07-Ghost

07-Ghost
File:00-cover-07ghost.jpg
セブンゴースト (Sebun Gosuto)
Genre	Action, Fantasy, Supernatural
Manga
Written by	Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara
Published by	Ichijinsha
English publisher	Go! Comi
Magazine	Monthly Comic Zero Sum
Demographic	Shōjo
Original run	November 25, 2005 – present
Volumes	8
Anime
Directed by	Norihiro Takamoto
Studio	Studio Deen
Released	April 6, 2009 – present

07-Ghost is a fantasy manga written and illustrated by Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara. It is currently serialized in the monthly shōjo manga magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum published by Ichijinsha. Seven bound volumes have been released as of January 2009. The manga has been licensed by Go! Comi for release in North America. 07-Ghost has been adapted into a drama CD.

An anime adaptation of 07-Ghost was produced by Studio DEEN and premiered in April 2009.

Plot

Teito Klein is a former slave who now attends the Barsburg Empire's military academy due to his ability to use Zaiphon, a type of supernatural power. The ability is rare and thus highly prized. Teito is an amnesiac and doesn't remember anything of his past, but he has recurring and often traumatizing dreams in which he sees a grand church or castle and a familiar but unknown man.

After a year at the academy, Teito prepares to take the notoriously difficult graduation exam. The night before the exam, Teito and his best (and only) friend, Mikage, swear they will never abandon each other if either needs help. Both of them pass the exam. The next day, Teito hears people talking about him; stopping to listen, he suddenly realizes that the speaker, Chief of Staff Ayanami, is the person who killed the familiar man in his dreams, who is his father and the king of the destroyed Raggs Kingdom. Teito is found eavesdropping and tries to attack his father's murderer but is quickly brought down by one of Ayanami's subordinates and sent to prison. Mikage comes to help him escape, only to find that Teito has managed to fight past the guards by himself. The two flee the building but are cornered on a balcony. Teito pretends to hold Mikage hostage, threatening to kill him if the guards pursue him, and thus makes his escape, though he is wounded by a Zaiphon blast that Ayanami directs at him. Three bishops in the nearby 7th District discover the injured Teito and take him to the 7th District church to recuperate. Because of the 7th District's law of sanctuary, as long as Teito stays in the church, the army cannot arrest him.

In due time, it is discovered that Teito carries the Eye of Mikhail, a powerful talisman for which his home country, the Raggs Kingdom, was destroyed. This fact, as well as his fateful reunion with Mikage, catapults Teito into a quest for revenge against the Barsburg Empire and for knowledge about his past. At the same time, his status as the bearer of the Eye of Mikhail throws him into the long-standing conflict between the evil Verloren and his enemies, the 07 Ghosts.

Setting

07 Ghost takes place in a fantasy world with many different laws, kingdoms, gods, and magic. The Barsburg Empire is divided into seven districts, each with its own cities, rulers, and culture. Each district also has a House of God that is protected by an 07 Ghost.

Zaiphon

Zaiphon is the "magic" of 07-Ghosts's world. Zaiphon is the ability to convert life energy into various forms of power. Zaiphon is controlled by converting strong emotions into energy, and the power that comes from Zaiphon often takes the shape of words, though people may use weapons to channel Zaiphon. Those who have the ability to use Zaiphon are rare and thought to be blessed by God. Every user's capabilities are different, and in many cases, reflect their nature. Zaiphon is generally categorized into three types:

• Healing Zaiphon: People with healing Zaiphon are able to heal wounds and share or transfer their Zaiphon to others. Characters who primarily use healing Zaiphon are Labrador, Assistant Archbishop Bastien, Ouka, and Capella.
• Offensive Zaiphon: People with offensive Zaiphon can attack enemies and protect themselves from attacks directed at them. Characters who primarily use offensive Zaiphon are Teito, Mikage, Ayanami, Hakuren, Frau, and Cappella.
• Manipulation Zaiphon: People with manipulation Zaiphon (which is particularly rare) can move other objects at will. Castor uses this type of Zaiphon.

It is possible to learn to use more than one version of Zaiphon; however, people who can successfully do so are few and far between.

There is a variety of weapons used to manipulate Zaiphon, the most common being the bascule. With the bascule, people can channel their Zaiphon and use it to attack Kor. Different types of Zaiphon have different effects when used through a bascule: those with healing Zaiphon cannot directly attack a Kor, but they can restrict and remove Kor from afflicted people. Those with offensive Zaiphon can directly attack Kor.

07-Ghosts and Verloren

According to a centuries-old myth, the God of Death, Verloren, killed the daughter of the Chief of Heaven and was forced to escape to the earth. In retribution, Verloren invaded the hearts of the people, and they slipped into despair. Lamenting over the people's suffering, the Chief of Heaven dispatched seven heavenly lights in order to punish Verloren. Called the "Seven Ghosts", they are said to have sealed Verloren on the earth and served forever more as the guardians of the Empire. Mothers often tell their children that if they're naughty, the Seven Ghosts will come to take them away.

