The Soul King is the supposed ruler of Soul Society who resides in the Soul King Palace and is protected by the Royal Guard. In reality, he is a godlike entity that has been sealed, and his existence is tied to that of Soul Society, the Human World, and even Hueco Mundo. The Soul King is the father of Yhwach.

The Soul King is not involved in governing Soul Society and never interferes. Most Shinigami have never seen him. To them, he is revered and symbolic, but not present in their lives.

The Soul King's sole purpose is to regulate the flow of souls into and out of Soul Society and keep the flow stable. Without the Soul King, the balance is lost and Soul Society, as well as the Dangai, Hueco Mundo, and the Human World, will all collapse into one. According to Yhwach, this results in the unification of life and death and the creation of a world without the fear of death.

At some point in history, when Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo were one single world, the Soul King appeared and separated the three realms, thereby creating the concepts of "life" and "death". Sometime afterwards, the Soul King's limbs and organs were separated from his body, an act for which Ichibē Hyōsube was present. After that, the Soul King was sealed up and had restraints placed on his powers by the Shinigami.

Soul King Palace is a separate dimension kept suspended above Soul Society that serves as the official residence of the Soul King and its Royal Guard.

The Soul King Palace consists of several layers, with one layer suspended above the other. The lowest level is comprised from many buildings of the same style to that of Seireitei. From this, a large stairway leads upwards to a wide and flat expanse, with both areas at the base and top of these stairs being lined by rows of huge, circular pillars. Floating above are five discs with numerous buildings on each, while suspended higher still is a large cylindrical structure that has a conical top and bottom.

The Soul King Palace is further protected by 72 barriers between it and the Seireitei. Should these barriers be forced open via clothing constructed from an Ōken, they cannot be closed off for 1 hour and 40 minutes due to the sheer defensive power of the clothing.

The Gotei 13 is the primary military branch of Soul Society and the main military organization most Shinigami join after graduating from the Shin'ō Academy.

While the history of the Gotei 13 remains largely unknown, the organization was founded by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who has stood at the head of the group since its inception.

The first generation of the Gotei 13 consisted of Yamamoto, Chika Shihōin, Kinroku Izuhara, Chigiri Shijima, Danjirō Obana, Furōfushi Saitō, Nobutsuna Shigyō, Batsu'unsai Katori, Entetsu Kumoi, Furuoki Ōtogawa, Yachiru Unohana, Uhin Zenjōji, and Saizō Sakahone. Shunsui Kyōraku considers this generation to be the strongest version of the Gotei 13.

According to Yhwach, the Quincy King, the original Gotei 13 were "defenders" in name only, comprised of nothing less than a brutal mob of the most dangerous killers in the Seireitei, but it was for this very reason they were a force to be feared and able to enforce order, especially because Yamamoto was a ruthlessly pragmatic leader who would hold even his subordinates as expendable. In their pursuit of enforcing order, they were personally involved in the extermination of the Quincy race, whose actions against Hollows threatened the balance of life and death. It is noted that the Gotei 13 underwent dramatic changes after the extermination of the Quincy, mellowing out to become less brutal and barbaric in the ensuing peace, having now found a sense of justice upon discovering things to protect and treasure.

The Gotei 13 does not normally operate as a cohesive unit. The command of the divisions is generally left to the discretion and oversight of its particular captain, who commonly runs it whatever way they see fit, allowing for the change of a division's traditional duties to an entirely new set and even the creation of a separate institution connected to the division. The Gotei 13's main duty is to defend the Seireitei from hostile threats, but they are allocated districts in Rukongai to defend. In addition to these duties, Shinigami have to deal with the business of being assigned to the Human World.

The only general authority to call forth a combined front is an edict from the Central 46 Chambers, or more often the Captain-Commander. It is not uncommon for division captains to not see each other as a whole group for long periods of time, except for cases involving a threat to all of Soul Society required unified efforts, a captain's punishment, or, to a lesser degree, a captain's promotion. On a regular basis, the captains are spread out all across Soul Society doing their divisions' duties, whatever they may be.

The Gotei 13 is made up of thirteen divisions, with several divisions having certain specializations.

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