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The Soul Society of Britannia, or simply known as Britannia, was a society of shinigami based in Europe. It usually accommodated the departed souls of Europeans, developing a culture with similarities and differences to that of the more well known Soul Society of Japan. The military force is known as the Royal Guard (not to be confused with the Zero Division), consisting of twelve divisionary forces. It was one of the five great powers of the Reikaitei.
Overview[]
Although described as a paradise by the royal guardsmen, it is very much the same as the living world. However, the progression of technology was incredibly slow, akin to that of other societies. Souls of Britannia live in the Heaven Districts (ヘボン街; hebon gai; lit. heaven city), divided into twelve regions, each assigned to a particular division to oversee. The divisions' lack of centralized power allowed them to respond to foreign threats more quickly than the Japanese soul society's concentrated strength within the Seireitei. However, that made a division more likely to rebel against the royal guards, as was showcased in the Twelfth Division Rebellion. This was countered by the creation of a thirteenth division, the Guard Division, whose duty was to police the other divisions.
Because of this division of power, many divisions lack specialties due to the need for a versatile task force, though some, at the decision of the division's respective leader, choose to specialize in certain aspects of combat or support. The 10th Division, for example, specialized in dragoon warfare.
Britannian shinigami powers function similarly to that of the Japanese shinigami. Their kidō and zanpakutō function the same, though they are called spells and soul blades, respectively.
Access to the Society[]
Similar to other societies, Britannia was separated from the World of the Living by the Dangai Precipice World. Hell butterflies were used to guide shinigami safely through the intermediate world.
Government[]
Chancellor[]
The Chancellor was the supreme ruler of Britannia, as well as the absolute authority in decision making regarding the activities of the Royal Guard. The Guard Division answered directly to the Chancellor. William Aemilius Lepidus was the most recent Chancellor to be in power.
House of Commons[]
The House of Commons consisted of 48 individuals, four representatives from each district, with the desks set up in a crescent shape around a large hall. The members serve for life, chosen by the commoners in infrequent elections. The nobles were generally regarded as cowardly and full of self-interest, and were despised by the royal guards due to the House's legislative and judicial policies.
The Guard Division can override the House of Commons by taking cases to the Chancellor himself.
Royal Guard[]
Main article: Royal Guard (Britannia) The Royal Guard was the military force that governed the Soul Society of Britannia. Its distribution of power was radically different compared to that of the Gotei 13, though capable of responding to threats more efficiently than the Gotei 13.
Neuschwanstein[]
Neuschwanstein was the fortress in which the Chancellor resided in, located in the same dimension as Britannia. It was constructed with thick slabs of sekkiseki, preventing possible intruders from sneaking in anywhere other than the single entrance way. Although there were no windows, Neuschwanstein's interior was designed to project a fake landscape in order to accommodate the Chancellor. Neuschwanstein was projected to be as large as Las Noches, due to the former appearing to hold a fully sized garden among other large attributes. The residents of Neuschwanstein are known to have changed, since it was formerly the residence of the Bähr chancellor that previously served as Chancellor.
Behind the scenes[]
The concept of soul societies other than the one depicted in the Bleach series has been considered on Bleach Fan Fiction back in its early years of operation. However, the idea never took off. Britannia takes inspiration from the original Gotei 13, Europe's medieval feudalism and Arthurian mythology. Despite potential implications, Code Geass provided no inspiration to the development of the soul society.