Tokyo Majin

Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchō Tō (東京魔人學園剣風帖 龖) is a Japanese anime series, which premiered in Japan on the anime satellite TV network Animax. A large part of the Tokyo Majin Gakuen Franchise, it is loosely based on a series of Japan-only video games, and is directed by Shinji Ishihara.

The first season first aired on January 19, 2007 and ended on April 20, 2007; all the episodes in the series were called the 'Dark Law Chapters'. A second season, titled Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchō Tō: Dai Ni Maku (Second Act) (東京魔人學園剣風帖 龖 第弐幕) started airing on July 27, 2007; its first five episodes are called the 'Martial Fist Chapters', its next five episodes are called the 'Stars of Fate Chapters', and its last two episodes are called the 'Extra'.

On June 26, 2007, ADV announced that they had acquired the license to this series. ADV distributed the series under the title of Tokyo Majin, dropping "Gakuen Kenpuchō Tō" from the title. In 2008, the anime became one of over 30 ADV titles whose licenses were transferred to Funimation.

Plot
In the nights of Tokyo, mysterious deaths involving the 'Reborn Dead' occur. People that are disappearing at night suddenly reappear during the day as a corpse. Not only that, but as the corpses are sent to the morgue to be autopsied, they disappear again leaving signs showing that they escaped themselves.

To fight these 'Reborn Dead' and to prevent more deaths, mysterious transfer student, Tatsuma Hiyuu, and delinquent student, Kyouichi Houraiji, stay up every night to fight and solve what's causing this. Along with the rest of their group, who all have supernatural powers, they soon realize that a greater threat, which involves even more powerful demons, is near.

Main

 * Tatsuma Hiyuu (緋勇 龍麻)


 * Tatsuma is a mysterious boy who transfers to Magami High School in his senior year. He is often shown as being very silent and carefree, but he actually has more insight on the people around him. He usually hangs out with Kyouichi and helps him fight gangsters from other schools, giving him the status of the fifth most delinquent student in Magami High School's history. Tatsuma is probably the only one in the group who is close to Kyouichi and would often calmly tease and irritate him.


 * He seems to be an experienced fighter; he knows a person's vital points, whether or not they are fighting seriously, and if they have killed before. He is often the first to realize a threat that is approaching them and sometimes gets a strange feeling when someone near him is in danger. What adds to his mysteriousness is the fact that, two months prior to enrolling in Magami High, it is revealed that he was actually sent there by his master, who said that his skills will be needed there, though none of the others know of this. Also, during a fight with Kozune, they both see a flashback image of four people, who bears similarities to Tatsuma's current group, during the Bakumatsu period. This bothers Kozune so he leads Tatsuma into a trap to find out more. Once again, the two see a vision of the past. This time, Kozune realizes that Tatsuma's family had a hand in Kozune's family's destruction during the Bakumatsu period. The visions also show that Tatsuma has a history with Yagyuu.


 * Since birth, Tatsuma has had a mark on his right hand, which he was told by his father to treasure because it will one day be of important use. However, only Aoi knows of this mark. As it turns out the mark symbolizes that he is the Vessel of the Golden Dragon. His opposite is the Black Dragon. The Dragons are the only ones to access the Dragon Stream to its full poteintal. They are compared to the yin and yang symbol.


 * Due to his handsome looks and his habit of sleeping in class, he is often called Sleeping Beauty by his homeroom teacher. He is always seen wearing a blue hoody, with his school uniform worn over it. Tatsuma dislikes regular milk, so when he was a child, his mother mixed in some strawberries, calling it 'magic'.  Since then, he is often seen drinking strawberry milk. Presently, Tatsuma apparently lives alone after traveling to Tokyo.


 * During the second season, it is revealed that Tatsuma is an orphan, and had previously lived with his foster parents. His foster parents were killed in episode 20 by Chaos. He is last seen fighting the Black Dragon in what seems to be China.


