The Goteijūsantai-Taichou

The Thirteen Court Guard Squads, or the Goteijūsantai, are thirteen military squads of Shinigami formed several thousand years ago by the original Soutaichou, and descendant of the Spirit King, Furukawa Ten'Yuu. These thirteen squads are meant to do two purposes, protect the Seireitei and the afterlife, and protect the Earthen realm from Hollow to bring Plus safely to the afterlife. Each squad does a special duty, or at times, duties and helps keeps the war and the afterlife running smoothly.

The Goteijūsantai-Taichou, or the Captains, are the strongest members of each squad and the most fit to lead each one. These thirteen Taichou, normally noble born or Shinigami of high praise, are the creme of the crop, each one capable of putting down far more Shinigami then a single squad can consist of. They are the strongest fighting force of the Goteijūsantai, each one having attained Ban Kai and being well versed in all Shinigami arts of combat.

There are many ways of becoming a Taichou, three to be exact. The first way is to be nominated by Six of the Thirteen Taichou and to attain approval from three of the remaining seven. The next way is to take the test, requiring one to demonstrate Ban Kai and to go through a plethora of other grueling task. Three Taichou, including the Soutaichou, must bear witness to this test. The third, final and most bloody way is to defeat the current Taichou of a Squad. This method requires two hundred officers of that Squad to bear witness to the fight and for the Soutaichou to bear witness.

The duties of the Taichou are rigorous and difficult to maintain. One must do paperwork detailing everything about their squads, and must keep tabs on everything going on within their squad. They are required to train and to keep their squad in perfect shape, and to make sure that their men do not die needlessly. During times of war Taichou are often found leading the war front and are required to be strong and skillful leaders. Above all a Taichou must be respectful and a model for their squad.