The main military force of the Soul Society is the Gotei 13. And as the name suggests, there are 13 divisions that are responsible over different areas of the Soul Society, and also on different aspects of the military, such as Medic, Research, Black Ops, etc. Each division is led by a captain, with the captain of the first division being the leader for the entire Gotei 13.
What most people may not know, however, is the fact that there is actually another entity that stands above the Gotei 13. Their name is the Royal Guard, or also known as the Zero Division. The reason why most people don't know about them is because they rarely appear in public. They also never interfere with what’s going on within the Soul Society itself. So who is the member of the Royal Guard, and what is their job actually?
The Royal Guard
Despite the Gotei 13 handling most of the day-to-day activity, Soul Society itself is actually led by a monarch, which is the Soul King. Soul King resides in his Royal Palace, which is located above the Soul Society. It is usually invisible to the naked eye. After all, it is technically located in a different dimension, which is why only a handful of people even know how to get to the palace.
As the name suggests, the Royal Guard is the guardian of the Royal Palace. They are pretty much the bodyguard of the Soul King. The Royal Guard only has five members, but each of them are on par, or even stronger, than most captains of the Gotei 13. Not only that, every member of the Royal Guard is also a shinigami that has made a great contribution to Soul Society. So in a way, they are also some of the most influential people in the history of Soul Society. We’ll talk more about every member of the Royal Guards in the subsequent sections.
Ichibe Hyosube, Leader of the Zero Division
As the leader of the Royal Guard, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Ichibe Hyosube is the most powerful shinigami in the entire Soul Society. It’s hard to tell how strong he is at a first glance, because he looks just like another buff monk. Combine that with his easy going personality, then it’s easy to mistake him as a regular wandering monk.
That being said, Ichibe’s true power lies in his unique ability. As mentioned before, every member of the Royal Guards contributes something essential to the Soul Society. For Ichibe, well, he is the one that first chose the names for every single thing in Soul Society, such as the Zanpakuto, Shikai, Bankai, etc. In fact, he is the first shinigami that managed to achieve a bankai. And don’t let his friendly appearance fool you, because he can be extremely ruthless to his opponents.
Tenjiro Kirinji, Divine General of the East
Tenjiro Kirinji is the first officer of the Royal Guard. He is a tall and fairly muscular man who always looks annoyed and bored at the same time. Add a pompadour hairstyle into the mix, and we get a shinigami that looks like a Yakuza in our hands. But just like Ichibe, Tenjiro’s appearance can be rather deceiving.
Because while he is an extremely capable fighter, Tenjiro’s strength lies in his healing ability. He is pretty much at the forefront of healing techniques in Soul Society. As a matter of fact, Tenjiro is the one who taught healing techniques to captain Unohana, who is often regarded as the best medical practitioner in Soul Society. For healing severe injuries, Tenjiro uses his custom-made hot springs that can heal any kind of injuries in a matter of hours.
Kirio Hikifune, Divine General of the South
Kirio Hikifune is the second officer of the Royal Guard. She is a plump woman who always wears a smile on her face. She is easily the most friendly person in the Royal Guards. And although she loves to cook and eat, she is actually an incredibly intelligent person as well. As a matter of fact, before Kirio joined the Royal Guard, she was actually the captain of the 12th division, the research and development arm of the Gotei 13.
Kirio was the one who created the Artificial Soul technology, which is the candy-like item that can be used by a shinigami in order to put a sentient soul into their human body when they’re on earth, just like Ichigo’s Kon. Her ability to imbued soul into objects allowed her to put her reiatsu into the dishes that she cooks. Which means whoever eats her meal will feel energized and get a temporary boost of Reiatsu. Interestingly enough, since Kirio imbued her own reiatsu into the meal that she makes, she always ends up getting slimmer after a cooking session.
Oetsu Nimaiya, Divine General of the West
Oetsu Nimaiya is the third officer of the Royal Guard. And with his unique hairstyle, colorful shades, white puffer vest, and energetic vibe, Oetsu is definitely the funkiest man in the Royal Guard. However, unlike the other Royal Guard, Oetsu’s strength lies in his remarkable swordsmanship.
Since he is such a skilled swordsman, it’s only a given that his contribution to the Soul Society is none other than the Zanpakuto itself. He created the Asauchi, which is the best form of every Zanpakuto. As such, he knows the location and the abilities of every Zanpakuto in existence. He is also the only one who can reforge a broken Zanpakuto. Thanks to his invention and his skill as a swordsman, Oetsy Nimaiya is also known as the God of the Sword.
Senjumaru Shutara, Divine General of the North
Last but not least is Senjumaru Shuutara, the fourth officer of the Royal Guard. She is an elegant and aloof woman who can always stand out in a crowd thanks to her beautiful face, slim figure, her golden hair ornaments, and also the three pairs of artificial hands that are attached to her back. But make no mistake, Senjumaru has a sharp tongue and won’t hesitate to speak her mind to anyone.
Senjumaru is the creator of the clothes that every shinigami wears, the Shihakusho. But her masterpiece has to be the Oken Clothing that she has made for the Royal Guards. This clothing not only allowed an easy passage between the Royal Palace and the Soul Society, but it also provided quite a considerable defensive boost to its wearer. Not only that, Senjumaru’s ability actually extends to all manner of clothing, because she has the power to create and manipulate every kind of clothes.
As you can see, other than their fighting prowess, every member of the Royal Guard also possesses a unique set of skills. Furthermore, they are also the people who shape the Gotei 13, also the Soul Society to some degree, into what we all know today. But above all, their task is to guard the most important person in the Soul Society, the Soul King.