Gotei 13 (Waterkai)


 * "Dying to exterminate great evil. Know that this is the spirit of the Gotei 13."
 * - Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto

The Gotei 13 (護廷十三隊, goteijūsantai; 13 Division Imperial Guards, or 13 Court Guard Squads in the English dub) is the organization which most Shinigami join, and one of the three main branches of military in Soul Society. It is split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. The Gotei 13 is subservient to the edicts of the. They also have no jurisdiction over any of the noble families. The symbol of the Gotei 13 is a rhombus, all the 13 Divisions symbols are placed within the rhombus on the back of the Captains haori.

The Kidō Corps, not officially considered as part of the Gotei 13, is still under the authority of the Central 46, and works together with Soul Society, it is why it is actually here, but officially, both Kidō Corps and Omnitsukidō are not part of the Gotei 13.

The new era of Soul Society is one of turmoil and despair, setting the stage for wantonly powerful criminals such as Sōsaku Yawarakai. The Seireitei has been infiltrated by various criminal "kings" and mob bosses, plotting plans to overthrow the current government, willing to concur even with s and to achieve their mischievous goals. The warriors that now occupy the seats within the Gotei 13 are said to be stronger than ever before, in order to be able to face the upcoming hostilities.

Organization
For a detailed description of the Gotei 13's history, organization, tasks and so forth, please refer to the at .

The Gotei 13 is made up of thirteen components: They are split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. The Gotei 13 is led by the "Captain-Commander", who has the statuary authority to conduct all the affairs of the Gotei 13; while deferring to the authority of the Central 46 Chambers in matters involving Soul Society. As with any army, the Gotei 13 has ranks. There are 20 ranks for officers but no ranks for non-officers. The lower the number is, the higher the rank. The ranks and their descriptions are below, from highest to lowest in terms of strength. The Court Guards are an organization with a merit-based hierarchy. They have disposed of the system of rank based on seniority. Abilities are the only thing used to determine one's rank.

Positions
Within the Gotei 13, there are several positions to be held, namely (in order of importance): 1 Captain-Commander, 13 Captains, 13 Lieutenants and seated officers ranging from 3rd to 20th seat, although more than one person can occupy a seat simultaneously. The remaining members of a division are unseated Shinigami, whose overall numbers run in the thousands.

Seated Officers
First Division

Second Division

Third Division

Fourth Division

Fifth Division

Sixth Division

Seventh Division

Eighth Division

Ninth Division

Tenth Division

Eleventh Division

Twelfth Division

Thirteenth Division

Uniforms
Most Gotei 13 personnel wear the standard Shinigami uniform, called - a white shitagi, a black kosode, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, white tabi, and waraji. The black hakama also has its owner's division insignia emblazoned on the inside, though it does not appear to have any significant reasoning other than minor security authorization. Lieutenants sometimes also wear an armband which carries their division symbol and its number, usually on their left arm. They are required to do this when they are summoned to a meeting but apart from this it seems that it is rarely compulsory; at the time the series takes place, the use of the armbands was noted to have fallen out of fashion.

Captains wear a white haori over the usual black Shinigami clothes, with the number of their division on the back, inside the Gotei 13 symbol (a rhombus). Some captains have long sleeves, while the others do not. It also seems that the color of the underside is division-, or at least captain-specific, as every captain has a different color of it.