The 13 Gotei

The 13 Gotei are, in general... The 13 different divisions centered in Seireitei whom actually operate towards the defense of the Soul Society, and the direction of Pluses on the Human World. This is the ranking system for all members of the 13 Gotei:

Commander-General: The Commander-general (総隊長, sōtaichō; Commander-General) is the leader of the Gotei 13 and the Captain of the 1st Division.

Captain: A Captain (隊長, Taichō; lit. Unit Commander) is the leader of one of the thirteen divisions (with the special case of the Commander-General). A single Gotei 13 "unit" (隊) is estimated at about 200-500 troops.

Captains are generally the most respected shinigami within the Soul Society, with the Kidō Corps, and Onmitsukidō leaders possibly being on equal status. With one exception, all captains are able to utilize the final stage of their zanpakutō, and are more powerful than even their lieutenants. Knowing bankai gives captains an average of five-to-ten times the strength of shinigami who are unable to perform it. They have also extensively-trained, if not mastered, their bankai, allowing them to actually use the enormous power effectively in battle. Most captains are also skilled in the use of Flash Steps, Kidō, and generally have extensive knowledge of shinigami history and battle tactics. All of these factors create a huge power-gap between captains and lower-ranked officers.

Ways to Become a Captain:

1.) Captain Proficiency test: A test which requires the ability to perform Bankai. Presumably, most shinigami become captains using this method. All players, unless given special permission aren't permitted to start with a Bankai.

2.) Personal Recommendation: To have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval from at least three of the remaining seven, as well as a final approval from the staff.

3.) Trial by Combat: To defeat a captain one-on-one with at least 200 witnesses from the captain's division. The method is commonly looked down upon by some captains as barbaric compared to the other refined methods. This method also allows one to bypass having the mastery of bankai or other possible abilities that a captain would otherwise be required to have knowledge of, as it allows no judgement from captains who would require those skills as a prerequisite to join their ranks.


Lieutenant: A Lieutenant (副隊長, fukutaichō; Vice-unit Commander, often translated as Vice-Captain) is the 2nd seated officer in a division.

Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. They (along with their captains) are not assigned to one specific squad. They generally only know the shikai of their Zanpakutō, but are still the second strongest in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the "substitute captain" until another can be assigned.

You may only become a Lieutenant, if you were given permission from your Divisions Captain, or, from an Admin. But, if you pursue one, don't pursue the other.

Seated Officers: Seated officers are the remainder of the officers in the Gotei 13 that hold ranks at or below 3rd Seat. Captains and lieutenants have the ranks of 1st and 2nd Seats, respectfully. Next to that, there are 18 more seats (3rd-to-20th). These ranks are somewhat analogous to junior officers or non-commissioned officers in modern military. There seems to be a distinction between senior and junior seated officers, just like in real-life armies. In the Gotei 13, only one person can hold a senior officer rank (such as 3rd or 5th seat), but there are several holders of junior officer ranks (e.g. 20th seat). This may vary from division to division however, as there are two 3rd Seats in the 13th Division. Seated officers often lead subunits within each division (for example, Hanatarō Yamada is leader of 4th Division's 14th Advanced Relief Team).