Characters / Hero Killer

Ihwa

I am the Hero Killer

Gift: Power Copying ^note can use the powers of gifted individuals she touches, but only for a set amount of times. To keep it permanently, she must kill the copied target with her own hands.

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The protagonist. Her sister's death at the hands of the hero clan made her swear to find and kill whoever did it, no matter how many Heroes she must kill to get there.

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• Anti-Hero: At her best, she's this, with her goal in the series being vengeance for her murdered sister by any means necessary even if it means becoming a Villain to see things through. That said, she cares greatly for her allies and friends made from both the Heroes and Villain side.
• Befriending the Enemy: Despite her mission just being to infiltrate the Hero Clan in order to acquire intel, Ihwa does legitimately form strong bonds with the Hero Trainees and proctors that she works with and considers them her friends. It's to the point that when Chain points out the possibility of her coming into conflict with them if her cover is blown, instead of entertaining killing them she ignores said possibilty altogether.
• Big Eater: To a comical degree.
• Characterization Marches On: Prior to Hero Trials arc, Ihwa was primarily showcased as being pretty coolheaded and intelligent, both in and out of battle. Even moreso than Vector, who she even lumped in with Sinclair and John as being 'idiots'. Once the Trials start, more of her temper, airheadedness and goofier nature became more pronounced outside of battle and its stuck ever since.
• Cool Big Sis: Acts as such to the both the Torch, core Nameless not named Engen and even the Hero Trainees she graduated with. She even refers to the first two as being 'kids' to her.
• Combat Pragmatist: She's not above playing dirty if means securing a victory, from using a Gift to trap strong enemies in a dimension that is guaranteed to kill them or just sicing the entirety of the core Nameless if the opponent is too strong. Justified, since while she is strong, her Gift working off of touch and needing her to kill someone to acquire their power permanently means she often is put on the backfoot against much stronger enemies. So keeping ahead means pretty much doing whatever she can, even dishonorable methods.
• Discard and Draw: What she's forced to do if she doesn't kill the target of her Gift copying. She can only use the power a limited number of times before it completely depletes, meaning she'll have to copy the power again or kill the original user. In her own words, this makes her fighting style a sort of a card game (with Item cards) as she decides which abilities she has to use even if it means not being able to use them in the future.
• Flat Joy: Ihwa has Reduced Affect Display, a mental condition that reduces her ability to express emotions. While she's capable of the full spectrum of emotions, her range of faces is limited to stoic, scowling, or pursing her lips in a giant O. Even her headspace when she's giddy inside is affected!
• Genius Ditz: While Ihwa may be very skilled at fighting with the strategic mind to guide her in her missions, outside of battle, it's pretty clear she can be rather airheaded, socially awkward, childish and quite the oddball. All while not emoting much at all.
• Hero Killer: Her Villain name is literally Hero Killer with the main focus being her fighting the Hero Clan, killing its morally bankrupt members or those who oppose her in her quest for vengeance for her sister.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: Early in the story, she joins the Hero Clan to help Engen and gain information on her sister. Can't get much more plain sight then that.
• Lightning Bruiser: After stealing Jade's gift, her mastery with it increases to the point she may have surpassed him. This combined with access to an increasing assortment of permanent and temporary abilities make her a force to be reckoned with.
• Power Copying: Her gift. It comes with rules and limitations, and she can't use gifts as well as powerful or practiced users before she practices and gains enough power on her own.
• Revenge: Her driving force and reason for living. The Hero Clan killed her sister for reasons she doesn't yet know, and she will stop at nothing to figure out why, and kill all responsible.
• Sticky Fingers: When it comes to weapons, if Ihwa tends to see one she likes she'll go out of her way to try and steal it for herself. Sometimes discreetly, often times killing or knocking out the previous owners.
• The Stoic: It is extremely rare to see her lose her cool. She has been shown to even fake anger to manipulate people into underestimating her, and most of the time she's calculating and cold. Even in flashbacks of her sister's death, her expression doesn't betray what she was feeling at the time.
• The Strategist: The nature of her gift requires her to constantly weight decisions, such as which temporary gift to use up and which to save for later, which she usually does with calculating precision. She also ruthlessly considers who to kill in order to keep a gift for good, even supposed allies.
• Took a Level in Badass: Due to the nature of her abilities allowing peramently copying anyone she personally kills, this happens rather frequently as long as she has the skill to properly use the stolen gift:
  • She first levels up by killing Jade, complementing her natural speedy and brutal fighting style with enhanced speed, strength, and electricity.
  • Her next major upgrade is Killer's Time from Condor, giving her more strategic options against opponents and allowing her to use multiple borrowed gifts at once inside the Killer's dimension.
  • The next big leap was improving on Jade's ability beyond the original, changing the lighting's color to red and massively increasing the output, speed and strength.
  • After killing Jintae Yang, she acquires the Torch as well as his Gift, giving her another massive power boost.
• Villain Protagonist: If the name of the series and her own alias of Hero Killer didn't tip one off then her joining essentially a terrorist group with the desire of destroying the Hero Clan to get vengeance definitely puts her in this category.
• Wild Card: At her core Ihwa is this. Despite being a Villain, her desire is mainly to gain vengeance for her sister, a goal that aligns with her new organization within the Nameless, who desires to bring down the Hero Clan. A reoccuring point in the series is that, while Ihwa does care for her fellow Nameless members, as she befriends the upright Heroes of the Clan and the Nameless continue their venture, its noted that there may be a time where her goals and Engen's don't align anymore, with the possibility of her defecting. This possibility eventually becomes true in chapter 165 when she decides to leave the Nameless due to Engens actions during the invasion of Castle Grey.

Yeon/Kasha

"Ihwa. Promise me to leave this place when i die. Promise me to forget everything, and leave it all behind...and just live your life freely. Not worrying about anything...and just pursuing your own happiness. But if, for some reason, you decide to avenge me with your own hands... Take extra steps to ensure the demise of the individual that slayed me. That way, the world will remember who i was."

Ihwa's sister, who's death at the hands of the Hero Clan spurs Ihwa's vengeance and kickstarts the plot.

• Dark and Troubled Past: Aside from her connection to the Lawless Land where the Hero Clan doesn't hold much presence, she was involved with the clan's black ops operations, and was killed by the clan for some reason.
• Ret-Gone: Whatever she had her hands in, the Hero Clan deemed it so dangerous they deleted any mention of her in most databases, to the point even someone as knowledgeable as Engen did not recognize her name or title. Even the memories of the people involved in her death have been wiped.
• World's Strongest Man: Her Kasha nickname is not your average Hero Clan designation, but the title of the strongest person in The Lawless Land. It is not yet not known how she compares to the Elders, the other candidates for this title. It's eventually revealed that the used to be the sixth finger of the Black Hand, meaning she was the strongest of an entire branch of the hero clan.

The Nameless

The Nameless in general

The Remnant of the organization known formerly as Nera, that lost the fight for world dominantion. Their true name was hidden and banned by the victorious Hero Clan, and so the remnants became known as The Nameless. Of their current roster, only The Smiling Man actually participated in the war, with the rest joining him for varied reasons.

• Even Evil Has Standards: What at least sets them apart from most Villains, barring one or two members (like Engen). A lot are motivated by revenge against the Hero Clan's corruption, personal grievances, a desire to change or just desire to make a mark on history instead of depravity or vileness. While they hold no care for Heroes (barring their own needs), most of them care about civilians enough to not want to put them in danger. It's to the point Vector, the weakest of them, nearly fought Engen who was going to put civilian's in harm's way due to his plans.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: While the Smiling Man himself is a recognized threat, the Nameless as an organization wasn't super well established as a threat given their low numbers and lack of significant activity. It was only after the 17 District Attack where they established themselves as a proper threat to the world, and attracted more people to work with them, albeit temporarily/not without others having their own motives.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: What they amount to nowadays. The Smiling Man is the only one with a grand vision of a world not ruled by the Hero Clan, with the rest of the group having other, sometime contradictory motives for helping him.
• The Remnant: A tiny shadow of their former power, being an organisation of a couple of people where in their glory days they were an army large enough to give the Hero Clan a run for its money. That said, The Smiling Man's reputation and power allows him to pressure other criminal groups into joining and expanding his ranks.
• True Companions: While they don't care for Heroes, and civilians lives are incidental for some, the core Nameless do seem to see each other as pretty much the closest thing they have to family or actual friends.

Engen, The Smiling Man

The Nameless have come

Gift: Shadows^note  Able to manifest and manipulate shadows to physically attack.

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The series' deuteragonist. A survivor of the losing side in the war that ended with the Hero Clan's victory, Engen is the most well known "Villain" and the strongest gift user shown that's not part of the Hero Clan. He leads the Nameless, the remnants of those who once fought the clan. Is known as the Smiling Man despite not smiling much, and he has a scar that looks like a giant smile.

