Shichinintai

The Shichinintai (七人隊, "seven man group"), known in the English version as the Band of Seven, are/were seven mercenaries in the manga and anime series Inuyasha. Naraku brought them back to life as bourei (亡霊, "zombie") with shards of the Shikon no Tama in an effort to delay his powerful enemies seeking his destruction while he continued his transformation into a youkai (妖怪, "demon") within Mt. Hakurei. Their name can be spelled either Shichinintai, Shichinin-tai, or Sitinintai (Romanization in Inuyasha).

The Shichinin-tai's Story
Ten years before Kagome's appearance in Inuyasha's time, Bankotsu and Jakotsu, two men who went around killing any youkai they came across, came up with an idea to form a band of strong mercenaries in order to get paid for what they loved to do. One by one, they began recruiting only the strongest and most ruthless men they met to join their team of assassins. They only had seven members by the time they stopped adding new members, and began earning compensation from daimyous (大名, "feudal lord") for their work of destroying enemy armies. They showed no mercy to women or children, and more often than not, mutilated the dead bodies to frighten any survivors that would try to continue an attack. They became feared by all who had heard of them, and were considered as strong as a thousand men.

Eventually, the daimyous thought that the Shichinin-tai had become too powerful and dangerous. Out of fear that the Shichinin-tai would turn on them, the daimyous rounded up their own armies and chased the Shichinin-tai down and beheaded them one by one. Their remains were thrown in the Shichinin-zuka (七人塚, "seven man grave"), where they laid for the next ten years.

Returning to the main plot ten years later: Naraku is in need of someone to distract his enemies while he rebuilds himself within Mt. Hakurei. He revives Bankotsu using a Shikon shard and gives him six other shards with instructions to revive his comrades and defeat his enemies in return for eternal life.

Bankotsu 蛮骨



 * Japanese Voice Actor: Takeshi Kusao (草尾 毅)
 * English Voice Actor: Matt Hill
 * Spanish Voice Actor: Gerardo García, Igor Cruz
 * Portuguese Voice Actor: Márcio Araújo
 * First Anime Appearance: Episode 109
 * Anime Debut: Episode 110
 * First Manga Appearance: Volume 26
 * Age: 17 (See Character Ages for more information.)

It's hard to judge by looks alone, but Bankotsu is the leader of the Shichinin-tai, and the most powerful. His weapon of choice is an enormous halberd named Banryuu (蛮竜). Although he is the youngest of the seven men at just seventeen years old, he appears to have a good handle on things and keeps his army organized and efficient. He tends to be carefree and laid back outside of battle, and has a generally optimistic attitude towards life. In the anime he reveals his philosophy of life and death, declaring that he does not believe in an afterlife and that we should enjoy our lives while we can. He may be naive, but more likely he is just too generous and trusting, believing that his "family" would never try to harm or betray him. He is forgiving towards his friends, but not so much towards his enemies.

Bankotsu's fighting skills are nothing short of amazing considering that he is completely human. He is surprisingly strong for his stature: he is able to lift Banryuu and wield it with a single hand, while it took three huge, buff men to even move it. When he is unable to use Banryuu, he can hold his own with punches and kicks, proving himself to be quite the match in battle regardless of method. Banryuu itself is a demon sword, and once it has taken the lives of 1,000 youkai and 1,000 damiyous, it can reach its ultimate power without external contribution.

Judging by Bankotsu's clothing, one could guess that he was either raised in a wealthy family or that he was able to steal from a wealthy family. He wears a white shirt that has a patch of blue on the left shoulder, which is partially covered by a piece of armor. His shirt cuts off at mid-forearm and the remainder of his arm is protected by gray guards that leave only his fingers exposed. His armor is uniform with a blue fern design and black rims. A bit of red cloth of some sort ties his shoulder armor to his chest armor. His chest armor is tied with a red obi around his waist just above his hips. A long piece of cloth with the same design as his armor flows in front of his legs along with the obi. His pants are long and bell-shaped, cutting off at mid-calf. In the manga, his pants have splotches of blue at the very bottom that are not found in the anime. The remainder of his leg down to his feet is protected by the same type of guards on his forearms and hands, exposing only his toes. His hair is worn back in a long braid that drops below his waist, tyed at the end with a piece of white cloth. On his forehead is a purple four-pointed star, the significance of which is unknown.

