07 Ghost

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07-Ghost
セブンゴースト (Sebun Gosut)
Genre	Action, Fantasy, Supernatural
Manga
Author	Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara
Publisher	Ichijinsha
Original run	November 25, 2005 – ongoing
Volumes	7
TV anime
Director	Nobuhiro Takamoto
Studio	Studio Deen

For criticism see Criticism of 07_Ghost

07-Ghost is a fantasy manga written and illustrated by Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara. It is currently serialized in the monthly magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum published by Ichijinsha. Seven compilation volumes have been released as of January 2009. A drama CD was also released in 2007, known as Kamisama ni Todoku Koibumi. The manga has been licensed by Go! Comi for release in North America.^[1]

The highly anticipated anime adaptation has been announced for 2009 premiered in April 2009 and is being produced by Studio DEEN^[2](Fruits Basket, Full Moon wo Sagashite, Vampire Knight, Junjo Romantica being some of their popular titles). Most of the voice actors from the drama CDs will be returning with the same roles for the anime, and the official website has announced that the opening theme song is "Aka no Kakera" by Yuki Suzuki and the ending theme song is "Hitomi no Kotae" by Noria.^[3]

Contents 1 Plot 2 Setting 2.1 Zaiphon 2.2 07-Ghosts and Verloren 2.3 The Three Dreams 2.4 The Eyes of Michael and Raphael 2.5 Style 3 Characters 3.1 Main characters 3.2 Minor characters 4 Terminology 5 Media 5.1 Manga 5.2 Drama CD 5.3 Anime 5.3.1 Episode list 6 Reception 7 References 8 External links

Plot

Teito Klein is a former slave sent to attend the Barsburg Empire's military academy due to his ability to use Zaiphon, a type of supernatural power. The ability is rare, and thus highly prized. Teito is an amnesiac and doesn't remember anything of his origins -- what he does learn of his past comes from his recurring and often traumatizing dreams.

After a year at the academy, Teito takes the graduation exam; it is notoriously difficult, with a pass rate of one in twenty-five. Teito and his best (and only) friend, Mikage, pass easily. That night, in their shared dorm room, they each promise to help the other at any cost. The next day, Teito is delivering papers to a professor when he overhears his name. He stops to listen and realizes that the speaker, a man named Ayanami, is the man who killed his father in his dreams. Teito is found eavesdropping and tries to attack his father's murderer, but is quickly brought down by one of Ayanami's subordinates and sent to prison. Mikage comes to help him escape, only to find that Teito has managed to fight past the guards by himself. The two flee the building, but are cornered on a balcony. Teito pretends to hold Mikage hostage, threatening to kill him; and tries to escape when Ayanami sends a Zaiphon attack after him, which Teito manages to partly deflect. A Bishop in the nearby 7th District, and brings the injured Teito to the church to recuperate. Since Teito is still in chains, the Bishop, Frau, mistakes him for a slave and comments that if Teito had been a soldier in the Imperial army, he would have killed him immediately. Because of the law of "sanctuary", Teito may stay in the church without fear of the Empire or Ayanami.

Teito carries the Eye of Michael, the powerful artifact that his home country, the Raggs Kingdom, was ransacked for. The tragic death of a loved one catapults him into his quest for revenge against the Barsburg Empire and knowledge about his past, while he becomes entangled with the Gods, Verloren, and the 7 Ghosts.

His best friend's fate spurs Teito into trying to master the Bascule -- a powerful weapon that can harness and focus his innate power. Friends become enemies and rivals become allies as Teito begins to fulfill his destiny, and protect his fallen country from the minions of his former masters.      --Official Go! Comi Summary^[4]

Setting

07 Ghost takes place in a fantasy world with many different laws, kingdoms, gods, and magic. Common forms of transportation, for example, are hawkziles, winged motorcycles that are actually live birds. There are also many different creatures, such as the Fyulong dragons. There are 7 districts in the land, each with their own cities, rulers and culture. Each district also has a House of God that is protected by an 07 Ghost; one Ghost for each of the seven districts. The food is also quite unique; common dishes at the church include eyeball fish and edible flowers.

