Mitou Shoukan://Blood-Sign

(While I am at it, I decided to list up all the summoner names given in the series. I generally thought of them as something like online screennames, but I also made them a second name given by the people around the summoner instead of by the summoner themselves.

…So the lesser-known summoners will not have one. That might be because they are lacking in skill like Renge and Higan or because they were too isolated from the rest of the summoners like the members of the Queen’s Miniature Garden. Also, these are based on people’s observations, so keep in mind that they do not always pinpoint the person’s true nature.)

Perfect Dragon (Slender Body, Hidden Weapons):

This is the name for Lu Niang Lan who is a regular character yet does not use the Summoning Ceremony. I really wanted the word “dragon” in there somewhere! And I love how she seems to be showing off all her bodylines yet is actually hiding weapons everywhere. If I hadn’t gone with the modified China dress, I might have made her a kunoichi.

Uniquely Selfless:

Just one character away from the kanji phrase for “truly unique”. I like how changing just that one character completely changes the meaning. This is the name used by every member of Guard of Honor, the Queen-worshipping group. If you look at Azalea in Volume 1 Stage 02, you can probably see what the Truly Unique and Uniquely Selfless lifestyles are like.

Alice (with) Rabbit (Non-Killing King):

As referenced in the main text, this name was based off of the guide rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. A name full of memories and the starting point for it all. He ended up becoming a character that finds the girls who ended up in the world of Summoning Ceremony after falling down the rabbit hole and returns them to where they came from.

Golden Luxury (Elegant Demon Lord):

Blonde Azalea’s name in Government. She too was Uniquely Selfless while with Guard of Honor, but I think I gave her a gorgeous name for her work as a decoy within Government. As a side note, am I the only one who thinks “luxury” sounds sexier than “celebrity”? …Maybe I’m just confusing it with “lingerie”.

Perfect Game (Perfect Victory):

With so many names, I thought it would be fun to include some that did not at all match the person they belonged to and Max’s lifestyle grew from there. He is a summoner who crawls through the mud to protect people’s smiles in a different way from Kyousuke.

Tricky AAA:

To be honest, this was is the top candidate for a name I chose with no thought whatsoever. I even used AAA later on with 3A. I decide to make them someone who is really skilled as an individual but has trouble with teamwork, but I kind of feel like that describes almost every Blood-Sign summoner…

Diabolos (Loving Demon):

Just like with the kanji for Azalea’s Golden Luxury, I did not hesitate to include demonic motifs in the names of the summoners of righteous Government. I think that solidified their image as an organization with a mixture of the bitter and the sweet.

I made Government the kind of righteousness that includes the filthy circumstances of the adults and I had the Queen worshipers be the unnaturally pure-looking organizations.

Bloodbath Rhapsody:

I pictured them as a cheerful summoner that enjoys combat like an event or a party. When on the side of powerful righteousness, winning is expected, so I figured people would either grow sick of battle or learn to enjoy it. Someone who starts earning points base on their own invented rules would definitely be the latter.

L.D. 250:

I based them on the concept of LD50 used to measure the lethal dose of a toxin. They apparently inject the toxin into 100 rats and see how much is needed until 50 of them are dead. I changed that to 250 to say this summoner takes things way too far and makes absolutely sure their opponent is dead. They’re a side character, but at Freedom Award 954, they have actually earned more Awards than Kyousuke or Biondetta.

Telomere’s End:

The name for Hayato’s father. Benikomichi Fuuki gave it to him. Telomere is a genetic term referring to a repeating sequence thought to be related to aging and lifespan. The “end” refers to the fact that he was an assassin who supplied an inescapable fate. Since Benikomichi Fuuki’s affection was for Hayato’s father and not Hayato himself, Telomere’s End could be seen as an ironic name referring to that which cuts off life and genetic inheritance.

Academia (No Battles, Total Victory):

The kanji is a modification of a few common kanji phrases. This name belongs to Maria who specializes in research instead of combat. In the Blood-Sign world, she is a truly clever kind of winner. Instead of being the strongest in battle, she talks things out to prevent the need for fighting to develop in the first place. The value in that can be seen in Kyousuke who has always longed for an ordinary family. Mothers and fathers who fight against society to protect their families are a wonderful thing.

