The 13 Court Protection Squads, or simply the Gotei 13, is the organization which most, if not all Shinigami join. It is divided into 13 divisions (hence the name), each division having their own specialities and specializations. In order to get into the Gotei 13, aspirants must finish a six-year-long education within the Shinigami Academy (with the exception of the 4th Division, which gives 5 years of medical education instead). Each division is estimated at around 200 to 500 Shinigami each, but most of them are Unseated. From the 20th Seat to the 10th, more than one Shinigami hold that rank, but from the 9th Seat and up, it is normal to see one Shinigami fill one Seat. After the 3rd Seated Officer, the Lieutenant takes care of trivial problems, and directs the division in the absence of the Captain. They also attend Lieutenant meetings, where the 13 Lieutenants gather to discuss recent issues and methods to solve them. The Captain leads each Division, and are said to be exponentially stronger than the rest. They usually command their divisions in battle and out, and go to regular Captain meetings. In both circumstances, the 1st Division's Lieutenant and Captain are responsible for and lead the meetings. The Captain of the 1st Division is also known as the "Captain Commander", and he/she directs all of the Shinigami. Usually the oldest or strongest Shinigami, the position of Captain Commander is passed through generation to generation, along with the information about the whereabouts of the King's Key.

Although not officially a part of the Gotei 13, the Kidō Corps and the Special Forces are commanded by the Captains of the 5th and 2nd Divisions, respectively. Shinigami in those two divisions tend to have double positions, one in the Kidō Corps/Special Forces and one in the Gotei 13. Captains of the Gotei 13 can also opt to become a member of the Royal Guard (called the "0th Division"), which operates in a seperate world, where members are tasked with guarding the Soul King. While the Gotei 13, the Kidō Corps, and the Special Forces were directed by the edicts of the Central 46 Chambers, the Captain Commander has taken over their judiciary role and command over the other 2 military branches after the Central 46's brutal murders. Below is a list of the specialities of each division:

1st Division: High Command, Judiciary
2nd Division: Undercover Operations (Special Forces)
3rd Division: Information
4th Division: Medical, Supply
5th Division: Kidō Research (Kidō Corps)
6th Division: Internal Affairs
7th Division: Seireitei Protection
8th Division: Counter-Intelligence
9th Division: Intelligence Processing
10th Division: Large-Scale Operations (Command)
11th Division: Offensive Tactics
12th Division: Research and Development (Shinigami Research Institute)
13th Division: Hollow Exterminatioin


The forces of Hollows and Arrancar in Hueco Mundo were scattered at best...until the Espada Lord came up. Hollows could transform into Arrancars out of pure luck, but the first Espada Lord brought with them the Hōgyoku, which could involuntarily break Hollow masks and transform them into Arrancar. Arrancar gain far more power than Hollows, and even a Gillian-class Arrancar could stand on his own against an Adjuchas Menos. Arrancar also obtain a Ressureción, which releases their Hollow forms and acts as a release of their Zanpakutōs. Even after the Hōgyoku was destroyed, the Arrancar still have a way of increasing their numbers, called "Corrosión (Corrosion)", a process where the Espada Lord inserts his/her Spiritual Energy into Hollows to force them to undergo the process of Shinigamification. After the war in Karakura town, both sides have been decimated; but the Arrancar Army, under the command of a new Espada Lord, are waiting to strike the Gotei 13.

The Arrancars have a more rigid hierarchy than the Gotei 13, and it is a world where the rule of "eat or be eaten" comes into practice. The Espada Lord commands the rest with an iron fist, and normally has the power to subdue all 10 Espadas at once. Espadas, which are numbered from 0 to 9, are the 10 strongest and most loyal Arrancars in the Army. They each have their Fracción, and show a varying level of camaderie towards them or the other Espadas, some outwardly hostile while others are generally benevolent. The Numeros, all Espadas ranging from 11 to 99, are significantly weaker than their Espada counterparts, but the stronger of the bunch are hand-picked to become Fracción. The Exequias is under the leadership of a Numeros, and retrieves the fallen bodies of Arrancar for storage, as well as guards Hueco Mundo and Las Noches. The Privaron Espadas are previous Espadas that were forced out after their defeat (and continued survival, which is rare). They include much earlier generations, and are assigned a number between 101 to 110. The numbers mentioned above are branded somewhere on the Arrancars body by the Espada Lord after their Shinigamification is over.


The Quincy have long affiliated themselves with various religious organizations, acting as undercover agents or even assassins for their affiliates. While the numbers of Quincy were decimated during the "Great Purging" conducted by the Shinigami, their numbers have grown with the increasing amounts of spiritually-aware people, due to the fragments of the Hōgyoku (since one does not need a Quincy bloodline in order to become one). The operations of the Quincies have become steadily more overt, and they take down the Hollows that threaten humans in the Human world, leaving the Shinigami to deal with the rest. While the Quincy have been on negative terms with the Shinigami, they have been forced to grab hands after the creation of the HLF. Several Quincy bloodlines that have existed before the Purging still exist today, but most of the Quincies are either those who have discovered a skill in Spiritron Manipulation, or have realized their powers from the unknown Quincy blood that flows in their veins.