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• Authority Equals Asskicking: The leader of the Nameless and not only the strongest of the organization, but one of the strongest villains in the entire story. It's this strength that allows him to get more underlings as the story progresses.
• Always Someone Better: The Elders are this to him. Engen is a terrifying individual even by the superpowered standards of the settings, but is consistently shown to be no match versus the demigod-like Elders, the eight strongest gift users of the Hero Clan.
• Bad Boss: To anyone that isn't a core part of the Nameless. He shows no cares for the lives of the many minor or even major side Villains he has fighting on his behalf. In the latter case, he's not above physically threatening them to stay in line, such as the case of Jintae or the Abyss Dancer. When Vector points out just how many of the Villains they recruited were wiped out during their attacks on the Hero Trials, Engen dismisses the casualties and notes more Villains will eventually take their place.
• Casting a Shadow: His gift. Mostly used as a physical force to attack enemies, and strong enough to topple skyscrappers.
• The Determinator: In-story he has failed twice to lead his forces to destroy the Hero Clan, but it doesn't stop him from trying for a third attempt with the Nameless. He is simply someone that doesn't know the meaning of 'giving up'.
• Establishing Character Moment: The 17th district arc is this for him. It shows how he's considerably stronger than even veteran Hero Clan members, how his powers are weaker during the day, and implies just how far he's willing to go for his goals. It also cements his inferiority to the Elders' powers, and thus the need to train Ihwa to one day overcome them.
  • Similarly, the siege of Castle Grey serves as a follow-up. It shows his growth into the levels of the previously unbeatable Elders, commanding respect and brute forcing his way through the castle's best gift users with little trouble, with only the inevitable confrontation with Reagen himself, one of the Elders, presenting a threat.
• Hour of Power: Downplayed. He grows significantly stronger at nighttime, but even at day time everyone is terrified of him beside the godlike Elders and a suit wielding Chaos.
• The Leader: Of the Nameless, but this goes further with his past of being the leader of Nera and becoming its king.
• Powers Do the Fighting: Since his shadows serve as both defense and offense, when he fights he's usually content with just the barest of hand movements.
• The Remnant: The most notable member. There are other scattered groups not loyal to the clan, but The Smiling Man is the most prolific of them and one of the few old enough to have actually fought in the war.
• Slasher Smile: Engen usually lets his Glasgow Grin smile for him, but on the rare occasions where he goes all out, he can out-smile Joker.
• Start of Darkness: He was enlisted as a young soldier by Nera when the organisation was at it's prime. he was slated to inherit both its throne and the powerful Torch that powered its original leader. Then the Steel Witch happened,and all his dreams, and potential subordinates, turned to dust. He's been fighting a losing war ever since, and seemingly lost any compunctions he might have had about how to win it.
• Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Averted. He's the villain, and he did not forget. Knowing the opportunity to attack castle grey is too precious to waste, but also hopeless without having anyone strong enough to face Reagan Sinclair, Engen made sure he's ready and climbed the Tower of Milen Kula. The training and resulting power up he got from there made him comparable to the Elders, cementing him as amongst the very top of the story's gift users, and ready to challenge Reagan himself.

Rachel Sinclar

You don't seem to be a strong fighter.

Gift: Plants Emission^note  Can conjure plants from her body to attack, as well as trap the enemy in a dream like dimension.

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One of The Smiling Man's underlings, Rachel is a deceptively sweet looking girl that has little compunction to murder whomever Engen requires. Her past as the abused and bastard daughter of one of the Elders is the main reason she joined the Nameless

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• A Fate Worse Than Death: Inverted. To those that manage to piss her off, she traps them forever in her plant dimension.
• Affably Evil: Is the most friendly and upbeat person in the Nameless, often showing concern for her allies and acting generally like a regular perky adult. All this while also being the type to show her enemies no mercy.
• Broken Bird: Used to be a sweet girl happily living with her mother in a harsh but simple life. Then the politics of the castle ended up with her mother dead and her being dragged by carriage through snow, and it was intended she'd die from starvation or frost. The girl's mental state seemed to have been broken then, and she keeps a serene smile ever since.
• Dark and Troubled Past: She lived as a poor bastard child in a snowy kingdom ruled by her Elder father. While she was at least happy with her mother and uncle, when both tried to escape from the kingdom with her, her uncle got killed and mother captured. Sinclair only lived from her punishment thanks to Engen's intervention, which inspired her to take revenge against her Elder father.
• Difficult, but Awesome: Her Gift consumes a lot of EST so she doesn't try to go all out too much, but given the trade off is essentially sending her enemies to another dimension, possbily for life, it balances out.
• Genki Girl: Is the most upbeat, energetic and openly friendly of the Nameless lot.
• Light Is Not Good: She's a smiley, blonde haired woman...who will happily attack any with sawblade if she has to fight you. Considering the above, that is the best possible outcome if you have to fight her.
• Plant Person: Common amongst descendants of her Elder father, Rachel can manifest plant life for varied offensive and defensive uses.
• Revenge: Like Ihwa, Rachel is driven by the desire to kill the one responsible for ruining her life, which just so happens to be her demigod-like Elder father.
• Stepford Smiler: She often wears a big smile and blush on her face, but her fight with Sharpshooter pretty much shows that much of that is her just putting up a front to mask just how bitter, angry, sad and guilty she actually is feeling.

John Nash

John Nash

Gift: Mercury^note  His whole body is made out of liquid mercury he can cantrol at will.

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A seemingly immortal brute capable of healing even head crushing injuries. His motives are completely unknown and he barely speaks, but he's deferent to Engen and that's enough to make him a member.

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• Dark and Troubled Past: While much of it remains unknown, John was created by the research team Vector was apart of. Though why he chooses to stay and help Vector, alongside the Nameless remains largely unknown.
• Dumb Muscle: John isn't too bright (likely as a result of his artificial creation) and his only strategy in battle seems to be wailing on his enemies with impressive force.
• Healing Factor: By far the most effective shown so far. His entire body exploding didn't stop him from coming back at a later chapter, seemingly fully healed. It's to the point he feels like a zombie.
• Karmic Death: Is brutally killed by Chaos during the Nameless attack on the 17th Branch due to killing Viper. Thankfully, his healing factor has him put back together, gradually.
• Not So Stoic: While he doesn't usually emote, after the second time he was 'killed' and turned back to his chibi form he expresses embarassment after being defeated so easily again and Ihwa getting exasperated with him for it.
• Poisonous Person: Mercury in gas form is extremely poisonous to the human body. While most Gift users do have some degree of resistance, fighting John Nash for a prolonged period of time is not a good idea.
• The Stoic: Even worse than Ihwa, aside from rare fits of anger he never shows emotion, and it's not yet known what his goals are.
• Super-Deformed: His state after he 'dies'. While his healing factor can, eventually, bring him back to his strong adult self, he'll have to bear with essentially just being a chibi for a good while.
• The Quiet One: Rarely speaks.
• Unskilled, but Strong: John is strong enough to punch someone's head off, but lacks the finesse his peers have. He has no real strategy beyond tanking hits and punching hard.
• The Worf Effect: One of the strongest members of the Nameless, physically speaking. Add together his healing factor and most of his major fights so far has had the courtesy of showcasing him get blown to smithereens to show off how much of a threat the Nameless' enemy is. If not that, then he's bound to be hurt or knocked out at the very least.
• Younger Than They Look: If art of the Nameless as kids are to be believed, John is likely the youngest member of the Nameless, being depicted as a baby while everyone else was in pre-school..

Vector

Vector

Gift: Portals^note  Creates portals to other areas, be they close or far. He can transport himself and others this way, or use it to launch attacks from unexpected directions.

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A mysterious man hiding his face in a gas-mask with more compunctions about villainy than other members of the Nameless. He serves as the medical expert of the team, and his portal Gift is invaluable for keeping the group mobile.

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• Butt-Monkey: Often the object of comedy at his expense by Ihwa and Rachel. Interestingly, Engen treats him with respect, and his skills and gift are invaluable for the group. It seems to be more of a result of his mild personality clashing with the more unruly group members.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The laughing stock of the group is the only one who dared challenge The Smiling Man, who even Ihwa called "far too powerful". He backed down, but it doesn't seem the main reason was fear.
• Dark and Troubled Past: He was apart of a research team that was involved in the creations of John Nash and Daemon. While much of this past is unknown for now, its implied he at least escaped from that life and joined the Nameless to be the change instead of a bystander.
• The Fettered: The only member of the Nameless to show meaningful care towards human lives. Ihwa and Rachel are consumed by vengeance and will not hesitate to murder whoever stands in their way, but Vector called Engen on the numberless casualties his path might lead to, even threatening him to a fight despite Engen being established as the strongest Gift user shown beside the Elders. However, he backed down when Engen mentioned his past as a "bystander", so it seems guilt at some past sins drove him to give up his morals.
• Only Sane Man: In a group full of reckless, rather ditzy and even downright insane individuals, Vector stands out as being the only one exasperated with the group's antics and their methods.
• The Smart Guy: He's the group's resident doctor, as well as the only member of the Nameless that is actually educated. While he isn't the most tactical, he is still highly intelligent and more than aware of the implications of each plan's actions.
• Thinking Up Portals: His gift allows him to create portals to anywhere, pretty much making him the best transportation in the entire story.
• Weak, but Skilled: He's the weakest member of the Nameless, but his skills with his portals are second to none and is what allows the group to stay ahead of law enforcement. In addition, he's quick enough with his portals to be the one to beat Sharpshooter by using a drug to knock her out.

Baekji

Gift Vampire^note  Can turn herself into a swarm or even a singular bat, in addition to flight and having a need to drink blood.

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A vampiric girl who acts as a scout and information-gatherer for the group. Formally joins the core group after the events of the Hero Trials and Ihwa acquiring of the Torch.

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• Affably Evil: Will brutally kill or attack anyone in her way when it comes to her missions, but is legitimately friendly to her comaptriots in the Nameless and eager to get to know them better.
• Combat Pragmatist: Arguably the biggest one of the group, being more willing to act like a classic villain, such as wanting to use civilians as leverage against Paladin (only to be comedically shut down by the others for being 'too villainous'). This is played for a more somber example, as half of the Nameless being captured by Jintae's group and fileld in territory with strong foes has her wanting to just leave the others behind, though is saddened to come to that conclusion.
• Early-Bird Cameo: She actually appeared as far back as chapter 29 of the series, with her signature baseball cap being barely seen in the midst of the other Nameless.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: With the mission to kill Paladin having resulted in half of the Nameless in Nostra being captured by Team Yang and swarming with very deadly Heroes, she (very reluctantly) wanted to take the remnants and escape (even suggesting that Sinclair and Bagna were replaceable). The last part gets her slapped by Vector.
• No Sense of Personal Space: To poor Vector as he's pretty much her go-to victim to drain blood out of, even teasing him that she's only doing it to him because he's the weakest.
• Our Vampires Are Different: Has fangs, can fly, turn into bats and even a compulsion to suck blood, but she seems to be lacking the ability to turn others into vampires themselves and isn't really fazed by the sun.
• Remember the New Guy?: She only made a formal appearance when intercepting the morgue transport, but she's been with the Nameless even before Ihwa, having been away from the core team in order to gather intel.
• The Strategist: She usually is the one who makes the plans for the rest of the group.
• The Swarm: Can turn herself into a swarm of bats for offense, defense or even distraction purposes.
• Villainous Rescue: Saves Ihwa following the Hero Killer's 'death' against High Noon and Jintae, springing her from being sent to the morgue after the enemies assumed Ihwa was dead for real (unaware she used Nash's ability to survive).