Though Verloren has been sealed away in Pandora's Box for over 1000 years, his messengers, the Kor, find and contact humans to bring them under his influence. If a contract is made, a mark appears on the person's chest. This is known as Verloren's curse, and it indicates one's heart being eaten by darkness. One of the 07-Ghosts' duties is to fight against Verloren and his curse and try to stop contracts from being fulfilled. Only the Bishops can remove Verloren's curse.

The 07-Ghosts are embodied in humans with such extraordinary Zaiphon abilities that they are considered to be blessed by God. They were originally fragments of Verloren, and they were sent down to the earth by the Chief of Heaven in order to stop Verloren. Each of the 07-Ghosts has died in his previous life, and they all retain their memories of their past lives. Frau, Castor, Labrador, Fia Kreuz, and Lance have been revealed to be Ghosts thus far; all of them have the mark of their Ghosts on their hands. The Ghosts' names are Zehel, Fest, Profe, Randkalt, Rilect, Ea, and Vertrag. Each of the Ghosts has a specific power (see below).

Zehel - 斬魂 "the cutting spirit" (Frau; the Ghost who severs bonds, especially one's ties to misfortune)

Fest - 繋魂 "the tying spirit" (Castor; the Ghost who binds souls together)

Profe - 言魂 "the speaking spirit" (Labrador; the Ghost who prophesies)

Randkalt - 消魂 "the extinguishing spirit" (unknown)

Rilect - 遺魂 "the bequeathing spirit" (Lance; the Ghost who sees one's past)

Ea - 醒魂 "the awaking spirit" (unknown)

Vertrag - 契魂 "the pledging spirit" (Fia Kreuz; the Ghost who manipulates souls)

The Three Dreams

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

There are evil beings that want to interfere with this process; among them are Verloren's messengers, the Kor, who steal dreams and drag humans into darkness. When a human's first dream is granted by a Kor, the person's heart becomes unstable and unable to be satisfied no matter what he or she does. When the second dream is granted, the person falls into a state of starvation or addiction. When the third dream is granted, the soul has indulged in too much darkness and becomes forever unable to return to the Chief of Heaven. The Kor then takes the body; a possessed body with all three dreams fulfilled by the Kor is called a Wars, and they serve Verloren. A dark magician who can control the Wars is called a Warsfeil.

It is the duty of the church to protect people from the Kor, because the feeling of addiction is very difficult to remove. There are cases when a Kor may grant a wish that is not one of the three dreams, but it upsets the equilibrium and the Kor may be punished for it.

The Eyes of Mikhail and Raphael

The Eyes of Mikhail and Raphael are a set of holy stones that can be embedded into the body and that allow the Archangels Mikhail and Raphael to descend into a host's body for a limited time. They are undetectable until they possess their host's body, in which case the stone appears in the host's hand, the host's eye color changes, and he/she becomes able to wield godlike powers with Zaiphon. Before the storyline of "07-Ghost," the royal family of the Kingdom of Raggs held the Eye of Mikhail, and the Barsburg Empire held the Eye of Raphael. A pact was established between both countries never to seize the other Eye; however, the Barsburg Empire broke this pact ten years prior to the storyline.

The Eyes' full usages are unknown; however, thus far, the Eye of Mikhail has been used to seal Verloren's original body in Pandora's Box, and the Eye of Raphael has been said to be able to reincarnate Verloren's soul in a human bodies.

The main villains from left to right: Konatsu, Hyuuga and Ayanami, shown in chibi form.

Style

The overall style for 07 Ghost fits into the fantasy manga genre. Although the plot is serious, there is a lot of comic relief so that the story often contains a lighthearted tone. The characters are all complex, varied, and entertaining, and the story is extremely emotional. It is often disputed as to whether it is a shōnen or shōjo manga, since it has qualities that appeal to both demographics.

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

— Sakura Eries, Mania.com Review

Characters

Main characters

From left to right: Mikage, Hakuren, Mikage's reincarnated self(Burupya), and Teito.

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

The protagonist of the story. His real name is Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs, son of Weldeschtein Krom Raggs, and he is the prince of the former Raggs Kingdom; however, after being entrusted with the Eye of Mikhail during the invasion by the Barsburg Empire, his identity was hidden and he was raised by his uncle,Fea Kreuz,as a church orphan. Upon the death of Kreuz, he was made into a combat slave, but eventually entered the Barsburg military academy and became known as a star pupil.

At the start of the manga, Teito makes a promise with his best (and only) friend, Mikage, that they will always be there for each other. Unfortunately, Mikage gives up his life to protect Teito from the Empire. This crushes Teito emotionally, and he swears revenge even though Mikage told him not to. At the 7th District Church he starts studying to become a priest so he can gain a priest's advantages on his way to revenge: less stringent inspections at borders, access to information, and free room and board at any inn in the Empire.

