Shikabane hime

Plot

After being murdered, Makina Hoshimura turns into a "living corpse". Armed with dual MAC-11 submachine guns, she must kill 108 other corpses in order to gain entry into heaven. She is assisted in this task by Keisei Tagami, a Buddhist priest with links to an anti-corpse group known as the Kougun Sect. Her ultimate goal is to avenge the death of her family, by destroying the corpses known as the Seven Stars.
After becoming a corpse she was contracted to Keisei Tagami, thus becoming his shikabane hime, throughout the beginning of Season 1, Ouri Kagami, who was raised in the same place as Keisei and thinks of him as a brother of sorts had repeatedly found Makina, first in the temple, finding her cold and most definitely dead, then in the woods and soon after was dragged into the world of shikabane.
Keisei died later on in Season 1 and shifted his contract over to Ouri, making him the new contracted monk of Makina Hoshimura, however, she does not approve of this and greatly misses Keisei. In Season 2, Ouri had spent 6 months training to become a proper contracted monk and soon Makina accepts him as her contracted priest.
Akasha, the betrayer priest, had been working with the Seven Stars (schichisei) and had assisted them throughout their tasks as well as creating new corpses, the Seven Stars had also crashed a plane into the city, creating many corpses and in the later part of Season 2 he attempted to reach the head temple, which when the liquid known as the Joubou (discards impurities from shikabane hime) is drained, reveals a door, the door leads to a large room filled with pillars with many coffins. Akasha had later revealed the secret that the Kougon Cult had kept from Shikabane Hime and Contracted Priests.
It is believed that when a shikabane hime kills 108 shikabane they can then ascend to heaven, however Akasha revealed his shikabane hime, prior to her death had been his lover who he had known for many years, because they both had no families they only trusted one another and knew each other since childhood, when his lover "Hibiki" had incurred a terminal disease, she had come back as a corpse, and then she was contracted to Akasha.
Akasha wished to assist her in her goal and help relieve her of her regret so she could get to heaven, however, one day over 200 shikabane had ambushed them, there were only few pairs of shikabane hime and contracted priests due to the delay in transmitting the information. The ambush had been planned by one of the Seven Stars, Hazama, Akasha came close to killing him, but then Hibika had said "I, have already killed 108 of them". Akasha then asked "WIll you ascend to heaven now, Hibiki?", Hibiki however, with one eye glowing red, had lashed out at Akasha, launching one of her sharp projectiles at him, he was shaken by this, then, Hibiki had started to feel discomfort, then she started to scream as she held her head with the immense pain from within, her hands had turned into claws and her mouth had then grown sharp thin teeth, she no longer looked human, her skin was no longer any kind of human colour, she screamed and then killed 2 contracted priests and a shikabane hime. Akasha was forced to kill her. Her body was placed inside one of the coffins, which had been revealed to contain all shikabane hime who had killed 108 shikabane, for they could not ascend to heaven because they live with the burden of their own regrets.Once shikabane hime kill the 108th corpse, they lose both their nature and regret resulting in becoming a shikabane who only wishes to kill and is unable to control their own actions.
If released from the coffin, which they are kept in by the founder's power, they will be reborn as a breaker, when this happens, they cannot be killed, they live eternally, to prevent this, their Ens are cut off and they are sealed in the coffins where they cannot move much, as Akasha put it "It is an eternal hell where they must live as monsters".
Akasha rued that he turned Hibiki impure and took the Seven Stars Hokuto as his shikabane hime to atone for that. He did this after he had Hokuto rip through the first shikabane hime's coffin, removing the spiritual power that acted as a catalyst for the creation of Ens, the connection between the shikabane himes and the contracted priests.Without this, shikabane hime would either slowly become a regular shikabane or die, eventually they started to lose power as they could not obtain the life energy their contracted priests provided.
Saki, the shikabane hime of Rika, figured out that the reason she and Rika were connected was because they were "friends who are irreplaceable to each other" as Rika had put it, she determined that it didn't matter if the catalyst (which only Makina, Akasha, Ouri, Honda, The Gon Dai Soujou, Akira and Aadahiro had known what it was) was damaged, that it would not make a difference, Makina's wounds, as well as the other shikabane hime's started to heal as they all realised this, thus forging new Ens.
Sadahiro and Akira had broken down the walls of the temple, revealing the coffins, then, Hibiki's coffin had started to move slightly, the lid was shifting, this greatly disturbed and upset Akasha, Akira they open fired at the coffin with the sniper rifle, breaking it down.
His connection to Hibiki had come back, and his connection with Hokuto was breaking, she could no longer feel his life energy (Run), Makina then started shooting Hokuto, now weaker than ever, Hokuto retreated to Akasha by Hibiki's coffin, he then explained to Hokuto why he took her as his shikabane hime, she then reached out her hand, he was about to hold it, but Hibiki's had also reached out from the broken coffin, he held Hibiki's hand, the En between him and Hokuto had been broken, and Hokuto then killed Akasha, She and Hazama who had been injured earlier, retreated, shikabane in the city brought about by the plane crash had greatly decreased, Ouri and Makina pondered on what to do, now they knew Makina could not ascend to heaven, and if she killed more, she would come closer to becoming a breaker but she realised Hokuto was not "death itself" like Akasha had said, she was just a corpse who forgot that and what it means to live and to die, so Makina wanted to have her remember by killing her.
Makina had found where Hazama and Hokuto were hiding and tried to shoot Hokuto, and even open fired point blank at her face, she then threw her guns to the ground and started repeatedly punching Hokuto, who was smiling and laughing, but the laughing slowly turned into cries. Makina simultaneously spoke about how she was alive, how Hokuto was alive, even though they both died, she had realised what it meant to live herself and the season ended.
There actually is a 26th episode (13 in this season as well) that was released with the DVD as "Shikabane Hime: Kuro - DVD special" although, this episode has nothing to do with the previous one and actually, focuses on the two characters Shuuji Isaki and Minai Ruo as to how and why their contract was formed. So in all fairness, the season and show do truly end on the 12th episode of Kuro, though for those that hoped to see what the ending was like in the anime with the fight between Makina and Hokuto, that is left unresolved.