Bagna

I am Bagna,son of Nugal

Gift Pyrokinesis^note  Can create and control fire

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A new recruit to the core Nameless that was sought out based upon recommendation from his father, Nugal, prior to his death. He seeks to ignite the hottest flame in the world.

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• Ambiguously Bi: Played for Laughs. He ends up mistaking his fear for Ihwa and Engen as love, not helped by Rachel's trickery. Still, he does seem to overall accept his 'feelings' suggesting he's not the type to care either way.
• Defeat Equals Friendship: Joined the Nameless after being defeated by Engen in a match that would decide the loser's fate.
• Dumb Muscle: He's a powerhouse, but his time living in the slums with his father away from most of society has left him somewhat socially stunted and naive.
• No Social Skills: He's been seperated from society due to living in the outskirts, thus he has trouble sorting out his feelings and holds no real experience with people just yet.
• Playing with Fire: His Gift allows him to control and manipulate fire.
• Too Dumb to Live: His first apparent idea after being in the presence of the Torch (who isn't proficient with her power yet) is to ask to get his Gift enhanced. Almost immediately does he lose control and nearly ends up burning off the Torch's hair. Something that, when he tried to help fix it, got him mistaken for being an enemy and punched through a wall by Ihwa.

Nenya (The Torch)

You were born to die, Nenja!

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A girl whose human sacrifice could turn people into gods. Naturally, she's been kidnapped and abused her whole life, with the intent someone would kill her to absorb her power, eventually. She is the center of the Torch Escort and Torch Fight arcs, with Ihwa winning 'ownership' of her. Nenya becomes a surrogate sister to her, being attached to her new mentor, and her refusal to leave Ihwa has her join the Nameless.

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• Because You Were Nice to Me: Ihwa is the first person in her life that showed her any sort of kindness. For that reason, she immediately becomes attached to her.
• Morality Chain: of a sort. Ihwa slowly grows to care for her, and goes out of her way to ensure safety. That said, it doesn't stop her murder spree of anyone she deems a threat or a target.
• MacGuffin Super-Person: As the current host of the Torch, literally every major faction wants to get their hands on her.
• Powered by a Forsaken Child: Her being the child. Touching her can massively empower someone, more so if he actively wills it. And killing her can take the entire power permanently.

Pudding

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A jellyfish like being hatched from an egg Ihwa got from Prim the Wanderer. It is loyal to Ihwa, becoming a companion to her.

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Nameless Affiliates/ Nera Army

In General

Villains that opted to ally under Engen following the attack on the 17th Hero Clan branch. Be it willingly or otherwise. They are not apart of the core Nameless, but can be considered as affiliates that work with the Smiling Man in their attempts to bring down the Hero Clan. Usually, though a good number hold their own agenda.

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• Heel–Face Revolving Door: Pretty much a given when you're working with self-serving Villains, a lot whom need to be physically threatened into complying. As willing as they are one moment to work with Engen, the next moment they are clearly plotting against him for a bid of power or acting out in their own self-interest. The other Nameless, besides Engen, tend to bear the brunt of this chaotic arrangement (mostly since Engen is too strong for the rest to want to deal with).
• Not in This for Your Revolution: Most of the Villains recruited by Engen aren't really loyal to him, instead either wanting to make a name for themselves or working on behalf of their own organizations. Engen is well aware of this, which is partially why he holds no care for their lives.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: It's made clear repeatedly throughout the story that, while they are all on the same side, its for varying reasons with almost everyone having their own agenda and equally large part of them disliking or holding a grudge against each other. Thus, they are just as willing to fight with each other instead of being a proper force. Especially with Engen, like in the case of Jintae Yang.
• We Have Reserves: Engen holds no care for most of their lives, meaning ge has no problems with just throwing these Villains to their potential deaths.

Vendetta

Tokata

Scar

Gifts (Tokata) Wind^note  Can use wind attacks, (Scar) Starfish^note  Can form starfish like appendeges,

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A villainous gang that is lead by Tokata. His vice leader is Scar. They've earned a reputation for breaking out of prisons and holding a grudge.

The Vendetta leaders became members of Jintae Yang's gang during the Hero Trials arc, acting as extra muscle for Jintae's group. During the Nostra City arc, both would be killed during an attack on the Nameless. Scar was trapped in Rachel's dimension and killed by her, while Tokata killed by Jintae for disobeying his orders following Scar's death.

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• Affably Evil: Tokata and its to the point his camraderie is well-known even to the likes of news organizations.
• Arch-Enemy: Tokata is this for the Hero, Bare Knuckles, who threw him into prison on the first place. So much so that he hijacks a train Bare Knuckles was in with the intent to get him to show himself for a fight. too bad they didn't expect him to prefer to save his own hide....
• Arc Villain: Of the Train Hijacking Arc and again during the Hero Trials Treasure Hunt after aligning with Jintae Yang's gang.
• Ax-Crazy: Scar has a higher body count than his boss and got his name from leaving scars on his victims corpses.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Well, on paper. Currently, Vendetta is allied with Jintae Yang's gang...but in practice both Tokata and Scar are essentially pressured by the much stronger Jintae to be apart of his group. Case in point, the moment Tokata ends up not listening to Jintae and nearly killed Rachel for killing Scar, Jintae immediately slits his throat to kill him.
• Evil Counterpart: As apart of Jintae Yang's group, both serve as this to the two 'newest' additions to the Nameless faction:
  • Scar to Baekji. Both serve as the resident animal Gift user of their groups (Baekji being a vampire bat and Scar a starfish) capable of using their powers for mobility and attack purposes. Where they differ is that the casual Baekji is skilled in both covert affairs and fighting with a tactical mindset, Scar is a powerhouse that's only really good for brawling against weaker/less experienced foes.
  • Tokata to Bagna: Both are their group's resident long-range elemental users and are known for being affable, if a bit naive. Likewise, Tokata is a wind elemental user that holds the respect of a gang of his own beyond Team Yang and notoriety as a gangster, whilst Bagna is a fire elemental user that, while determined to make his mark on history, comes from a relatively unknown background in the slums.
• Fatal Flaw: For Scar it's his rage and overconfidence. He's easily able to be ticked off, thus leading him into situations where more skilled foes can easily bait him into a trap or take him out with relative ease. it becomes a literal fatal flaw when he ends up trapped and killed by Rachel for his temper outing him as the 'weak link'). For Tokata, its him being gullible, believing Ihwa's lie of her name being Vector, which lead to the situation of the real Vector getting kidnapped by Vendetta.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Scar is well known for his anger issues and he very easily goes off the lid just from being taunted. It's also the chief reason for how he gets defeated or hurt so often.
• Meaningful Name: Scar got his name from his infamous deeds of scarring dead bodies of his victims. His fight with Ihwa had her give it a new meaning after she slashes both his face and chest.
• Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Scar's Gift allows him to form starfish like arms to attack his oppoenets or use for mobility.
• Only Sane Man: Tokata serves this to both Scar, given his vice leader's temper issues and, to an extent, as a member of Jintae Yang's group, being well aware of the gang being down quite a deal of Villains after the Heroes intervened in the first part of the Hero Trials and the risk involved with just a small number to continue onwards.
• Papa Wolf: Tokata is this towards his gang. After being told some of his gangsters were killed by Ihwa, he began to weep and angrily attack her. He displays this rage again after Scar is killed by Rachel, but is killed by Jintae before he could murder her.
• Revenge: It's in their name. They're a gang that holds grudges against slights and will do anything they can to settle the score.
• Small Role, Big Impact: One of the Vendetta grunts, Dave, had a Gift that allowed to change his face. Once Ihwa kills him, she uses his Gift frequently as apart of her undercover stint as a Hero.
• Villainous Friendship: Tokata to the point that his fondness for his gang is actually well known and he cries when he's heard that Ihwa killed some of his team.

Team Yang

Team Yang

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A small group of Villains lead by Jintae Yang. They serve as main antagonists of the 1st Round of the Hero Trials Arc. They are a gang of villains that frequently clash with the Nameless in order to become the new face of villains for the new era.

As of the Castle Grey arc, Jintae is the only living member of his gang as Sapphire, Daemon and Condor ended up falling in their attempts to fight the Nameless. As such, Team Yang is disbanded.

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• Big Bad Duumvirate: With Vendetta, at least on paper. However, their meeting with Jintae quickly made it clear that the organization and its leaders weren't even remotely on equal terms to the much stronger quartet, who pretty much made both Tokata and Scar their hired muscle By the Nostra City Arc, this partnership has ended with the Vendetta bosses killed by Rachel and Jintae, respectively.
• Dwindling Party: While they were originally a quartet, with Tokata and Scar adding to their numbers as hired muscle, Condor was taken out during the Hero Trials arc to leave only five main stays over the course of the story. However, as of the Nostra City and Castle Grey arcs, their numbers had drastically been reduced as their clashes with the Nameless has lead to both Vendetta bosses, Daemon and Sapphire dying in the endeavor. Thus, leaving Jintae as the sole survivor.
• Evil Counterpart:
  • Jintae to both Engen & Ihwa: Jintae and Engen both serve as the boss for their respective factions, being the strongest of their gang, being highly ambitious and care only for the lives of those in their core group. For Ihwa, both represent a status as part of the new generations of Villains - filled with potential to shake the status quo of the world. Where Jintae differs is that, unlike either Ihwa or Engen, who tend to know when a challenge is too hard for them to take just yet or at least tries to account for it, he's quick to fight or scheme out of overconfidence for his skills.
  • Sapphire to Vector: She is the most rational and sneaky of her cohorts, with her mist-like Gift allows her to go around virtually undetected for surprise attacks or to gather information. Which are similar usages when it comes to Vector with his portals. How she differs is that she is known for her utmost respect and unquestioning loyalty for Jintae and serious attitude, which contrasts Vector having the courage to voice his concerns to Engen and his own panicky nature.
  • Daemon to John Nash: Daemon is the physical answer to Nash, holding Nash's aggressive tendencies. All wrapped up with bringing a dismissive, aggressive attitude to those he finder weaker than him, which Nash lacks. Both John Nash and Daemon have monster motifs, with John Nash being Frankenstein esque to Daemon's, well, demonic design. Considering both were created together, this parallel is very deliberate.
  • Condor to Sinclair: Both serve as their teams melee combatants with unusual weaponry (he fights with sickles and Sinclair with her giant sawblade), with the obvious of both Gifts allowing them to trap their foes in another dimension. Also, while both are ruthless in combat, they're the most approachable of their team and open for chatting if they desire (especially in their dimension). However, while Condor is associated with a rocky desert motif and his Gift is only good for killing enemies after a certain amount of time (albeit he doesn't become stronger while in said Gift), Sinclair's Gift takes her foes to a colorful plant world where she could potentially keep her enemies trapped forever and she grows immensely stronger while inside of it.
• The Rival: Acts as this to the Nameless, when not being forced to aid them, mainly since their desire to be the face of a new era clashes with the Nameless' being at the top, or rather just Engen.
• True Companions: Similarly to the Nameless, the members of this gang hold each other in high regards, with examples such as Jintae being furious over Condor's death and Sapphire's willingness to die for her leader.