 * Combat Style: Hand-to-hand, Martial arts


 * Kyouichi Horaiji (蓬莱寺 京一)


 * A well-known delinquent at Magami High and boss of a gang, who always carries around a bokutō. He often gets into fights with gangsters from other schools. When he first encounters Tatsuma, they engage in a fierce fight, which turns out to have been just a way of getting to know each other. Several years back, his dad was a bouncer at a kabuki bar, who was killed by a local gang. After the death of his father, he picked up his dad's bokuto and took it upon himself to take revenge against the assailants. However, unable to beat the leader, he was almost killed, but a man named Kyoshiro Kamui saved him. Kamui, undertaking Kyoichi as his student, taught him everything so that he may fulfill his duty.


 * Tatsuma is the only one that he hangs out. He may seem to be mean to others, but in the end, he always looks out for them and tries to protect them. This is mostly seen towards Aoi, who he is always mean towards, but he may care for her more than he admits. It is noted that he is constantly protecting her or saving her. He may be seen to hold Aoi's safety over the other members, but this doesn't stop him from being cruel to her.


 * Kyouichi appears to be very knowledgeable of the Tokyo underworld. He was acquainted with several Yakuza henchmen (before they were killed), and knew the location of a hospital that specialized in supernatural cases.


 * At the end of the second season, Kyouichi leaves the ruins of Tokyo and wanders to search for Tatsuma's whereabouts


 * Combat Style: Swordsmanship using a Bokutō


 * Aoi Misato (美里 葵)


 * A girl from a rich family and the President of Magami High School's Student Council. Aoi is a sensitive person and gets very upset when she is unable to help someone. Years ago she was unable to save her friend from a fire; this gave her a strong desire to protect people. There is a scar, which she received during the fire, on her lower back, though only Tatsuma knows about it. Aoi seems to harbor feelings for Tatsuma, which can be first seen in the last few episodes of the first season of the anime ,and continues through the second; where she answers for his name at graduation. Towards the end of the second season, however, she also shares an emotional moment with Kyouichi and promises to wait for him as he leaves to search for Tatsuma.

Initially, her powers were purely defensive in nature, causing her to be very insecure in her ability to fight alongside her friends. After she is possessed by Kozune (presumably), she begins to use her abilities offensively to generate powerful blasts of force (strong enough to blow away Komaki, Yuuya, and Hisui with ease). Later, it is revealed that she possesses the Bodhisattva Eye. It is said that her Bodhisattva Eye is capable of healing, reviving the dead, or increasing the rate at which a person age; she can cause someone to die instantly of old age.

Her family's emblem is similar to that of the Tokugawa clan.

Combat Style: Bodhisattva Eye, Naginata-jutsu


 * Komaki Sakurai (桜井 小蒔)


 * Captain of the Kyūdō Club and Aoi's best friend. She is quick to defend Aoi when Kyouichi says mean things about her. Unlike Aoi, Komaki is aggressive towards people who get in the way or harm those she cares about. Komaki is shown to have lost a Kyūdō club friend, who became an oni in order to locate and take Komaki’s shooting arm. Despite being headstrong and brave, Komaki is likely the weakest when it comes to emotions and mentality. When Tatsuma's adoptive parents were killed, Komaki is the first to break down crying, causing Aoi to comfort her. Komaki can be considered weak in that nature, as she is easily disheartened or worried. She eventually accepts Daigo's affection for her.


 * Combat Style: Kyūdō


 * Yuuya Daigo (醍醐 雄矢)


 * Yuuya is the captain of Magami High School's Wrestling Club and an excellent cook. Yuuya also happens to have a crush on Komaki and he is constantly seen cooking big meals for her; at one point, however, Komaki gets angry at him and says that he does not truly understand how she feels, throwing his meal on the ground. Tohno gives Yuuya a book of Komaki's favorite foods, which are mostly candy and regular convenience store foods. Komaki then accepts his next meal, along with his apology for not being considerate. At the end of the 2nd season, it seems Daigo and Komaki's relationship deepens, as they are seen together in the end.