His best friend is most likely Jakotsu, a fellow member of his army. They share a lot of their opinions and likes and dislikes with each other, and they obviously have a very close relationship. There is some speculation that he and Jakotsu are a couple, but no concrete evidence has risen to support this conjecture.

Bankotsu's name comes from two kanji (蛮, "ban"; 骨, "kotsu"), and can either be translated as "barbarian skill" or "reckless courage." Since all of the Shichinin-tai members' names end in the same -kotsu, it can be assumed that they created these names for themselves upon the creation of their army, possibly in an attempt at uniformity. It is highly unlikely that such a similarity in names could have simply been a coincidence. If they indeed had original names given to them by their parents, they are as of yet unknown. Another theory is that these names are merely pseudonyms that they use for their army personas and did not abandon their original names at all.

Renkotsu 煉骨



 * Japanese Voice Actor: Tomokazu Sugita (杉田智和)
 * English Voice Actor: Brian Drummond
 * Spanish Voice Actor: Jorge Ornelas, Ricardo Mendoza
 * Portuguese Voice Actor: Fadu Costha
 * First Anime Appearance: Episode 104
 * Anime Debut: Episode 104
 * First Manga Appearance: Volume 25
 * Age: 24

Renkotsu is second in command, and presumably the sole literate member. He was most likely added to the team for his intelligence and literacy, as well as being a rather good handler of fire. He takes most things seriously and is inquisitive, always trying to find out what is really going on and seeing things in the big picture.

One of Renkotsu's ultimate goals, at least in his post-resurrected life, is to destroy Bankotsu and lead the Shichinin-tai himself despite Bankotsu's kindness toward him. However, he is fully aware that Bankotsu's strength is vastly superior to his own, so he realizes his only chance of defeating Bankotsu is to collect as many Shikon shards as he can to increase his power. This leads to issues in the trust department, and although Bankotsu forgives him the first time, Renkotsu's greed proves fatal.

Renkotsu is skilled in manipulating fire and explosives. He knows his chemistry and physics, which allows him to build advanced (for the time period) machinery like Ginkotsu's body. He spits fire, throws fire nets from his gloves, and has a variety of dynamite and cannons.

Renkotsu's name comes from two kanji (煉, "ren"; 骨, "kotsu"), and is usually translated as "refined metal skill."

Jakotsu 蛇骨



 * Japanese Voice Actress: Ai Orikasa (折笠 愛)
 * English Voice Actress: Jenn Forgie
 * Spanish Voice Actor: Rocio Prado
 * Portuguese Voice Actor: Tatá Guarnieri
 * German Voice Actor: Johannes Raspe
 * First Anime Appearance: Episode 102
 * Anime Debut: Episode 103
 * First Manga Appearance: Volume 24
 * Age: 20

Jakotsu's name comes from two kanji (蛇, "ja"; 骨, "kotsu"), and is usually translated as "snake skill." Jakotsu's name can also be spelled "Jyakotsu," as in the English version of the manga.

Suikotsu 睡骨



 * Japanese Voice Actor: Hiroaki Hirata (平田広明)
 * English Voice Actor: Michael Donovan
 * Spanish Voice Actor: Jose Luis Orozco, Roberto Mendiola
 * Portuguese Voice Actor: Alex Wendel
 * First Anime Appearance: Episode 107
 * Anime Debut: Episode 107
 * First Manga Appearance: Volume 25
 * Age: 26

Suikotsu's name comes from two kanji (睡, "sui"; 骨, "kotsu"), and is usually translated as "sleep skill."

