Shinigami Racial Traits

Strength | Durability | Zanpakutō | Reiryoku

TraitDescription
Enhanced StrengthWhen he is in his Shinigami body, Ichigo's already impressive strength is greatly enhanced. His overall abilities are great enough that he can effortlessly wield Zangetsu with one hand, and in one case, even fought off three Shinigami lieutenants and their released Zanpakutō bare-handed in rapid succession; he shattered one of their Zanpakutō in a single punch.

This Racial Trait adds one temporary Strength to all Shinigami.

Enhanced DurabilityLike all Shinigami, Ichigo's physical endurance is strengthened to the point where he can effortlessly survive attacks that would easily kill normal Humans. Ichigo is even capable of withstanding attacks that would be fatal to most Shinigami, such as taking a direct hit from Grimmjow's explosive darts (though Ichigo's powers were augmented through the use of his hollow mask at the time) without any apparent sign of injury and could even withstand (with some effort) Ulquiorra Schiffer's cero blast.

This Racial Trait adds one temporary Stamina to all Shinigami.

ZanpakutōEach Zanpakutō is a manifestation of its owner's soul, and has a unique name which is required for a Shinigami to learn in order to use Shikai and Bankai. As such each Zanpakutō has unique abilities that match their owner's characteristics and personality, and their names usually hint to what these powers may be. A Zanpakutō spirit is part of its owner's soul, and often share the same personality traits. At the same time, they are also independent, and thus can be considered a Shinigami's partner in battle. Because they are part of their owner's soul, a Zanpakutō cannot be replaced, though it will slowly regenerate if broken.

As a Shinigami gains power, their Zanpakutō can change form by allowing the inner being to manifest itself to a greater degree in the outside world. The sword and the inner being are synonymous to each other. No matter what form (or size) a Zanpakutō takes, it is always virtually effortless for its owner to wield because it is a part of its owner's soul. On the other hand, it is much more difficult for a Shinigami to wield a Zanpakutō that is not their own; Kaname Tōsen is the only known Shinigami so far to actually do such a thing.

Most Zanpakutō look like a regular katana, with slight variations between them as one would expect between different swords. Each Zanpakutō has the power to send pluses to the afterlife, purify Hollows, and transform the Zanpakutō itself into more elaborate and powerful forms. Not all Shinigami can hear the name of their Zanpakutō and thus can not achieve the higher tiers of power.

ReiryokuReiryoku (Spiritual Power) is a power aligned with the spiritual sensitivity and willpower of the user. It is used by Shinigami to provide power for their various feats and to effectively channel the powers of their Zanpakutō. It can also be used to cast Kidō, magic spells created by the Shinigami. Reiryoku can even be coalesced into a physical form and thrown or shot as a projectile. As a display of potency, spiritual beings have the ability to incapacitate the opponent's movement and simultaneously frighten them, by means of dispersing Reiryoku into the air. The aforementioned ability is known as Reiatsu, possessing power that could be literally felt within the atmosphere.

Every spiritual being and every human has a certain amount of Reiryoku. If this amount is higher than a certain degree, it grants the person superhuman abilities. Those with such an above-average level of Spiritual Energy are very rare among living humans. It seems to be that the most basic ability that humans with a higher level of Reiryoku have is the ability to see ghosts: Pluses, Shinigami and Hollow alike. Shinigami are essentially departed souls in Soul Society with very high levels of Reiryoku who receive special training to utilize their powers. Hollows, if they make active use of their Reiryoku, usually do it to catch their prey or to evade Shinigami more effectively, the extreme case being the Arrancar, who have an amount of Reiryoku equal to Shinigami, and are able to use it just as efficiently in combat.