Contracted Monks

Ouri Kagami (花神 旺里 Kagami Ōri^?)

Voiced by: Tatsuya Hasome (Japanese), Aaron Dismuke (English)

A normal high school boy who was raised at Keisei Tagami's temple. He treats Keisei as his brother even though they are not blood related. Ouri is able to appear where the Shikabanes are because of a mysterious cat who began to talk to him. After the second time talking to the cat, Ouri knew that when he saw the cat he had to follow it, leading him to the corpses. He has also been nicknamed by the children at the temple "Hanagami". Later on after Keisei's death he became Makina's new contracted monk.

Keisei Tagami (田神 景世 Tagami Keisei^?)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)

Keisei Tagami was a Buddhist priest under the anti-corpse organization known as the Kōgon Sect. He found Ouri Kagami as a three-year-old child and raised him at his temple orphanage. Keisei was an orphan himself, raised by Makina Hoshimura's father. When the Hoshimura Family was brutally murdered, he agreed to become Makina's contracted monk. He was something of a pervert, often offering (or forcing upon) Ouri sexual posters or skin mags. He died near the end of the first season.

Rika Aragami (荒神 莉花 Aragami Rika^?)

Voiced by: Saeko Chiba (Japanese), Cynthia Cranz (English)

Rika Aragami is the only female contracted monk. She is one of the ten great holy Families. Which are the descendants of the ten senior disciples of the Founder and obligated to become contracted monks to a Shikabane Hime. Not only is she the contracted monk of Saki Amase, but she is well known for her ability to heal others.