Ginkotsu 銀骨



 * Japanese Voice Actor: Hisao Egawa
 * English Voice Actor: Mark Gibbon
 * Portuguese Voice Actor: José Parisi Jr.
 * First Anime Appearance: Episode 104
 * Anime Debut: Episode 105
 * First Manga Appearance: Volume 25

Ginkotsu is Renkotsu's assumed best friend, since the two are hardly ever apart. Renkotsu built Ginkotsu's mechanical body and kept it running throughout the time that Ginkotsu had it before it was blown up by Inuyasha. Renkotsu then rebuilt Ginkotsu's tank body in a cave with a whole new variety of weapons, making Ginkotsu a walking arsenal.

Ginkotsu seems to be loyal to Bankotsu and Renkotsu, which would cause problems were he able to talk, but he is sadly limited to only a small "gesh" after his dangerous encounter with Inuyasha. He also provides transportation to the group by being able to roll on gigantic wheels. He generally does not move very quickly, but he could outrun an enemy any time.

Ginkotsu's name comes from two kanji (銀, "gin"; 骨, "kotsu"), and is usually translated as "silver skill."

Mukotsu 霧骨



 * Japanese Voice Actor: Tetsu Inada
 * English Voice Actor: Trevor Devall
 * First Anime Appearance: Episode 103
 * Anime Debut: Episode 104
 * First Manga Appearance: Volume 24

Mukotsu is commonly assumed to be the oldest member of the Shichinin-tai, mostly because of his elderly appearance. He first appears during a battle between the Inuyasha group and Jakotsu, releasing his poisonous gases into the valley where the battle is taking place as a way to allow Jakotsu to escape quickly and safely. Later on, Jakotsu comes across Mukotsu in the shallow forest where he is mixing up some potions and talking to himself. Mukotsu is instructed to go after Kagome and poisons her near a little hut, dragging her inside and proceeding to try and marry her. He drapes a white blanket over the half-conscious Kagome and does a little marrying ritual, singing and holding her hands. He gets on top of her, some say in an attempt to rape her, but Kagome thinks fast and stabs him in the throat. He becomes enraged, yelling that she doesn't love him because of his hideous appearance. Kagome listens but doesn't speak, and he slaps her hard across the face. He is about to kill her when Sesshoumaru suddenly appears and slashes Mukotsu across the back. Mukotsu and Sesshoumaru leave the hut and go outside where Mukotsu pompously attempts to suffocate Sesshoumaru with his poisonous gases, but to no avail. When Mukotsu realizes that Sesshoumaru is impervious to his attacks, he hastily drops his weapons and cowardly hides behind the bushes, pretending to surrender. Sesshoumaru approaches more, but Mukotsu suddenly draws out another weapon and blasts more gas at Sesshoumaru. This time when he surrenders, Sesshoumaru kills him on the spot. Meanwhile, Jakotsu has been watching the entire time and runs off with news of Mukotsu's death.

Mukotsu was very similar to Jakotsu in the fact that he was constantly looking for a potential partner, only in Mukotsu's case his "victims" were women. However, he couldn't stand rejection, mostly because of insecurity about his appearance. Any time a woman rejected his affections he automatically assumed it was because of looks, which was probably a large contributing factor. Another factor is that he always came on too strong.

Mukotsu had red circular markings around his eyes and near his chin.

Mukotsu's name comes from two kanji (霧, "mu"; 骨, "kotsu"), and is usually translated as "mist/fog skill."

Kyoukotsu 凶骨



 * Japanese Voice Actor: Daisuke Gouri
 * English Voice Actor: Mark Gibbon
 * Spanish Voice Actor: Carlos del Campo
 * Portuguese Voice Actor: Antônio Moreno
 * First Anime Appearance: Episode 102
 * Anime Debut: Episode 102
 * First Manga Appearance: Volume 24

Kyoukotsu is the first to appear in both the anime and manga and is the first sign of the existence of the Shichinin-tai. He is presumably the weakest of the seven despite his abnormal size. His appetite for human flesh makes him a cannibal, but he eats youkai flesh as well. He does not use any weapons to fight except his bare hands, and can usually crush an enemy within seconds. He's not the smartest of the army either, and is the first of them to die off for a second time.