Jintae Yang

Gift Healing ^note Can quickly heal injuries.

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An incredibly talented up and coming swordsman of the generation who did not participate in the historical wars of the Clan. He commands a small gang of his own and often goes against the Nameless rather than work with them.

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• The Ace: Of his generation at least. While there's plenty of bigger fish, everyone who meets him quickly note his obvious potential, and he's already one of the strongest characters shown. He also gave Ihwa, another outstanding one of their generation, a rare loss, with help from High Noon. And this is despite her using temporary trump cards such as Yushin's gift.
• Always Someone Better: Engen is this to him, and he knows it. Engen tries to use this to manipulate Jintae's ego by giving him a crushing defeat, but Ihwa notes it may have only spurred him further. Likewise, the Executioner also dwarfs him in skill, to the point Jintae needs to be saved by Sapphire to be spared, and even then loses his eyes as a result.
• Blind Weaponmaster: Becomes this after losing to the Executioner, as consequence for 'killing' Ihwa. That said, such a disability does not make him less deadly. After killing the Torch, he regains his eyesight.
• Cool Sword: His sword is capable into transforming into many shapes as long as he first unsheathes it from it's handle.
• Healing Factor: His Gift. It can heal most injuries, but some things like Yang's lost eyesight are beyond it's power. At least until he acquires the Torch.
• Iaijutsu Practitioner: His former master trained him extensively in this style, which Jintae can perform at blinding speed. This allows him to make the best use of his sword's unique abilities.
• Fatal Flaw: His overconfidence. While Jintae is clearly talented, he can also be quite rash and tends to overestimate his abilities. At best, this gets him 'humbled' by the Smiling Man. At worst? It cost him his eyesight against the Executioner.
  • After he acquires the Torch and becomes nigh-unkillable thanks to his boosted healing factor, he starts to neglect his defenses which proves to be fatal when Ihwa uses Bridle of Silence
• It's Personal: After Ihwa kills Condor, he makes it his mission to take revenge for his comrade. Following the Nostra arc, the feeling is very much mutual since he killed Nenja.
• Jerkass: Incredibly arrogant, ruthless and sadistic to all but those in his gang. In the Nostra City arc, he ends up slaughtering many civilians for no reason other than finding it fun.
• The Starscream: Was this to his old mentor, killing him and a dojo of his peers to acquire his weapon. Also serves as this to Engen, wanting to eventually become the new face of Villains. The Smiling Man is aware of this and makes it clear that won't be so simple.
• Weak, but Skilled: His gift is a useful but not too battle oriented. While some gift users have extremely powerful body strengh, his seems average. What makes him so dangerous is his sword combined with incredible talent at using it.

Sapphire

Sapphire

Gift Illusion Mist^note Her Gift seemingly allows for her to turn her body into a mist-like state, being thin enough to appear invisible and thus get the drop on her enemies or use for intel gathering. She can create illusions with it and even form a castle.

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A member of Jintae's gang and often by his side. During the Castle Grey arc, during Team Yang's attack on the Nameless, Sapphire was defeated by Ihwa and chose to kill herself to avoid her powers being stolen.

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• Ambiguously Brown: Has noticeably darker skin than most of the cast. Given her attire its genuinely possibly she might be from the Hero Killer's version of the Middle East.
• Better to Die than Be Killed: Before Ihwa could kill her, Sapphire stabs herself in the throatto prevent Ihwa from gaining her powers permanently to use against Jintae.
• Big Fancy Castle: Her Gift also allowed her to make a huge castle to act as a fortress for her teammates, seen in use during the fight against the Nameless.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: On the receiving end of it, during Team Yang's ambush on the Nameless during the Castle Gray arc, Sapphire ends up getting singled out by Ihwa who was very pissed off from Jintae killing Nenya. What ensues is Sapphire being trapped by in energy handcuffs while Ihwa quickly defeats her by beating her half to death.
• Dark and Troubled Past: She was apart of an anti-Gift village that saw Gifts as a curse. When her sister developed a gift, she was murdered by fire by her community in front of Sapphire. It was that day where she met Jintae and Condor, with the former helping her enact revenge by slaughtering her village. Thus explaining her devotion to Jintae. She remembers this after being beaten to near death by Ihwa.
• Eyes Always Shut: Her stand out trait is that her eyes are usually closed. When they are open, usually out of smug confidence, they reveal that her eyes are fully sapphire blue.
• Ms. Fanservice: Her outfit resembles that of an exotic dancer, exposing a deal of her cleavage and much of her midriff.
• Super Mist: Her Gift, seemingly, allows her to become as thin as mist itself, thus making her close to invisible and giving her ease to sneak up on her opponents. She can even create illusions with it, such as disguising as Vector during Team Yang's fight against the Nameless.
• Undying Loyalty: She is very protective and loyal to Jintae, even going as far as preventing him from being killed by the Executioner, noting that if she can't see the world Jintae envisions she'd rather die protecting him. It's this love that prevents the Executioner from killing Jintae. Case in point, its this love that has her kill herself to avoid any chance of her power being used against Jintae.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Her hair is white, but she's a Villain through and through, having no qualms in murdering or hurting others that are unaffiliated with her group.

Daemon

Daemon

Gift Demon ^note Can turn himself into a demonic like monster

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Another underling of Jintae Yang. During the Castle Grey Arc, Daemon is eventually killed during Team Yang's ambush on the Nameless' takeover of Castle Grey. The ambush fails and Daemon ends up defeated by the Nameless, with Ihwa killing him.

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• The Brute: Serves as such to Jintae, always rushing to put his all into fighting his enemies even if the Villains current state is at a disadvantage or in face of a stronger opponent. He's noted to be strong as Jintae prior to Jintae being boosted by the Torch. During the Castle Grey arc he's able to put Rachel on the backfoot, despite her taking the fight to her dimension (though he notes that Rachel was reserving a lot of her power for her father). It takes Ihwa with Vector and Rachel's assistance to finally put him down.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Was artificially created by Vector's research team years back, alongisde John Nash. Thus, one can imagine he wasn't too happy seeing Vector again during Team Yang's fight against the Nameless.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Tokata noting that their alliance was severely undermanned following their first mission in the Hero Trials and questioning their current strategy was enough for him to transform slightly and call him weak.
• Meaningful Name: His name is Daemon and his Gift allows him to turn into one.
• Our Demons Are Different: His Gift seems to allow him to turn himself into a seemingly demonic hybrid. As it stands the extent of this power is unknown.
• See You in Hell: Vows to Vector that the scientist won't find peace in the afterlife before he's murdered by Ihwa.

Condor

Condor

Gift Killer's Time^note  A seperate dimension where he or his opponents will die when a sandglass's timer run out, forcing them to fight to the death.

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A dangerous ally of Jintae. He serves as the main danger during the 1st Round of the Hero Trials, and is eventually killed by Ihwa after a fight against her and several Hero Trainee survivors.

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• Arc Villain: For the 1st Round of the Hero trials, slaughtering many of the trainees before being stopped by Ihwa, with help from some of the survivors.
• Wake-Up Call Boss: For Ihwa. He was the first of her solo fights that was decidedly stronger, and forced her to make use of all her abilities, tactical genius, some new allies and subterfurge to stand a chance.
• Death's Hourglass: His gift. He transfers himself and nearby people into a dimension with a giant hourglass in the sky. Where that glass's sands run out, someone will die, forcing them to fight him to the death unless they want to risk it being themselves. It's possible the dimension also empowers him somehow, as when Ihwa uses it, she can suddenly use her temporary gifts at once.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He's the first major Villain to be defeated and killed in the Hero Trials arc, but its with his death that reveals he had a connection with Kasha. Also, his death is what spurns Jintae to try and take revenge on Ihwa. His Gift also becomes a staple weapon of Ihwa as it's useful in many situations, becoming almost as key to her fighting style as Jade's Lighting Gift is.
• Terse Talker: His dialogue tends to be this, with most of it seperated with comma's, suggesting he's a slow talker or has a hard time communicating in the languages the others are speaking in.

Roxanne (Abyss Dancer)

Gift Unknown^note  Empowered with a massive shadowy form by The Smiling Man.

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A woman of great power empowered by Engen, the Smiling Man. While weaker then him, she's greatly feared by most heroes. She rejoins his side during the Hero Trials arc.

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• Arc Villain: Of the Villains fighting for the Torch during the Hero Trials arc, she was one of the biggest threats during it.
• Appearance Angst: Holds this to her true form to the point that the Prosecutor mentions she had a habit of killing anyone who witnessed it.
• The Dragon: Or rather, was the Dragon. During the War against the Hero Clan she was this to Engen. However, she ended up abandoning him after things turned south against the Villain Faction, striking out on her own. Engen hasn't forgotten this and, after seeing her become weaker during their time apart, strangles her, claiming that she has to follow him now or he'll kill her. Something she tearfully accepts.

Mind Shocker

Mind Shocker

Gift Mind Control^note Can brainwash others to send out as mindless puppets

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A Villain that debuted during the Hero Trials arc in the Villain's attempt to acquire the Torch. Despite initially being captured during the escort mission, he manages to escape.

