Bleach takes place in a fascinating fantasy setting where the souls of the dead roam the earth until black-robed Soul Reapers can escort them to the Soul Society, a place of eternal peace and rest. Ordinary Soul Reapers like Kuchiki Rukia fight monstrous Hollows with zanpakuto, or spirit-cutting swords, but some Soul Reapers are more specialized than that.
Some Soul Reapers belong to a unique organization known as the Kido Corps, whose members are more like wizards than swordsmen. Although they rarely appear in the story of Bleach, the members of the Kido Corps play a vital role in the franchise, and they help define Bleach's remarkable combat system as well.
The Role Of The Kido Corps In Bleach
The Kido Corps does not belong to any of the 13 main squads, nor is it considered the 14th squad since its members are not tasked with escorting the souls of the dead or fighting Hollows. Instead, the Kido Corps is a unique entity in the Seireitei, and as its name suggests, its members are experts in kido spells and don't typically carry zanpakuto.
The exact details of the organizational hierarchy are not entirely clear, although the Kido Corps does have an overall commander, a vice commander and an officer who is recognized as the most powerful and talented member. The members wear standard black Soul Reaper robes in addition to unique accessories or garments, such as the dark blue, high-collared coat that Tessai wore in a flashback and the magenta robes of Ushida Hachigen. Tessai also carried a staff reminiscent of Buddhist monk staves, complete with attached rings.
The Kido Corps' members may be summoned in case of emergency, often to handle internal problems among the Soul Reapers, and they carry out less glamorous but no less important duties as well. Primarily, the Kido Corps' members are responsible for forming and operating the Senkaimon gates that Soul Reapers use to travel back and forth between the Soul Society and the world of the living, such as in Karakura Town in particular.
The Kido Corps' members also play a supporting role in formal executions, such as releasing the Sokyoku's seal, as seen in the "Soul Society" story arc. Two notable members of the Kido Corps have been seen, including Tsukabishi Tessai, the former leader, and Ushoda Hachigen, the former second-in-command and a future member of the Visored team hiding in Karakur Town.
The Kido Corps' Role In The Story
The Kido Corps played a peripheral role in the main story of Bleach, and the anime rarely called attention to this organization and its members for the most part. Anytime the Soul Reapers went back and forth between Karakura Town and the Soul Society, such as when Byakuya took Rukia back home late in Season 1, the Kido Corps was hard at work behind the scenes to make that possible. However, the Kido Corps briefly stood in the spotlight as its robed members prepared for Rukia's execution and released the Sokyoku's seal (little did they realize that they were playing right into the traitorous Captain Aizen Sosuke's hands in the process).
The Kido Corps played a slightly larger role in the "turn back the pendulum" story arc, when then-Lieutenant Aizen struck from the shadows. Eight Soul Reaper officers had been turned into Visoreds, and Captain-General Yamamoto sent Tessai and Hachigen of the Kido Corps to handle the situation. They used kido to help restrain the Visoreds and end the battle, although they were no match for Aizen, whose kido was inexplicably even more powerful than theirs.
However, Hachigen was discharged after becoming a Visored himself, and Tessai was banished from the Kido Corps after being accused of aiding Kisuke in Aizen's Hollowfication experiment. Thus, the Kido Corps lost its two best members overnight, and it's unknown who exactly replaced them. Hachigen later joined his fellow Visoreds in Karakura Town, and Tessai, personally loyal to the brilliant Urahara Kisuke, joined Kisuke in exile in Karakura Town, along with Yoruichi. Tessai lost everything thanks to Aizen's schemes, but to his credit, the Kido Corps' former commander took it in stride, making the most of his new lifestyle.