Shikabane Hime: Aka (2008)

1 - The Dead Dance

Makina Hoshimura, a deceased teenager, is given her first mission to eliminate dead corpses on Earth. Her target is Hagino, a criminal accused of killing women, who came back from the dead as a vampire corpse.

1 - Path of Light

A priest wants Makina to be killed. Makina is currently imprisoned and spirits are eating her rune. Ouri undergoes priest training but gets cut off because of an incident at Makinas prison.

2 - My Enemy

The shichisei make their grand entrance and a minor fight is held but quickly cut short. Major characters assemble and are re-introduced.

2 - The Game Continues

After several children killed in a highway accident come back to life as corpses, Makina is dispatched to kill them. However, Ouri Kagami gets in the way when one of them pleads to him to help her escape. Keisei and a band of anti-corpse monks assist Makina to take down the child corpses.

3 - Beloved Aberration

Makina completed an Enkiri to get rid of the rotten rune. Meanwhile, Ouri is continuing training but Makina interrupts Ouri in the hot springs and demands to be released from the contract. She is then captured and put in prison. “Genpaku” Takamasa takes Ouri to observe one of his missions to kill a corpse.

3 - Voice of Night

Makina is tasked to hunt down an unknown Corpse responsible for killing off young women. Keisei learns that someone familiar with Corpses is using a doctor to conduct illegal experiments on dead bodies in order to turn them into monsters.

4 - Itsukis Form

A bit of history about Itsuki and “Genpaku” Takamasas early days as a team. Genpaku has to face a friend from four years ago, one that he could not kill back then.

4 - Hymn of Tragedy

Makina is dispatched to assassinate Kun Osaki, a J-pop singer who became a Corpse after refusing to accept her death because of her wish to continue singing. Armed yakuzas are, however, instrumental in fending off the first attempt when an unknown monk warns Osakis manager. Keisei gives Makina a hand in killing Osaki.

5 - Traitor Monk

A Corpse disguised as an SUV roams around the Greater Tokyo Area, killing off anyone who dares to enter it. Keisei tells Ouri the true nature of his job, which results in his suspension unless he kills Ouri. A new Shikabane Hime team arrives, namely Itsuki Yamagami and her contractor priest Takamasa Sougi, to deal with a rogue Kougon cult priest.

5 - Nature and Regrets

Itsuki fights a corpse and Ouri is shown a side of the shikabane hime he doesnt know. Rumours are heard that Keiseis body has turned into a corpse, and Sadahiro is sent to destroy it. Later on, Makina meets with “Keiseis corpse” but it turns out that it was the shichisei Ena. Ouri and Makina meet with Sadahiro and his shikabane hime in the forest; they all face the body controlling shichisei.

6 - Monster Named Happiness

Ouri and Makina fight Ena, one of the Shichisei. Ouri is shown to have a bit of Zadan Jutsu power, having entered the Kougonshuu. Meanwhile, Kagusa gets controlled by Touya, the “balloon monster” shichisei. Ouri and Makina confirm their contract but afterwards, the controlled Kasuga goes into Ouris apartment and pushes him down onto the floor.

6 - At the End of the Dangerous Run

Makina defeats the SUV corpse after being assisted by Keisei. The rogue priest is revealed to be Akasha, a member of the Kougun cult who went underground due to his radical views of using Corpses as instructed. Keisei uses a cube filled with the blood of dead corpses as a shield to temporarily defeat Akasha, who retreats. The entire Kougun cult is shocked to learn that Akasha has resurfaced while contemplating plans to reinstate Keisei back with them.

7 - Mundane Wish

Inuhiko[?], Ouris classmate smacks Kasuga in hopes of getting her back to normal, but Kagusa escapes and Inuhiko tells Ouri that Kasuga loves him. Makina hears of the incidents at school and runs there, and meets Kasuga who manages to trap Makina with the balloon curse and runs away. Ouri catches up with Kasuga who is about to get eaten by her “happiness.” Makina defeats a shichisei but is knocked unconscious by another. Ouri makes an attempt to destroy the happiness monster with a Zadan Jutsu but fails. It is revealed that Ouri is believed to be the child of a corpse.

7 - The False Power of Words

Ouri encounters an ex-high school student named Mitsuyoshi, who had somehow turned into a Corpse with telekinetic abilities after dropping out of school. Despite Makina and Minais intervention in trying to kill him, Mitsuyoshis abilities and his fighting strength somehow hampers their efforts in subduing him.

8 - Serenity

Minai defeats the Corpse, Mitsuyoshi, with some help. After killing him, Ouri has his cell phone taken away for “evidence” by Minai. After school, Minai and Ouri go buy a new one together. Later Minais contract priest is killed by a group of thugs making Minai a normal Corpse. She is hunted down by other shikabane hime, but escapes with Ouris help. He takes her to the bar where he works and says she will be safe there. There, she is told that if she makes a contract with Ouri she will be able to survive as a shikabane hime. She then kills herself (or is killed), saying that she is Shuuji Isakis shikabane hime.

