Concerning life in Soul Society

[hasukawa13]

I was wondering about something in Soul Society. Everyone in SS are souls, correct? So how does this whole aging thing work over there? As far as I can see, it appears people can choose whether or not to age. We've seen that Rukia and Renji were rather young when they first met in SS, growing up and attending shinigami school. We saw Yachiru grow up from a babe. Obviously, people can mature and age somehow even though they are souls. Yet people there are rather old. Despite looking like a high schooler, Rukia is much, much older than Ichigo. So exactly how does the aging process work in SS? Is it in terms of spiritual growth? If that were true, how come Hitsugaya is still so youthful even though he's incredibly strong? Do people merely choose the age they are most comfortable with? I can't make much sense out of it so any ideas or theories are welcome.

[Ninjacowboy]

i think it takes many many many years to age there. i don't know how they get OLD OLD.
but there born i geuss when two get together and mate or something :O

[ShamanQueenAnna]

As the resident old woman, I feel the need to step in...

Now when 2 shinigami love each other very much, something magical happens...


Actually, I don't think we have been told anything about this. I with the shinigami age very slow faction. Maybe it's not important...

[hasukawa13]

From what I see, when someone dies in the real world, they are transported to SS. Apparently, they end up looking exactly as they did in the real world. Remember that kid in the parrot? When Chad saw him in SS again, he was no older than we last saw him. What I'm wondering is if they come in at a certain age, do they simply mature from there as they normally would in the real world. That's what it looks like. I imagine Rukia died at a relatively young age and shortly after met up with Renji and his friends. Perhaps those that have spiritual powers are able to maintain their bodies and stave off the effects of old age. After all, we've seen mostly the shinigami lifestlyle, not really going indepth to the commoners in SS.

[ShamanQueenAnna]

Now see, that's an interesting theory. But then why the family structure? If the SS is made up of only people who died, wouldn't they search out each other instead of having ruling families who adopt people in. Does that make any sense?

Maybe shinigami can't reproduce. Although they apparently get married (ie Kaien and his wife). Maybe they get to have all the good times without the consequences of dirty diapers and snotty noses?

See, and then we get to other questions...do shinigami get ill? They can apparently be poisoned. And what happens to a shinigami when they die? Is there an uber-Soul Society or Bizzaro Soul Society? And what happens to s displaced shinigami like Urahara?

I love these discussions...

[Babbo]

Yeah, I don't thingk that's the case, in case you guys care to remeber, soul society is the afterlife, and as with most mythology/afterlife theory, your soul doesn't die, unless it's destroyed.

[BadCrawford]

So, Shingami's used to be living breathing people? I thought they never lived 'cause they were never human, like Angels.


Now see, that's an interesting theory. But then why the family structure? If the SS is made up of only people who died, wouldn't they search out each other instead of having ruling families who adopt people in. Does that make any sense?



That was explained with Parrot boy, remember? They said it would be damn near imposible to locate his real relatives in the Soul Scociety, so he should just choose a sarogate one.

[Babbo]

So, Shingami's used to be living breathing people? I thought they never lived 'cause they were never human, like Angels.
Actually , they already explained in the manga that shingami were once humans, remeber how Rukia said that she was with renji when when lived in that place ouside of the city?

[BadCrawford]

I lost that chapter, but I'm pretty sure you're talking about the one where it shows them as kids. So it's like Yami no Matsuie, were they just die and end up as Shingami. That makes the whole aging after death thing a bit odd.

[Babbo]

No, they had to enter the academy to become shingami.

_____________________

Me want mod powers!!!!!

[BadCrawford]

My bad, when I siad "Shingami" I meant spirits, I know they had to go through training.

[hasukawa13]

Now see, that's an interesting theory. But then why the family structure? If the SS is made up of only people who died, wouldn't they search out each other instead of having ruling families who adopt people in. Does that make any sense?

Maybe shinigami can't reproduce. Although they apparently get married (ie Kaien and his wife). Maybe they get to have all the good times without the consequences of dirty diapers and snotty noses?

See, and then we get to other questions...do shinigami get ill? They can apparently be poisoned. And what happens to a shinigami when they die? Is there an uber-Soul Society or Bizzaro Soul Society? And what happens to s displaced shinigami like Urahara?

I love these discussions...

Nope...people have no choice in staying with their own family when they enter Soul society. When they enter SS, it is completely random where they end up. So while one member can be in one part of SS, another can be in an entirely different one. They aren't allowed to go off in search of them so they jus tmake new fmailies with people already there.

I imagine they can't reporduce...doesn't mean they can't have fun trying probably, but I have yet to see mention of something. Mayuri called his co-captain his daughter, but that is probably some twisted version of the surrogate family things we've seen so far.

As for people getting sick up there, I think they can. Remember that captain that was always sick? The one Rukia served under? Even now he still has those coughing fits. And when a shinigami dies (or anyone else in SS for that matter) I wonder if that means they go back to the real world to live life again. If you remember, there was talk of a balance and if something wasn't given back to the real world, sS would become really cramped really quick if they weren't sending something back.

[Djudge]

Well, when Shinigami "die" I'm guessing that they return to being spiritrons. (Take a look at how Kaien "crumbled" as an example). It's just speculation though since Kubo's never really elaborated much on the physics of Soul Society other than the effects of spritual pressure and the like.

[hasukawa13]

I don't know...the whole talk about balance made me think. During the Quincy arc, Rukia talked about how unlike the shinigami, the quincies simply destroyed the souls rather than sending them on to Soul society. She mentioned that this caused an imbalance between the real world and SS. I imagine that if there needs to be a balance between the two, there needs to be a bit of give and take. Perhaps when someone dies in SS, their souls go on to be reborn in the real world. This helps to explain the connection between Ichigo and Kaien. If by chance Kaien died, oh say, fifteen, sixteen years ago, it would allow his soul to have been reborn in Ichigo.

[ShamanQueenAnna]

Perhaps when someone dies in SS, their souls go on to be reborn in the real world. This helps to explain the connection between Ichigo and Kaien. If by chance Kaien died, oh say, fifteen, sixteen years ago, it would allow his soul to have been reborn in Ichigo.

Which would also add some tension to the relationship between Ichigo and Rukia, especially if Kaien's wife was reincarnated as someone they know...it could also cause some problems for Ichigo himself, because we know he prides himself on being an individual. Imagine him finding out all the things he did in a previous life...etc...

[Djudge]

Hmm intriguing points, but if all Shinigami and the like were originally alive at one point or another, how would you explain the "genetic" traits that some souls share? Take the Shiba clan's eyelashes for example. Were they all alive at one point and died as children only to mature into adulthood in Soul Society? @_@ so confusing

[ShamanQueenAnna]

Hmm intriguing points, but if all Shinigami and the like were originally alive at one point or another, how would you explain the "genetic" traits that some souls share? Take the Shiba clan's eyelashes for example. Were they all alive at one point and died as children only to mature into adulthood in Soul Society? @_@ so confusing

Perhaps some souls just seem to congregate together? Could be distant ancestors with similar traits coming out. I agree that the growing up thing is confusing, because we seem some souls that seem consistently young. Maybe it's your choice...

Heehee...now I'm laughing at the thought of having to take "Soul Society Genetics." Now see, that would have been much more interesting than bacterial genetics...