Techniques of the Shinigami

Zanjutsu

Zanjutsu Swordsmanship (斬術, zanjutsu; Cutting Technique) is the most used form of combat among Shinigami. As the name suggests, it involves using a Zanpakutō and its various special abilities to attack an opponent. In addition to its basic form, each Zanpakutō has two enhanced forms: Shikai (始解, Initial Release) and Bankai (卍解, Final Release), which change the sword's form to unlock its potential and that of its user.

As Arrancar also possess a form of Zanpakutō, the skill to wield one is similar to that of a Shinigami. Like a normal Shinigami's Zanpakutō, in addition to its basic form, its release allows the Arrancar another form termed Resurrección, which unlocks the sealed Hollow form of the wielder.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist ~

Master Swordsmanship Specialists vary greatly by power and technique. The criteria for a master is simple; one must have masterful skill in swordsmanship above all else. The attainment of this level of skill is a testament to the wielders power and determination. Most Captains are masters, since as the heads of the their divisions, they are the true military power of Soul Society. As use of the Zanpakutō is the Shinigami's primary form of combat, it is preferable to have mastered skill in order achieve the rank of captain though mastery is not excluded to them or even to Shinigami. This also applies to some lower then the rank of captain who by constant training and battle have achieved the necessary level of swordsmanship skill without having attained the captain position.

Expert Swordsmanship Specialist~

An Expert swordsman is highly skilled using their Zanpakutō while sealed or in its Shikai. Most lieutenants are experts, since they must know Shikai and have mastered it to a degree, so as to be promoted. This applies also to some higher seated officers as well and in some cases to captains who even though possibly having attained their Bankai, don't commonly engage in swordsmanship as their desired form of combat.

Arrancar commonly fight with completely sealed Zanpakutō before their Resurrección or no longer possesses one after their Resurrección, therefore they can be considered experts.


Swordsmanship SpecialistSwordsmanship specialists are those that specialize in the use of swords during combat. Someone of this level has to have basic skills in swordsmanship as well. All seated officers of the Gotei 13 have to possess at the very least this level of skill.


Hakuda~
Hand-to-hand combat (白打, hakuda; lit. white hits) is not elaborated upon by most shinigami. Physical strength and skill is determined by this class. It seems to be a combination of several martial arts.

The foremost practitioners of this technique are those assigned to the Onmitsukidō.

Master Hand-to-Hand CombatantsMasters of this art can take on average armed opponents and those many times their size easily, and as mentioned before, the Onmitsukidō are the best-trained Shinigami in Hakuda. The 2nd Division captain and their 3rd seat, or head of the Detention Unit, are most often the premier masters. In particular the Detention Unit head must prove their mastery of Hakuda to even be considered for the position. This is because the Detention Unit's prison, the Maggots' Nest, is a weapons-free zone. Anyone who enters must be able to, or be under the protection of one able to, completely protect themselves with only their bare hands.

Hoho~

Hohō Agility (歩法, hohō; lit. step method) is an important skill for most Shinigami, and is very similar to the Sonído used by Arrancar. Though never stated clearly it most likely relates to the Shinigami ability to walk on air using spiritual power. By collecting and solidifying Reishi beneath their feet, Shinigami can gain traction on thin air to either freely move about or to stop themselves from falling.

Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash steps), a movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point that determines the bases of this technique is speed. As speed is the main point of the technique the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from point A to point B in the least amount of steps. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of shunpo can move; those of little skill in the technique or those who haven't used it an extended amount of time would obviously be out of practice, causing those individuals to be considerably slower, which requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become winded far easier in a shorter amount of time.

Senka (閃花, Flash Blossom): a special shunpo technique where one moves to their opponents back. Directly attacking and sealing one's "Saketsu" and "Hakusui" in one strike. The movement is so fast that an opponent may not be able to tell whether he was attacked from the front or the back and even an outside observer may find it impossible to tell what the movements are.

Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihou

Utsusemi (空蝉, Cicada, referencing their molting): It allows for a movement at great speed leaving an afterimage behind.
The agility and speed of Hohō can be enhanced and improved through mastery of it, concentration, and training. The foremost practitioners of this technique are those assigned to the Onmitsukidō.

Hohō Masters Masters of the technique are obviously by far the fastest beings within Soul Society. Maintaining high speed movements for extended periods of time while only using the least amount of steps to achieve those movements. Masters are capable of using Advanced steps which are considerably harder to initiate. A master can possibly create new techniques but it is most likely a rare occurrence.

Hohō Experts Experts of the technique are considerably fast and are capable of maintaining high speed movements for extended periods of time. While not as fast as a master they can keep up quite effectively. Some holding the title are faster than others but none the less their application of the technique is highly advanced.

Hohō Practitioners Practitioners of the technique can maintain fast movements for a short period of time, by seemingly taking only a few steps to bridge what would normally be a large distances. Those who are practitioners commonly use their knowledge of Hohō while engaging in combat to close the space between combatants. Those practitioners that maintain these high speeds for too long tend to become winded.

Those Who Have yet to learn Hohō Those in this category possesses no skill for Hohō and instead rely on walking to get where they need to be or have trained extensively to enhance their natural speed to a level allowing them move considerably fast though decidedly under that of shunpo.


Kido

Kidō (鬼道, "demon way", or "spirit way" sometimes translated as Demon Arts, Viz: Soul Reaper's powers) is one of the four basic Shinigami combat forms,Kidō MechanicsEach spell is graded on a scale from 1 to 99, the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. The scale is a measure of difficulty, as there can be multiple spells which share the same level. To use Kidō, a Shinigami must recite the specific incantation for the spell, which is often long and requires a few seconds to speak.

This weakness can be negated by Shinigami capable of using Eishohaki, a technique that releases Kidō without a spirit chant. While it decreases the time needed to release the Kidō, it drastically weakens the spell[2] While anyone well versed in Kidō can use this technique, it is most effective when done by a skilled practitioner, otherwise the spell could utterly fail. The most skilled experts are capable of using this technique to amazing effect.

The power of a spell relies on the power of the user, as even a low-level spell can be utterly devastating when utilized by a high-class Shinigami.

Kidō Types There are three main types of Kidō: binding spells, destruction spells, and healing spells.

Bakudō (Binding spells): are a broad category of defensive spells which block or repel attacks or freezes enemies in place.

Hadō (Destructive spells): refer to offensive spells which harm an enemy or cause damage.

Healing spells: do not have known names, numbers, or incantations to cast, and simply heal the target. As the user holds his hands above the patients wounds, his/her palms glow with green spiritual energy to facilitate healing. For the mechanics of healing, the patient's Reiatsu is replenished first. Then the body's Reiatsu works with the healer's Reiatsu to heal the patient's body.

Kidō Combat Though Kidō is commonly used by Shinigami in combat, it has several weaknesses that make it difficult to use for that purpose. All of the spells have fairly long incantations and require concentration; because of this, the person using the Kidō leaves themself open to attack during the duration of the incantation. In addition, if an opponent is familiar with Kidō, there is the possibility of them identifying the spell by its incantation before it can even be used. However, highly skilled Kidō users can use various techniques to counter these weaknesses, such as Eishohaki and Double Incantation, which involves mixing the incantations of two or more Kidō spells together to save time and confuse ones opponent. A rarer use of Kidō is mixing various spells (such as Bakudō and Hadō together) for unique effects, which is the mark of skilled user. Kidō is commonly seen used in instances of surprise attacks rather then all out assaults, being most effective when one's opponent doesn't see it coming.