Black Cat

Black Cat (ブラックキャット Burakku Kyatto?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2000 to 2004, and later collected in twenty tankōbon volumes. The series was adapted into a twenty-four episode anime series by Gonzo studio, which aired on the satellite television network Animax and the terrestrial Tokyo Broadcasting System channel from 2005 to 2006. The story centers on a man named Train Heartnet who withdrew from an elite group of assassins called the Chrono Numbers to become a bounty hunter, or Sweeper.

Viz Media licensed the manga series for an English-language publication in North America and as of May 2009, have released all 20 volumes of the series. Funimation Entertainment licensed the anime series for an English dub and North American broadcast on their own Funimation Channel. It was released on six DVD compilations, and later as a complete series boxed set.

Plot
Chronos, an organization bent on world peace, rules one third of the world's economy. To maintain the balance of the world, Chronos is therefore essential, and there is a need for people to protect Chronos. Thirteen special elite assassins each possess unique orichalcum-forged weapons and are called the Chrono Numbers (時の番人 Kurono Nanbāzu?), assassins who work for Chronos. When the thirteenth Chronos Number (Train Heartnet), also known as the infamous Black Cat, meets a Sweeper (licensed bounty hunter) named Saya Minatsuki, Train's morals and values are changed from those of Chronos's to those of his own. Instead of killing his victims like he is ordered to, he merely uses Hades (his orichalcum gun) to stop them instead. This leads to tension between him and the Chronos Elders, the leaders of Chronos, and eventually culminates in Train's departure from the organization. Creed Diskenth, a Chronos assassin, resents the way that Saya changed Train's life, and murders her. Two years later, Train is an easygoing Sweeper, traveling with his partners Sven Vollfied (who possesses a special eye that allows him to see a few seconds into the future) and Eve (who contains millions of nanomachines in her body, allowing her to transform herself at will), when Creed appears before Train once more. Creed, now with followers and power that rival anyone alive, including the numbers, vows to get Train to join him. Train must choose his friends and new life, or revenge, as Creed threatens to undermine Chronos and start his own World Revolution.

Development
According to Kentaro Yabuki, Black Cat ' s main theme is Train's journey to find freedom. When the manga ended serialization, Yabuki expressed desire to make a sequel from the manga labelling the series as "Part 1". As he was not sure if there could be a sequel, Yabuki still remarked that the characters of Train Heartnet and Eve may appear in other titles he would make in the future.[1]

Train Heartnet
Train Heartnet (トレイン ハートネット Torein Hātonetto?), also known as "Black Cat" or "Kuro Neko" (Black Cat in Japanese), is the protagonist and a sweeper partnered with Sven. Train is a lighthearted, courageous man who is highly skilled with a gun. In the manga's "present time," he is 23 years old. Train's distinguishing features are a choker with a tiny bell attached to it and the XIII tattoo he has on the left side of his chest. He has a large amount of killing intent that he honed from his days as a Chronos member. As a result, he often has sudden mood swings, going from carefree to serious in an instant, usually when Creed is mentioned.

He was once a Chronos Number, a ruthless assassin and Number XIII of the group. He wields Hades, a black and gold revolver made out of Orichalcum with the numeral XIII (13) engraved into its side and a red tassel tied onto its hand grip weighing 2.5 kg. This personality stems from being orphaned after Zaguine Axeloake kills his parents, which causes him to take Train in and teach him how to kill with efficiency. Zaguine eventually dies and tells Train that he needs to be the best in order to survive. After that, Karl took Train in and he became an assassin for Chronos. Having been killing and exposed to death since early childhood, Train becomes very bleak and unsmiling until he leaves Chronos. He eventually meets Saya, a carefree sweeper, who slowly changes Train into a "stray cat" that doesn't blindly follow orders. He decides not to kill anymore, and after Creed kills Saya, he leaves to become a sweeper (In the anime, he leaves Chronos before her death, though he doesn't become a sweeper until after she dies).

He possesses 120/20 vision in each eye as stated in the manga[1] and is an extremely skilled marksman, able to accurately shoot down bullets from other guns and hit the same place with a number of bullets at exactly the same time. He can also shoot a number of bullets while in the air to accelerate him into a spinning slash, "Black Claw", that leaves four large slash marks. He also uses specialty bullets created by Sven, including the Burst Bullet, which produces an extremely large amount of damage, bullets that freeze opponents, and bullets that paralyze opponents. His gun is made out of the strongest metal called Orichalcum, which allows him to use the gun to deflect bullets and guard against other attacks. When his body becomes infected with nanomachines he manages to manipulate them into creating static electricity. This allows him able to focus the electricity into the barrel of Hades, turning it into a railgun. He is able to fire four of these daily, due to the energy consumption it takes to create the electricity. At one point, he uses the railgun to fire one of Sven's Burst Bullets, and produced the technique "Burst Railgun." This was strong enough to destroy Creed's Level MAX Imagine Blade. As he had already used the four shots he could use that day, he strained to fire this last one. The end result was the barrel of his gun exploded, and he completely drained all energy from the nanomachines in his body. Train was not able to use the railgun from that point forward. Train did not regret losing the Railgun, as he thought of it as a gift from Saya for defeating Creed. With Creed defeated, the Railgun was not needed anymore. Train is shown to be much more compassionate in the end of the series compared to his old self (before meeting Saya and befriending Sven and Eve). His love interests are seldom seen because of his love of Saya; he has mixed feelings in this category.
 * Voiced by: Takashi Kondo (Japanese), Jason Liebrecht (English)
 * Voiced by: Minami Takayama (Japanese), Luci Christian (English) (Young)