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• Dirty Coward: A cruel individual that prefers only to attack via those he takes over, never showing himself to the enemy usually. In-universe, his face wasn't even known to the Heroes up until Ihwa manages to capture him. After he tried to run away following his escape from the Heroes clutches during the Torch Escort mission, he's reduced to uselessly trying to make excuses as Engen has his arm broken for trying to control Ihwa.
• Mind Control: His Gift that allows him to take over people's minds and have them fight on his behalf. However, it will fail on someone who has a fully hardened desire that prevents him from taking control. Alternatively, someone with a stronger gift siezing a target's mind can defend the target against him.
• Squishy Wizard: His Gift allows him to hijack somebody's mind and make them brainless puppets to attack others with, but the guy himself is pretty physically weak. Enough so that he ends being defeated by a frying pan from Ihwa.
• They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: Befitting his nature of hiding behind others, Mind Shocker looks like a regular guy in comparison to the other Villains in the series. Something that allows him to blend in and get in close to grab a hold of others.

Silver Knight

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A Villain hailing from the Prosecutor's home of warriors. He joined in the fight to acquire the Torch and was apart of the horde villains fighting to defeat the Prosecutor. Ultimately, he dies in the attempt.

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• Affably Evil: While he might be working for Engen and joined in the slaughtering of Heroes for the Torch, he's an honorable sort that wishes to have a noble fight to the death with Prosecutor. Albeit, as much of a noble fight that can happen with dozens of other Villains joining in the fray...
• Small Role, Big Impact: He's introduced and killed in the same chapter he appears, but out of the horde villains the Hero slays, Silver Knight serves as apart of the few that gives him the most trouble, and its his final blows against the Prosecutor that has the Hero go down and brainwashed to join the Villains side.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: He's killed in the same chapter he debuted you in as the final villain Prosecutor slays before going down.

Dusty Cloaks

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A clan of sword wielding assassins that show up frequently throughout the series. They debuted in the Hero Trials Arc in the Villains attempt to acquire the Torch. However, the section that was sent off on that mission were killed by Hekate. Since then, they've showed up to try to either take revenge on the Hero Clan, to no avail.

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• Conservation of Ninjutsu: Hordes of them show up throughout the story but, while they can kill background fodder with ease, anyone named is able to fend them off and those stronger can wipe them out within minutes.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: They're usually defeated with ease whenever they try to go on the attack. Mostly since they end up fighting those who are simply that much stronger than them.
• Elite Mooks: Those that wear red cloaks are stronger than those that wear brown cloaks. Still, not strong enough to defeat Hekate (though they put up a better fight than the brown cloaks) or the likes of the Master of the Hero Clan.
• Master Swordsman: All of them have great proficiency and speed with swords, though against those know what they're doing and/or are ridiculous stronger than average, it doesn't do much to help them win.
• Mooks: Those who wear brown cloaks are far weaker and more numerous than those that wear red cloaks.
• Underestimating Badassery: The clan has a nasty habit of this, from their first encounter against Hekate to thinking that they can fight the leader of the Hero Clan without issue. It gets all who try murdered for it.
• The Worf Effect: A clan of them is enough to slaughter a horde of Hero Trainees and minor Heroes, while putting any survivors on the backfoot. However, they quickly fall to pieces when under threat from an Elder, Elder's assistant, or against the likes of the Hero Clan's founder - showing off why they are at the top of the Hero Killer world.

Gold-Blood Gang

Rezo (left) & Enzo the Office Staff(Right)

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Leaders of a crime syndicate based in Nostra City. The elder brother is named Enzo (Office Staff) and the younger brother who handles the administrative affairs is named Rezo. Office Staff served as a reoccuring Villain during the Hero Trials arc, and both are supporting cast in the Nostra City arc.

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• An Offer You Can't Refuse: How they rose to power was essentially kidnapping the families of the Heroes tailling them, and forcing said Heroes to choose between 'gold or blood'.
• Half the Man He Used to Be: Rezo ends being ripped in half by the Paladin, much to Office Staff's dismay.
• Having a Blast: Office Staff's gift allows him to turn things into explosives. He mostly prefers doing this to people's hearts.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: When Hekate slaughtered the assassins working with Office Staff, he wisely chose to retreat.
• Perpetual Smiler: Office Staff is usually never seen without a pearly...gold smile. Be it in battle or out of it.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Office Staff's entire gimmick. He's a mercenary that will only do what his contract states and never more, in addition that he will always end said contract at exactly 6 PM to go home. Regardless if his mission is fulfilled. this limitation also is in effect even after Office Staff is in despair over his brother being killed.
• The Quiet One: Office Staff can't speak because someone took out his tongue. Doesn't make him any less expressive though.
• Villainous Gold Tooth: Both of the brothers have full sets of gold teeth, fitting with the first aspect of their names.

The Puppeteer

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A cowardly, corpse collecting, Villain that participates in the Torch Fight arc by proxy. They fail, but serve as a driving force as apart of Engen's army in the Castle Grey arc.

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• Dirty Coward: They usually never appear outside of the corpses they control to do their bidding, even to their allies. It's something Engen has little patience for and even Victoria flat outs calls them a coward when hearing they entered the Torch Fight.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: They're ability to control hordes of bodies effortlessly, down to the Gifts, makes them invaluable, but their allies, particularly the Nameless, have expressed disgust over their willingness to kill civilians, using the dead as their own personal army, and, at least for Engen, Puppeteer's cowardice and tendency to screw around.
• Jerkass: Even among villains, they stand out given how much they relish tormenting others over using their dead loves ones or their wilingness to kill innocent people for little to no reason.
• People Puppets: Their power allows them to control the bodies of the dead or those with empty minds. They have excellent control over such bodies, being able to personally use their victims as puppet bodies and able to wield the Gifts of the deceased. For example, controlling Viper during the Torch Fight arc or using the Prosecutor after working in conjuction with Mind Shocker's power.

Pain Amplifier Villain

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A knife wielding, tracksuit Villain. She debuts during the Torch Fight arc in order to fight for the Torch. She fails, but manages to escape the battle and shows up later on as a member of Engen's forces leading into the Castle Grey arc

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• Jerkass: Befitting a Villain, she has no problem in trying to kidnap and even hurt a child.
• Verbal Tic: She often stutters when she speaks, implying that, while a Villain, she's a rather nervous short.
• Would Hurt a Child: She cut Nenya a bit in order to get her compliance, and since her Gift revolves around amplifying pain, a tiny cut on Nenya's fingers is enough to be extremely excruciating.

Rendo

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A sword wielding treasure hunter. He joins the army of Villains back during the Torch Escort arc, and becomes a major focus during the Castle Gray arc as an ally to Ihwa.

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• Dark and Troubled Past: He used to be a treasure hunter with his own crew, but they were all slaughtered when they tried to enter the forest leading to Castle Gray.
• Early-Bird Cameo: While he only becomes prominent during the Castle Gray arc, he's can be seen listening in with the crowd of Villains being addressed by Engen in the Torch Escort arc.
• Unusual Ears: His most notable physical trait is that he long floppy ear lobes.

RJ

Nera

Nera in general

The organisation that devolved into the Nameless after loosing the War of the Reeds against the Hero Clan. It's origin predates even the Hero Clan and is at least hundred of years older than the current story.

The First King of Nera

"...Then a man appeared. This individual's life, which had been full of tragedy and despair, completely changed due to a mysterious something he found a forgotten ruin".

A mysterious man who founded and led Nera.

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• From Nobody to Nightmare: Began as a seemingly poor and hapless man until coming in contact with the Torch and becoming so powerful only the elders could stop him.

Islotta Rainfall

A Swordmaster follower of the King pf Nera and bringer of the Torch. The wife of Chain

Nugal

Old follower of Engen,who lost the will to fight when he saw the overwhelming power of the witch. Father of Bagna

The Hero Clan

General Hero Clan Tropes

The dominant regime of the world. The Hero Clan is the name of the winning side in a war fought for dominance long ago. Having won, it now controls most of the world and regulates licensed "Heroes", individuals with superpower-like "Gifts" who maintain order, but with such callousness that they often kill more lives than they save.

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• Beware the Superman: Goverment version. They control the most and the strongest of the world's Gifted populace, and keep the remaining villains in check. However, nobody keeps them in check, and their so called Heroes regularly get away with murder and cruelty as long as they continue to serve the clan.
• The Empire: Essentially this. With most of the world's gifted under their command, and led by the demigod-like Elders, there's very little that can keep them in check even as their so called heroes play with people lives and only care for status, wealth, and the continued dominance. That said, a few of their numbers do try to live up to classic heroic ideals, but have a hard time doing so in such a corrupt system.
• Villain with Good Publicity: One of the biggest issues with the Hero Clan is that many Heroes they employ are notoriously corrupt and are functionally no better with Villains. Murdering innocent people? Act as crime bosses? Wanton destruction of property? Dealing with criminals they're supposed to protect? They can pretty much get away with it with impunity due to their standing with the Clan.

The Elders

The Elders in general

The strongest gift users of the Hero Clan, treated as special and not beholden to the Clan's command structure. The world is essentially their playground, as almost nothing can oppose them. While not always outright evil, they rarely seem to care enough to be actively good.

• Always Someone Better: The Steel Witch, a mysterious woman who apparently went into hiding more than 20 years ago, is implied to be possibly even stronger. It is unknown if she's a former Elder herself.
• Ass Kicking Leads To Leadership: The Elders don't seem particularly interested in managing the Hero Clan, aside from the Master of the Clan. The reason most of them are in a leadership position is no one below them is stupid enough to not involve them in the decision-making process and risk incurring their wrath, because no one would be able to oppose them if that happened.
• Orcus on His Throne: How most of them acted beside the Master of the Clan. While they were by far the strongest beings in the setting, they didn't have much ambition regarding the politics of the world and they let the much weaker district lords manage their affairs, as long as the latter did not somehow piss them off. That said, by the time of the main story, events occur that make several of them become more active in the world's affairs.
• World's Strongest Man: Collectively this. No other gift user shown thus far even comes close to any Elder, who can seemingly destroy entire cities on a whim. None, that is, except one implied example.

