Thirteenth Division

The squad takes a snowdrop for its insignia, a bloom meant to signify hope, and a maroon banner color. Its barracks include the Ugendō, or Rain Dried Hall, a set of quarters reserved for Captain Jūshirō Ukitake, who often rested there to recover from his recurring illness. The pond beside those quarters is stocked with koi that Yachiru Kusajishi pilfered from the Kuchiki Manor, and its training grounds once hosted Orihime Inoue's practice with Rukia.

Thanks to Ukitake's kindly nature, the Thirteenth was known for tight-knit loyalty and a warm, encouraging atmosphere. His own pitch to recruits was to welcome everyone warmly and simply fight together, and the Shinigami Women's Association steers big-hearted souls after a calm, peaceful posting toward this squad. Its third seats, Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu, were famous for loudly competing to praise their captain.

The division's command structure has always been unusual. With Ukitake weakened by illness, much of the administrative load first passed to Lieutenant Kaien Shiba, and after Kaien died those duties fell to a pair of third seats, leaving the squad without a lieutenant for a long stretch. After Yhwach tore Mimihagi from Ukitake's body and killed him, Rukia Kuchiki rose to captain roughly a decade after the war, with Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu promoted to co-lieutenants before Kiyone transferred out to the Fourth Division.