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Hunters

The Hunters, with Balsa and Tanda

The Hunters (狩人, Karyūdo) are a secret group of elite warriors who directly serve the Mikado. Their existence is known only by a select few; at the beginning of the series, Shuga is introduced to the Hunters by the Mikado and the Master Star Reader. They are all members of the Royal Guard who protect the Mikado, and in that capacity are known as the Emperor's Shield.

The Hunters are each descended from one of the Eight Warriors who assisted Prince Torgal in defeating the water demon at the founding of New Yogo, in the Official Founding History, fighting three days and three nights before chopping off its head. After taking the throne, Emperor Torgal instructed the Eight Warriors to become his hidden sword and shield, protecting his interests and assassinating his enemies.

Two hundred years later, at the time of Guardian of the Spirit, the Hunters remain highly skilled warriors and spies. In civilian life, they are respected noblemen and members of the Royal Guard. The last-born son of each Hunter family is trained from childhood (age six) by his father in secret[1]; they are not even allowed to let other family members know about the training or their true occupation. They enter the Mikado's service at the age of majority (fifteen). In addition to fighting, the Hunters are extremely adept at gathering intelligence with great discretion. According to Jin, the ability of the Hunters to gather information without being detected is more critical to the Hunters' mode of operation than combat. They also function as assassins, eliminating those who might plot to overthrow or undermine the Mikado. Because of this, New Yogo has never experienced a coup d'etat.

Their role in the novel and the anime is generally the same, though the anime expands their involvement in saving Chagum during the birth of the water spirit; in the book, only Jin and Zen are present at the egg's emergence. They also appear in Guardian of the Dream, Traveler of the Blue Road, and Guardian of Heaven and Earth.

Members[]

The Hunters all use aliases, which are actually numbers in the language of New Yogo. At the beginning of the series, the leader of the Hunters is Mon. The numbers are hereditary: Jin's father was also Jin, Hyoku's father was also Hyoku, etc.

The anime series depict several of the Hunters using specialized weapons: Mon uses a mountain hatchet, Rai uses a kusarigama, Hyoku has twin short swords and does not wear a Yogo sword, Jin has throwing darts and a blowgun, Yun fights with two Yogo swords at once, Zen carries a grappling hook, Taga has a hand-held cleaver (a "knuckle"), and Sun is an archer. They all wear the same uniform, but three of them have modifications to it: Jin's uniform has a collar, Hyoku's uniform top is sleeveless, and Rai wears a scarf with his uniform. Each Hunter's number is written on the inner surface of the hem of their coat.

According to the official fanbook, Jin, Yun, Taga, and Sun(e) are unmarried at the time of the anime.

Former Members:

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Scholastic translation
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Jin" Gaiden Comic - Square Enix, 2007
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