Kaze no Stigma

Kaze no Stigma
Cover of the first light novel volume (Kindle edition)
風の聖痕
Genre	Action, Comedy, Romance, Supernatural
Light novel
Written by	Takahiro Yamato
Illustrated by	Hanamaru Nanto
Published by	Fujimi Shobo
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Fujimi Fantasia Bunko
Original run	January 2003 – March 2010
Volumes	12
Manga
Kaze no Stigma -Kouen no Miko-
Written by	Takahiro Yamato
Illustrated by	Neko Miyakai
Published by	Fujimi Shobō
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Monthly Dragon Age
Original run	April 9, 2007 – ongoing
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Junichi Sakata
Studio	Gonzo
Licensed by	NA Funimation Entertainment
Network	Chiba TV, TV Saitama, Tokyo MX TV, KBS Kyoto, Gunma TV
English network	SA Animax Asia SEA Animax Asia
Original run	April 11, 2007 – September 20, 2007
Episodes	24

Stigma of the Wind or Kaze no Stigma (風の聖痕（スティグマ）, Kaze no Sutiguma, lit. "Stigma of the Wind") is a Japanese light novel series written by Takahiro Yamato and illustrated by Hanamaru Nanto. After the death of the author on July 20, 2009, the story remains incomplete at eleven volumes.^[1] A 24-episode anime adaptation directed by Junichi Sakata and animated by Gonzo aired from April–September 2007. It has been dubbed in English by Animax Asia under the title Stigma of the Wind and by Funimation as Kaze no Stigma.

Plot

Kazuma Kannagi was the eldest son of the Kannagi family and presumed heir. However, due to his inability to use "Enjutsu" (炎術, Blaze Technique), the power to control flames, he was considered to be useless within his family. Despite his inability to wield fire, his father insisted on him competing for the right to wield "Enraiha" (炎雷覇, Blaze Lightning Supremacy), a sword that was wielded by the family heir. The 18-year old Kazuma was soundly defeated by 14-year old Ayano Kannagi, his second cousin, and banished from the family. Four years later, he returned as a master of "Fūjutsu" (風術, Wind Technique), the power to control wind, and with a new name: Kazuma Yagami. Soon after his return, several Kannagi family members were killed and the murder weapon is revealed to be Fūjutsu. Kazuma is presumed to have committed the murders in revenge for his banishment. As a result he is confronted by various members of his former family and forced to fight to prove his innocence. The only person he wants to fight is his father, the strongest Enjutsu user. Kazuma defeats his father in a duel. After the fight he goes back to his hotel and finds his brother, Ren Kannagi, at his hotel room. After losing his brother to a powerful demon, he goes to the Kannagi household and convinces the current head of the family (Ayano's father) that he is innocent. He is reunited with Ayano and his younger brother, Ren, who is also gifted in Enjutsu, although things get off on the wrong foot when Ayano, believing that Kazuma to be guilty, attacks him without warning.

Kazuma happens to be a Contractor, having entered into a contract with the "Kaze no Seirei-Ō" (風の霊魂王, Wind Spirit King). Due to this, Kazuma is able to draw upon all wind spirits in the atmosphere, which amplifies his inherent powers, and allows him to heal his wounds. When using this power, his eyes turn azure blue. However, this ability puts a strain on his body, as it is his stamina and will that limit the amount of power that is used. When Kazuma is extremely angry, his eyes turn crimson red and his wind turns black and he is able to read minds. In this state, he has no qualms in hurting others with his abilities, as long as he gets what he wants. However, when in this state, his overall powers seem to be weaker because as stated by Ayano he is drawing only on a few emotions and is not in complete control of his powers. When Ayano helps him snap out of his rage, he states that his black wind is pathetic. At one point Ayano states that she was never afraid of him in his normal state, as he is so overwhelmingly strong, her fear seemed pointless. When she realizes that she fears his black wind, she knows she has a chance of defeating him, because that fear means that his power is no longer 'god-like.'