Victoria

I'll make you dream a beautiful dream

Gift: A Beautiful Dream ^note Able to create solid constructs out of light, most commonly swords.

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The most iconic Elder, serving as the poster woman of the Hero Clan, who's at least a century old but looks young like most powerful Gift users. Her overwhelming power combined with a nigh invincible physical prowess makes many consider her as the strongest Elder.

• Establishing Character Moment: Facing down a horde of superpowered terrorists trying to disrupt the hero clan. She asks her assistant if they're away from any reporter or cameras. Upon confirmation that they're isolated, she demolishes the entire army, tanks and all, in a single swipe of her light made sword which also cleaves the mountains behind them. This shows us her overwhelming power, lack of regard for human life, but also her willingness to keep her unsavory sides away from the general public.
• Flying Brick: As befitting the self-proclaimed strongest hero. Her Gift allows her to fly, amongst other things, and even without her Gift, her body seems impossibly strong, fast, and durable.
• Pride: She doesn't need to flaunt it often, but when The Smiling Man implies the mysterious Steel Witch is stronger than even her, Victoria loses her cool and yells at him. It seems her position as the supposed strongest is important to her.
• Super-Strength: Even without using her Gift, Victoria's raw power was enough to send Ihwa flying through brick walls with a finger poke. The true enormity of it can be seen by how she's often physically wielding the swords her gift produces, some of them being the size of skyscrapers.
• World's Strongest Woman: The most likely candidate amongst the already godlike Elders. Especially now that Yushin, who she expressed respect for, is crippled. She defeated The Smiling Man in the literal flash of a sword, after an entire arc of Engen showing just how much above everyone else he is. This was at daylight, and she mentions Engen also lost to her at night in the past, where Engen was at his strongest.

Yushin

Gift: Blood control^note  Able to control and massively expand his own blood into all manner of weapons and objects.

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Ihwa's mentor, who broke of from the other Elders trained her to become the Hero Killer for unknown reasons. He encourages Engen to watch over her and help her grow her power, in the hopes that she will one day become strong enough to challenge the Steel Witch.

• Old Master: Looks old despite strong Gift users generally looking to be in their 20s even after centuries pass. This despite being part of the 8 strongest known Gift users. Either he came to his power late, something else is going on, or he's just that inhumanly old.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: fights with the proclaimed strongest elder, Victoria, to save Engen and by proxy Ihwa. Though mighty in his prime, he faces her when his legs don't work and his powers forcing him to cut himself to effectively attack. Its unknown what happened to him. It is eventually revealed that he managed to survive.
• The Power of Blood: His gift, allowing him to telekinetically manipulate even small portions of his blood into large constructs and even propulsive energy. Notably, it's not his main rise to fame, but rather his swordsmanship that gave other Elders pause.

Bishop

You lost twice already, yet you're here again, as though you haven't learned anything.

Gift: Water creation and control^note  Can create and control gargantuan volumes of water, which he can shape into such things as defensive walls of water or mythical dragons to attack.

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The third Elder introduced. Bishop exudes a calm and calculating aura, and keeps a respectful tone, but it's clear that's simply his choice, as there's little that can stop him if his machinations collide with standard Hero Clan protocol.

• Chess Master: its unknown to what end, but Bishop distracts the lower ranked Fullmoon, who isn't willing to compromise her morals and thus wouldn't turn a blind eye to his shady actions, and also lets The Smiling Man roam about unharmed despite being powerful enough to destroy him, especially considering The Smiling Man is the most notorious enemy of the Hero Clan. It seems he's pushing for certain changes and events, but it is not yet clear why.
• Civil War: Is preparing for one against the Master of the Hero Clan, his fellow Elder, and is gathering supporters to strenghen his side. It's not known, as of yet, why both of them are hostile towards each other.
• Making a Splash: Probably the strongest water-related Gift user in the series, and definitely the strongest shown so far. He fights Engen at midnight, where Engen's powers are the strongest we've seen of him thus far, and while surprised at how much stronger the Smiling Man has become since his original defeat, they are both aware Engen is still far below him. His colossal water dragons and omnidirectional rain attacks dwarf Engen's gigantic shadowy creations.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Downplayed. He presents a laid back, ambivalent persona, but his status as an Elder makes it clear that he holds a great deal of influence and vested interest in the grand scheme of things. It's just not clear what that interest leads to.

Lord Sinclair

Gift: Unknown^note  Going by his many offsprings, most likely creation and control of plants.

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An elder living in a snowy area where he's the sole governing power. The Hero Clan lets him rule his terrain unperturbed, but in return the denizens of the region are never allowed to leave, under punishment of death or worse.

• Plant Person: Presumably the strongest one, given that he's an Elder and all his offsprings so far have shown such abilities.
• The Faceless: Not shown in person thus far.
• The Patriarch: The head of a clan of seemingly powered individuals. His clout with the Hero Clan allowing him independence, and the harsh conditions he enforces on his home region make him out to be like the family heads of old.
• Really Gets Around: One of his guards mentions he might have more than a hundred bastard children, and that's not even counting the unknown number of legitimate children he fathered.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?:
• The Trees Have Faces

Prim: The Wanderer

You know i'm an Elder too, right? Please don't underestimate me

Gift: Unknown^note  She appears to have 3 personalities each with their own power. The light version of her uses all manner of Weapons and Shards to fight. The Darkness version can conjure a massive shadowy monster.

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An elder wandering the world searching for various treasures and things. Currently one of her objectives is to help Bishop find the Shard known as The Line. She has a peaceful whimsical nature as her first personality, but her other 2 personalities are unleashed once she takes off her necklace.

• Obfuscating Stupidity: Played with. Her default personality with the most screen time looks like this, being very friendly and non-confrontational. It's probably not intended as a trick so much as her other personalities coming to the fore whenever she needs to fight, but the result to onlookers is similar.
• Restraining Bolt: The default personality serves as this to the two others, being non confrontational and having no visible powers. The second shown personality is also a restraining bolt to the third, as she limits herself to only using strong artifacts to fight. The third personality is the only one who actively uses her gift, which seems to be highly destructive and thus require the restraint to begin with. Notably, the third personality was the only power thus far that could make Victoria bleed.
• Split Personality: Three shown thus far. A friendly, somewhat meek and possibly powerless one, a more aggressive and confident one, and possibly a third dark entity who's the only one that fights under its own power, capable of conjuring a massive shadowy giant.

The Master of the Clan

Gift: Unknown

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An Elder and a swordmaster with an unknown name and a title implying lordship of the Hero Clan. Despite this, the other Elders aren't subservient to him and control their own major factions, making him more of a powerful man amongst equals.

• Authority Equals Asskicking: He's the leader of the Hero Clan, at least by title. He's also strong enough to have personally defeated a fellow Elder.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: All the elders began relatively unknown, but his case seems more notable as he rose in power after the other Elders were already infamous.
• Master Swordsman: Possibly the strongest in the series, personally defeating Yushin, a fellow Elder and famed swordsman in his own right.

Owl

An Elder with the appearance of a child, similar to Prim. He is currently in the Northern Continent with a bearded man.

Other Heroes from Dust City

Jade

Gift: Lighting^note  Can cover himself in lighting to increase his strengh, speed and cutting power.

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A corrupt hedonist who slaughters hostages and bank rubbers alike for no reason. Ihwa uses him as her final "stepping stone" in her training, killing him and stealing his Gift in the process.

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• Lightning Bruiser: At least compared to other run of the mill heroes, his Gift enhances his speed to levels hard to track, and makes his strikes able to pierce flesh and bones.
• The Hedonist: Induldges in his whims, killing hostages he could have saved and framing the bank rubbers for it, killing them as well, for seemingly no reason beside murderous boredom. He doesn't mind the company of beautiful girls either.
• Starter Villain: Well, starter Hero. He's the first official Hero that Ihwa faces and is the first one to be killed by her.
• Villain with Good Publicity: The clearest and earliest example. Jade is shown being fawned upon and idolized by girls in a club, immediately after him secretly killing bank rubbers AND their hostage for no reason. He is the first example we get of how rotten the Hero Clan can be.

Viper

Gift: Intangibility^note  Can turn oneself intangible to phase through objects

Chaos' partner that worked with him for over ten years and was brought in to help him fight against Ihwa. He is killed by the Nameless when they intervene to save Ihwa.

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• Achilles' Heel: He can only move through one thing at a time. However, it depends on what he considers to be "one thing", meaning that he can phase through multiple objects if he considers them all part of the same "attack".
• Bash Brothers: Worked incredibly well together with Chaos against Ihwa and was close to killing her before the Nameless stepped in.
• Came Back Wrong: His body was hijacked by the Villains and controlled by the Puppeteer to fight for the Torch. Ultimately, Viper is brought down, again, thanks to Chaos and Sharpshooter.
• Informed Kindness: Viper was apparently well liked for being a decent guy, which speaks a lot in a world full of Heroes that are corrupt. However, he dies before this fact is made apparent and even his flashback screentime, while it does show him bonding with Chaos, doesn't quite lend itself to showing such caring attitude.
• Intangibility: His power that allows him to go through objects.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Was this to Chaos up until his brutal demise.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: The same chapter he's introduced in has him get murdered by John in order to rescue Ihwa.

Grayman

Gift: Blades^note  Can produces blades from all over his body

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A retired Hero that serves as the head of security for the 17th Division. He was killed by Ihwa.

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• Blood Knight: He craves a good fight and was looking forward to 'breaking' Ihwa.
• Elite Mook: While Jade wasn't a fight Ihwa and neither were the regular security guards, it was noted by Ihwa that fighting Grayman was good for a spar since he produced a healthy amount of challenge for her.
• Underestimating Badassery: What ultimately gets him killed by Ihwa.
• Villains Want Mercy: Begs for his life when Ihwa is about to kill him. Doesn't work and gets him tossed from a building for his troubles.

Stonefist

Gift: Stone Body^note  Can turn his body into stone

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A cocky Hero that chose to fight against the Nameless during their attack on the 17th Branch. He was killed by Rachel.

