Gotei 13 Guideline

Gotei 13: 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. After his passing, the honor of heading the Gotei 13 was passed on to  Shunsui Kyōraku for the next 1000 years, until the torch was passed again. 

Mission:

• The defense of the Seireitei, the center of Soul Society.
  
• The deployment of Division members into enemy territory for combat operations.
  
• The deployment of Task Forces as defensive measures in the Human World.
  
• The guiding of souls to Soul Society.
  

Operations: The Gotei 13 does not normally operate as a cohesive unit. The command of the divisions are generally left to the discretion of its particular Captain, who commonly runs it whatever way he or she sees 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, 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 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, 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. They are so far spread out, getting the captains together as a group, or even getting their lieutenants together as a group, could normally take a day to accomplish.


Unless specifically ordered by the Captain-Commander, captains can choose whether or not to attend meetings (at their own risk) or not even involve themselves in the daily situations of Soul Society. Captains are not allowed, without permission, to carry out activities outside of their normal jurisdiction or their division. The captain of one division cannot punish the subordinates of another captain.


Structure: The Gotei 13 is made up of thirteen divisions, 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 Gotei 13 is an organization with a merit-based hierarchy. It has disposed of the system of rank based on seniority. Abilities are the only thing used to determine one's rank.


Captain's Council: The captains congregate in the main hall of the First Division Headquarters to discuss important issues involving their specific divisions and matters which affect Soul Society. This council is highly formal, with the captain-commander leading its proceedings. All captains are considered equal (with the exception of the captain-commander), and determine the course of their individual division unless dictated otherwise by the captain-commander. Votes are carried out via a unanimous consensus.

• Captain Commander: The supreme leader of the Gotei 13. The position requires the Captain-Commander to oversee the overall operations of the Gotei 13, Onmitsukidō and Kidō Corps when the well-being of Seireitei and Soul Society is at stake. The only power the Captain-Commander answers to is the Central 46 Chambers, who elect the successor of the current Captain-Commander in the event of their death. The former holders of this title is Captain Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Shunsui Kyōraku of the 1st Division, both having held this post for the last 1000 years.
  Current Holder: -
  

How to Become Captain Commander: To become the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, one must be recognized as the strongest Captain by his/her fellow Captains. At least 6 of the 13 must vote for one that one to be promoted. In addition, the CC must be a master in, at least, one skill (Hakuda, Kidou, etc.), must know Bankai, and he/she must have Immense Spiritual Power.

• Captain: The leader of one of the thirteen divisions (with the special case of the Captain-Commander). Captains are generally the most respected Shinigami within the Soul Society, with the leaders of the Kidō Corps and Onmitsukidō possibly being on equal status. With one exception, all captains are able to utilize the final stage of their Zanpakutō, and are far more powerful than even their lieutenants. Knowing Bankai gives captains an average of five-to-ten times the strength of Shinigami who are unable to perform it. They have extensively trained, if not mastered, their Bankai, allowing them to use the enormous power effectively in battle. Most captains are skilled in the use of Shunpo and Kidō, and generally have extensive knowledge of Shinigami history and battle tactics. All of these factors create a vast power gap between captains and lower-ranked officers.
  
  
  They function as Chief executive officers, and they determine the course, organization, tactics, and policy of their division. The power a captain has over his/her division is absolute and cannot be questioned by subordinates or the captains of the other divisions. A captain can choose to change the division specialty. Due to captains having supreme authority in their respective division, the divisions are separate entities and not a cohesive military. In this way, they only have the right to punish the actions of their subordinates and not those of other divisions unless the division in question has no current captain or the subordinate's actions are against the laws or rules of Soul Society. The true power of Soul Society lies in the captains of the Gotei 13, as they are the leaders of its military arm. With them at full strength, Soul Society is safe and almost unbeatable. If they are broken, their strength dwindles, making them highly vulnerable.
  

How to Become a Captain: 

• Captain Proficiency Test: The Shinigami testing to become a Captain of one of the Gotei 13 divisions must be able to use, at least, the first stage of Bankai. They must also have at least two stats at Tier 3 of Rank 3 and at least one specialty (Hakuda, Zanjutsu, etc.) at Expert-level. This test must be performed before the Captain-Commander, or a staff member. The thread in which this test takes place in must have a minimum of 5 posts, and have a minimum of 3000 word count, in order to complete.
  
• Personal Recommendation: A more simple way to obtain the position of Captain is receiving recommendations from at least three existing captains of the Gotei 13. What you must do to get a recommendation depends on the captain, but the standards must be high.
  
• Trial by Combat: This method of testing is perhaps the most difficult, depending on who is trying for the position and who is the one hosting the trial. Those who are trying for Captain must face one of the captains in combat, with the Captain-Commander as a witness, and defeat them to be allowed a position of leadership. Another way to go about this trial is killing the Captain of the division you seek to lead. The thread in which this test takes place in must have a minimum of 5 posts, and have a minimum of 3000 word count, in order to complete.
  

Lieutenant: Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. Along with their captains, they are not assigned to one specific squad. They generally only know the Shikai of their Zanpakutō but they are still the second strongest in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the "substitute captain" until another can be assigned.


The authority to appoint or dismiss a lieutenant lies solely with the captain of the respective division, a privilege which was granted to them with the support of the Central 46 Chambers. Captains reserve the right to appoint multiple lieutenants at a single time, though this is rarely done due to it being both considered highly unorthodox and heavily frowned upon by the Central 46 Chambers. Though rarely exercised, any potential candidate retains the right to decline the nomination.

Seated Officers: Seated officers are the remainder of the officers in the Gotei 13 which hold ranks at or below 3rd Seat. Captains and lieutenants have the ranks of 1st and 2nd Seats, respectively. Next to that, there are 18 more seats (3rd-20th). In the Gotei 13, only one person can hold a senior officer rank (such as 3rd or 5th seat), but there are several holders of junior officer ranks (e.g. 20th seat). This varies from division to division, for there are two 3rd Seats in the 13th Division. Seated officers often lead sub-units within each division.

Uniforms: Most Gotei 13 personnel wear the standard Shinigami uniform, called Shihakushō (死覇装, Garment of Dead Souls) - a white shitagi (下着, under clothing), a black kosode (小袖, small sleeve), a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, white tabi (足袋, foot pouch), and waraji . The black kosode has its owner's division insignia emblazoned on the inside. Lieutenants sometimes 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 is rarely compulsory.

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. The color of the underside is division — or at least captain — specific, for every captain has a different color of it. Take note that the haori is meant to signify a captain's status. Losing it could mean big trouble for the captain who lost it or let it get carelessly tattered.