Zaiphon

Zaiphon is the "magic" of 07-Ghosts's world; Zaiphon is the ability to convert a life source into various forms of energy. It is mainly controlled by writing words in the air with the hands, though people may use weapons to channel Zaiphon. Those have the ability to use Zaiphon are rare and thought of as blessed by God. Every user's capabilities are different, and in many cases, reflect their nature. Zaiphon is generally categorized into three types:

• Healing Zaiphon: People with this type of Zaiphon are able to heal wounds and share their Zaiphon with others or transfer their Zaiphon to others. A character who primarily uses this Zaiphon is Labrador.

• Offensive Zaiphon: Those with this kind of Zaiphon have the ability to attack their enemies and protect themselves from attacks directed to them. Teito and Frau are examples of characters who primarily use the offensive branch.

• Manipulation Zaiphon: This type is especially special and rare. Those with Manipulation Zaiphon are able to move things at will. A character who uses this is Castor.

There is also a variety of weapons used to manipulate Zaiphon, the most commonly known being the bascule. With the bascule, people may attack Kor. However, the healing branch cannot directly attack a Kor, but it can restrict and remove it from a person. The offensive branch is different and attacks a Kor outright. According to Castor, people may learn how to use the different branches of Zaiphon.

07-Ghosts and Verloren

According to a centuries-old myth, the God of Death Verloren committed a crime in the heavens and was forced to escape to the earth. As a result, the hearts of people were invaded by this evil god and they slipped into despair. Lamenting over their suffering, the Chief of the Heavens dispatched seven heavenly lights in order to punish the evil Verloren. Called the "The Seven Ghosts", they are said to have sealed the detestable Verloren on this earth and are the guardians of the Empire. Mothers tell their children that if they're naughty, the Seven Ghosts will come to take them away.

Since Verloren has been sealed away, his messengers, the Kor, find and contact humans to bring them under his influence. If a contract is made, a mark appears on the person's chest. This is known as Verloren's curse, and indicates one's heart being eaten by darkness. The 07-Ghosts work is to fight against Verloren and his curse and try to stop contracts from being fulfilled. Only the Bishops can remove Verloren's curse, in a complicated ceremony.

Kor that grant 3 wishes become "Wars", people who can control them are called Warsfield

The 07-Ghosts are humans with such extraordinary Zaiphon abilities that they are considered to be blessed by God. Each of the 07-Ghosts has died. Frau, Castor, Labrador, Fia Kruez and Lance have been revealed to be Ghosts thus far; all should have the mark of their Ghost on their hand. The Ghosts' names are Zehel, Fest, Profe, Landokalche, Rilect, Ea, and Vertrag. Each of the Ghosts has a specific power; Zehel cuts a persons ties with misfortune, Fest binds souls together, Profe is capable of foresight, and so on. Their names, when written with kanji, give clues to this power.

Even though Verloren had been sealed away in Pandora's Box for over 9000 years, he is freed and once again begins to invade the hearts of men.

The Three Dreams

When a person is given a life from the Chief of the Heavens, they are told that over the course of their lifetime, they will have three dreams to complete. When all of the dreams are granted, their souls will be called back to the Chief and be reincarnated. However, when people are born they don't remember the dreams they chose, and finding out the dreams is supposedly the joy of life.

There are evil beings that want to interfere with this process; among them are the Kor, who steal the dreams and drag humans into darkness. When a human comes under a Kor's power, the first dream is granted, but the person's heart becomes unstable and unable to be satisfied no matter what one does. When the second is started, the person falls into a state of starvation, or addiction. When the third dream is granted by the Kor, the soul has indulged in too much darkness and will forever be unable to go back to the Chief of the Heavens. The Kor then takes the body to increase its number of comrades waiting for their master Verloren's return. A possessed body with all three dreams fulfilled by the Kor is called a Wars.

It is the duty of the church to protect people from the Kor; because addiction isn't easily removed, there is a correction center where people are helped to overcome themselves. There are cases when a Kor may grant a wish that is not one of the three dreams, but it upsets the equilibrium and the Kor may be punished for it.

The Eyes of Michael and Raphael

A set of stones embedded into a person's hand, they allow the Gods Michael and Raphael to descend into their host's body for a limited time. The eyes are undetectable until the God possesses their host's body, in which case the host's eye colour usually changes and he or she has godlike prowess with Zaiphon. The royal family of the Kingdom of Raggs held the Eye of Michael and the Barsburg Empire held the Eye of Raphael. A pact was established between both countries never to search for the other's eye, though it was broken by the Empire ten years prior to the story's beginning.