Sven Vollfied
Sven Vollfied (スヴェン ボルフィード Suven Borufīdo?) is a sweeper, who befriends Eve, being the first person to treat her like a human, which causes the two to become very close. He becomes Train's partner after Train leaves Chronos. He follows a strict code of chivalry: he is always respectful to women and children and acts very proper. He is often tortured by Train's capricious personality and is usually dragged into trouble and even more debt because of it. Sven is skilled in inventing and making innovative weapons and other various equipment, including bombs and special bullets for Train. Sven's weapon of choice was originally a normal pistol, but after that is destroyed, he invents the Attaché Weapon Case, a suitcase equipped with hidden weaponry inside of it. It contains a built in machine gun, grenade launcher, net launcher, an electrical cable, and various other small weapons inside the case. While Sven does not have the superhuman abilities of Train or Eve, he is a creative thinker and is always calm, even in the most dangerous of circumstances. Although he doesn't get to fight as much and his skills tend to dull a little because of this, Sven is tenacious in a fight. Throughout the series he tends to get severely wounded, but never backs down from his task or his code.

Before becoming a sweeper, he was an agent for the International Bureau of Investigation, along with his partner, Lloyd Goldwynne, who was a clairvoyant. After being attacked by members of a crime family, Sven loses his right eye and Lloyd sacrifices himself to save him. A week before his death, Lloyd registered as an organ donor. The night he died, Sven received the vision eye. This gives Sven the ability to see a few seconds into the future and allows him to dodge attacks easily. However, it puts a massive strain on his body so he normally keeps it under an eye patch. Sven's eye does not have the ability to see Creed's Imagine Blade, but that is due mainly to the fact that he "wasn't concentrating due to the sword's confusing movements". In the manga, he later evolves it into the "Grasper Eye" through rigorous training by having cannon balls fired at him, honing his endurance with the eye to the point where extensive use no longer drains him to the point of total collapse. The Grasper Eye allows him to see things in slow motion for about five seconds, as well as increase his actual speed tremendously, allowing him to evade seemingly impossible attacks and barrages, and while it is less draining than the vision eye, it still takes a toll on his body. He first uses this ability in Chapter 141 during his fight with Deek Slasky.
 * Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), Brandon Potter (English)

Rinslet Walker
Rinslet Walker (リンスレット ウォーカー Rinsuretto Uōkā?) is a world class famous thief-for-hire. She works for everyone from the government to mob bosses, and often works alongside Train and Sven. Rinslet says she can steal anything and manipulate any man, though she has trouble with Train. She provides Train and Sven with targets, so that they can act as distractions while she steals. Eve, she treats as a younger sister. Rinslet is sometimes called "Rins" by her acquaintances, and likes disguises, Tarot reading, treasure, and handsome men.[2]

Rinslet owns and uses a gun but she is not as skilled at fighting as Train or Sven. She also carries a whip with a heart shaped tip for moving quickly. She is not cold-hearted and will help others or even destroy what she is hired to steal if the item is dangerous to humanity.She is later forcefully hired by Chronos to act as bait and meets Jenos.

Not much is mentioned about her romantic interests, but she seems to share a strong bond with Jenos and would physically hurt him when he flirts with other women. Then there is Train, it isn't outwardly stated however, she does sometimes show jealousy. Like when Kyoko was going all "Train crazy", Rinslet becomes angry and shouts at Kyoko and Kyoko asks if Rinslet is jealous of her. In the end of the anime, it is hinted she is now dating Jenos, but it is not confirmed.
 * Voiced by: Yukana (Japanese), Jamie Marchi (English)

Eve
Eve (イヴ Ivu?) is a young girl, who is a genetically cloned engineered bio-weapon. She is able to use nanotechnology to transform her body into various offensive and defensive weapons. Initially only able to alter limited parts of her body, she is later able to transform her entire body at will, though it causes much strain on her. She generally turns her arms into blades, hammers and shields, turns her hair into fists and microblades able to cut through steel, turns her own skin into steel, sprouts wings from her back to fly and fires the feathers, and transforms into a mermaid in order to swim more efficiently.

She is designed to be the ultimate soldier, and she is raised to be an emotionless killing machine, not understanding the concept of free choice. She is saved by Sven from the weapon dealer, Torneo Rudman, and he treats her like a human for the first time in her life. seemingly unfeeling and more like a machine she was made to be initially, she turned more and more like a human as the series progress due to the time she spent with Train and Sven. At first she seems to perceive Train as a rival, wanting to replace him as Sven's partner, but this is done for Sven's attention. Additionally, she loves reading, and can remember everything in a book after reading it once, which also served to build her humanity. Sven initially tries to keep her away from the Sweeper life for her own safety, though she proves that she can fight as well. Eve has some problems with controlling her fear. Due to her upbringing as a weapon, she never learned how to handle the emotion and that becomes a point on which she is determined to improve upon so she can be of use to Sven. She disliked being treated as a child. Towards the end of the series she had gotten over her fear. She also has a deep sense of compassion and will absolutely not kill no matter what (this stems from guilt she feels for the murders she committed before Sven found her). In the anime, she actually seems to concentrate a little on her feelings for Sven after Layla asks her why she had become a sweeper and she says "Because someone cherishes me", to which Layla asks "Oh is he your boyfriend?"; Eve doesn't reply but later, when she gets back with Sven, she blushes. By the end of the season, Eve is seen wearing a girls school uniform ( instead of her usual black turtle neck dress or other outfits) and had shorter hair. Eve also loves fireworks after seeing them at a festival with Sven. Eve is usually called "princess", or "Hime-chan", by Train.