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• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Believed that he was strong enough to handle the Nameless for their attack on the Hero Branch. He was not.
• Dishing Out Dirt: His gift allows him to turn his body to stone. Good for tanking physical attacks. Very bad at going against other elemental attacks, like Sinclair's demonstrates.
• Dumb Muscle: He isn't very sharp and holds little in the way of tactics outside of tanking his enemies hits to wear down their EST or overwhelm them with his own physical attacks. While it works against a similar brute like John Nash, against a more strategic fighter like Sinclair, he ends up easily being defeated and killed.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Heavy Smoker calls him an idiot after he showcases his nonchalant nature concerning Engen and it was to the point that he was so moronically reckless Chaos requested that the Villains kill him.
• Lethally Stupid: While not malicious like Jade or Grayman, he's so reckless with his attacks that he ends up killing many civilians purely on accident and doesn't even seem to realize it (as shown by one panel where he looks confused over seeing the corpses). It's to the point that Chaos lumps him in with the former two and requests that Ihwa is free to kill him.

Sharpshooter

Gift: Guaranteed Shot^note  Her sixth shot will always hit.

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A vain crossbow using Hero that worked for the 17th Division. However, she ends up being captured by the Nameless during their attack on the 17th Branch where is forced into villainy. She was mentored by Chaos.

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• Child Soldier: Was previously one, but was saved by Chaos who she looked up to in the past.
• Dark and Troubled Past: A child soldier rescued by Chaos, she had to endure discrimination by Chaos's cohorts. Desperate to prove herself to her master, she annihilated an enemy group they were after...but ended up killing a spy they planted. Causing an intense backlash that had her seperated from him.
• Hidden Depths: A lot of her vanity and desire for popularity are implied to be backlash from her time as a child soldier forced to defect to the enemy side.
• Homing Projectile: Her sixth shot will always lock on and hit her target.
• It's All About Me: By the time she's settled in as a Hero, she developed such an attitude caring more about her fame than being a virtuous Hero. It was to the point that Chaos, her mentor, didn't bother requesting she'd be spared from the Nameless attack on the 17th branch.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's a rude, self-centered Hero, but she holds a strong bond with Chaos and is willing to come to his rescue during his fight with a Puppeteer controlled Viper, even after being forced to defect to the villains side.
• Forced into Evil: After being defeated by the Nameless, she ends up being captured and forced into villainy via a bomb collar attached to her neck. Much to her chagrin.
• Master Archer: As her name suggests, she's an excellent shot with her crossbow, infusing the bolts with EST to increase their power.
• Ms. Fanservice: Her hero costume is just a crop top and shorts, exposing much of her skin and midriff. Given her vain personality, it's likely on purpose.

Claymore

Gift: Corrode^note  Can corrode any physical object

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A noble Hero that worked for the 17th Division. He fought in the 17 District battle against the Nameless, but was defeated by Ihwa. He would reappear during the Torch Fight arc as a participant, but would be defeated by Ihwa again.

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• The Alcoholic: Given the loss of his sword and the fiasco of the Nameless fight against his branch, he was currently on leave during the Torch Fight arc, drinking his sorrows away. He still ends up joining in the fight as well, holding his own up until he ends up running into Ihwa who steals his new weapon again and knocks him out.
• Master Swordsman: As his name suggests, Claymore is a skilled swordsman, especially when combined with his Gift that can destroy any metallic weapons his enemies holds. Unfortunately, for him, his skills don't mesh well against Ihwa's underhanded tactics and both encounters ends with his claymores being stolen after his defeat.
• No-Sell: Getting stabbed by a weapon that could put someone into cardiac arrest has zero effect on him. Losing his weapon hurt that much more.
• Order Versus Chaos: While he dislikes the Clan's current state, he believes that the order the clan brings is better than the chaos the Villains would bring.
• Sole Survivor: With his other comrades either dead, captured or forced to retire, Claymore is the only member of the 17th Division of the Hero Clan to still be an active Hero.
• Token Good Teammate: Of the Heroes in the 17th Branch, he is the most altruistic and doesn't fit in with the current corrupt Hero Clan. Thus, Chaos requested he be spared.

Heavy Smoker

Gift: Smoke^note  Can produce and manipulate smoke

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A hero that once fought in the war against the Villains, now just the manager of the 17th Branch of Heroes. He was killed by Engen during their invasion of the 17th Branch.

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• Heroic Sacrifice: During his fight with Engen, had a feeling he couldn't win against him but still tried his best given what would happen if he just let Engen go.
• Fat Bastard: Averted. While not the nicest in dispostion he genuinely wants what is best for the general public. If anything, compared to when he was a soldier, he's mellowed out from being a worse jerk.
• Finishing Move: His greatest creation is creating a smoke version of a whale named Moby Dick!
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's rude and gruff, but his fight with Engen shows that he truly does care about the lives of civilians and he tried to killed Engen to prevent a future where they would be in danger.
• Super Smoke: His Gift allows him to produce smoke, which he uses in the form of creating marine animals.
• Underestimating Badassery: Believed that Engen fighting in the day would make him weak enough for Smoker to stand a chance. Unfortunately, he was very much wrong.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: During the War, was once a soldier that had no remorse for killing the enemy and very nearly killed Sharpshooter when she was a child solider, claiming that being a cog in the machine of the clan was what is right to Chaos. However, years later, it seems as though he has mellowed out from such a position.

Special Forces

In General

some caption text

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Heroes that are recognized for their combat capabilties alone. There is one of them stationed in every district and their strength even surpasses that of the district manager.

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• The Ace: They are way more powerful than regular heroes and can easily defeat even multiple high-class villains on their own.

Hekate(Rhodos)

Please don't call me by that name

Gift: Bridle of Silence^note  Can set up a zone where abilities don't function.

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Victoria's assistant and a powerful Hero in her own right. Hekate usually follows Victoria around, arranging her schedule and generally assiting her. Implied to have had a dark past connected to Gordona, The Lawless Land.

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• Always Someone Better: Victoria is a notable case for her. Her main rise to fame is Gift cancellation combined with her overwhelmingly powerful physique. But in a flashback, it was shown the latter is so much stronger even without using her Gift that Hekate was beaten bloody with bare hands. The experience seemed to have tamed Hekate into the obedient assistant we know.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Before joining the Hero clan, her nickname was Butcher, with all that implies. She was seemingly infamous in Gordonna, a land famous for its dog-eat-dog anarchism and absence of the Hero Clan's authority.
• Power Nullifier: Her Gift. She sets up a zone and Gift users cannot use their gift, but their natural body power remains. This usually leaves Hekate at an advantage, as her body is superhumanly strong and durable even by Gift user standards. It's unknown if there's a limit to who how much power she can nullify.

Chaos/Jeremy Bernstein(Dust City)

What? What? What? Jade?! Who did this to you? (spoken comically to Jade's corpse).

Gift: Past Sight^note  Able to see into the past of nearby people

An eccentric member of the Clan and one of the few who participated in the war that ended with the Clan's victory. Chaos wishes to see the Clan change from its hideous lack of morals, but believes The Smiling Man's methods are too extreme and too bloody. He aids Ihwa, perhaps in hopes she will find a middle ground.

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• The Ace: He's noted to be the Outstanding Hero for Dust City and that's inspite of his power not really having much combat utility.
• Cast from Lifespan: His armored suit, while massively increasing his fighting prowess, also tampers with his health. It's to the point he had to retire from major heroics.
• Clothes Make the Superman: When fighting normally, Chaos is a highly skilled sniper with some unnatural precognition. When using his Hero Clan suit, he could put up a fight against The Smiling Man during daytime, one of the strongest Gift users shown thus far.
• Gun Fu: His main way of fighting. His jacket is filled with various firearms, with a few knives and explosives for good measure.
• Old Soldier: Jeremy fought in the ancient war between the Hero Clan and Nera. The experience didn't do him much good.
• Official Couple: With Yuna Song, whose also his doctor.
• Retired Badass: He retires from Hero work after his defeat in the 17th Branch fight, but is more than content with that, going about his dreams with Yuna at his side. Even then, being retired doesn't stop him from showing up even during the Torch Fight arc to lend a hand and defeat the Puppeteer's latest victim Viper alongside Sharpshooter.
• Seers: His gift, in a way. He is not able to look into the future, but into the past.
• Wild Card: He may be a Hero, but he holds no real strong ties to the Hero Clan. In fact, he's more than aware of the Clan being corrupt and wishes for it to be toppled. Hence, why he helps out Ihwa...though, his genuine desire to help people still has him going against Engen or any other warped villain that are bound to cause harm than good.

The Prosecutor/Saulcai(Cloud Garden)

What is the very definition of a hero? It's someone that is willing to sacrifice oneself!

One of the strongest heroes of the generation

Gift: Aavarian Wrath^note  Grants him great power at the cost of his sanity, also allows him to create a red spiral blade that bites into his flesh

• The Berserker: Basically what using his gift forces him to become
• Blood Knight: He enjoys the act of fighting and tell Ihwa the Archer's gift so the fight would be more fun, he also looked forward to his turn fighting her.
• Do Not Go Gentle: He stays behind to hold the line against an army of villains so that the rest of the torch transportation team can make it to YS Harbour and kills a large number of them before he finally falls.
• Mind Control:First he gets controlled by Mind-Shocker and later by the Puppeteer who makes him into his main weapon.
• Super-Speed: He is fast enough to easily Speed Blitz one of the candidates during the second trail.
• The Paragon: One of the few heroes who stands up for Justice despite knowing how corrupt the heroes are.
• Troll: Not a very harmful example for the series, but he reveals the Archer's Gift allowing Ihwa to easily defeat him.

Raxfer Sinclair(Castle Gray)

Son of Reagan Sinclair,affiliate to the the Clan.

• Hates His Parents:
• Run or die:Raxfer is

Paladin(YS Harbour)

Gift: Pilgrimage of Perseverance ^note  His strenght increases the more injured he becomes

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The designated "Special Force" of YS Harbor, similar to the Prosecutor of Cloud Garden.

