What Happens When a Soul Reaper Dies in Bleach?

Soul Reapers, better known as shinigami, are one of the most influential figures in Bleach. They are hailed as heroes in the series since they help souls to pass on to the afterlife and maintain between regular souls and Hollows.

You can certainly see how much of a huge role they play in Bleach, because even Bleach’s protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, is a soul reaper.

However, just because soul reapers are powerful, it doesn’t mean they are invincible. Death comes for everyone and the soul reapers are no exception. Many soul reapers, such as Gin Ichimaru, did die at the hands of their opponents or even a fellow soul reaper.

But, what happens to soul reapers after they die was a mystery many fans wanted to resolve. With humans, it’s easy to guess, since they either reincarnate or turn into a Hollow after they die. But soul reapers are already dead, so what happens to them?

Soul reapers re-enter the cycle of reincarnation once they die. This means that they either reincarnate as a human in the human world or they are absorbed in the Soul Society, reincarnating as another soul. Captain-class soul reapers are cast into Hell instead.

Soul reapers start a fresh life with no past memories of their life as soul reapers when they are reincarnated as humans. If they don’t get reincarnated, their souls are broken down into Reishi which is then absorbed into the soil of Soul Society.

Captains of Soul Society don’t share this peaceful fate like their fellow comrades since their souls are built slightly differently than the average souls of other soul reapers.

Shunsui Kyoraku sheds light on why captain-class soul reapers end up in Hell after their deaths in the one-shot, ‘No Breaths From Hell’.

Why are captain-class soul reapers banished to Hell?

Shunsui explains in the latest one-shot by Tite Kubo that all souls have something called a ‘spirit class’. To break it down in layman’s terms, spirit class indicates the density of spiritual pressure, also known as Reiatsu, within Reishi. 

The bodies of soul reapers are made from Reishi, and hence, they have a spirit class as well. 

Spirit Class ranges from 1 to 20, with 1 being the densest spiritual pressure. Most of the individuals from Soul Society fall under the range of 4 to 20. But captains of Gotei 13 are an exception. Their Spirit Class usually ranks above 3.

The spiritual pressure of captain-class soul reapers’ Reishi is too dense to be broken down and absorbed in the Soul Society. To avoid the risk of keeping such strong Reishi from hanging around, deceased captains are cast to Hell through the Konso Reisai ceremony.

Since many captains lost their lives during the Thousand Year Blood War, it’s obvious that they will be cast into Hell as well, which might lead to an interesting turn of events. The possibility of these captains emerging back from Hell can’t be denied, and I am certainly looking forward to their comeback.

How long do Soul Reapers live?

Soul reapers have a longer lifespan compared to mere humans, though they aren’t immortal. Soul reapers live for centuries, with some of them even crossing the benchmark of thousand years. For example, Captain-Commander Yamamoto is at least 2100 years old. 

Many soul reapers retain their youthful appearance despite living for so long. Retsu Unohana might not look a year beyond 25 years, but she is actually over 1000 years old.

Do people grow old in Soul Society?

People do age in Soul Society, but they age quite slowly. They also lack hunger. Soul Society dwellers are souls and hence, they need around 150 years to become fully grown adults. Only those who have crossed the threshold of thousand years show some signs of aging.

About Bleach: Thousand Years Blood War

Bleach: Thousand Years Blood War is the final arc of the Bleach franchise. It premiered on October 11, 2022, and its 52 episodes are streamed by Hulu.

The arc deals with Yhwach, the leader of the Quincies, who has declared war on the Soul Society. Ichigo and the Soul Reapers will face this despicable enemy.

Hollows and Soul Society residents are disappearing, and Ichigo needs to defeat Yhwach before he lays waste to the entire universe.

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