Souls

Souls are spiritual beings that reside throughout the world. While some Souls are the spirits of departed Humans, the term Souls also refers to a variety of other spiritual beings that live outside of the World of the Living. This can include spiritual beings such as Hollows, Artificial Souls, Shinigami, and others.

Plus Souls

Plus Souls, also known as Pluses, are some of the most common departed Souls that are found in the World of the Living. These Souls are often benign and cause no issues for those Souls still living. When the Chain of Fate, a chain that protrudes from the chest and connects a Soul to their living body, is severed, a Soul can no longer return to its living body and survive. When this happens, the Soul can move about freely as a spiritual being, but the remaining portion of their Chain of Fate begins to corrode. Shinigami perform a ritual known as Konsō on these Souls to send them to the Soul Society before the Chain of Fate corrodes significantly and the Soul becomes a Hollow.

Hollows

Hollows are the byproduct of a corroded Chain of Fate. The beings are Plus Souls that have lost their heart and become beings of pure instinct. As a Plus Soul remains in the World of the Living after death, the Chain of Fate is slowly eroded away by small mouths that feed on the power of the chain. This process is extremely slow and painful, known as Encroachment, but the final erosion is the most painful and violent as the chain disappears and a gaping hole is ripped in a Soul's chest where their heart once was. The former body of the Soul disperses as Reishi and then reforms as a Hollow. The lost heart of the Soul becomes the mask of the Hollow and determines their unique appearance and special abilities. Hollowfication can occur in other ways, but the corrosion of the Chain of Fate is the most common.

Arrancar

Hollows that have reached a level of power that allows them to remove their masks become Arrancar, a special variant of Hollow that has Shinigami-like powers and a more humanoid form, although some can revert back to a more animalistic form when necessary.

Shinigami

Shinigami are Souls with a great deal of Reiryoku that are tasked with regulating the balance of Souls between the Soul Society and the World of the Living. Their responsibilities often involve performing Konsō on Plus Souls that remain in the World of the Living as well as fighting and purifying Hollows through the use of their weapon known as a Zanpakutō. Some Souls that arrive in Soul Society may have enough Reiryoku to enter the Shin’ō Academy and eventually become a Shinigami. Because of their level of spiritual power, Shinigami often have a wide range of abilities, such as using Shunpo, Kidō, and a variety of abilities granted by the Zanpakutō.

Artifical Souls

Aritifical Souls, often called Mod Souls, are Souls created by Shinigami scientists to aid in separating a Shinigami's spirit from a Gigai or to aid in the separation of stubborn spirits from their corpses. These Mod Souls are contained within small pills called Gikongan, also known as Soul Candy. While these Souls are meant to be identical, some Mod Souls have shown incredible abilities beyond what they should have.

Kanji

魂魄

English

Konpaku

Genetic Descendants

• Bounts
• Hollows
• Shinigami

Other Types of Souls

Jibakurei

Those that keep their regrets from life and cannot depart to the Soul Society are known as Jibakurei. They are tied to a location that they refuse to leave and pass on. These types of Souls are more vulnerable to Hollows as their regrets do not allow them to flee their chosen location. It can take months or even years for a Jibakurei to become a Hollow.

Tsukirei

Similar to a Jibakurei, these Souls are tethered to a person instead of a place. When the Chain of Fate of this Soul breaks, it wraps around the person they are bound to.

Blank

Blank Souls are those that have become lost between the World of the Living and the Soul Society.

Togabito

Togabito are those that have been condemned to Hell. Bound with near-indestructible chains, their time in Hell is punishment for crimes committed during their lifetime.