It is later revealed that after Kazuma was banished from his family, his only desire was achieving great power. He traveled to a small town in China, where he caused all kinds of trouble until he met Tsui Ling, with whom he fell in love and eventually lived with. This brought a bout a change in Kazuma as he was content with his life: he no longer desired power and was happy just living with her. He also took up a job as a freelancer, doing simple odd jobs. His happiness, however, came to an abrupt end when an organization used Tsui Ling as a sacrifice to summon a powerful demon. Blaming himself for failing to protect her, Kazuma once again sought out great power, leading to his engaging in a contract with the Wind Spirit Lord. Some time after becoming a Contractor, he killed the one responsible for Tsui Ling's death. Later, two years prior to the series' beginning, Kazuma made a name for himself as the demon-like wind mage, who did not hesitate to hurt others as long as his task was completed. However, his personality began to turn for the good once again after returning to Japan and meeting Ayano. Near the end of the anime, he admits that he could now love another person besides Tsui Ling and comes to realize that he is actually in love with Ayano.

In the light novel, it is revealed that shortly after Tsui Ling's death, Kazuma attempted to commit suicide, but was saved at the last moment by a traveling Taoist sennin. The immortal felt the potential within Kazuma and brought Kazuma to his mountain where Kazuma spent the next year and a half in training. Li Lonyue, another one of the Taoist's disciples, believed that, with more training, Kazuma had the potential to become an immortal like them. However, Kazuma refused the offer, as he found immortality to be pointless and boring, instead opting to leave the mountain when he felt ready to carry out his vengeance.

Protagonists

Kazuma Yagami (八神 和麻, Yagami Kazuma)

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono, Akeno Watanabe (child) (Japanese), Robert McCollum (English)

The male protagonist of the series. Born Kazuma Kannagi, he is a former member of the Kannagi household. He was banished from the family by his father and changed his name to Kazuma Yagami after being defeated by Ayano during the successor ceremony for "Enraiha", his family's sacred sword, due to his inability to use Enjutsu. In the light novel it is mentioned that Kazuma was found to have great potential in all other jutsu. Four years later, at the age of twenty two, he returns to Japan as the most powerful master of Fūjutsu to have ever existed, possessing god-like powers.

As a "Fūjutsushi" (風術師, Wind Technique Practitioner), Kazuma's powers are extensive and he is by far the most powerful character in the series. Apart from being able to fly even while holding three people, Kazuma can also launch blasts of wind that act as blades and manipulate wind spirits to create a barrier, protecting his body from physical harm or reflecting light in order to camouflage himself. It has also become apparent that he possibly has the ability to manipulate electricity (shown during episode 23 just before Ayano brings him back to his normal self using the crimson flame). In the series he tries to avenge Tsui Ling's death because he blames himself for not protecting her. Towards the end of the series he become aware of the fact that he loves Ayano and vows to protect her.

Ayano Kannagi (神凪 綾乃, Kannagi Ayano)

Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura (Japanese), Cherami Leigh (English)

The female protagonist of the series. Sixteen-year-old Ayano is a skilled "Enjutsushi" (炎術師, Blaze Technique Master) and the named successor to the Kannagi family head. She is arrogant and impetuous, usually taking action by herself even while going against orders. Though she seems undisciplined, she believes deeply in her heritage, and more than once served as the voice of reason and drawn Kazuma back to action or sanity. Though cocky and thoughtless on the surface, she is self-conscious and sometimes unsure. She looks to others for guidance and simultaneously feels that she should not, responding yearningly to approval and affection. Though she finds his arrogance and teasing abrasive, Ayano develops a crush on Kazuma but is easily flustered when he flirts with her, irritated due to his habit of taunting her immediately afterward, and is prone to unjustified indignance when he gets close to another woman. She later comes to realize that she is actually in love with him. Kazuma is the only person she sees as stronger in power and presence than even her own father.

Ayano's power is the Crimson Flame called Kōen (紅炎), but she is not yet able to consciously control it. She also wields Enraiha, the Kannagi's sacred sword, which she won by defeating Kazuma at the successor ceremony four years before the start of the story. The sword has fire properties and can be summoned by Ayano at any time. During combat, Ayano tends to fight recklessly and normally her anger and pride gets the better of her. Kazuma beats her in almost every encounter and points out the deficiencies in her fighting style, not that she appreciates it. During their penultimate fight, she berates him furiously for falling for tricks that he taught her. Many times, her power has helped her get Kazuma out of trouble. She gets irritated mostly when Kazuma crosses the line in flirting with her. In the end of the anime, Ayano tries to comfort Kazuma after hearing Tsui Ling's last thoughts. After expressing some deep thoughts and emotions to Kazuma in an attempt to comfort him, Ayano turns her back to him. Kazuma then uses his power to blow her hair back towards him, then grabs it and holds it up to his lips, causing Ayano to blush. Kazuma then pats her rear, which startles Ayano, and she falls into a nearby pond in which she gets flustered and causes the water to boil. The last scene of the anime concludes with Ayano (playfully) chasing Kazuma with Enraiha around the Kannagi family area, while a majority of the other main characters enjoy a meal with each other inside one of the Kannagi homes while they watch Kazuma and Ayano outside.