Sky Brain:

Since they were an enemy that specializes in aerial combat, I combined two relatively simple words. To be honest, sky and brain are fantastic words that sound fairly meaningful no matter what you combine them with. I wonder if you could give a character a strange sort of presence by combining them with words that normally wouldn’t match, like Pretty Brain or Sky Pink?

Liar Cat (Vengeance Dyer):

Like normal vengeance except she dyes her vessel partner in its colors without them noticing. I actually gave Biondetta a different name to start with, but when I realized what she was doing instead of simply losing herself in the joy of revenge herself, I went ahead and changed it. Yes, sir or ma’am. But how you use it is up to you. I think I made her feel like a sleazy loan shark who spots someone struggling after being abandoned and approaches them with a smile.

If this had been a story about revenge instead of salvation, I would definitely have made her the protagonist. She is a bad person who takes revenge too far, but she is also someone who turns herself into a bad person, gives her client the position of another victim instead of a criminal, and carries their sins for them.

Scorpion 11:

A summoner based on the Scorpio constellation. They are persistent, but if their enemy loses focus for even a moment, they will strike at a weak point and turn everything around. While expanding on that, I realized I had created a very idiosyncratic character who constantly takes on challenges they should not be able to win yet somehow survives to the end.

Hikikomori (Non-Aggressive Defense):

A very straightforward name for the shut-in girl Aika. Lu Niang Lan is a super offense-focused vessel who breaks into the enemy formation and kills them with precision attacks, so I thought of Aika as the opposite: a summoner who specializes in defense by retreating, withdrawing, and holing up within her own formation. Nevertheless, she was being attacked an awful lot in Volume 3, but while her defense might seem limited to her top-floor living space, you should realize otherwise once the Founder’s Gallery is revealed in Volume 6. …And what if Biondetta’s group had happened to enter that gallery in Volume 3?

Madam Professor:

Shigara Masami’s better-known name. Since these names are given by the people around the summoner, I thought it would make sense for some people to have more than one. The Awards are not separated out. In a case like this, the hidden identity can seem like the true one, but with Shigara Masami, I think she was more comfortable and could open up more in environments where she was known as Madam Professor.

Love and Hate Aggressor:

I thought of her like a strict instructor or a teacher with a scary look in her eyes. Looks scary but always repays someone who saves one of her students. Normally doesn’t fight, but will pursue the summoner who killed one of her students to the ends of the earth. I like how those few facts are enough to glimpse a multifaceted “dere”.

Cursed Doll:

Just looking at the name, it sounds like an extremely standard occult name. A vessel who nevertheless wields a Blood-Sign. The Blood-Sign system has the summoner manage the Material, but this was one test case in opening a hole in those rules.

Gozaru Summoner:

A costumed summoner made by expanding on the Gozaru Samurai mascot seen in the series. They might seem weird, but in a world flooded with Toy Dream cities and products, this might be the ultimate camouflage to visit any country or region with your face hidden.

Lionheart:

They might live up to their name even less than Max with Perfect Game. Dragons and dogs are fairly common, but I feel like tiger and lion motifs aren’t as commonly used. Aika’s white liger would fall under that category too.

Harem Collector 98:

There are a few people in the Blood-Sign world (such as Kyousuke) whose skill and charisma have unintentionally led them to create something of a harem, but I thought it would be neat to have a character who became a summoner for the sole purpose of intentionally creating one. The 98 is not how many people they have won over but a symbol of their failure in letting 2 out of 100 people get away. …The emphasis on that failure is a sign of jealousy in the people who gave them the name.

Amplifier 500:

A simple combination of an amp and 500. This is the personal name for Incense Expert Ellie Slide who works with Max. She was actually killed, stuffed in a metal drum, and covered with asphalt in Volume 2, but since she was not the direct target of salvation like the Rainy Girl or Kyousuke’s mother, she does not get any special powers. Similar to Lu Niang Lan, she is a rare example of someone having value as a vessel alone. Her overpowered technological skill is on par with Azalea. …Maybe this is a world where young girls are the most powerful.

Humanism:

The official ruler of old Government. A strongest character who directly faces the Materials through her belief in human strength. She would never abandon her hope and possibilities as a human, so she was not corrupted by the White Queen. In that sense, she is a bigger person than Elvast who “only” reached Award 1000. Although perhaps she was too strong and that is why she misjudged when to withdraw from the Secret War and lost her life.