The character Golden Darkness from Kentaro Yabuki's later work, To Love-Ru, is based on Eve. They both have the ability to turn part of their bodies into weapons. Golden Darkness comes from the spaceship Lunatique and her creator is Tearju. In the anime series, both Golden and Eve are voiced by Misato Fukuen. In chapter 61 of the To Love-Ru and Motto To Love-Ru 10 (Episode 4 Act 1), "Yami-Yami Fashion", Golden Darkness tries on a black dress similar to the one that Eve wears in the final chapters of Black Cat. In chapter 15 of To Love-Ru Darkness it is revealed that Yami's true name is, in fact, Eve.
 * Voiced by: Misato Fukuen (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)

Saya Minatsuki
Saya Minatsuki (ミナツキ サヤ Minatsuki Saya?) is an accomplished sweeper and close friend of Train. Her involvement with him leads to his more human outlook on life and his departure from Chronos. In the manga, Train denies ever having any romantic feelings for her stating that they weren't there yet, but he "fell in love with her way of living", and there isn't really anything in flashbacks that proves him wrong. In the anime, however, a romantic interest between the two is strongly hinted, though Train still denies this.

Saya has no memories of her life before the age of ten, due to heavy abuse from her parents. Her first real memory is waking up in hospital and being carried off to a relative's house. She constantly feels alone until becoming a sweeper. She constantly wears a yukata because she likes their appearance and thinks she looks good in them, though others find it strange.[3] She develops the "Reflect Shot" over the course of five years. It allows her to fire bullets that ricochet off hard surfaces and strike opponents at odd angles and different velocities. In the manga, she and Train first meet when Saya finds Train bleeding in an alley after a failed mission, while in the anime, they first meet on a rooftop when Train hears her singing a lullaby. Saya loves milk, and likes a glass of milk after singing. Her past is never mentioned in the anime.

Saya is mortally wounded by Creed, thinking that Train's personality change is a curse due to her. She tells Train to "forget about her" as she dies, which causes him to struggle while deciding to get revenge on Creed or not. Saya's spirit later helps Train defeat the Doctor's Warp World and encourages him that the only way to defeat Creed is by faith.
 * Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese), Caitlin Glass (English)

Tearju Lunatique
A genius with an IQ of 200, Tearju became an Oxford graduate at 14 and is one of the leading authority in nanomachines. Eve's DNA is taken from hers, thus making them look identical, aside from the fact of Tearju having larger breasts and wearing glasses. She is very calm. In the anime however, when Rinslet shows her a picture of Eve she gets violent and attacks Rinslet. She seems to have amnesia but she recovers after the incident with Eve's photo. She travels with Sven and the others and shares information about Eve and Eden so that they may destroy it. Kanzaki is actually her former partner. In the manga she has a very small part after Train is shot with the Lucifer bullet which turns him into a child. She tells him that there is nothing she can do to fix it but that he has to concentrate on changing his body (the alternative is a program that would cost nothing less than $1 billion). She is also very bad at household chores. Tearju is absent from this part in the anime joining much later after the assault on the Apostles because she suffered brain damage from an explosion at the time of Eve's creation. In the anime, she is hospitalized and is shown to react violently to her reflection in the mirror. This is later explained by Tearju as being the result of her having hypnotised herself to react violently toward Eve (the reaction to mirrors being due to the two of them being very similar in appearance). This also explains why she attempted to attack Rinslet when shown the picture of Eve. She also has the astounding ability to trip over nothing.
 * Voiced by: Misato Fukuen (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)

Woodney
Woodney is a character with a few extra pounds who attempts to imitate Train by dressing in black, referring to himself as the "Black Cat" and having a "thirteen" tattoo (albeit in Arabic numerals, drawn and erased everyday though not always on the same arm) He meets with moderate success as a sweeper by using the Black Cat's reputation to intimidate his enemies, but this tactic can backfire when he is faced with powerful criminals. After an encounter with the real Train, he gives up imitating him and attempts to become his disciple, but Train convinces him he would help more by being an informer to them.

In the Anime, the only main difference in Woodney is that he keeps on following the group, instead of turning into an information broker, and is the cause of some humorous moments. Unlike in the manga, Woodney caught on faster to realize that Train is Black Cat. He appears to have a crush on Silphy in their first meeting.
 * Voiced by: Bon Ishihara (Japanese), Jeremy Inman (English)

Chronos
Chronos is an organization that rules one third of the world's economy, and much of the plot revolves around them and their connection to Train, a one time member. They have a special group of strong individuals, the Chronos Numbers (時の番人 Toki no Bannin?), who assassinate various targets in the way of the organization.