 * When Tatsuma first transferred to the school, Yuuya had challenged him to a fight, but it was disrupted by Aoi and Komaki. He sometimes fights with magical chains and is the Vessel of the White Tiger or Byakko.


 * Combat Style: Hand-to-hand, Wrestling


 * Hisui Kisaragi (如月 翡翠)


 * An owner of an antiques shop who has business dealings with the Misato family. His family was given the task of protecting Aoi's family,thus he is very loyal to Aoi and often calls her Aoi-sama. Hisui seems to have been close to Aoi since the two were little. He received a charm bracelet from her when they were younger, which he now holds in a pouch around his neck. He also promised that he will always protect her no matter what. He is revealed to be a member of a family that has killed demons since the days of the Tokugawa shogunate. He fills the group in about demons and other phenomena that are happening around the city.
 * Later, it is revealed that his family also had the duty of killing the person who possesses the Bodhisattva Eye. Although, due to his feelings, he could not bring himself to kill Aoi.


 * He is the Vessel of the Black Tortoise or Genbu. At the end of season two he joins Kyouichi in looking for Tatsuma.


 * Combat Style: Ninjutsu, Throwing Kunai

Enemies

 * Tendo Kozunu (九角 天童)


 * A man with superhuman abilities, who is able to transform humans into ogres and demons. Images of when his mother had hanged herself still haunts him to this day. It is revealed that his mother was a descendant of the Kozune family line, which revolted against the Shogunate when the Shogunate tried to use force to take a girl with the Bodhisattva Eye from their family. Their family ultimately lost and went into hiding. In modern time, it was discovered by Kozune's father's family that Kozune's mother was a descendant of the Kozune family, which led them to lock her away. Wanting revenge for his mother's death, he took an offer from a mysterious man named Yagyuu, who granted him power. He then slaughtered the family that he lived with, who was also responsible for locking away his mother. To avenge his mother, he set out to destroy everything.
 * He especially grew a strong hatred for Tatsuma, blaming his family for the destruction of the Kozune family and for the death of his mother. He manipulated Aoi, used her powers to bring back his ancestors, and tried to destroy all humans. He ultimately failed and, before Tatsuma could "save" him, Yagyuu had him sucked into the underworld. He is last seen in Episode 23 as a spirit next to Tatsuma motivating him.


 * Marie Claire (マリィ・クレア)


 * A mysterious young girl with the ability to manipulate fire. She is always by Kozune's side. Apparently she was sent by her master Yagyuu to observe him and act as a messenger for her master. Kozune commented that she is a doll that obeys to her master. When she gets angry (she is often easily angered), you can see bolts coming out of her arms and forehead, and she starts to cry and drool greenish fluid as her face contorts. She then releases a devastating blast that destroys her surroundings. In the end, she was betrayed by Yagyuu and was sucked into the underworld. In the second season, it is revealed that she somehow survived, and that she was in an experiment before escaping.  She falls in love with Tatsuma, and constantly talks about their future together. She is the Vessel of the Vermilion Bird or Suzaku. At the end of season two she appears to have lost her sight. She is last seen collapsing, possible dead, as a side effect of containing the power of the Vermilion Bird.


 * Ryouichi Karasu (唐栖 亮一)


 * The former leader, guitar player, and song writer of the band, CROW. He is very shy and left the band when his lyrics were changed by Raito. He was given power by Kozunu, which he used to terrorize the city. He is later defeated by a group effort of Tatsuma, Aoi, Kyouichi, Yuuya, Komaki, and Raito. After his defeat, he was killed by Kozune, who no longer needed him.