Open Bluff (King of Harm): ƒ𝓇e𝙚𝔀𝐞𝚋𝓃𝐨𝘷e𝙡.𝒄𝗼m

All harm and no benefit. Keeps bluffing even with his cards visible. With Government’s Humanism the way she was, I created him as the opposite. This king of underground society has no skill yet stands at the top of Illegal and cheats his way toward breaking down the world around him. But because he knows his power is an illusion, he also seeks real power more than anyone else. Whatever he might have said, he was a real summoner who took up a Blood-Sign to protect the world and lost his life after fighting to the bitter end.

Perfect Equilibrium:

And here we have the scum who ran away because it was too much of a pain to mess with. She is the official leader of old Freedom, but she is also irresponsible enough to not support any group because she prioritizes her own freedom. Hence “equilibrium”. Her true identity is the Yellow Gills of the Three who is only interested in her own sleep. She is the stereotypical sealed monster who will devour any who disturb her slumber. She is not good or evil and in fact has no interest in the real world at all, but if a human defeated her with only “their own power”, she might fall for them and actually face reality. Wouldn’t it be super cute if she normally refuses to wake up and clings to the covers, but will rub her eyes and reluctantly wake up if the one person she deems worthy softy calls out to her?

Blasphemous Inspiration:

Akura’s name as a researcher, similar to Maria. He is a mad scientist, but you need roles like that when writing a story. Instead of a scientist who builds up his research results as he goes, he is the inventor type who has sudden flashes of insight. His eccentricities left his relationships and social skills in shambles, so he is fully reliant on his intelligence.

World Complete (End of the World):

Shigara Masami’s name as a legendary summoner and the leader of the three old powers. It comes from how she traversed all three major powers and earned all of the Awards. She appeared in this volume as a god who could create a deathless world, but the term “end of the world” also appeared in Volume 2 as the theory on which Hayato and Benikomichi’s attempted deathless world was based. She is another summoner like the Yellow Gills who abandoned the fight during the Secret War, but her decision was based on the idea that she could leave behind a chance for the surviving children (including the White Queen) even if she lost the war. Unlike Humanism who went out in a blaze of glory, she could not force her strength on those around her even if it meant everyone called her a coward.

Colorful Museum:

From their twisted hobby of collecting things including humans. I thought of them as ending up with a mansion of junk because they lose interest in their collection but cannot bring themselves to throw anything out. Not every nonviolent person is a pacifist.

Delivery Heaven 2 Hell:

A courier summoner who calmly completes their job despite knowing their deliveries will bring misfortune either to the recipient or the delivery itself. This might be another form of the precision-guided missile Kyousuke was when he was younger.

The Saint:

I gave her a pure-sounding name so you would suspect there had to be an ulterior motive. And she turns out to have a saint side and a witch side while the leader of the summoner-vessel pair switches depending on the flip of a coin. And keep in mind there is no “correct answer” like that the witch is her true form or she is actually an M. Since she has great skill but no fixed personal identity, she is like taking Azalea from Volume 1 in a different direction.

All Around Armament:

The decision to abbreviate it as 3A was of course partially for the bust size joke. Similar to the modified China dress person, she looks thinly dressed yet her clothing is packed full of hidden weapons. She is an assassin, but I thought of her as a Trojan horse who could do more damage by using her lovely appearance to sneak her armory into the enemy formation.

Thousand Eater (One who Has Exceeded 1000):

This title technically refers to anyone who has achieved Award 1000 and not Elvast in particular. But in the current timeline, he is the only one who could do it, so it automatically became his name. He is the rusty king who has grown tired of fighting because he developed the surefire method of summoning the White Queen with the first shot. He wanted to remain human, so the approach to Award 1000 was like a countdown to doom for him. Being such a selfish leader of Government was his way of reminding himself that he was a human first and foremost. If he had been a little stronger, he could have been a match for Humanism who had conquered that fear. f𝘳𝚎𝐞we𝐛𝑛𝐨𝘃e𝘭.co𝘮

Doctor S:

Since he is Kyousuke’s father, the S was an absolute necessity. As a researcher, he is more like Volume 5’s Akura, but he can hide his greed, he can fight on his own, and he can get along in the world, so he is much harder to deal with. If you think of Akura as the random attacker type who was at the mercy of his own ideas (or delusions), then Doctor S is the serial killer type who preserves a perfect presence in society while calmly fulfilling his desires in secret. As someone who would do anything for his research, he is the polar opposite of Shigara Masami or Humanism who pursued human strength. He is a hopelessly bad person, but without someone like him, the door to the Blood-Sign system would never have been opened.