Takamasa Sogi (送儀 嵩征 Sōgi Takamasa^?)

Voiced by: Tokuyoshi Kawashima (Japanese), Joel McDonald (English)

The contracted monk of Itsuki Yamagami. Their relationship is a complicated one. While the two seem to have a romantic relationship, they claim that is not so. He often fights along side with Itsuki, using a bow.

Sadahiro Mibu (壬生 貞比呂 Mibū Sadahiro^?)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese), Eric Vale (English)

When the series starts, he is introduced as Ouri's manager. We soon realized that he is the contracted monk of Akira Tōoka and is working undercover to keep an eye on Ouri and Keisei.

Shuji Isaki (伊佐木 修二 Isaki Shūji^?)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese), Mike McFarland (English)

The contracted monk of Minai Ruo. He does not care about others, especially Minai, who he treats like a tool. In the OVA its revealed little of his past and his hatred for his older brother. Isaki was made a contracted monk due to his brothers contacts. He intended to use Minai to kill his older brother, and claim the reasons that Minai killed his brother was because he was unholy and became a Shikabane. Isaki and Minai both knew they did not have a bond, but before Minai would turn into a Shikabane he wanted to become higher status to be even higher than keisei and even be the main monks, to bring down his brother. In the end both Minai and Isaki accomplished to have a bond. In the end it turns out that they had a bond because they had a met a long time ago. In Isaki's family store, which Minai young went their frequently. Isaki doesn't show compassion for Minai, but he actually did care for her.

Sougen Takamine

Voiced by: Hidenori Nakamura (Japanese), Kent Williams (English)

The contracted monk of Kamika Tomoroki and the former mentor of Keisei Tagami.

Kanechika Umehara

Voiced by: Masaki Terasoma (Japanese), Christopher Bevins (English)

The only contracted monk that has two Shikabane Hime. Although in the series, we only follow one of his Shikabane Hime, Flesh. The other's name is Touma. Umehara is known for his perverted nature. He does also have the reputation of being well versed in Shikabane.

Shikabane Hime

Makina Hoshimura (星村 眞姫那 Hoshimura Makina^?)

Voiced by: Nana Akiyama (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)

Makina is a main character and a contracted "living corpse". She is tasked with killing 108 corpses to gain entrance to heaven. She has formidable physical skills and her weapon of choice are twoIngram MAC-11 machine guns. Her contracted monk was Keisei Tagami before he died. Later in the story, it is revealed that her family discovered the process of making a Shikabane Hime. Later on after Keisei's death, Ouri became her new contracted monk.

Saki Amase (天瀬 早季 Amase Saki^?)

Voiced by: Mika Kikuchi (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)

Rika's partnered Shikabane Hime. Saki is a 10 year old mischievous girl who enjoys teasing Rika. She is usually seen munching on chips or drinking juice, suggesting that her intense regrets and obsessions might be related to food. Her weapon of choice is a massive hammer. Unlike other Shikabane Hime her contracted monk happens to be one of the ten great holy families, which means that no ordinary Shikabane can defeat her.

Itsuki Yamagami (山神 異月 Yamagami Itsuki^?)

Voiced by: Sase Nakamura (Japanese), Cherami Leigh (English)

Takamasa's Shikabane Hime. She died in an automobile accident and came back with the regret of not living the life of a teenage girl. She bonded with Takamasa because she thought he was a powerful monk and would help her get to Heaven faster. Unfortunately, Takamasa knew nothing about the Shikabane Himes before that. Regardless, the two continued to work as a team. During their time, they began to develop romantic feelings for each other. However, they were unable to act on them because Itsuki was a Shikabane Hime. She fights with a pair of M945 Combat handguns.

Akira Tōoka (遠岡 アキラ Tōoka Akira^?)

Voiced by: Aoi Yūki (Japanese), Anastasia Munoz (English)

Sadahiro's cynical Shikabane Hime. Often, she hits Sadahiro to stop him from saying something. Almost nothing is revealed about her past, except for her cause of death by some men. She fights using a sniper rifle.