Sephiria Arks
Known as Number I (or Sephi-nee by Jenos), she is the head of the Numbers and is trusted enough by them to be given total control over killing Creed. Sephiria was one of the few members who were ‘born for Chronos’ as she stated in the final manga volume when she mentions the painful operation she underwent to enhance her recovery time. She is young but very charismatic, and genuinely cares for life. Sven once commented that her eyes allowed her to stare into the recesses of one’s soul. This empathy is her greatest strength, which allows her to utilize her powers of manipulation to their utmost extent. She will do anything to finish her missions and will sacrifice whatever it takes in order to succeed in meeting an objective. However, she does show some inner conflict throughout the manga in her manipulation, even questioning Belze about her actions. She controls all of the Chronos Numbers actions as well as many of the independent operatives in the hunt for Creed with little interference from the Elders. Sephiria likes to look for the good in people and that desire is the only thing that allows Kyoko to live after Kyoko leaves the Apostles. She comments that she believes that Kyoko will find her true self, which leaves it debatable if Sephiria has found her true self as well. Despite her gentle looks and young age, her swordsmanship is undisputed. She has such precision and swiftness that her strokes produce no sound and her movements leave after-images in her wake. Her weapon, 'Christ' (Also known as "Ichthus"), is a saber of unparalleled sharpness, made of the extraordinarily durable Orichalcum metal. She knows all thirty-six moves of her style, the ultimate being "Apocalypse" or “Mekkai World Destroyer”, which completely reduces a target to nothing. Nevertheless, her muscles sustain severe damage in using this technique. It is said that in the victim’s final moments, they see the Buddhist God Myo-oh before they perish. The statue her swordplay carved into the wall in both instances (anime or manga) signifies that she values defense over offense. Her swordplay is far superior to that of Creed's but in a duel against him, she loses because she could not properly estimate the abilities of the power of Phantom Blade level 3 and Immortality Nanomachines that were placed into Creed's body. Sephiria enjoys Japanese food and the atmosphere of Japanese restaurants. At the end of the anime, she and the other four Numbers left take control of Chronos. This is much different in her debatable decision in the manga because in the last chapter, she is seen out of her Chronos uniform, which either implies she did keep her promise to Rinslet by resigning as Chrono Number I, or like Kyoko, is trying to find her “true self.”

Her personality is drastically changed in the anime. Here, she is much less charismatic, showing little outward emotion, and is generally much more ruthless and aggressive than her manga counterpart. She is also much less manipulative, preferring to handle things personally and with straightforward planning rather than manipulate others into doing work for Chronos. In the anime, she initially holds much animosity towards Train for his decision to leave Chronos and tries to kill him on several occasions while in the manga she manipulates Train to do Chronos’ bidding, though he is too much of a wild card to be reliable. Train commented that deep down; Sephiria would prefer to not drag him into this conflict. Nevertheless, until the last tankouban, she understands him much better than any other character in the manga because she comprehends what altered him from the merciless Black Cat to a happy go lucky Sweeper. Unlike the anime, her manga counterpart is not fixated on Train’s return, though their relationship is ambiguous.
 * Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese), Lydia Mackay (English)

Belze Rochefort
Known as Number II, he is the vice commander of the Numbers, and one of the closest people to Sephiria. His weapon is an Orichalcum spear named 'Gungnir'. Belze is a cultured and well dressed man at first glance. He understands that Chronos is a dark and evil organization but also knows that if Chronos is destroyed, the world will fall into chaos. Creed himself says that even two of his apostles working together have a chance of losing to Belze. Belze holds no ill-will towards Train but hates Creed. He truly respects Sephiria as his superior even though he is several years older than her. After fighting to a draw with Charden Flamberg andKyoko Kirisaki, Belze is the first to realize just how dangerous the Apostles of the Stars are. He usually takes a back seat to Sephiria and complies with her decisions even though he will express his opinion if he sees a flaw in her plans. Of all the Numbers, Belze is the only one who uses weapons other than his spear as the situation calls for it. This makes him perhaps the most versatile of all the numbers.

Emilio Lowe12260.jpg
Known as Number III, Emilio only appears in the anime. He is a member of the Zero Numbers who defect from Chronos. He uses an Orichalcum bow and arrows as a weapon, and is able to fire them at an extremely fast rate. While on Eden, he is able to constantly revive due to nanomachines and Tao, though it kills him once the connection is severed. He takes part in the attack on the Apostles of the Stars.

Kranz Maduke
Known as Number IV, Kranz is a blind man raised to be an assassin from birth. Along with his partner, Baldorias, he is extremely violent, going as far as destroying entire towns while completing their missions, and loyal to Chronos. He wears a helmet that conceals his eyes, and he has learned to fight through sensing sound and movement. His number is located on one of the eyes of the helmet. He and Baldorias are tasked with killing the Apostles before Chronos' next strike on Creed. Kranz also participates in the attack on Creed's headquarters with the Sweepers Alliance as the decoy. He is described by Jenos as a berserker. Kranz enjoys being silent and rarely talks, thus leaving Baldorias to make the decisions. When Kranz does speak, Baldorias is more than happy to listen. His weapon is an Orichalcum knife named 'Mars', which is able to vibrate at a high frequency, allowing it to easily cut steel. He appears in the anime as one of the Zero Numbers, who defect from Chronos.
 * Voiced by: Atsushi Kakehashi (Japanese), Viktor Walker (English)

Naizer Bruckheimer
Known as Number V, Naizer is the leader of the elite assassination squad, Cerberus, and in charge of the close-range attacks. He wields a pair of Orichalcum tonfas named 'Dioskouroi', which he wields with incredible skill, allowing him to reduce a large regenerating creature to nothing with only speed. He is a bald man with a well cut black beard and commonly escorts Sephiria Arks when she leaves for business. He also caries a handgun for small fights. Naizer is one of the first to act in Sephiria's defense when she is not treated with respect. He loves driving his car and has an extensive collection of cigars that he gathers while on assignment. Even though he has been a Number for years, Naizer never met Train before the assault on Creed. He holds a personal vendetta against Creed Diskenth for the death of Number X, his old partner Ash. Due to that he doesn't allow others to be killed by Creed. Even though he holds a grudge against Creed, Naizer doesn't hunt Creed for revenge but to complete his mission as a Number. After the destruction of the castle and Beluga's death, Naizer succumbs to a near-fatal wound and enters a coma. He recovers but is too injured to attack Creed again.
 * Voiced by: Hisao Egawa (Japanese), Daniel Penz (English)

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Known as Number VI, he is a large black wolf, capable of human speech, with a long, mechanical tail made of Orichalcum. His tattoo, VI, is carved onto his face above his left eye. As well as using his Orichalcum tail as a weapon, he has his natural arsenals of claws and teeth. Anubis is first seen defending numbers I and II after they are betrayed by the new emerged Zero Numbers.

