Third Division

The squad is identified by a marigold emblem, a flower chosen to signify despair, and by a spring-green color often described as magic mint. Its barracks, like those of every division, hold the offices and quarters of its members. During Gin Ichimaru's tenure as captain, persimmon trees grew on the grounds, whose fruit he dried by hand into hoshigaki to share with other squads, and those same grounds hosted his clash with Tōshirō Hitsugaya during the Ryoka Invasion.

The division's character was long colored by Gin Ichimaru, whose recruits were urged not to fear him but to relish his sly, mischievous streak. Its atmosphere is pitched toward those who enjoy pranks and refuse to give up their playful side, with the Shinigami Women's Association promising newcomers that, hard as he is to read, Ichimaru was well liked by those under him. His lieutenant Izuru Kira, by contrast, asked plainly for people who do not lie.

The Third Division runs on the standard Gotei 13 structure. When Gin Ichimaru defected alongside Sōsuke Aizen, command fell to his lieutenant, Izuru Kira, as the next-ranking officer. Some time after Aizen's downfall, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi was reinstated as captain, a post he had held long before, having risen to it after the previous captain retired.