The Fourth Division

❝Dedication to the endless pursuit.❞

Mission
The Fourth Division of the Gotei Five is the main force of learning and development in the Seireitei. They are the guardians of the eternal march of scientific progress in the Seireitei. They develop ever-improving technologies and spiritual tools that keep the Gotei the powerhouse it is today by finding new, more economical ways to do day to day tasks safer and more efficiently.

Additionally, members of the Fourth Division maintain the already established technologies that act as the bedrock for Shinigami life, such as the Senkaimon Networks which allow travel to occur between Soul Society and Earth and the Soul Phones that allow live communication between the worlds. In short, if it's inanimate and useful, the Fourth not only made it but they make sure it keeps working too!

Members of the Fourth Division are not simple mechanics to repair the networks of the Seireitei, but Shinigami scientists. They actively research and develop things to improve or even transform life in the Seireitei. Members of this division find success not through strength but through brilliance. That said, they are still Shinigami.

All members of the Fourth Division have the same duties as any other Shinigami, such as being assigned to Earth, killing Hollows and guiding the souls of the dead that can't move on without assistance. The most notable Fourth Division Shinigami are those that have achieved both mastery of the scientific and awe inspiring power as a Shinigami. Although these individuals are few and far between their names have been permanently etched into Soul Society.

Others have on occasion dared to misunderstand the position the Fourth Division holds in society. Physically incompetent know-it-alls, Pointless Pencil Pushers, slackers, lazy, arrogant, reclusive nerds. Members of the other squads love to throw insults at the Shinigami of the Fourth. They enjoy moaning loudly about how we should spend more time killing Hollows and guiding souls.

Yet these same detractors will come crawling on their hands and knees if they're having issues with their Soul Phone. Other squads just kill Hollows or treat wounds. The fourth keeps the lights on, the gates working, and the advancements flowing.

Command
The Fourth Division operates unlike many other Divisions within the Gotei. Given the sometimes large gap between intellectual or scientific prowess, organizational ability, practical skills, and combat utility, the ranks of the Division and the particular jobs are not conjoined.

To begin with, the ranks of authority within the Division still range from Captain to Unseated Shinigami. These positions are awarded based on the might of the Shinigami in question and are traded either on command from the Captain or through duels between members.

After ranks are considered, each Shinigami is assigned directly to a department, except the Captain and Lieutenant. There are four departments in total, including Shinigami Security (known as "Shinisec"), Shinigami Operations, Engineering, and Research.

Captain
Rania Fujikagi
The Captain is the ultimate authority in the Division and, therefore, may make any Division-related decision they please. Their primary responsibilities include the administration of the Division, handling assignments directly from the Captain Commander, and mentoring subordinate. The Captain is also the only member of the Gotei, save the Captain Commander, with access to the Subterranean Complex.

Lieutenant
Vacant
The Lieutenant is the direct subordinate of the Captain and reports only to them and the Captain Commander. They are in charge of the day-to-day maintenance of the Division and, due to that, operate as the face of the Fourth. Expectations of the Lieutenant are high as they represent the Fourth Division more than, at times, even the Captain themselves.

Below the Lieutenant are the Seated Officers, among them the most prodigious positions include Third Seat, Fourth Seat, and Fifth Seat. These individuals have responsibilities dictated almost entirely by whatever position they hold. Seated Officers ranked below Fifth Seat are typically assigned to duties directly by the Lieutenant or Captain.

Finally, the Unseated Shinigami, otherwise known as Recruits, are those who have not yet risen to a Seated position and therefore serve directly as assistants to the Seated Officers. Particular Seated Officers may also decide to take an Unseated Shinigami under their wing and have the Recruit work only for them.

Departments
These are the four primary departments and areas of work that the Fourth Division engages in. Each has a Director who is, typically, also a Seated Officer or better; though some exceptions have been known to exist.

Shinigami Security, "Shinisec"
This department focuses solely on monitoring the Dangai and Soul Society.

In the Dangai Precipice World, the Shinigami heavily regulate and monitor all traffic. Any being going through the Preicipice world, whether via an official Senkaimon or not, will be noticed, complete with timestamps and general location of arrival. This makes unofficial, illegal, or otherwise unsanctioned trips very difficult to successfully pull off.

In the Soul Society itself, current technology limits the detail of surveillance that is possible. At all times, the Fourth Division is able to keep a close eye on major activity within the Soul Society such as Shinigami deployments and Hollow activity. An example would be, "We've noted high levels of Hollow activity in Eastern District 56." However, the Fourth Division cannot yet tell you exactly which building that an Officer may be visitng.