Style

The overall style for 07 Ghost fits into the fantasy genre of manga. Although the plot is serious and the characters wield dangerous weapons, there is a lot of comic relief so that story maintains a lighthearted tone. The characters are all complex, varied and entertaining, and the story (especially Mikage's death) is also extremely emotional. It is often disputed as to whether it is a shounen or shojo manga, since it has qualities that appeal to both demographics. 07 Ghost has lots of action while it focuses heavily on character development.

"Character designs tend towards the bishounen type. Even within our circle of bishops, [there's] the naughty rebel, the eyeglass character, and the lolishouta type. Despite the angst filled and mysterious storyline, the manga also includes quite a bit of humor from Teito's and Mikage's horseplay and our three bishops' quirks, and chibis and deformed expressions are used for these scenes."

—Sakura Eries, Mania.com Review^[5]

Characters

Main characters

Teito Klein (テイト・クライン, Teito Kurain^?) Voiced by: Saiga Mitsuki

The protagonist of the story. A former slave captured by the Barsburg Empire and considered to be the military academy's star pupil. His homeland is the former Kingdom of Raggs, and he was raised as an orphan in a church. It is later revealed that Teito had been entrusted with the Eye of Michael when the Empire invaded his home country, and he is the son of the former king of Raggs, thus, a prince.

At the start of the manga, Teito makes a promise with his best (and only) friend, Mikage, that they would die together.^[6] Unfortunately, Mikage gives up his life to save Teito from the Empire. Teito, shaken, swears revenge even though Mikage told him not to. At the 7th District Church he starts studying to become a priest so he can gain a priest's advantages on his way to revenge- free room and board at any inn in the Empire, and less stringent inspections at borders. However, he becomes entangled in the affairs of the Gods along the way because of the Eye of Michael.

Teito is often teased because of his short stature by Mikage, Frau, and others who always treat him like a child, or mistaking him for one, which annoys him to no end. While training with Mikage using Zaiphon, Mikage even engraves the word 'chibi' to tease him. It is later revealed in a flashback that the reason for his shortness is probably because he only took pills instead of eating proper meals while he was a slave and a student at the military school.

At the beginning of the story, Teito is a cold and serious student, even to Mikage, although the two are good friends. This is understandable, as his only memories were of being a combat slave whose only purpose was to kill criminals when he was very young. Even so, the chairman (Miroku), once said that Teito's compassion is his greatest 'weakness', despite all the hardships he has gone through. This is shown during the first military exam, when the requirement was to kill a condemned criminal in order to pass; Teito refused to do so, stating that there is no reason to do so, until Ayanami intervened and killed the criminal in front of Teito. While he was a slave, he often saw other children with their mothers and couldn't remember ever having a family. The only person who cared about him as a slave was a mute maid (who was also a slave) in the manor where he lived. Before leaving to go to military school, Teito brought her a feather, promising that someday she would be free as well. It is shown at the end of the flashback sequence that she still has a framed picture of Teito and is shown looking at it fondly.

We later find out that Teito was the heir to the throne of the Raggs Kingdom. However, he was the son of a concubine, causing the queen to despise him. She later makes a deal to the Pope and gives Teito's body to him. The Pope seals Verloren's body within Teito, making him 'The Pandora's Box' that seals Verloren as well as the vessel for a being that is practically a source of all evil. The king, Teito's father was not aware of this, as the queen and the pope constructed a fake replica/body to make it seem like Teito had died from falling off a balcony, thus concealing the fact that he was made into the the Pandora's Box. Their plan is somewhat foiled by Fia Kruez, or 'The Father' that Teito is often referring to. He used his power as one of the Seven Ghosts (the Ghost of the Raggs House of God, Vertrag) to subdue Verloren's body, sealing it temporarily.

The identity of any one of the Seven Ghosts must remain a secret, however, so nobody believes Fia Kruez's word against the Pope. This is the origin of the 'lie' that Kruez committed the unforgivable act of stealing the Pandora's Box, who was actually Teito, although no one knew that. In order to make sure Teito's soul won't be overcome by what was sealed in him (Verloren's body) and thus save his life, the King makes Teito also become the Vessel of the Eye of Michael very early in life; interestingly, the Eye of Michael protects Teito from Verloren while simultaneously being the one thing that can open Pandora's Box. At this time, the Barsburg empire comes to attack Raggs, under the impression that Raggs made a declaration of war since the messenger that Raggs sent to tell Barsburg about the Pope was killed, making Barsburg believes Raggs stole Pandora's Box.

