Shintoist Province and Scarlet Devil of Team Crimson

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The **Shintoist Province and Scarlet Devil of Team Crimson** (真(しん)紅(く)団(だん)の神道(しんとう)州(しゅう)と紅(こう)悪(あく)魔(ま), **Shinku-dan no Shintō-shū to Kōakuma**?), often shortened to **SPASDOT** and alternately known by their short names the **Scarlet Devil** (紅(こう)悪(あく)魔(ま), **Kōakuma**?) or simply **Team Crimson** (真(しん)紅(く)団(だん), **Shinku-dan**?) by its Japanese-language acronym, is a left-wing communist militant organization whose goal is to overthrow the government of Kozan and replace it with a socialist republic, as well as advocating for the genocide of youkai-borns. The group was founded in 1975 by Frederic Sam Fawkes, Hanayo Katsuragi, and other Soviet volunteers during the Soviet-Kozan conflict phase of the Cold War.

The group was disbanded at the end of the Cold War following the death of commander Hanayo Katsuragi and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, before resurging in the late 1990s. SPASDOT gained global prominence again after they attacked three major cities in Western Kozan during the Western Kozan Offensive, leading to the eventual civil war Kozan is in right now. The group proclaims themselves as "shogunate", in reference to the former military dictator of Japan. As a shogunate, they proclaim religious, military, and political authority over all Japanese people worldwide. Their idea of being a shogunate has been criticized by Japan and various governments, often rejecting their statehood.

The group has been formally designated as a foreign terrorist organization by several countries, including many members of the United Nations and other individual countries. SPASDOT is known for its heavy and extensive use of propaganda and is infamous for posting all kinds of graphic and disturbing material on the internet, ranging from videos featuring executions of soldiers and hostages deliberately caught on tape to the destruction of their cultural heritage sites within Kozan. They mainly conduct ground attacks on government forces and opposition factions, and often enforce their interpretation of strict communistic law. Frequent targets of theirs over the years include youkai-borns, but lesser-known enemies of theirs have included non-believers of the Shinto religion. Numerous members have been held responsible for a number of murders and deadly terrorist attacks in and outside of Kozan, as well as other criminal actions. A number of Crimsonites have also set up various SPASDOT chapters outside of Kozan, being prominent in North America, Eastern Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

## Purpose and strategy

SPASDOT is a militant group that follows a customized doctrine of communism and a variation of the Shinto religion. SPASDOT's adherence to Shinto also promotes religious violence and regards worshippers called **Crimsonites** (真(しん)紅(く)人(じん), **Shinku-jin**?, lit. *Crimson Person*) who do not agree with their interpretations as infidels. According to many Kozanese researchers, SPASDOT's philosophy is represented by socialist symbolism in their own version of the red flag they adopted called the Scarlet Standard; the flag shows an image of their deity Flandre with text in Japanese that reads **Flandre wa saikou** (フランドールは最高(さいこう), **Furandōru wa saikō**?, lit. *Flandre is the greatest*), which is often shouted by Crimsonites when they perpetrate military operations or during SPASDOT-related celebrations, and the group's name.

Since the group's founding, their significant goal has been to overthrow the monarchy of Kozan and establish a socialist state where they identify themselves as a shogunate lead by a supreme leader (usually under the title of shogun). Upon proclaiming themselves shogunate again in July 1999, Frederic Sam Fawkes was appointed as shogun and demands the allegiance of all devout Shintoists worldwide. Their statehood has been questioned by various researchers.

## Organization

### Leadership

SPASDOT is headed and run by Frederic Sam Fawkes who acts as the group's shogun and military leader. In the past, he appointed his wife Hanayo Katsuragi for its first incarnation and his son Jack Fawkes for its second incarnation as deputy leaders.

### Military

The number of combatants varies, with more than 20,000 fighters coming from a multitude of countries. The majority of those who join are native Kozanese and Japanese, but many western Crimsonites often join as well. SPASDOT's weaponry mainly relies on captured weapons with major sources being Soviet and Cuban stockpiles, including those governments who fought against Kozan during the Cold War. Their captured weapons have enabled rapid territorial growth. The group also uses car bombs and kamikaze attackers to damage targets. In May 2004, Itou Tanizawa became the first American kamikaze bomber in Western Kozan. SPASDOT also encourages women to join and play supportive roles. Generally, women would provide first aid to injured Crimsonites, cook food, and nurse young. Even though SPASDOT is on a genocidal run against all youkai-borns, combatants do not actually have to be humanoid to join; youkai-borns of Shintoist faith and even those without any Japanese blood can still join the group.

### Communications

SPASDOT is known for their heavy and extensive use of propaganda. They use a version of the communist red flag called the Scarlet Standard to show clear symbolic meaning in Shinto. Propaganda produced by SPASDOT ranges from posters showing anti-youkai caricatures to propaganda videos ranging from executions of hostages to even full-length documentaries.

## Points of interest

SPASDOT is known to have a base in Kozankyo.

## Gallery

* A SPASDOT flag alongside a Kozanese flag in Gatashima province.

## Behind the Scenes

* The image of Flandre in their flag is actually Flandre Scarlet from *Touhou Project*. In addition, the Japanese word for Scarlet Devil is also a reference to another character from the same franchise, albeit it is spelled with a different kanji for its first character. In addition, the Scarlet Standard's reddish color also coincides with Flandre Scarlet who also wears red.
	+ The face of Flandre on the flag may also be a reference to Fawful from the *Mario & Luigi* series.
* The battle cry "Flandre wa saikou" may also be a reference to the takbir in Islam, recited by Muslims at the beginning of prayer. According to the development log, the Prophet Driller wanted to respect Sharia law by not including any reference to it whatsoever.
	+ The group is heavily inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Many of SPASDOT's military operations take inspiration from real-world operations committed by ISIL.
* The name Team Crimson and its grunts are a reference to the regional villainous groups in the *Pokémon* franchise. During development when *Pokémon Sword and Shield* were unveiled, the Prophet used SPASDOT just if in case the Galar region's villainous group was Team Crimson. However, the group's name turned out to be Team Yell, so Team Crimson stuck for the group.

## See also

* List of terrorist incidents linked to SPASDOT

## Appearances

* *Chuhou Joutai: The Middle State of War* (first appearance)
* *Chuhou Joutai 2: Paraided!*
* *Chuhou Joutai 3: Three Nights of Scarlet Abscess*

## References

1. ↑ https://drillimation.com/2019/08/23/the-shintoist-province-and-scarlet-devil-of-team-crimson-and-its-history/ The Shintoist Province and Scarlet Devil of Team Crimson, and its History
2. ↑ https://drillimation.com/2020/02/20/criminology-lab-how-big-of-a-threat-is-frederic-sam-fawkes/ Criminology Lab - How big of a threat is Frederic Sam Fawkes?
3. ↑ http://drillimation.com/2020/05/27/criminology-lab-spasdot-claims-kamikaze-bomber-in-western-kozan-was-american/ Criminology Lab – SPASDOT Claims Kamikaze Bomber in Western Kozan was American
4. ↑ https://drillimation.com/2021/02/07/kazuo-ozawa-backstory/ Kazuo Ozawa - Backstory
5. ↑ http://drillimation.com/2020/02/03/criminology-lab-teens-planning-to-join-spasdot-arrested-at-school/ Criminology Lab: Teens Planning to Join SPASDOT Arrested at School