Shihakushō

Serving as the common dress of the Shinigami, the Shihakushō is issued to all who serve in the Gotei 13 and the Royal Guard. The full outfit layers a white undergarment, the shitagi, beneath a black kosode and black hakama, held with a white cord and finished off with white tabi and straw waraji. Each black kosode bears its owner's division emblem on the inside. Lieutenants may fasten an armband carrying their division's symbol and number, usually on the left arm, though outside of formal meetings this is rarely required.

Captains set themselves apart with a white haori worn over the standard black, its back stamped with the division number inside the rhombus-shaped Gotei 13 crest. Sleeve lengths and lining colors differ from one captain to the next, the underside hue tied to the individual officer. Because the haori signals a captain's authority, Yamamoto was furious when several of his captains shrugged off losing theirs in battle.

Beyond the base garment, senior officers routinely tailor their look. Suì-Fēng wears a backless combat cut beneath her haori as head of the Onmitsukidō; Byakuya Kuchiki adds a costly scarf and a ceremonial hairpiece befitting his noble line; Kenpachi Zaraki sports a jagged-edged haori inherited from the previous 11th Division captain; and Mayuri Kurotsuchi favors a bloated cravat and a spiked hat. Many of the 9th Division wear their kosode sleeveless. Should a Shinigami be emptied of all Reiryoku, as happens when their power is passed to a Human, the robe turns completely white.

Every officer of the Gotei 13 and the Royal Guard wears the Shihakushō, from unseated members up through the captains. According to Tite Kubo and the novel Can't Fear Your Own World, it was Senjumaru Shutara who designed the garment, a feat that won her a place among the Royal Guard. Kubo further explained that the robes were dyed black chiefly so bloodstains would not force them to be thrown out.