A Dark Soul is a term used to describe souls that have been twisted by The Abyss. Dark Souls come in various different forms and posses powers unique from each other but share common characteristics. Dark Souls are most easily identified by their lack of Reiatsu. Recorded knowledge on Dark Souls is very limited.
Abilities[]
All Dark Souls share these abilities and are some of their defining characteristics.
Types[]
Husk[]
The lowest and most primitive Dark Soul is the Husk. Husks appear as black phantoms, ghosts or clouds that have no physical features apart from their white eyes. Souls that possess no or little spiritual energy become Husks when exposed to The Abyss, the conversion happening within minutes of extended exposure. Husks are more or less pure soul energy, able to pass through other souls and objects with ease and retain no memories or identity from when they were a Soul. They are mostly docile beings, however they are strongly attracted to normal Souls and will converge on them as soon as they can be sensed. Husks have no formal form of attack. If a Husk ever leaves The Abyss it is instantly crushed by spiritual pressure and converted into a Soul Stone.
Abilities and Attributes
Shell[]
A slightly more powerful Husk, the Shell appears as whatever Soul it used to be with the exception of black smoke that rises from their mouth, eyes, nose, ears, hands and feet. Shells have been shown to possess limited intelligence, although acting mostly on instinct, capable of limited cooperation and strategy. Shells are formed when a Soul casts enough Karadō without a Soul Stone and consumes all the fragments of their own soul. Once a soul becomes a Shell they will eventually degrade into a Husk given enough time, then a soul stone shortly after. Shells immediately turn into a Soul Stone if defeated.
Abilities and Attributes
- Kido - Shells have been shown to cast any Kidō that they knew before their conversion, although they tend to prefer Karadō.
- Limited Swordsmanship - Shells can wield a blade somewhat proficiently as well as other melee weapons
Knight[]
An extremely high-level Husk sometimes referred to as a Shadow, Shade or Stalker. Knights are formed when a spiritually powerful soul is corrupted by The Abyss or their soul is consumed by the overuse of Karado to the point where they would become a Husk but instead become a Knight due to their powerful Reiatsu or force of will. Knights are still quite animalistic but have shown much higher intelligence then their lesser counterpart. Knights lose most of their previous characteristics and abilities from when they were a soul, all adopting similar abilities and methods of attack. These advanced-husks can be described as demonic shadows although they tend to stick to dimly lit areas so all descriptions are quite inaccurate.
Abilities and Attributes
Dark Sider[]
When a Shinigami of extraordinary strength or power is corrupted by The Abyss they have a chance of becoming a Dark Sider. Dark Siders are created when a Soul bonds with The Abyss, letting it's power overwhelm and transform them into something greater. They retain most if not all of their Shinigami abilities although their Zanpakuto is more often than not manipulated and transformed into a Dark Soul, functioning similar to a Dark Seer's Zanpakuto. Dark Siders are extremely strong and not to be take lightly.
Abilities and Attributes
Dark Seer[]
Dark Seer's are Shinigami who posses Dark Soul Zanpakuto spirits. It is unknown how Dark Seers are created or how Zanpakuto are converted into Dark Souls but it seems that the host Shinigami is mostly unaffected by the Dark Soul that resides inside them, making them near indistinguishable from other Shinigami. What does change is their combat abilities as the Dark Soul Zanpakuto gives the Shinigami new power and abilities. Dark Seers lose their ability to activate Shikai and Bankai in place of a new ability named Empty Release (translation imminent) that is activated with a different release command to that of Shikai which gives them a set of new abilities that far surpass their previous ones. Upon release Dark Seers dawn a black hollow mask on their face which seem to bolster their own physical abilities and twist the abilities of their Zanpakuto even though the Zanpakuto does not change in appearance; making the black mask the defining feature of the Dark Seer. Dark Seers can achieve varying levels of Mask Mastery which give them more control over their Dark Soul Zanpakuto.
Abilities and Attributes
Void Maw[]
A legendary creature said to exist somewhere within the endless darkness of The Abyss.