Beginner's Guide to the World of Bleach
This guide introduces the key ideas, places, and powers that shape the universe of Bleach. It's designed to help you understand what's going on, even if you've never seen the anime or read the manga.
1. The Three Worlds
World of the Living
This is the human world—normal life as we know it.
Soul Society
The afterlife where most human souls go after death. It resembles a mix of spiritual and feudal society.
Soul Society has two major areas:
Rukongai: The outer region where most souls live. It's divided into districts—some are peaceful, others are poor and dangerous.
Seireitei: The inner city protected by high walls. It's where the spiritual military and governing bodies reside.
Dangai (Precipice World)
A dangerous dimension that connects Soul Society and the World of the Living. Used for travel, but extremely unstable.
2. Spirits and Beings
Humans
Living people. Some are spiritually aware, most are not.
Souls (Pluses)
The spirits of humans who've died. They wait to be sent to Soul Society through a ritual called Soul Burial.
Shinigami (Soul Reapers)
Spiritual beings responsible for maintaining balance between worlds. They perform Soul Burials and protect both the living and the dead from dark spirits. They carry unique swords and wear traditional black robes.
Hollows
Corrupted spirits that devour other souls. Dangerous and instinct-driven, they are the main threat Shinigami combat.
3. Spiritual Power System
Reiryoku (Spiritual Energy)
The basic energy that souls possess. It fuels combat abilities, spells, and other spiritual techniques. Stronger souls have higher Reiryoku and may feel hunger even in the afterlife.
Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure)
The pressure or force created when spiritual energy is released. It can intimidate, disable, or damage weaker beings just by presence alone.
Spiritual Pressure Levels
A rough way to measure how strong a soul is. The higher the level, the more powerful the individual.
Reishi (Spirit Particles)
The building blocks of the spirit world. Spirits and Shinigami use Reishi to walk in the air, shape energy, and even form barriers.
4. Shinigami Combat Skills (Zankensōki)
Shinigami are trained in four main combat disciplines:
Zanjutsu: Sword fighting using a special blade called a Zanpakutō.
Hakuda: Hand-to-hand combat.
Shunpo: High-speed movement, often appearing like teleportation.
Kidō: Spiritual spells used for offense, defense, healing, or binding enemies.
5. Kidō (Spiritual Arts)
Kidō is divided into three types:
Hadō: Offensive spells, such as energy blasts or elemental attacks.
Bakudō: Binding and defensive spells, used to restrain or shield.
Kaidō: Healing spells used to treat injuries.
Spell Numbers
Spells are ranked from #1 to #99. Higher numbers are stronger but require more skill and energy.
Incantations
A full chant can be used to increase a spell's power. Experienced users can cast without chanting, though usually at reduced strength.
6. Zanpakutō (Soul-Cutter Swords)
Every Shinigami wields a unique sword that reflects their soul. These swords grow and evolve with their wielder.
Shikai: The first release of the sword's true form. Unlocking Shikai requires knowing the sword's name and communicating with its spirit.
Bankai: The final, most powerful release. Reaching Bankai shows mastery and vastly amplifies strength.
Each Zanpakutō has its own personality, powers, and abilities—no two are alike.
7. Soul Society Structure
The Gotei 13
The military organization that defends Soul Society. It's made up of 13 squads, each with specific roles and responsibilities.
Squads
Each squad is run like a military division with its own base, culture, and specialty (combat, healing, research, etc.).
Ranks
Captain: The strongest in each squad, often possessing Bankai and vast knowledge.
Vice-Captain: The second-in-command, usually very skilled.
Squad Members: Trained soldiers of various strength levels.
Central 46
The governing council of Soul Society. It handles laws, judgments, and punishment.
Noble Clans
Powerful families with political influence. They uphold tradition and often play key roles in Soul Society's structure.
Onmitsukidō
A covert force specializing in stealth, intelligence, and assassination. Closely tied to one of the military squads.
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Chapter 181: "Zanpakutō"
Fantasy Library, in front of the bookshelf...
A book titled High School DxD was fully opened, emitting a gentle glow as it undulated, bringing forth a mysterious, profound, and tranquil atmosphere.