In his short appearance in the post-Kagome era, he manages to infuriate what remains of Kouga's wolf tribe and proceeds to die by Kouga's hand. His Shikon shard was located in his forehead, where Kouga pulled it out. Because of this it has been questioned if he was actually shot in the head in his first life rather than being beheaded like his comrades. Another theory for why his shard was located in his forehead was the flexibility of his neck, as displayed when Kouga twirled Kyoukotsu's head around and failed to remove it. The placement in his forehead could have been a preventive measure from having it crushed. He also had a short meeting with Kohaku shortly before his death.

Kyoukotsu's name comes from two kanji (凶, "kyou"; 骨, "kotsu"), and is usually translated as "dark/evil/bad luck skill." Kyoukotsu's name can also be spelled "Kyokotsu," as in the English version of the manga and anime.

Episodes
These are the episodes that make up the Shichinin-tai arc in the anime with their English titles and [adult swim] release dates.

102: Assault on the Wolf-Demon Tribe! :: 5/28/2005    103: The Band of Seven, Resurrected :: 6/4/2005 104: The Stealthy Poison User, Mukotsu :: 6/11/2005 105: The Ghastly Steel Machine :: 6/18/2005 106: Kagome, Miroku & Sango in a Dangerous Situation :: 6/25/2005 107: Inuyasha Sheds his Tears for the First Time :: 7/2/2005 108: The Secret of the Pure Light :: 7/9/2005 109: Hidden in the Mist: Onward to Mt. Hakurei :: 7/16/2005 110: Enter Bankotsu, the Leader of the Band of Seven :: 7/23/2005 111: The Big Clash: Banryu versus the Wind Scar :: 7/30/2005 112: Afloat on the Lake's Surface: The Barrier of Hijiri Island :: 8/7/2005 113: The Sacred Vajara & the Mystery of the Living Buddha :: 8/14/2005 114: Koga's Solitary Battle :: 8/21/2005 115: Lured by the Black Light :: 8/28/2005 116: The Exposed Face of Truth :: 9/4/2005 117: Vanished in a River of Flames :: 9/11/2005 118: Into the Depths of Mt. Hakurei :: 9/17/2005 119: Divine Malice of the Saint :: 9/24/2005 120: Fare Thee Well: Jakotsu’s Requiem :: 10/1/2005 121: Final Battle: The Last and Strongest of the Band of Seven :: 10/8/2005 122: The Power of Banryu: Duel to the Death on Mt. Hakurei :: 10/15/2005 123: Beyond the Darkness - Naraku Reborn! :: 10/22/2005

In The Media
The Shichinin-tai have been featured in a lot of Inuyasha merchandise.

1. 七人塚の亡霊 Shichinin-zuka no Bourei (The Zombies of the Shichinin Graves) 2. 重戦車 銀骨 Juusensha Ginkotsu (Heavy Tank Ginkotsu) 3. 邪心 煉骨 Jashin Renkotsu (Wicked-Hearted Renkotsu) 4. 斬りこみ隊長 蛇骨 Kirikomi Taichou Jakotsu (Hidden Bladed Commander Jakotsu) 5. ふたつの顔 睡骨 Futatsu no Kao Suikotsu (Two-Faced Suikotsu) 6. 七人隊首領 蛮骨 Shichinin-tai Shuryou Bankotsu (Shichinin-tai Leader Bankotsu) 7. 無気味な兄弟 Bukimi na Kyoudai (Ominous Brothers) 10. 我ら七人隊 Warera Shichinin-tai (We, the Shichinin-tai) 11. 炸裂蛮竜 Sakuretsu Banryuu (Explosion, Banryuu) 12. 激突 Gekitotsu (Clash) 13. 死人の臭い Shibito no Nioi (Scent of the Dead)
 * 地獄で待ってた七人塚 Jigoku de Matteta Shichinin-tai (The Shichinin-tai Who Waited in Hell) - Drama CD
 * 暴れろ!! Abarero!! (Get Wild!) - Character single featuring Bankotsu & Jakotsu
 * Music from Inuyasha Original Soundtrack 3: