User blog comment:Njalm2/Nanja's Point of View: Shinigami Edition/@comment-1493741-20150503073419/@comment-24384232-20150503181454

Shinigami have never refer to themselves as "human". In fact they always refer to the living population as "the Humans" and the living world, "The Human World". To consider them human is the height of fallacy, even if they are derived from that stock. Your assertion that because Shinigami eat makes them similar to humans. Pray tell what exactly are the Shinigami eating?

Spiritual energy.

Everything in the spiritual world is composed of spiritual matter, and the most natural means of a Shinigami absorbing or acquiring energy is to consume it. It has nothing to do with any similiarity to being humans, and I would also point out that Shinigami could not subsist on physical matter, like our food. Conversely a human couldnt survive off of spiritual food either, they would starve.

The distinction of being human is vast. The human body is a physical construct bound by physical needs. We must eat, sleep, drink, we have an instinct to mate, we are bound by physical needs that quite often conflict with what our mind desires. The activities we perform can empower our bodies or ravage them. Shinigami do not have a human body. They do not have the same base instinct, and are driven entirely by their own thoughts, and feelings. Do you recall what spiritual power is?

''Reiryoku (霊力, Spiritual Power) is a power aligned with the spiritual sensitivity and willpower of the user. It is used by Shinigami and other spiritual beings to provide power for their various abilities.''

The overall power of a Shinigami is proportional to their innate willpower and convictions. That is the determining factor of their power. It has nothing to do with their physical attributes in the slightest. You may however derive a focus and drive from the pursuit of physical activities such as swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, but ultimately they are just a means to an end. Humans do not progress in that fashion. Its impossible. Furthermore you're discrediting the influence of a lifespan measured in centuries.

Human aggression, ingenuity, and creativity are born about by our limited lifespan. That overwhelming desire to see things done, to preserve a legacy and achievement exists because our lives are fleeting. To dedicate years of training to a craft is a huge investment for a human. The notion of marriage to another is huge, because we know our time is limited. Everything about our perspectives and that which makes us human is rooted in the physicality of our being. Shinigami as near immortal spiritual beings, who do not suffer from the ravages of time, immune to the outbreak of disease, who wield powers we would attribute to gods, how could they possibly consider themselves "human"?

That's like saying Fae are human because they sometimes have the appearance of one. Yet those versed in mythology will know that however much it appears human, the minds of a Fae are furthest from that of a human. This is exactly the same.