While a Soul Reaper like Ichigo and the others, she is not a part of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Instead, she ordinarily lives in the World of the Living, coordinating her activities with Kisuke Urahara. Her speech is reminiscent of that of an elderly man.
She lives a free-spirited life. In truth, she is a member of Soul Society's nobility like Byakuya Kuchiki, but unlike him, she doesn't exude an air of nobility whatsoever—she had shed her noble name of Shihoin, leading her to try and avoid introducing herself by name.
She can actually transform into a cat, but she is apparently unable to do so while in the Sky Realm. She possesses the ability to use Shunko techniques, one of which is called Raijin Senkei. This technique allows her to manipulate lightning. Through Urahara, she can also enter a state known as Shunko: Raiju Senkei "Shunryu Kokubyo Senki". When in this state, her entire body is wreathed in lightning, but she loses her ability to reason or even communicate.
While she does have a Zanpakuto, Yoruichi's situation with hers is different from that of the other Soul Reapers—she is stronger when not using her Zanpakuto at all. As a result, her Zanpakuto has a tendency to sulk.
In the past, she had served as the captain of Squad 2 of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It was during this time when she had begun to associate with Byakuya Kuchiki and Kisuke Urahara.