Suddenly, the soft glow began to intensify, and the light radiating from the book grew dazzling. A humanoid silhouette seemed to step out from the book, slowly arriving outside.
"Buzz..."
The will of the Fantasy Library descended instantly, falling upon Kaiser, who had not even opened his eyes yet.
[Librarian detected returning. Commencing settlement of this life experience.]
[Based on the excitement level of this life experience and the degree of authenticity of the world, the Library will—cooperating with the Librarian's own authority—grant the Librarian additional rewards.]
[Settlement in progress...]
[Settlement complete.]
[Commencing reward distribution...]
With the appearance of this will, an invisible wave of power swept through the Library, causing one bookshelf after another to light up.
When Kaiser opened his eyes, a book radiating the brightest, most piercing light happened to fly over and arrive before him.
From within the light, two weapons slowly emerged and approached Kaiser.
"Two?"
Kaiser immediately revealed a surprised expression.
There were actually two items as rewards for this life experience?
Kaiser quickly focused and looked closely, finally seeing the full appearance of the two weapons.
They were two tachi with similar appearances.
The one on the left had a plain design, a deep purple hilt, an oval guard, and a brown sheath. Overall, it looked unremarkable, yet gave off a faint, imperceptible sense of heat.
The one on the right was not too different in appearance, with a light purple hilt, a cross-shaped guard, and a dark blue sheath. Unlike the previous one's heat, this one subtly emitted a chill.
"These two blades..."
Kaiser felt he had some impression of them, but couldn't be certain.
So, Kaiser reached out with both hands and grasped the two blades. The golden tattoo on his body flashed, and he instantly grasped the information about these two blades.
Ryūjin Jakka: The strongest and also the oldest Fire-type Zanpakutō. Its ability is to release and manipulate flames. The heat of the fire it releases is sufficient to reduce all creation to ash and is said to possess the strongest attack power in the Soul Society.
Hyōrinmaru: The strongest Ice/Snow-type Zanpakutō. It freezes the moisture in the air using overflowing Reiatsu, forming an ice dragon that transforms everything into ice and snow. Its power is so strong that it can even manipulate celestial phenomena and is said to command everything in the sky.
"Zanpakutō!"
Kaiser's expression brightened.
"The rewards for this life experience are actually these two Zanpakutō?"
Zanpakutō, the exclusive blade of the Shinigami.
There is a world in which a group of beings known as Shinigami exist.
They are lifeforms with extremely high concentrations of Reishi, possessing abilities surpassing humans, capable of battling Hollows, tasked with protecting humans and guiding and purifying Hollows, maintaining the balance between the Human World and the Soul Society.
They are both similar and different to the death gods of legend.
The similarity lies in the fact that they are not human but Reitai with power, and part of their duty is also to guide the souls of the deceased to the Soul Society, being its protectors and rulers.
The difference lies in the fact that they do not wield soul-reaping scythes, but instead use weapons called Zanpakutō.
Zanpakutō are formed based on the Shinigami's own soul—its shape, form, and abilities are all modeled on the Shinigami's soul. By conversing with the blade's spirit, one can know its name, and by calling that name, gain power and unleash astonishing might.
Each Zanpakutō has its own name. When its name is called during battle, its true power is released. One can even unleash even more powerful forms to fight.
They possess their own soul, thoughts, and personality, and are lifelong companions who sleep, eat, and never part from the Shinigami—not mere weapons.
At this moment, the two blades Kaiser received were indeed Zanpakutō.
Moreover, they were hailed as the strongest in their respective fields—Zanpakutō that had left mighty reputations in the history of the Soul Society.
"This is a jackpot."
As this thought flashed through his mind, Kaiser instinctively activated his own authority. The golden tattoos shimmered in his palms and spread across the two blades.
"Zing..."
The golden tattoos covered the blades and hilts, flickering several times before being absorbed.
"Boom!"
In that instant, Kaiser felt the world before him tremble violently, and he saw two different visions.
One was engulfed in endless flame, scorching hot, as if the sun had fallen from the sky, resonating with an ancient voice.