Jenos Hazard
Known as Number VII, Jenos is the middle-range attacker of Cerberus, an assassination squad. A womanizer, his attempts at flirting usually fail due to overzealousness. Jenos is usually laid back and energetic and doesn't appear to be serious most of the time, making it difficult for some to believe he is a Chronos assassin. He becomes infatuated with Rinslet, who uses physical violence to avert his flirts, though in the end she begins to warm up to him, and in the anime it is even hinted they are dating at the end. In exchange for Rins' help in tracking Creed, Jenos becomes her bodyguard. Jenos' weapon is 'Excelion', a glove with indestructible Orichalcum wires attached to it, which he uses to tightly grasp or lacerate his opponents. He can also control the sharpness of the wires so they can either cut through stone or catch someone safely. Jenos gets violent whenever he sees a woman injured. Jenos cares about the survival of his teammates just as much as he does completing the mission. After Beluga died while saving him and the injured Naizer, Jenos swears that he will kill Creed for the memory of his friends. Of all the Numbers, his weapon is the only one that does not have a historical/mythological reference.


 * Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese), Troy Baker (English)

Baldorias S. Fanghini
Known as Number VIII, Baldorias is an assassin raised by Chronos from birth. Along with his partner, Kranz, he is extremely violent, leading to the destruction of entire towns while on missions, and extremely loyal. Baldorias' number is tattooed onto the side of his neck. He and Kranz are tasked with killing the Apostles before Chronos' next strike on Creed. Out of the pair, Baldorias acts as the leader but he will concede to Kranz when the blind man asks. He constantly chews coffee bubble gum, though he hates other kinds. He is described by Jenos as a berserker. Baldorias has a habit of acting first and then reporting his actions to Sephiria. He wields the rocket-boosted flail 'Heimdall', which only he can wield well enough to use in battle. In the manga, Baldorias is willing to do anything but betray Chronos. Ironically, he is shown as one of the Zero Numbers that betray and destroy Chronos in the anime.
 * Voiced by: Anri Katsu (Japanese), Justin Cook (English)

David Papper
Known as Number IX, David is injured by the Apostles of the Stars when a gravity ball crushes

260px-David.jpg
him and his foe. Later, it was said that he was buried but it is unknown if he died due to the injuries or if theZero Numbers killed him. He uses Orichalcum gambling cards as his weapons. He likes talking about gambling while fighting and knows Train. He is exclusive only to the anime.
 * Vo iced by: Takaya Kuroda (Japanese), Daniel Drumm (English).

Ash
Known as Number X, Ash was a close friend and partner of Naizer until he was killed by Creed. He is not shown in the manga, although is mentioned in conversation but never named. He is illustrated exclusively for the anime by creator Kentaro Yabuki. He uses an Orichalcum cane capable of splitting the ground, and he has an x-shaped scar on his chin.
 * Voiced by: Ta 108089.jpg ketora (Japanese), David Wilson-Brown (English)

Lin Xiao Li
Known as Number X, Xiao (pronounced "Shao") is the replacement of Ash. He is a master of disguise, nicknamed "Magician", who can change his appearance in seconds. He is a new member to the Chronos numbers and was only added after Train left the group two years prior to the series. Despite his young appearance, nobody knows his exact age or even a rough age. It is even possible that his most common appearance is just a disguise as well. In the anime, he noted that he admired Train when he was growing up, hinting that he is younger than Train, although it could be a lie to further confuse people about his age. His weapon, "Seiren", is a mantle that is lined with Orichalcum wires. This allows it to block attacks, or cut through metal with its edges. Xiao is a very capable fighter, able to crush his enemies quickly and mercilessly. He disguises himself as "Glin" in order to form the Sweeper Alliance to act as a decoy for Chronos. Despite being a brilliant fighter, Xiao seems to have the same merciful streak as Train, since he prefers to trick people rather than killing them, and he tries to help some sweepers escape because he felt bad for having deceived them. However, in the manga, he mutilates one of his enemies before telling him, "Well, you were just unlucky to fight me." and kills him, which Jenos sees as a cruel thing to do. He can often be spotted in his disguises, since he often smiles. He is the only Chronos member with a Chinese name, but it is unknown whether he is actually Chinese or not.
 * Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese), Jerry Jewell (English)

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Known as Number XI, is the long range attacker in the Cerberus assassination squad. He wields an Orichalcum bazooka named 'Verethragna', which can also change into a large hammer. Beluga also carries a knife for close-range fighting. Due to his weapon of choice, Beluga is usually used for attacks against groups or nations rather than one-one-one duels. He enjoys rock climbing and taking naps in his free time. To him, completing the mission with his team is everything and personal feelings can wait until the job is done. He dies helping Jenos and Naizer escape from the Apostles of the Stars' collapsing hideout after a failed attempt on Creed's life due to Jenos' thoughtless intervention. His last words were to thank Jenos for keeping him from killing his own friend. In the manga, he is the only Chronos Number to die other than number X, Ash, who was never shown.
 * Voiced by: Kouji Ishii (Japanese), Gordon Holey (English)

Mason Ordrosso
Known as Number XII, is the eldest member of the Numbers. He is the wisest and most experienced of the group, and the lone survivor of the war against the Tao-users. Sephiria states that he has been a Chronos Number for more than 25 years, longer than most of the members including herself have been alive. He only appears in the final part of the manga, on a mission to destroy every lair of the Apostles of the Stars with Belze. In the anime, Mason replaces Creed as the main antagonist in the final story arc. He is featured as the leader of the Zero Numbers, who defect from Chronos and destroy it after planning since the end of the war. Mason's Orichalcum weapon is a golden suit of armor that covers every inch of his body except his face, and also includes two large swords.
 * Voiced by: Rokuro Naya (Japanese), Randy Tallman (English)

Willzark
Willzark is the superior to the Chronos Numbers, and the leader of the Elder Statesmen that rule Chronos. He only communicates with the Chronos Numbers through a holographic screen. He and the other Statesmen were killed by the Zero Numbers in the anime.