Noble Bride (Bride of the State):

The name of Sinceria, the impressive mama character who perfectly maintained the three identities of a queen, a mother, and a woman. Being a mother generally requires a husband, but I added the “of the state” to brush aside that image as much as possible. “Divorced” is a taboo word. …At first glance, she looks like a caring mother focused on her family, but if you dig into her conversations with Rachel, you can catch some glimpses of some more worrying things.

Queen Executioner:

A second name given to Kyousuke in Volume 7 after he used the Colorless Little Girl to kill the White Queen. Generally used by his enemies. I thought a lot about it, but since he had killed the Queen and spread the word of her death, I decided to base it on the idea of the public execution of a powerful figure. Back when Kyousuke was still bound by her, the White Queen would probably have enjoyed being put in some scraps of cloth, shackled, and dragged out into the public square as a part of flirting with him. She wants to be the kind of self-absorbed couple who shows off their relationship instead of keeping it hidden, so she was probably wiggling in excitement when she heard he was given a name with “Queen” in it.

War Criminal (War Slaughterer):

A different sort of ruler of the underground society than Open Bluff, the old king of Illegal. Boy A, aka Irigaru Tarou, was made to be as nondescript as possible. He is the ultimate criminal who embodies the nightmarish idea that the most frightening things are found in your closest neighbors. He knows what he does is wrong but still does not hesitate, so he is even more hopeless than Elvast who secretly agonized over it all. He was taken out of the fight by Kyousuke, but that means he was such a villain that not even Kyousuke could think up another way to stop him.

Eisen Rosen (Barbed Wire):

I used a rose and flower petal motif for the Summoning Ceremony itself, but I took that a step further and used a metal flower image for her. She is an outlaw but also the class rep type who makes sure everyone follows the rules. However, she is interested in the rules of the criminal organizations, not the laws of the nations.

Railroad Executioner:

A railroad-obsessed summoner. And one who is interested in the people killed when hit by trains, so he is a horribly insensitive criminal. I started with wanting a brutal character who would calmly execute people according to a schedule and I expanded that based on the idea of a timetable. He might use rhythmic shaking or the high-voltage power poles to enter a trance.

Monster Freak:

A summoner who uses Materials as beasts instead of gods. His clothing and Blood-Sign are both made of animal materials, but that is related to his complex related to the weakness of his own human body. He reassures himself by showing himself he can control the animals with the power of civilization. But he does not hate animals and will take good care of them as long as he has made his dominance clear.

Creation Dead:

A combination of opposite words. A nonproductive summoner who creates death. I could have really increased the characters destructive power by making them a little girl wearing nothing but a cape, but she never had a chance to appear.

Killer Acrobat:

Another combination of opposites. Acrobatics are generally meant to just barely keep you alive, but this summoner uses those techniques to kill. Instead of fighting on the flat ground, they constantly move around to fight in the air instead. Most of their effectiveness is determined by whether or not they can throw the Incense Grenade and gain control of the Artificial Sacred Ground. Since they jump around a lot, going with a cheerleader or gymnastics theme might have been better than a circus one.

Sinful Monk:

Simple and straightforward. The fact that a summoner with this name reached the 900s in Illegal tells you all you need to know about the path they have taken, don’t you think? In a way, they have stayed true to themselves to the end. Yes, this was a summoner who could remain mistaken because they were powerful enough to defeat anyone who protested.

Puppet?Theatre?Crime?Device:

I finally used a symbol in their name and don’t ask me how you’re supposed to pronounce it, but since these names are based on screennames, I went for it anyway. I started with Theatre Crime for the motif and added the other words to the front and back as extra flavoring.

(*The following are not names given to characters, but these are some things that had a large influence on the setting but never got much of an explanation because the story did not demand it.)

