This page contains massive spoilers, none of which are marked. Tread carefully.
All of them are especially powerful demons who have been trained in the arts of murder and advanced magic. They serve as the Empire's personal team of killers and hunt targets that no one else can handle. All of the members are absurdly ancient and can advance in rank by challenging the member above them to a duel to the death. Once a position is open, the strongest assassin in the Empire's disposal is given the rank of Tenth automatically. Each one is capable of traveling between Yomi and the mortal world, as they hunt both demons and humans in both realms.
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General
Tropes related to the organization itself.
- Badass Crew: Only the strongest killers and warriors in the three realms can become one of the Jikininki, with all of them possessing insane powers and skills.
- Beware the Superman: Those ranked in the highest positions fall under this, with most of them employed in the highest chains of command. You have a perverse anarchist as spymaster, a former criminal as the Minister of Defense and an unstoppable monster as your empire's champion/executioner. People couldn't rise up if they wanted to.
- Carnival of Killers: They make up a team of the most powerful and deadliest killers in hell.
- Challenging the Chief: This is invoked if an Odokuro wishes to get promoted to Tenth, or if any existing Jikininki wishes to rank up. It's honorable combat, but it's to the death.
- Commanding Coolness: Each member holds the authority and rank equivalent to that of a Commander in the Imperial Army.
- Cosmopolitan Council: A majority of them represent different cultures and regions of the world, based on their demonic namesakes. Their physical appearances even reflect this, typically.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Members ranked from 5th to 1st are not allowed to release their Tamashi Genkai within populated areas or where causalities and high destruction may be incurred.
- Dead End Job: The rank of Tenth.
- Dislikes the New Guy: Whoever is unlucky enough to get stuck with the position of Tenth, thanks to the organization's Klingon Promotion advancement ruleset. Either the new guy will get killed before the end of the week, or he'll proceed to kill off everyone ranked higher than him.
- Hero with an F in Good: The Jikininki's creed and guidelines instruct them to be helpful to the community, uphold good morals and serve the emperor unquestioningly. The current members keep this up in public, but it's only a facade to obscure their corruption.
- High Turnover Rate: The position of Tenth within the Jikininki. Mainly because most who become Tenths gain the title by either paying for it through guild funds or getting the advancement because the previous Tenth died in combat. At the end of the day, no one gets too attached to Tenths because they don't tend to stick around long.
- I Am Not Left-Handed: All of the members pull this one out in battle, keeping their Primal Releases a last-ditch effort to turn the tide in their favour.
- Meaningful Name: Jikininki meaning "human-eating ghost". When you consider the Jikininki Ten were established during the Great Soul War primarily to combat humanity, it makes more sense.
- Person of Mass Destruction: Every single member, typically excluding those ranked Tenth, qualify as this. Half of the member's abilities are officially registered as weapons of mass destruction, forbidding their usage around populated or important areas.
- Standard Evil Organization Squad: They serve as this throughout the story.
- The Dreaded: The consistent members strike fear into criminals and shitidama just from their appearances alone. If they don't recognize you, just saying you're a Jikininki will usually make someone bow to your will.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Despite their corruption and evil deeds behind closed doors, in public they're recognized as heroes and celebrities; with many of them appearing in ads or on talk shows.
- Volatile Second Tier Position: Past all the fame and power, this is what they're relegated as. The Jikininki are essentially assigned to take on any contracts the Kingdom of Nirvana deems too dangerous or too beneath them to accomplish themselves.
(#10) Behemoth
- Ax-Crazy: He's a wanted murderer that only enters the Zorastarot Tournament to kill as many people as possible and potentially get paid to kill for a living should he win. Later it's revealed he did it to rise through the ranks of the Jikininki to get vengeance on the society that formerly shunned him.
- The Berserker: While in battle he goes absolutely crazy with blood lust.
- BFS: During the rematch with Mura at Tel Megiddo, he rips a massive iron sword from a Viking warlord statue and proceeds to use it to surprisingly good effect.
- Boring, but Practical: Acknowledges his ability isn't as flashy as some others, but still gets the job done.
- The Brute: An extremely strong musclehead that usually solves his problems with his fists.
- The Bully: Acts like this towards Mura during their time in the Deepcut.
- Chrome Champion: His Tamashi Genkai is listed as Onslaught: a power that allows him to transform his skin into iron.
- Dumb Muscle: Luckily, his mind isn't as strong as his muscles are. Inverted later as Behemoth's Street Smarts are revealed.
- Eye Scream: When Lilith stabs him in the eye with a knife. Once it gets stuck in his eye socket and doesn't kill him, she tries in vain to blind him by gouging out more of his other eyes.
- Foil: To Mura. Behemoth represents what Mura could have descended to if he used his powers to wreck havoc on the innocent.
- For the Evulz: Behemoth openly admits that he just joined the Zorastarot Tournament to murder people legally while competing for a cash prize on top of it all.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He starts off as a petty murderer with a small gang. Within the span of two months, he's won the Zorastarot Tournament, increased the size of his gang into a small criminal enterprise and achieves the rank of Tenth in the Jikininki Ten.
- Game Face: When Behemoth transforms into his Primal Release form, he gains a hideous spider head with a humanoid lower mandible.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Receives one at the hands of Mura, gaining a large dueling scar from being smashed across the face with a warhammer. He also loses an eye thanks to Lilith's knife skills.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: Behemoth proceeds to rip a poor combatant in half while in his Primal Release form.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: He commonly wears a heavy leather bomber jacket with a torn collar.
- Hidden Depths: He has a love for dinosaurs as stated by his stats page.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He's killed after being impaled through the head by a solid spike of his own blood.
- Meaningful Name: Behemoth, named after the legendary monster of literal biblical proportions.
- The Perfect Crime: He trafficked demons, transformed them into Shitidama, murdered them and then claimed all the profits to rise through the ranks of the Jikininki.
- Power-Upgrading Deformation: His Primal Release takes the form of a deformed beast, covered in steel plates with the head of a spider and bone spines sprouting up from his shoulders.
- Psycho Sidekick: His Thrall, Suzu.
- Rank Up: Over the span of two months offscreen, he get promoted from an Odokuro to Tenth of the Jikininki.
- Recruiting the Criminal: Due to winning the Zorastarot Tournament, his bounties are cleared and he's given the rank of an Odokuro. Later on, he becomes Tenth in the Jikininki.
- The Rival: To Mura during the Zorastarot Tournament Arc and the Jikininki's Path Arc.
- Starter Villain: The first real threat that poses any sort of danger to Mura, forcing him to become better.
- Street Urchin: Used to be one during his childhood.
- Unskilled, but Strong: He doesn't know any magic, nor is he particularly skilled in combat tactics. Behemoth just relies on his massive size, weight and strength to get the job done.
- Villainous Breakdown: Has a satisfying display once Mura reveals his crimes of fraud and murder, all during his inauguration.
(#9) Lamia
A famous assassin and celebrity. She's ranked Ninth within the Jikininki.
- Acid Attack: Lamia's blood becomes a highly acidic viral gas when exposed to air. If it gets into your body, you have around a minute until you're slowly melted alive.
- The Baroness: Dresses in black, is a sexpot and enjoys being domineering over her enemies before she kills them.
- Evil Redhead: Her blood-red locks complement her lust for killing.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: Lamia's voice is described as being "sultry" and "smoky" from centuries of pipe use.
- Femme Fatale: She's described as extraordinarily voluptuous woman that oozes sensuality. She's also an assassin as a day job.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Lamia is always seen either smoking or holding her pipe in hand.
- In-Series Nickname: "The Black Witch".
- Mrs. Robinson: She's over a thousand years old and is most definitely Mura's senior in the workforce, but wants to make him hers.
- Ms. Fanservice: The character with the most fanservice in the series so far, oozing sensuality whenever she's depicted.
- Product Placement: Lampshaded. Mura walks by an advertisement for Lamia's perfume line while in the city.
- Punch-Clock Villain: How she sees her position doing the Empire's dirty work. This leads to her still showing interest in Mura even after his exile; tempting him into being her husband to avoid his endless pursuit from Mara.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: She openly uses her body as an advantage whenever she can, even flashing Mura her breasts to show him how her Tamashi Genkai works.
- The Vamp: Plans on seducing Mura to make him her husband. If he doesn't comply, she'll just kill him for the bounty money.
- Villainesses Want Heroes: Her interest in Mura invokes this, desiring him for his Primeval blood and a few other things. She even offers to save him from Mara's hunters and the other Jikininki through marriage, but he refuses.
(#8) Wendigo
An expert gunslinger that lives for the hunt. He's ranked Eighth within the Jikininki.
- Badass Longcoat: Always sports his signature dark green trench-coat.
- Establishing Character Moment: Wendigo is introduced by shooting a drunken man in the throat, walking over to him and taking a massive chomp out of his skull. Why? ''He disrespected him''.
- The Gunslinger: His primary weapon of choice are four custom-made ebony pistols. His abilities suggest he's able to use them all at once.
- Gun Twirling: Has a habit of this when holstering his weapons. Then again, he also does it idly too.
- Man Bites Man: While he doesn't seem to be a cannibal like the namesake would suggest, Wendigo tends to use his teeth and dislocatable jaw as a practical weapon.
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Wendigo's Game Face involves him dislocating his jaw and expanding it, showing off his rows of razor-sharp pointed teeth.
- Quick Draw: He's able to pull out his pistol, shoot a man in the neck and holster it within a few milliseconds. Since a red blur is mentioned when he does this, his quick draw might be related to his Tamashi Genkai.
- Principles Zealot: The main thing Wendigo cares about most is respect for his fellow Jikininki brothers and sisters. Disrespect them, and you're good as dead.
(#7) Jormungandr
The gargantuan King of Yrdl’var. He's ranked Seventh within the Jikininki.
- The Big Guy: He's the tallest member of the Jikininki Ten, dwarfing Behemoth in comparison!
- Evil Old Folks: Jormungandr is old, even by demonic standards. Despite that, he has more muscle than anyone else.
- Gigantic Gulp: When Jormungandr drinks, he drinks hard; shotgunning an entire barrel of ale before crushing it effortlessly in his grip.
- Large and in Charge: Not only is he the largest of the Jikininki, but he's also the ruler of his own nation in Yomi named Yrdl'var.
- The Patriarch: The King of Yrdl'var, a Nordic-inspired nation within Yomi and a father to his men.
(#6) Llorona
A lone and silent assassin shrouded in mystery. She's ranked Sixth within the Jikininki.
- Elective Mute: According to Wendigo, she chooses to be mute at every occasion.
- Ineffectual Loner: Despite being a part of the Jikininki Ten, she never partners with anyone in the group; instead choosing to venture out alone.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Her red eyes and position as Sixth aren't to be taken lightly.
- Spicy Latina: Her namesake, features and nationality classify Llorona as latina. As the trope implies, she has quite the attitude.
(#5) Kishin
- Cool Sword: Carries a katana that can apparently cut things even within its scabbard.
- Every Scar Has a Story: Kishin's jagged scar that runs down the middle of his chest and abdomen was apparently from his execution. That he survived.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Has a beautiful face with braided blond hair. Too bad he seems completely crazy.
- The Heavy: Kishin serves as this for Mara, always willing to be the first to take on Mura.
- Mood-Swinger: He switches from a calm demeanor to losing his temper at the drop of a hat.
- No Shirt, Long Jacket: Wears a haori that exposes his bare chest.
- Perpetual Smiler: Is described and depicted in artwork as having a long, relaxed smile most of the time.
- Red Baron: "Yomi's Golden Devil".
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: His red eyes with an eight-pointed star within the iris.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red Oni to Mura's Blue Oni.
- The Rival: To Mura.
(#4) Grendel
A hedonistic assassin that also serves as spymaster to the empire. He's ranked Fourth within the Jikininki.
- Barefoot Loon: He walks around barefoot, with dirty bandages wrapped around them for protection.
- The Hedonist: In the pursuit of true pleasure, Grendel's personal philosophy is: "If it feels good, it is good".
- Hellish Pupils: He has purple eyes with triangular pupils.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Grendel is turned on by blood and carnage, murder and death in general.
- Royal Harem: Ladies are drawn to him like flies to honey.
(#3) Nergal
Minister of Defense for Yomi and an extremely powerful assassin. He's ranked Third within the Jikininki.
- Action Politician: The Minister of Defense and Commissioner of Yomi's Police. He takes his job very seriously, taking it upon himself to execute any major threats to the empire.
- Amoral Attorney: Serves as the prosecutor during Mura's trial.
- Badass Longcoat: Wears a great coat in his appearances.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Every encounter he has results in this trope. It's fitting of someone of his rank and power.
- The Dragon: He serves as right-hand man of Mara.
- The Dreaded: Criminals are absolutely terrified of Nergal, along with seemingly everyone that knows of him.
- Evil Chancellor: He's the Minister of Defense that works for the Big Bad.
- Mutilation Interrogation: Nergal describes to Mura that his favorite method of torturing involves slicing his victims into pieces one by one; healing them with strong magic afterwards so they can't die.
- Razor Floss: Played with. Instead of actual razor, Nergal's are those of the "psychokinetic cutting" variety. He can slice objects just by flicking his fingers.
- Reformed Criminal: Used to be a hitman working for a demon mafia gang. After leaving for unexplained reasons, he became a Jikininki and eventually the Commissioner of Yomi's police force.
- Silly Walk: Nergal exhibits an unusual style of walking where his left arm swings freely while his right arm remains stiff. This is actually a real condition called "gunslinger's gait", where mental conditioning from combat training leads the person to always keep their gun arm at the ready in case of an enemy attack.
- Softspoken Sadist: A man of few words and fewer emotions, you can bet Nergal will enjoy torturing the hell out of you. The only times he ever smiles is when his enemies are sinking into despair.
- The Stoic: He's the strong, silent type.
- Throat-Slitting Gesture: How he literally decapitates Sierro using his ability.
- Villainous Widow's Peak: Sports one with shaved sides. The hair in the back is pulled back into a ponytail.
- With My Hands Tied: Typically, Nergal deals with his problems using a single hand. Other times, he simply uses his feet or magic.
(#2) The Great Worm
An unnamed executioner of unmatched strength. He's ranked Second within the Jikininki.
- The Dreaded: He's the official imperial executioner, with his insane power guaranteeing your demise.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: No one refers to him by his actual name, only calling him the "Great Worm".
(#1) First
The assassin ranked First within the Jikininki, his identity and status are unknown to all but Mara himself.
- The Ghost: Not a single person aside from Mara has ever seen First, with some members of the Jikininki Ten doubtful he even exists.
- No One Sees the Boss: Despite being ranked First, no one has ever seen him or heard mention of his deeds. Not even Nergal, the Minister of Defense and Third in the Jikininki Ten, has laid eyes on him.