Apostles of the Stars
The Apostles of the Stars (星の使徒 Hoshi no Shito?), often referred to simply as "The Apostles" in the Black Cat universe is a revolutionary group led by Creed Diskenth. Their aim is to "clean the world of filth"; that is to say, kill people who cannot achieve the Power of Tao. Naturally, every member of the Apostles of The Stars has a power of Taoshi origin, which are awakened through the Shinkitou, a drink only concocted by Master Taoshis, such as Shiki. However, because some of them only acquired Taoist powers through this drink, they are a bit misguided, not even bothering to test this drink on everyone. Another member of the Apostles, Maro, is also from the Forbidden Continent, and together with Shiki, they bear the most traditional Tao powers, such as controlling and summoning bugs (Shiki), using ink marks (Shiki) and controlling gravity (Maro). Other members of the Apostles rely on more "deviant" powers, such as Creed's "Imagine Blade" in the manga, which is a sword that can expand for miles depending on Creed's mental power. Other Tao powers include Kyoko's "Fire Breath", Charden's "Blood", Durham's "Magic Shot", Echidna's "Gate", and Leon's "Wind".

The Apostles do not just wish to bring about a world revolution, but they seek revenge against Chronos, each for their own reasons; for example, Creed wishes to destroy Chronos due to his expulsion after killing Saya, and Shiki and Maro due to the war between the Taoshi and Chronos long ago. Some recruits, however, are merely criminals who wish to use their new-found powers to kill for fun. Although Tao has been the primary source of the Apostles' power, Creed also relies on Doctor's investigations on nanomachines to grant him eternal power and elevate him to a god. In the anime, Creed hinted that the Apostles had some partnership with the group of Zero Numbers.

Creed Diskenth
Creed Diskenth (クリード ディスケンス Kurīdo Disukensu?) is the series' main antagonist. He is the leader of the Apostles of the Stars and a former member of Chronos. He tells the group that their only purpose is destroy Chronos, but he really plans to make himself immortal using nanomachines and rule the world forever by selectivity controlling the human population. He is severely warped after being abused by his mother, whom he kills, and the police while living on the streets. He greatly admires the assassin side of Train, as the only person in the world he can relate his personality. After Train changes during his meetings with Saya, Creed kills her, and makes it his goal to return Train to his previous lifestyle and have him join the Apostles. Creed calls Saya a "witch" because she changed Train.

Creed uses his Tao powers to manipulate the hilt of his former sword, "Kotetsu", to form the "Imagine Blade". Its first form, Level 1, is an invisible sword that is able to extend up to eighty meters. It later evolves into Level 2, a living black sword with a mouth that is directly linked with Creed's mind. It is able to extend and be manipulated like a whip at will, and it can bite opponents. Level 3 merges the sword with his arm, and another large arm extends from it, which can be used to propel Creed at high speeds. Its final form, Level MAX, creates an extremely large blade made out of light. After obtaining the God's Breath nanomachines, Creed becomes able to regenerate from any fatal wound in seconds and he will remain in his peak physical condition forever. The nanomachines' only weakness is that they cannot fully restore the brain, which would leave him with only primal instincts.

Creed's obsession with Train grows until he begins to realize that Train won't join him, and insists that killing Train would "break his heart". Train eventually succeeds in severely injuring Creed, destroying his blade. Since the blade was linked to Creed's mind, his mind was also shattered, effectively turning him into a raisin for a brief length of time. Despite Train's loathing for Creed, he rescues him from falling off a rooftop at the risk of his own life.

Chronos apparently no longer considers him enough of a threat to further punish him, since he is seen living with Echidna in a country villa, using a wheelchair. In the final episode of the anime, Creed fights Mason so that Train can rescue Eve, and in the end he is seen, again in the villa in the company of Echidna, quietly painting a landscape.
 * Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese), Chris Patton (English)

Shiki
Shiki (シキ Shiki?) is one of Creed's earliest allies and is the second in command of the Apostle of the Stars. He was one of the members of the Tao clan whose ancestors survived the war against Chronos a quarter of a century ago. Shiki is a true Taoist and still wears the clothes from his homeland of Itairiku.

As a Master-Level Taoshi, Shiki manipulates his Chi and can create the special 'Spirit Drink' given to criminals by the Apostles in the anime. Shiki's main form of offense is through the use of insect summoning, including the fully sentient, humanoid, Setsuki. They are created from his energy, allowing Shiki to create them indefinitely and as such, Shiki's Tao Power is called "Insect". However, besides the insects, he masters the usage of ink seals, using them for manipulating his Ki in various ways, ranging from creating a seal sword to creating an energy blast and a large dragon made of fire. Shiki battles Train in the manga in order to prove that the Tao are not weak, though Train defeats Shiki to break him of those feelings and show him that there is more to life then to just proving the Tao to be strongest. In the anime he is killed by Anubis (Number VI) while fighting on Eden against the Chronos numbers and Sweepers. He joins the Zero Numbers.