Shinigami Operations
Whereas Shinisec handles surveillance, the Shinigami Operations division focuses on the practical, day-to-day needs of the Seireitei's administration.

Their primary duties include handling Senkaimon traffic, authorizing transportation, and managing communications via Hell Butterflies and the Denreishiki "Soul Phones". This is also the department that places the Gentei Kaijou "Limiter" on Shinigami of Captain or Lieutenant rank who go to Earth. The department also authorizes its release when requested via Soul Phone.

The Operations department handles the surveillance of Earth, using it to coordinate with the Shinigami currently on duty in order to address heightened Hollow or even human spiritualist activity. This also allows the department to be notified when human world repairs are necessary, including small- or large-scale memory replacement for mundane humans caught up in supernatural activity.

Engineering
Both the development of new technologies, and the maintenance of current ones, falls under the purview of the Engineering department.

These are the Shinigami that handle the deployment of Gigai through the Seireitei for use on Earth. They also handle technical support for them as well as Soul Phones.

Artificial Souls, the pseudo-sentient, partial souls that pilot a Gigai when the Shinigami is not using it, were also developed by the Engineering department. These are still in frequent use for Shinigami deployed on Earth who need to routinely leave their Gigai in a populated area where an unconscious body would be conspicuous.

Research
All pursuits of theoretical nature are handled by the Research department. When something practical is reached, further work is handed off to the Engineering department after prototyping is completed. Before that point, all work on truly cutting-edge ideas and technologies begins here.

In general, the Research department focuses on the composition of souls and their very nature when other, more specific work isn't performed. Understanding the Shinigami, Human, and Hollow souls alike have allowed the Seireitei to make great advancements and this work continues, unending, as there is always more to learn.

Furthermore, the department has a particular focus on Shinigami existentialism. The details of how Shinigami behave and function both in an objective and subjective manner are the focus of this research, especially when it comes to the "how" and "why" of the success of truly powerful Shinigami. Breakthroughs in understanding Shinigami evolution and the nature of the Zanpakutō usually begin here.

More recently, this department has undertaken all kinds of theoretical work regarding the controversial subject of Vaizards.

Facilities
Besides the iconic, beaker-filled laboratory the Fourth Division has a number of extensive facilities. Each one, and sometimes certain reports, other information, or computer network access are limited to the various levels of Security Clearance within the Division. The levels are as follows

Black: Division Captain and Lieutenant only
Grey: Seated Officers and Department Directors only
White: Fourth Division only

Furthermore, there are two more implied levels. The first is "none", which means any Shinigami may have access. Finally, there is strictly "Captain-only", reserved for Subterranean Complex access.

The facilities (and their clearance-level requirements) are as follows:

• The Division Barracks - The living quarters for members of the Fourth Division. No clearance needed.
• The Laboratory- Flashy in every respect, the Laboratory is a large facility with open rooms for scientific collaboration among Seated Officers. Those who request it might also be given private work areas where they can pursue their own projects in relative peace and quiet. This is the home of the Research and Engineering departments. White-level clearance.
• Shinigami Operations Headquarters – This is where all Senkaimon traffic control, limit release authorizations, memory replacement requests, and communications with the World of the Living occur. This facility also handles the surveillance of Earth. Naturally, it also serves as the home of the Operations department. White-level clearance.
• Surveillance Headquarters – Separate from the Operations Headquarters, this is a much smaller facility dedicated solely to monitoring the Dangai Precipice World and the Soul Society itself. It is the home of the Shinisec department. White-level clearance.
• Subterranean Complex – A private area for the Captain of uncertain size and capacity. It is rumored, if it even exists, to be larger and more advanced than the main Laboratory. It is also said that certain creatures and individuals are kept prisoner here for intense study.

Roster

• Captain: Rania Fujikagi
• Lieutenant: Vacant
• Third Seat: Vacant
• Fourth Seat: Vacant
• Fifth Seat: Shinsei Madarame - Operations
• Seated Officers:
  • Zabel Kohara - Research

• Unseated:
  
  • Yuuto Tachibana - Research
• Kohara Moriya - Shinisec
  
• Inactive:
  
  • Hanabi Enyo
  
  

Former Captains
- Mitsutaka Karahashi
- Ezekiel
- Shun Minamoto