It's revealed that Fia Kruez is the younger brother of the King -- making 'The Father' Teito's blood uncle, though he is a Ghost. This explains why Fia has been around since the beginning with Teito. At this point, Fia takes Teito, and the King is still alive. It also brings up the possibility that Teito himself may become a Ghost, as he is the last of the bloodline of the Raggs God House.

Teito has a slave tattoo on his back from when he was first captured and wears a slave collar around his neck, put there by Ayanami. However, Frau accidentally invoked a blood contract when he tried to get the collar off and became Teito's 'master.' This enables him to use three commands that Teito must obey: Sleep, Bind, and Pain (so far, he has only commanded Teito to sleep). Frau obviously intends to abuse this power, as Castor states that he shouldn't have informed him about the commands. The collar will explode if he is separated from Frau, the collar's master, for over 48 hours.

Teito is very skilled with the Baculus, exceeding the Zaiphon limit for it during training in one incident.^[7] He is very agile and an excellent runner after having trained with Castor's puppets, and manages to get through the examinations on his first try with Hakuren.

In Hausen House Arc, Teito found out Castor, who is really Xinglu , is actually dead and still couldn't figure out why he saw he was still alive back at the church. He was later attacked by a Wars in the doll of Xinglu's mother. Teito poses as Xinglu and forgave her, then defeated Wars. As Teito left, a Ghost appeared and offer him to give him his "curse"(power).

His birthday is the 1st of December, and is around 15-16 years old. He ranked first in the latest popularity poll in Monthly Comic Zero Sum.^[8]

Mikage (ミカゲ, Mikage^?) Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa

Teito's best friend, Mikage comes from a family of stewards. Despite the fact that his closeness with Teito makes him a target of ill will, he remains a bright and cheerful person, sticking with Teito even if others make fun of him. Their relationship as friends involves a lot of Mikage teasing Teito about his short stature, and Teito beating him up in retaliation. Even so, they are still very close, promising each other that they will die together and will always be "the best of friends". Mikage also teaches Teito a lot about having being friends and having compassion for others. After learning of Castor's family's grief for their son, he tells Seilan "Mikage had told me... that if two people were together sadness would also be halved..."^[9]

Mikage often tries to get Teito to loosen up, telling him that if he smiles and laughs more, he'll grow taller. After his death, Teito still finds it hard to go on without his best friend, even stating that "When Mikage died... I felt like a part of me died as well". Because of him, Teito begins his quest to all seven "Houses of God" in order to receive the 'cursed tickets', which will enable him to travel to the land of souls and trade his life for Mikage's, discovering more about his forgotten past and about the Seven Ghosts in the process.

When Mikage's soul is taken by Ayanami and he dies, he begs Teito not to look for revenge, but instead to keep walking towards the light. This shakes Teito's beliefs, because Mikage was his 'light'.^[10] Later, Mikage becomes reincarnated as a small pink dragon (called Burupya) because he wished to protect Teito, no matter what form.

Burupya is a Fyulong dragon who apparently fell from his nest. Frau managed to find him and bring him to Teito so that they could be together. While traveling to another House of God, Teito comes across Burupya's mother who demands to have Burupya back (the dragons can talk and grow to a huge size, which surprises Teito quite a bit). She tells him that even though Burupya is the reincarnation of Mikage, he has no memories of his previous life and doesn't belong with people. She also states that it is strange how Burupya is unable to talk or fly like his siblings. Right before letting Burupya go, Burupya changes into a young Mikage for a few seconds, before leaving with his family. The (child) Mikage points up to the words on the walls that say "We'll always be the best of friends", his last words. At the last minute, however, the dragons leave and Burupya drops from the sky, tackling Teito to the ground, staying by Teito's side instead leaving with the rest of the dragons.

Even after his death, Teito still cares about Mikage very much; when Teito is struggling with learning how to use the Baculus, Bastien tells him that he needs to think of his feelings for God in his heart. Teito then thinks "Though I don't really know anything about God, I'm thinking of you... Mikage."^[11] Then, using his Baculus, he blows up the training grounds (accidentally).