Ren Kannagi (神凪 煉, Kannagi Ren)

Voiced by: Rika Morinaga (Japanese), Josh Grelle (English)

Kazuma's younger brother and the secondary protagonist of the series. He looks up to Ayano and practically worships Kazuma, stating that one day he hopes to be as strong as him. Ren has the appearance of a bishōnen, which sometimes earns him the contempt of some of his male classmates. Even so, Ren appears to be very popular at his school, excelling in his studies and athletics. His closest friends are Kanon Suzuhara (who also has a romantic interest in him) and Tatsuya Serizawa.

Unlike other members of the Kannagi family, Ren never rejected Kazuma for his inability to master fire magic and has always considered him family. In turn, Kazuma cares for Ren deeply (although he is reluctant to reveal this in front of others) and never hesitates to save Ren when he finds himself in danger.

Ren later falls in love with a girl named Ayumi, only to find out that she is just a clone created to be sacrificed in a ritual. Even after saving her from the ritual, she still dies due to having a short life span, but not before she tells him that she also loves him. Despite Ren's feelings of inadequacy early on in the series, Ayumi's death inspires Ren to become stronger so that he can protect the ones he loves. Ren's power is the Golden Flame, said to have the greatest purification effect.

Kannagi family

Genma Kannagi (神凪 厳馬, Kannagi Genma)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese), Mark Stoddard (English)

Ren and Kazuma's strict father. Though he is responsible for banishing Kazuma from the Kannagi family, he only wanted his son to find his own path in life. Like Kazuma, Genma has trouble expressing his feelings in front of others; in fact, the both of them are so headstrong that every time they meet, they immediately break out into a destructive battle. Though Kazuma defeats him in their first battle in years, Genma is the strongest En-Jutsushi of the Kannagi's, and wields the blue Divine Flame, Sōen, which only eleven others have wielded since the founding of the clan.

Despite their similarities, neither Genma nor Kazuma are willing to admit the similarities they have with each other.

Like many members of the Kannagi, Genma looks down on the Fūga Clan and wind users in general. When Kazuma goes berserk near the end of the series, Genma is the first to volunteer to assassinate his disinherited son.

Jūgo Kannagi (神凪 重悟, Kannagi Jūgo)

Voiced by: Masaki Terasoma (Japanese), R Bruce Elliott (English)

Ayano's father and Genma's cousin. He is the current head of the Kannagi family. Jūgo worries about his headstrong daughter. Contrary to the typical Kannagi doctrine that places merit solely on strength, Jūgo has been trying to stop discrimination against not only the Fūga Clan but the users of other jutsus as well. He also regrets not being able to stop Kazuma's expulsion from the family. Believing that Kazuma is essential to the Kannagis, he constantly creates situations which force Ayano and Kazuma to work together in the hopes that they form a relationship. There appears to exist mutual respect between Jūgo and Kazuma. As the head of the Kannagi family, Jūgo is responsible for directing the other members of the head family and branch families as well as the Fūga Clan. In the series, Jūgo is never seen leaving the Kannagi compound, and rarely even leaves his meeting room.

He is tehnically the strongest Enjutsushi of the Kannagi and wields the purple flame, but due to his mobility being hampered by a leg injury suffered in a car accident, he cedes that title to Genma.

Tsuwabuki Family

Kureha Tsuwabuki (石蕗 呉羽, Tsuwabuki Kureha)

Voiced by: Mami Kosuge (Japanese), Lydia Mackay (English)

Older daughter of the Tsuwabuki family, who are skilled "Chijutsushi" (地術師, Earth Technique Practitioner). During her father's absence due to 'illness', she becomes the head of the Tsuwabuki family. Zenon, the behemoth of Mt. Fuji, secretly stripped her powers as a Chijutsushi but gave her alternate gravity-altering powers instead. Like Kazuma, she was ostracized for her lack of power by her family. She is later killed by Zenon in a fit of rage. It is notable that once Zenon's restriction was lifted from her, Kureha's earth power was of an extremely high level as seen in her fight with Zenon.

Mayumi Tsuwabuki (石蕗 真弓, Tsuwabuki Mayumi)

Voiced by: Eri Miyajima (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)

Younger daughter of the Tsuwabuki family. Her clone, Ayumi, is used as the sacrifice in Taisai, the ritual of taming the behemoth within Mt. Fuji every 30 years preventing the volcano from erupting. The ritual involves claiming the life of a Chijutsushi, who is usually a member of the Tsuwabuki family, since 300 years ago. Due to Kureha's influence, she is a cold, heartless woman, from her portrayal and behavior towards her clone. She later feels remorse after Ayumi's sacrifice.

Ayumi Tsuwabuki (石蕗 あゆみ, Tsuwabuki Ayumi)

Voiced by: Kanako Sakai (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)

The clone of Mayumi Tsuwabuki. Although she has the appearance of a twelve-year-old, she is only a month old. According to Mayumi, she had been implanted with random memories from Mayumi and has a lifespan of about two months. Using the treasure of the Pixies, which is an egg that will hatch into the tribal leader of the Pixies, Ayumi's growth is accelerated, so that within one month, she grew twelve years. She falls in love with Ren. She sacrifices her life to weaken Zenon, so that Kazuma, Ren, and Ayano could destroy Zenon.

Supporting characters

Kirika Tachibana (橘 霧香, Tachibana Kirika)

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese), Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)

A detective working for the Tokyo MPD's Special Investigation Unit, in charge of investigating crimes related to jutsu. She occasionally works together with Kazuma. Her department aims to become the new partner of the Kannagi family, filling the gap made by the Fūga Clan's betrayal. To that end, they assist the Ōgamis by investigating and tracking other users of jutsu. She is later revealed to be an Onmyōji, a practitioner of the Yin Yang arts who can cast spells through chants and charms. It is revealed that she had met Kazuma two years prior and that after he left, she had wished that she would never see him again.

Yukari Shinomiya (篠宮 由香里, Shinomiya Yukari)

Voiced by: Yuka Inokuchi (Japanese), Kate Oxley (English)

Yukari is one of Ayano's best friends and classmates. Yukari, along with Nanase, often teases Ayano about her apparent crush on Kazuma. She is well-connected to the underground information network of the student body and often knows what is happening around the school. Yukari's information extends beyond the school and into many areas of the Tokyo metropolis.

Nanase Kudō (久遠 七瀬, Kudō Nanase)

Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)

Nanase is another of Ayano's best friends and classmates. She and Yukari know about the existence of jutsushi. Nanase is also a very athletic student, who is part of many of their school's athletic clubs, and is respected by many of the female students.

Takeya Ōgami (大神 武哉, Ōgami Takeya)

Voiced by: Taketora (Japanese), Vic Mignogna (English)

A member of the Kannagi, Takeya was part of the party initially sent to bring in Kazuma for questioning in the matter of the murders of the Knnagi. Ryūya killed him and his partner after they were knocked out by Kazuma, who was defending himself against an unprovoked attack by the partner (who was the brother of the Kannagi who Kazuma had met and bested earlier). He was considered to be a powerful fire user by the family, but he was unprepared to face Kazuma. Takeya always acted with a calm and level head.

Misao Ōgami (大神 操, Ōgami Misao)

Voiced by: Kana Ueda (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)

Sister of Takeya, who was the only person kind to her. Although a kind person at heart, having saved Kazuma from bullying ten years previously, Misao blames Kazuma for her brother's death and makes multiple attempts to kill him, even going so far as to order hire a sniper. All of her attempts fail, and she becomes a pawn in Michael's plan to take Kazuma down. In the end, Kazuma convinces her to atone for her sins by living on, and she is instructed by Jūgo to retire to a convent.

Tsui-Ling (翠鈴, Tsuoi Rin, Cuìlíng)

Voiced by: Yui Makino (Japanese), Leah Clark (English)

The girl Kazuma could not protect. She was sacrificed by the head member of the Armagest Erwin Leszaar to summon a demon. Rhodes used a spell to gather her remaining essence into a being called Lapis. Before her sacrifice, she and Kazuma worked in a restaurant, and were in love. According to Lapis in the last episode, her last thoughts were that she wished Kazuma was dead. Whether this is true or lies meant to cause Kazuma pain is unknown (Kazuma notes that she may have said this out of spite towards his inability to save her). As Lapis, she is trained in anti-mage fighting.

