor. Yhwach assigns prominent members of the Wandenreich military, including himself, a letter of the alphabet and an appropriate epithet.

Members of the Wandenreich salute by raising their crosses.

Sternritter

Main article: Sternritter

The Sternritter.

The Sternritter (星十字騎士団 (シュテルンリッター), Shuterunrittā; German for "Star Knights", Japanese for "Star-Cross Knights' Order") is a group of elite Quincy combatants led by Jugram Haschwalth, the Sternritter Grandmaster (星十字騎士団最高位 (シュテルンリッター・グランドマスター), Shuterunrittā Gurandomasutā; Japanese for "Highest-Ranked of the Order of Star-Cross Knights").

Main article: Schutzstaffel

The Schutzstaffel.

A select few Sternritter of exceeding power are appointed as Yhwach's elite guards: the Schutzstaffel (親衛隊 (シュッツシュタッフェル), Shuttsushutafferu; German for "Protective Echelon/Squadron", Japanese for "Elite/Imperial Guards"). This group is led by Lille Barro.

Jagdarmee

The Jagdarmee (狩猟部隊 (ヤークトアルメー), Yākutoarumē; German for "Hunt(ing) Army", Japanese for "Hunting Corps"; Viz "Hunt Army") of Hueco Mundo is a hunting unit which, in the wake of Hueco Mundo's conquest by the Wandenreich, is entrusted with capturing Arrancar to serve the empire.

The Jagdarmee is separated into numbered groups. The leader of the first Jagdarmee, the Executive Hunting Captain (統括狩猟隊長, Tōkatsu Shuryō Taichō), is Sternritter Quilge Opie.

Soldat

The Soldat.

The military is comprised of a large number of skilled Soldat (聖兵 (ゾルダート), Zorudāto; German for "Soldier", Japanese for "Holy Soldier(s)"; Viz "Divine Warriors"). They can defeat low-ranked Shinigami with ease individually, handle the Soul King Palace's Divine Soldiers, and pose a threat to lieutenant-level opponents in groups. Soldat wield long swords and the basic Heilig Bogen when in combat.

Others

The Wandenreich have forcefully drafted several strong Arrancar into their army, who are considered useful because they do not need prerequisite combat training, but are regarded as expendable. Yhwach kills two of them once he deemed they had fulfilled their purposes, and claims that he can obtain as many Arrancar as he wants, having annexed Hueco Mundo. Drafted Arrancar have their Zanpakutō confiscated, and are given a Quincy Cross which allows them to form Spirit Weapons.

There exists a communication unit that maintains the connection between headquarters and operational units.

Headquarters

The capitol of the Lichtreich.

Over 1,000 years ago, Yhwach had formed a Kingdom of Quincy named the Lichtreich (光の帝国 (リヒトライヒ), Rihitoraihi; German for "Light Empire", Japanese for "Empire of Light"), which extended to all the nearby countries. In the 200 years since Yhwach's birth, the Lichtreich had conquered the lands north of where Jugram Haschwalth and Bazz-B's village was.
Main article: Silbern

Silbern, the headquarters of the Wandenreich.

The Wandenreich is currently based out of a building known as Silbern (銀架城 (ジルバーン), Jirubān; German for "Silver", Japanese for "Silver-Wrought Castle"; Viz "Silver Cross Fortress"), a large, ice-covered structure surrounded by a vast city roughly the size of the Seireitei. The Wandenreich uses metal plates known as Gates of the Sun (太陽の門, Taiyō no Mon) to move around the large palace quickly. The headquarters is made purely out of Reishi particles from the Seireitei, and exists in a dimension within the Seireitei known as the Schatten Bereich (影の領域 (シャッテン・ベライヒ), Shatten Beraihi; German and Japanese for "Shadow Realm"; Viz "Shadow Area"), which hides the Wandenreich from the Shinigami.

Wahrwelt, the new stronghold of Wandenreich.

After absorbing the Soul King, Yhwach brought the entire Wandenreich city to the Soul King Palace, and drastically altered its appearance. He placed the main palace at ground level while covering parts of it with ice. He also connected the five floating cities nearby to the Wandenreich city, thus creating a massive Quincy Zeichen, and formed a massive, tower-like palace with Silbern on the top for his new stronghold, which he calls the Wahrwelt (真世界城 (ヴァールヴェルト), Vāruveruto; German for "True World", Japanese for "True World Castle") because it will be the cornerstone of his new world.

Notable Members

Wandenreich
Rank	Name	Epithet	Other Designation
Emperor	Yhwach	A: The Almighty	Father of the Quincy
Crown Prince	Uryū Ishida	A: Antithesis	Schutzstaffel
Sternritter Grandmaster	Jugram Haschwalth	B: The Balance	Substitute Emperor
Leader of the Schutzstaffel	Lille Barro	X: The X-Axis
Schutzstaffel	Pernida Parnkgjas	C: The Compulsory	Left Arm of the Soul King
Schutzstaffel	Askin Nakk Le Vaar	D: The Deathdealing
Schutzstaffel	Gerard Valkyrie	M: The Miracle	Heart of the Soul King
Vice-Captain of the Sternritter	Hubert	Unknown
Executive Hunting Captain	Quilge Opie	J: The Jail	Captain of the 1st Jagdarmee
Arrancar Soldier	Asguiaro Ebern	None
Arrancar Soldier	Luders Friegen	None

Uniforms

The typical uniform of a Wandenreich member.

