Sekirei

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**Sekirei** (セキレイ, lit. *"Wagtail"*) are extraterrestrial super-powered humanoids with a genetic code similar to humans. Their name is taken from that of the Japanese Wagtail bird.

## History

Long ago, eight Sekirei spaceships (岩舟, *Iwafune*, lit. "Rock Ship"; the name of the ship used when the gods descend from the heavens to the surface world in Japanese mythology) reached Earth. Each ship contained 108 life-forms described as "One pillar and 107 baby birds". One crash-landed and suffered severe damage; only the "Pillar" and eight Sekirei survived. Another, the one which carried the "modern" Sekireis of the current story, crashed in the sea near Japan. The rest landed in various locations worldwide, and the Sekireis aboard them gave rise to the myths and legends of gods and heroes that have passed down through history.

20 years prior to the current story, in 1999, an island emerged suddenly from the sea near Japan; it was quickly explored by two university students, Minaka Hiroto (future MBI chairman) and Takami Sahashi (future MBI head researcher and Minato's mother). They discovered ruins which were actually the eighth Sekirei spaceship. On board the spaceship they found 108 life-forms in suspended animation:

* The first of them, the pillar, shown as #01 was an adult, and was not a Sekirei.
* Eight (later known as #02-09) were embryos.
* Ninety-nine others (later known as #10-108) were fertilized eggs.

Minaka used the high technology discovered on the Sekirei ship to amass the fortune required to found MBI, take possession of the island and have it declared an extraterritoriality. He then began the work that would eventually result in the Sekirei Plan.

## Development

The adult and eight embryos are also known as *the Single Numbers*. It is hinted that unwinged Single Numbers are equal or even more powerful than winged others. All Sekirei have undergone adjustments for the "Sekirei Plan", especially the Single Numbers, some of their adjustments being mischievous. Adjustments to Sekirei are needed to control and stabilize their power. In this process however, MBI fitted all Sekirei with a limiter reducing their strength significantly. Most Sekirei only knew about the world through TV because they were not allowed to leave Kamikura Island.

The first contact with the outside world they made was when they were sent out to find their Ashikabi. When a Sekirei's wings are released by an Ashikabi, the power of a Sekirei multiplies and he/she can use his/her true potential. Miya stated that Sekirei are interesting beings because ordinary training wouldn't do much for raising their abilities, but according to the state of their heart their soul manifests itself through their ability.

Anger, hatred, joy, sorrow and overall their feelings of love influences their abilities and let them get stronger. This is further indicated by a statement of Musubi's explaining to Toyotama their difference in strength. According to her, she lost the fight simply because the lack of love in her relationship towards her Ashikabi. Thus implying love is a crucial element to gain strength for Sekirei.

## Battle, Abilities and Rules

Sekirei have a strong ability called a Norito, which is an incantation recited to provide a boost of power when needed. To utilize this, they need to confirm the bond they share with the Ashikabi through a kiss and recite their prayer. Each Sekirei has their own unique Norito. Multiple Sekirei under the same Ashikabi can also merge their techniques in order to create more powerful ones. This puts most Ashikabi at a disadvantage, as only a few possess more than one Sekirei.

An important rule for every Sekirei is that the winner has to guard the corpse of a Sekirei that is terminated until MBI arrives and recovers the body. In the manga, if a Sekirei does not follow this rule and refuses to show their respect to the loser, other Sekirei might try to punish them. Musubi stated that the reward for the last remaining Sekirei of the game (the Sekirei Plan) is for them to be with their favorite person - their Ashikabi - forever.

## Physiology

The physiology of a Sekirei is similar to humans. They have similar requirements such as the need to eat food, drink water, and breathe oxygen. They are also also capable of reproducing with the human species; thousands of years in the past, some Sekirei were able to conceive offspring with their Ashikabi. Due to this, the genes of Sekirei, while recessive, are still carried by nearly half of the world's population.

However, they also have significant differences that set them apart: Sekirei have greater strength, speed, and stamina than is possible for humans. In addition, each Sekirei has a core that is the source of their power and very existence; Sekirei who lose their core cease to function.