Catherine McDonald (キャッサリン マクドナルド, Kyassarin Makudonarudo)

Voiced by: Chiaki Takahashi (Japanese), Caitlin Glass (English)

A member of an American family of Enjutsushi, specially skilled in creating and controlling spirit beasts to harness flames. She originally came to Japan to defeat Ayano and take her family'sacred treasure Enriha, but decides to stay after a crushing defeat by her. She develops feelings for Kazuma after he trains her for her second fight against Ayano. She manipulates myriads of spirits into a single virtual persona to grasp tremendous power. While seemingly capable of creating different spirit beasts, her favorite is Metatron, an angel-like statue equipped with a sword. Kazuma has observed and mentioned that her fighting style is similar to Ayano's, referring to their simplistic and direct attacks, which lack any strategy or tactics. A rival against Ayano in both Enjutsushi and Kazuma's "love," Catherine refuses to beaten in either.

Li Lonyue (李朧月, Ri Ronyue, Lǐ Lóngyuè)

Despite the fact that he appears to be a bishōnen of similar age to Ren, and his self-acclaim of being a Taoist-in-training, he is, in reality, a Taoist immortal whose age is measured in centuries. Lonyue came to Japan to retrieve artifacts stolen from his master, befriending Ren along the way. After recovering the lost artifacts, he opted to stay in Japan because he was bored. Lonyue, like Kazuma, teases and manipulates others in order to accomplish his goals.

Lonyue has the ability to control and manipulate his surroundings at will due his mastery of the way of Tao. His true powers are never shown, but Kazuma is revealed to have a genuine fear of fighting Lonyue again, as Lonyue was the first one Kazuma lost to in a fight since his training; even after becoming a Contractor, Kazuma is not confident in winning against him.

Lonyue has only appeared in the Kaze no Stigma: Ignition side stories.

Kanon Suzuhara (鈴原 花音, Suzuhara Kanon)

Voiced by: Ayumi Tsuji (Japanese), Jad Saxton (English)

Kanon is Ren's classmate who has a romantic interest in him. Despite having quite a pushy and bratty attitude at times, Kanon is shown to have a very caring personality as well, except when comes to competing with Tatsuya for Ren's attention.

Tatsuya Serizawa (芹沢 達也, Serizawa Tatsuya)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Todd Haberkorn (English)

He is another of Ren's classmates and also his friend. He and Kanon always fight to see who stay with Ren. In Tatsuya's case, to do things that friends do, and in Kanon's case, to do things that couples do.

Yuan, Xiaolei

Known as the Yuan Prince, a Fujutsu practitioner from China belonging to the famous family of wind mages, Yuan family and the holder of Kokusen, the sacred treasure of the wind (same like Enraiha for the fire). Her family was wiped out by evil mages who wishes to gain the 4 sacred treasures of spirit world (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water). When her family refused to cooperate, they were summarily slaughtered leaving only 13 year old Xiaolei to survice; to gain revenge she crossed over to Japan to form an Alliance with the Kannagis. It was later revealed that is actually a female. Kazuma and Ayanno helps her deal with her pain and Kazuma saves her from dying in the end of the novel by using his contractor powers.

Antagonists

Ryūya Kazamaki (風巻 流也, Kazamaki Ryūya)

Voiced by: Dai Matsumoto (Japanese), Christopher Sabat (English)

Son of Hyoue Kazamaki, leader of the Fūga Clan, which served the Kannagi for the last 300 years. In an elaborate plot to release the Fūga Clan's ancient master and take revenge on the Kannagi for the humiliation received since then, Ryūya's body becomes the host for a powerful yoma. After Ryūya engages Kazuma and Ayano, the yoma fully emerges, and takes complete control of Ryūya body and mind in order to unleash its full power. Eventually, Ryūya and the yoma are killed in a joint attack by Kazuma and Ayano.

Michael Harley (ミカエルハーリ, Mikaeru Hāri)

Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (Japanese), Joel McDonald (English)

A young boy from the Stars of Sagacity, an organization related to Kazuma's past and Tsui-Ling's death. He uses Misao's anger at Kazuma and promised to grant her wishes. In truth, he only uses her as a medium, in order to obtain enough yoki, or life energy, to kill Kazuma. After creating a dragon with Misao's collected life energy, he attacks Kazuma, Ayano and Ren, but is ultimately destroyed by Ayano's Shinen-empowered Enraiha.

