Here are some terms that are frequently mentioned in this section.

 

Soul Reaper – a spiritual being from Soul Society whose job is to perform Konsoh on wholes, and cleanse hollows of their sins. Soul Reapers, like hollows and wholes, cannot be seen, touched or heard by the living world.

 

Whole – good soul.

 

Hollow – a soul that wasn’t permitted into Soul Society and whose sins must be cleansed by a Soul Reaper before they can return there. Hollows feed on wholes to ease their pain – first they feed on family, then randomly. A whole eaten by a hollow ceases to exist. A hollow is not only recognizable for its monstrous form, but also by the large hole where their Chain of Fate used to connect.

 

Soul Society – a peaceful place where wholes go; Heaven. Rukia described it as ‘[a place where] you don’t get hungry, your body is light, and it’s a better place than this world.

 

Zanpakutoh – sword wielded by Soul Reapers. Used to perform Konsoh and fight Hollows.

Konsoh – the ritual of sending a whole to Soul Society. Typically done by butting the end of a Zanpakutoh hilt onto the forehead of a soul. When the whole travels to Soul Society, it typically takes the form of a black swallowtail butterfly.

 

Chain of Fate – a chain connecting a soul to its body. When the chain is severed, the soul wanders the world in need of Konsoh to go to Soul Society.

Mod Soul – a manufactured soul created in Project Spearhead. Their purpose was to inhabit corpses and fight hollows. When the project was canceled, all mod souls were destroyed.