The power level system of Bleach HD is based on rankings; while each race will have their own guide to ranking up within the guidelines section, this will serve as a basic overview to get you acquainted with the system in advance. The rank of your character determines its overall power compared to other characters on the site. While your roleplaying skill will definitely play a role in whether you can stand on footing with someone or not, your ranking will be the final factor and is there so moderators don't have to keep track of every fight or sparring match going on. It also serves as a gating for your character's abilities, as allowances to make custom skills and releases are locked behind certain ranks. Every character will start at the first rank of a race with there being six (6) ranks in total, not counting for Visored and Arrancar which each have two (2) ranks to themselves but cannot be created into.

Ranking, as with ability and item buying, is done with experience; the point/money system available on the site and earned naturally through posting and undertaking missions (Jobs as a Human and Soul Hunts as a Hollow). The area you go to verify a rank up is the [specified board], where you'll post what rank you're climbing to and the total cost for a moderator to come and approve or deny. Each rank costs a certain amount of experience that will remain static through each race so as to keep balance a factor, again not counting in Visored and Arrancar which act as special circumstances.

The skeleton goes as such:

• First Rank | Initial
  
• First Rank ==> Second Rank | 200 EXP
  
• Second Rank ==> Third Rank | 400 EXP
  
• Third Rank ==> Fourth Rank | 600 EXP
  
• Fourth Rank ==> Fifth Rank | 800 EXP
  
• Fifth Rank ==> Sixth Rank | 1000 EXP
  

As a precaution, Visored and Arrancar function differently:

• to become a Visored your character must be at least a Rank 5 Shinigami and the success rate for the advancement is 50%. If failed, your character will die and you can continue in ways spelled out in the [death guidelines].
  
• to become an Arrancar, your character must be at least a Rank 4 Hollow, though the suggested level in Rank 5 or 6. A Rank 4 Hollow is counted as a Gillian class and will be substantially weaker than a Rank 5 (Adjuchas) or Rank 6 (Vasto Lorde) if transformed that early. The exact difference in power level is spelled out in the Hollow's personal ranking guide.