Quad Motors:

The quad part comes from the ridiculous idea that they monopolize the weapon supply for all four branches of the US military. Repliglass, one of the major twists of this setting, is either supplied by this company or by rival companies from other countries.

But they are actually European instead of American because the Magentarain family has been watching what America does from within and sometimes intervening ever since the country achieved independence from England. The Magentarain family is also a member of the Round Table, a group of old European bloodlines. (Since that is a collection of nobles, a royal like Sinceria is not a part of the group. A queen can construct a community with herself at the top, so she would feel no need to join a group of equal members.)

…In Index, the European powers of England, Rome, and Russia control the magical side of things while America lags behind due to an insufficient occult foundation, but in Blood-Sign, America has used their money and technology to increase their presence while shoving Europe aside. Quad Motors has some level of indirect control on military matters, but that is far from perfect and there is room for interference from Toy Dream who have global influence through their media and cities.

Toy Dream:

A multinational entertainment company that wishes to fill the world with toys and give people dreams. They do not know much about the occult, but their fairy tales and movies have all been massive hits because they draw inspiration from the true occult books and antiques gathered using all their money.

They are a giant organization that represents the world, but they actually knew nothing about the secrets of the world. That was one of the major twists in the Blood-Sign setting. The Round Table never intervened because despite all the money they spent, they never showed signs of unusual desires, but the founder self-destructed through Volume 8’s Blue Film.

Meinokawa Shrine:

Meinokawa refers to the Sanzu River and the names Higan and Renge are based on the image of flowers blossoming on its bank. Because they are the ones who manage who comes and goes between the two worlds. …But even with the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, doesn’t this seem more of a Buddhist temple thing than a Shinto shrine thing? The Joruri Method’s name came from the Ningyou Joruri. That is a collection of many different techniques - woodworking, clothing, anatomy, joints, dollmaking, music, etc. - so I had the evolution (or the gathering?) of the Queen’s images come from that line of creating tools for something like a theatrical ceremony.

The Meinokawa Shrine has very little influence on the Summoning Ceremony industry given their level of technology, but that is because they were satisfied after completing Aoi as the original artificial vessel and felt no need to expand their power from there. If they had felt any dissatisfaction or longing because they did not have enough of a specific material or could not complete the design, that may have given them the drive they needed to invade others. But that would have entirely eliminated the image of the Meinokawa Shrine as the protectors of that idyllic rural village.

Kyousuke’s Cruiser:

I had already decided that Aika was living in the stereotypical rich person’s apartment, so where was the super cool and strongest protagonist supposed to live? After a lot of thought, I finally arrived at a cruiser as the answer. Since it isn’t fixed to one location, it helped establish his position as the rabbit that immediately parts ways with the heroines. Note that Aika lives on the top floor of a high-rise apartment while Kyousuke floats in the ocean at the bottommost level of the city.

The idea of living in a large vehicle must really tug at my heartstrings because besides the cruiser, this series has also had a mobile fortress, an excursion ship, and a cruise ship. And if you look at my other series, you find an RV made from a large bus, a flying wing that constantly moves all around the world to keep its whereabouts unknown, maintenance bases made from more than 100 large special vehicles, nuke-resistant Objects, and more.

…And cruise ships in particular have appeared in Index, Object, Intellectual Village, Vampire Zombie, Boo Boo, Magisterus, and Blood-Sign, so they show up an awful lot, don’t they?

About the Shiroyama Name:

Shiroyama was a fake name Doctor S took, but not even he knows why he chose it. Since this was about the White Queen who can distort history, I decided to start the series without having an answer and leaving that blank. That way I could see what answer naturally came about after the fact as the story progressed as an experiment in growth (or maybe in altering history?). In the end, I discovered that the consonants of Shiroyama (srym) are not found anywhere in the letters for the White Queen’s name (iu - nu - fb - a - wuh - ei - kx - eu - pl - vjz). So as the story progressed, I gave it the meaning of that which the Queen lacks or that can complement her. But they are not complete strangers, so if you spell Shiroyama with a “shi” at the start instead of a “si”, you get one letter in common. A young boy and girl brought together by H!? You really can’t underestimate coincidence, can you? Or is this the White Queen’s guidance?