Gotei 13
The Gotei 13 is an organization that features in Bleach.
Contents |
History
The Gotei 13 (Japanese: 護廷十三隊, Hepburn: Goteijūsantai; lit. "13 Division Imperial Guards"; Viz "Thirteen Court Guard Companies") were a military organization consisting of shinigami that resided in the Soul Society. It was said to had been founded by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto who stood as its head since its inception. The first generation of the Gotei 13 consisted of Yamamoto, Yachiru Unohana and 11 other captains. Shunsui Kyōraku considers this generation to be the strongest version of the Gotei 13. A contrasting take was made by Yhwach who said that the original Gotei 13 were 'defenders' in name only that comprised nothing less than a brutal mob of killers. However, it was for this very reason they were a force to be feared especially because Yamamoto was a ruthlessly pragmatic leader whom would hold even his subordinates as expendable. It was noted that the Gotei 13 underwent dramatic changes after the extermination of the Quincy where it mellowed out in the ensuing peace having now found a sense of justice upon discovering things to protect and treasure.
Head Captain Yamamoto staged an elaborate trap for Aizen and his Espada forces whereby he shifted Karakura Town into the Soul Society. Working with Urahara, a fake version of the city was stablished in its place that was uninhabited to ensure no humans were killed. They then waited for Aizen to take his forces in order to sacrifice the town to create the Oken that he needed to invade the Soul Society. When the time came, the Gotei 13 dispatched several of their Captains into Hueco Mundo to help free Ichigo and his comrades that travelled there. Meanwhile, the greater bulk of the shinigami lay in ambush as Aizen arrived where Head Captain Yamamoto used a powerful attack to keep the renegade shinigami trapped behind divine flames whilst his Espada battles the Gotei 13.
Overview
In appearance, the Gotei 13 were a military force consisting of Shinigami (死神, death god(s); Viz "Soul Reaper(s)") who served as guardians of the souls that were going through the circle of transmigration and served the Soul Society.
Their primary responsibilities were; defense of the Seireitei, deployment into enemy territory for combat operations, deployment of Task Forces as defensive measures in the Human World and guiding of souls to Soul Society.
It was split into thirteen squads each symbolized by a flower whose floriography showed the squad's hue with these being:
- Squad One (一番隊, Ichibantai, First Division in manga) : The division's flower was the chrysanthemum - meaning "immaculate".
- Squad Two (二番隊, Nibantai, Second Division in manga) : As its captain was also leader of the Stealth Forces (隠密機動, Onmitsukidō, literally, "Hidden Secret Movements Organization"), Squad Two's shares duties with the other branch in surveillance, covert operations, imprisoning potentially problematic Soul Reapers, and assassinations. The division's flower is the Pulsatilla cernua - meaning "splendor".
- Squad Three (三番隊, Sanbantai, Third Division in manga) : The squad's flower was the Calendula officinalis - meaning "tranquility".
- Squad Four (四番隊, Yonbantai, Fourth Division in manga) : Squad Four was known for its medical work. The division's flower is the Gentiana scabra - meaning "fidelity" and "conscience".
- Squad Five (五番隊, Gobantai, Fifth Division in manga) : The division's flower was the Pieris japonica - meaning "sacrifice".
- Squad Six ((六番隊, Rokubantai, Sixth Division in manga) : Squad Six had no special duties, but was currently seen as a model division by the other Soul Reapers and known for its strict adherence to the rules. The division's flower is the red Camellia japonica - meaning "righteous reason".
- Squad Seven (七番隊, Nanabantai, Seventh Division in manga) : The division's flower was the Japanese iris - meaning "kindness" and "vitality".
- Squad Eight (八番隊, Hachibantai, Eighth Division in manga) : The division's flower was the Strelitzia - meaning "getting everything I(one) want".
