Samurai Organisational System

The Samurai Organisational System is divided in two groups: the Regular Forces and the House Samurai.

Regular Forces
The form the foundation of the country and its samurai system. The majority of samurai are a part of these forces and together, either individually or in teams, they perform the majority of the missions the country assigns them. They are also tasked with the various duties within the organisation, such as training and administrative duties.

When an Academy student graduates, they usually become a part of these forces, assuming the rank of Ensign. Via various exams and tests, they can be promoted to higher ranks, first to Lieutenant and Captain after that.

Academy Student
Academy students (忍者学校生, Akademī-sei) make up the student body of the Academy, where they are trained and prepared for life as a samurai. They are not an actual part of the samurai force, as they are still in the process of mastering the very basics of the samurai lifestyle. However, they can be conscripted as part of the war potential in times of emergency.

Ensign
Ensigns (少尉, Shōi) are the lowest level of samurai and also the ones that display the most difference in power. When they become ensigns, samurai start to do their bit for their country's economy – being sent on missions that the country gets paid for. They are typically sent either on D-rank missions, which are almost entirely risk-free jobs of manual labor, or, rarely, on C-rank missions, which are a cut above that and begin to verge on real "samurai" work that have a very low possibility of risk to the samurai involved.

Lieutenant
Lieutenants (大尉, Taii) are samurai who are qualified to guide other samurai and lead missions, they have authority over Ensigns. Lieutenants have reached a level of maturity and ability that primarily consists of leadership skills and tactical prowess. Some of them move on to function as Academy teachers. Chūnin are typically sent on C-rank or B-rank missions.

Captain
Captains (大佐, Taisa) are generally highly-experienced samurai with great individual skill who serve as military captains. They are often sent on A-rank missions, and experienced Captains may even be sent on S-rank missions (which are considered to be the greatest difficulty). It is not unusual for Captains to go on missions alone.

General
The General (大将, Taishō) is the leader of the Land of Iron and is generally acknowledged as the most powerful samurai.

Special Rank
Besides the standard ranks of Ensign, Lieutenant, and Captain, there is a rank between Captain and General, the Shōgun (将軍). The Samurai who bears this special rank is in charge of leading the Shinsengumi.

Shinsengumi
The Shinsengumi (新選組, newly selected corps) take orders directly from the Shōgun, performing special high-level missions, such as assassinations. But their main objective is to protect the Daimyō of the Land of Iron, and his family. The samurai in the Shinsengumi are hand-picked by the Shōgun, chosen for their individual capabilities and special skills. Age, gender, background, or previous rank bear no weight in this decision. Members can also leave the organisation to return to the regular forces. They wear a special uniform for easier identification.

There are no true ranks within the Shinsengumi, unlike within the regular forces. Team leadership and hierarchy seem to be based on merit and experience. The leaders of the teams are called squad leaders (分隊長, Buntaichō), a position held in high regard.

Hakkinzoku
The Hakkinzoku (白金族, Platinum Group) are a special group within the ANBU composed of high level samurai. The Hakkinzoku are tasked with assassination requests, specially of Rōnin.