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

At the beginning of the story, Teito is a cold and serious student due to his only memories being those of a combat slave whose only purpose was to kill criminals. He is initially cold to Mikage as well, although the two eventually become good friends. Strangely, according to the academy chairman, Miroku, Teito's greatest weakness is his compassion, despite all the hardships he has gone through. For example, during the military exam, when the requirement was to kill a condemned criminal in order to pass, Teito refused to do so, stating that there was no reason to do so, so Ayanami intervened and killed the criminal instead mocking Teito for being weak. While he was a slave, he often saw other children with their mothers and couldn't remember ever having a family. The only person who cared about him as a slave was a mute maid in the manor where he lived. Before leaving to go to military school, Teito brought her a feather, promising that someday she would be free as well. It is shown at the end of the flashback sequence that she still has a framed picture of Teito and is shown looking at it fondly.

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

The identity of any one of the Seven Ghosts must remain a secret, however, so nobody believes Fia Kruez's word against the Pope. This is the origin of the 'lie' (that Kruez committed the unforgivable act of stealing the Pandora's Box). In order to make sure Teito's soul won't be overcome by what was sealed in him (Verloren's body) and thus save his life, the king makes Teito become the Vessel of the Eye of Mikhail very early in life; interestingly, the Eye of Mikhail protects Teito from Verloren while simultaneously being the one thing that can open Pandora's Box. At this time, the Barsburg Kingdom attacks the Raggs Kingdom, under the impression that Raggs made a declaration of war since the messenger that Raggs sent to tell Barsburg about the Pope was killed, making Barsburg believes that Raggs stole Pandora's Box.

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

Teito has a slave tattoo on his back which he got in his combat slave days. During his fight against Ayanami, he gets a slave collar around his neck. Later Frau accidentally invoked a blood contract when he tried to get the collar off and became Teito's 'master' now. This enables him to use three commands that Teito must obey: Sleep, Bind, and Pain. In a humorous scene, Castor states that he shouldn't have informed Frau about the commands, implying that Frau will probably abuse this power. However, in actuality, Frau has only used the command 'Sleep', and even then has only used it twice and both times were used as self-defense. The collar will explode if Teito separates from Frau, the collar's master, for over 48 hours.

Teito is very skilled with the Bascules, exceeding the Zaiphon limit for it during training in one incident. He is very agile and an excellent runner after having trained with Castor's puppets, and manages to get through the examinations on his first try with Hakuren. His slave number was 2741.

In Hausen House Arc, Teito found out from Castor's servant that Castor, whose original name is Xinglu, is actually dead and he couldn't figure out why he saw that Castor was still alive back at the church. Teito was later attacked by a Wars in the doll of Xinglu's mother. Teito poses as Xinglu and forgave her, then defeated the Wars. As Teito left, Fest/Castor appeared and asked if Teito had the courage to accept the "curse" -- that is, the first of the seven 'cursed ticket' needed to reach the Land of Seele. He later received the second one from Profe/Labrador.

Right now he is in the Barsburg Empire's 5th District, formerly the Raggs Kingdom. He met the Imperial princess, the owner of the Eye of Raphael, named Ouka. After being abducted by Lem, he found out that he coincidentally went into one of the God Houses. He was surprised that the house held Profe. After Lem's soul was freed, Teito received the second cursed ticket and departed from Ouka after giving her a doll he made at the church to thank her for the jewel she gave him, with them having told each other their real names.

Teito receives extra abilities since he is the master of the Eye of Mikhail, abilities such as advanced hearing, a sixth sense, and more are said to be sleeping within him.

His birthday is the 1st of December, and he is around 14–15 years old in the beginning of the story. He ranked first in the latest popularity poll in Monthly Comic Zero Sum.

Mikhail

A god (arch angel) that possesses Teito's body through the Eye of Mikhail. When he is in control of Teito's body, Teito's irises become red and his pupils become slits. He is very fond of Teito, and is put out by the slave collar that limits his strength. Though extremely powerful, he tends to act like a petulant child and often makes undignified faces when talking with the Bishops. Later in the series, the Eye of Mikhail is taken away by Ayanami, but Teito can temporarily pass a link through a spell causing a reaction.

Raphael

A god (arch angel) that possesses Ouka's body through the Eye of Raphael. In chapter 53 upon hearing Teito's real name it proceeds to attempt to destroy Teito.

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

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

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

Before Mikage lost his life, he begs Teito not to look for revenge, but instead to keep walking towards the light. This shakes Teito's beliefs, because Mikage was his 'light'. Later, Mikage reincarnated as a small, furry, pink dragon. Frau explains its because he wished to protect Teito, no matter what form.

The Fyulong dragon, Mikage, apparently fell from his nest. Frau managed to find him and bring him to Teito so that they could be together. While traveling to another House of God, Teito comes across the fyulongs mother who demands to have her child back (the dragons can talk and grow to a huge size, which surprises Teito quite a bit), and it was only by that time Frau confessed that the fyulong Teito had, was actually stolen from his mother, "because you would not be able to stop crying if you couldn't see him (Mikage) again at the time". The mother tells Teito that even though Burupya is the reincarnation of Mikage, he has no memories of his previous life and doesn't belong with people. She also states that it is strange how her child is unable to talk or fly while his siblings can talk and fly already, and that it's the result of Frau and Teito's selfish deed (having stolen Mikage from her so that he has been unable to live with his kind and learn from them). Right before Teito let Mikage goes, fyulong Mikage is changed into a young Mikage for a few seconds, the child Mikage points up to the words on the walls that say "We'll always be the best of friends", his last words. However, when the dragons leave, Mikage drops from the sky, tackling Teito to the ground, staying by Teito's side instead of leaving with the rest of the dragons.