Minai Ruo (瑠翁 水薙生 Ruo Minai^?)

Voiced by: Yuka Hirata (Japanese), Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)

Isaki's Shikabane Hime. Her weapon of choice is a pair of brass knuckles. It was revealed throughout the first season that she committed suicide for killing someone. She believed that her becoming a Shikabane Hime was punishment for her sins, but after meeting Ouri, she came to see it as a way to save others. She did grow close to Ouri, but before a relationship could be formed, Isaki was killed; despite Sadahiro's offer to help her transferring her bond to Ouri, she ultimately allowed herself to be terminated rather than taking up the offer or reverting to a rogue Shikabane. In the OVA of Shikabane Hime, Minai's past is revealed of how she became a Shikabane Hime. Minai was in an abusive relationship and she struck him with a knife which killed him and then she committed suicide. Soon after, the Kōgon Sect got ahold of her. She was intended to be Keisei's Shikabane Hime but Isaki volunteered to be her Priest. From the start Minai was doubted as to whether or not she could be a Shikabane Hime because her contract was incomplete. Isaki and Minai had to have a bond before the contract or else it would be meaningless. So Sadahiro and his Shikabane Hime were both sent to investigate. Later it was revealed that Isaki didn't lie about he having a bond with her; they had indeed met in the past.

Kamika Todoroki

Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese), Terri Doty (English)

Takamine's Shikabane Hime. Nicknamed "Sword Hime," Kamika has been referred to as the strongest shikabane hime not necessarily for the level of her strength, but her regret and will.

Flesh Backbone

Voiced by: Aya Endo (Japanese), Alexis Tipton (English)

One of Umehara's Shikabane Hime is Flesh Backbone, who is as much an otaku as Umehara himself, although the two can have even more passionate arguments than normal Makina and otaku Keisei would have had over conflicts on two-dimensional vs. three-dimensional or doujinshi vs. figurines. In fact, she was a foreigner who had died in a plane accident on her way to Akihabara. The other Shikabane Hime of Umehara is Touma (who only appeared in the manga), who is away on a vacation of sorts and seems to strike fear in her contracted monk. She was the unknown female that was peeking outside Makina's cave, and she has brought news about Makina.

Shikabane Hime exclusive to manga

Kanae Yatagi (八滝叶江 Yatagi Kanae^?)

A mature Shikabane Hime who only appeared in the manga with her younger partner, Sousetsu Kashio. She uses her whip to attack and tie down her enemies. Presumed to be dead.

Aki Asuka (飛鳥 堯 Asuka Aki^?)

A silent Shikabane Hime who is exclusive to the manga, her contract monk is Takehiko Mutou, whom she agrees with his ideals of "killing Shikabane equals to salvation for their souls". Fights with a sniper rifle. Presumed to be killed along with Mutou and several others when they stayed behind to allow the survivors to escape from Hizuchi and Hazama.

Iroha Kisaragi (如月 いろは Kisaragi Iroha^?)

The actual younger sister of her contract monk, Jin Kisaragi. She uses a pair of sais in battle. She lets her body be ripped apart by Hazama in order to deliver a crippling blow. She was torn into shreds by an angered Hazama along with Jin, who stayed by her side till the end.

Anzu Chikazaki (千ヶ崎 杏 Chikazaki Anzu^?)

A quirky Shikabane Hime who always squabbled with her contract monk, Nagatomo Kashin. She fights with a pair of sub-machine guns like Makina, she was the first to be killed when Hokuto decapitates her with a kick.

Uruko Baroque (潤子バロック Uruko Baroku^?)

A flirty Shikabane Hime who would fight as long as her contract monk, Hayashita Ayamitsu, said she could, as she is constantly craving for fights. She fights with a hand saw which she named "Britonian". Was eaten by Hizuchi after she lost her legs to him, but still managed to cripple him before that.

