It could be argued that Bleach's most popular characters aren't Ichigo Kurosaki and his closest friends, but rather the Gotei 13. Each of the Gotei 13's squads is commanded by a Captain and their respective Lieutenant. These officers were so well-designed and characterized by mangaka Tite Kubo that they've since overshadowed the likes of Ichigo and Rukia Kuchiki as the de facto faces of the franchise. Nowhere was this made clearer than in Bleach's revival and final season, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, where the current Gotei 13 actually got more screen time and fights than Ichigo did.
In fact, Ichigo was absent for a good chunk of the final season's second cour. In light of Thousand-Year Blood War's coming end this year and the revived interest in Bleach, there's no better time than take a look back at Soul Society's main military organization. Even better, the final season just revealed a lot about the Gotei 13 that was never seen before in either the manga or the anime's original run. Now that Bleach's future is brighter than ever, there's a chance more adventures and battles await the Gotei 13 in the surprisingly near future.
Captain-Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto Created the Gotei 13
The Gotei 13 Was Founded For War Before It Devoted Itself To Peacekeeping
Based on what Emperor Yhawach said when he returned to Soul Society and with the Soul Reapers' slow aging in mind, it could be inferred that the Gotei 13 is more than 1,000 years old. The original Gotei 13 were so old that they fought the Quincy in the decisive war that occurred over 1,000 years before Bleach's present. Despite being one of the most recognized military groups in all anime, little else is known about the Gotei 13. At most, they only answer to Central 46 and The Zero Squad. The squads are also left mostly to their own devices, but they all follow the Captain-Commander's orders. This level of independence still doesn't mean that the Gotei 13 is free from backstabbing, corruption, nepotism and other malicious forces. The Gotei 13's civil war during the Soul Society Arc proved this. Everything else about their history and logistics is left up to context clues.
What is also known is that Captain-Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto founded the Gotei 13. Neither the manga nor the anime stated why exactly Yamamoto formed the Gotei 13. It could be inferred that he was under orders from Soul Society's higher powers to head the armed forces. But with the corruption prevalent within Soul Society's elite, it's possible they just wanted a private army. Fortunately, Yamamoto was more interested in upholding justice. As seen in many characters' flashbacks, Soul Society was a lawless cesspool before the Gotei 13 made their presence known. Soul Society was so chaotic that even in Bleach's present, the Gotei 13 struggled to keep the peace and weed out wrongdoings (most notably, Captain Sosuke Aizen's coups) in their ranks. That said, things are better now than before. Under Yamamoto's flawed but sincere leadership, the Gotei 13 kept Soul Society safe and peaceful for centuries.
That said, the Gotei 13 weren't always honorable and altruistic. As Emperor Yhwach put it, the original Gotei 13 were "defenders" in name only. In truth, the original Gotei 13 consisted of the deadliest killers in all of Soul Society. One of the Gotei 13's most infamous members was Yachiru Unohana, the First Kenpachi, who Yamamoto personally recruited. During this time, he essentially led a government-sanctioned death squad. But after stopping the Quincy's first invasion and almost driving them to extinction, Yamamoto had a change of heart. Realizing that the Gotei 13 could serve a greater purpose than just killing whoever got in their way, he reformed the squads. Now, the Gotei 13 kept the peace and inspired others.
The trade-off was that the Gotei 13 weakened as the centuries went by. Since they didn't have an enemy as threatening as the Quincy – and because they prioritized peacekeeping over preparing for war – the Gotei 13 became a shadow of its ruthless self. Even if this complacency played a part in the Gotei 13's failure during the first wave of the Quincy's second siege, they were right to abandon war. The new Gotei 13 may be weaker than their predecessors, but they were better people. The current generation did a better job of preserving Soul Society's way of life and the balance between worlds, whereas the original line-up was only good for war. The younger Gotei 13 helped Soul Society thrive in ways that the original captains could've never done, or were even interested in.
