Demon Hunter Organization

The Demon Hunter Organization (退魔組織, Taima Soshiki^?) is an important element of the Nasuverse within the stories of Tsukihime, Kara no Kyoukai, and Kagetsu Tohya. Though it is not often referred to directly it is related to many of the core characters of those stories. The Organization is made up of four families all of whom have a psychic ability. The Organization's main opponent are the Kishu bloodline of demons which partially included the Tohno Family. However even some members of Organization are known to have inhuman blood coursing through their veins.

The Purpose of the Organization

The main purpose of the organization is simple: destroy demons or demon hybrids that have thick demon blood, as they see them as an abnormality that must be corrected. A Demon is a disruption and Demon Hunters are a gathering of those who fix the disruption within nature but they can't fix the disruption within humans. Because the Demon Hunters are an organization in the lawful spell branch, created by humans to protect the human society, as such they are not supposed to hurt humans. For that reason, they will have a difficult time against a demon hybrid as they are not a disruption. In order for a hybrid to be considered a disruption, the demon blood needs to become thicker than the human blood. These demon hybrids who can't maintain the human side anymore are seen as being out of alignment, and the Demon Hunters finally see them as their target. However, when the hybrids go out of alignment, they become the worst enemy for the Demon Hunters. Because they have a human side, binding spells won't work on them and because they have the alien power of the demons, it's impossible to stand up against them with a body of a human. In the past when weapons were undeveloped, killing them meant many casualties. However the Nanaya family apparently did have some sort of understanding with the Tohno family, as evidenced by their reaction during the Tohno family's attack.

The Families

In Japan there are four known demon hunting families, however as time went by they became unnecessary. The enemy known as Half-Bloods, have slowly morphed from an evil that threatens society to a necessary evil. The Half-Bloods were no longer worshiped due to the emergence of the nation, so they compromised with human society and became organized. They skillfully brought those in positions of power to their cause, and became the ones in power. As a result, the Four Demon Hunter Houses could no longer maintain themselves.

The relationships between the four families are unknown but the Nanaya and Ryougi were once close friends.

Nanaya

For a time, the Nanaya (七夜, Nanaya^?) were considered one of the most powerful families of the Organization. The Nanaya continued battling the Half-Bloods in the modern age because that was all they were good at.

Though they possessed a psychic ability in the form of Pure Eyes, what truly made them so powerful was their assassination skills and the refinement of normal human physical potential taken to the maximum level, which allowed them to perform incredible feats of athletics and acrobatics such as defying gravity to run across walls. So that their powers could be passed down to their descendants, the Nanaya maintained the purity of their bloodline by having incestuous relations between themselves.

Kiri Nanaya was the last head of this family and was one of the best assassins of the Organization. The family was slaughtered by Kouma Kishima under the orders of Makihisa Tohno. One child survived the attack, Kiri's son, Nanaya Shiki who would later become known as Shiki Tohno.

Known members

• Shiki Tohno (adopted into the Tohno family).
• Kiri Nanaya.

Fujou

• Kirie Fujou and her family
• Hisui and Kohaku's mother

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As the kanji in their name hints, the Fujou (巫浄, Fujō^?) are a lineage of priestesses (miko). The Fujous possessed other "useful" skills besides fighting Half-Bloods, so they focused on those areas instead and survived.

Similarly to the Nanaya, it is a clan that has been passing down special abilities to their descendants through teaching of techniques and mystical knowledge. Treated as an ancient bloodline of magi, they specialize in acting as mediums, but originally their expertise was the use of curses. Their psychic ability grants a superior view of the world at the expenses of causing blindness.

The family collapsed with the death of its last descendant, Kirie Fujou.

Hisui and Kohaku belong to a branch family of the Fujou that fell into ruin after the pair’s mother broke one of clan’s taboos, which is why the two girls ended being picked up by Tohno Makihisa. They possess the power of the Synchronizer, to transfer their life force to others through sharing of fluids, which was maintained and passed down to their descendants thanks to bloodline relations.

Known members:

• Kirie Fujou.
• Hisui and Kohaku (branch family).

Ryougi

• Shiki's grandfather
• Shiki's father
• Shiki's father Ufotable character sheet
• Shiki's Mother
• Kaname Ryougi

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The ability of the Ryougi (両儀, Ryōgi^?) family is to create multiple personalities within themselves. The personalities are used to gain multiple skills (ie: one for acting normal and one for fighting). Also, their training involves refining a self-hypnosis skill that enhances their abilities wielding a Japanese sword. When a child is born they are given one name written two different ways in kanji.

This family is apparently still active but no longer fighting demons. They are now more like the Tohno family, in that they are wealthy landowners and represent Japanese upper class. The Ryougi mansion has about 20 servants including the young ones. Unlike the Tohnos, however, they live in a large Japanese-style mansion surrounded by groves of bamboo.

Shiki's father is a Yakuza who manages a diverse portfolio of companies. He occasionally acts as a “consultant” for rival organizations, and has a large number of “freelance employees” on retainer in his home. He’s a bit old-fashioned, so he won’t hesitate to resort to violence when the occasion calls for it. He’s also a member of the Gourmet Club When he was younger, he was a leader in the reviled 23 Districts Gang. Eventually, in order to protect Shiki’s mom, who was being harassed by a group of delinquents, Shiki’s dad started silently walking her home every day. And after that they married and have two children together. They often go on walks together.

Though Kaname Ryougi (両儀要, Ryōgi Kaname^?) is the firstborn son, he was unable to manifest a second personality within himself, thus making him ineligible to succeed as the head of the family. Around the time when Shiki woke up form her coma in The "Hollow Shrine", Kaname is living away from home. He is described to have a Gackt^WP like personality.

The family relationship is somewhat distinct with in the family. The Ryougi household still observes the old Japanese dining traditions. In ancient Japan, hierarchical relationships were made readily apparent even within families. A dining table where everybody sat down and ate as equals would be unheard of. Rather, each individual is given their own table that indicates their status.

Known members:

• Shiki's grandfather
• Shiki's father
• Kaname Ryougi
• Shiki Ryougi
• Mana Ryougi

Asagami

This family once had two branches; the main branch called "Asakami" (浅神, Asakami^?) whereas the minor branch remains "Asagami" (浅上, Asagami^?). The ability of this family possess powerful telekinesis.

The fall of Asakami was self-inflicted. They worshiped the captured Half-Bloods as guardian gods, and their lineage became diluted due to the continued interbreeding. In the end, they almost became Half-Bloods themselves. The demon-hunter became the demon, such is the tragedy of the Asakamis.

With the family's main branch collapsed but one of the minor branches still exists, though now is only a business organization. It is unknown if the family bears any relation to the Asagami Private Girls Academy that Akiha Tohno attends but Fujino Asagami's father sponsors the Reien Girl's Academy.

The movie points out the difference by having Ryougi Shiki pronounce the name of the main branch as "Asakami" whereas the minor branch remains "Asagami". In the novel the difference in the kanji used is presented, but the pronunciation between the two remains the same.

Known members

• Fujino Asagami.
• Fujino Asagami's father, an offscreen character during chapter 3 of Kara no Kyoukai.

References

• Red Demon God - Kagetsu Tohya Side Story.
• Kara no Kyoukai - chapters 1 and 3.
• Tsukihime - Hisui's route (which reveals the names of the families in the Organization).