A notable difference between the anime and manga is that, in the original Japanese manga, the character is female, whereas the gender has been changed in the anime to male. However, in the English version of the manga, the character is male.
 * Voiced by: Mayumi Yamaguchi (Japanese), Greg Ayres (English)

Charden Flamberg
Charden Flamberg (シャルデン フラムブルグ Sharuden Furamuburugu?) is a member of the Apostles of the Stars. He wears sunglasses and a silk top hat constantly, though he is found to be very attractive to Kyoko after taking them off. He wields the power to control blood, including blood drawn from his enemies. He likes watching videos and reading books, especially those of the horror variety.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[4]

Charden wishes to take down Chronos, though he does not agree with Creed's methods, leading him to defect from the group with Kyoko while their castle is being attacked by Cerberus. Out of all of the Apostles, he is the only one that spoke up about Durham's murder. Charden knows that Creed does not care about them and only sees the Apostles as a means to an end. Train has him promise to keep away from battle after saving him from death at Sephiria Arks' hands. Charden was formerly an assassin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[5] At the end of the manga he is coughing up blood, implying an illness. At the end of the anime, Charden is seen standing among ruins, smiling.
 * Voiced by: Sho Hayami (Japanese), Kent Williams (English)

Kyoko Kirisaki
Kyoko Kirisaki (キリサキ きょうこ Kirisaki Kyōko<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?) is an energetic high school student from the fictional island of Jipangu.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Yabuki.2C_Kentaro._Black_Cat._Volume_3.2C_Page_162._June_2006_5-0">[6] She has the Tao ability to create and control fire. Her favorite way of killing people is kissing them and then incinerating their bodies from the inside out. She believes that the kiss is the best part. She leaves the Apostles of the Stars with Charden, so he won't be lonely.

Kyoko starts to like Train when she first meets him, and falls in love with him when he saves her from dangerous criminals. Due to her feelings, she commits herself to Train's own personal philosophy to not kill senselessly. She adopts a tiny black kitten that likes to ride on her shoulder. After leaving the Apostles she returns to her normal schoolgirl life, only briefly returning to action along with Charden to help the other heroes in the battle against Eden and the Zero Numbers. At the end, she is seen in the company of her school friends while Train walks in the street behind her. In the manga it is hinted that she killed her parents, while in the anime it is stated that they merely work overseas.

Kyoko calls Train "Kuro-sama" in the original Japanese, translated as Mister Black in the English dub.
 * Voiced by: Chiemi Chiba (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)

Deek Slasky
Deek Slasky wields the power to control ice. He can attack using shards of ice, create an ice barrier around his body, or even freeze his enemies with his touch. He joins the Apostles after they help him escape from prison after murdering four girls by storing them in a freezer. He is eventually beaten by Sven using the "Grasper Eye". He is exclusive to the manga.

Doctor
Doctor is a highly talented scientist interested in nanomachines. He cares little for human life, which he easily sacrifices in order to pursue his goals. His ability is called "Warp World", which allows him to create an alternate world where everything he imagines will become reality, including memories taken from anyone present. He can also pull memories from the minds of those trapped in the Warp World, and bring those into reality as well. In the anime, his name is Dr. Kanzaki and is also revealed to be a member of the Zero Numbers. In the manga, he helped Train reattach his arm by using his Tao.
 * Voiced by: Yū Mizushima (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)

108095.jpg
Durham Glaster has the ability to channel his energy into his revolver, allowing him to fire destructive balls of energy without regard to ammunition. His mask also contains a hidden gun in case of emergencies. He attempts to fight Train in order to prove his status as a gunman, though he is easily defeated. Durham is obsessed with being the best gunman and that desire is what lead him to fight Train. He is ruthlessly slaughtered by Creed afterward for "being selfish".

Voiced by: Shinya Fukumatsu (Japanese), R. Bruce Elliott (English)

Eathes
Eathes is a monkey gifted with the ability to speak and understand human language after drinking the Tao potion. He can also project his soul into another person's soul, allowing him to completely transform into that person. He is granted all of their memories and abilities, though he is often unable to use them to their full potential. He is exclusive to the manga.

Echidna Parass
Echidna Parass is an ex-actress whose Tao Power, "Gate", allows her to create portals from one area to another. She can create portals for transportation, or she can create portals for single body parts or projectiles to be shot through, allowing her to attack from numerous angles. She is the first to realize that Creed never believed that the power of Tao could bring about his revolution. She deeply loves Creed, and she wishes to live with him as a normal human, although he seems to be oblivious to this until the end. She vows to continue protecting him until he regains his strength and will to live, and retires to a country villa with a wheelchair-using (and likely vegetative) Creed.
 * Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese), Stephanie Young (English)

Igor Planter
Igor Planter is an ecoterrorist freed from jail by the Apostles. He gains the power to manipulate and control plants. His body falls subject to the side effect of the potion, and he decomposes into a small, wrinkled tree after he is defeated by Eve and Train. He is exclusive to the Anime.
 * Voiced by: Jin Horikawa (Japanese), Mark Lancaster (English)

Leon Elliott
Leon Elliot is a young boy with a hateful distrust of adults and society due to his parents and sister's death during a civil war in his country. He travels on a flying snowboard, and has the Tao Power of "Wind" enabling him to control air, manage to suffocate people and control air currents, among many things. Leon hates being referred to as a child and is easily provoked when called any range of names that make him sound young. He leaves the group after making a promise to Eve to leave if he loses to her in combat. He is the one who provides fireworks to attract Eve (and thus the Eden too) away from Palmila City in the anime. He seems to think that Eve is similar to Layla.It is also hinted in the anime that Leon might like Eve.
 * Voiced by: Junko Minagawa (Japanese), Aaron Dismuke (English)