There are two ways to terminate a Sekirei: The first is through defeating them in physical combat by inflicting a sufficient amount and severity of damage; the second is for an opponent to touch the crest at the nape of their neck and recite their Norito. The crest then disappears, indicating termination. A Sekirei whose crest has disappeared cannot function. The severity of physical damage to a Sekirei is categorized in five levels of going from one to five, the former being the most benign and five being the most severe; Damage Level Five is effectively the actual death of the Sekirei.

According to Ichinomiya Natsuo, as long as terminated Sekirei don't approach their 'Death' as living creatures, they can be put to sleep after special surgery depending on the level of termination. They are then taken to a specialized facility where their body is kept alive. But a living body does not mean the Sekirei isn't dead; the loss of their crest is equivalent to death for a Sekirei. There are two ways to fix these "broken bonds": one involves being the last remaining Ashikabi and using the assembled Jinki. The second is a result of Kusano's Norito being activated and directed at a specified area.

## Ashikabi

Ashikabi are the individuals to whom Sekirei become attached to, in both a contractual and emotional sense. Ashikabi can be male or female, and there do exist instances of both partners being the same sex.

There are four main Ashikabi with power above that of others. There is one in each area of the city and are named for the area in which they reside. Originally there were three main Ashikabi: Higa Izumi in the East, Mikogami Hayato in the South, and Sanada Nishi in the West. There was no "Ashikabi of the North" (due to the presence of the "Hannya of the North") until Sahashi Minato became the Ashikabi of the North after winging his fifth and sixth Sekirei. Most Ashikabi only have a single Sekirei, however, and thus these 'Big Four' are exceptions.

The winging of a Sekirei is done through an exchange of DNA through mucosal contact, usually via a mouth-to-mouth kiss. The main ability of an Ashikabi is empowering their Sekirei, both by the strength of their emotional bonds and assisting in the activation of the Sekirei's Norito. An Ashikabi's powers increase with the number of Sekirei they wing; more powerful Sekirei such as the "single numbers" are more likely to respond to a more powerful Ashikabi. An important consequence of the binding relationship between Ashikabi and Sekirei is that the death of an Ashikabi results in the termination of all of their Sekirei. This is considered classified information by MBI, though most Sekirei and Ashikabis in the story seem to know about it anyway.

One part of the bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi is that they can feel each others feelings. For example, when Musubi's crest disappeared and Minato mourned her loss, Tsukiumi and Kazehana - the latter of whom was not winged at the time - felt his pain. This even occurs over distances: Kusano, who was far off at Izumo Inn immediately knew what happened; and it is implied that Matsu also can feel Minato's feelings. The feelings of the Sekirei can also be felt in return by the Ashikabi. If their bond is particularly strong, the Sekirei and Ashikabi can communicate fully telepathically. With sufficient experience, this ability can be extended to telepathically communicate with multiple Sekirei simultaneously; this is very useful for coordinating actions in battle.

## List of Sekirei

*\*A Sekirei using throwing knives to fight, terminated by Uzume. (In episode eight of the anime you can shortly see her data on one of Matsu's screens. Her name is Natsu, No #72. No information about her in the Manga) \*Both Kuruse and Yahan are characters within the Japanese only-game Sekirei: Gifts from the Future. As such, their status in the manga's continuity is uncertain.*

18 more Sekirei were terminated during the failed mass escape plan

## Trivia

* Sekirei, or wagtails, are important in Japanese mythology and folklore. They are sacred to the two divine gods Izanagi and Izanami (Goddess of creation and death), for it was through these birds that these divinities first learned the art of love. Yume also refers to this Myth in a flashback.
* Like most Japanese nouns, "Sekirei" has no plural form; this is because nouns in Japanese largely do not have them. Therefore, when referring to more than one Sekirei at a time, one only needs to say 'Sekirei'. Therefore an English speaker referring to two or more Sekirei as "Sekireis" would be incorrect from a Japanese perspective.

## References

Template:Reflist

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sekirei Manga chapter 69
2. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 71
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sekirei Manga chapter 113
4. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 72
5. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 21
6. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 115
7. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 03
8. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 66
9. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 129
10. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 87
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sekirei Manga chapter 28
12. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 29
13. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 12
14. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 114
15. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 09
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Sekirei Manga chapter 53
17. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 109
18. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 171
19. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 20
20. ↑ Sekirei Manga chapter 102