Ishnu-dal-dieb!

Description :

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

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

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

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

Main Characters:

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

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

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

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

Mikage (ミカゲ) Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa

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

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

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

Frau (フラウ) Voiced by: Suwabe Junichi [My fav character! ♥]

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Hakuren Oak (ハクレン·オーク,) Voiced by: Fukuyama Jun [My fav character! ♥]

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

It turns out that Hakuren is related to Shuuri and he and Teito immediately despise each other, even thinking "if this wasn't a sanctuary, I would beat him up". 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.

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

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

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

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

Mikhail

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

Minor Characters :

Miroku (ミロク,) Voiced by: Mitsuo Senda

The chairman 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 Fraggs successor. That you can take form 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 a military toy or anything trivial."

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

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

He is very cowardly, conceited, and spoiled. He annoys the other Black Hawks so much that Hyuuga simply throws him out of the aircraft on a battlefield, claiming he was just sending him on the front lines. He is about to be killed before Konatsu saves him. His birthday is the 3rd of February.

Razette Voiced by: Saori Hayami

A noel mermaid, who was rescued by Castor. She currently sings in the church. Razette can also freely change her face.

Hyuuga (ヒュウガ) Voiced by: Kenji Hamada [My fav character! ♥]

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

His birthday is the 8th of July.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kuroyuri's gender is actually a point of contention in the manga. In one omake panel, Hyuuga asks for an answer to which Kuroyuri's response is "Do you want to die?" Lately in the anime he calls himself "boku" ("I" for male in Japanese) so we can say Kuroyuri is a boy. His birthday is the 25th of September.

Haruse (ハルセ,) Voiced by: Wataru Hatano [My fav character! ♥]

Kuroyuri's subordinate, who often accompanies Kuroyuri on missions. Later in the story, it appears his soul was 'taken' by the Eye of Micheal when he separated Micheal and Teito.