The Original Gotei 13 Were Finally Introduced in Bleach’s Final Season
The Original Gotei 13 Look Cool, But Barely Have Any Character To Speak Of
It was only recently that Bleach revealed the original captains. After appearing as featureless and nameless silhouettes in one manga panel, the Gotei 13's first generation got a proper introduction in Thousand-Year Blood War's seventh episode. Kubo even drew a full-colored spread to celebrate the episode's release. The opening prologue showed the original captains mercilessly laying waste to the invading Lichtreich, the first Quincy empire. None of the captains were voiced, and their names only appeared in miscellaneous material. Even if their Zanpakuto have yet to be named and revealed, the first Gotei 13 showed exactly why they were so feared yet respected by Emperor Yhwach himself in just a few minutes.
Of the original Gotei 13, Yamamoto, Unohana and Chojiro were the most developed. Even if they were part of Bleach's cast from the beginning, they only got substantial development during Thousand-Year Blood War. Truth be told, they owed most of their characterization to anime-only material. For most of the manga and canon anime, Yamamoto was just a stereotypically stern elder. He was said to be the strongest Soul Reaper alive, but his peaceful appearance, wisdom, and age hid his true might. He famously never unleashed his Zanpakuto for most of Bleach. Yamamoto was best known for making hard decisions in the name of the greater good, and for his strong sense of justice. But as difficult as he could be at times, he was much worse in his youth.
It was only in the final arc that Yamamoto's depths and terrifying Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, were shown. He used to be a monster on the battlefield who Emperor Yhwach claimed had no problem throwing the lives of anyone, including his own allies, aside just to win. He later chose peace when he realized that it was more fulfilling to protect others than to kill. As he told a young Shunsui Kyoraku, the original Yamamoto was a fearsome killer who only made bad situations worse. This killer belonged only in war, and he did his best to suppress him. Should this beast ever return, the old man who Kyoraku affectionately nicknamed "Yama-jii" may never return. With this in mind, Yamamoto's emotional restraint and refusal to even use Shikai in earlier arcs suddenly made sense. Unfortunately, he lived up to this promise when he was killed by Emperor Yhwach shortly after unleashing his Bankai.
Unohana was in a similar position as Yamamoto. For most of Bleach, she was the Soul Reapers' de facto matriarch. She was kind and caring, and her duties as the captain of the medical division reinforced this. The anime's filler went a step further by jokingly suggesting that Unohana's calm demeanor hid a barely-restrained and furious monster. As it turns out, this was true. Thousand-Year Blood War revealed that she was both a part of the original Gotei 13 and one of Soul Society's deadliest killers. She even learned healing techniques just to prolong bloody battles. She only changed after Yamamoto reformed the squads, and after she conceded that a young Zaraki was more deserving of the murderous "Kenpachi" name. Unohana's original flat characterization retroactively made sense when her ties to the original Gotei 13 were revealed. And like Yamamoto, Unohana died after her old vicious self returned.
Meanwhile, Chojiro infamously had next to no characterization. It even got to the point where he was routinely mocked for it by the anime's filler. It was only after his death that Chojiro was revealed to be Yamamoto's greatest admirer and fiercest loyalist. Chojiro dedicated his entire life to earning his place as Yamamoto's second-in-command. He even achieved what may canonically be the strongest Bankai among the Lieutenants. However, Chojiro kept this a secret so that he would never be promoted. Yamamoto was so impressed by Chojiro's Bankai and dedication that he added the name "Genryusai" to his full name in honor of Chojiro leaving a permanent scar on his forehead. That said, Chojiro's most impressive feat was landing the killing blow on Yhwach during the first Quincy war.
Even after the Gotei 13's last survivors died, this may actually not be the end for them. Now that Bleach has a strong chance of continuing through the "Hell Arc" teased by the one-shot Bleach: No Breath from Hell, fans hope that the original Gotei 13 will return as villains. The special revealed that all Captain-class Soul Reapers were condemned to Hell, regardless of how good or evil they were in life. Should Hell unleash its forces, Ichigo and friends would have to fight their former allies, plus the original Gotei 13. Needless to say, fans can't wait.