 * Reiji Sagaya (嵯峨野麗司)


 * Aoi's old classmate who was badly picked on when he was in middle school. Apparently no one bothered to step in to help him. Later, when he was feeding a stray dog that he had been taking care of, Aoi came, gave it some milk, and talked to Reiji. The group that picked on him was angered at the fact that he talked to the popular Aoi, thus deciding to kill the dog in front of Reiji. Roughly three years later, Reiji is sought out by Kozune, and gave him the power to control the dream realm. He then used this power to take revenge against the people who picked on him. After taking his revenge, he then tried to use this power to capture Aoi, but fails when Tatsuma, Kyouichi, Yuuya, and Komaki came to her rescue.
 * Aoi later helped to clear the darkness in his heart. He fell into a coma immediately after the fight, but later woke up and helped lead the crew to Aoi.


 * Sera Rikudou (六道 世羅)


 * A second year high school student who had the abililty to control string-like objects coming out of her wrists. Later, she grew these strings from her wounds, eyes, and mouth. These strings could sharply cut objects such as buildings. She later used up too much energy and was on the verge of death. Aoi later saved her by unknowingly healing her wounds. No longer an enemy to the "cause" she is later seen in the second season, primarily with Alan Cloud and a group of homeless, hinting at a relationship until her death protecting the group of homeless men when Tokyo collapse, in clouds absence.


 * Yagyu Munetaka (柳生宗崇)


 * A mysterious man on a motorbike. He uses his servant, Marie Claire, as an observer and messenger between himself and Kozune. He was also revealed to have been the one who gave Kozunu powers. He is the primary antagonist of the series, but only appears in the latter half of the second season, where he razes Tokyo and possesses Ryuuji in order to obtain the power of the Black Dragon. He can apparently absorb any damage and reflect it back on the user. He is also very proficient in sword combat and Martial Arts as he managed to best Raito, Kyouichi, Tatsuma and two assassins, Umon and Mibu at once. He can also create dark versions of the Four Guardian Deities.

Others

 * Kyoko Tohno (遠野 杏子)


 * A member of the Newspaper club, whom Kyouichi labels a stalker. Goes by the nickname "Anko". A curious and determined girl, Kyoko is always out to get the scoop on Tatsuma and his group's actions. Sensing that the main characters may be hiding something, she tails them and saw them using their "powers". She was overwhelmed by the fact that someone was murdered during their fight with Ryouichi and locked herself in her room, refusing to go anywhere. After some persuasion by Aoi, she reconciles with the main characters. She often helps them by providing information regarding the incidents happening around the city. She seems to have extensive information of everything and good research skills. It is shown towards the end of the second season that she has feelings towards Kyouichi


 * Raito Umon (雨紋 雷人)


 * The vocalist of the rock band CROW. He has the ability to manipulate lightning and electricity, as well as the ability to use a form of spell casting (accompanied by chanting and symbols). He is an extremely skilled fighter, as he was able to defeat Kyouichi, Daigo and Komaki during their first meeting.


 * Combat Style: Spear melee, Electrical manipulation, Spell-casting


 * Maiko Takamizawa (高見沢 舞子)


 * A nurse who works at Sakuragaoka Clinic. She loves animals and is a bit of an airhead. She has the ability to see Yūrei. She also has an intense empathy and compassion which allow her to connect with and soothe the psychologically damaged. Iwayama adopted her when she was little. A picture she is seen studying seems to show that there is some relationship between Iwayama and Inugami, the picture seeming to imply he was some sort of father figure to Iwayama.


 * Combat Style: Non offensive, Intense empathy


 * Morihito Inugami (犬神 杜人)


 * A teacher at Magami High School; also Kyoko's homeroom teacher. He is often seen feeding rabbits in hutches in the school compound. He is not much of teacher since he never attends meetings. He seems to know about the actual events that are happening around the city. He is an Inugami (literally: Dog-God or Dog-Spirit, depending on one's preferred translation for Kami), as his name suggests and defends Maria.


 * Maria Alucard (マリア・アルカード)


 * Tatsuma, Kyouichi and Aoi's homeroom teacher. She can be very childish as a teacher, often screaming at the students and throwing stuff at them. She is often annoyed by Kyouichi, who calls her Maria-chan and always comes up with excuses to skip class. Though her attitude does not show it, she cares deeply for the safety of her students. She rides a motorcycle to school everyday and often speaks in English. She is, in reality, a Org. She reveals towards the end of the second season that she had planned to harm humans, but the conflict seemed to have caused a change of heart and she now professes to want to protect and stay with humans, especially her students.


