The lower the number is, the higher the rank. There are 20 ranks for officers but no ranks for non-officers. 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.ДЄs with any army, the Gotei 13 has ranks. The Gotei 13 is made up of thirteen components: They are split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. In addition, the captain of the KidЕЌ Corps has been known to obey summons and orders from the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. However, as SuГ¬-FД“ng is both the captain of the 2nd Division and the head of the OnmitsukidЕЌ, the OnmitsukidЕЌ is effectively under Gotei 13 control. Officially, the KidЕЌ Corps and OnmitsukidЕЌ are not part of the Gotei 13. The captain of one division cannot punish the subordinates of another captain. Captains are not allowed, without permission, to carry out activities outside of their normal jurisdiction or their division. 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 the Soul Society. They are, in fact, so far spread out that getting the Captains together as a group, or even getting their lieutenants together as a group, could normally take a day to accomplish. On a regular basis, the captains are spread out all across the Soul Society doing their divisions' duties, whatever they may be. 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 the Soul Society, a captain's punishment, or to a lesser degree, a captain's promotion. The only general authority to call forth a combined front would be that of an edict from the Central 46 Chambers, or more often the Captain-Commander. In addition to these duties, Shinigami also have to deal with the business of being assigned to the Human World. The Gotei 13's main duty is to defend the Seireitei but they are also allocated districts in Rukongai to defend. 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, in contrast to the normal operations of modern-day militaries, does not operate as a cohesive unit normally.

The guiding of souls to the Soul Society.

The deployment of Task Forces as defensive measures in the world of the living.

The deployment of Division members into enemy territory for combat operations.

The defense of the Seireitei, the center of Soul Society.The Gotei 13 serves as a military force with its primary responsibilities consisting of:

All that is currently known is that it was founded by the current Captain-Commander GenryЕ«sai Shigekuni Yamamoto. The History of the Gotei 13 is somewhat unknown.

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