The Church is directed by a few Quincy families, which have produced exceptionally powerful Quincies throughout history. When one aspires to join the Church, they are given the rank of "Acolytes" and sent to recieve training from a master. They usually take three years to finish their beginner's education, and then are given the responsibilities of aiding humans against Hollows, as well as the duties that any normal Quincy has. These Quincies can opt for additional training, and move up the religious ladder. Veteran Quincies who have suffered many battles with Hollows are given a test by the Arch Bishops, after which they become Deacons, and regular members of the Church's clergy. Bishops are elected from the Deacons by voting, and are generally regarded as the Quincy masters. Finally, there is one Arch-Bishop residing in the Church of the Black Oak. The strongest Quincy, he/she can stand on par with other faction leaders when it comes to strength and combat experience. Quincies, apart from their Hollow Extermination duteis, are also responsible for maintaining the safe haven they call "the Church". It offers regular masses, and is a place for spiritual meditation and prayers. Open to creatures of all races (except, mayhaps, Hollows), the Quincy work hard to maintain the sanctity of their Church.


After the destruction of the Hōgyoku, more Humans are becoming spiritually active. Talk about spirits, or Hollows, or Quincies are becoming normal, even earning a place in history textbooks and a part of the national curricula. But the Hōgyoku has also awarded special powers to humans in the form of "superpowers". Nobody knows how or why this happened, or when it started, but such "power-users", or "espers" were granted abilities in one power, such as speed or water manipulation. While they were normally shunned, the espers have created an organization of their own, called the "Human Liberation Front", and aspires to "free" the Humans from the grasp of the other factions -- by conquering the other worlds. Students with powers are sent to a seperate facility in order to recieve training in their powers, and are classified by the force of their superpowers into D, C, B, A, and SA. The Human Liberation Front refers to this process as "A.D." or Ability Development. All espers are assigned names depending on their own powers.

D-class espers are generally considered non-combatants -- those with healing, or non-combative abilities, are marked "D". While the higher-ups tend to look down upon this class, some D-rank espers may be stronger than B-ranks in certain situations. From C-class and up, the students are sent to actual combat fields to battle Shinigami and Hollows. C-class, the "rookies" of the HLF, are generally told to retreat if they see an opponent with a higher power level than them. They follow B- and A-ranks in partnerships or groups in order to gather combat experience. B-ranks are slightly stronger than the C's. B-ranks and A-ranks are given the responsbility of taking care of lower-classed espers, and are considered "veterans". Except for a few exceptions, they are generally middle- and high-schoolers. SA-ranked espers are legendary -- they are mostly high-school and university students, and have the powers to take on a high-leveled opponent and survive. Because the amount of spiritual power increases with the rank, SA-ranks can endure the releases of Captain-level Shinigami and Espadas without showing signs of fatigue.


The Vizards are Shinigami who "obtained Hollow powers illegally". Although research has been conducted on the process dubbed "Hollowfication", there has been no conclusive reason why Shinigami can be turned into these hybrids. The fact remains that the process resembles the Hollows' "Corrosión" -- when Shinigami have Hollow Spiritual Energy pumped into their body, through wounds or a severe shock, a Hollow is created inside of them. While Shinigami who cannot win their Inner Hollow become Hollows, those who do become Vizards, who are able to access their Hollow powers by donning their Hollow masks. After they don their Masks, Vizards gain access to some of the generic Hollow abilities, such as Cero, Bala, and Sonido. While a 2nd Ressureción as a Vizard is not unheard of, it is very rare. Donning the Hollow mask is equivalent to wasting one's own life energy, and the more the Vizards use their masks, the stronger their Hollow side gets.

The Vizards have a relatively loose hiearchy compared to the other factions. In part, this is due to their being few in number. Vizards are classified by the control they have over their Inner Hollow -- after winning their Hollow once, normal Vizards take some time to subdue their Inner Hollow and gain the ability to summon their masks at will. After they achieve that stage, they are generally counted as "Veteran Vizards". "Elite Vizards" are those who have taken their control on a whole new level: Vizards who have struck deals with their Hollows, trading their body to their Hollow's power, or completely winning over their Inner Hollow. Elite Vizards usually end up in personal relationships of hate, respect, or mixed feelings with their Inner Hollow. It is at this point that they can access the second release of their Inner Hollow -- their masks change completely, and the Vizards' power are increased as well. The Vizard Leader has the final say on matters, but mostly the Vizards decide by voting. Most Vizards are generally Lieutenant-level or higher before they were Hollowfied.