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

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

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

A perverted Bishop, he saves Teito's life when Teito falls from his hawkzile. He is the member of the 07-Ghosts known as 'Zehel'. He finds Mikage (as a small dragon) for Teito and accidentally becomes Teito's 'Master' when he attempts to remove Teito's promise collar, thereby invoking a blood contract. This collar gives Frau the ability to use three commands on Teito: bind, sleep and pain. For all his teasing, Frau also keeps Teito's spirits up with impromptu pep-talks. His relation with Ayanami is as of yet unknown. Frau is the only Ghost who can wield Verloren's scythe, though how he managed to get this scythe is currently unknown. His catch phase he says before every battle is "May god be with you".

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

Frau was so talented in fighting with Kor that he holds the all-time highest score for the examination — in fact, all of those being tested that day had to be regraded separately, as Frau's light completely erased everyone's darkness. When Frau and Castor are reminiscing about when they took the exam, Frau says how he got stuck with the worst partner ever. Castor is infuriated by his comment, saying that that was his line, which implies that they were partners in the examination.

He enjoys teasing and annoying Teito about how he looks like a small child. Although he is very tall and intimidating, the church orphans adore him, often getting him to play games with them. Frau fancies himself quite the ladies' man, flirting with the nuns and any pretty women he sees.

Despite his tough looks and rough exterior, Frau's is actually very caring and cares very much for people, especially Teito, like protecting him from danger and carrying him when he's hurt. He even says that his meeting with Teito for the first time is not a coincidence but actually is fated for them both to meet. When Teito came to save him from prison, Frau ordered him to turn back and ensured him that things would be okay. But before Teito left he said "Can I just ask one favor? If you really want me to feel at ease, smile for me." He also dedicated a very beautiful verse to Teito that says "As long as you keep anything about me within you, my heart will be with you."

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

He has a cross-shaped tattoo on the small of his back. In chapter 52 page 30 his nails became claws and he grew fangs indicating the scythe may be corrupting him.

Frau was ranked second in the latest popularity poll in Monthly Comic Zero Sum.

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

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

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

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

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

Upon being told the story by Seilan, Xinglu's butler, while visiting the House of God, Teito is stunned because he recognizes Castor from the photos of Xinglu. Teito asks him if Xinglu survived the stab wound and is told that the young heir died, which stuns Teito because he knows Castor and Razette are living quite happily back at the church. It turns out that when he died he became a Ghost; this explains why he never told his family that he was still alive because the identity of the 07 Ghosts must remain a secret. After he became a Ghost and "woke up" after his death Razette was lying dead by his side, apparently having taken her own life in grief over Castor's death. As her Soul was still in her body, he was able to use his new Ghost powers to tie his body together with her soul, allowing her to live again by sharing his life force.

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

His powers as a ghost is that he can tie together the souls of living beings. With this it means he can resurrect dead bodies, on the condition that the soul is still in the body, and it was not a natural death. He was seen doing this to a dead dog, tying it and its owner's souls together, letting it live on by sharing the life force with its owner. He used this power the first time right after becoming a ghost, resurrecting Razette. This let her live on, as well as be with him, as their souls were now bound together, bypassing the rule that the Ghosts can't contact people from their past.

His birthday is the 24th of December. He was voted fifth in the latest popularity poll in Monthly Comic Zero Sum.

Although it is yet unconfirmed, during a recent manga chapter, Castor seems to have prevented a fatal attack from a rogue bishop which was aimed at Labrador. It seems that he was heavily injured but remains alive for the timebeing. The last scene shows him chatting with Labrador about how it would be problematic for Labrador to be injured/killed, like the state he was in.

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

A bishop whose hobby is gardening, he gives Teito a flower of protection at the start of the manga which later saves his life during an encounter with a Kor. He also gives Teito a drink made from sweet flowers to heal his 'wounds of the heart'. During battles, he is able to use flowers and vines as weapons with his manipulation zaiphon. He is also able to communicates with flowers. It has been confirmed by an omake, and later in chapter 46 of the manga, that he is indeed a Ghost, known as 'Profe'. His powers as a Ghost grant him the gift of foresight, which allowed him to aid Teito before Teito's first encounter with a Kor. He doesn't wish to kill Veloren, only for him to live in the world as a proper human.

His real name is Ilyusha, which is discovered by Teito and co. through the memories of Lem, his old friend. He is the grandson of the Krat family's leader and spent most of his time in his greenhouse. Lem and his younger sister, Lirin were orphans that the Krat household adopted. The three of them were close friends. Labrador (Ilyusha) had precognition ever since he was little, allowing him to 'see' where medicinal herbs would grow. Lirin was a sickly child, often falling sick until at one point, her illness could not be cured. Krat told Lem about 'The Flower of Eden'- a mystical flower that is said not only able to heal any illness, but also any sadness. Lem urges Ilyusha to tell him about the said flower. A few days later, a sealed letter filled with petals arrived. In it was written; "If you burn these petals as incense, Lirin would definitely be happy." Grateful, Lem hurried to Ilyusha's greenhouse, only to discover the imperial soldiers sealing the place off. Ilyusha was devoured by the forbidden flower- The Flower of Eden. Blinded by grief, Lem seals Ilyusha's body and Profe's seal together, calling it 'his most precious treasure in the world.'