- Squad Nine (九番隊, Kyūbantai, Ninth Division in manga) : Squad Nine was always on standby as it was the security force of the Gotei 13, also overseeing art and culture. The division's flower is the white Papaver somniferum - meaning "oblivion".
- Squad Ten (十番隊, Jūbantai, Tenth Division in manga) : The division's flower was the Narcissus - meaning "selfishness".
- Squad Eleven (十一番隊, jūichibantai, Eleventh Division in manga) : Known as the Zaraki Corps, Squad Eleven was well known for its brute military force with a specialization of sword-only combat, making them at loggerheads with the Fourth division. The division's flower is the Chinese yarrow - meaning "battle".
- Squad Twelve (十二番隊, Jūnibantai, Twelfth Division in manga) : a scientific research division and had been the home of the Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute for 110 years. It was directly linked to the S.R.D.I. by former Captain Kisuke Urahara. The division's flower is the Thistle : meaning "revenge", "rigorous" and "independence".
- Squad Thirteen ((十三番隊, Jūsanbantai, Thirteenth Division) : division's flower was the Galanthus nivalis - meaning "hope".
Leadership of the organization as a whole was headed by the Captain-Commander (総隊長, Sōtaichō; Viz "Captain-General"; Captain-Commander, Head-Captain in the English dub) who had the statuary authority to conduct all the affairs of the Gotei 13 while deferring to the authority of the Central 46 Chambers in matters involving the Soul Society. Meanwhile, the Captains (隊長, taichō, literally, "unit commander") operated as the leaders of the thirteen squads. Each controlled a specific squad with the exception of the Head Captain (総隊長, Sōtaichō, literally "Commander-General") who acted as both captain of Squad One and leader of the Gotei 13. The true power of Soul Society laid with the captains of the Gotei 13 who served as leaders of the military. At full strength, Soul Society was said to be safe and almost unbeatable whilst they were vulnerable if the Gotei 13 were either broken or if their strength dwindled. A position beneath the captain was that of the Lieutenant (副隊長, fukutaichō; Viz "Assistant Captain"; vice-unit commander, often translated as vice-captain) who was the 2nd seated officer in the division. They served as executive officers that took care of their division and supervised its day-to-day operations.
It did not normally operate as a cohesive unit with command of the divisions being generally left to the discretion of its particular captain. They commonly ran it whatever way they saw fit allowing for the change of a division's traditional duties to an entirely new set and even the creation of a separate institution connected to the division.
There were three ways through which a person could ascend to the rank of Captain with these being:
- Captain Proficiency Test (隊首, taishu) : included a demonstration of the persons Bankai with the test overseen by three existing captains including the Captain-Commander. It was said that this was the most common means for one to become a captain in the Gotei 13.
- Personal Recommendation : a personal recommendation from at least six captains with this requiring the approval from at last three of the remaining seven.
- Trial by Combat : a trial by combat where a contender battled one of the captains in a one-to-one fight with this being witnessed by 200 members of the captain's division. It was said that this was a very rare means for one to become a captain in the Gotei 13.
The Gotei 13 were based in the afterlife of the Soul Society (尸魂界 (ソウル・ソサエティ), Souru Sosaeti; Japanese for "Dead Spirit World") where they were stationed in the capital of the Seireitei (瀞霊廷, Court of Pure Souls; Viz "Quiet Spirit Court").
Members
- Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto :
- Chōjirō Sasakibe :
- Shunsui Kyōraku :
- Nanao Ise :
- Suì-Fēng :
- Byakuya Kuchiki :
- Kenpachi Zaraki :
- Mayuri Kurotsuchi :
- Gin Ichimaru :
Notes
- The Gotei 13 were created by Tite Kubo and featured as antagonists in the setting of the Bleach universe.
- The group was seemingly inspired from the Shinsengumi that were a real world swordsman group that had operated in Japan.
In other media
Television
- In Bleach, the Gotei 13 appeared in the setting of the anime television series adaptation.
Films
Video games
Appearances
- Bleach:
External Links
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