Bernhardt Rhodes (ヴェルンハルト・ローデス, Verunharuto Rōdesu)

Voiced by: Kenyu Horiuchi (Japanese), John Swasey (English)

The chairman of Armagest, a powerful organization of modern magic users. He holds a grudge against Kazuma for killing his master, Erwin Leszaar, the man who sacrificed Tsui-Ling.

Lapis (ラピス, Rapisu)

Voiced by: Yui Makino (Japanese), Leah Clark (English)

The entity that was made in Tsui-Ling's image by Bernhardt. Lapis carries a big crystal broad sword, but wields it with ease, and is able to match Ayano in a sword duel. It is revealed in episode 21 of the anime that Lapis has a heart, so she can feel the joy in hurting others, among other emotions.

Terminology

Spirit Technique Practitioner (精霊術師, Seirei Jutsushi)

The spirit arts are split into elements such as fire, wind, earth, and water.

Blaze Technique (炎術, Enjutsu)

The fire arts are most effective for combat. Users of Enjutsu are known as Enjutsushi (炎術師, Blaze Technique Practitioner) and can draw upon flame spirits. The Kannagi and McDonald clans are two famous Enjutsu user families from Japan and America, respectively. Common powers include emitting fireballs.

Enraiha (炎雷覇, Blaze Lightning Supremacy)

A sacred sword with fire properties, given to the successor of the Kannagi family. It was supposedly given to the Kannagi by the Honō no Seirei-Ō (炎の霊魂王, Blaze Spirit King). Ayano won the right to carry it when she defeated Kazuma at the succession ceremony four years ago and is able to summon the sword whenever she pleases. Should it be flung from her hand, it can materialize there again. Later in the series, Kazuma is shown to be able to use his Contractor powers on Enraiha to temporarily allow the sword to possess the blue Divine Flame, Sōen (蒼炎, Blue Flame).

Blaze Spirit King (焔の精霊王, Honō no Seirei-Ō)

The founder of the Kannagi clan originally entered into a contract with him a thousand years ago, and the Kannagi family derives their strength from his power.

Fire of Purification (浄化の炎, Jōka no Honō)

The fire of purification has the power to exorcise yōma from their hosts or environment. The Kannagi clan is in charge of purifying and eradicating evil yōma in Japan, due to their contract with the Flame Spirit Lord. Ren Kannagi, who uses the Golden Flame (金炎), is said to have the largest purification effect.

Wind Technique (風術, Fūjutsu)

The wind arts are most effective for reconnaissance, but as Kazuma has shown, it is also quite effective for combat. Unlike Enjutsu users, wind users have a much faster summoning ability. Users of Fūjutsu are known as Fūjutsushi (風術師, Wind Technique Practitioner) and can draw upon the wind spirits. Fūjutsushi are able to conceal their own presence and are better at detecting elemental users. The Fūga clan of Fūjutsushi served the Kannagi for 300 years, but was eliminated in the course of plotting revenge for their subjugation.

Wind Spirit King (風の精霊王, Kaze no Seirei-Ō)

The Wind Spirit Lord, whom Kazuma has entered into a contract with.

Wind of Purification (浄化の風, Jōka no Kaze)

The wind of purification, just like the fire of purification, has the power to exorcise yōma from their hosts or environment. The only person who can use the winds of purification in the series is Kazuma who had made a contract with the Wind Spirit Lord. Though not in the same league in terms of power of the fire of purification, the wind of purification has greater area effect than of that to fire.

Kokūsen (虚空閃, Empty Sky Flash)

A jingi given by the Wind Spirit King, Kokūsen is a spear-shaped weapon that can amplify one's ability in Fūjutsu. Where Enraiha is the great elemental weapon for fire, Kokūsen is the great elemental weapon for wind. It first appeared in volume 6 of the novel, where it refused its current wielder after Kazuma, who is a Wind Contractor, wielded it.

Wind Fang Clan (風牙衆, Fūga Shū)

Earth Technique (地術, Chijutsu)

Users of Chijutsu are called Chijutsushi (地術師, Earth Technique Practitioner). The Tsuwabuki clan is known as the most powerful of Chijutsushi. Common attacks are making spikes rise from the ground, and creating earthquakes.

Water Arts (水術, Suijutsu)

The water arts, known as Suijutsu, are said to be strong against Enjutsu; however, it is completely erased when up against a higher-level Enjutsu user.