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

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

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

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

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

Later on, he received a message from his father, asking him to come back to the Royal family to serve as a tutor to the princess. At first, Hakuren refused to accept the position, preferring to continue his training as a bishop. However, Castor asks him to visit an old hospital with him before making his final decision. After seeing & hear the things that were covered up by the military, he decided to comply with his father's will, to go in order to let the voices of the weak be heard by the royal family. He was last seen arriving by Ouka as Teito was leaving noticing the doll he made.

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

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

The main antagonist, he is the man who killed Teito's 'Father' in the war against Raggs and seeks the Eye of Mikhail. Not much is shown about Ayanami's past except that he comes from a fallen noble family. Because of his birth, some colleagues dislike him and give him a hard time. On the surface he is respected, as he is greeted by salutes by officers whose ranks are lower than his, but it is also seen in episode 4 that after they saluted, they talked about Ayanami disrespectfully behind his back. In a 07-Ghost bangaihen, it is shown that many officers in the army fear the Black Hawks, and Haruse's room-mate even says to Haruse that the Black Hawks are something that should be erased.

In many people's views, Ayanami is unfeeling and doesn't value humans' lives, but this may not be the whole story, since in episode 19, although Kuroyuri is willing to die for him, Ayanami refuses to abandon him even if it puts himself in danger. When Labrador injured Haruse, Anayami asks if his subordinate is alright. In one of the drama CDs, he goes to the grave of his closest Begleiter (named Yukikaze) and talks to him gently.

As the Barsburg Empire's Chief of Staff, he can be seen as a cold and merciless character, who will not hesitate to kill in order to accomplish his mission. He is very dedicated to his country, and his nationalism is his main motive. His cruely is shown when he holds Mikage in for questioning after Teito's escape: he gives Mikage a choice between Teito and Mikage's family. When Mikage expresses that he will abandon Teito's life in no circumstances, Anayami possesses Mikage's soul and when Mikage finally finds Teito, takes over his body and forces him to attack Teito. In the end, Teito and Frau are forced to kill Mikage, which takes its toll on Teito emotionally. Anayami states to Hyuuga that it is necessary to kill Mikage in front of Teito's very own eyes so that Teito would come after him himself instead of shunning him. But it seems that he has not harmed Mikage's sister at all, even though Mikage chose Teito.

In one of the more lighthearted official doujinshi titled Supreme Sugar, Ayanami is shown taking care of his pets, but all the animals (except the leopards) are afraid of him.

It is later revealed in chapter 46 that Ayanami is indeed the reincarnation of the spirit of Verloren. Usually this would have been okay, as Verloren reincarnates within a human body every time one dies, but the case is different in Ayanami as he has remembered that he is Verloren. Ayanami confirms to Labrador that he wants his body and his power back, and will stop at nothing to get it. He also reveals the Seven Ghosts are actually fragments of his body and that he shall get them back as well. Verloren was actually in love with the Chief of Heaven's daughter, Eve, and the chief claimed that he had killed her. When she died he went to earth and he was taking people's souls looking for hers, he decided to take as many as possible to find her, that's when he was executed. He was also created by the Chief of Heavens and was considered his "Greatest Creation".

He is 178 cm tall, and his blood type is B. His favourite colour is white.

Minor characters

Miroku (ミロク, Miroku) Voiced by: Mitsuo Senda

The chairman of the military academy who had Teito as his favorite student. Although that is how it looked at first, but later it's revealed that he just put Teito in the academy because he's the owner of The Eye of Mikhaill and Raggs successor. That you can take from the conversation with Ayanami, at chapter 10 in the anime, with the sentence: "Ever since the beginning, I did not plan to have 'that' as the army's toy or anything trivial." But he also stated that it is a waste to lose Teito and that he is strong. In the anime, it was revealed that he was the Empire's former Field-Marshal.

Shuri Oak (シュリ·オーク, Shuri Ōku) Voiced by: Miyu Irino

A student from the prestigious Oak family, he often bullies Teito because he was a slave, along with two other boys who seem to be his only friends, or at least the only people who tolerate him in their company. During the final exam, Shuri panics and embarrasses himself by screaming and begging for his life. Teito saves him even though he has a grudge against him. Later, through connections with his father Field-Marshal Oak, he becomes a subordinate to Ayanami, much to the latter's annoyance. . Kuroyuri expresses a desire to kill him, along with most of the characters he interacts with.