Mikage is easily recognizable by the small X shaped scar on his chin; he got it a long time ago when he was sparring with his older brother.^[12] Burupya also has a similar scar on his head as well. Mikage also has a little sister. His birthday is the 3rd of March, and he is 15 at the beginning of the story. He is also quite a popular character having ranked third in the latest popularity poll in Monthly Comic Zero Sum.^[13]

Frau (フラウ, Furau^?) Voiced by: Suwabe Junichi

A perverted Bishop, he saves Teito's life when Teito falls from his hawkzile. He is the member of the 07-Ghosts and is known as 'Zehel'^[14]. He finds Mikage (as a small pink dragon) for Teito and accidentally becomes Teito's 'Master' when he attempts to remove Teito's slave collar, invoking a blood contract. This collar gives Frau the ability to use three commands on Teito: bind, sleep and pain. For all his teasing, Frau also keeps Teito's spirits up with impromptu pep-talks. Because of this, Teito sometimes makes associations between Frau and his late 'Father'. His relation with Ayanami is as of yet unknown. Frau is the only Ghost who can wield a scythe, yet this scythe is revealed to Ayanami's.

Frau was adopted by the church and became Bastian's disciple when he was caught in the large scale 'thief subjugation' across the empire. All of his friends died and he didn't believe in God; nevertheless he was so powerful with Zaiphon that it was rumored he was a child blessed with God's strength. While Frau was a wild child, constantly getting into trouble, he and Bastian ended up having a good father-son like relationship. When he was very young, Frau used to sneak out of the church at night and remove Kor from those afflicted by it, something extremely difficult that only trained bishops are usually capable of doing.

Frau was so talented that he holds the all-time highest score for the examination. When he and Castor are reminiscing about when they took the exam, Frau says how he got stuck with the worst partner ever. Castor is infuriated by his comment, saying that that was his line, which implies that they were partners in the examination.

He enjoys teasing and annoying Teito about how he looks like a small child. Although he is very tall and intimidating, the church orphans adore him, often getting him to play games with them. Despite his rough exterior, Frau can be very caring, giving Teito pep talks and caring for the orphan, Capella, that they meet on their journey to the land of Seele. Frau is also quite the ladies' man, flirting with the nuns and any pretty women he sees.

After Bastien's death, Frau pretends not to be bothered since he has seen many deaths before, but Teito scolds him for not properly feeling sad because Bastien was so important to Frau. A little while after the funeral, the nuns find that a new sprout had grown from one of the trees at the church; it is implied that this is Bastien's reincarnation. At the end of the chapter, Frau is shown sitting in the tree, reunited his mentor.

He has a cross-shaped tattoo on the small of his back. Frau was ranked second in the latest popularity poll in Monthly Comic Zero Sum.^[15]

Castor (カストル, Kasutoru^?) Voiced by: Chiba Susumu

Another bishop, he convinces Teito to take the examination to enter the priesthood. The training he puts Teito through is vigorous and often involves his 'dolls', life-sized puppets he controls with Zaiphon. One of the 07-Ghosts, he is 'Fest'.

His name used to be Xing-lu, and he was the thirteenth head of the family in a House of God. His father often ignored him and he felt neglected, so Castor spent most of his time inside his room making replica dolls of his mother, who "was the only allowed to spoil him". He was so talented, that he was widely recognized as a genius.^[16]

After a successful mission, Castor hears someone singing and finds Razette, a young mermaid, in a tank. He frees her and she immediately is taken with him. The two become friends and companions, with Razette continuously trying to cheer Castor up; using her power to replicate any face, she changes her appearance to that of Castor's and smiles, causing him to burst into tears. After that day, Razette taught him how to smile.^[17]

Although he was the next heir in the God House, he had no interest to become the head of the family, telling Razette, "I'd like to become a puppet master. You'll sing, and I'll use my puppets. We'll perform on a grand stage, and travel the world together like that."^[18]. Their plan, however, was interrupted when the Raggs War began; their side was on the Raggs kingdoms and fought against the Barsburg Empire, resulting in their loss. In order to save their families, they had to bring the head of their house's master. Castor's father reveals that he actually cares about him a lot, saying that he can't give up his only beloved son. His father suggests that Razette changes her face to Castor's, and they'll execute her an bring the head to the empire. Just as he is about to kill Razette, Castor intervenes, and is mortally wounded by the sword.

Upon being told the story by Seilan, Xinglu's butler, while visiting the House of God, Teito is stunned because he recognizes Castor from the photos of Xinglu. Teito asks him if Xinglu survived the stab wound and is told that the young heir died, which stuns Teito because he knows Castor and Razette are living quite happily back at the church. It turns out that when he died he became a Ghost; this explains why he never told his family that he was still alive because the identity of the 07 Ghosts must remain a secret.