Mutsuha Mutsuhana (六ツ花 睦葉 Mutsuhana Mutsuha^?)

A young Shikabane Hime who is always seen wearing western clothes and a hat, she gets upset whenever her contract monk, Hayatate Touto, starts his binge on alcoholic drinks. Her weapon is a chain connected to a shield at both ends, used to shield her allies from afar and could even be used as a flail. Presumed to be killed with the others.

hikabane in Anime

Hagino

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese), Z. Charles Bolton (English)

A vampire like Shikabane who kidnaps women and kills them in groups. His power appears to allow him to control people he bites. He can also transform into bats. It is speculated that he made some of the women kill each other.

Kun Osaki

Voiced by: Mayumi Iizuka (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)

A J-Pop star who died of a heart disease. She became a Shikabane because she wanted to keep singing. Her manager used his mob connections to keep Osaki's death quiet, as well as any deaths that occur around her. She is angered when her song is interrupted or when someone does not listen to it. Her response to this is usually to kill the person who caused it. She can use her voice as a weapon.

SUV

A Shikabane that takes on the form of an SUV. It lays in wait for people to get into it and start driving. It then takes control and forces the passengers to kill each other.

Bandit

A nameless Shikabane that was formed from a robber who killed his partners and himself when they were surround by the police. He was protective of the money he stole and uses it to attack people.

Tomoharu Kishibe

Voiced by: Anri Katsu (Japanese), Scott Freeman (English)

Initially a normal teenage boy and a friend of Takamasa and Itsuki. He died in a car accident with his parents and sister when a group of teenage drivers made them swerve off the cliff. He gained the power to control the engines of 4WDs and 2WDs. He used his power to kill those teens. After that, he began targeting teenagers who liked to drive fast and their spectators.

Shikabane in manga

Devlort Aegis (ディフロト・アイギス Difflot Aigis^?)

The only surviving heir of one of the strongest families of Vampires in Europe who had an appearance of a young man with an aura of nobility, fights alongside with his vassal, Gregorio, an older brother figure whom he calls "Rio" for short. His powers grew immensely large as he completely drains the blood of a dying Gregorio, which awakens Aegis's vampiric nature. Despite that power, he was quickly subdued and sealed in a coffin for "future negotiations".

Lee Li Hong (リオン・リン Leon Lin^?)

A sadistic Chinese Shikabane who uses her Taoist magic which she also uses to prevent her eventual death, in battle, her source of magic are ten silver rings that protect her from the "10 forms of death" - burning, drowning/suffocation, freezing, electrocution, poison, illness, starvation, being crushed, being shot by firearms and being attacked by sharp objects.

Behind her sadistic nature lies a sad past when she was alive where she was nearly eaten by her own family and surviving villagers due to a plague that killed off almost the entire village, she escaped into a valley and was left to die until she met a Taoist Priest who attained immortality via the same magic she uses, but she was forced to make a decision whether she becomes his slave or die in the mountains, Li Hong chose to survive and ended up being his maid, which implied sexual abuse as well. Li Hong then learns his magic on the sly and finally killed the priest when she attained immortality and mastered everything, since then, Li Hong lived an immortal life, killing people on random as time passes.

Milam Partho (ミラム・バルドゥ Milam Bardo^?)

A Indian Shikabane based on the goddess Kali who has her own cult because of her powers, beauty and charisma, constantly seen dressed as a belly dancer. her abilities includes mind control and usage of illusions, which she can only use with her eyes closed and using a special powder made from mummified corpses as a catalyst. Her proficiency with a pair of scimitars she hides under her skirt is equally deadly as well, Milam was a mysterious Shikabane who is graceful and terrifying at the same time, because she was very well mannered and speaks with politeness like the Princess she was back in her cult.

Gregorio Vlaupnir (グレゴリオ・ヴラウブニル Gregorio Vlauppnil^?)

An vassal to Aegis and his family, which he served for over 300 hundred years and he fights with a rapier, although a Shikabane, Gregorio strictly obeys a code of chivalry and would do anything to help his current master, Aegis, regain control of the world like how his family used to in the past.

He died shielding an fatal attack meant for Aegis, his blood was then sucked dry from his dying body by Aegis via Gregorio's own dying request.

Seven Stars

The Seven Stars was a group of seven Shikabane who work together for a common goal. They were extremely powerful. Hokuto and Hazama are now the only two left from the Seven Stars and the rest of them all died.

Hokuto

Voiced by: Chika Fujimura (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)

A special Shikabane who has no regrets, obsessions or even nature within her. Her death however, makes her one of the most dangerous, yet powerful undead being around. She was raised as a sacrifice, born to be killed as a child. She never experienced grief, pain, sadness or even happiness. Right after being killed, she is reborn as a Shikabane. She escaped with Hazama in the final episode, but is tracked down by Makina and Oori. The series ends with her and Makina continuing their battle, with Makina saying that she will make Hokuto remember what it means to be alive.

Isaka

Voiced by: Takaya Hashi (Japanese), T.A. Taylor (English)

Known for his ability to open portals.

Hazama

Voiced by: Toru Ohkawa (Japanese), Christopher Sabat (English)

Hazama has giant centipedes for arms. At first glance, most assume that he was the leader of the Seven Stars. In reality, he is the right hand of the true leader, Hokuto. He is responsible for the ambush that led to the death of Akasha's Shikibane Hime. After his plan to use Hokuto to assault the Kōgon Sect fails he escapes with her in the final episode.

Kowaku

Voiced by: Yuki Hayashi (Japanese), Bob Carter (English)

His curse allows him to change the make up of his body. He was killed by Makina Hoshimura near the end of the first season.

Ena

Voiced by: Michi Niino (Japanese), Todd Haberkorn (English)

Ena was obsessed with beauty. His curse allows him to switch from one corpse to another, as long as they are nearby. He was killed by Makina Hoshimura.

Hizuchi

Voiced by: Tatsuhika Suzuki (Japanese), Jerry Jewell (English)

Ouri's mother was responsible for his death. Hizuchi was determined to make Ouri pay for what happened to him. He was killed by Ouri and Makina.

Toya

Voiced by: Sumire Morohoshi (Japanese), Jamie Marchi (English)

The most bizarre looking of the Seven Stars. She appears to be a man covered in a coat, but where a head should be, there is a cluster of balloons. Her curse allows her to manipulate the minds of people. She can also place balloons on people that cause their happiness to grow, until it reaches its peak. At that point, the person dies. It is revealed near the end that Toya was a little girl from a very poor family. One day, she and her parents suddenly went to an amusement park for a fun day before they committed suicide. As a result, Toya views death as happiness. She eventually questions herself about her happiness, causing her own balloon to pop and kill her.

Others

Akasha Shishidou

Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese), Josh Grelle (English)

Perhaps one of the pithiest villains after knowing the reason behind his betrayal against the Kōgon Sect. In his younger days, he was one of the top aces in the Kōgon Sect. He was proud and strong in his faith, until he was forced to kill his Shikabane Hime, who was his fiancee when she was alive. Afterwards, he went into exile for 5 years. No news about him was heard till series of recent events resurrection of many Shikabane cases. He allies with the Seven Stars in order to bring down the Kōgon Sect, eventually becoming the Contract Priest for Hokuto. However, he was killed by Hokuto at the end of the second season when he rejects her for his previous Shikibane Hime, causing her to revert back into a Corpse.

