About

The world consists of the World of the Living where humans reside, the Soul Society where Soul Reapers and souls of the deceased live, Hueco Mundo where monsters known as Hollows (evil spirits) dwell, and Hell, where the wicked go after death. In the World of the Living, the story is primarily set in Karakura Town. Within the Soul Society, it is divided into the Rukongai, where the souls of the deceased live, and the Seireitei, where Soul Reapers and nobles reside. Soul Reapers are spiritual beings tasked with sending souls to their proper place in the Soul Society. They are organized into thirteen divisions. Each division has a Captain, a Lieutenant, and ranked officers from the third seat downward. According to novelizations, they are viewed by those around them as a mix of martial artists and celebrities. Physically, they look like humans, but they all wear black kimonos and hakama, with Captains wearing a haori over them. Ranked Soul Reapers possess unique swords called Zanpakuto. By calling out a release command and the sword's name (with some exceptions), they can transform the Zanpakuto into a state called Shikai. Captain-class Soul Reapers can further transform their Shikai into Bankai by stating another release command. Generally, few Bankai retain the form of a simple sword. Besides Zanpakuto, Soul Reapers can use magic-like abilities called Kido. Using these requires an incantation, and individuals have varying aptitudes for it. High-level Soul Reapers can use Kido without an incantation by just saying the spell's name, known as Eikyo Haki (Incantation Abandonment), though this results in lower power than usual. Hollows are beings created when a deceased soul completely loses its Chain of Fate, causing the spiritual body to explode and then reconstitute. They are larger than humans, have a hole in their chest, and their faces are covered by a mask to protect their raw instincts. While there are exceptions, they are monsters faithful to their instincts that consume humans with high spiritual power or even Soul Reapers. Above Hollows and Huge Hollows are Menos. Menos are further divided into Gillian (lower-class Menos with no individuality), Adjuchas (middle-class Menos, smaller than Gillian but larger than humans), and Vasto Lorde (upper-class Menos, human-sized but stronger than Captain-class Soul Reapers). To evolve from a Gillian to an Adjuchas, one must consume others to increase their power. However, if an Adjuchas stops consuming others, they will eventually revert to a Gillian and stay that way forever. In addition to Soul Reapers and Hollows, there are the Visored and Arrancar, created using an object called the Hogyoku. Visored are Soul Reapers who have gained Hollow powers. Arrancar are Hollows who have gained Soul Reaper powers. Visored use Zanpakuto and Kido like Soul Reapers, but they can manifest a Hollow mask at will to use Hollow powers. To do this, they must keep their "Inner Hollow" under control; failure results in their ego vanishing as they become a mere Hollow. Arrancar look almost exactly like humans except for a Hollow hole somewhere on their body (only Vasto Lorde are guaranteed a human form; others may be deformed). They have mask remnants on their heads and mask markings on their faces. Arrancar also possess Zanpakuto, but unlike those of Soul Reapers, these seal their Hollow powers. By using a release command called Resurrección, they can regain the powers they had as Hollows.