Ayakashi (visual novel)

Ayakashi (アヤカシ) is a 2005 visual novel developed by Crossnet. An eroge sequel was later released in 2006 with the name Ayakashi H. A twelve-episode anime adaptation was aired in 2007. A bundle release of the game called Ayakashi Pack was released on December 14, 2007 to celebrate the release of the anime, containing both Ayakashi and Ayakashi H.

Plot

Ayakashi is a parasite life force that gives superpowers to its host, taking in return the host's entire life force. Yū Kusaka is a student that lost his will to live after the death of a dear childhood friend, until the day a mysterious girl, named Eim Yoake, appears. From that moment on, his life would never be the same again. Hunted by Ayakashi and their hosts, the power within Yū awakens and a never ending battle begins.

Ayakashi H

The setting is one month after Ayakashi.

Characters

• The following voice actors are from the anime adaption.

Yū Kusaka (久坂 悠, Kusaka Yū)

Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio

The main character. He is a warm-hearted, caring Ayakashi handler fighting for the sake of a promise he made to Hime and Izumi twelve years before the main story. His promise was to protect them. Yu has the strongest Ayakashi, Ryuu. Ryuu is a dragon-like Ayakashi. He was in love with Izumi but after learning of Eimu and what happened he started to care for her. He cares deeply for both Hime and Eimu.

Eim Yoake (夜明 エイム, Yoake Eimu)

Voiced by: Nana Mizuki

The main heroine. Eim first appears as a bodyguard forced to protect Yū. Later into the series, Yu and Eim develop a bond in which she later chooses for herself to protect him. Eim has two Ayakashis, Akuro-ou, a large, blue Ayakashi and Satori, a small blue and white Ayakashi with the ability to fight and read minds. After she killed Izumi, she took a part of her soul containing feelings and memories of Izumi and thus showing her own feelings for Yū.

Hime Yakushiji (薬師寺 陽愛, Yakushiji Hime)

Voiced by: Miyu Matsuki

Yū's childhood friend, she is very popular around the boys in school, but she always hangs around Yū, she is capable of seeing Ayakashi. She loves Yū but knew that Yū loved Izumi. Yū continues to protect her even though he acts cold around her sometimes.

Pam Werne Asakura (パム・ウェルヌ・アサクラ, Pamu Werunu Asakura)

Voiced by: Ai Shimizu

A friend Yū and Eim meet later in the anime. She tends to like Yū. Her ayakashi is Tengu.

Izumi Makihara (牧原 和泉, Makihara Izumi)

Voiced by: Sakura Nogawa

Yū's childhood friend. She was killed by Eim 2 years before the main story and transferred a part of her soul into Eim upon her death along with her memories and emotions. Satori was originally her Ayakashi. She and Yū had strong feelings for one another.

Orie Natsuhara (夏原 織江, Natsuhara Orie)

Voiced by: Sakura Nogawa

A girl who searches for something she doesn't know, when she change's her hairstyle she is identical to Izumi She is a cat Ayakashi. Her master and Bakeneko's handler, Natsuhara, were killed by Kare.

Noriko Hanai

A classmate and friend of Hime who also becomes friends with Yū and Eimu. She can come off as rather nosy.

Kare (彼, Kare)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

The main antagonist. His real name is unknown and he is sometimes referred to as "Him". His Ayakashi is Orochi, a snake-like being. He pushes Yuu to bring out his complete Ayakashi by sending his subordinates after him.

Akino Yoake (夜明 アキノ, Yoake Akino)

Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino

Eim's older sister. She's loyal to "Him"; and tends to be cold towards Eim and Yu. Not acknowledging Eim as her sister. Saying she lost her sister "two years ago" before the main story. The reason she says this, is because Eim chooses to protect Yu instead of joining her sisters side. Her ayakashi is Aterui. A red, smaller ayakashi version of Akuro-ou.

Akio Maekawa (前川 彰男, Maekawa Akio)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa

Heima Kajiwara (梶原 平馬, Kajiwara Heima)

Voiced by: Tomoyuki Terai

Yū's senior, he is also an Ayakashi user who was ordered by Kare to keep an eye on Yū. His Ayakashi is Nurikabe.

Ayakashi H Characters

Kikuri Shirakami (白神 菊理, Shirakami Kikuri)

Hime's cousin and successor of the Shirakami family, she has the ability to seal and control Ayakashi with a stamp handed over by her family, also she has a pair of short swords to fight Ayakashi, she believes that Ayakashi are evil and dangerous, but Yū shows her that not all Ayakashi are Evil, in the end she develops a crush on him.

Yae Sakimori (咲守 八重, Sakimori Yae)

One of Kikuri's bodyguards, she is shy and fears men but even so she has a crush on Katsumi, when she fights uses a pair of gauntlets, with these she can fight hand to hand with Ayakashis like Akuro-ou.

Katsumi Osakabe (刑部 克己, Osakabe Katsumi)

One of Kikuri's bodyguards, he is calm and collected and always gives advise to Yū on how to handle Kikuri, he uses a Katana to fight, later is revealed that he is an Ayakashi user and that he wants to kill all the Ayakashi users, so they don't have to suffer the pain that his dead wife had to go through, he combines sword techniques with his wife's fire Ayakashi "Shiranui"."amir"

Ayakashi

Ryuu (竜)

Yū's Ayakashi. It is the Ayakashi of destruction and rebirth.

Nurikabe (塗り壁)

Kajiwara's Ayakashi.

Episode list

1. First Blood
2. Awakening
3. Remuneration
4. Ayakashi User
5. Him
6. Izumi
7. Isolation
8. Eimu
9. Decision
10. The Two
11. Path of No Return
12. Symbiosis

External links

• Anime official website (Japanese)
• Ayakashi (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Ayakashi (visual novel) at the Visual Novel Database