He is very cowardly, conceited, and spoiled, often using his father's high position for his own personal gain. He becomes Anayami's subordinate simply because 'daddy said so, of course!' He annoys everyone on board within seconds of appearing on their ship with his spoilt attitude; complaining about the size of the ship, with Anayami asking 'who brought garbage on board?'. He becomes such a nuisance Hyuuga simply throws him out of the aircraft, that the location was right to send him on the front lines. He somehow manages to survive the fall and is about to be killed before Konatsu jumps from the aircraft and saves him. When confronted with the sight of dead boddies he breaks down and cries, but this doesn't seem to have had any long-term psychological damage. Because Konatsu saved his life, he idolizes him greatly. His birthday is the 3rd of February.

Hyuuga (ヒュウガ, Hyūga) Voiced by: Kenji Hamada

One of Ayanami's closest subordinates. Their relationship seems to be more than standard master and subordinate, with some elements of friendship present. He is almost never seen without a lollipop (or candy apple) in his mouth and is always wearing dark sunglasses. He is always joking, being silly and never acts serious; he takes a lollipop he was eating out of his own mouth and offers it to Anayami. This is shown in an omake when he and Frau attend a parent teacher meeting and embarrass Konatsu and Teito. He has excellent swordsmanship and is vey good at fighting. He is happy most of the time and is very rarely not seen smiling.

He is very concerned about Ayanami, and has sworn to protect him no matter what. In the first drama CD, he was worried about Ayanami's health because the latter worked tirelessly and didn't get much sleep. Later in the drama, Ayanami told the Black Hawks to relax in an inn but he excused himself. Hyuuga followed Ayanami secretly, and when he heard Ayanami asked Yukikaze's grave "Was our meeting really...happiness to you?", he came out from his hiding place to comfort Ayanami that he was sure Yukikaze was happy with him. He later stayed with him to keep him company.

He is 192 cm, 6 foot 2, and his birthday is the 8th of July.

In Japan, there's a type of battleship pronounced as "hyuuga".

Konatsu Warren (コナツ, Konatsu-Wōren) Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio

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

Konatsu was born to a prominent family known for being gifted with Warsfeil. However, as Konatsu was born without the powers of a Warsfeil, he is shunned by his entire family, save for his grandfather who taught him swordsmanship under the instruction that if he could join the Black Hawks and protect Verloren-sama, he might be accepted by his family. As such, Konatsu is an excellent swordsman having never lost a battle and is the top student of the year .

With these merits, he applies for a spot on the Black Hawks and is rejected, because he is not a Warsfeil. Upon receiving his rejection, he sees Hyuuga practicing with his sword and is challenged to a match. The conditions are that if Konatsu can land one hit on Hyuuga, Hyuuga would give him his own sword.

The match is easily one-sided, with Hyuuga breaking Konatsu's arm and several of his ribs. Yet despite his clear disadvantage, Konatsu refuses to give up. After he has passed out from his injuries and Hyuuga is checking his body, Konatsu lashes out at him, unconsciously, grabbing Hyuuga's throat and scoring a "hit". When Konatsu wakes up in hospital, Hyuuga is there and rewards him with his sword and a spot in the Black Hawks.

He is couretous to other colleagues. In one of the drama CDs, when he hears disappointment in Kuroyuri's voice, he tries to cheer him/her up.

He seems to be quite introspective when things go wrong. In one of the 07-Ghost bangaihens, he is swindled 200,000 yen for a pot which can supposedly make his dream about Hyuuga working hard come true. When he finds out that he is swindled, he blames himself and says he must work even harder since then.

In Japanese, "konatsu" and "little summer" share the same pronunciation. A type of famous citrus fruit in Kouchiken, Shikoku, is also pronounced as konatsu (it is called hyuuganatsu in Miyazakiken.) Its special feature is that its white rind is sweet instead of bitter.

Kuroyuri (クロユリ, Kuroyuri) Voiced by: Chiwa Saito

The youngest of Ayanami's subordinates, Kuroyuri often goes on missions with his/her best friend, Haruse. He/She is fanatically devoted to Ayanami and hates the Ghosts (particularly Frau, since she/he sees Frau using "my master's precious scythe"). He/She is good at using zaiphon in battles and is seen sitting on piles of corpses or mutilates bodies, as seen when he/she tortures the criminals that have claimed sanctuary in the church grounds. He/She seems to make a hobby of getting rid of people who annoy him/her by killing them, as he/she frequently asks for permission to do so. He/She has a strong relationship with Haruse.

Kuroyuri's gender is a point of contention, and is marked as "unknown" in the official anime fanbook . In an omake, Konatsu asks for an answer to which Kuroyuri's response is that it's a secret. When Hyuuga prods him/her again for an answer, Kuroyuri asks "Do you want to die?". In the manga and anime, Kuroyuri refers to him/herself as "boku", which is a form of "I" used by younger boys and tomboys in Japan. Kuroyuri also seems to be bad at cooking. In volume 2's omake, Kuroyuri cooked Sashimi with strawberry jam, eggs with chocolate and a bluish food, which causes the Black Hawks members (except Konatsu) to faint after they've eaten it. Later it is revealed in the manga that he/she was poisoned when he/she was a kid, and although he/she survived, his/her sense of taste was lost.

His/her birthday is the 25th of September.