Black Cat

Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese), Greg Ayres (English)

A mysterious black cat that can at will be seen or unseen and also can be incorporeal. It always seems to be around Ouri Kagami and he seems to be the only person the cat talks to. It shows up at moments that involve the Shikabane and Shikabane Hime, and gives Ouri clues about them. The intention of this cat is unknown as to whether it is friend or foe. The cat is identical to a pet that Ouri cherished as a child, which died after being run over by a vehicle. Soon afterwards, this cat appeared. Near the end of the series, the cat revealed its true nature with the help of a foe Shikabane who was once a fellow orphan along with Ouri. The cat was made up of a number of children who Ouri's mother had kidnapped trying to fulfill her attachment to this world: to hold her child in her hands. Later, the cat engulfed Ouri in a monstrous form only to help him in the end later disappearing without a trace.

Nozomi Kasuga

Voiced by: Miki Maruyama (Japanese), Tia Ballard (English)

A classmate of Ouri, nicknamed Omune-sama or "Breast Goddess". In the first chapter of the manga she and a few other students visited a "man-eating house", where she was attacked and injured by a group of corpses. She was saved by Makina, and since then she's developed a fascination with death. This fascination leads her to stalk Makina and later Ouri. She also becomes attracted to Ouri and desires to become a Shikabane Hime, so she could be with him forever. In the anime, she was manipulated by Toya because they both thought death was beautiful. Toya's power transforms Kasuga, causing her to become more direct and eventually lead her to kill people at her school, until Ouri and Makina stopped her and Toya. However, they were unable to save Kasuga's life. With her last breath, she asked Ouri to make her into a Shikabane Hime. Her last wish goes unfulfilled as she didn't meet the requirements.

Mizuki Inuhiko

Voiced by: Fuyuka Oura (Japanese), Clarine Harp (English)

A classmate of Ouri. She tends to be very observant and dreams of becoming the president of the student council.

Sumitori

Voiced by: Masayuki Shouji (Japanese), Sean Michael Teague (English)

Another classmate of Ouri's. Very innocent and oblivious to the world of Shikabane.

Hiroshige Ushijima

Voiced by: Tooru Nara (Japanese), Micah Solusod (English)

He is the girl-obsessed friend of Ouri Kagami.

Riko

Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese), Stephanie Young (English)

Riko is like the "Mother Hen" of sorts. She is in charge of the Dai-Rin House, which is where Ouri grew up with Keisei.

Terminology

Shikabane

Sometimes referred to as corpses. When a person dies with a powerful regret or obsession, they may become a Shikabane. As a Shikabane, they are undead but retain some degree of memory and intelligence. Their appearance may also differ greatly from that of a human. Shikabane are given superhuman strength and a unique ability or attribute called a curse. Shikabane have no feeling towards living and tend to kill them as driven by their regret or obsession. A Shikabane can be killed by destroying or otherwise severing their brains.

Shikabane Hime

Shikabane Hime are Shikabane that follow the Kōgon Sect. So far only girls of a certain age group can become a Shikabane Hime. Each of them is partnered with a monk, who provides them with life energy called Rune. In exchange, the Shikabane Hime act as shields for their monk. They are used to hunt and kill rogue Shikabane- in fact, once they kill 108 Shikabane, they receive the reward of going to Heaven (this number may be from the number of sins in Buddhism). Shikabane Hime keep their human form but do still have their own curses that occasionally manifest, and unlike rogue Shikabane, Shikabane Hime are not driven by their regrets or obsessions to the same degree of madness. If their partner monk dies and a replacement is not forthcoming, however, the Shikabane Hime usually die or become Shikabane. Despite their contribution to the fight against the rogue Shikabane, they are shunned by most of the Kōgon Sect followers due to their nature as Shikabane.

Contracted Monk

Contracted Monks are the partner monks of the Shikabane Hime. They usually provide their Shikabane Hime with support and is linked by via a bond.

Curse

A curse is a unique power that a Shikabane possess. Generally, it has something to do with their obsession or regret.

Investigator

A monk who acts as support for Contracted Monks. They usually do not have a contract of their own.