The typical attire of most Wandenreich personnel consists of a long, white, double-breasted trench coat with shoulder straps and a white, button-down bib. This coat is bound at the waist with a black belt, which is further adorned with a decorative buckle, and is worn over both white trousers and trench boots. Many members sport white hats with black peaks and a crest emblazoned on its front, which is reminiscent of the five-pointed variant of the Quincy cross. This insignia is reflected by the buttons of their other apparel. Some higher-ranking members pair this uniform with other additional pieces of clothing, such as capes or cloaks, to distinguish themselves. The Sternritter wear a distinctive white, ankle-length cloak over their uniform which features the Wandenreich insignia emblazoned on its back and often a hood attached to the cloak's collar. Apart from the standard uniform, a Soldat's attire consists of a military beret, black goggles with white lenses, a gas mask which obscures their entire face, and a short, collared cloak.

Luders Friegen and the other messengers who relayed the declaration of war to Soul Society in their unique uniforms.

In certain instances, personnel have been observed wearing a simplified version of the usual Wandenreich uniform, which lacks the normal button-down bib and belt. Those who took part in the declaration of war upon Soul Society sported this specific variation, as well as a hooded cape, which featured a black mask in order to obscure their face, and a black band diagonally encircling their body.

1,000 years ago, this uniform was approximately the same, with some members choosing to add accessories like ties and capes to their ensemble. Additionally, the Wandenreich emblem only had 3 points at this time, along with a tick marking the center between each two points; the current five-pointed version would not be introduced until Yhwach began assembling the Sternritter.

The Hooded Coat.

In the modern day, each member of Yhwach's Schutzstaffel wears a distinctive cloak known as the Hooded Coat (フーデッドコート, Fūdeddo Kōto) over their clothing; this cloak is fastened at the front with three buttons and features a large, black Hagal rune on the left side.

Equipment

An example of the medallion which the Wandenreich use to steal Bankai.

Medallion (メダリオン, Medarion): A number of those within the Wandenreich military, including all members of the Sternritter, carry on their person a round device which is roughly the size of a person's palm and has the Wandenreich insignia etched into its surface. When activated, this device can steal a single currently released Bankai in the immediate vicinity. Once stolen, the medallion's wielder can use the stolen Bankai's power at will, even after the original owner's death. They appear unable to exploit this power fully, for according to what Yamamoto experienced, Driscoll Berci's use of Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū was noticeably inferior to that of its true owner, Chōjirō Sasakibe.

Terminology

• Daten (情報 (ダーテン), Dāten; German for "Data", Japanese for "Information/(Military) Intelligence"): The exhaustive data collected by the Wandenreich on the opposition's forces, which has been distributed to all essential personnel. Parts of this intelligence include details on those considered to be Special War Powers and those in possession of Bankai. It also includes data on Uryū Ishida's potential, which is believed at least on par with the Sternritter.

• Medalize (星章化 (メダライズ), Medaraizu; Japanese for "Star-Emblemize"): The process which the Wandenreich uses to steal Bankai.

• Schrift (聖文字 (シュリフト), Shurifuto; German for "Script", Japanese for "Holy Letter"; Viz "Sacred Letter"): The name given to the letters of the alphabet bestowed to select individuals within the Wandenreich by Yhwach in order to designate them. The exact letter given corresponds to an appropriate epithet reflecting the nature of the person's particular ability. By having a Quincy perform the Initial-In-Soul Writing Ritual and drink a cup of his blood, Yhwach is able to write an initial of the power he wishes to bestow on the select individual's soul. In addition, the granted power returns to Yhwach should the Sternritter die. Only Pernida Parnkgjas and Gerard Valkyrie, the Left Arm and Heart of the Soul King, respectively, did not undergo the Initial-In-Soul Writing Ritual, as they already possessed their unique powers from the onset, and were instead each granted a Schrift as recognition of their statuses.

Special War Powers

In their war with Soul Society, the Wandenreich have placed particular emphasis on five so-called Special War Powers (特記戦力, Tokki Senryoku; lit "Notable/Noted Fighting Powers"; Viz "Special Threats"), who they believe will play a pivotal role in deciding the ultimate outcome of the war itself. These powers are important enough that the temporary detainment of just one prompted the Wandenreich to begin the invasion of Soul Society, due to their guaranteed absence. Sōsuke Aizen was asked to join the Wandenreich as one of the special war powers, but he turned down the offer. Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was not considered to be a special war power because Yhwach considered him weak compared to 1,000 years ago. Originally, Kenpachi Zaraki was listed as first among the group's members, but after Kenpachi's defeat at the hands of Royd Lloyd, Ichigo Kurosaki was deemed the most dangerous member of the Special War Powers.

These 5 Special War Powers are exceptional individuals chosen for a very specific quality they possess that is unusual enough to be classified as an "unknown variable".

Special War Powers
#	Name	Unknown Variable
1	Ichigo Kurosaki	Latent Ability (潜在能力, Senzai Nōryoku): His potential to be a Shinigami far more powerful and dangerous than normal due to his mixed (part-Quincy and part-Hollow) heritage.
2	Kenpachi Zaraki	Fighting Strength (戦闘力, Sentōryoku): His monstrous battle prowess as the current Kenpachi, including raw physical and spiritual power well above an average captain-level Shinigami.
3	Ichibē Hyōsube	Wisdom (叡知, Eichi): His ability to think and act strategically by drawing on his vast knowledge, experience, and insight as the ancient leader of the Zero Division.
4	Sōsuke Aizen	Spiritual Pressure (霊圧, Reiatsu): His Reiatsu, so enormous that it can outright disintegrate other beings if they draw too close, as well as repel the overflowing power of the Soul King himself.
5	Kisuke Urahara	Means (手段, Shudan): His intellect and resourcefulness, allowing him to outwit and outmaneuver almost any opponent via trickery and perpetually adapting his battle strategy.