In Japanese, dark/black is pronounced as kuro, and lily is pronounced as yuri.

Haruse (ハルセ, Haruse) Voiced by: Wataru Hatano

Kuroyuri's subordinate, who often accompanies Kuroyuri on missions. He first saw Kuroyuri in front of a vending machine when Kuroyuri was trying to press the button for a type of pudding but wasn't tall enough, and he pressed the button for him/her. Surprised and was afraid of being laughed at, he/she claimed that the button Haruse pressed was not what he/she wanted to press and ran away.

Later in the story, it appears that Haruse's soul was 'taken' by the Eye of Mikhail when he separated Mikhail and Teito.

Katsuragi (カツラギ, Katsuragi) Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai

Colonel, a member of the Black Hawks. According to the second drama CD, he is supposed to be a replacement for Ayanami's Begleiter. Katsuragi talks politely and seems to be good at cooking. But it seems that Ayanami doesn't trust him as much as he trusts other Black Hawks.

In manga chapter 21, it is revealed that he is a spy and is seen talking with a major-general who hates Ayanami.

Yukikaze (ユキカゼ, Yukikaze)

Ayanami's Begleiter, who has been mentioned only in the first drama CD so far, to whom Ayanami said "you are the only Begleiter I have loved." Many people believe that the man who says "watashi no ou wa anata dake desu, Ayanami-sama" in chapter 26 is Yukikaze too, because Hyuuga doesn't use the teineigo when he talks with Ayanami.

In a one-shot story illustrated by Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara titled Begleiter, Ayanami had a Begleter before he became the Chief of Staff, but he died to protect Ayanami in a battle. Since then, Ayanami has been rejecting anyone who applies for that position. When Hyuuga said "he isn't the only one who cares about you", Ayanami threatened Hyuuga with a sword.

Lazette (ラゼット, Razetto) Voiced by: Saori Hayami

A noel mermaid, who grew up with Castor, is resurrected after taking her own life in grief over Castor's death. She currently sings and plays the organ in the church. Razette can also freely change her face into that of other people. If people eat her scales it allows them to breath underwater.

In the anime, she seems to fear Frau, as shown when she cowers behind Teito after Frau greets her. This fact does not exist in the manga. She also takes a liking to Teito when she first met him. Also, she normally doesn't like strangers.

Fea Kreuz (フェア·クロイツ, Fea Kuroitsu)

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

He cared for Teito very much, having raised him and being his primary father figure. He is actually the King's younger brother, making him Teito's blood uncle. Although there are many differences between him and Frau, Teito is still reminded of Kreuz a lot when Frau is being serious. It is later revealed in chapter 39 that he was the one who sealed Teito's memories in order to protect the Eye of Mikhail and hide the location of where he hid the Pandora's Box. He looks a bit like both Mikage and Frau.

Fia Kreuz is also another of the 07-Ghosts, Vertrag. He was devoured by Verloren, causing him to gain his powers.

Sister Athena Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi

One of the nuns of the church. She has blue hair and violet eyes.

Sister Rosalie Voiced by: Mamiko Noto

One of the nuns of the church. She has blonde hair and brown eyes. She is a bit clumsy. She also suspected Frau as one of the seven ghosts.

Sister Libelle Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka

One of the nuns of the church. She has pink hair and blue eyes.

Jio (ジオ, Jio)

An elder Arch-bishop at the church with one scarred eye. He is the leader of the seven Bishops and suspects spies in the church.

Bastien (バスティン, Basutin) Voiced by: Daisuke Kirii

A high-ranking priest, he oversees the teaching of acolytes (people who will take the exam to become a priest). He was Frau's teacher in the past, and is his most important person. Ironically, he is revealed to be a spy under Ayanami. He was killed by Frau in his Ghost form for his crime of using black magic to kill murderers who seek salvation. It is implied he was reincarnated as a sprout in the church's garden.

Lance (ランセ, Ranse) Voiced by: Kōichi Tōchika

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

Eve

Daughter of the Chief of Heaven. Her appearance resembles Teito, despite gender. She lost her way in the forest and was about to enter a restricted area when Verloren saw her and stopped her in time. She was surprised at first sight because he was in the form of a skeleton in a hood, but when she said she wanted to see his expressions, he responded by turning into a human face that looks very alike to Ayanami's, at which she was surprised because "Why do you turn into such a beautiful form all of a sudden!".

She said that Verloren was gentle despite his appearance, because he made a type of flower to alleviate the suffering of the dead on their way to purgatory. Verloren denied it, saying that if he took away the pain, more people would want to give up life.

Roseamanelle Ouka Barsburg

The Barsburg Empire's princess. She's the owner of the Eye of Raphael and she runs away from the Royal Palace to reach her dream to be free, in order not to follow the King's orders to become someone that she wouldn't be, since she wants to be a doctor. She also has a little dragon called Kururu, whom she considers to be like a sister to her. Though she doesn't seem to remember it, she was the one who invoked the Eye of Raphael upon Raggs Kingdom, destroying Teito's home. She admired Teito for his courage and agreed to visit the next God House with him, before they were attacked by Wars. At first, she mistook Teito as a God House member because of his clothes, but the issue was quickly cleared up. Frau mistakes Teito taking Ouka on a date, which embarrassed both of them. Like Teito, she thinks Frau is a pervert. She gives Teito a jewel that belonged to her mother as a farewell gift and in exchange he gave her a doll he made which she said she would always treasure. Before parting, they told each other their real names, causing the Eye of Raphael to activate and attempts to kill Teito, but she snapped out of it upon Hakuren's arrival.