 * Yukino Oribe (雪乃 織部)


 * One of two shrine maidens that are friends of Komaki. They later come to the aid of the main characters when they are forced to fight against a possessed Aoi. She, along with Hinano, appears to dislike men; she becomes very angry at Kyouichi when he first meets them. During the fight against Aoi, Yukino, Hinano, and Raito were able to combine their powers to perform what appeared to be a teleportation spell.


 * Combat Style: Naginata-jutsu, Spell casting


 * Hinano Oribe (雛乃 織部)


 * The second of two shrine maidens that are friends of Komaki. They later come to the aid of the main characters when they are forced to fight against a possessed Aoi. She appears to be very shy around men; she hides behind Yukino when Kyouichi first meets them.


 * Combat Style: Kyūdō, Spell casting


 * Takako Iwayama (岩山たか子)


 * The doctor from Sakuragaoka Central Hospital. She has a healing ability allowing her to treat patients wounded by demonic powers. She treats those who are injured during the battle against Kozunu. She knows Kyouichi from a very young age, as she said that he used to cry to her when he was young. Kyouichi doesn't like her as she tends to embarrass him in front of others.


 * Combat Style: Kekkai, Purification of the dead


 * Ryuuzan Arai (新井龍山)


 * Yuuya's master, a fengshui master. The Oribe sisters are seen reporting to him. He knows about the history of Kozunu's family and about the power of Aoi. Referred to as "Mr. Eyebrows" by Hisui. He appeared with Doushin Narasaki (楢崎道心), fighting Tendou in episode one.


 * Sayo Hirasaka (比良坂紗夜)


 * Second year student from Sakurajou High who was killed in the incident involving Ryouichi. Kozunu revived her temporarily in order to make her lead Tatsuma into a trap. In exchange, Kozunu had promised her that he would revive her parents, allowing her to live a normal life again. After leading Tatsuma into the trap, Kozunu revealed that he was lying to her. In the end, before she dies again, she rescues Tatsuma from Kozunu's trap.


 * Alan Claude (Arren Kuraudo)


 * A mysterious delinquent who appears early in the second season. He doesn't seem too important, but is aware of the events going on around the city. He is close to Sera Rikudou and is the Vessel of the Azure Dragon or Seiryuu. At the end of season two events he is last seen by Sera's grave and appears to be ill, possibly a side effect of being a vessel as mentioned by Ryuuzan.


 * Ryuuji Yashiro / Kaosu (耶之路龍治)


 * A wheelchair bound teenager who appears in the last episode of the first season. He is the second season's first antagonist. He can control people through a cellphone game that was played by Renji. Through the cellphone game, he sent a possessed person to kill Tatsuma's foster-parents. He is the Yin of the Golden Dragon and is possessed by Yagyuu at the end of the second season who then uses his powers.

Themes
Opening Themes
 * "0:00 a.m." by ACID (first season + episodes 1 - 5 and 11 of second season)
 * "Prayer" by ACID (second season: episodes 6 - 9)

Closing Theme
 * "Hanafubuki" (花吹雪) by ACID

Insert Song
 * "Growing Up" by ACID
 * "15 sai -fifteen-" (15才-fifteen-) by ACID

Trivia

 * The main characters in the Kenpuucho game are the descendants of the characters in Tokyo Majin Gakuen Gehouchō (東京魔人學園外法帖), a PlayStation game in 2002.

PSP Game Spinoff
A role-playing game based on the series, entitled Tokyo Mono Hara Shi: Karasu no Mori Gakuen Kitan (東京鬼祓師 鴉乃杜學園奇譚), was released for Sony PSP in Japan on April 22, 2010. The game is developed by Atlus and has drawn comparisons to the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series.