After Teito discovers that Castor and Frau are both one of the Seven Ghosts, Castor decides to wipe away Teito's memories of the incident, because their identities must remain a secret. Frau, however, stops him, telling him that if he takes away Teito's memories of when Frau revealed himself as Zehel, Teito will not remember Mikage's last smile (Frau transformed to save him when Mikage was possessed by Ayanami).

His birthday is the 24th of December. He was voted fourth in the latest popularity poll in Monthly Comic Zero Sum.^[19]

Labrador (ラブラドール, Raburadōru^?) Voiced by: Miyata Kouki

A bishop whose hobby is gardening, he gives Teito a flower of protection at the start of the manga which later saves his life during an encounter with a Kor. He also gives Teito a drink made from sweet flowers to heal his 'wounds of the heart'. During battles, he is able to use flowers and vines as weapons. An omake has confirmed that he is a Ghost, known as 'Profe'.

Hakuren Oak (ハクレン・オーク, Hakuren Ōku^?) Voiced by: Fukuyama Jun

Teito's roommate at the church and, at first, his self-proclaimed rival for the priesthood exam. They first meet soon after Mikage's death and Hakuren is walking by Teito in the church. Teito mistakes him for Mikage since they look somewhat similar, but upon looking closer, realizes it is someone else. Upon seeing that Teito is training to become a bishop a well, he states that Teito is now his rival. Teito is thinking that there is something about Hakuren that is a bit familiar to him until Hakuren asks Teito whether middle school children were starting to take the exam as well. Teito suddenly realizes that Hakuren sounds a lot like Shuuri Oak, his tormentor from the military academy.

It turns out that Hakuren is related to Shuuri and he and Teito immediately despise each other, even thinking "if this wasn't a sanctuary, I would beat him up".^[20] After trading insults, Teito asks Hakuren why someone from the noble Oak family, having a reputation for being in the military and the government, would pursue a life at the church. Later in the day, upon hearing that they are roommates, both of them demand a change, but are unable to. Because they are roommates, they are also assigned as partners for training and the examination.

Eventually, they apologize for being so rude to each other and become friends. After Teito tells him about how Burupya is the reincarnation of his friend, Hakuren tells him about why he came to the church to become a bishop. When he was very young, his mother was taken by a Kor. His father was ashamed and simply locked her up in her room so that no one would know about it, but Hakuren suggested asking the Church for help exterminating the Kor. His father refused, but later Frau came to his house and healed his mother.^[21] Hakuren believed that he was God who answered his prayers and since that day, wanted to become just like Frau. After telling Teito his story, he felt embarrassed, but they became good friends. Their friendship is further developed when a Wars attacks the two of them after training and Teito grabs Hakuren's hand to stop him from falling.^[22] They both end up falling out of the building and have to be saved by Frau.

After that incident, Hakuren offers Teito a handshake, calling him a 'comrade'.^[23] Teito hesitates, remembering how he became friends with Mikage but ended up being unable to protect him. He then tells Hakuren he'll be friends with him when he's strong enough to protect him. Eventually, they become best friends, and before parting ways to begin their apprenticeship after completing the exam, promise each other that when they next meet they'll be much stronger. He is now working as an apprentice bishop for Castor, sending Teito mail whenever he can.

His birthday is the 15th of October. Hakuren was ranked fifth in the latest popularity poll in Monthly Comic Zero Sum.^[24]

Ayanami (アヤナミ, Ayanami^?) Voiced by: Hayami Shou

The main antagonist. He is the man who killed Teito's 'Father' and seeks the Eye of Mikhail, though he seems to also be searching for 'Zehel'. His relationship with the 07-Ghosts is unknown, but he seems to be working for Verloren. It has been revealed that Ayanami is the owner of Frau's scythe; however, how his scythe came into Frau's possession is still unknown.

He is a cold and merciless character, and will not hesitate to kill someone without remorse. The sometimes crazy antics of his subordinates annoy him to no end. He is very dedicated to his country. His cruelty really shows when he holds Mikage in for questioning after Teito's escape; he gives Mikage the choice between telling him where Teito went or he would kill his family. He then possesses Mikage's soul and when Mikage finally finds Teito, takes over his body and forces him to attack Teito. In the end, Teito and Frau are forced to kill Mikage, which takes its toll on Teito emotionally. Ayanami later states that it was necessary to kill Mikage in front of Teito's very own eyes so that Teito would come after Ayanami in revenge.

In one of the more lighthearted official doujinshis/omakes, Ayanami is shown trying to find a pet, but all the animals are afraid of him.

Michael

A god that possesses Teito's body through the Eye of Mikhail. When in control of Teito's body, Teito's irises become red and his pupils become slits. He is very fond of Teito, and is put out by the slave collar that limits his strength. Though extremely powerful, he tends to act like a petulant child and often makes undignified faces when talking with the Bishops. Later in the series, the Eye of Michael is stolen.

Minor characters

Miroku (ミロク, ???^?)

The chairman who had Teito as his favorite student.

Shuri Oak (シュリ・オーク, Shuri Ōku^?) Voiced by: Miyu Irino

A student from the prestigious Oak family, he often bullies Teito because he was a slave. During the final exam, Teito saves his life even though he has a grudge against him. Later, through connections with his father, he becomes a subordinate to Ayanami. Because Konatsu saved his life, he idolizes him greatly.

He is very cowardly, conceited, and spoiled. He annoys the other Black Hawks so much that Hyuuga simply throws him out of the aircraft on a battlefield, claiming he was just sending him on the front lines. He is about to be killed before Konatsu saves him.

His birthday is the 3rd of February.

Razette (???, ???^?)

A noel mermaid, who was rescued by Castor. She currently sings in the church.

Fia Kruez (フェア・クロイツ, Fea Kuroitsu^?)

Originally only known as "Father" to Teito, he took Teito into a church and raised him. When Teito was a child, he taught him many things, including the majority of the church's writings. Fia Kruez was excommunicated from the Church shortly after Teito left, for escaping with Pandora's Box.

He cared for Teito very much, having raised him and being his primary father figure. He is actually the King's younger brother, making him Teito's blood uncle. Although there are many differences between him and Frau, Teito is still reminded of Kruez a lot when Frau is being serious.

Fia Kruez is also another of the 07-Ghosts, Vertrag.

Jio (ジオ, Jio^?)

An old Bishop at the church with one scarred eye. He is the leader of the seven Bishops and suspects spies in the church.

Bastien (バスティン, Basutin^?)

A high-ranking priest, he oversees the teaching of acolytes (people who will take the exam to become a priest). He was Frau's teacher in the past, and is his most important person.

Hyuuga (ヒュウガ, Hyūga^?)

One of Ayanami's subordinates. He refers to Ayanami as 'Aya-tan'. He is almost never seen without a lollipop (or candy apple thing) in his mouth and is always wearing dark sunglasses. He is always joking, being silly and never acts serious. This is shown in an omake when he and Frau attend a parent teacher meeting and embarrass Konatsu and Teito. Hyuuga is also very skilled with the sword.

His birthday is the 8th of July.

Konatsu Warren (コナツ, Konatsu-Wōren^?)

Hyuuga's subordinate, he often gets exasperated at Hyuuga for failing to do his work. Recently, he also has to put up with Shuuri, who idolizes him. He is often the 'normal one' in a group full of crazy people and is shown 'reaching his limit' when no one is doing any work and are just playing around. This is interesting as it humanizes the villains.

When he was young, he was only 'ordinary', possessing no special powers. Even so, he was the best swordsman in the academy, and had top marks in the examination.^[25] However, he wanted to give up that spot so that he could be part of the Black Hawks.

Soon after applying, he is rejected since the Black Hawks don't have any need of a human without warsfeil (black magic). All his hard work with the sword couldn't make up for being gifted with that talent. Hyuuga sees him one day and challenges him to a sword fight, telling him that if he can land one hit on him, he'll give him a sword.

Konatsu ends up losing quite badly, but in the hospital, Hyuuga visits him and gives him the sword, along with an application for the Black Hawks for Konatsu to sign, to his surprise.

Kuroyuri (クロユリ, Kuroyuri^?)

The youngest of Ayanami's subordinates, Kuroyuri often goes on missions with Haruse.

Kuroyuri's gender is actually a point of contention in the manga. In one omake panel, Hyuuga asks for an answer to which Kuroyuri's response is "Do you want to die?"

His/Her birthday is the 25th of September.