One was an icebound world, bone-chilling cold, where a dragon composed entirely of ice spread its wings, casting a pressure-filled gaze upon him.
"Master..."
"Master..."
Two voices entered his ears in succession.
No—it wasn't entering his ears, but rather his soul.
The owners of those voices were expressing submission to him.
The owners of those voices were expressing respect to him.
"My name is Ryūjin Jakka."
"My name is Hyōrinmaru."
"We hereby offer you our absolute loyalty and all of ourselves."
The voices gradually faded away, and the two visions shattered with a boom, returning Kaiser to the Fantasy Library.
And in that very instant, Kaiser fully grasped the complete power of the two blades.
Be it their names, their abilities, or even their deeper powers and more profound realms, he had mastered them all in that brief moment.
"Not bad."
Feeling the power of the two Zanpakutō, Kaiser revealed a satisfied smile.
"Though not as overpowered as a Longinus, compared to Sacred Gears beneath the Longinus level, they're in no way inferior—perhaps even stronger. They're clearly much more powerful than Orga Lux weapons. As expected of the strongest Fire-type and Ice/Snow-type Zanpakutō."
"If I unleash their full power, even compared to Longinus, they might not be far behind, right?"
"All in all, this haul isn't bad."
Obtaining two exclusive weapons on par with Longinus in one go—this undoubtedly pleased Kaiser.
Unfortunately, unlike last time, this one didn't come with any new authority.
Of course, that didn't mean there was nothing left.
"Swish!"
The book that had released the two Zanpakutō flew over to Kaiser, its light flickering erratically.
"Buzz..."
"Buzz..."
The two Zanpakutō immediately responded to the book, and began flickering as well.
The will of the Fantasy Library immediately descended and was received by Kaiser.
[Open the book to enter the fantasy world recorded within, and begin random selection of a life experience.]
[Note: Librarian currently holds key components of the fantasy world recorded in this book. If the book is opened, the range of life experiences will be narrowed based on the held components, resulting in a background more aligned with those components.]
[Librarian may also store the key components of the fantasy world recorded in the book. Opening the book after doing so will allow continued random selection, with no narrowing of the range.]
"As expected, just like last time—as long as I hold key components of a world, that world will resonate and come to me."
Kaiser confirmed this and reached out to open the book before him.
"Shhhhhh—"
As the book opened, its pages began to flip rapidly on their own, and one page after another detached from the book, fluttering around Kaiser.
The two Zanpakutō continued flashing, reminding Kaiser of what happened last time during such a scene.
He remembered that time, under the influence of the world's key components, some of the life pages disappeared, leaving only those more aligned with the held components.
When holding key components of a fantasy world recorded in the book, opening the book will narrow the range of selected life experiences, yielding a background more in line with those components. Last time, Kaiser had received a background related to the Church and Sacred Gear users.
So what about this time?
"Could it be I'll receive a background related to Ryūjin Jakka and Hyōrinmaru?"
Thinking of this, Kaiser quickly stored the two Zanpakutō into his body.
This time, he would draw randomly—without narrowing the selection.
He had no choice—Ryūjin Jakka and Hyōrinmaru had great influence in this fantasy world. Especially the former. If anything went wrong, the entire development of the world might go awry.
To prevent any accidents, this time Kaiser opted not to narrow the selection.
And so, the pages flying around him gradually dwindled. When only one remained, the title appeared on the cover of the book before him—Bleach.
Then, the last remaining page flew into Kaiser's mind, while the book, now devoid of all pages, turned completely blank.
"A new journey..."
Seeing this, Kaiser couldn't help but feel a little anticipation.
Although he had already obtained two Zanpakutō—both incredibly powerful ones—if he could become a Shinigami in this world, he should be able to acquire a Zanpakutō of his own, right?
What would his Zanpakutō be like?
It was because of these thoughts that Kaiser began to feel expectant.
"Let's go see..."
See what he could stir up and obtain in that world.
Kaiser stepped forward, reached out, and touched the blank book.
The next second, his figure disappeared from where he stood—entering the world within the book.