Maro
Maro is a Taoshi from the Forbidden Continent along with Shiki. He is a large sumo wrestler able to control gravity within a certain range. He can create a gravity wall capable of deflecting projectiles, though it does not work when they are fired from above. He can also launch his punches and roll into a ball to crush opponents. In the manga, he was defeated by Train, who shot a tranquilizer bullet into his leg. In the anime, he died in the final assault while fighting David Papper. It was also hinted by Mason that he was part of the Zero Numbers, but was never confirmed.
 * Voiced by: Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japanese), Brad Jackson (English)

Preta Ghoul
Preta Ghoul is a former clergyman who murders nineteen people before going to jail. He is later broken out by the Apostles, and he gains the ability to decay and rot anything that comes into contact with his body. He can also extend his aura to effect the surrounding area. The anime features him being captured by Saya, leading him to become obsessed with revenge against her despite the fact she has long been dead. He is encountered and defeated by Sven during the final assault on the Apostles' base. In the manga, he is defeated by River.
 * Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Taliesin Jaffe (English)

Manga
Written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, Black Cat was originally serialized in Japan by Shueisha in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2001 to 2004.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-author_1-0">[2] One hundred and eighty-five chapters were collected in twenty tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. The first volume on January 6, 2000, with the final volume released on October 14, 2004.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BlackCatJP1_2-0">[3] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BlackCatJP20_3-0">[4] The series was released in twelve cheaper bunkobon format volumes, published from September 16, 2005 to February 17, 2006.

It was licensed in English in North America by Viz Media as they first announced at the 2005 San Diego Comic-Con International.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[5] The first volume released on March 8, 2006 with the final volume released on May 5, 2009.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[7] Madman Entertainment published Viz's English release in Australia and New Zealand.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[8] The series is also licensed for regional language releases in Dutch by Glénat Benelux,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[9] French by Glénat,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed] Italian by Star Comics,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed] German by Carlsen Comics,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed] Simplified Chinese by Chuang Yi,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed] and traditional Chinese by Tong Li Publishing.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]

Anime
Gonzo studio adapted Black Cat into a twenty-four episode anime series, directed by Shin Itagaki.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-author_1-1">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[10] It was broadcast on Animax and the terrestrial Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) from October 6, 2005 to March 30, 2006. Episode fifteen was not broadcast by TBS, but only by Animax.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-animax-schedule_10-0">[11] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-philippine-schedule_11-0">[12] The series was released across twelve Region 2 DVD volumes from December 21, 2005 to November 22, 2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[14] Each volume was also published in Premium Edition which included various extras.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[15] The DVD volumes were gathered in a limited release DVD boxset by Sony Pictures Entertainment on April 23, 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[16]

The anime was licensed for an English-language dubbed release by Funimation Entertainment in June 2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[17] The episodes were later broadcast on the Funimation Channel.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[18] The series was then released across six Region 1 DVD volumes released between December 19, 2006 and July 24, 2007.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[19] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[20] The DVDs were gathered in a boxset and released on March 18, 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[21]

CDs
There were three drama CDs, simply titled Black Cat 1-3, based on the series released on February 28, 2005, July 1, 2005 and October 14, 2005.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CDJAPAN.co.jp_21-0">[22] The cover of Black Cat Original Soundtrack NikukyuA full anime soundtrack was released on March 15, 2006 entitled Black Cat Original Soundtrack Nikukyu (lit. "Pawpad").<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[23] It contains the opening and ending themes along with twenty-one tracks of background music. The background music in the anime was composed by Taku Iwasaki. The opening theme "Daia no Hana Anime Ver." was written, composed and performed by Yoriko. The first ending theme "Namida Boshi Anime Ver." was composed and performed by PUPPYPET, while the second ending theme "Kutsuzure Anime Ver." was composed and performed by Matsuda Ryouji.

Light novel
With the permission from the series creator, Kentaro Yabuki, Tomohito Ōsaki wrote a light novel titled Black Cat: Hoshi no Zanshou (BLACK CAT 星の残照 lit. "The Star's Afterglow"<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?). It was released in Japan on October 24, 2005.

Video games
There have been two video games based on the series released in Japan. Black Cat: Kikai Shikake no Tenshi (BLACK CAT 〜機械仕掛けの天使〜 lit. "The Mechanical Angel"<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?) was released for the PlayStation 2 on March 30, 2006 by Capcom. Black Cat: Kuroneko no Concerto (BLACK CAT 〜黒猫の協奏曲〜 lit. "The Black Cat's Concerto"<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?) was released for the Nintendo DS on June 21, 2007 by Compile Heart. Characters of the Black Cat series have also made appearances in the games Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars.

Reception
As of 2008, Black Cat ' s twenty volumes sold 12 million units in Japan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[24] Volumes from Viz's English publication of the series have also been featuring in best-selling manga rankings such as The New York Times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[25] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[26] as well as Nielsen BookScan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[27] During 2006, Black Cat was North America's 9th best manga property according to ICv2.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[28] In ICv2's Top 50 Manga, Black Cat was listed as the 15th manga property from North America during the first half of 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[29] In ICv2's Top 25 Manga Properties Q1 2009, it was the 22nd best manga property from North America during 2009's first quarter.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[30]

The anime has been listed as North America's 22nd anime property in summer 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[31] Navarre Corporation cited the DVD releases of Black Cat as the main reason for Funimation's profit increase during the last quarter of 2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[32] The television series ranked 17th in a 2006 poll conducted by Japanese anime magazine Animage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[33]