8 - My Mother Was Defiled

Kasuga Nozomi dies completely because she did not fulfill the requirements needed to become a shikabane hime. Only girls of a certain age group and under special circumstances can become Shikabane Hime. Makina wakes up in the Shichisei Headquarters and fights Hokuto excitedly. The shichisei reveals some plans and the kougonshuu reveals to Ouri that they believe that he is the child of a corpse. He loses control when he remembers his childhood, and the high priest Gon kicks him out of kougonshuu to relieve him of his job as a contractor priest. A small scuffle over Ouris priest friends allows him to escape back to the orphanage. One of the shichisei, Huzuchi, is revealed to be killed by Ouris “mother” and has a grudge against Ouri for being the only one left alive.

9 - Set Your Heart Aflutter

Makina saves a bunch of students from a Corpse, specifically Kasuka (nicknamed Omune-sama), a girl who later becomes infatuated with Makinas beauty of death. Later, Ouri investigates what happened to Minai from Makina with no success. Curious about Ouris insensitivity towards death, Makina approaches Keisei asking why he is so compassionate towards the Shikabane. Keisei shows us a flashback of Ouris first appearance at the orphanage, where we see an emotionless 3 year old Ouri. He had been detached from the world until he rescued a kitten crying by the riverbed. In a tragic twist, that cat died shortly after from a car accident. Ouri, affected by this incident, is aware of death constantly. Kasuka visits Makina bad mouthing Ouri, suggesting he would never know Makina like she does. Makina defends him by stating he knows more about her (death) than Kasuka ever will.

9 - The Value of the Living

Ouri learns of his mother being a corpse and more of his past. The Kougon Sect regroups as the Seven Stars commence the final action of their plan as Planes all over the city crash into buildings creating Countless Shikabane.

10 - To the Other Side of Hell

The true agenda of the Seven Stars and the Traitor Monks is revealed as the Catastrophe of the city creates Numerous Shikabane and The Corpse Princesses Fight the hordes. Only to collapse when their Contract bond is broken as Hokuto destroys a mysterious Casket.

10 - Stars on the Ground

Keisei learns that Minai is dead after being killed by an auditor, which is strange to him since Ouri was hiding her. He rushes out of the hospital to his superior, Bishop Gon to confront him. Afterward, Ouri is called out by Kasuka to look at a magazine featuring a cult with followers that regenerate after being burned alive. Under the belief that it is related to the Shikabane, Ouri visits this cult only to discover it to be a hoax instead. Upon Ouris departure, the cult leader is visited by Seven Corpses calling themselves Skikusei Hokuto. He is killed by Hokuto, the leader of the Shichisei Hokuto. The group is contacted by the Kougon traitor, Akasha to plot the elimination of the Kougon shikabane sect, Shouhouha. Meanwhile, Keisei tracks down the auditor to Ouris part time job. Forced to keep hidden, the auditors leave suddenly. Finally we see Makinas visions of the Shichisei Hokuto, suggesting she was killed by them.

11 - One Hundred and Eight Lies

The secret to the Shikabane Himes power is Revealed as it is the corpse of the first Shikabane Hime. The truth behind The Traitor Monk is told. The Shikabane Hime who collapsed Continue to fight. Hokuto Becomes a Shikabane Hime herself as Ouri and Makina find New power to continue the fight.

11 - One Night

The Kougan discover from surveillance videos that Hokuto is in the area. Aragami-san gives the intel to Keisei, upon which Makina shivers trying to keep her excitement and anger under control. Ouri is back at the orphanage for the time being since he is out of work. Keisei tells Ouri about how in his past, he was raised by Makinas father, and why he made the pact to be a contracted priest. The Shichisei Hokuto, Ena-san makes his move and targets Ouri by possessing him. The Buddhist Corpse of Shikusei Kowaku and the Traitor Asaka attacks Keisei and Makina at the temple grounds. Asaka escapes and Keisei pursues. While checking on the safety of the orphans, Keisei is stabbed by the possessed Ouri.

12 - Dawn

Keisei is later wounded more heavily and dies after shifting his contract with Makina to Ouri. Makina manages to defeat Shichisei Kowaku whilst fighting with Ouri.

12 - Beyond the Dead

As the battle between Hokuto and Makina Continues it is revealed that Corpse Princess Choose to Bond with their Monks and all the Princess regain their power. Another of The Seven Stars is defeated and one gives up. The last Seven Stars escapes with Hokuto. Makina and Ouri decide to make a final decision on their Future.

13 - Funeral Program for a Contracted Monk

Keiseis funerals are celebrated and Ouri decides to become a priest because now the only thing that his brother has left to him is Makina. He understands that the night of the Keiseis death has changed his life for ever…