Imawashī

The Imawashī (忌まわしい, lit. The Damned), known alternatively as Shinzō's Elite, are a group of spiritually-aware beings active throughout the Reikai who work in conjunction with the Kikkashō. The group serves as the main visible antagonistic force in Bleach: Cataclysm following the Collapse, showing a considerable interest in Kentaro Hiroshi and Ryan Kuchiki.

Although known as Shinzō's Elite the title is empty; Shinzō was killed by Kentaro sometime prior to the Collapse, making the Imawashī's leader unknown. They have however taken orders from Kurokawa Kōhai, and seem to answer similarly to Dastan Shiba.

Known members of the resurgent Imawashī include father-son duo Hiden and Eiji Shinzui, who were both active during the Engelhaft Gewitter's attack on the Seireitei. Others include former trainees of the Ryū Order, with others assembled from the populace of Kohai Tochi. As a whole the organization, counting Dastan, has twenty-seven members as twenty-six then-unknown individuals attempted to stop Kensei and Shūhei from fleeing their domain.

The group are recognizable through their armbands, which are of a red colouration with a sun-crest emblazoned upon them.

Organization
The Imawashī employ twenty-seven core members split between three divisions, with an assortment of "shock troops" at their disposal, which are similar to the Sturm Kavallerist of the old Engelhaft Gewitter and the Soulless used by Oda Kōhai; they are thus considered expendable cannon-fodder. These shock troopers are typically powerful enough to contend with foes of a typical officer level, but where quickly defeated by higher-echelon individuals. Kensei and Hisagi, for example, killed a large number during their escape using little more than low-level techniques, with little trouble. There seems to be little tying the group together other than a very loose connection to Oda Kōhai, seemingly built upon a foundation of fear rather than respect. Naoko Izuru, who spied on the organization for quite some time, discovered that Kurokawa Kōhai was Oda's right-hand, with Dastan Shiba and Hiden Shinzui offering leadership and stability.

Six Directions Counter Force
This particular unit comprises nine members, with six Captain-class combatants and three Lieutenant-class combatants. Of the three units this is the only one so far whose members have been fully identified. The leader of this unit, known as the Trickster, is actually Kentaro's thought-to-be-deceased fraternal grandfather, while Hiden and Eiji are also part of this group. Following numerous battles with the Six Directions membership has fallen to include only seven. Overall the membership is as follows:


 * Dastan Shiba (active).
 * Hiden Shinzui (active).
 * Eiji Shinzui (active).
 * Katashi (incapacitated).
 * Arata (active).
 * Hikaru (captured, later defected to the Six Directions).
 * Akane (active).
 * Hinata (active).
 * Kasumi (active).

Gotei Remnant Relief Squad
Naoko Izuru discovered that the Imawashī had entered into a formal alliance with the Gotei Remnant, which was later revealed to be a separate team to that previously encountered by the Six Directions. It was the existence of the so-called Gotei Remnant Relief Squad and the alliance between them and the Gotei Remnant which caused both Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Shūsuke Amagai to defect to the side of the Six Directions during the Second Battle of Nishiendo.

Hikaru, who was a member of the team assigned to oversee the disposal of the Six Directions, revealed the membership of the Relief Squad to Riki Nagakura, alongside a physical description and personality briefing of each respective member. Hikaru, prior to this, had resolved to join both Riki and Kentaro on the condition they help him save Akane.

Hikaru further claimed that every individual member of this team where affiliated with the Onmitsukidō sometime prior to the Collapse; the sole exception is Sanji, who was affiliated with the 5th Division in the Gotei 13. Kentaro also recognized some as having once been members of Katashi's now-defunct drug-running organization.

The membership is as follows:


 * Rōjin.
 * Chiharu.
 * Sanji.
 * Gina.
 * Maiko.
 * Akihiko.
 * Ichiro.
 * Toru.
 * Hitoshi.