Human (人間, Ningen): Humans are normal, living people, most of whom cannot see or sense disembodied spirits in any way. One in 50,000 Humans is a medium with some awareness of nearby ghosts, but only a third of these are able to see them clearly and only the strongest of mediums are able to speak with or touch ghosts. Certain unique Humans naturally have both the power to sense and the strength to fight with spirits. Ordinary Humans can gain the ability to interact with spirits by spending time around a large source of spirit energy.

Fullbringer (完現術者 (フルブリンガー), Furuburingā; Japanese for "Full Manifestation Artist"): Fullbringers are a subset of Humans, being that they are living beings who are spiritually aware and were born with the eponymous ability Fullbring, which allows them to manipulate the souls that reside in all physical matter. Their powers are constituted by Hollow Reiryoku.

Quincy (滅却師 (クインシー), Kuinshī; Japanese for "Monk of Destruction"): The Quincy are a clan of spiritually aware Humans who once fought against the Hollows, using weapons composed of spiritual energy to slay them. As opposed to Shinigami, Quincy absorb and channel energy from their surroundings to fight. Unlike the Shinigami method of killing Hollows which allows the Hollow to enter Soul Society, the Quincy technique simply obliterates the Hollow's soul entirely. This method has the propensity to shatter the balance of the universe, because when souls are destroyed, the number of souls entering and leaving Soul Society cannot remain equal.

Plus (整 (プラス), Purasu; Viz "Wholes"): A plus is a benign spirit of a Human that has died. A chain, known as the Chain of Fate, protrudes from the chest. This chain originally connected the Plus to their living body, but is severed upon death. Occasionally it binds the Plus to a location, object or person that they felt close to in life. Normally, pluses are sent to Soul Society by Shinigami in a ritual called Konsō (soul burial), but if the Chain of Fate is corroded entirely before a Konsō can be performed, the Plus will become a Hollow. If the Chain of Fate is torn out deliberately, this also leads to spiritual degradation.

Shinigami (死神, Death God; Viz "Soul Reaper"): Shinigami are souls with inner spiritual power, recruited from the ranks of the residents and nobility of Soul Society. Like all spirits, they cannot be detected by normal Humans. Shinigami use their Zanpakutō, supernatural swords that are the manifestation of their owners' power, to perform soul burials on Pluses. Shinigami also use Zanpakutō and magic known as Kidō to fight Hollows.

Visored (仮面の軍勢 (ヴァイザード), Vaizādo; Japanese for "Masked Army"): A group of Shinigami who have also obtained Hollow powers through "illegal" means, gaining removable masks and access to certain Hollow abilities.

Hollow (虚 (ホロウ), Horō): The Hollows are evil ghosts who reside in Hueco Mundo, but travel to the Human World to feed on the souls of the living and dead alike. Like Shinigami, Hollows are made of spiritual matter and cannot be detected by ordinary Humans. While the majority of Hollows can be overcome by the average Shinigami, there are some which surpass even the most elite Shinigami in strength. All normal Hollows wear white masks and have a hole where their heart used to be.

Arrancar (破面 (アランカル), Arankaru; Spanish for "To Tear Off", Japanese for "Ripped Mask"): Arrancar are Hollows that have broken off part of their Hollow mask. By shattering their masks, these Hollows regain the ability to reason, sometimes obtain a Humanoid form, and gain access to Shinigami-esque powers.