One of the most popular shonen anime and manga franchises in the early to mid 2000s was Tite Kubo's Bleach. A contemporary of Naruto and One Piece, the series was a supernatural action hit that in many ways laid the foundation for the current success of the "dark trio of shonen." Like most battle shonen franchises, it features a robust system of power levels and abilities tied to the how the characters progress.
The shinigami in Bleach have a variety of powers and rankings, not to mention different roles. All of these elements determine their progression and how their abilities develop, giving the series a bit more internal logical than the power levels seen in other anime and manga. Much of this is also derived from how much inherent spiritual energy their bodies possess, putting certain characters at a distinct advantage starting out.
What are Shinigami In Bleach?
Translated from Japanese as "death gods" and referred to as "Soul Reapers" in the original English localization of the series, Shinigami are the main beings in Bleach. These are beings who contend with the world of the supernatural and guide souls in one way or another. They guide "Pluses" (lost souls) to their final resting place, all the whole fighting off and purifying Hollows in the mortal plane. These monstrous creatures are also born from human souls, but when they can't cross over, they become untenable beasts that can't be defeated through conventional means. Many Shinigami are born within the confines of the Soul Society, which is why they possess their many supernatural abilities.
The powers of Shinigami and their ties to the paranormal allow them to make a living taking down Hollows and similar threats. To this end, they also work for groups such as Gotei 13. Beyond simply battling, there are also more administrative aspects to the roles of Shinigami. For instance, they have to balance the souls being ferried from one world to the next. They also undergo extensive training to master their powers, with the Shinōreijutsuin training the three parts of the Soul Society military.
What Are The Shinihami's Powers In Bleach?
Compared to normal humans, the Shinigami in Bleach have a variety of incredible abilities. One of the most noteworthy of these is extreme longevity and slow aging, with the Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki looking like a teenager around the same age as Bleach protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki, despite her being over 100 years old. Even after they've become visibly elderly, Shinigami still perform at their physical peak. Physically, they're also more robust than humans, with Shinigami being able to withstand physical attacks that would effortlessly kill mere mortals.
While they can still definitely be killed, these beings are able to come back and recover from the most egregious and hard-hitting wounds. In fact, decapitation seems to be the only surefire way to take them out, with even a barrage of stabs, slices, and strikes not being enough to kill most of them. Shinigami also wield Zanpakuto, which are powerful swords that are tied to the user's soul.
This is reflected in their shape, which matches the wielder's own soul and spirit. These blades are some of the only weapons that can be successfully used against Hollows, making them vitally important. Low-levels Shinigami or those who don't yet belong to an organization have Asauchi, which are nameless Zanpakuto that can become anything as they're used by their wielders.
Spending every waking moment with these nameless blades, learning its name and outright speaking to them is part of how a Shinigami imprints their soul on the weapon. This is what forges them into exclusive blades, and Shinigami will actually have to mentally contend with their sword in order to learn new abilities tied to it.
Reiryoku Determines the Power of a Shinigami in Bleach
The basic determining factor for power in the Bleach universe is Reiryoku, or Spiritual Energy. This is the culmination of both willpower and spiritual sensitivity, with higher amounts of this energy source affording individuals with incredible powers. For humans, this mainly manifests in the ability to perceive otherworldly beings such as Hollows and Shinigami. Likewise, those with more Spiritual Energy can also sense others like themselves, which is how Shinigami can track down Hollows.
Since emitting Reiryoku is a natural phenomenon, one talent that more powerful individuals practise is the ability to suppress their energy or amplify readings for various reasons. The level of their energy also determines their ranking within the Soul Society, namely when it comes to taking down Hollows. The main ways in which Shinigami increase their power and hone their skills in using Reiryoku is to attend the aforementioned Shinōreijutsuin, a.k.a. the Shinigami Academy. There, they'll receive a normal education alongside specialized Shinigami training.
The most crucial task is bonding with their personal Zanpakutō, and doing so, they can gain two new forms (Shikai and Bankai) for the weapon. The final form of their weapon is gained by the user suppressing and materializing their Zanpakutō spirit, in doing so making themselves and the weapon stronger. Even once this is achieved, however, it still requires a great deal of practice, and Shinigami can look forward to at least 10 years of training before they truly master the Bankai level.
This makes Bleach one of the few shonen worlds in which true, pure training is the main way in which power is increased, with maximizing Reiatsu (the force that Reiryoku creates) being integral to this. Even then, there seems to be a general plateau of power that varies with the individual, with some people (namely the supremely-powerful Shinigami Aizen) simply born with a massive amount of power. Of course, this is for Shinigami, with other groups attaining more power by other means.
In the case of Hollows, they can get more powerful by consuming each other. For this reason, many are attracted to each other through the promise of power. With the Quincy, they're largely the same as Shinigami, though their training and methods can differ quite a bit. Nevertheless, the best way to increase Reiatsu and general power levels in Bleach is for an individual to have a physically traumatic, near-death experience.
This was seen with Ichigo's development after a battle with Byakuya, and it showcases how pushing one's body to the limit in an extreme way is perhaps the only way to attain more strength. It's a power level system that's arguably more honest than those seen in other anime, as it promises power to those who train, while also admitting that certain things are out of reach. Thankfully for Shinigami, they have decades, if not centuries, to train, so there's no excuse for a low power level.
