Bleach features a richly realized manga and anime world, including Ichigo Kurosaki's Karakura Town and its denizens, as well as the Soul Society. While most the afterlife's Soul Reapers are seen in combat mode, they also find time to have fun in various clubs and gatherings. The Soul Reaper Women's Association is a perfect example of this.
The Soul Reaper Women's Association welcomes members from all 13 court guard squads and is well-funded with many members to its name. Although the Women's Association doesn't appear in Bleach's main story, it does appear to be canon and shows up frequently in bonus chapters and sourcebooks, such as Bleach: Official Character Book SOULs. Here's which prominent Bleach characters are part of it, and what kind of things they get up to.
The Women's Association has a handful of confirmed members, including Captain Retsu Unohana as the Supervising Chairwoman and the youthful Yachiru Kusajishi as the club's President. Yachiru isn't much of a leader, so fortunately the club also has a Vice-President: the responsible and diligent Nanao Ise of Squad 8. Other members include the sisters Kiyone and Isane Kotetsu, the rambunctious Rangiku Matsumoto of Squad 10, Rukia Kuchiki of Squad 13, and even Captain Soi Fon of Squad 2. In the anime, Yoruichi Shihoin also appears in bonus sequences outside of Bleach's main story.
This all-female club used to meet in an ordinary conference room -- until they moved to a room inside the Kuchiki estate, a decision Byakuya distinctly disapproved of. He tries to chase the Women's Association members out of the estate but they have found ways to elude him, and Yachiru often hides her possessions around the place. Yachiru even created a series of tunnels under the estate to move around in secrecy while on Association business.
The Soul Reaper Women's Association will do just about anything President Yachiru demands. In fact, the club's members are treated as little more than her enablers and minions, including Vice President Nanao. Yachiru often spends the club's money on candy, toys and other trivial items, but if the budget runs dry, she and the others will get resourceful. Most notably, Nanao proposed they take pictures of interesting people and items and make trading cards to sell -- and Byakuya was the best subject of all. Sadly he didn't cooperate, given how they regularly intrude on the Kuchiki estate.
Club members also create thematic photo collections to sell across the Soul Society, with many based on Soul Reapers whom they find interesting, from Byakuya to Captain-General Yamamoto to ex-Captain Sosuke Aizen. These collections are often either sold out or canceled for one reason or another, such as Aizen's betrayal of the Soul Society. Not even the fun-loving members of the Women's Association want to sell photos of the Society's worst traitor.
In other Bleach fluff, the Women's Association members are seen redesigning Soul Reaper accessories and tools, even hosting a workshop to design a new soul pager. Most of the designs were based on personal interest or needs, and Nanao quickly grew frustrated (Nemu's design was humorously censored). At one point the members also sought to create new Soul Candy, which was ultimately used by the Hitsugaya advance team in the Arrancar arc. Even in the afterlife of Bleach, life still goes on.
0 Comments