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• Knight Templar: Does not hesitate to cut down a rampaging villain who was already down for the count, saying he must have had many chances to repent and instead choose taking more lives.
• The Mentor: Takes Chaser on as an apprectice.
• Pain & Gain:His gift. The more damage he takes, the stronger he gets.
• The Paragon: Implied to be such by Engen. He thus pits his subordinates against Paladin, partially to force Ihwa to kill an ideal hero to pursue her vengeance, rather than the dubious heroes she encountered thus far. That said, he also has no qualms about killing villains.
• The Stoic: He rarely shows emotions.

Dalia Mendoza

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The first finger of the Black Hand and one of the Master of the Clans most trusted subordinates.

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Langjer/Azure Dragon

"Gift:Dragonlike Transformation

Special Force of the Clan. Brother of Crimson Dragon. His real name is Langjer

• Off with His Head!!: Decapitated by the Prosecutor in his normal form
• The Dragon:
• Our Dragons Are Different:
• Behemoth Battle: His battle with Abyss Dancer
• In-Series Nickname: "Drakey" by Highnoon

Narkle Encilion

:Member of the Council and brother of Bishop.

Ledium

Other Heroes from Cloud Garden

Fullmoon

Gift: Unknown^note  Can transform into a giant wolf

The manager of Cloud Garden and its heroes. A morally upstanding hero, especially compared to the rest of the clan's upper echelons, which can put her at odds with Bishop and his more shady activities.

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• Our Werewolves Are Different: Can become a giant wolf at will, which doesn't seem to require any full moon.
• Shapeshifting: Her gift.
• The Fettered: While not a peerless person, her unwillingness to compromise her ideals puts her at odds with the leaders of the clan, to the point they hide things from her to not have her meddle.

Highnoon

Rebecca Bernstein.Chaos's little sister, and Prosecutor's lover. She uses dual revolvers.

• An Arm and a Leg: Highnoon shoots her own arm off to distract Ihwa at a critical moment.
• Cleavage Window: Shamelessly flaunts her bust.

The Defender

Prosecutor's student

Crimson Dragon/Muine Langjer

The exemplary hero

Gift: Dragon^note  Grants hall the characteristics of a dragon, ie: Scales, breath, horns, claws, and wings.

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Hero of Cloud Garden, proctor of the second round of the Hero Exams and sister of the Special Force Langjer and other unknown brothers.

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• Only Sane Man: After the second round of the hero trials, she votes not to punish Ihwa for killing Bareknuckles. She then points out to the other heroes that the candidates were told they could bring the targets back dead or alive so she technically hasn't done anything wrong.
• White Sheep: Is one of the most heroic members of the hero clan.

Harvester

Bareknuckles

Hero Trial Trainees

Hero Trial Trainees

A group of people that took on the Hero Trials exams in order to become Heroes themselves. Unbeknowst to them, these trials would be the sight of various attacks by the Villains.

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• Befriending the Enemy: Unintentionally, but a small number of the survivors from the 1st part of the exam would become good friends with Ihwa, not knowing that she was a Villain.
• Dwindling Party: The attcks of the Villains results in a large number of causalties from both the proctors and trainees themselves, leaving just a handful to graduate.
• Ultimate Final Exam: What these trainees are forced to go through if they want to graduate as a Hero, though it becomes this mostly from the attacks on the Villains, which leaves many dead and a lot fighting to survive, especially concerning the likes of the Treasure Hunt and Torch Escort Mission.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Of the named, relevant trainees, only Lyca, Fazin, Suki, Gogyeol and Zaran are shown to have passed the exam to become full fledged Heroes. Effi is shown participating in the final trial, but is absent from the graduation cermeony. To a lesser extent, Hanbi passes the second trial and Ubowa is shown to go off to participate in the second, but they're both unshown afterwards. It's unknown if they passed or failed.

Lyca

Lyca

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A punkish Hero Trainee turned ally of Ihwa during the Hero Trials. She graduates and ends becoming a Hero of the infamous Nostra City.

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• Butt-Monkey: Things do not tend to go well for her and she's often on the recieving end on some form of misfortune. Usually caused by Ihwa's hands.
• Cowardly Lion: Being put in actual life or death situations tends to bring out the scaredy cat part of her pretty quickly, but when push comes to shoves she will at least give it her best. Especially, if it involves someone she cares about being harmed or killed like in the case of Shell Knight. It's worth noting that even Ihwa pointed out that, were it not Lyca underestimating her, she did have a real chance at taking on the Hero Killer and Ihwa acknowledges her as someone who could hold their own in case of a serious fight.
• Heel–Face Turn: Originally was an aggressive bully that wanted payback for being 'tricked' by Ihwa before the Trials even started (even though it was on the rest of the candidates for assuming she one of the proctors in the first place). However, the attack on the trials ground by Jintae's gang had her quickly mellow out as she joined up with Ihwa and other survivors to stay alive. Following the 1st trial's completion, her new meek attitude pretty much stuck ever since and she's genuinely kinder to said survivors who she sees as friends.

Effi

Effi

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A handy Hero Trainee turned ally of Ihwa during the Hero Trials.

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• MsExposition: She is an artisan that knows a lot about Shards, and is able to divulge information about the one in use against them during the Hero Trials.

Fazin (Clayhand)

Fazin

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An intellectual Hero Trainee turned ally of Ihwa during the Hero Trials. He graduates and is given the moniker of Clayhand.

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• The Smart Guy: Of the survivors of the 1st Trial, taking care to know as much as he could about the applicants and area history, in addition to being one of the more strategic Trainees. For example, decieving Condor into buying more time to formulate a plan of attack.

Suki

Suki

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A cautious Hero Trainee turned ally of Ihwa during the Hero Trials. She graduates and becomes an official Hero.

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• Back for the Dead: Doesn't appear after the hero exam arc until chapter 165 which shows that she died during the ongoing hero clan civil war.
• Energy Absorption: Her Gift involves her kiwi plush taking the damage from attacks and storing them up to release in one massive blast.

Ubowa (Yargh)

Yargh

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A swordsman Hero Trainee turned ally of Ihwa during the Hero Trials. He has yet to reveal how his Gift works.

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• Embarrassing Nickname: Is called Yargh by Ihwa based on his cry into battle during the slugfest before the Hero Trials started. It pretty much stuck.
• Out of Focus: Unlike most of ther other survivors of the 1st Trial, Yargh isn't seeing taking on the third nor graduating like the others and disappears after leaving for the second trial. Thus, its unknown yet if he ever passed the exam, failed or died trying.

Gogyeol (Chaser)

Gogyeol

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A Hero Trainee that doesn't have a Gift, but is determined to become a Hero. Graduates and is given the moniker of Chaser.

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Zaran (Air Blast)

Zaran

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A stoic Hero Trainee. He graduates and is given the moniker of Air Blast.

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Hanbi

Hanbi

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An opportunistic Hero Trainee.

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Heroes from Yis Harbor

Sledgehammer

Manager of district of YS Harbour and right hand of Bishop

Pitbull

Shell Knight

• Blood Knight

Metal Giant

Sting X

• Tested on Humans

Dicer

Cookie Cutter

• Man Bites Man:

Madame Liqor

Castle Gray

Razenia Sinclair

The Royal Guard

Highwind

• Black Cloak
• Expository Hairstyle Change

Lord of Fort Cobweb

Sir Garland

• Gate Guardian:Protector of the bridge of Fort Cobweb
• Weakened by the Light:Killed by the reflected light by RJ
• Face Death with Dignity

Sir Dehais

The Forestkeeper

Other Members of the Hero Clan

Other Cast

Chain

• The Lost Lenore:His dead wife,Islotta Rainfall,centuries ago

Philip Neville

• Mascot

The Executioner/Ijincheon

The Sword Hunter

Ihwa and Kasha's father. An extremely powerful swordsman who left his family for reasons unknown prior to Kasha's death.

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• Master Swordsman: One of several notable ones in the series. He's powerful enough to face The Smiling Man's shadowy powers undeterred, and makes Jintae Yang look like a complete novice.
• Revenge: As is tragically typical of his family. It's not yet clear who he's targetting, but it can be assumed to include those responsible for Ihwa and Kasha's suffering and the latter's death.
• Training from Hell:He was originally the worst of the Executioner's apprentices, untilHe fight with spectral swordsmen in a purgatorio for 1000 years

Farza

An apprentice of the original Executioner turned mercenary who possesses the demonic sword Ashylak

• One-Hit Kill:His special technique, learned from his master.

Nanzu

The Steel Witch

"Even you fools live in the shadow of the Steel Witch, so what good are the titles of Elders or Kings?" - Engen, describing her

Gift: Unknown^note Able to throw multiple meteor sized objets from the sky, amongst other things.

A gift user so overwhelmingly powerful even the Elders fear her. She appeared twice in the past, in two seperate wars, caused levels of damage and casualties unseen before, and went into hiding for reasons unknown. A lot of the other characters history and motivation revolves around her, or in fear of her return.

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• Curb-Stomp Battle: Her vs Nera. Yes, the entire Nera organisation. She defeated it in mere moments, raining what looks to be multiple blue meteors from the skies.
• The Dreaded: Fear of her moves the plot and motivations of several characters. Engen is desperate to find a way to defeat her, and is banking a lot of hopes and attention in Ihwa to reach that goal. Victoria, usually uninterested in the affairs of the world, decides to go into action just from hearing the Witch was spotted and is seemingly obsessed with proving herself stronger. Lastly, it's not known what Bishop's machinations are designed to achieve, but it's likely she's at least related to his goals.
• Worlds Strongest Woman: The definitive example thus far. Just hearing her name causes Victoria to go ballistic, possibly because her feats of power were so astounding it puts Victoria's position as the strongest to doubt.
• Start of Darkness: To The Smiling Man in a way. Her single handed demolition of Nera left it a shadow of its former self, robbed Engen of the chance to use the Torch and shattered it, and forced him into scrappy combat with the Hero Clan and their powerful swordsmaster leader which he eventually lost. She also gave him his trademark scar, instead of killing him outright.
• Outside-Context Problem: Nera was a dominant organisation with a leader holding the original Torch artifact. The hero clan was only beggining to take shape, and the two powers might have been equal in the fight for world dominance. Then this woman comes along and obliterates one side in the span of moments.