Haruse (ハルセ, Haruse^?)

Kuroyuri's subordinate, who often accompanies Kuroyuri on missions.

Lance (ランセ, Ranse^?)

A flamboyant Bishop who organizes the priesthood examination and oversees it. He considers Frau his rival. It has been revealed that he is one of the Ghosts, Rilect.

Terminology

• Kor translates 'familiar' (as in a 'familiar' to a mage) - Serves Verloren and grants humans their wishes in exchange for their souls.
• Verloren is a German word, meaning 'lost' or 'missing'.
• Wars translates 'darkness' - A Kor that gains a human soul from granting three wishes.
• Warsfeil translates 'black magician' - Someone who can control Wars.
• Begleiter translates 'attendent' - Attendent to a higher officer.
• Klein translates 'small'.
• Frau translates 'woman' or 'Mrs'.
• Kruez translates 'Cross'.
• Baculus translates to 'staff', and is used by bishops to face Kor. It can be used to wield the power of light and darkness equally, as seen in Chapter 16; all that's required is to say the scriptures in reverse as an incantation. Incidentally if someone using a Wars or black magic touches a baculus, it will become tainted, and will turn black.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of 07 Ghost chapters

07 Ghost is currently serialized in the monthly magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum published by Ichijinsha. Seven compilation volumes have been released as of January 2009, and the manga is ongoing with no clear end in sight. It has been licensed by Go! Comi for the North American release; volume 1 was released in November 2008, and the following volumes are being released on a bi-monthly schedule. The Noth American release has taken much care for the quality of the licensed version; the production team was nominated for Eisner Award for Best Presentation of Japanese Material last year, with the finest translation and the highest production values.^[26]

Drama CD

A drama CD was also released in 2007, known as Kamisama ni Todoku Koibumi. It features many of the same voice actors that will be reprising their roles for the anime.^[27] Following the success of the first CD, a new drama CD was released in February 2009 entitled "07-ghost: "Seventh District" (Limited Edition)".^[28] It is priced at 2500 yen, is 70 minutes long, and features the same voice cast for the previous cd and the anime. A bonus track of the cast's comments and a specially drawn jacket/cover by the mangaka are also included.^[29]

Anime

It has been announced quite recently that 07 Ghost would be getting an anime adaptation. The studio that is in charge is Studio DEEN. The anime staff at Studio DEEN includes director Nobuhiro Takamoto (Tenchi in Tokyo, Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~), series script supervisor Natsuko Takahashi (Antique Bakery, Moyashimon), character designer Maki Fujii (Kannazuki no Miko, Hakushaku to Yōsei), animation director Yukiko Ban (Gintama, .hack//SIGN), and musical composer Kotaro Nakagawa (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, s-CRY-ed). Mitsuki Saiga, Daisuke Namikawa, Junichi Suwabe, Susumu Chiba, Kouki Miyata, and Sho Hayami head the cast, most of whom are returning from the earlier vocal drama CD adaptation. It has been announced that the opening theme song is "Aka no Kakera" by Yuuki Suzuki and the ending theme song is "Hitomi no Kotae" by Noria. ^[30] The show is said to be premiering in April 6, 2009, and appears to be following the manga's plotline so far. The official website is already up and features the trailer, character designs, mp3 files previewing the opening and ending themes, downloadable icons and wallpapers, and the cast voice actors.^[31]

Episode list

#	Episode title	Original air date
01	"The Future of Painful Thoughts is" "Setsunaru Omoi no Yukusue wa" (切なる想いの行く末は)	April 6, 2009

Reception

The series is very popular in Japan, having released two drama CDs and appearing on the cover of its magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum several times^[32]. Even before being licensed for North American release, it has a large fan following overseas already. Its popularity has also led to an anime series airing in April^[33] and the manga has been licensed for release in North America^[34] by Go! Comi. 07 Ghost has also enjoyed very high ratings and Volume 7 was one of the top 25 best selling manga in Japan in December.^[35]

“With its amazing artwork, exciting characters, and engrossing story, 07-Ghost is truly a cut above. It appeals to all types of manga fans across the board.”

—Audry Taylor, Anime Insider Press Release^[36]

References

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at 07 Ghost. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. The text of this Wikinfo article is available under the GNU Free Documentation License and the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license. English | Română | edit

External links

• Yukimachi's (illustrator) official site (Japanese)
• Go! Comi's official 07-GHOST site