Spirit Beasts (精霊獣, Seireijū)

A Spirit Familiar is a large number of spirits who have been coalesced into a physical form.

Contractor (契約者（コントラクター）, Kontorakutā)

A Contractor is a person who enters into a contract with a Spirit Lord. That contract grants the user the power to call upon all the spirits (of a certain element, depending on the element of the Spirit Lord) in the atmosphere or even tap into the power of the Spirit Lord itself. Contractors are said to have the most power, but their use of it is very limited, as that great power would put a strain on their body. In most cases, a portion of the powers of the Contractor would last through their lineage to future generations.

Special Information Storage Room (特殊資料整理室, Yokushu Shiryō Seiri Shitsu)

Jingi (神器, Jingi)

An item given by a Spirit King. It can amplify one's power to the extent of a contractor.

Elixir (エリクサー, Erikusa)

An extremely rare substance which is said to be the ultimate product of alchemy. It heals any injury inflicted upon a person, as well as clear the body of all supernatural afflictions. Kazuma was only able to obtain a small amount of elixir, which he used to save Ayano.

Yōma (妖魔, Yōma, lit. Ghost)

Youma are demons that appear throughout the story. They can possess people and give them power while devouring their souls. They are considered to be evil spirits and are used in evil ways by some Jutsushi. Most youma do not have names as they are not of great importance.

Slime (スライム, Suraimu)

Youma in the form of a slime. They cover people and absorb their life energy

Belial (ベリアル, Beriaru)

The strongest of all Youma. Its hand was summoned for a few seconds by Bernhardt via Lapis from the sacrifice of the seeds in order to destroy Tokyo and bring Kazuma despair. However, it was prevented from doing so by the combined powers of Kazuma's Contractor attack, Ayano's God Flame, and Ren's Flame of Purification.

Media

Light novel

Kaze no Stigma began as a light novel series, written by Takahiro Yamato and illustrated by Hanamaru Nanto, serialized in the Japanese seinen light novel magazine Dragon Magazine, published by Fujimi Shobō, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Shoten. It began serialization in January 2002, and as of April 2007, is still running. Eleven bound volumes have been published — six main volumes and five short story compilations. The latest main volume was released on October 20, 2005, and the latest short story volume went on sale in Japan in December 2007. It was reported that the author of the light novels, Takahiro Yamato, had died on July 20, 2009, leaving the series incomplete.^[1]

Manga

A manga series illustrated by Neko Miyakai began serialization in the Japanese shōnen manga magazine Monthly Dragon Age on April 9, 2007. As of March 6, 2008, two bound volumes have been published by Fujimi Shobō.

Anime

Gonzo's Kaze no Stigma animated TV series aired on Japanese broadcasting channels between April 11, 2007 and September 20, 2007, containing twenty-four episodes; it aired in a late night slot. The series was directed by Junichi Sakata. The first DVD release of Kaze no Stigma was released on August 24, 2007. It was released by Funimation in 2009 starting with part 1.^[2] The anime's opening theme is "Blast of Wind" performed by Saori Kiuji, lyrics by Chiaki Ishikawa and Mitsuko Komuro, composed by Kazumi Mitome and Akino Arai. The first ending theme is "Hitorikiri no Sora" by Saori Kiuji and the second ending theme is "Matataki no Kiwoku" (瞬きのキヲク) by Ayumi Fujimura, Yuka Inokuchi and Shizuka Itō.

The series has been licensed by FUNimation Entertainment in North America.^[3] and released its first volume in 2009.^[4] Animax Asia also produced an English dub titled Stigma of the Wind, which aired starting May 19, 2010.^[5]

The major difference between the novel and the anime is the significantly darker tone in the novels. The character of Kazuma is much darker in the novels, which depicts him mercilessly killing most of the antagonistic characters. In the anime, Kazuma is usually depicted as only injuring or incapacitating his opponents, while their actual deaths are usually the result of their own schemes backfiring on them. Some scenes involving gruesome deaths were simply excluded from the anime.^[6]

Role-playing game

A Kaze no Stigma RPG, published by Fujimi Shobō, went on sale in Japan in June 2007. The game is designed by Kiyomune Miwa, and uses the Standard RPG System.

References

External links

• Official Website from Funimation
• Official website (Japanese)
• Official website at Gonzo (Japanese)
• Kaze no Stigma (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• ANN review part 1
• ANN review part 2