Kururu

Ouka's friend and partner, she is a fyulong dragon. She didn't want to befriend Burupya at first but later told him to learn the human language and they'll talk.

Capella

A child who was sold into slavery by his mother. He is rescued by Teito and Frau as they flee the Barsburg Church, and joins them in their journey to the 'Land of Seele'. Capella gained the ability to use the healing style of zaiphon after being told by Teito that they were going to the Fourth District in search of his mother. Capella later later learns he can also use offensive zaiphon. His name means: "Church style".

Kurena

A servant who took care of Teito during Teito's days of being a slave, Teito said that once he enters the military he will free her. She has a scar on her neck as punishment for her carelessness under her previous master. To the present, she still keeps a picture of Teito and all the little things (sparkly stones, flowers, etc) that Teito had given her, which goes to show how much she still cherishes Teito. She is the only female character in the series so far who's truly important to Teito, as she is the closest thing he has to a mother.

Seilan

A butler at the Hausen House. He served Xinglu, and is still saddened about his death, after 10 years.

Yuki & Suzu

Both are combat slaves from Antwort. They were captured by Hyuuga in battle, once the king of Antwort was killed Ayanami freed them, yet they decided to join him since they like strong people. They sent a Wars after Teito to test him and in chapter 47 they met Teito in person. They got along great since they speak Raggs dialect and enjoy singing, they later left Teito's group with a letter saying goodbye, although they are hesitant to fight him, they will if ordered to.

Yuki is more careful, while Suzu is more outgoing. Since they speak only Raggs' language, only a few people can understand them (Ayanami being one of them), but both are able to recognize people's strengths immediately, like they noticed Teito's hands were the same as theirs, which are those that have killed many people, and they noticed that Frau was surrounded by darkness that would devour them if they approached carelessly. Just like Teito, they are able to completely hide their presence, and Hyuuga stated that it took him one minute to catch them so they were just as strong as Teito.

Lem

Close friend to Labrador, who was once Ilyusha. He is a Wars, but has a human conscience. Ilyusha help his sister, Lirin, with her illness by giving her the petals of the Flower of Eden. However, it cost Ilyusha's own body to mutation. Teito saw his memories and told that him that Ilyusha chose to die to save his sister. Lem broke the seal and release Profe, killing the Wars controlling him at the same time.

Fyulong

A breed of dragon that Mikage's reincarnation belongs to, they have ancient knowledge surpassing humans and are capable of telepathic communication, the head dragon was able to determine Frau was Zehel and understand the chief of heaven's actions. She wanted Mikage back and blames Zehel for taking him, but understands how precious life was to them, even showing Teito Mikage's past life memories. Upon ascertaining that the child was happy she left him with Teito.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of 07 Ghost chapters

07 Ghost is currently serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum published by Ichijinsha. Seven compilation volumes have been released as of January 2009, and the manga is ongoing. It has been licensed in North America by Go! Comi. The North American release has taken much care for the quality of the licensed version; the production team was nominated for Eisner Award for Best Presentation of Japanese Material last year, with the finest translation and the highest production values.

Drama CD

A drama CD was also released in 2007, known as Kamisama ni Todoku Koibumi. It features many of the same voice actors that will be reprising their roles for the anime.

Following the success of the first CD, a second drama CD was released in February 2009 entitled "07-Ghost : "Seventh District" (Limited Edition)". It is priced at 2500 yen, is 70 minutes long, and features the same voice cast for the previous CD and the anime. A bonus track of the cast's comments and a specially drawn jacket/cover by the mangaka are also included.

Anime

Main article: List of 07-Ghost episodes

07-Ghost has been adapted into an anime by Studio DEEN. Directed by Nobuhiro Takamoto, the anime premiered on Chiba TV on April 6, 2009, season one concluded on September 21, 2009. Season one uses two pieces of theme music. "Aka no Kakera" by Yuki Suzuki is the opening theme, while "Hitomi no Kotae" by Noria is the ending theme. The song "Raggs no Chinkonka" by Noria is used as an insert song in episodes 20 and 25.

Reception

The seventh volume of '07 Ghost was ranked 23rd on the Tohan charts between November 26 and December 2, 2008. Sakura Eries from Mania.com comments that the manga contains "supernatural shōnen action title with a complex plot" and "emotional moments between Teito and Mikage" for shōjo readers. The 9th Volume was ranked 13rd on Oricon Manga Ranking charts between November 23 and November 29.

External links

• Yukimachi's (illustrator) official site Template:Jp icon
• Go! Comi's official 07-GHOST site
• 07-Ghost (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• 07-Ghost (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia